[ Chapter Four ]

RAYLYNN HUFFED AS she sat in the middle of the upstairs sitting room. A red tank top hung off her shoulders, while tight black yoga pants clung to her legs. Typically, she would have enjoyed the incredibly comfortable outfit, but that would also include a good book and a mug of hot coffee. Not an activity that made her contort her body in unnatural ways.

Raylynn crossed her legs underneath her as she claimed a soft, purple mat spread across the floor. She had her hands clasped in front of her chest, taking slow, deep breaths to keep herself calm and peaceful. But after awhile, she grew bored and opened her eyes. "So, what exactly is the point of this," Raylynn asked the eldest Mikaelson, who sat next to the huntress own her own mat.

Freya sighed. "It helps you relax and calms your heartrate," she said.

Raylynn dropped her hands to her knees. "I read when I need to relax, and my heartrate is just fine. Thank you very much."

"No, it is abnormally high," Freya stated. "Your magic takes a toll on your body. So to compensate, your heartrate rises."

Raylynn's brows furrowed. "So?"

Freya opened her eyes and turned to face the huntress. "When you get angry, which is quite often I've noticed, your magic becomes unstable. Which in return, raises your heartrate. This should help," she told her and closed her eyes again.

Raylynn pouted. "Yeah, well, it's boring."

"Too bad, you need it."

Raylynn rolled her eyes and resumed her previous position. She did not think she could continue with the activity everyday, but she would try for Freya. With her and Hayley's relationship still on the outs, she did not have very many people in her corner. And coincidentally, neither did Freya. Raylynn breathed deeply, just starting to relax, until someone entered the home and ruined the peaceful atmosphere.

"What are you doing here?" Klaus questioned as he entered the room.

Raylynn opened her eyes to find the hybrid stood before them. She found an expression of slight annoyance and amusement on his features as he stared at his sister.

Freya looked at him with furrowed brows. "I live here?" she said, but it came out more like a question.

Klaus sighed. "Yes. Obviously," he quipped, while the blonde stood to her feet and twisted her body into the warrior pose. "I just hadn't realized you were back from wherever it is you go to when you leave! Perhaps I was thrown off by the lack of strange gentlemen callers perusing the contents of my refrigerator this morning."

"Actually, you might want to give them a heads up next time," Raylynn exclaimed. "Because if they eat one more of my chocolate chip muffins, I'm liable to rip their arms from their sockets."

Freya gave the huntress a look, before she turned back to her brother and smirked. "Your concern for my whereabouts is touching," she said, switching to the tree pose, where one foot rested on the inside of her other thigh while she held her hands together in front of her chest.

"I simply want to know who is here at any given moment. I hardly thing that's too much to ask," Klaus told her.

Before either of them could say another word, Hayley and Elijah entered the room. "Well, as long as we're taking attendance," the younger hybrid voiced as they moved closer to the other three individuals.

Klaus whirled toward them with a mocking stare. "Oh, good! It's my not-so-loving older brother and my former one-night-stand! What a nice, normal family gathering?"

Raylynn snorted. "Yeah, one fucked up family," she muttered, even though everyone in the room with supernatural hearing heard her.

Hayley glanced in the huntress's direction. She looked as though she wanted to speak, but she changed her mind and turned to Klaus. "Charming. Elijah was just catching me up on how you have no clue which one of your long-lost buddies you can trust and which one is trying to kill you."

Raylynn had been right when she assumed the man Lucien mentioned at the police station, Tristan, to still be alive and well. Apparently, he was in town with an extremely old club composed of vampires called the Strix. They were also interested in recruiting Marcel, while offering to help against the supposed prophecy about the Mikaelson siblings.

"I assume you told her about the bloody prophecy?" Klaus asked his brother.

Raylynn watched Hayley glared in Elijah's direction. He most certainly did not tell her.

Elijah smiled in a condescending manner. "I was just getting to that."

"You might want to do that now," Raylynn said, drawing the man's attention. "Hayley looks like she wants to kill you." She did not fail to notice the Marshall-Kenner glance in her direction with a faint smile playing at her lips.

Baby steps.

Klaus rolled his eyes and said, "well, it appears my old mate Lucien has acquired a genuine seer, and in an effort to prove his good intentions, he got her to show us some rather dire visions of future doom. It's grim stuff, really not for the faint of heart."

Raylynn scoffed. "That's a bit of an understatement."

Hayley set her attention back on the hybrid. "Who's doom are we talking about, here? Because if it's yours, I think we're all okay with that," she stated, until her gaze drifted to the huntress. "Well, except for Ray."

Klaus chuckled in response. "Well, sadly, we're all on the chopping block. But chin up! This witch claims her visions are constantly evolving. So, you may just get your wish!" he quipped.

"Well, I want to meet this psychic witch," Hayley said, smiling as she turned to Elijah. "Tonight."

