OUTCASTS
—37. Kol Mikaelson

Cadence had practically ran into the cabin to check on Davina. She was annoyed to find Davina unconscious, but found herself staring at Kaleb in confusion.

He was calm by the whole ordeal. Like an immortal hybrid smashing the windows and knocking out Davina was not surprising or alarming.

There was no way he was just some witch. And if Davina wasn't in danger, she would've been badgering with questions.

Cadence knelt in front of where Davina was placed in a chair. She cupped her face, examining the gash on her forehead. "We should get her to a hospital. I'm so pissed at you, I can't even look at you!" She growled as she turned to find Klaus standing in the doorway, grasping the white oak stake.

"Oh, come on!" Klaus argued defensively, despite knowing he was in the wrong, "She's alive. That's all that matters."

Kaleb chuckled, finding Cadence mumbling swears and insults under her breath. "Oh, hello, darling," He greeted the hybrid in a sarcastic tone, beginning to smile, "Back to huff and puff and blow the house down?"

Cadence sighed, lightly smacking him on the arm. "Don't indulge him. It's what he wants."

"You know, it's funny how often a person's sharp tongue can end up cutting their own throat," He responded and glared at Kaleb coldly.

"Klaus, give him a break," Cadence shut her eyes, growing impatient and awkward by the whole ordeal. Klaus and Kaleb were in the same vicinity, after all, and it made her feel uneasy.

She turned to Kaleb, finding him smiling in amusement by the whole ordeal.

"Oh, come on, Cadence!" Klaus mocked and grasped the sides of the doorway, "You're never one to stoop as low as to defend fools."

"Yeah, well this fool is my friend," She snapped impatiently and Klaus' face seemed to fall while Kaleb's eyes widened in surprise.

She refused to turn his way but Kaleb's expression was enough to know it must have been priceless.

"Yeah, she's right. Two peas in a pod, even," Kaleb agreed and turned to shoot Klaus a taunting smile,"You know, you might want to try a bit of lavender under your pillow. Does wonders for stuck-up pillocks with anger issues."

He sarcastically tapped his chin and glanced Cadence's way. "I take it this is the one you talk--"

"Shut up!" Cadence growled at him and turned to face him, her stare burning into him.

"I promised not to kill Davina. I said nothing of this insolent sod. Friend or not," Klaus complained and it was enough for Cadence to finally stand up.

She turned to face him, her face cold and stern. "I said you'll leave him be," She demanded and Klaus seemed surprised by her protectiveness.

"Let's go," She insisted and grabbed him by the arm. She tore him away from the doorway, finding his eyes not leaving Kaleb the entire time.

The male witch chuckled to himself, clearly knowing what he had done.

"He just has a smart mouth, don't pay any mind to him," She pleaded and grabbed him by the shoulders, staring up at him, "We came here for Mikael and we got it. You're not going to waste your time killing him. We have bigger issues to deal with right now."

Klaus remained silent, a part of him reluctant to agree. He tilted his head as he stared at her, a part of her puzzled by her relentless when it came to defending a witch he hadn't even heard of before from her.

Klaus turned once more, his eyes darting toward where Kaleb was sitting beside Davina and he watched over her. "Quite the choice in a friend, I might say. Do you know anything about him?"

Cadence shrugged, which seemed to surprise Klaus. She was a paranoid woman and yet, she so easily befriended someone she barely knew.

"Enough to know he's got a sharp tongue and a weird sense of humor like me," She explained but Klaus seemed to notice she was holding back, "Quite the flirt to but he's nice. A more Dysfunctional family than mine, he's said."

Klaus pondered her words for a moment but noticed the way her lips parted, hesitant to continue. "Go on."

Cadence felt uneasy as she took a step back, away from Kaleb's eye sight. She grabbed Klaus by the arm, pulling him away from the porch. "Call me paranoid, but the only thing that really I can't seem to wrap my head around is the way he's not horrified by all of this. I get he's a witch, but still. This all seems extremely normal for him. More than it should," She explained and leaned toward Klaus, speaking in a hushed tone, "He knows I've murdered people before and he just shrugs it off. Witches are usually disgusted. He's not. I don't know if that's comforting or concerning."

Klaus didn't respond and only nodded, a part of him coming to realize what was going on.

There was only one person he could think of able to weasel his way into Cadence's good graces. Someone she felt could relate to her, someone who liked to be in chaos just as much as her.

He forced himself not to voice it and handed the stake to her. "Go get the car," He insisted, clearly changing the subject, "Let's take her to a hospital. If you insist, I suppose we can take your little friend as well."

Cadence began to smile at his words and walked toward the car, leaving Klaus in his thoughts.

It hadn't been long before he moved back toward the open door of the cabin. His eyes remained on Kaleb, who seemed to be fighting a smirk. He knew all too well the trouble he had caused.

"You've a way with words to manage to beguile Cadence Delacroix," He spoke up and Kaleb seemed to shrug it off.

