CHAPTER FIFTEEN

My hands trembled as Kol led me around the corner, affording us a moment of privacy from Finn and Elijah. I felt weary from the amount of thoughts whirling through my mind and I let out a long exhale as I rested my head on his shoulder. After spending so long running, I had finally come face to face with the moment that I had dreaded for over half my life. For so long, bonding with my mates had represented a loss of freedom. I had been raised by my coven to seduce and kill them, likely losing my life in the process.

When I ran from the Ashvail Coven all those years ago, I had changed the entire trajectory of my life. I had willingly handed over the white oak stake in exchange for my freedom from the Mikaelsons and no longer had any desire to see any of them dead. In fact, there was a blossoming hope in my chest that I might be able to have the very thing I had once feared.

"You do not have to do this, Kresley," Kol murmured, stroking a hand over my head, "From what I have read, mate bonds are even more intense once they've been accepted. You only came to me so that I could help you control your magic and I never expected anything from you."

"I know," I whispered, looking up at him with a tender smile. Reaching up, I placed a hand against his cheek, stroking my thumb against his stubble, "I have spent most of my life feeling powerless but when I'm with you, I feel like I'm in control for the first time. I know that to save Rebekah, I need to accept the bond with you but I think that I would have accepted it soon anyway."

Kol swallowed, his eyes softening as he looked down at me, "It is an honour that you would even consider bonding with me. But, darling, there is still so much we need to talk about-"

"We will talk once Rebekah is free." I interrupted him, urging him with my eyes to understand that I was confident in my decision.

Eyes hardening, Kol nodded decisively, "If you accept the bond with me, you will remain outside with Finn and Elijah whilst I go in and look for Rebekah. Once I locate her, we shall figure out a way to get her out."

The easiest way to get her out would be to accept the bond with her but I kept my mouth shut and nodded, deciding to take things one step at a time. My heart pounded as I looked up at him, knowing what we were about to do. Accepting a mate bond was an intimate thing, not usually done at the side of the road. Although it did not require sex, the nature of exchanging blood had an aphrodisiac effect and commonly resulted in intimacy. I felt my face heat up at the thought as I said, "Let's do it."

Kol pulled away slightly, running a hand down his face, "Under different circumstances, I would cook you dinner first and then spend the whole night worshiping you."

I took a step forward and took his hand in mine with a shy smile, "Perhaps we can do all that when we get home?"

Kol nodded with a wicked grin before backing me against a stone wall in a small alleyway. I felt my breaths quicken as he lowered his mouth to my neck and pressed a delicate kiss against my skin. Pulling away, his eyes found mine, "Are you certain, my darling?"

Instead of answering, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his and the bond between up danced happily in my chest. Kol gripped my hips as he devoured my mouth in a way they left me breathless and desperate for more. It did not matter that we were in a grimy alleyway in a busy city, this moment was completely and utterly perfect. Kol let out a growl as he reluctantly pulled away from my lips and veins appeared beneath his eyes as he bit into his wrist. My heart pounded as he brought his wrist to my mouth, feeding me his blood.

I let out a small moan the second his blood met my tongue. I had tasted his blood before, when he had heeled my hands, but this felt more intense in a blissfully good way. I gripped a hand around his wrist, holding it to my mouth as I greedily swallowed his blood. My heart pounded as he lowered his head to my neck again and I steeled myself at the feeling of his fangs against my skin. Fear intermingled with longing as I anticipated what was about to happen. Kol kissed my neck once more before his fangs sunk into me and I let out a gasp, my head falling back against the wall.

I felt the bond between us cement into place and a feeling of blissful safety overcame me as Kol carefully drank from me. He lapped up the blood and pressed a kiss to the healing wound before lifting his head and meeting my gaze. The sight ignited something within me and a second later, my legs were wrapped around his waist and his lips were devouring my mouth once more. I let out a desperate noise, clawing at his shirt and I was engulfed by a need for more.

The sound of a throat clearing had us both pausing.

Kol let out an annoyed sigh, resting his forehead against mine as he called out, "I suddenly understand why Nik kept daggering you."

"My apologies for interrupting but need I remind you that we are in public and our sister is currently trapped?" Elijah spoke calmly.

Kol huffed, letting my feet drop to the ground and pressed one final kiss to my lips that was full of wicked promise. Taking a step back, he rolled his eyes at his brother and muttered, "Let's hurry up and rescue my sister before I lose my mind."

I followed Kol out of the alleyway but when I passed Elijah, he gently grasped hold of my wrist, stopping me in my tracks. I looked up at him, my cheeks flushed from having been caught in such a compromising position. Elijah opened his mouth, looking away uncertainly before meeting my gaze, "Kresley, I made a mistake that day three years ago and I keep making mistakes in regards to you. Thank you for doing this, for helping us save Rebekah, I know how much accepting the bond has cost you..."