_______

Once the little family gathering ended, Hayley and Elijah proceeded to get ready for a party held by the Strix later that day. Klaus also left to hunt down Lucien, so Raylynn and Freya decided to go out on a bar crawl around the Quarter.

The streets were packed with dozens, if not hundreds, of people for the festivities that were held for the current holiday. Halloween, one of Raylynn's favorites. She had not been able to celebrate it for quite some time, considering she was either holed up in the old Mikaelson plantation home or kidnapped by Mikael. Now she had the chance, she was not about to waste it.

Both women sat at a street-side bar, sipping on the fruity drinks in front of them. Raylynn reframed from getting anything stronger, considering she needed to be on alert with everything going on around them. She kept herself entertained by watching the various drunken tourists stumble down the street. Most looked they were about to vomit, while others were giggling to themselves.

Raylynn sighed when she felt her phone vibrate in the pocket of her jacket. She pulled out the device and found Klaus's name across the screen. "Can't I just enjoy a few hours away from vampire drama? I've been stuck in this town for almost three years, and I haven't had a decent Halloween."

"I didn't know you liked the holiday that much, love," Klaus voiced through the speaker.

"Eh, there's a lot of things you don't know about me," Raylynn sassed, gaining a fake gag from Freya beside her. "So, why are you calling me? You're not one for impromptu check-ups."

"We need your help," Lucien's voice sounded in the huntress's ear. "A dear, dear friend of mine has gone missing, and we must find her. Our lives depend on it."

Raylynn made a face. "And I'm the only one who answered," she said as she looked over at Freya, noticing the sheepish look on her features as she downed the rest of her drink.

"Well, you're certainly the loveliest," Lucien flirted.

Raylynn scrunched her nose up at his words. "Eww, Klaus, tell your creepy ass friend to leave me alone, or I will cut out his tongue and feed it to him."

Lucien chuckled, before there was static and then Klaus spoke. "Ray, I need your help."

Raylynn sighed and rubbed at her forehead with her free hand. "You're lucky you're cute. Text me the address," she said and then ended the call. She shoved her phone back into her jacket pocket and stood to her feet.

Freya raised a brow and asked, "let me guess, they need our assistance?"

Raylynn nodded, pulling out a few dollars to place on the table. "It appears so."

________

Both women departed from the street-side bar and set off for the address Klaus sent them. The place turned out to be the residence of Lucien Castle. They traveled up to the penthouse suite in one of the new developments, ready to help locate the vampire's missing prophetic witch.

Raylynn moved ahead of Freya and threw open the home's doors without so much as a knock. They entered the lavish apartment to find Lucien directly in front of them. Klaus stood further into the room next to small table.

"Please, do come in," Lucien greeted them, smiling brightly.

Raylynn rolled her eyes and made her way over to the hybrid.

Freya released a light laugh, cringing at something that wafted through the air. "Ugh, this place smells like dried blood and bad cologne," she exclaimed.

Lucien chuckled. "That's just my natural musk. I fine the ladies love it."

"Yeah, in what century?" Raylynn scoffed, ignoring his look of amusement as she moved over to Klaus.

The hybrid gestured for her and Freya to make their way over to the table where a map was spread across it. "If you're quite finished here -this is hers," Klaus said, setting a hairbrush onto the flat surface.

Freya began to set up a few candles around the map to perform a locator spell. Raylynn decided to sit that one out, knowing that there was something up with her magic. The last time she tried a locator spell, all she saw was flashes, images of the person they were trying to locate. And in that moment, they needed an actual location if they were to find the witch before something happened to her.

"Your brother must have told Tristan about the prophecy. If that sadistic bastard so much as touches a hair on her head..." Lucien started, but he was interrupted by Klaus.

"Yes, the witch's hair isn't what has me worried," Klaus said. "Frankly, your girl seems a bit wanton when it comes to handing out visions."

Lucien appeared offended. "Alexis would not share her gifts with him. That doesn't mean he wouldn't torture it out of her..." he trailed off and proceeded to watch the Mikaelson witch work.

Raylynn stood next to Freya as the woman held one hand over the map. She used the other to grab a small bottle and poured black sand onto her open palm, allowing the particles to fall to the paper below. She chanted lowly, so low that Raylynn could not hear. The huntress's eyes trailed after the sand as it circled over the map, until it stopped on Alexis's location.

Lucien leaned over the table and said, "ah, the Davilla Estate. Brilliant. It's that where..."

Klaus cut him off. "...our old friend Tristan lured Elijah just the other night. It seems your fears are warranted."

Raylynn blocked out the rest of their conversation and set her eyes on Alexis's hairbrush. They knew the witch's location, but they did not know who she was around. If they would be able to get in and out without consequences. She reached out and grabbed ahold of the brush, taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes.

