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CHAPTER 38: KILL A DEMON TODAY AND FACE THE DEVIL TOMORROW

❝ eva was a wild beauty, practicing a wild magic. ❞

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ALL OF US LIVE WITH A DEMON INSIDE. Some days you control the demon. Other days the demon controls you. And it is always hungry. It feeds on lust, on longing. And while you may slumber, the demon never sleeps. It tempts you into crossing every line you have ever drawn all while it hunts you—haunts you—renders you incapable of telling friend from foe. But once it has turned your loved ones into enemies, the demon will have consumed you whole.

Rebekah awoke with a start, earning a worried look from Marcel. Her eyes flickered around the lavish room they resided in, from the silk sheets she rested upon to the mahogany chair he had been perched upon. Her once rapidly beating heart slowed when she realized that she was in no immediate danger. He was.

"You okay?" Marcel frowned in concern.

Rebekah didn't answer simply because this wasn't Rebekah. It was Eva. And Eva was very angry. So with a simple flick of the wrist, she was able to render him unconscious. She threw the sheets off of her fully clothed form before swinging her feet over the side of the bed. She rose to her feet before prancing over to the door, stepping over his fallen form in the process.

Eva peered out into the hallway only to find it empty. She stepped out into the open with a mischievous smirk before making her way towards the nearest exit. She stopped dead in her tracks, however, when her eyes landed on a portrait of Rebekah Mikaelson in the foyer. Her lips immediately curled up into an irritated snarl. She wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for the one thousand year old vampire who was currently sleeping within her.

Eva was brought back to reality at the sound of a child crying. She whipped around at the sudden surge of power. She needed that child. So without an ounce of hesitation she took off in the direction of the distant wailing. She climbed the stairs in the west wing before spotting a guarded door at the end of the hallway. With a simple flick of her wrist, the werewolf guard was laying at her feet unconscious. She grinned, pushing the door to the nursery open before slowly walking over to the child who had finally stopped crying.

Eva stared down at Hope with some sort of hunger before reaching out. Enola chose that time to enter the nursery through the bedroom door. Her eyes flickered towards the unconscious werewolf at the entrance on the other side of the room before looking back up to Rebekah who she knew had a bad habit of getting possessed by an evil witch. Her eyes immediately began to glow amber as black veins sprouted under her eyes.

"Get away from her," Enola growled.

Enola yanked Eva away from Hope with godly strength. She didn't bother checking on her when her head collided with the dresser on the other side of the room. Hard. Her main concern was her daughter. But before she could reach her, she was getting magically thrown out of the room. She landed on the ground with a thud, accidentally knocking the lamp over in the process. It was enough to garner the attention of her husband, however.

"Rebekah, what are you doing?" Klaus spat quickly rushing into the room.

Eva was able to subdue Klaus with a magic induced aneurysm before Enola came along. Before she was able to reach him, however, an invisible hand weaved its way around her throat and began to choke her. Seeing her suffering was enough to break him out of his spell to give Eva a deep gash on her thigh. The wicked witch of the west must've realized that she wasn't going to win this battle because the next thing they knew, she was disappearing out the nursery window.

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Klaus ushered Enola into the study along with Hayley and Marcel. They were the only immediate family left in the compound since Elijah moved out, Kol died again, and Rebekah is being possessed by the evil witch from Hansel and Gretel. They were left with no choice other than divide and conquer.

"I should stop packing these away. There is always one family member or another in need of a good shackling." Klaus chuckled, handing the cursed shackles to Marcel. "Find Rebekah—or Eva—or whoever the bloody hell that was. Use these to stop her from doing magic, but do not hurt her. The non-psychopathic bits are still my sister."

"And some of the psychopathic ones," Enola pointed out.

"You're lucky Rebekah isn't here," Hayley smirked. "She would have ripped your tongue out of your mouth."

"Nonsense," Klaus scoffed. "I would never let that happen."

"You would instigate it," Enola deadpanned.

"Can we get back to the problem at hand please," Marcel sighed.

