XVII - 𝔟𝔞𝔡 𝔤𝔦𝔯𝔩𝔰 𝔤𝔢𝔱 𝔯𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢

(edited)

"OH THAT RAT'S ASS."

Lilura sipped her chamomile tea, blue eyes following Klaus' every move.

"Go on," She said. "Let it all out."

"I want to wring his neck," He seethed. "I want to rip his heart out and destroy it with a mortar and pestle."

Lilura was hardly phased, "I have one in the kitchen, if you want."

"I want him to suffer like he's never suffered before."

"That's lovely," Lilura beamed. "Sirius! Come to mummy!"

Sirius hopped onto her lap obediently, nibbling at a treat Lilura had stuck in the crevice of the couch.

"Sweetheart and...mutt," Klaus called, "Let's get this show on the road."

Sirius sent a somewhat disgruntled look to Lilura.

"Yeah I know," She answered. "But normally I just go with the flow."

———— Δ ————

"Can I throw up?"

"The rubbish is over there," Klaus replied, gesturing to the bins in front of the Mystic Grill. "Try not to spill. I bought you that dress."

Lilura chuckled, "I'll vomit on your shoes then, dïck."

As they moved closer,  Lilura really felt the need to vomit because Damon and Elena were looking at each other with those pained lovesick gazes.

Oh, forbidden love.

"Ah, ah- I'm not saying you have any attractive looks. I'm saying this is my least favorite one..." Elena said, eyes light with playfulness.

Damon grinned, "Noted. See if I can make any improvements."

"Don't mind us," Klaus said, effectively startling the two. Lilura coughed loudly, willing the image of a flirting Damon and Elena out of her head.

"Klaus," Elena breathed.

"You gonna do this in the Grill? In front of everyone? It's a little beneath you, don't you think?" Damon sneered.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I just came down to my local pub to grab a drink with my girl and my mate."

"He's more butler than friend," Lilura said. "Get a round in, would you Tony?"

Tony handed them all glasses.

"I'm surprised you stuck around town long enough for happy hour," The Salvatore drawled.

"My sister seems to be missing. Need to sort that out."

"Cute blonde bombshell, psycho. Shouldn't be too hard to find."

"Apparently, very hard to find when someone wants her to be hidden," Lilura smirked.

"Truth is I've grown to rather like your little town. Think I might fancy a home here. Oh I imagine you're wondering how does this is affect you. The answer is: not in the slightest. As long as I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves you can go on living your little lives however you choose. You have my word," Klaus chuckled, knowing his words were like willows - subject to change if the wind blew the wrong way.

"What more could you both possibly want?" inquired Elena, eyeing the drink with her signature stinkeye.

"Well for starters, you can tell me where I might find Stefan," Klaus spat his name.

"Stefan skipped town the second he saved your ass."

"Well you see that is a shame," Klaus rolled a dart in his hands and threw it, landing on the bull's eye.

"Your brother stole from me. I need him found so I can take back what's mine."

"That sounds like a Klaus and Stefan problem."

Annoyance flared in Lilura's chest at the doppleganger's words, making her take a step forward. Damon immediately intercepted Lilura, frown hard.

"How sweet," The enchantress sneered.

Damon's blue eyes hardened.

"Well this is us broadening the scope, doppelbitch," Lilura smiled brightly.

———— Δ ————

"Three inches to the right," She mumbled.

The carpenters did as told.

"Ehhh," Lilura squinted. "Maybe to the left. Three millimeters."

One of the carpenters widened his eyes, making a move to take out his portable ruler.

"I'm joking!" The enchantress giggled. "It's perfect. Brilliante!"

She waved down the workers and turned around to an expressionless Mindy.

"You could be a little less...you," The Hybrid henchwoman remarked, getting out a measuring tape as well.

"What are you doing?"

"Moving it to the left, like you instructed, three millimeters."

