CHAPTER 13: KATHERINE'S BARGAIN
The attic wards shattered at midnight with the sound of breaking glass.
Kol bolted upright from sleep, vampire reflexes bringing him to full alertness in half a heartbeat. Magic crackled around his hands, the grimoire manifesting automatically as his void sense screamed warnings about an intruder who'd somehow bypassed every protection he'd laid.
A woman stood in the center of his attic, silhouetted against moonlight streaming through the broken window. Dark hair cascaded past her shoulders. Her smile was dangerous and knowing, the expression of someone who'd survived five centuries through cunning and adaptability.
"Hello, handsome." Her voice carried traces of Eastern Europe beneath practiced American neutrality. "Heard you're the new power in town."
Kol's inherited memories supplied her identity immediately: Katherine Pierce. Katerina Petrova. The doppelgänger who'd spent half a millennium running from Klaus, leaving destruction and broken hearts in her wake.
"Katherine Pierce," Kol said, lowering his hands slightly but keeping magic ready. "Breaking and entering. Bold choice for a first impression."
"I prefer to think of it as making an entrance." She moved further into the room with predatory grace, studying him with eyes that calculated threats and opportunities simultaneously. "You're Kol Mikaelson. Recently resurrected, currently dating the Harvest girl, and—if rumors are true—the only thing standing between New Orleans and supernatural civil war."
"Flattering summary. Doesn't explain why you're in my bedroom."
"Klaus is coming to New Orleans." Katherine said it like announcing the apocalypse, which wasn't far off. "Sooner than you think. And when he arrives, I need to be somewhere he'll never look."
Kol studied her, weighing inherited knowledge of Katherine's schemes against Marcus's corporate instinct for reading people. She was terrified, he realized. Beneath the confidence and dangerous smile, genuine fear radiated from her.
"Why come to me?" he asked carefully.
"Because you're smart enough to see the value in what I'm offering." Katherine settled onto the edge of his makeshift bed with the ease of someone accustomed to making themselves comfortable anywhere. "I'll trade. I know five hundred years of spells—survival magic, compulsion techniques, ways to hide from enemies who should be able to find you." She paused significantly. "And I know exactly how to break a hybrid curse permanently."
That got his attention. Klaus's hybrid curse—the one binding his werewolf nature—was the source of countless problems. Breaking it properly would change everything.
"Why help me?" Kol demanded. "Klaus terrifies you. Why give me weapons against him?"
"Enemy of Klaus is my potential friend." Katherine's smile widened. "Also, you're cute. And I have excellent survival instincts—you're going to be important, Kol Mikaelson. I'd rather be your ally than your enemy."
Before Kol could formulate a response, footsteps pounded up the stairs. The door burst open, and Davina stormed in, magic crackling dangerously around her hands.
She froze when she saw Katherine, eyes narrowing with immediate suspicion and—Kol recognized with surprise—jealousy.
"Who's this?" Davina's voice could have frozen water.
Katherine's expression shifted to amused interest. "Just discussing business with Mr. Mikaelson."
"At midnight? In his bedroom?" Davina's magic flared brighter. "What kind of business?"
"The mutually beneficial kind—"
"She needs protection from Klaus," Kol interrupted, standing quickly to position himself between the two women. "Katherine Pierce. Professional survivor. She's offering magical knowledge in exchange for sanctuary."
Davina's gaze flicked between them, clearly not buying the innocent explanation. "You were flirting with my boyfriend."
"Was I?" Katherine's smile turned knowing. "How rude of me."
The grimoire, still hovering near Kol's shoulder, flipped its pages frantically, displaying a single word in increasingly large letters: DANGER. DANGER. DANGER.
"This is a disaster," Kol thought, watching the standoff develop. "Ancient manipulative doppelgänger versus powerful teenage witch with jealousy issues. What could possibly go wrong?"
"Davina," he said carefully, "Katherine is potentially useful. The knowledge she has—"
"I'm sure her knowledge is very... useful," Davina said, each word precise and cold. "But maybe we should discuss this at a reasonable hour. When you're wearing actual clothes."
