New Orleans was humid, it felt like I was fucking swimming through the air. Bennett laid back against my chest, babbling happily, as if he hadn't kept me up all night.

Every night for the past two months.

Stupid Elijah.

The only solace I had was that they had to have been bothered by his cries, supernatural hearing and all.

My morning walks had helped. Bennett usually falls asleep, though I didn't know how long that would last. While my baby wasn't by any means big, I was starting to show, if just barely. If I had to guess, it was going to be a girl.

I could feel it in my bones.

People moved around me, and it was kind of nice to be a nobody again. For no one to care that I was alone-

Someone was watching.

It was Klaus, or Elijah, or, and I hope this isn't the case, Kol. Probably against his will too. Which would make him more prickly than usual.

Point is, I was being paranoid.

Oh gods, Klaus was rubbing off on me.

I pat Bennett's stomach. I'd have to stop baby wearing him so often. As much as I didn't like separating from him, it would start being detrimental to his development.

At least, that's what the mommy and me books all said.

My kids would be Irish twins, they'd be ten to eleven months apart, I still hadn't been able to pinpoint when exactly I became pregnant or how long my baby's heart was beating before I finally noticed it.

That's when I saw her and the world went quiet.

A dark haired woman, across the street. Everything in me screamed to run, but I couldn't get my feet to move, I was rooted to the spot. Then she was twenty feet away from me.

My heart raced, thumping against my ribs so hard, I was sure passerby could hear it.

Holy Fuck, holy fuck, holy fucking shit!

Move. I needed to move.

No one else seemed to notice her, which made the whole situation all the more terrifying. Why couldn't anyone else see this creepy ass woman?!

She was getting closer, and closer.

Every step made my blood turn to ice.

A hand on my shoulder made me jump. I whipped around and Klaus' brow furrowed. "What happened?"

I looked back, but the woman was gone. "She..." My hands were shaking. "It's nothing. Why- why did you come find me?"

"The runes were my mother's doing."

"Didn't we know that already?" That feeling, that I was being watched, was gone. For the first time in a long time, I felt safer with him there.

"There was a contingency in her plot. One she claims is to guarantee my happiness." He rolled his eyes.

"What a monstrous thing to do." I deadpanned.

"Or it's another manipulation." Klaus threaded his fingers through mine and began pulling me in the direction of the compound. "Not too long ago, she tried to kill me and my siblings. I find it difficult to believe she'd do something like this out of the kindness of her dark heart."

"You still haven't told me what this is all about."

"My mother claims that someone is coming for my first born. That she'd done so before with my eldest sibling." My stomach dropped. Bennett. "She also claims that with the spell she used to create vampires, was paired with another. One that, should we do as requested, would protect our children from this threat."

"Does your mom know about-"

"Absolutely not. She believes it is Hope." Was it wrong that it made me feel relieved?

"Who's this person that's coming after Hope?" And potentially Bennett, if they find out that he's technically Klaus' first born.

"My aunt. Dahlia." He stepped into the compound, and it took me a moment to realize it was decorated. "According to Freya, Mikaelson witches are exceptionally powerful. It'll take something drastic to trick her and protect Bennett, an eventuality my mother prepared for."

White flowers adorned the walls, petals littered the floor. The Mikaelsons had all gathered, dressed in something formal.

I felt incredibly underdressed, then again, so was Klaus.

"What's going on?"

"It wasn't how I pictured this happening, but unfortunately things my mother foretold, are coming to pass. We are running out of time."

A blonde woman stood at the other end of the courtyard in chains. Her eyes lit up when she saw me with Klaus.

"Welcome in, dear. I do hope Niklaus was at least romantic."

What the hell was she talking about?

"Maverick, this is my mother, Esther." Klaus brought me to stand in front of her.

"You might want to give your baby to one of my other children so that the ceremony can begin."

I took my hand from Klaus. "I don't know what the fuck is going on, but whatever this is, it's not happening." I had a nasty feeling about this. It was so painfully familiar.

Hayley was nowhere to be seen.

"You don't have a choice, if you want to protect, Hope, was it? Then you must do this ritual. It binds my protection."

Fuck me.

It felt like I was backed into a corner. Again. I turned to Klaus. "Don't make me do this, please."

He took my face in his hands. "Believe me, love. If I had any other option, I wouldn't. We're running out of time."

Freya shifted. "Dahlia will stop at nothing to get what she wants. That's not the kind of life you want to subject Hope to."