Lilura's mouth formed a surprise o, "Now I see the appeal. You literally do anything he says?"

Before leaving to do business, Klaus has ordered Mindy to obey everything Lilura said. At first,  the enchantress wasn't that impressed with the instruction, but now she was reconsidering.

Mindy adjusted the painting, "Unfortunately."

"So if I said get me a glass of wine, you'd do that too?"

She was already at the door, "I hate you."

"That's splendid!"

———— Δ ————

"Which one do you reckon will make him happy?"

Sirius cocked his fluffy head to the side, and without a moment of hesitance, placed his paw on the Eletrolux 360.

Lilura chuckled, loading the box into her shopping cart. "You fancy pants," She said.

Sirius grinned.

"Alright. If you say so."

Lilura and Sirius payed for their things with less stares than usual. Other than being incredibly pretty, the people of Mystic Falls also thought Lilura was incredibly bonkers.

That, and her tendency to talk to Sirius at any given moment.

But it didn't bother her, not one bit.

Lilura loved the attention.

However, her inner monologue was interrupted by a certain doppelganger on the phone. Elena Gilbert, bless her heart, was standing outside with the phone gripped tightly in her hands and a pinched look on her face. What stood out about her the most was the atrocious magenta windbreaker that made everything else in her near proximity dull in comparison. Lilura knew fashion wasn't the Gilbert's strong suit but she reckoned Elena had to be blind before putting on that outfit. Perhaps, if they had the time, Lilura would try to consul this fashion monstrosity.

"Jer, I know you're sorry," Elena mumbled.

Sirius tugged Lilura's sleeve, and the siren followed his lead. Now they were crouching behind a couple of bushes, eavesdropping.

The siren sent her dog and impressed glance. "Who knew you were so good at snooping?"

Sirius licked her hand.

"I understand, but Alaric jumped in front of you on his own free will. Besides, he'll be up in second. The ring never fails."

The cogs in Lilura's mind turned.

Alaric. Jumped. Ring?

"Look, we can't let Klaus know we're scared. We'll talk later. See you in a bit."

Lilura bit her lip in confusion. What did Klaus have to do with all of this?

Elena started her car and drove off.

Sirius nudged her leg.

"Hell yeah," The siren said. "We are so going to follow her."

Sirius barked at their trunk, in which the Electrolux 360 laid.

"You're so smart!" She cooed. "Yes, this is the perfect opportunity!"

———— Δ ————

"Ric, hey! When did you return to the living?" Elena greeted gently, sitting down beside the older man.

"Oh just a few minutes ago. How is everything?"

"Pretty boring, honestly," said Lilura who popped up from behind the couch, jump scaring both Elena and Alaric.

"Jesus Christ!" The hunter groaned, placing a hand on his chest. "Never do that again, Lily."

Sirius hopped up after her, growling and hoping to scare the other humans like his owner did. However, the action did not elicit quiet the same response because Elena grinned at his cuteness before returning to the conversation.

"What do you want?" came Elena Gilbert's exhausted-sounding question.

"Calm down," Lilura answered, plopping next to Alaric and giving him a quick side hug, "I'm not here for you."

"Then why are you here?"

The enchantress giggled, "I'm glad you asked, Saltz. Sirius, bring her in!"

Suddenly, Sirius' butt came wiggling from behind the couch. He was pulling a big plastic bag with a bow lazily slapped onto the top.

"What in the world—" Alaric managed.

"Shhhhhh!" Lilura put a finger to her lips. "Sirius and Lilura Inc. are proud to present..."

She walked over to the box and yanked the plastic bag out, accidentally slapping Elena in the face with it.

"Pardon me," She murmured. "Your new incredibly awesome cool and good-looking microwave! Just like the owner!"

Alaric sat there, silent.

"You don't like it?" Lilura whispered after a very long moment.

He stared at her blankly.

"Alaric?"

"ARE YOU KIDDING? THIS IS THE BEST GIFT I'VE EVER GOTTEN!"

