Текст книги "Первородные: Восхождение"

Автор книги: Julie Plec

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Family is power.

The Original vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago. They pledged to remain together always and forever. But even when you’re immortal, promises are hard to keep.

Arriving in New Orleans in 1722, Original vampire siblings Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson believe they’ve escaped their dangerous past. But the city is lawless, a haven for witches and werewolves unwilling to share territory. The siblings are at their mercy…especially after Klaus meets the beautiful and mysterious Vivianne. Her impending marriage is key to ending the war between the supernatural factions—and Klaus’s attraction to her could destroy the uneasy alliance. As Elijah works toward securing a piece of the city for his family, and Rebekah fights her unexpected feelings for a French captain, will Klaus’s volatile desires bring their world crashing down—and tear them apart for good?

Dear Reader:

If you’re reading this letter, then there’s a good chance you love the Mikaelson family as much as I do. For Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah, our beloved vampires at the heart of the hit CW drama The Originals, an hour a week barely scratches the surface of their story. That’s why Harlequin HQN, in association with Alloy Entertainment, will be publishing a new trilogy of books that offers never-before-told stories of the Original vampires.

We’ve seen this family’s epic struggle to live and love in New Orleans while mired in conflict between the human and supernatural factions. But was it any easier for them back then than it is now? Klaus often isolates himself from the idea of romantic love, but what would happen if he actually opened his heart to it? Elijah prides himself on being the constant pillar of self-control, but when a mysterious witch captures his heart, will his noble restraint remain unbroken? Rebekah, never a stranger to love, meets a handsome army captain, but will she be able to keep her emotions in check when she discovers he might be a vampire hunter?

In The Originals: The Rise, The Loss, and The Resurrection, you’ll get to know all three Mikaelson vampires as you’ve never seen them before. Read on for all the passion, drama, and bloodthirsty adventure of the TV show, and get ready for a book with a lot of bite.

With best wishes,

Julie Plec

Creator and Executive Producer of The Originals

CREATED BY JULIE PLEC

based on

Contents

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

EXCERPT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PROLOGUE

1713

VIVIANNE LESCHERES WAS not afraid of the dark. The night felt like a warm cloak around her shoulders. The nearly full moon bathed the bayou in black and gray, hiding and shifting its truths, but Vivianne’s feet were sure and her heartbeat steady, even as a girl of ten. In the darkness, she was free.

Vivianne, born of both a witch and a werewolf, had both clans as her protectors, her family. No danger could come to her, even from New Orleans’s roughest residents. There had never been any part of the city where she feared to tread.

Yet on this night, as she got closer to the wide, lazy river, all she could smell was death. She slowed, scanning around her for what was amiss. The night couldn’t keep secrets from her eyes for long, and she watched as a ghost ship crept along the edge of the swamp. She set one boot down in front of the other, wading closer to the open water of the Saint Louis River.

The ship looked small, but sturdy enough for an ocean crossing, if not big enough to journey in any comfort. Yet even Vivianne’s sharp eyes couldn’t spot a single soul on board. It just slid through the water, timbers creaking slightly with the gentle roll of the midnight current.

She reached the edge of the bayou and heard a shout go up from one of the watchmen. Finally, they had noticed the ghostly vessel. Slipping behind a stand of cattails, Vivianne felt a powerful impulse to set the ship on fire and let the water sweep it back down to the ocean. Whatever it was and whatever it carried, she didn’t want it in her city.

The ship stalled at the banks, inviting the watchmen to come to it. They wasted no time, clambering up the ladder built into the side of the ghost ship’s hull. She thought about calling to them, but she could not imagine what warning a child might give that could turn the men away from what they believed was abandoned treasure.

The moonlight glinted off the pale skin and golden hair of a man sneaking across the deck as he followed the guards below. He moved with inhuman speed and strength as he pulled a man up into the ship’s rigging. Screams began to rise from the deck. The warm night air turned clammy and clung to Vivianne’s skin, making her shiver. The coppery smell of blood drifted across the river to her, and she’d seen enough: She ran.

The darkness closed in on her, roots and hillocks reaching up to catch at her feet as she flew across the swamp. Something new had come to New Orleans, and the night would never be safe again.

