Family is power The Original Vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago They pledged to remain together always and forever But even when you’re immortal, promises are hard to keep Klau.
Family is power The Original Vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago They pledged to remain together always and forever But even when you’re immortal, promises are hard to keep Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson had won it all, only to lose it again by 8 Control of New Orleans is split between the vampires and the werewolves, much to Klaus’s displeasure In a dangerous attempt to reclaim his home, Klaus decides to build a vampire army to take out the werewolves once and for all If he can’t have love, then he’ll settle for power Elijah lets his brother take the reins as he turns his attentions to a beautiful and mysterious woman But Rebekah has had enough of her brothers’ love of bloodshed and begins a journey to find her first home and the key to her family’s immortality As the battle rages on, the siblings must come together and fight for what they believe in most: f amily C RE A TE D BY J U L based on I EP L E C Dear Reader: Welcome back for the final book in the Originals series If reveling in the dramatic lives of current-day Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah Mikaelson on the CW isn’t enough for you, don’t worry—just turn the page to see where their stories began Courtesy of HQ N Books, in association with Alloy Entertainment, this trilogy explores the dark past of the Originals with brand-new tales In the last two books, you saw how far Klaus would go for love In book three, The R esurrection, you’ll understand how far he’ll go for power After establishing a joint rule with the werewolves, the Mikaelsons have governed in peace for the past twenty years Except Klaus never wanted eternal harmony; he wanted the entire city to kneel before him, covered in the blood of his rivals And now he might finally get his chance With Elijah and Rebekah distracted by their own desires, Klaus seizes the opportunity to take the city for himself But when a new enemy rises up from the shadows of New Orleans, the three siblings will have to join forces and fight with everything they have if they want to save their home In The Originals: The R ise, The L oss, and The R esurrection, the Mikaelson vampires are examined in a whole new way Turn the page for a book that has all the violence, forbidden love, and lust for power of the TV show, and a story that will satisfy your hunger for more With best wishes, J ulie Plec Creator and Executive Producer of The Originals C ontents PROLOGUE CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIX TEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN EPILOGU EXCERPT E PR OL OG U E M arch 21 , 8 THE CITY WAS BU RNING From the east end to the church, New Orleans waslit up with flames, and Klaus Mikaelson was to blame J osé Piló n sat on a low hill, watching the only home he’d ever known vanish before his eyes Smoke rose from the city and seeped into the bayou, billowing into dark, sooty clouds The full moon was bright and glowed an ominous red as it hovered above the flames J osé was born into an unprecedented era of peace, but his death had heralded a new age of violence The Mikaelsons just couldn’t leave well enough alone Any truce that involved the three Original vampires wasn’t worth the paper it was written on, not in the long run Sooner or later, one of them would get angry, jealous, or just bored Nine times out of ten that “one” would be Niklaus, the most volatile of the three siblings J osé had once believed he would be loyal to Klaus Mikaelson forever—that sharing a vampire’s blood created an eternal link of brotherhood But Klaus had lied To suit his own purposes, the middle Mikaelson sibling had turned on his enemies and his friends alike, and now J osé’s city was burning to the ground He was supposed to have burned with it J osé had been born with the skills of a thief, and this time he had stolen his life back He’d spent his childhood moving unseen through the back alleys and crooked lanes of New Orleans, noticing what others ignored and taking what wasn’t his It had served him well—as a human and as a vampire After the fire had started to spread, panic followed J osé had kept his head down, ignoring the chaos and thinking only of escape The main door had been barred, but any good thief knew there was always more than one way out He bet his life that he could reach the river before the fire overtook its banks, wooden warehouses catching in a torrent of flames J osé waited until the freight doors that opened onto the docks weakened and caved in He covered his mouth and nose so he wouldn’t breathe in the smoke, and stayed low to the ground Soon he was cut off from everyone, the others enveloped in the blaze Their screams pierced through the deafening roar of the fire Once the warehouse collapsed under its own weight, J osé managed to slither out from under the fallen beams and throw himself into the river before his body fully caught flame Burns would heal easy enough, but only if he could make it out alive He wasn’t alone as he waded through the Mississippi River Dozens of other citizens fled the city with only the clothes on their back, desperate to get to the other side of the bayou The smell of smoke burned in J osé’s throat and he coughed up water as he dragged himself through the swamp and up the riverbank Even from his spot on the bluffs, watching the fire reflect on the water below, J osé could feel the heat of the fire biting at his skin The wind whipped sparks along the water, launching a thousand embers from one wooden roof to the next The fire was traveling faster than any human could possibly stop it, and it was clear that by morning there would be nothing left of the city It was the greatest fire New Orleans had ever seen—and would hopefully ever see again They were safe until the next time Klaus got angry, at least Klaus might have given him eternal life, but he had also tried to take it away again, and to J osé’s way of thinking—taking an eye for an eye—that made them even J osé was immortal and powerful, yet also homeless and penniless, an outcast with