*Chapter Six* [Dinner]

"How does this look?" I asks walking in front of the mirror. Erica grins from the desk chair. She hasn't stopped grinning since she walked in on me and Elijah cuddling in my bed. Her squeal of excitement rudely awoke me from my peaceful sleep. Luckily when I woke up my hangover wasn't nearly as bad and I still had time to get ready for the dinner.

"You look beautiful, Kat" Erica tells me. "You need to stop worrying so much," She says standing up.

"I just want to look nice for them," I mumbles spinning towards her.

"You do," Erica assures me. "You look beautiful and they're going to love you, you just have to be yourself"

"What if being myself isn't enough?" I ask trying to be quiet knowing that Elijah is in the living room. Erica gives me a small smile. "I'm scared, Erica" I whisper. 

"Come here," Erica pulls me into a tight hug. "You are enough, Kat. You are more than enough." She promises me. "They're going to love you, just give them the chance to get to know you. Don't push them away just because you're scared, give them a chance." She pleads.

"What if it doesn't work out?" I ask pulling away. Erica smile at me.

"What if it does?" I couldn't help but to smile as I imagine a happy future with three extremely handsome men fawning over me. "Try not to stress about it too much," Erica says rubbing my arms. "Go to dinner, get to know them and see where it goes."

"Ok" I whisper nodding. "I can do that," I nod some more.

"Now get out before you talk yourself out of it," Erica says practically shoving me out of the room. I stumble slightly but quickly regain my balance and walk into the living room where Elijah is. "Doesn't she look amazing?" Erica asks standing beside me.

"Breathtaking" Elijah breathes. I could feel my eyes lighting up and a blush forming on my cheeks. I let out a nervous laugh and look away from him. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, she is" Erica says before I could even think of a response. "Go on, get out of here before mom gets back" I give her a small smile before slowly walking up to Elijah.

"Wow, nice car" I whisper looking at the black Tesla sitting in my driveway parked right beside my 1998 beige Camry. 

"Thank you," Elijah responds politely while escorting me to the passenger side. He opens my door and I smile at him as I slip inside.

"Wow" I whisper looking at the interior. I felt slightly uncomfortable being in something that cost more than I'm worth. I knew if something happened to this car because of me, I would never be able to pay to fix it.

"Relax" Elijah whispers from beside me. He grabs my hand as he backs out of the driveway. "Nothing bad is going to happen," He promises.

"I'm in the most expensive car I have ever seen and am practically going on a date with three extremely handsome men, I think it's reasonable to be nervous" I ramble before releasing an awkward laugh. 

I fall silent as Elijah lifts my hand to his lips. He places a gentle kiss on my knuckles before lowering it again. I blush but don't pull my hand from his, I liked where it was. However, despite the music playing softly, I couldn't handle the silence. Although, staying silent was probably better but before I could help myself I started to ramble again.

"Did you know that my Camry is the last car my grandmother drove in?" I blurted randomly. Elijah smiles slowly growing used to me giving him random facts about my life at random times. "Had a heart attack right in the back seat," I laugh but not because it was a funny situation but because I felt extremely anxious. "Imagine being 15, only having driven for a few months, and your grandma just croaks in the backseat while you drive her and your mom to their knitting circle."

"Interesting," Elijah says slowly. I visibly cringe at myself.

"Too much for a first date?" I asks hesitantly. "Why am I even asking? Of course it's too much, why would I tell anybody that?" I let out a long sigh and try to mold into the seat.

"It feels more like a second date topic but I doubt anything about this relationship will be normal" Elijah says casually. I turn my head towards him. He meets my gaze for a moment. "You can tell me anything you want, no matter how terrible or cringey they may be," He assures me. I grin and let out a small laugh. "Believe me, your stories are far better than mine,"

"I doubt that," I say instantly. "You've been alive for multiple lifetimes, you're bound to have more interesting stories than a grandma dying in the backseat of a car"

"I don't know, you're stories will be hard to top," Elijah teases slowly helping me become more at ease.

"Not as hard as I will be," I say before I even realize what I've said. Elijah slowly smirks at my careless, sexual joke while I sit beside him completely mortified. 

"Maybe this dinner isn't such a good idea," I whisper not even wanting to know how I could make a bigger embarrassment out of myself.

"Too late, we're here," Elijah says pulling up to the house. Despite having seen it before, the beauty still takes my breath away. I don't even notice Elijah getting out of the car nor Kol appearing out of nowhere to open my door.

"You look stunning, Precious" Kol compliments tenderly taking my hand in his. I blush slightly and turn my head from him. It's only a second before he's gently taking my chin between his fingers and turning my head back towards him. My eyes slowly gaze up his body, not finding a single flaw, before staring into his eyes. "You are perfect" He whispers before kissing my forehead.

"Dinner's ready," Klaus calls from the front door. I could pick up a small hint of jealousy in his voice but I doubt that it was ever there. I step away from Kol but he refuses to let go of my hand. I knew I was blushing, the blush is practically permeant by now. "How're you feeling, love?"