CHAPTER ONE

1722

“CRASHING A PARTY” had a beautifully destructive ring to it, but Klaus found the reality a disappointment. It had been too easy to get invited, and Elijah’s constant reminders that violence was prohibited turned out to be entirely unnecessary. All that awaited them inside the villa was an ordinary party. Witches and werewolves drank and danced with their own kind, each casting occasional disdainful looks at members of the other clan. The ballroom was stuffy, and the human servers moved numbly through the crowd, controlled by some sort of spell that made them just as dull as everything else. Klaus couldn’t figure out why his brother had been so eager to attend this event, but Elijah’s reasoning was often unsound.

A doe-eyed young woman handed him a glass of champagne, and Klaus tasted it gamely. It was probably of very high quality, but it made no real impression on him. He was, after all, hardly the best judge of beverages served in polite company. “Wait,” he called, and the young woman turned obediently, a tray of glasses still balanced on one hand. Klaus stepped closer to her, taking in the honey glint of her hair and the gentle throb of the pulse in her throat. “I need some air.” He improvised. “Can you show me to the garden?”

The human girl hesitated for a moment, her lips parted as if she knew she was supposed to refuse, yet couldn’t. She put down her tray, and Klaus followed her to the edge of the glittering ballroom. He caught her before the door had fully closed behind them, his eyes adjusting immediately to the darkness of the garden. His right hand curled around her mouth, muffling any sound that might escape, while his left hand brushed her hair away from the skin of her throat. He felt his teeth extend and sharpen as he stared at her smooth neck. His fangs reached for her pulse, tore into her throat, and locked it in place while her hot blood flowed into his mouth.

Klaus’s mind had already begun to wander by the time her heartbeat grew faint. His eyes roved the moonlit garden, looking for hiding places. The minute the serving girl was dead he carried her to a honeysuckle-covered wall and concealed her among the clinging vines. Klaus didn’t bother to inspect his work too carefully. Leaving the boring party for a boring kill had unexpectedly made him feel even more out of sorts.

He slipped back through the carved double doors, struck for a moment by the light and music inside. His return went almost entirely unnoticed, but not quite. The glow of a dozen chandeliers glinted off a pile of perfect blonde curls, and a pair of serious blue eyes was fixed on his face.

Rebekah must have been spying for Elijah and catering to his tiresome obsession with “fitting in.” Making sure the wayward half brother didn’t do anything to endanger their brilliant plans.

Together, the three Original vampires could have taken ownership of this fledgling city in a heartbeat, making it a fortress against the enemy that hunted them. Instead, they had spent nine long years cowering in dark corners, feeding only when necessary and ingratiating themselves with the locals. Klaus had agreed to it all for the time being, but he couldn’t be expected to forego all entertainment while bending to Elijah’s schemes.

He turned away from his sister in disgust, only to see that he was being watched by someone else. The girl staring his way was one of the witches, he thought, although he was almost sure he had noticed her dancing with a lanky werewolf earlier. A lovely young witch who wasn’t afraid to stray from her own kind? That might be enjoyable and could even redeem this dreadful party. With her raven hair, porcelain skin, and intensely black eyes she could almost have been a vampire, but Klaus knew that the spells that filled her pretty head were nothing compared to his power.

Klaus imagined splitting the white skin of her throat; he could hear her begging him to. He could be the last man to soak up the light that seemed to radiate from her before putting it out forever.

He watched the young witch move through the room, pausing to speak here and dance there. Now and then her shining black eyes found his before darting away. Klaus moved closer, stalking her through the ball gowns and frock coats like a tiger slipping through tall grass.

The music changed, and the dancers obediently separated into groups of eight, one couple at each corner. Klaus ended up one group over from his new prey—was it his imagination, or had she begun to move away as she saw him come closer?—but that was easily remedied. The dancers stepped and turned to the music, and Klaus let them carry him and the girl toward each other. He watched until she was just behind him, and then he spun.

“May I cut in?” he asked flatly, not waiting for an answer as he pulled her into his arms. Her partner stammered something and then backed away. Klaus didn’t bother to watch him go.