no place or purpose in the world J osé wished he could help stop the destruction and eventually assist in the rebuild, but he knew he could never return New Orleans was too dangerous for him now —Klaus would always be on the lookout for a deserter Still, he couldn’t bring himself to turn his back on New Orleans just yet He knew that he was witnessing more than the death of a city—it was the beginning of a resurrection, and it was a sight to behold Whatever Klaus had meant to accomplish, this deadly blaze wasn’t where the story ended As soon as the embers cooled, New Orleans would rise again from the ashes, just as she always did CHAPTER ONE A f ew weeks earlier “D RINK! ” D ozens of voices picked up the command, turning it into a chant “D rink,” they all shouted at the thief Everyone else had already taken their turn, pledging their allegiance to Klaus’s army by drinking his blood Klaus let them think the gesture was symbolic—what was the point in letting them all know they’d be vampires by the end of the night? That’d only result in an unnecessary struggle, and Klaus never did anything to make his life harder The energy in the room was at a steady thrum, and it felt as if the very blood in his veins vibrated with the cries of men Klaus had outgrown the family mansion, shedding it in favor of a roomy four-story garrison in the center of town It was a more fitting place for his new calling—a place of war There had to be a hundred new recruits in the large main hall, banging their tankards on the long wooden tables and shouting encouragement to the next victim Klaus sat alone on a dais, where he had received each of his subjects in turn One was a whore from the Southern Spot, the oldest brothel in New Orleans and, by Klaus’s estimation, still the best She’d run afoul of the madam and been thrown out But she’d refused to go quietly— showing some real fire and a surprisingly creative vocabulary Another was a bandit who’d been rounded up by the Spanish soldiers who patrolled the countryside—and who had handed him over to Klaus for a small fee The youngest were a fresh crop of runaways who’d been discovered scavenging in one of Klaus’s warehouses near the harbor He’d convinced the teenagers that they’d have a much better life working for him than begging for scraps The last recruit to drink was the thief J osé had been caught with one hand in the safe of the Southern Spot The manager, a hothead whom Klaus suspected might be doing some skimming of his own, had wanted to kill the man and dump his body in the river But Klaus had an eye for potential—he E PI L OG U ALMOST A MONTH after the fire had burned out, Klaus could still smell soot on the evening air Spring had come in earnest, with patches of bright green forcing their way up through the charred soil New houses were rising everywhere, constructed from Spanish brick and iron—no longer wooden tinderboxes Klaus doubted they would fare much better than the old wooden ones had, but he was amused by the humans’ optimism Who was he to say that something built in the middle of a vampire-owned swamp wouldn’t last? The Mikaelsons, by contrast, had been slow to rebuild Klaus had lost his army and won his war in a single night, but the experience had left him more restless than triumphant In one stroke he had defeated three enemies and put an end to his brother’s curse, a victory so complete that it left nothing but silence in its wake Yet silence and peace were more boring than so-called triumph had any right to be The faint, sweet smell of honeysuckle drifted toward him on the mild evening breeze, piercing the stale odor of old smoke and driving it away Klaus slowed his steps a little, watching the sun grow and redden as it plunged toward the horizon The sound of hammers rang out around him, and he could hear mortar being scraped between stones The work in the city would go on well into the night, now that New Orleans’s residents were no longer afraid of the dark The worst of the fearmonger had died in the fire, along with the creatures the humans had once barred their doors against It was as if the slate had been wiped clean, even for those who had no idea what had happened The few surviving werewolves and witches had their suspicions, but no one seemed to have the heart for more war, not after the toll the great fire had taken It was as if the entire city had silently agreed that enough was enough A small, dark-haired child hurtled around a corner and nearly bumped into Klaus, wheeling his arms backward with all his might to avoid contact “Watch where you’re going! ” he piped shrilly, crossing his arms over his thin chest and puffing it out as best he could “That’s good advice,” Klaus agreed “I suggest you take it yourself.” “This is my quarter,” the boy explained His bony wrists stuck out of his faded sleeves, and he couldn’t have seen more than eight summers But he had the imperious manner of a prince in disguise, and Klaus found himself more entertained than annoyed “What makes you think that, little gentleman?” he asked, glancing along the cobblestoned street before him Werewolves had lived here once, Klaus realized Now all that was left were the remnants of old French architecture and burnt-out shells that had yet to be demolished “My father built our house with his own two hands,” the boy—the little werewolf—announced proudly “And he was a hero in the fire; he died saving lots and lots of other people.” Klaus smiled unpleasantly, imagining how many similar stories were drifting through the city It was a fairy tale so laughable that only a child would believe it “And who told you that?” he asked “My mother,” the puppy said “She told me all about it.” “We have something in common, then,” Klaus replied, bending down to meet the child’s eyes “My mother told me lies about my father, too.” The boy’s head jerked back in surprise, as if Klaus had struck him “My mother doesn’t lie,” he insisted “Ignacio Guerrera was a great man, and if he hadn’t run into the fire to help people, this whole city would have belonged to him someday And I’m going to prove it I’m going to be just like him when I grow up You’ll see.” That, Klaus decided, was a threat that could wait for another day “I f you grow up,” Klaus corrected, feeling the