Kol glanced down, realizing he was in his sleeping attire—t-shirt and sweatpants. Not exactly professional negotiation wear.
"Fair point," he admitted. "Katherine, there's a safe house two blocks over. Wait there. We'll discuss terms tomorrow."
"Of course." Katherine stood with fluid grace, clearly enjoying the drama she'd created. "So nice to meet you, Davina. I can see why Kol's interested."
"Out," Davina said flatly.
Katherine laughed and vaulted through the broken window, disappearing into the New Orleans night with vampire speed.
Silence descended on the attic, broken only by the grimoire's pages rustling nervously.
"So," Kol started.
"Don't." Davina's magic dimmed slightly, but her expression remained stormy. "Just... don't. I know we need allies. I know Katherine Pierce has valuable knowledge. But she was absolutely flirting with you, and you're a terrible liar when you pretend you didn't notice."
"I noticed," Kol admitted. "Hard not to when someone's that obvious. But Davina—" He crossed the distance between them, taking her hands gently. "I'm not interested. In Katherine or anyone else. Just you."
Davina's anger wavered. "She's beautiful. And experienced. And probably knows things I don't—"
"She's also spent five centuries running from Klaus because she chose survival over genuine connection." Kol tilted Davina's chin up, meeting her eyes directly. "I spent two months falling for a brilliant, brave witch who resurrects people and argues about magical theory and somehow makes me want to be better than I was. Katherine Pierce is an asset. You're—" He struggled for words. "You're everything."
The last of Davina's anger melted. "That was surprisingly romantic for someone who usually communicates in corporate buzzwords."
"I'm a man of many talents."
She kissed him, hard and possessive, magic crackling between them in that familiar synchronization. When she pulled back, her eyes held determination. "If she teaches you magic, I'm present for every lesson. No private sessions."
"Agreed." Kol would have agreed to almost anything at that moment. "Though fair warning—having you and Katherine in the same room might be more dangerous than facing Klaus directly."
"Then you'll have excellent motivation to keep Katherine on her best behavior."
The following weeks established an uneasy routine.
Katherine proved to be a surprisingly effective teacher when she wasn't actively manipulating everyone around her. She'd spent five centuries perfecting survival magic—spells to hide from supernatural senses, compulsion techniques that worked on both humans and vampires, ways to forge magical signatures and disappear into crowds.
The grimoire absorbed her knowledge eagerly, spell count climbing toward the magic hundred-spell threshold. Kol cataloged everything, cross-referencing Katherine's practical survival magic with Esther's theoretical knowledge and his own developing void powers.
Davina attended every session, initially hostile but gradually warming as Katherine proved her expertise. The ancient doppelgänger seemed amused by Davina's protectiveness, occasionally pushing boundaries just to watch the young witch's magic flare.
"You've got good instincts," Katherine told Davina during one lesson, after the teenager had successfully modified a cloaking spell on the fly. "Raw power combined with adaptability. That's rare."
"Thanks," Davina said cautiously, clearly uncertain whether to trust the compliment.
"Of course, you're still centuries behind in experience. But that'll come." Katherine turned to Kol. "You're doing good work with her. Most teachers would try to mold her into their image. You're letting her develop her own style."
"She doesn't need molding," Kol said. "Just guidance and resources."
Katherine's knowing smile suggested she'd heard exactly what he hadn't said—that he cared about Davina's development as a person, not just her utility as a magical asset.
The grimoire's spell count climbed: 85, 90, 95. Each new addition expanded Kol's capabilities, but more importantly, expanded his understanding of how magic worked in this world. Katherine's practical knowledge filled gaps that Esther's theoretical work and Kol's inherited memories couldn't address.
Then Elijah discovered Katherine's presence.
The confrontation happened in Marcel's compound, with Kol strategically positioning himself between his brother and the doppelgänger who'd caused their family endless complications.
"Step aside, Kol," Elijah said quietly, white oak ash stake in hand. "This doesn't concern you."
"It absolutely concerns me," Kol countered. "Katherine is under my protection. She's teaching me magic in exchange for sanctuary."