After a moment, the familiar flashes began. There was a tall brunette in a dark bedroom. She seemed upset as she stood in front of a table. Raylynn tried to hold onto the image, but the scene cut in and out until it faded altogether. The last thing she saw before she was thrown back into reality was a glimpse of green, blue, and red.

Raylynn blinked rapidly, shaking her head when she found herself back in the penthouse. She set the hairbrush back down onto the table and turned to find the three other individuals in the room with varying emotions. Klaus and Lucien had stopped talking, the former looking rather pleased. Freya, on the other hand, looked beyond annoyed. Raylynn had certainly missed something.

"Did I miss something?" the huntress questioned, gaining their attention.

Freya turned to the brunette confused. "Were you not listening?"

Raylynn shrugged. "I was trying to see if I could find out where Alexis is inside wherever she's at. And, it worked."

Lucien quirked a brow toward the huntress. "Really?"

Raylynn nodded. "Some kind of bedroom, and she doesn't look very happy," she said, causing Lucien to sigh and Klaus to smile. "So -what's the plan?"

_______

Oh, Raylynn hated this plan. She hated it, so, so much.

Klaus came up with the bright idea for him and Lucien to crash the party being held by the Strix that night. Alexis's location showed to be the exact same building, so they had to get into the event some way to rescue her. Klaus's plan happened to be a drunken stroll into the event with Raylynn and Freya dressed in costumes to remain unnoticed. Not a terribly odd sight for it being Halloween.

Raylynn dressed in a tight black v-neck with POLICE written across the back as she had her arm looped with Klaus's. A pair of black short shorts adored her thighs, while a thin black mask rimmed her eyes. Freya walked alongside Lucien, wearing a tight hot pink corset, black short shorts, and a pink wig and mask.

The four of them entered the party with two other compelled women so Raylynn and Freya would not stick out when they slipped away. Raylynn had to hold back her annoyance as Klaus and Lucien stumbled about to create the illusion that they were completely hammered. They strode through the crowd that encompassed the building, immediately drawing everyone's attention toward them.

"What a beloved occasion!" Klaus shouted, more so slurred, as he leaned heavily on Raylynn's shoulder.

Lucien gasped when they moved further into the room, staring at the group of spiffy dressed vampires. "My God, it's a room full of Elijahs."

Raylynn sunk her teeth into her bottom lip to prevent herself from laughing. She hated to admit it, but that was a good one.

Klaus gapped and said, "I had that exact same nightmare once!"

The two compelled women laughed loudly, taking the attention off of Raylynn and Freya. They were not laughing, except they were plotting just how they were going to slip away with so many eyes on them. But, they did not have to wait long.

Lucien "drunkenly" turned to Freya and suggested, "go and grab us a drink, love! Feel free to fetch one for yourself."

Klaus did the same and raised his voice when he set his gaze on Raylynn. "You go help. I need one for me, please!" he exclaimed, pushing himself off her shoulder to shift his stare to the other two women. "And one for her, and her..." he trailed off.

Raylynn and Freya did as they were asked, moving away from the two men and through the growing crowd of vampires. They managed to make their way to the outskirts of the party and found a massive staircase that led to the upper levels of the building. Raylynn scanned the immediate area, growing tense when a woman in a teal dress and bright red hair descended the steps as they ascended. She relaxed as they continued on without incident, making it to the second floor and the bedroom that housed the kidnapped witch.

As they entered, Alexis stood at a table covered in strawberries and sipped on a glass of wine. She kept her back to them as they moved further into the room, not acknowledging them in the slightest.

"I know you know us, but this evening, we're going to be your knights in black and hot pink armor," Freya voiced, pulling her mask away from her face.

Alexis remained still and calm. "I don't need knights. You see, things have become clearer. Possible outcomes have been stripped away, and a more definite picture of what is to come has emerged," the witch said, tears filling her eyes. "I watched them fall. I watched them burn -every soul they've ever turned. Lucien is doomed. I watched his sire be destroyed, and I know exactly how it's done."

Raylynn eye's widened. Is shock or skepticism, she did not quite know, but she knew that her heart would have burst from her chest if Freya had not redirected the conversation.

"Okay, I don't know what you think you saw, but we're in a little bit of a rush here, so this is not a request. We're going -now," the blonde said in an impatient manner.

Alexis turned away from the table. "And how exactly do you plan to force me to go?" she questioned, looking incredibly amused.

Freya shrugged. "I was thinking of a blinding spell. The kind that starts as a pin prick just behind the eyes, and then spreads with such intensity, you'd rather tear them out than endure another second of pain."

Raylynn pursed her lips and turned to the blonde. "Nice description. Really paints a picture."

Freya smiled. "I thought it would," she replied.

Alexis gave the Mikaelson witch a blank stare. "You could try it. But, the aphasia spell I already cast in anticipation might make it difficult."