The girl’s red lips quirked up in a rueful smile. “Poor Gerald,” she sighed, her black eyes glittering in the candlelight. “I don’t think he saw you coming.”

“I think you did, Mademoiselle,” Klaus countered, spinning her away from his body and then back in, closer this time.

“Vivianne,” she replied, holding up her gloved fingers expectantly. He turned her hand over to kiss the underside of her wrist, letting his lips linger on her skin a bit longer than the usual. She didn’t blush the way most girls her age would have; instead she raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Niklaus Mikaelson,” he returned. “It’s an honor.”

“I’m sure,” Vivianne murmured. She glanced away, distracted. Then she looked back up at him and smiled, and it was as if the sun had come out: dazzling, powerful, and dangerous. “Who dragged you to this tedious affair, anyway? Or did you just wander in and lose sight of the exit?”

From across the room, Klaus noticed Elijah lurking at the outer edges of the ballroom. His brother’s brown eyes were searching, boring into his. Elijah jerked his head, trying to catch Klaus’s attention without anyone else noticing. Klaus stared at him curiously, intrigued by the vehemence of his silent protest. “My siblings assured me this party would be the social event of the season,” he answered. “I wasn’t convinced, but it certainly has improved dramatically in the last few minutes.”

Vivianne’s eyebrow ticked up again; he couldn’t quite tell if she was flattered or just amused. “I wouldn’t have thought you were the sort of man who enjoyed pattern dancing.”

“Neither would I.” The music signaled a change of partners, but Klaus glared at the young man who held his hand out to Vivianne. “I don’t quite have the hang of it,” he admitted, “but you dance beautifully. I wasn’t aware this city could turn out such polished young women; have you traveled?”

Her onyx eyes glittered with mischief. “I think you want me to know that you have,” she interpreted dryly. “You must have seen extraordinary things.”

“Oh, I have.” Sights that would have made her hair stand on end, but Klaus could save those topics for another, more intimate time. “But you didn’t answer, Mademoiselle Vivianne.” In fact, he noticed, she hadn’t even given him her last name.

She leaned closer to his chest than the dance strictly required. “How terribly upsetting for you.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice like honey mingled with blood. “I’m sure you’re accustomed to getting your own way.”

A short, surprised laugh burst from his throat. “Oh, mysterious Vivianne, I think I would rather have you deny me than get my way with anyone else tonight.”

“You shouldn’t insult the guest list,” she chided playfully. “For all you know, I invited all of these people. They may be five hundred of my closest friends.”

“Half of them may be, at any rate.” The division between the two clans was still evident; there were no werewolves on their side of the ballroom.

“Peace is a wonderful thing,” Vivianne replied, so blandly that he suspected she was thinking something quite different. The long war between the witches and werewolves of New Orleans had finally drawn to a close, and Klaus had seemed alone in not choosing to celebrate. Was it possible that this witch had doubts of her own about the truce? Elijah was adamant that it must go forward with no interference from the vampires, but if some of the witches themselves were dissatisfied...this charming young woman could be much more than just a meal.

Klaus realized that he was smiling genuinely for the first time that night. Maybe he ought to let the pretty witch live; New Orleans seemed less dreary for having her in it. “I will have to stay close to you and borrow some of your popularity,” he teased. “I don’t think I have many friends here tonight.”

“How lucky that I’m here to protect you from all these horrible people.” She rolled her eyes dismissively, looking for a brief moment like the girl she was.

He smirked. “Protecting the innocent is what I do, Mademoiselle. I’m surprised my reputation hasn’t preceded me.”

The song ended, and the dancers stopped with it. Vivianne stretched onto her tiptoes, bringing her face so close to his that Klaus could have bitten her lip.

“Oh, but it has,” she whispered, her wicked smile blocking out everything else in the decadent ballroom. She reached up to touch him, caressing the corner of his mouth with one long finger. He turned to kiss it, to devour it, but she pulled back out of his arms, and he saw that her fingertip had come away red. A forgotten bit of the serving girl’s blood; it must have been there all along.

Vivianne was halfway across the ballroom by the time he thought to follow her, and before he could move, horns gave a celebratory flourish. Frustrated, Klaus waited, impatient but confident there would be a better, more private opportunity to catch her soon.