"She's a manipulative survivor who's betrayed everyone she's ever known." Elijah's voice was cold, ancient hurt bleeding through his usual composure. "Including our family. Multiple times."
Katherine watched from behind Kol, expression carefully neutral despite the fear Kol could sense rolling off her.
"She's also an asset," Kol said firmly. "And potential leverage against Klaus. Think strategically, brother. Katherine knows things about Klaus's enemies, his weaknesses, his psychological triggers. Information that could be invaluable when he arrives."
"When he arrives, he'll demand her head."
"When he arrives, we'll have options we wouldn't otherwise." Kol kept his voice steady, reasoning rather than arguing. "I'm proposing we use Katherine's knowledge while keeping her as a bargaining chip. Best of both worlds."
Elijah's jaw worked as he processed the logic. Finally, he lowered the stake. "I want full disclosure of everything she teaches you. And the moment she proves untrustworthy—"
"I'll stake her myself," Kol promised. "But until then, she's useful."
Katherine stepped forward, carefully respectful. "Elijah. I know I've given your family countless reasons to hate me. I'm not asking for forgiveness. Just... temporary alliance based on mutual survival interests."
"Survival interests," Elijah repeated. "How pragmatic."
"It's kept me alive for five centuries."
Elijah studied her for a long moment, then nodded once. "Very well. But if you betray my brother, Katherine Pierce, I will hunt you across continents and ensure your death is extraordinarily unpleasant."
"Noted."
After Elijah left, Katherine let out a shaky breath. "Thank you. For intervening."
"Don't make me regret it," Kol said.
"Wouldn't dream of it." She settled into a chair, composure restored. "Though your brother's right—Klaus will demand my head when he arrives. Are you actually prepared to hide me?"
Kol considered the question, weighing promises against practicality. "I have void storage. Pocket dimension where objects cease to exist in this reality. Klaus wouldn't be able to detect you there."
Katherine's eyes widened. "You can actually do that? Hide someone in a dimensional pocket?"
"In theory. Haven't tested it on a living person yet."
"Well." Katherine's dangerous smile returned. "When Klaus arrives, I suppose we'll find out if your theory works."
Week four of Katherine's residency, and the grimoire's spell count hit 95.
Kol felt the approaching milestone like atmospheric pressure before a storm. The book hummed constantly now, pages turning themselves, organizing knowledge in increasingly complex patterns. It was preparing for something, though Kol couldn't articulate what.
Late night training session—Kol, Davina, and Katherine practicing spell combinations in the cleared attic space. Josh watched from the doorway, having given up trying to understand the magical theory but fascinated by the group dynamics.
"This is the weirdest study group ever," he observed.
"Could be worse," Katherine said, modifying a fire spell mid-cast to create spiraling flames. "Could be boring."
Davina countered with a water spell, steam exploding where the elements collided. "How did you learn to cast so fast? Without preparation?"
"Five centuries of practice." Katherine grinned. "And strong motivation—enemies don't wait for you to finish incantations."
They continued until dawn, spell count climbing: 96, 97, 98. Each new addition felt significant, building toward something transformative.
Kol walked Davina home as the sun rose, both exhausted but satisfied with the night's progress.
"Katherine's not as terrible as I expected," Davina admitted grudgingly. "She's still manipulative and dangerous and definitely flirted with you at least twice tonight—"
"I noticed."
"—but she's teaching me things I wouldn't learn otherwise." Davina leaned against him. "Thank you. For including me in this."
"You're my partner," Kol said simply. "In magic, in plans, in everything. Of course I'd include you."
At her door, Davina kissed him slowly, thoroughly, magic humming between them. "I love you," she said, clear and certain.
"I love you too," Kol replied, the words coming easier each time.
Above them, beyond their perception, the void whispers grew louder. Convergence approaching. The grimoire's milestone imminent. Klaus drawing closer with each passing day.
But for this moment, watching the sun rise over New Orleans with Davina in his arms, Kol felt almost peaceful.
The storm was coming.
But he had allies now. Powers. Plans.
Maybe, just maybe, he'd survive what came next.
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