And then Alaric was tackling Lilura into a very warm bear hug, squeezing the life out of her dainty shoulders.

"Can't. Breathe," She gasped.

"Sorry. It's just—you're really thoughtful."

Lilura grinned toothily, "Well, I did break your old microwave dropping it on Damon's head and all."

"Potato-potatoe," Alaric said.

"Ew," Lilura sniffed, "Don't do that. You sound like a dad."

"So what happened?" Lilura asked after a moment of comfortable silence. She gestured to Alaric's couch setup where chicken soup was on the coffee table, billowing steam.

"Your husband put a kill order on my brother," Elena deadpanned. "Alaric saved Jeremy."

"I see," Lilura bit her lip. "So how are ya, Saltz?"

"Pretty good, I've got to sa—" Within the blink of an eye, Alaric had started violently coughing.

"Ric, hey," Elena said, patting his back.

He spat out blood.

"Holy shït!" Lilura gasped. "Elena, you ruin everything."

The Gilbert made a face before dialing 911.

———— Δ ————

The paramedic scratched his head. "What happened?"

"He got hit by a car and...he's coughing up blood," Elena answered.

"Get his vitals," Another paramedic said.

Lilura shook her head and made eye contact with the paramedics. "So y'all are going to completely gloss over the fact she said he was hit by a bloody car and didn't call the ambulance? Something smells fishy to me and it isn't Elena's hair."

The paramedic halted in their tracks, confusion evident in their features. Yes, why were they not questioning the situation?

"Why are you stopping?" She picked at her nails. When no one made a move, the enchantress flipped her head to make direct eye contact with them.

"I said move."

And then the paramedics were rapidly pushing Alaric's body out the door.

"Thank goodness for that siren charm," Elena remarked sincerely.

Lilura smacked her lip, "Sounds weird when we aren't insulting each other. Quick! Say something Elena-ish."

"Your gullibility enables Klaus to manipulate you as he pleases," She replied stoically before breaking into an innocent smile.

"Elena, you bïtch."

———— Δ ————

"How was the charity, love?"

Lilura sent Klaus a confused expression, "Charity?"

"Giving the microwave to the need."

When his comment registered in her brain, Lilura rolled her eyes and threw a couch pillow to his face.

To her utter disappointment, Klaus caught it.

"Come on now, love. Don't be naughty."

Lilura cast a wicked smile, "I like being naughty. Besides, you might just have to punish me."

He chuckled, biting his lip as he did so.

"Am I interrupting something?" Stefan asked coldly.

"As a matter of fact, you are, but I don't think you care very much."

Lilura supported the statement by sticking her middle finger at Stefan. "Wanker," She said, grabbing a can of cherry cola from the frige.

"I'm surprised you're still in town. I gave you your freedom, you could have gone anywhere."

Stefan placed an arm on the door, "I live here, Klaus."

"Well, if we're playing this game, then...I was here first."

"You know, I don't like your hybrid friends. They're everywhere, kind of like fleas. I want them gone."

Lilura spat out her cherry cola and cackled, "Wow. Bold."

"Yeah, well I kind of like having them around," Klaus answered mildly. "You know, I'm hurt. I hoped that when I freed you, we'd pick up where we left off. But here you are, guzzling vervain like the rest of them, I'm sure. So much for friendship."

"Friends don't strip friends of their free will."

"Okay, granted, yeah, that was a little extreme, but I get a little moody. Just ask my siblings. Speaking of whom, isn't it time you handed them over?" Klaus grinned, his gaze oddly cold.

"Klaus, get your hybrids out of Mystic Falls or I will remove them myself."

"Like you could do that," Lilura coughed.

"Hmm. You see, if you continue to threaten me, I'm gonna be forced to retaliate. Kill people. And it will get messy again."

Stefan wasn't fazed, "Do whatever you want, I don't really care. Or you know what? Maybe I do. Maybe I care so much, that I'll drop Elijah in the Arctic."