"I'm fine," I answer shortly not wanting to fall into a ramble.

"Well, you certainly look beautiful," Klaus tells me. I quietly thank him as I enter his home.

"So, this is the soulmate" I turn towards the steps. I see a beautiful blond walking down them. I assumed that this is their sister, Rebekah.

"Be nice," Klaus warns with a smile. Rebekah doesn't even spare him a glance. She keeps her gaze on me.

"Well, you look... ordinary." Rebekah comments.

"Thanks?" I mutter slowly tightening  my grip around Kol's hand.

"Don't you have somewhere to be? Football players to traumatize?" Kol asks rolling his eyes while giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

"Well, I hope for your sake, darling, that you're stronger than you look." Rebekah says walking closer to me. "Because otherwise, you won't make it with these three,"

"Rebekah" Elijah says sternly. 

"Oh, don't get your panties in a twist, I'm leaving" Rebekah rolls her eyes. "I hope this one lasts, it'll be nice having another girl in the house" She says before walking around me and out the door.

"Well, she seems nice" I say trying to be optimistic. 

"You don't have to lie to us, love, she's annoying" Kol rolls his eyes. "Don't let her scare you off," He says pulling me deeper into the house. I don't say anything but deep down I know that her words only amplified my insecurities.

"I hope you like Italian" Klaus says taking the lead. 

"It smells delicious" I grin gravitating towards the various Italian foods. Kol pulls my seat out and pushes it in as I sit down. He then takes on end of the four seat table while Elijah sits at the other end and Klaus sits across from me.

"Wine?" Klaus suggests.

"I think I'll stick with water for the time being" I say with a small smile. Klaus smiles back and nods. Elijah reaches out and fills my glass with water. I thank him quietly. A slightly awkward silence fills the room and I silently beg one of them to talk before I bring up something embarrassing.  

"So, darling," Kol speaks up shifting in his seat towards me. I glance at him while 'gracefully' stuffing my face with spaghetti. "And previous boyfriends we need to hunt down and destroy?" He asks as if he were asking me about the weather.

"What?" I whisper slightly surprised by his casual boldness.

"What Kol means to say," Elijah clears his throat while giving Kol a look. Kol simply shrugs not seeing anything wrong with his question. "Do you have any ex-boyfriends we should be aware of?"

"And if so where is there last known address?" Kol wonders with a casual smile. I laugh a bit while squirming under their gazes.

"Umm, no" I tells them while avoiding eye contact. "Boys aren't exactly lining up around the block for this" I motion to my body. "They're more focused on girls like my sister," I say without a hint a malice in my voice. "and Caroline." I grumbled darkly.

"Love, you have nothing to worry about from Caroline" Klaus assures me. "Kat, please look at me," Reluctantly, I lift my gaze from the plate to Klaus. "Caroline means nothing to any of us," 

"You want me to bring you her heart?" Kol asks. "I know where she lives,"

"What? No" I say shaking my head. Kol pouts and slightly slouches in his seat. "I don't really want to talk about it, I don't know why I said anything" I tell them while stabbing a meatball and shoving it in my mouth.

"I believe that it is a topic we should discuss," Elijah tells me gently. I sigh quietly wishing I told them my hangover was too much to handle so that I could have stayed in bed. Although, I doubted Erica would have let me pull that excuse.

"The marks on our arms are more than just matching tattoos" Klaus tells me.

"I know what they are," I says sneaking a glance towards him.

"I don't think you really understand," Klaus denies. "While you know what a soulmate is, I believe you lack the understanding on how important it is"

"As vampires, our emotions are heightened. The bond that links us to you, it's heightened as well." Elijah explains. "Whatever you feel for us, we feel for you but it's amplified by the bond and further amplified by our vampirism." Slowly I nod as I try to process what he was saying.

"In short," Kol continues. "We don't want anyone else. Just you." He winks causing me to blush.

"It has also come to our attention that you don't necessarily believe us," Klaus brings up. "I promise-"

"We promise," Elijah corrects Klaus. The Original Hybrid rolls his eyes at his brother.

"We promise," Klaus rephrases. "that someday soon you'll accept the bond and accept us. Which means you won't have doubts that we want you and you alone"

"What are you thinking, Angel?" Kol wonders. I press my lips together not entirely sure if I should let them know my thoughts.

"If this is going to work, and it will, we have to be open with each other. Communicate" Elijah chimes in. "Please tell us your thoughts," He pleads.

"Well," I mutter hesitantly. I find myself wishing I had taken the opportunity to drink some wine. This conversation would have been much easier to have with alcohol. "You said that a witch combined your souls which is making all three of you share me," I say slowly while eyeing them to make sure I was getting my facts straight.

"You're right," Elijah vocalizes. "What would you like to know?" He asks wondering where I was going. I sigh hoping they wouldn't get too upset.