"Right," Hayley cleared her throat. "You were saying—"

"I won't be the only one looking for her. She killed witch kids." Marcel reminded. "The twenty four hour hold Elijah got the covens to agree to ended at midnight. Every witch in the city is gonna be gunning for her."

"You two go to Elijah," Klaus said, turning towards Enola and Hayley. "Get him to charm his elderly witch into calling off the hunt."

"And leave Hope?" Enola frowned. "Don't you think that I should stay here and protect our daughter?"

"Jackson has been working night and day to secure this compound, surrounding it with your werewolf army." Klaus pointed out. "Not to mention the fact that I am here. And I know the best way to protect our child is to get Rebekah out of that serial killer's body and back into the original model."

"And what will you be doing while we are doing all the dirty work?" Hayley quirked a challenging brow. "Because there is absolutely no way in hell that the great Klaus Mikaelson is going to spend the day playing the doting daddy."

"You happen to be absolutely correct," Klaus grinned madly. "I will be attending to the even dirtier work. As usual."

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Enola hadn't been in the same room as Hayley and Elijah since the wedding. She assumed it had something to do with the weird love square they had formed with Jackson and Gia. She had thought that they would have talked their feelings out by now. She was now forced to endure the awkward glances. But she was not alone.

"I am gonna go see if I can find Josephine," Gia decided.

The tension became absolutely unbearable the moment Gia left the room. Enola was now left alone with Hayley and Elijah who seemed to be avoiding the topic altogether. But she knew it was only a matter of time until someone said something bitterly. And she knew exactly who that person was even before they obnoxiously cleared their throat.

"Well, now I see why you didn't answer my calls." Hayley muttered. "Did she have to come with us?"

"Josephine LaRue can be recalcitrant," Elijah answered with a shrug. "She is, however, enamored with Gia's musical prowess, cavalier spirit."

"So the baby vamp is now the witch whisperer," Hayley nodded sarcastically. "I'm just glad you found someone so multitalented to spend your time with."

"What exactly do you want for me?" Elijah sighed tiredly.

"I'll tell you both what I want," Enola announced. "For you to finish this conversation in private."

Their conversation was thankfully put on hold when the sound of heels reached their ears. They stood up just as Gia entered the room with Josephine LaRue in tow. She was an older woman with fiery red hair and icy blue eyes. She also happened to be regent of all the New Orleans covens. She was the only one with the authority to call off the witch hunt on Eva—Rebekah.

"Madame LaRue," Elijah greeted politely, giving the almighty witch a swift kiss on the cheek.

"Mr. Mikaelson," Josephine smiled, taking a seat on the armchair. "Have you come to impress me once more with young Gia's rare talents?" She paused, finally taking note of Enola and Hayley. "What, pray tell, do these two do?"

"These two are family, madame." Elijah announced. "But we have come to ask for a favor."

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Josephine LaRue was one stubborn bitch. She was so sure of herself that it made them question what they were doing here in the first place. And then they remembered how someone they cared about was suffering for something that was out of their control. They were determined to save their loved one. And hopefully they would be able to convince her to help them.

"I am sorry about Rebekah, but if Eva is in control of that body, then you need to let the witches put that body down." Josephine said. "Eva will use up Rebekah. Just like she did the others."

"The others?" Hayley frowned in confusion.

"Eva was a wild beauty, practicing a wild magic." Josephine smiled at the memory. "But she and Vincent were so happy, we let them be."

"And then the children began to disappear," Elijah nodded as if reminiscing as well.

"The first was a little girl named Amelie Dupres from Algiers. Then LuAnne Hughes from the Ninth. Nicolas Alsace from the Tremé. All young kids. All witch prodigies. All vanished into thin air." Josephine retold the haunted tale. "But because of the tenacity Vincent had shown, Eva was caught. She pleaded with him to take three more—just three more, she pleaded."

"Why three?" Enola wondered out loud.

"To complete the Rite of Nines," Josephine hummed.