"Well, I've traveled," He answered plainly but Klaus knew it was more than that.

"You seem to have crossed continents in order to weasel your way into Cadence and Davina's good graces, thereby meddling in my family business," He explained and Kaleb finally stood up to approach him, "Strange, isn't it? Unless, of course, it's your family business."

Kaleb lifted his head to meet Klaus' eyes, his lips curling into a mischievous smirk. A smirk that immediately confirmed Klaus' suspicion.

"You know, ever since my dinner with my mother and Finn, I've been wondering when you might make an appearance, Kol," Klaus explained and Kaleb only chuckled, not caring his brother had learned the truth.

   "Your liking to Cadence is just the frosting on the cake. She always does attract chaos and mischief and you're the epitome of it, dear brother. I suppose it's not surprising you were drawn together," He continued and Kol seemed to be biting his tongue to stop a retort.

"Well, the jig is up," Kol responded and mockingly bowed to his older brother, "Hello, brother."

"It's not that I begrudge you hitching a ride back to the land of the living. It's just that you're making all the wrong friends, brother, and I have half a mind to show you how wrong you are."

Kol chuckled and shook his head, knowing Klaus wouldn't dare. Not when he was already trying to make peace with Cadence. His death would ruin any chance Klaus had to get Cadence back.

"But you're not gonna do that, are you?" He questioned in a whisper and glanced in the direction Cadence had taken to the car, "Because Cadence told you to leave me alone. You could say we're friends."

"Friends," Klaus scoffed and shook his head, assuming it to be all a trick, "Mother, no less, told you to get closer to her in order to get closer to me and her sons."

Kol stepped closer, beginning to smirk once more. "It was my own choice. In fact, Mother told me to stay far away from her."

"Which made you want to do it more, no less," Klaus replied, knowing the man like the back of his hand. It irritated him, in truth. He had once told Cadence that if Kol were alive, she'd get along well with him, unlike she did with Elijah. And here they were, doing just that. He regretted the thought now.

"You know me well," Kol hummed and moved to walk around the room, taunting Klaus, "But I found myself enjoying her company. She's a tasty little thing."

Kol chuckled and mockingly raised his hands in surrender when he saw the glare Klaus was giving him. "Settle down, brother. I understand she's off limits. She has eyes only for you," He explained and tilted his head tauntingly, "I'm curious though. Does she take one of those little plastic baggies out when she takes you for a walk?"

Klaus' lips parted, finding himself unable to respond to the man without lashing out. "Cadence, I've changed my mind!" He called out to the witch, his eyes remaining on Kol, "I am gonna kill him, after all."

Receiving only silence, Klaus' face seemed to pale. Usually, she would have came running, yelling about how he wasn't going to do it.

"Cadence?" He spoke once more and rushed toward the car. His eyes widened at the sight of the blood splattered on the windshield. He immediately ran to the trunk, his eyes widening in horror at the sight of Mikael no longer there.

He found himself calling Elijah to help but it went to voicemail, which seemed to make him more uneasy.

He sped back toward the cabin, despite not wanting to. The two were his only hope in finding Mikael without risking Cadence's life.

"Wake her up," Klaus demanded, finding Kol rocking in a chair without a care, "Tell her to get Mikael back here now."

"Well, let me think about that," He mocked, glancing toward Davina, "No. But you should probably get going, Nik. Mikael is probably jonesing for a restorative snack about now. Be a shame for you to find Cadence nothing more than a bloodless husk."

He smiled in amusement at Klaus' threatening glare and leaned back in his seat. "I would say that were true if she were ordinary but she's not," He paused and shrugged, "She doesn't need our help. Cadence will manage."

Klaus said nothing and sped off, Kol immediately rushing toward Davina. He knelt in front of her, placing a blanket behind her head to support her neck. "It'd be really useful if you woke up about now," He spoke in a soft tone and leaned toward her, "I've kicked a few familiar hornets nests. We really need to scarper," He sighed and glanced toward the door hesitantly, "But now Cadence is with my father and we have to help her. So if you're going to wake up, it would be relieving if it were now."

_____

Cadence felt helpless as Mikael dragged her through the bayou, knowing better than to try to fight back. She was powerless without siphoning his magic and he'd be a fool to let her get close.

She understood he had taken notice of it. It was obvious the moment he had tied her wrists together, dragging her by the end of the string.

"Klaus will find you," She reminded as she fought against his hold.

"Oh, that's my intention and I'll be ready," He answered in a determined tone and Cadence scoffed loudly.

"You shouldn't even be standing right now. I've seen the pain it causes. I've stabbed Klaus with it once," She explained and Mikael seemed almost surprised by the last bit but didn't mention it.

It made him think Klaus as weaker, the fact that a witch with no magic could get close enough to do such a thing.

"I have fought through more pain than anyone living or dead," He argued and turned to face her, tightly gripping the blade, "But once I feed, I shall be restored."

