Lover Be | The Originals

Chapter Forty-Six | The Bayou

Another couple of months had passed without much new information regarding The Coven. The Mikaelson siblings had managed to kill a couple dozen of their witches, but they knew more would inevitably take their place. 

Each of them could feel a sense of unease about what would come. The air was stiff and they were all on edge. When the Coven acted, they increasingly used magic to cloak themselves from the vampires who had begun hunting them. It seemed that they had gotten smarter about it- learned from their prior mistakes. It worried the Mikaelsons that the attacks appeared to be getting closer and closer to their house, so they decided to relocate. 

"The wolves have no reason to trust us," Rebekah said as the three siblings and the girl drove away from the city. "And every reason to hate us. You especially, Nik."

Malia had heard about Niklaus's attempts to create an army of hybrids in Virginia. She had to agree with Rebekah, it really didn't seem like they would find allies in the pack.

"They may dislike us," Elijah nodded shortly, "but Malia has done nothing to threaten them, and the wolves know that we would be in their debt. And the Coven will not expect an alliance amongst, shall we say, mortal enemies?"

They went as far as they could in the car before parking along the road and beginning a short hike into the bayou. The scent of grass and mud was unfamiliar to Malia, but not unwelcome. Her steps were loud as her feet crunched against rocks and through overgrown plants. The Mikaelsons, however, moved silent as they always did. 

The four arrived at an old wooden shack shortly before sundown.

It was surrounded by a wooden fence that was missing many planks and, in some places, was absent altogether. Malia tried to stay positive as she glanced at the webs in the corners of the porch, a few spiders sitting on some. The wood was old- decades old at least. Several planks were broken or showed signs of water damage. The screen door was torn in several places. As she walked up the steps, one gave way beneath her weight. She barely had time to let out a yelp when Klaus caught her arm and lifted her with ease.

"Careful there, love," He looked down at her.

She gave him a short smile and was about to speak when the door opened suddenly, a rifle pointing through one of the tears in the screen.

"These are wooden bullets," came the voice of an older woman. "I wouldn't come any closer."

If the state of the cabin didn't do enough to make Malia feel unease about the situation, the instant hostility toward them certainly did. The combination of the dimming light outside and the dusty screen hid the woman's face. 

"You'll find that those do very little besides make an enemy of us," Elijah said calmly, stepping in front of Malia and in the way of the gun. "And you would probably prefer us as an ally."

After a moment of silence, there was a huff and the rifle was pulled back.

"You're the Original Family, ain't ya?" her rural accent was thick.

"Guilty as charged," Klaus gave a charming smile.

"What are you doing on my doorstep?"

"We've come to ask a favor. This girl is in danger," Elijah stepped to the side so the woman could see Malia more clearly. 

"And why should I help you?" came the sharp reply.

"Because if you don't, I'll-"

Malia quickly grabbed Klaus's hand and squeezed it as tightly as she could. He got the hint and closed his mouth, looking down as he pursed his lips. She could see him fighting his frustration.

"If you could provide a safe place for her to stay for just a little while, we would find ourselves in your debt," Elijah said. "And to have three Mikaelsons indebted to you is a very rare thing."

There was silence. As it drew on, Malia thought the woman was about to tell them to screw off. She wasn't sure what the Mikaelsons would do if they didn't get their way. She didn't have to find out.

There was a shuffling and then the woman opened the screen door, keeping as much of her body in her house as possible. She had dark hair but it was wirey and was woven with a few strands of gray hair. Her lips were thin and a permanent scowl rested on them. She raised a bushy eyebrow.

"Come on, then," She said to Malia.

Malia stepped forward, dropping Klaus's hand as she did so. The woman didn't move to let her in, so she side-stepped around her, trying not to touch her as she did so.

"So you ain't one of 'em," the woman acknowledged. 

Malia shook her head, afraid her voice would crack with nerves if she used it.

"That's somethin' then," she nodded to herself. "And I ain't letting the three of ya'll in, so don't even ask."

Malia looked around the space. It had a small kitchenette that was probably older than she was. A pot of what smelled like some type of fish soup boiled on the stove. A table with one chair was next to it. There were four windows, and around each of them hung several small items: some were stones, others glass, and still others knit. A twin bed was pushed against the far wall of the room with a quilt on top. On the adjacent wall, a faded brown couch. At least, Malia hoped that brown was the color and it wasn't just decades of dust and dirt and stains. She assumed that would be her bed for the time being.

"You vampires," the woman pointed back out the door. "Go and fetch me some rabbits so we can have some dinner tonight. Be quick about it, I don't want ya'll stayin' long. Nothing but trouble follows the likes of you."

Malia expected some retort from one of the three, but they followed the command and disappeared in a blink. It surprised Malia. She had never seen any of them take orders from other people.

The woman turned back to Malia. "I'm Marigold Deniau. You can put your things on the table for now. Make yourself useful and give the room a good sweep."

Malia did exactly as she was told. She picked up a broom and moved as much dust from the house as possible. Without a dustpan, she opened the door to take it outside. Her stomach dropped when she saw Donnie and Ellie standing just outside the fence, staring at her.