"Well," I gently set my fork down and place my hands in my lap. "If magic combined your souls to share me then maybe... Magic could un-combine them" I whisper while avoiding eye contact. "This way you all can be with who you're actually destined to be with and not stuck with me," I silently curse myself when my voice cracks. None of them speak up, we simply sit in silence for another couple of moments. "It's just, you guys should be with someone like Caroline. Caroline's beautiful and perfect. Besides, your sister's right, I don't think I'm strong enough to be with you three. I'm just plain, ordinary me." I shrug slightly still avoiding eye contact. "I'm not a vampire or a werewolf or a witch or some cool hybrid, I'm just... me."

My eyes instantly turn towards Kol as I hear glass shattering from his direction. I slightly shrink back into my seat at the furious look on his face. I glance at his hand in concern. I hope that there's no glass sticking in his hand.

"Kat, have you been thinking about this since you met my brothers?" Elijah asks calmly. I slowly look over at him. While he seems calm his posture is much more tense then it was before I started talking.

"It's kind of hard not to think about this," I answer him quietly. "It's just-"

"Enough," Klaus says from across from me. I hesitantly look at him. "Even if it were possible-"

"Which it isn't" Kol growls.

"I, nor my brothers, would want it to happen" Klaus continues. "You're ours, Kat." He says completely serious. "You're not going anywhere. We want you with us, we need you with us"

"You're exactly what we need," Elijah tells me. I go to object but Elijah doesn't allow me as he continues to talk. "Even now, only after a few days of knowing you, you balance us out. You calm the beasts within us, you give us hope for a future and something to look forward too. You're our anchor, our connection to our humanity. Without you, we're mindless beasts roaming the Earth"

"You three were just fine without me," I whisper.

"That couldn't be further from the truth, darling" Kol laughs bitterly. "You've given us a peak at what happiness and family could be like. We love what we see and we're not going to give it up." He tells me.

"Kat, there will come a day where you will see yourself as we see you," Elijah says. "You're beautiful, you're precious, you mean the absolute world to us. There isn't a thing we wouldn't do for you,"

"That sounds a lot like a marriage proposal" I laugh nervously.

"I doubt you're ready for that," Kol comments.

"And you are?" I asks astonished.

"We've been waiting for you for a few centuries, darling" Kol tells me. "We will do anything to ensure that you stay with us. If marriage is the answer then I'll snatch a priest" Kol says absolutely serious.

"But he won't because you're not ready yet," Elijah says eyeing his bother. "We've have centuries to prepare and search for you. We understand that we need you far more than you need us at the moment."

"So, are you three like... in love with me?" I ask hesitantly.

"Not so much love... yet" Klaus tells me. "But you're connected to us just like we're connected to you. We'll do anything to protect and strengthen that connection"

"This is... overwhelming" I whisper running a hand through my hair.

"We understand that," Elijah says calmly. "We just thought that having dinner would help us all get on the same page and understanding,"

"Well, I understand that you're ready to marry a girl you just met" I mutter sarcastically.

"Is that all you've gotten from this?" Klaus snapped.

"18 years of insecurities aren't just going to go away after one dinner" I snapped back with an equally fierce glare. I notice Kol slowly smirking in the corner of my eye.

"You'll be just fine with us, Precious" Kol says confidently.

"Promise us you won't try looking for a way to un-combine our souls, it's impossible and we don't want it to even be a thought in your head any longer" Elijah says reaching for my hand. I wanted to pull away but once his skin touched mine I found myself holding onto it tightly. "We want you and you alone. You're perfect for us and we will do everything in our power to keep you protected. You are more than enough, in fact, it is us that may not be enough for you" I laugh at his statement.

"After everything we've done in our lives, it is most certainly us who do not deserve you" Klaus says without a doubt. "You're worried about us being stuck with you but you're looking at it wrong. It is you who is stuck with us. If you knew all the atrocious acts we have done, you'd be begging for a way out. Not for our sake but for your own"

"But we're too selfish to let you go," Kol adds. "So don't try to leave, I most certainly will not let you"

In the back of my head I could hear my mother warning me about possessive men and how toxic they could be. However, the possessive and protectiveness that radiates off the three men around me isn't scaring me away, it's slightly turning me on.

"Why me? Me, specifically" I ask them. "Why was I chosen to be your mate?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Elijah admits. "But I can see a potentially confident and fierce woman, perhaps we can coax her out"

"Me? Confident?" I laugh at the thought. "I can barely answer a question in class, even if I'm 100% certain I know the answer"

"People change" Kol shrugs. "Perhaps we'll annoy you so much that you'll confidently tell us to 'fuck off'" He smirks.

"That seems realistic" I whisper with a teasing smile. After that small comment I could feel a shift in the atmosphere. It didn't seem so tense and angry. They were calming down and I was relaxing. Perhaps we weren't doomed after all.

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