“Ladies, gentlemen, distinguished guests,” a voice cried, silencing the chatter around them. “It is my great pleasure to welcome you to this happiest of occasions. I have the honor to present to you, for the first time as a betrothed couple, Armand Navarro and Vivianne Lescheres.” Vivianne reached the side of the werewolf Klaus had seen her with earlier, sliding her arm through his as if they had never been apart. Her smile was absolutely brilliant as she raised one white arm and waved to the crowd.

The ballroom exploded in a frenzy of applause and cheering, but Klaus was utterly still. Suddenly, the party made perfect sense. They weren’t just celebrating the end of the war; they were sealing it with blood. The Navarros were the premier werewolf family in New Orleans, so a Navarro was marrying a witch—and for them to agree, Vivianne must be an extraordinary witch.

Klaus narrowed his eyes. Extraordinary, indeed. She must be the one he had heard about: the daughter of both a witch and werewolf. He’d always dismissed the rumors as foolish, and yet the daughter of both clans stood before him with a beating pulse. When Elijah had mentioned this party, he had certainly failed to include some key details—and the only reason Klaus could think of was that his brother didn’t trust him to stay out of the deal that was being struck under their noses.

But someone should intervene. Klaus felt safest when his rivals hated one another at least as much as they hated him.

Besides, Vivianne was far too good to waste on a werewolf.

“She’s not for you, Niklaus,” Rebekah snapped, appearing beside his elbow. “This alliance has been a generation in the making. Interfering with it is absolutely out of the question, so just forget she exists.”

Klaus watched Vivianne dance with her fiancé. Her lithe body moved gracefully across the floor, her skirt following a moment later like a white echo. He didn’t answer Rebekah; there was no need. They both knew her warning had come too late.

CHAPTER TWO

THE BALLROOM AROUND Elijah hummed and spun with happy chatter and lively dancing, but underneath it all he couldn’t stop looking for trouble. What would be the first sign that would allow him to be faster, smarter, and more prepared than everyone else? From the relative peace of the darkened corner, he watched the wallflowers, the whisperers, the outsiders. But of course, as he turned his gaze to the dance floor, he realized he was looking in the wrong place. The trouble was right in the thick of the party, dancing with the bride-to-be. His fair head bent close to her dark one, listening, his expressive mouth smiling and murmuring in a way that conveyed instant intimacy. Why did Elijah ever bother looking anywhere but at Klaus?

Had it been a mistake to keep his impetuous younger brother in the dark about the werewolves’ terms for peace with the witches? Like all worthy feuds, this one was ending with a wedding between the two families, and Elijah had promised that the vampires wouldn’t disrupt their arrangement. He’d thought the key to keeping Klaus in line would be to divert his attention away from Vivianne and her betrothal, as his brother seemed to have an unnatural penchant for wanting what wasn’t his. But that plan had failed miserably.

Vivianne Lescheres, the rare child of both a witch and a werewolf, was a woman with a destiny. The fragile new peace of the city’s supernatural denizens depended entirely on her impending marriage, and the Mikaelson siblings depended on that peace. Rebekah had argued passionately and convincingly that telling Klaus a beautiful young woman was off-limits to him would only guarantee that he would seduce her, but apparently not telling him hadn’t helped a bit.

“Do you see that?” Rebekah sighed, rounding a column to join her brother in the dark. “Trust him to find a way to get in the middle of everything, without even knowing what it is.”

“We have to tell him now,” Elijah growled, sure of their mistake. “He’ll be even worse if he finds out on his own.”

“Has he ever been better, in order to become worse?” Apparently content with that parting shot, Rebekah returned to the dance floor, her gown sweeping across the polished floor. She frequently made it clear that she believed there wasn’t a way to handle Klaus, but Elijah refused to stop trying. The three of them had managed to stay together and survive this long—for almost a thousand years. There was no future for them without one another.

He tried to signal to Klaus, but only managed to catch his attention for a short second before Klaus returned his eyes to the half witch. Elijah wondered what the girl was saying to him; somehow he doubted that they were discussing her fiancé.