"The Rite of Nines?" Gia repeated with a small frown.

"Eva thought that if she sacrificed a witch from each of the nine covens, it would create a new witch order in New Orleans." Josephine continued. "She would have been more powerful than any elder, any harvest girl."

"But why kids?" Hayley inquired.

"Because their magic is still untapped. It is pure." Josephine explained. "And they are a hell of a lot easier to subdue."

"That is why she went after my baby," Enola realized.

"She would have killed your daughter and channeled her powers as she did with those other poor children. We never did find them. They died unconsecrated, unable to be with our ancestors, used as nothing more than a source of magic for someone else." Josephine breathed. "We agree that Eva must be stopped. No more of our youth will die. That is why I will not extend your twenty four hours. Eva Sinclair now has a bounty on her head."

"You would condemn my sister to death," Elijah argued, pointing an accusatory finger at Josephine.

"I dislike the term collateral damage, but there it is." Josephine shrugged. "If one or two must fall in order to take Eva down for good—so be it."

"Let me assure you, Madame La Rue, we will defend your witches with a fearsome vigilance." Elijah tried.

"You have a wonderful way with words. Your cadence is pleasant. Normally I could listen to it all day long." Josephine smiled wistfully. "But I grow tired of this. My mind remains unchanged."

"Are you serious?" Enola blurted in disbelief, motioning between Gia and Elijah in frustration. "She puts on a talent show, he has every vampire in the Quarter kissing your ass—and your final answer is screw you?"

"Enola—" Gia tried.

"Back off," Hayley warned with a dangerous scowl.

"We came here to honor the alliance between us. If this is something you wish to rescind, so be it." Elijah scoffed, turning to leave.

"Don't you dare walk into my house and threaten me," Josephine glowered. Her tone was enough to force Elijah to pause. "I am not the one that needs you, Elijah Mikaelson. It is you who needs us. Or you will soon enough." She turned around and roughly grabbed Enola by the arm, causing Hayley to tense. "There is a storm coming, chère. And your darkest demons ride upon it. I do not know its name. But when I peer into your future, there is a blackness that should terrify you."

And it did.

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Enola held Hope close as Marcel retold the tale of how Eva got away. Hayley and Elijah were just as unhappy with the change of events as they paced the lengths of the study only on opposite sides of the room. Things weren't looking up for them. They could only wish that Klaus was having better luck with Freya and Esther. If not, they were all doomed to an eternity of looking over their shoulders.

"Great," Hayley clapped sarcastically. "Eva is still in the wind, only now she has a sidekick."

"The charming Vincent Grifith," Elijah growled in obvious distaste.

"It gets worse," Marcel cringed as he struggled to explain the situation without feeling like an epic failure.

"How could it possibly get worse?" Enola groaned, bouncing her daughter on her hip.

"If Eva has Davina, then she has eight of the witches that she needs to finish the ritual." Marcel continued, explaining exactly how it could possible get worse. "She just needs one more."

"If she comes after Hope—Rebekah or not—I will put her down for good," Enola threatened.

"Fortify this house," Elijah commanded. With Klaus currently gone, someone had to take charge. "When they do come, kill him and capture her."

"Capture?" Hayley scoffed in absolute disbelief.

"I will not abandon my sister," Elijah spoke firmly. "Gather what wolves you have. With Vincent by her side, she will strike with considerable force."

Everything was one big mess. If Rebekah—or Eva—came after Hope, Enola would have no choice but to fight back. She loved Rebekah like a sister, but her daughter was the most important thing to her. Every parent would agree. So with a nod, she agreed. Killing Eva was the last resort. They first needed to find her. And with a little luck, she would hopefully come to them.

Enola put Hope down for a nap before meeting Hayley in the courtyard. They paced back and forth as they patiently waited for the others to join them. They looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps to find Elijah and Gia walking down the stairs.

"Still no sign of her," Hayley muttered. "What the hell is Eva waiting for?"

