CHAPTER FIVE
revelations

I awoke to the sound of rain pelting against the car. I rubbed my eyes before squinting at a large building at the end of the lane. The window wipers were on the fastest setting and yet I still did not have full visibility of it. I glanced over at Henrik as he parked the car directly outside the building, which was presumably the hotel. His eyes were red rimmed and I realised that he must have cried whilst I slept.

"So," I began and Henrik jolted, only just now realising that I had woken, "Your brother is alive."

Henrik let out a long breath before nodding, "Yeah, my brother is alive."

"And he's a big bad vampire." I added.

"Apparently." he replied, keeping his eyes fixed on the steering wheel.

"Did you know that Elijah was alive?"

"No, I didn't even know that vampires existed!" Henrik told me, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"But you knew that I was your mate?" I asked, bitterness leaching into my question.

Silence filled the car for a full minute before he finally replied.

"I always knew that there was something special about you Morgana. From the first moment I saw you, I knew that you were mine, regardless of some supernatural bond."

"What exactly does it mean to be mates?"

"It essentially means that the universe preordained the person you are meant to be with. To put it plainly, it means that we are soulmates." he explained and my eyes widened in horror.

I absolutely hated the thought that my fate was out of my hands.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, a feeling of devastation rippling through me, "Surely I had a right to know?"

"I didn't want it to change the way you look at me," he admitted slowly, "You speak often about your aversion to romantic relationships and I didn't want you to feel pressured by some divine intervention. I guess that a selfish part of me thought that you would leave me if you knew."

"I'm not going to leave you, Henrik," I said softly, placing a hand on his knee to comfort him, "Yes, you should have told me but I guess that this is just something that we are going to have to get past."

"So you wish for things to remain the same between us?" Henrik asked. He didn't sound disappointed, merely curious.

"Neither of us are anywhere near ready for a romantic relationship and I don't want to lose what we have by trying." I said with a sad shrug. Truthfully, I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around his shoulder and kiss him. Unfortunately, however, my fear was very real.

"Okay," Henrik nodded, accepting my decision.

"What about Elijah?" I whispered in horror after a moment, "He claims to be my mate as well!"

"Morgana, you are not obligated to do anything." Henrik attempted to soothe me, "Elijah is a good man. He will understand."

"The man you remember might have been good but that man is now a vampire. He ripped someone's head off!" I hissed, anxiety filling my veins, "How do we know if we can trust him?"

Henrik smiled sadly, "We don't. All we can do is hope."

I huffed, "That sounds safe."

Henrik pinned me with a smug look, "You're forgetting that I am a powerful witch, Mor. I can protect you, even if it is from my own brother."

"If Elijah is alive, do you think that your other siblings might be?" I asked and Henrik sucked in a breath.

"That is the first thing I shall ask Elijah when he arrives," he told me decisively, "For now, let's just get inside and have a nap, I have been up all night looking for you."

Together, we climbed out of the car and were instantly soaked by the torrential downpour. I squealed and Henrik chuckled at me as he grabbed my hand. We ran for the cover of the hotel with grins on our faces.

***

When I awoke some time later, I found myself lying on a firm mattress with a soft blanket covering me. I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes before taking in the room. I hadn't fully taken in everything earlier due to my tired state. Now, however, I looked around in wonder.

My eyes widened at the level of luxury the room had. The bed was huge and could have easily fit four fully grown humans. The beautifully patterned carpet spoke of great wealth and the windows were huge and we're framed by the softest curtains I'd ever seen.

Elijah must be extremely rich to afford to stay at a place like this.

Although it was beautiful, I admit that it made me feel rather uncomfortable. I was used to cheap motels so I was officially out of my comfort zone.

The door to the room was ajar and through it came the faint sound of an argument. I crept over to the door and peered through the crack and saw Henrik and Elijah in what seemed to be a heated yet quiet disagreement. I nearly chuckled at that. Despite their current animosity towards each other, they didn't want to wake me.

I strained my ears and held my breath, trying to catch what they were saying.

"We cannot allow him to find her!" Elijah whisper-yelled from where he lent against the mantle piece.

"This is not your decision, Elijah," Henrik shot back quietly, "It is up for Morgana to decide what she wants."

"Klaus has changed tremendously in the millennia that you have been gone." Elijah replied calmly, "If you care for her at all, you should wish to keep her away from that monster."

"Nik is not a monster!" Henrik shot back defensively.

Elijah let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed at his forehead. "I know this must be extremely difficult for you to comprehend. You and Klaus were not just brothers, you were also friends, but your death changed the dynamics of our family immensely. The last time I saw Niklaus, I barely recognised him."

I swore that I saw tears shining in both of their eyes. Henrik looked down with a frown. Elijah looked down sadly at his younger brother and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I was foolish to think that I could have my family back." Henrik said bitterly, "You look the same, Elijah, but I don't recognise you."

Elijah sucked in a breath and then said quietly, "A lot can happen in a thousand years."

"Can I trust you, Elijah?" Henrik asked seriously, "Can I trust you when it comes to Morgana."

Elijah's eyes flashed with hurt, "I would never hurt Morgana."

"But you would make decisions for her." Henrik pointed out, challenging his brother.

"If Klaus finds her, he will take her away from us regardless of what she wants." Elijah responded as he walked to the fancy settee and took a seat, "The decision is ultimately in her hands but I implore you to advise her against it."

"What about the others? Are you certain there is no getting them back?" Henrik asked, taking a seat beside him.

"He dropped them in the ocean, there is no getting them back." He said mournfully, "She will be devastated."

"I have only just told her about the supernatural world," Henrik said solemnly, "She might not understand the velocity of losing one's mates."

"Why did you take so long to tell her about our world?"

"She has experienced the cruelty of humans," Henrik told him sadly, "I wanted to spare her the knowledge of the cruelty of the supernatural."

Elijah's eyes flashed with devastation, "You speak of Morgana experiencing cruelty. What happened?"

Henrik shook his head, "That is not my story to tell. If Morgana learns to trust you, she will tell you herself."

Elijah nodded his head in acceptance. "Just tell me this: have those who hurt her been dealt with?"

I blinked in surprise when Henrik nodded. "All that I knew of."

In my shock at this discovery, I took a step backwards. I cursed under my breath when my foot collided with a squeaky floorboard. I held my breath as Elijah's eyes collided with mine.

"It seems our mate is quite the little eavesdropper." Elijah mused to his brother with a subtle smirk as he straightened his suit.

Seeing as I'd just been caught, I let the door swing open and I stood in the threshold nervously as they watched me.

"I have a lot of questions and you better answer them before my head explodes."