"Well, maybe I'll be willing to lose one brother if it meant killing yours."

"Try me, let's find out," the blond Salvatore smirked.

Mindy poked her head inside, "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, Mindy. Stefan was just leaving after failing to make his point," Lilura smiled sweetly.

The younger vampire didn't break her gaze as he grabbed a saw off the work table next to him.

He sped over to Mindy and sawed her head clean off. Lilura gasped, eyes transfixed as Mindy's head thumped against the wooden floorboards.

"Well, one down. You may want to, ah, send the rest of them away before it gets messy, again."

He left without another word.

———— Δ ————

After that fiasco, Lilura decided to take Sirius on a little midnight stroll, since Klaus was having another hissy fit. She wasn't sure if it was because Stefan was making demands or because he had to dry clean the carpet once again after Sirius had a little accident on it.

"You'd think there would be more things to do," She said absentmindedly, climbing up the slide.

Woof!

"True," Lilura met Sirius' adorable unfocused eyes. "It's a lot more peaceful."

They were in a playground with Lilura sitting on top of a slide and Sirius rolling in the mulch. Lilura was in a nostalgic mood, remembering things about her family.

"I like the stars, Sirius." She swung her legs back and forth. "They remind me of my life before the supernatural."

Sirius stopped playing and stared at his owner knowingly.

"My sister would have liked you. She always wanted a dog," Lilura scrunched her nose. "Father bought her a wolf instead."

Sirius yapped.

"Yeah. I kinda miss them," Lilura chuckled.

Sirius barked again.

"But life brought me here and I think it's for the best."

Then, out of the blue, a searing pain erupted on the right side of her face. Lilura fell down, head hitting the unforgiving metal of the playground. She hissed, clutching the lump and cradling the side of her face.

Damn, I really can't catch a break, can I?

"Sirius," Lilura managed.

He trotted to her loyally, sniffing the Siren's face in worry. She muffled her scream, not wanting to attract unwanted attention. The siren hardly remembered the last time she felt like this. She had blacked out during the ritual when Bonnie had cast that spell on her. Elijah and Klaus had eluded that she grew scales and started bleeding, but none of that was happening this time. Only pain as if nails were clawing at her back and some strange monster was wailing to be let out from her body.

What the actual hell is happening?

When Lilura flipped onto her back and stared up at the sky, she realized exactly why.

It was a full moon. It was that time of the month she turned into a bloodthirsty killing machine, and Lilura didn't mean the menstrual cycle.

It was all because of Esther. After the Original Witch found out about her pregnancy and discovered Lilura was unwilling to assassinate the Originals as Esther had originally planned, she cursed the siren and called on all of Lilura's deepest darkest facets of her personality to create an entirely new creature - the Draconi, the siren monster.

"Sirius," Lilura hissed. "Go. Run."

Instead of following her order, Sirius was standing on his haunches, a feral demeanor entering his body. He barked repeatedly.

"Go find Klaus. I don't think I can —"

Snap.

Lilura squinted. "Who's there?"

"What a nice coincidence."

The last thing she saw were the stars.

———— Δ ————

"What are you doing, Stefan?" Elena said shakily.

Her previous boyfriend ignored her.

Elena glimpsed dark hair and flawless skin before speaking up once again. "Stefan, what happened to Lilura?"

A small smile played at his lips. "I hit the jackpot."

Distinctly, Elena heard her cell ring and shoved a hand in her back pocket to answer it.

Stefan put the phone to his ears. "Hello Damon, she's a little busy right now."

"Why the hell do you have Elena's phone?"

"I'm making my next move. Let me ask you something...What will Klaus do if he can't make any more hybrids? And what will he do next if he doesn't have the one person who supports him?"

"What?" Elena roared.

"Stefan, leave them out of this."

Stefan rolled down the passenger window and chucked Elena's phone out.