Raylynn's brows furrowed, until she began to fill a lump build in the back of her throat. She tried to clear it away, but it stayed in past, building by the second. Freya grabbed her throat as the same spell caused her to gasp for air. Raylynn's eyes narrowed at the sight. She turned back to the prophetic witch, swallowing harshly to make the lump disappear.

Alexis set her wine glass down onto the table and curiously stared between the two women. "Whatever spell you choose, I will be one step ahead. Since the moment you two walked in, I've seen a thousand ends to this little confrontation -none of them very favorable to you," she exclaimed and then turned to Raylynn, who proceeded to glare in her direction. "You, on the other hand are more powerful than I imagined." The huntress opened her mouth to retort, until the witch stared at the other in realization. "You're a Mikaleson." She immediately released the spell on Freya, before she jumped forward and pulled the woman in for a kiss.

Raylynn stared at the scene in surprise. First, the witch wanted them dead, now she's kissing Freya. The night had certainly taken an odd turn.

Alexis pulled back and released her hold on the blonde. "The family blood you sought to find shall be what lays you low in kind," she stated smugly, before her expression fell into one of sympathy. "Poor girl. You searched a thousand years for family, and, in finding them, they weill be your undoing." She then turned to the huntress. "As for you..."

Raylynn did not have the chance to move away before Alexis reached out and grabbed both sides of her head. She gasped at the sudden contact. Flashes of scenes from the future appeared in front of her, forcing her to watch what her life held in the months to come. Raylynn found herself laid on a bed with a person next to her. A glint of metal crossed her vison, before it was shoved in an arc toward her body. Next, a blinding light above her obscured everything but that she again on a bed. All she could do was listen as a small, strained cry erupted near her feet.

And as fast as the vision started, it ended. Raylynn was thrown back into reality, breathing heavily at what she just witnessed.

Alexis tilted her head and dropped her hands. "The Mikaelson are ruining you as we speak, but it is not in the ways you think," she said with a quick look to the woman's stomach.

Raylynn forced herself to remain, especially with Freya next to here. She was not about to reveal what the witch showed her. "Yeah, well, I'm tired of your bullshit prophecy speak." She raised her hand at a blinding speed and slammed her clasped fist into the witch's jaw.

Alexis did not have time to blink, before she fell to the ground in an unconscious heap. Raylynn released a humph sound and turned to the remaining witch next to her with a proud smile.

Freya laughed. "Well, that was certainly a sight to witness."

Raylynn shrugged. "She deserved it."

Freya's amused smile soon dropped when she asked, "what did she show you?"

Raylynn shook her head. "I don't know, but I'm gonna find out." But in fact, she did know. She knew exactly what the witch's vision meant, but she was definitely not about to tell Freya. Not until she knew for certain. And if the witch was right, Raylynn was completely and utterly screwed.

_______

They returned to the compound with an unconscious witch at their side. Raylynn stood back as the rest of the Mikaelson family, Hayley, and Lucien stared at Alexis. The witch sat on one of the couches in the courtyard, crying her eyes from her latest vision.

"I'm sorry," Alexis sobbed into her hands until she looked at the vampire next to her. "I hoped I was wrong, Lucien. I really did. But I saw it. I saw him die," she said with a glance in the hybrid's direction.

Klaus sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

Lucien just looked toward the witch nervously. "Did you see the weapon?" he asked, the witch nodded. "What is it?"

"To understand, it must be seen," Alexis stated and held out her arms. One toward Hayley, and one toward Elijah.

The two of them exchanged a look and moved over to sit on opposite ends of the couch when Lucien stood. Hayley and Elijah each took a wrist, biting into Alexis's skin. The witch threw her head back as her eyes rolled in their sockets. Hayley and Elijah continued to feet on her, until Alexis's nose began to bleed. They quickly let go of the woman and gaged.

Alexis dropped her stare to her bloody wrists, paling considerably as her expression morphed into one of fear. Elijah turned away and proceeded to throw up the blood he just drank onto the concrete floor.

Hayley simply sat next to the woman, lifting a hand to her mouth and tried to not do the same thing as the man on the other end of the couch. "Something's wrong," she moaned.

Elijah looked away from his vomit and exclaimed, "poison!"

As soon as the words left his lips, Alexis choked and threw up her own blood in front of her. Lucien immediately rushed over to the woman as more blood dripped from her nose and the sides of her mouth.

"No! No!" Lucien exclaimed when the witch fell limp in his arms. "NO! No, no, no, no!"

<October 19, 2018>

Oh, the fun has just begun.

To rereaders, please reframe from commenting spoilers for the first time readers. I would very much appreciate it.

Also, how do you guys like the new cover?

Don't forget to vote and comment.

-Jordan

P.S. Unedited chapter.