It would be too insolent to interrupt now. He could only watch as the trumpets sang and Vivianne left his brother’s side to join her future husband’s. From the reckless flush on her cheeks, Elijah felt sure that she had been toying with Klaus. Considering that Klaus had probably intended to eat her, it was hard for Elijah to hold a grudge, but it looked like Klaus wasn’t the only one who would require some careful watching.

“I understand the witches struck a deal to let you stay in New Orleans,” a voice rumbled in his ear. “If it had been up to me, I would have thrown you right back into the Saint Louis.” Solomon Navarro was the sort of man who wore his true nature on his sleeve. Huge, burly, and sporting a wicked scar down the right side of his face, he looked more like a wolf masquerading as a human than the other way around. Not even his impeccable coat could give the illusion of civilization winning out over savagery.

“Congratulations on your son’s engagement,” Elijah replied politely, struggling with all of his will not to show his fangs to the massive, glowering man. “You must be very proud.”

Elijah had felt that it was more important to be seen there, paying their respects to the powerful local clans, than to get hung up on the fact that they’d snuck in. Perhaps he had underestimated the tension of such a happy occasion.

“She thinks and acts like a witch,” Sol growled, nodding contemptuously at Vivianne. “Her father died too early to have any hand in raising her, which was an opportunity lost. But as a symbol, her parentage will be useful. Unless that thing you brought in with you gets his teeth in her, obviously. Have you ever considered curing your brother of his wretched immortality?”

“Niklaus will not be a problem,” Elijah assured the giant man, with a quick glance at his brother. Klaus was well out of earshot, but he still always seemed to know when his siblings weren’t entirely on his side. Klaus’s belief that he didn’t belong in their family—being only a half brother—was the poison that divided and endangered the Originals. Yet, despite his best intentions, Elijah could never quite convince his brother otherwise.

Still, Sol’s anger was somewhat justified, and not just because of the ill-advised dance in progress. Klaus had begun his time in New Orleans hunting werewolves. The witches had turned a blind eye, requiring only that the Mikaelsons make no new vampires. But with the wedding, the balance of the supernatural landscape had shifted. A massacre—even a small one, even one that had been over for years—could be held against them now by the witches and the werewolves both. In retrospect, the Mikaelsons really should have skipped the party after all.

“He’s been a problem since the three of you washed up on shore,” Sol spat, and Elijah could hear that he was still nursing his grudge. “I’ve been informed that there’s a dead body in the east garden. One of the humans.”

Klaus.

“I don’t know what you’re angry about, then,” Elijah replied with a tight shrug. He found his own patience for diplomacy wearing dangerously thin. “If he’s busy with humans, he’s not threatening your kind. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to remind your pack to stay inside after dark. It’s just common sense for anyone who can’t take on a single vampire alone.”

The blow caught Elijah entirely off guard, crunching into his jawbone and spinning him all the way around before he could even react. He heard a snarl, and a pair of wild eyes glowed yellow somewhere in the shadows. Elijah felt his teeth grow sharp and deadly, but then the growls multiplied, and he froze.

“That’s the thing about being a pack,” Sol said jovially, his broad face creasing into a vicious smile. “We’re never really alone.”

Elijah guessed there were at least five werewolves that had joined them.

“Your brother hasn’t paid for any of the blood he’s spilled,” a voice beside him sneered. It sounded familiar—Sol’s younger son perhaps. “And yet you just walk in here thinking all will be forgiven?” The group echoed him with dark murmurs of agreement.

Elijah bared his fangs, and smirked as the werewolf took an uncertain step back. His name was Louis, Elijah remembered, and unlike his slim brother, he had inherited both their father’s height and his heavy frame.

This is why the Mikaelsons need to stay together, Elijah thought angrily. For his “pack,” six werewolves would be nothing. Caught on his own, he would have to improvise. “Sol,” he began, as strong hands grabbed the collar of his white shirt.

“Take him outside,” Sol ordered quietly, and Elijah was pulled nearly off his feet.

He had just enough balance to push off the floor and flip behind the circle of werewolves. He lashed out with his fists, not caring who he hit as long as he made contact. A swarthy werewolf with startling green eyes got close enough to jab Elijah in the ribs, and Elijah repaid him by breaking his arm. It cracked with a sickening splintering sound. Louis pushed his injured packmate out of his way in a bid to reach Elijah, and Elijah kept one wary eye on his progress. Louis was substantially bigger than the rest of the werewolves, and only one of Sol’s lackeys was effectively out of the fight.