I chewed my lip. "If I do this, my baby is going to be protected?"

"Yes." Esther supplied.

"Fine." There wasn't really much of a choice. Not like there ever was. "Elijah." He stepped forward, already holding his hands out expectantly. "If you run off with my baby, I will personally ensure that you won't know a moment of peace, ever." He nodded. "I mean it, I'll terrorize you."

He was clearly trying to hide his amusement, and it irked me. "I'll stay within your sight." I reluctantly took Bennett out of the carrier and passed him to his uncle. "Hello." Elijah cooed, tucking him into his chest.

Elijah went to stand with his siblings who leaned in curiously, even Kol did, and he tried to look indifferent when Bennett reached for his finger.

It was fucking adorable.

Esther had us stand opposite one another, and handed Klaus a dagger. "I've laced it with vervain to slow your healing." He gave her a curt nod. "This was more meant for a joyous occasion, however given the circumstances, I'll skip the pleasantries. Niklaus, upon completion of this ceremony, your blood will be her blood. She is yours to protect, to cherish and support. Raising a hand against your bride or brood will result in the voiding of this spell. I never approved of Mikael's cruelty, and I do this to protect her. Do you understand?"

Klaus' expression was solemn. "I do."

Her gaze fell on me. "What is your name, dear?"

"Maverick."

"Maverick." She repeated, as if testing it out. "I don't suppose Niklaus explained this to you?" I shook my head. "He is to be your husband. The first born curse only affects those born to my bloodline. As such, Dahlia will go only after Niklaus' first child, then your children's first born and so on and so forth until she tires of it. I set a spell in motion that went dormant the moment Niklaus suffered the first binding ritual that stole his werewolf side, and tucked it away. I suppose once he broke his curse, it activated the protective spell to attach to the first woman he slept with, I presumed it would be a bride to be."

Wasn't that just lovely.

And to have something that important, just ripped away...

Fucking awful thing to do.

"Can we circle back around to the husband part." It was hard to wrap my head around most of that stuff. But the thing that was really bothering me, was that this was a wedding. The flowers, the clothes, they'd known about it, and hadn't thought to tell me until just now.

The bride didn't know it was happening.

"Is that what's worrying you, love? That I am to be your husband? Not anything else she said?" Klaus's brow quirked.

"Oh I'm freaking out about the rest of it."

Kol let out an obnoxiously loud laugh that made me snort. Little fucker. At least he found the situation humorous. Elijah sent him a look that would made anyone less cringe away, but Kol smirked instead, lifting his chin.

"Maverick." Esther drew my attention back to her. "Your blood will be his blood, he will be yours to love, to care for and to protect. The two of you will be bonded, in body and soul. This union can not be undone by any but you and he, both, in solemn agreement." Great. "If you raise a hand against him or your brood, it will result in the voiding of the protective spell, do you understand?"

This was it, the moment of truth. "I do."

She offered a kind smile. "Kol, if you would."

He stepped forward, and quickly removed the cuffs from her, standing off to the side with them.

Esther nodded to Klaus. "You will be partners, if you so choose, until the end of your immortal lives." Klaus took the blade and cut his palm before doing the same to the opposite of mine, then he did something I wasn't expecting.

He grasped my hand.

It fucking stung.

"You will care for one another, no matter the danger present." As she spoke, a thin, gold line threaded itself around our forearms and down to where we were connected. "Maverick, as I understand it, when werewolves mate, they must bite one another."

Heat crawled up my neck, and I cleared my throat, looking anywhere but at Klaus. "That's right."

"Your protective rune will allow for your more intimate activities, as it will recognize Klaus as your blood."

Fucking sentient.

And Klaus tried to claim it wasn't. Because how was it supposed to recognize that as sex, but then if Klaus hurt me, or vise versa, then it would void the spell?

How the fuck did that work?!

"I look forward to it." I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

Esther stepped back, and Kol put the cuffs back on. "Understand that it will not be fully complete until the both of you consummate the marriage." The line fell, melting into our skin.

Kol muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'they've had plenty of practice'.

"We understand, Esther." Klaus pocketed the knife, and then pulled out strips of cloth, one for each of us, that he quickly and expertly wrapped around either of our wounds. "Continue."

"Do you have your rings?" She crossed her arms.

Freya moved forward, offering two simple gold bands.

Klaus took them, carefully slipping one on my hand and then his own. "You're mine now." He kissed my knuckles.