His words alarmed Cadence and she began to try to pry herself from her grip. She knew her blood was laced with vervain but Klaus had been just proof that with age, vervain had less effect.

"Not on you," Mikael growled and yanked her back toward her. He gripped the ropes around her wrists, tightening them as she winced in pain, "You, my dear, are leverage. Once I threaten to dismember you in front of him, Klaus will hesitate, and in that moment of weakness, I shall end him."

Mikael frowned at the laugh that escaped Cadence's lips, finding nothing to be funny about the whole ordeal. "You know, I've heard of your bad blood but this..." She trailed off, smiling as she shook her head, "This is just nuts. Even by my standards. It's like a game of cat and mouse, a game that's gone on ten centuries too long. I've been there before and it's not really worth it to do it twice. It's an endless cycle and a waste of time on this earth."

Cadence sighed dramatically and she felt Mikael's eyes on her, clearly surprised by the way her fearful eyes had vanished. She was now cold and stern, shoving no inch of fear in the slightest.

It made him believe she hadn't been the entire time. Not because she knew Klaus would surely come to rescue her either.

She felt no fear because looked at the man before her and saw only her own step-father. It was amusing, to say the least. She and Klaus were always seen as similar but the man standing before her made it baffling. A sick joke, even.

It was too much alike for her liking but it made it amusing as well. It made satisfied her even more by the way Mikael seemed almost uneasy by the sudden change in emotion.

He thought he found himself a damsel in distress but the woman before him was a killer. A survivor.

Her eyes and cold smirk said enough about her.

Cadence's assumptions were proven right when he yanked her forward, refusing to be in close proximity of her. He understood the girl was stubborn and she'd continue to attempt to make contact with him for magic.

It wouldn't have bothered him if she were just some ordinary witch. But the woman standing before him had a liking to making herself invisible.

What good was he against an opponent he couldn't see or hear?

Her mastery of cloaking spells was nothing she had inherited from her family nor their coven.

It was a certain skill of her father's side, not that she knew it.

"I mean, all of this is ridiculous," She laughed humorlessly and gestured around, "You're obsessing over destroying the product of your wife's infidelity!"

She flinched at the words, finding them to hit close to home. She wondered if it was because she was projecting her own trauma onto the man, not that he had taken notice, "For someone who's lived so long, you'd think you'd be more mature than that."

"Hush!" Mikael screamed in her face but the woman didn't even flinch, her cold expression remaining the same, "You are the enabler of abominations and bastards."

"Yes, yes, I am," She argued and inched toward him slowly, "I mean, I am both. Not that anyone uses the word bastard anymore. I think they call it a love child? I don't really know."

"No wonder he seeks your company," He muttered and tugged her to follow him.

He stopped suddenly, causing her to frown in concern. "What is it?"

He listened closely before turning to her. "I hear music and where there's music, there's food."

Cadence loudly grunted as she stumbled forward. She forced her to regain her balance before she could fall. She reached for a tree for support. At least that's what Mikael assumed.

She smirked as her back was turned, smearing her bloody hand on across the bark. She had done it numerous times while walking with him, knowing it would help Klaus find them.

It was amusing that the scary vampire who hunts other vampires hadn't taken notice.

She sighed in defeat as they moved toward where there was a party in the woods. Dozens of people danced around the fire, many of them drunk.

"Well, well, what we have we hear?" He questioned in a mocking tone, "Hillbilly halloween. How perfect."

"Personally, I don't think they'd be really tasty. All that beer," She explained and mimicked vomiting, "Definitely ruins the taste."

Mikael turned to her in disbelief, finding the woman unaffected by the way he was planning to murder dozens of people.

"I've lived with vampires, witches, and werewolves. You think I haven't seen people maimed before?" She questioned and let out a loud scoff, "I've maimed people. My opinion, they won't be tasty."

"You're trying to trick me into sparing them," He growled as he pulled her toward the group of drunk people, "Unlike Niklaus, I will not be poisoned by your venom, little witch."

"Actually, I wasn't going to say that. I was going to offer you the perfect idea," She confessed and awkwardly pointed her tied up arms toward the people, "Compel them."

"To what end?"

"To leave Klaus a little message, of course," She shrugged and Mikael seemed to ponder it, much to her amusement, "A little gift, you could say."

"You're mad," He muttered and Cadence only chuckled lowly.

"But you're thinking about it," She taunted, finding the whole ordeal more amusing than she should have, "Aren't you? It's a good idea and you hate I thought of it first, huh?"

"Shut up!"

"Unless you wish to cut out my tongue and let me bleed to death, I'm not going to stop talking," She responded in a calm tone, much to Mikael's frustration.

She was honestly surprised he hadn't killed her yet. Or even knock her out to shut her up. He was feeding in to it.

The best part of the whole ordeal was when he took her idea, not realizing she suggested it on purpose. The compelled humans along with the trail of blood would lead Klaus right to them.

And it did.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Mikael really thought Cadence would be the perfect hostage 😂