Another blow caught Elijah in the kidney: He was surrounded again. He turned faster than a human eye could see to meet the new attacker, realizing too late that he had turned his back on the most formidable of his enemies. Before Elijah could think of a way to defend himself against Louis, he heard the big werewolf yelp in pain and fall to the floor.

Klaus stood behind him, his eyes and mouth standing out vividly against the pale fury of his face. Elijah waited for the next attack, but by then Rebekah had arrived as well. Her slim white hand rested on Sol’s sleeve, her grip deadly. Although his broad face was still hot with anger, Elijah knew Solomon was smart enough to recalculate the odds. Together, the three Original vampires were no one’s idea of easy prey.

“That’s enough now,” Rebekah warned, her voice low with her implied threat.

Louis struggled to his feet, brushing off his wrinkled coat and looking absolutely murderous. But obedience won over fury and he looked to his father for his cue.

“We’re here to celebrate Armand and his fiancée,” Sol agreed after a long moment. “This is not the night to address the city’s vermin problem.” The werewolves around them began to slink back into the crowd, Louis leaving last of all. When only the three vampires remained, Sol straightened his cravat. “Think hard about how you three fit in here,” he advised coldly. “Thanks to this alliance, both we and the witches can now devote more attention to cleaning up this city. You might find that you’re more comfortable elsewhere.” Solomon turned on his heel, and was gone.

Elijah drew closer to his siblings. Rebekah still glanced warily around the room, but Klaus only had eyes for Sol’s back. “So,” Klaus began lightly, “I think I heard something about an ‘alliance’?”

“Don’t start,” Rebekah snapped. Even as she spoke to Klaus, her blue eyes scanned Elijah up and down, probing for any sign of serious injury. “You understand perfectly well why we didn’t tell you about the marriage pact.” Elijah knew that Klaus understood, but that was the problem. “And you,” she raged, pushing Elijah hard in the chest. “What were you thinking, starting a fight tonight, of all nights? Isn’t one Niklaus enough?”

“We might have been better off staying home,” Elijah admitted, rubbing at his chest ruefully, “but I could have used a few more Niklauses once they started in on me.” He turned to smile appreciatively at his brother, but to his alarm he realized that Klaus was now covertly watching Vivianne.

Rebekah must have seen it, too, because she moved between them, cutting off their brother’s line of sight to the half witch. “This is serious,” she argued urgently. “Our place here was precarious already, but the werewolves will have more influence now. With Sol in their ears, the witches might decide to stop ignoring us.”

“You know what I’ll suggest.” Klaus leaned back a little, trying to catch another glimpse of the bride-to-be. “Army, slaughter, safety.”

“No army,” Elijah disagreed vehemently. “We can’t break the deal first. Just one new vampire will be all the excuse they need. They won’t just drive us out; they’ll band together to destroy us.”

Rebekah looked from Klaus to Vivianne and back again, her expression thoughtful. “But there’s already an army here,” she mused. “The French have a permanent camp just a few miles away. They’re human, obviously, but turning them can’t be the only way to get them on our side. We have other methods of persuasion. Isn’t that right, Niklaus?”

Klaus frowned in surprise, but Elijah realized what Rebekah was getting at. “People will do foolish things for love,” Elijah agreed thoughtfully, “and a little compulsion wouldn’t hurt our cause, either.”

Elijah could tell that, at least for the moment, Klaus was back in the fold. “My sister the general,” Klaus teased, almost warmly. “Seducing the entire French army should be an interesting new challenge for you.”

Rebekah laughed, and for a moment Elijah remembered them all as children—as humans—again. “I think seducing just the captain will suffice,” she said primly. “Soldiers obey orders.”

“How dull,” Klaus responded with an exaggerated smile, hooking Rebekah’s arm in his. “Speaking of which, this party has gone terribly stale. Let’s go find something to eat.”

“Leave it breathing,” Elijah warned under his breath, but he couldn’t keep a grin entirely off his lips.