"She didn't wait," Marcel suddenly announced, storming into the compound with new information. "She took Josephine LaRue not half an hour ago."

"If Eva doesn't need Hope, then where would she go?" Enola inquired.

"Same place she kept the other captives, where she took Davina." Marcel said.

"A place no one has been able to find for two years," Elijah pointed out.

Marcel went to speak only to be interrupted by the shrill cry of a cell phone. He pulled the device out of his back pocket before reading the caller i.d to himself. He immediately scowled in anger as he answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear, everyone else listening in with their enhanced hearing.

"When I find you, I am going to rip your head from your neck." Marcel promised.

"You might want to hold off on that decapitation," Vincent spoke quickly. "I found them all. Davina is alive." He sighed when he was met with nothing but silence. "Sorry. I had to make it look convincing. If you were in on the plan, Eva would have known."

"Yeah, blasting me through a couple of glass doors really sold it." Marcel scoffed in disbelief. "Round of applause. Now what?"

"Now we got a problem," Vincent informed. "These kids—they are all linked to her. If she dies, they all die."

"So we will find a witch to unlink them," Marcel supplied.

"We're gonna need somebody with some serious power," Vincent whistled. "This is some dark magic."

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"This place smells like a werewolf,"

Enola sat in the nursery with Hope as Gia snooped around. Everyone had a part in the plan to save Rebekah. Everyone except for her. She was okay with it. Her daughter needed her more. What she didn't understand is why they had left the baby vamp by her side. She was definitely more than capable of defending herself and her child if need be.

"Well, that is because I have a whole platoon of them out there. I am a werewolf alpha, after all." Enola hummed. "You know, you can go. You don't have to stay."

"Elijah says you and your kid have more than one enemy," Gia hummed, leaning against the doorway to the nursery. "If someone manages to make it through that dog show outside, you and the baby run while I stay and stall them."

"You don't know me," Enola pointed out. "Why would you put yourself in harm's way for us?"

"I don't have to know you. I know Elijah." Gia shrugged. "And I know what you mean to him. What this baby means to him."

"He talks about me with you?" Enola quirked a curious.

"All the time. You are one of the few people he can confidently call a friend. He really misses you and he feels guilty about leaving without a word." Gia confessed quietly. "We started hanging out and he was just so wound up."

"I get it," Enola sighed. "It must be so tough to spend a thousand years being the shoulder everyone else leans on. Maybe he just needs to live his life for himself for once."

"I see why he speaks so highly of you," Gia grinned. "You are beyond understanding."

"I have known Elijah for nearly three years," Enola sighed. "I have spent the entire time watching him take care of everyone else. He deserves someone who is willing to take care of him."

"Shouldn't you be giving this take to your friend," Gia wondered, referring to Hayley.

"Hayley and Elijah are complicated," Enola shrugged. "Elijah needs something that is not complicated."

"You don't think I am complicated?" Gia wondered.

"I think you are exactly what he needs," Enola smiled. "Someone to lean on."

Luckily, Rebekah was able to Lean on not only Elijah and Klaus but also Freya. They were able to vanquish the evil Eva for good this time. However, instead of going back into her old body, she decided to stay put because the body was still linked to the nine people Eva had tried to sacrifice. She wouldn't let anyone hurt those people while there was something she could do about it. That is what made her so unique. For someone who has spent the past one thousand years witnessing tragedy after tragedy, she still had one hell of a pure heart.

There was something Miranda Gilbert used to say: kill a demon today, face the devil tomorrow. Yet even as you dance on that demon's grave, you can't help but wonder if that demon was alone. Or do you have other deadlier ones to fight? And though you celebrate having won the battle, have you really prepared for the war? So as we dress ourselves in the armor needed for this new fight, we must first tend to our wounds—starting with the deepest.

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AUTHORS NOTE.
there are four chapters left in act two. a lot can happen in just four chapters. i honestly am really excited for you all to read it mainly because it is completely different from how i wrote it the last time. anywhore,, i hope you enjoyed this chapter. until next time, my loves!!!