I smiled sadly at him, "I think we all need to sit down and have a long conversation."

Elijah nodded once, releasing my wrist. Silently, we walked back toward the house, where Kol and Finn waited. I was immediately drawn to Kol, the bond protesting at being away from my newly accepted mate for even a second. I wrapped my arm around his, leaning into him as we looked towards the unassuming house.

"I'll be back before you know it." Kol reassured me, pressing a kiss to my forehead before pulling out of my hold and entering the house.

Pacing back and forth, I kept looking towards the door for any sign of Kol and Rebekah. I needed them both to be safe and the thought of any harm befalling them had my heart pounding. That was when I felt it, the magic within me threatening to burst free. My steps faltered and I squeezed my eyes closed in an attempt to keep it at bay. The last thing I needed was to lose control, especially without Kol to guide me.

"Kresley," Finn said urgently, noticing my silent war, "What is it?"

"My magic..." I whispered, balling my hands into fists, "I'm losing control."

Opening my eyes, I watched Finn and Elijah exchange a concerned look. Placing a gentle hand against my arm, Finn said, "Take a deep breath, Kresley. Everything is going to be okay."

I shook my head, unable to believe him. Stepping up beside me, Elijah placed his hands in his pockets and calmly said, "I believe we told you that Kol was the one who tracked down and killed the remaining members of the Ashvail Coven? I imagine that he relished in, brutally ripping apart each and every one of them until they were screaming for death. Those witches were no match for a Mikaelson, especially once as bloodthirsty as Kol. We all have a reputation for being deadly, but Kol is especially dangerous to witches because he understands them."

It was only one Elijah stopped speaking that I realised my hands had stopped shaking. I replayed his words in my mind and found them to be morbidly comforting. Kol treated me with such softness and care that it had been incredibly easy to forget who he truly was. Kol was a Mikaelson, an Original Vampire whose name had been spoken fearfully by the witches who had raised me. As terrifying as that was, it was comforting to remember how deadly he could be.

"Thank you." I whispered and Elijah gave me a small nod.

We waited for several minutes in silence and I looked up abruptly when the door opened. Kol came into view, his lips pressed into a thin line as he stepped out of the house, crossing the boundary spell. As he approached us, I noticed several bloodstains on his shirt and averted my gaze from them, meeting his eyes, "Did you find her?"

"Rebekah is not inside." Kol shook his head with a grim expression, "I looked everywhere."

"That's impossible!" I protested, "The bond is tugging me towards that house!"

"I don't know what to tell you. Maybe the witches messed with the mate bond-" Before Kol could finish, I rushed past him towards the house, crossing the boundary, "Kresley, wait!"

Kol moved to follow me but Elijah held him back firmly, "If you go after her, you'll both be trapped inside."

I let out a shaky breath as I entered the house, the door swinging closed behind me with an eerie creak. Around me lay the bodies of dead witches, those who must have threatened Kol. A few witches were still alive, cowering in corners, heads bowed as I rushed past them, following the tug in my chest. The house was huge and if not for the bond urging me up the stairs, I would have easily gotten lost.

Rounding a corner, I paced down a long corridor, the ceiling covered in cobwebs and the walls stained with grime. In many ways, the house reminded me of the one I had grown up in and I shivered at the thought. I slowed as I reached the end of the corridor, my hand settling over a cold mettle doorknob. With a shaky sigh, I attempted to push open the door but it was locked. Closing my eyes, I took a step backwards and raised my hands, preparing to attempt a spell, but before I could mutter a word, I heard it creak open.

Opening my eyes, I looked around warily before stepping into the room, the bond in my chest feeling stronger than ever. I pressed a hand to my chest, wincing at the intensity as I looked around the room, which looked as though it had been abandoned for at least a century. In the center sat a dust covered glass coffin as I gulped as I stepped towards it.

"Rebekah?" I called as I peered into the glass coffin, but it was not Rebekah who lay within. My heart faltered at the sight of a blonde lifeless woman, clutching peals in her motionless hands. She was breathtakingly beautiful and I took a confused step backwards, shaking my head at the sharp feeling in my chest. Who was this woman and why did she elicit such strong feelings from me?

Feeling the desperate urge to see her clearer, I raised my hand to brush away the dust but the moment my fingers touched the coffin, her eyes flew open, meeting mine. With a gasp, I fell backwards onto the floor, my heart pounding as I watched the glass lid shatter, turning into dust and scattering throughout the room.

"Who are you?" I whispered as the woman sat up calmly and looked towards me with a soft smile.

"I am Freya."