"What are you doing? Stefan, let me out of this car. Do you hear me? Let me out of the car!"

"I took Klaus's family to make him suffer. I'm not gonna let him make himself a new one," Stefan spat.

Elena followed his gaze to an unconscious Lilura.

"So, what are you gonna do, huh? Are you gonna lock us in some cave and keep us hostage?"

"Maybe. Maybe, I'll just turn you into a vampire and kill her."

Elena began rattling the doors. "Stop the car, Stefan! Stop the car, Stefan!"

Stefan continued to speed past signs. With a flick of his fingers, he called Klaus.

"Stefan, how nice to hear your voice."

"Tell your hybrids to get out of town, Klaus."

"Well, that's not gonna happen until I get my coffins back."

He chucked, "Okay, well then I'm gonna drive your wife and you blood source off Wickery Bridge.

"I don't believe you, Stefan. You won't kill Elena. You can't kill Lilura. She's immortal."

"Not when she's transitioning into her real form, courtesy of Bonnie's spell. She's weak now, or should I say kill-able."

"You're bluffing."

Stefan ripped a wooden stake off the car panel and stuck it in Lilura's stomach. She moaned in pain, wincing in her sleep.

"The blood says otherwise."

"As for Elena..." Stefan trailed off, biting his arm.

"No! No!" Elena shrieked, fighting with all her might. However, she was no match for the vampiric strength.

"I just fed her my blood. No more hybrids if she's a vampire."

"You won't do it."

"Really? Try me, because your coffins are next to go. Say goodbye to your family."

"Stefan, slow down! Stefan! Stefan, stop it!" Elena cried, shoving against her restraints.

Lilura groaned, slowly coming to the dire situation.

"Fine, I'll send them away. You win."

Head pounding, Lilura opened her eyes. When she noticed the apparent danger, she too began shouting.

"Stefan! Stefan, stop!" The siren croaked.

"STOP THE CAR STEFAN!" Klaus roared.

And then Lilura was thrown out of the car, body propelled into the air due to the absence of a seatbelt and Stefan slamming the breaks.

"LILURA!" Elena called.

The perpetrator himself sat stunned in the leather seats, never intending to go that far with the heist.

Lilura mumbled weakly and incoherently, touching the gash on her forehead. She could feel the glass pinching into her skin, but it was dull compared to the consistent pain in her back. She looked at her arms and sighed in relief. No scales. No golden blood.

Something was interfering with Esther's curse. The Draconi was fighting but could not appear.

Quickly, Elena yanked open the car doors and ran to the injured siren.

"Get back in the car," Stefan said.

"Stay away from me!" Elena answered, coming to a stop before Lilura.

"Elena, get in the car."

"How could you?! My parents died going over this bridge. I almost died. You knew that. You're the one who saved me," She pointed a trembling finger to the enchantress. "Stefan, she's almost dead!"

"Look, he had to believe that I would do it, all right? Your fear sold it."

Her face grew red, "What if he hadn't?"

"He did."

"Well, what if he hadn't?" She repeated herself, clutching her head.

Stefan started to raise his voice as well, "He did Elena! He backed down! He has a weakness. If I know his weakness, I can destroy him."

"After everything, that's what mattered? Destroying Klaus?"

"Destroying Klaus is all I've left."

Lilura bit her cheeks, drawing blood from suppressing the urge to scream. She felt as though a hundred needles were being stabbed into her skin. Her arm protested in warning when she tried standing up. If she moved anymore, the bones would break.

Lilura detested feeling this weak.

She wasn't religious, but Lilura remembered praying for the pain to go away. She prayed an angel would come and swoop her out of her misery.

A soft voice answered her calls.

"It's ok," he whispered. "I've got you, Li."

And then the world witnessed as the devil carried his sleeping queen away.

🌟 holy cow 3525 words, you're welcome! I was trying to make up for the previous chap. Hope you enjoyed it!