There were so many people here, it felt like the whole city turned out.

Klaus and I walked arm in arm together.

Giant martini glasses decorated the room, with scantily clad dancers inside, moving to music that rattled my bones.

"Niklaus, so glad you could finally join us." Elijah smiled tightly. "Maverick, a vision as ever."

Something was wrong.

"Not so bad yourself. I do have a question though, did you make a switch from your casual suit to a fancy one or are they all the same?"

He rolled his eyes. "Your humor is truly awe inspiring."

"Did you have to practice that one in the mirror?"

Klaus snorted, not even bothering to hide his amusement.

"Ah, the guest of honor has arrived."

Oh no.

No. No. No.

Klaus turned, offering a polite smile. "Lucien."

Oh fuck me sideways. I turned as well. We made eye contact and I silently begged him to keep his fucking mouth shut. "Are you friends or something?"

"Something." Elijah moved to my side. "Lucien is one of the first vampires we turned."

"The first actually. Might I say that Niklaus has always had a fine taste in women, even the ones that were never his."

Klaus wrapped an arm around my waist, drawing me into his side.

"You wouldn't mind if I stole your bride for a dance?" Lucien held out a hand to me.

"That'd be up to her." Klaus' chin lifted, clearly not actually wanting me to go, if his grip was any indication.

But I was afraid of what Lucien might say if I didn't. "Alright." I placed my hand in his.

He pulled me into the crowd of dancing supernaturals. Wasn't this a factions party? It looked like there were compelled humans. As in they were standing there as vampires freely fed on them.

What the hell was happening?

Lucien tugged me close to him, his hand settling at the small of my back, and we began to sway. "Miss me?" He whispered against my hair.

"I'm going to fucking kill you, Lucien."

"He can't hear us, not in all this noise."

"Good." That was- at least there was that. "What the hell were you thinking asking me to dance in front of Klaus. You're a goddamn idiot."

"I told you I knew him."

"Not that you were the first one they ever turned. You knew we were married." Gods I was such an idiot. Of course the only semi decent person I hook up with knows Klaus better than I was lead to believe.

"Yes, darling. That was the point of seeking you out."

Seeking me- "You want revenge."

"Very perceptive." Just as he spun me around, I caught sight of Klaus, who was watching our interaction closely.

"I don't recommend doing anything to make him jealous."

"You mean something like this?" Lucien pulled my wrist up to his mouth, veins descending from his eyes.

He wouldn't dare.

I tried to wrench my arm out of his grasp. "Think real hard about your decisions."

Before he could, Finn was there. Finn. He tore Lucien from me, shoving him toward Klaus. How had I not realized I was surrounded by Originals?

The party became deathly still.

Klaus dragged him away, and I moved to follow, only to be stopped by Kol with a hand on my shoulder. "Best not to watch."

"I can't just let him kill him, he didn't even do anything."

"Lucien knew what he was doing." Elijah stepped beside me. "I don't like that he was confident enough to attack you publicly."

"Isn't this a party?" Rebekah, thank the gods for her, drew attention away from me. "Play the goddamn music or I'll start ripping out hearts."

Hayley shifted, her long, dramatic dress swaying. "I thought this was a factions meeting, unless Marcel mysteriously died, I'm pretty sure the vampires don't have a new faction leader."

"Yes. Thank you." I set my hands on my hips. "It seems like it's not."

Elijah let out a breath. "We may have mislead you."

"Why?" Hayley moved closer to me.

"The invitations. They specifically stated to bring our significant other." Finn set his hands on his hips. "Lucien wanted to make amends. Though it seems he had an ulterior motive."

Hayley hissed and there was a quiet, rushing sound.

The hell was that?

"I think I need some air." Maybe I could call Freya and ask how the babies were doing. Had they gone down easily? Were they all asleep? "Alone."

"I'll accompany you." Kol offered his arm.

"Don't you have Davina to protect?"

"Darling, I'm not risking the dagger because you've been left unattended. I trust Rebekah to help keep her safe."

I rolled my eyes but began walking in the direction of the exit, Kol at my heels.

"Where'd Klaus go?"

"Why do you need to know?" He held his hands behind his back.

"Because he's going to kill him. I feel like that's my fault." I pushed the door open, basking in the cooler air.

Which, I use that lightly. It was almost always hot.

The sun wasn't scorching the very earth anymore.

"Why the guilt, is there reason behind it?"

"No."

"That's not suspicious." He gasped. "Secret lover? The scandal."

"Gods no, nothing like that." I wasn't going to admit that Lucien and I had slept together. "I met him before, I knew he was a vampire, just not that he was almost as old as you guys."

He grinned. "You and he fucked, didn't you."

Was it really that obvious?

So far I'd managed to keep who I'd used to hurt Klaus a secret. I knew he'd fixate on killing them if he knew. "We weren't fully honest with one another when it happened, alright?"

Before he could reply, his neck snapped to the side gruesomely, and he dropped dead. Well, not actually, just temporarily. But someone had done it, I looked around wearily, expecting to see a witch.

Instead someone stood just behind me, and as I turned, they blew powder in my face. It stung.

Then I was out.