little sting as his fangs extended He bared them at the boy, adding a theatrical snarl for good measure The werewolf child screamed and ran, his thin shoes slapping against the cobblestones as he vanished down a side street Klaus watched him go, amused He did have a soft spot for children, even if he never expected to have any of his own His wandering took him back toward the river No one had been saved from the warehouse; he was sure of that The fire had leveled the entire district, and all that was left of Tomá s’s warehouse was scorched ground, a mountain of ash, and the larger bones of the human skeleton that were too big to burn The spilled rum had burned hot and fast, and the vampires must have gone up like so many dry torches There would have been no chance to think or to plan; no escape from the inferno that raged everywhere The fact that Klaus hadn’t heard the slightest whisper of revenge only confirmed that no one had survived Everyone supposedly knew someone who had miraculously escaped the blaze, yet no one had come forward to breathe a word about how it had started The Guerrera boy would realize the truth someday, Klaus imagined, and then there would be one more disillusioned werewolf roaming the streets of New Orleans But there would always be another dispute to settle, another cause to fight for That was just the way the world was for Klaus There was only one place in the entire city that Klaus missed The Southern Spot had burned along with everything else Klaus hadn’t decided yet what he would build on that lot—whether he would improve the structure that had been there before, create something completely different, or simply leave it for some eager developer to swallow up There should have been plenty of land to go around, but in the free-for-all that had followed the destruction, there was always someone with an eye out for more The scent of honeysuckle came to him again, nearer this time Klaus’s steps turned toward it as if of their own accord He followed it past villas and hovels and piles of charred rubble The darkening sky was quickly filling with stars Klaus turned a corner that felt vaguely familiar, and at the far end of the street he saw a young woman walking alone Even for the new, safer New Orleans, that seemed unusually bold, and boldness had always caught his eye She might have been about twenty, in a gauzy white dress that left her white arms bare to the warm night Her long black hair tumbled loose around her shoulders, and to Klaus it seemed she must have stolen out of her bed, unnoticed by the family who surely thought she was asleep He almost called to her She looked so familiar standing there that he believed for a moment they were old friends But Klaus’s friends had short life spans, and as of late, they left more quickly than they came The girl turned as if she had heard him approach, and the spray of lilacs that climbed the brick wall behind her framed her face like a soft purple halo “Is someone there?” she called, perhaps out of habit, since he knew that she could see him The moon was nearly full again and the night was bright “You shouldn’t be out alone after dark,” Klaus warned her, locking his eyes on to hers as he drew closer Her eyes were blacker than the evening sky, like pieces of onyx set into her lovely face Her mouth was a curious red slash, and twisted into a knowing smile She almost looked like someone he had once known “I’m hardly the only one out here,” she said, raising one black eyebrow Her voice was low and soft, and he could hear refinement and education in it She had been bred for an ambitious marriage, no doubt, and sheltered from even a hint of scandal for her entire life She couldn’t possibly have any idea how vulnerable she truly was just then “I wanted to watch the stones being laid for our new house, but Mama believes that seeing our old home will bring me too much pain I think that’s just silly.” “The workers will be using torchlight by now,” Klaus guessed There was something so familiar about her, but Klaus wasn’t feeling especially nostalgic at the moment He only felt hungry J ust looking at her made his fangs extend “I’d be happy to escort you there, if you tell me the way.” Her eyes widened in delight, and she took a few eager steps toward him “Would you?” she asked “You’re too kind, sir.” “So I’m often told,” Klaus agreed, holding out his arm politely The young woman lightly placed her hand on his forearm, falling in beside him as if they were old friends After they had walked down the street, Klaus turned them down a darker alleyway “I’m sorry, sir, but my home is the other way.” “Ah, señ orita, my apologies,” he murmured, then pulled her in by her waist and slipped his other hand over her mouth so that she couldn’t scream For just a moment, he showed her his true face before sinking his fangs into her throat He wanted her to know who it was who killed her, to be afraid before she died Her blood tasted of lilacs and honey, so young and sweet that Klaus’s mouth worked to extract every last drop He could feel her heart flutter and slow, and he knew that she could no longer scream, even if she wanted to The girl died where she stood, still resting one hand on his arm, but the trusting look in her eyes had been replaced by one of horror Klaus hid her corpse in a burnt-out shop—it had been a butcher’s counter once, he realized with some amusement Feeling even better than before, he stuck his hands into his pockets and continued on his way, enjoying the caress of the warm evening air on his face New Orleans had never seemed so full of possibilities ***** Keep reading f or an ex cerpt f rom THE OR I G IN THE R I SE by J ulie Plec A L S: If you loved The Originals: The R esurrection, don’t miss these other tales of the family that started it all… From the creator of The Originals, the hit spin-off television show of The Vampire Diaries, comes three never-before-released prequel stories featuring the Original vampire family The Originals: The R ise The Originals: The L oss Available wherever ebooks are sold Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more Other ways to keep in touch: Harlequin.com/ newsletters F acebook.com/ HarlequinBooks Twitter.com/ HarlequinBooks HarlequinBlog.com CHAPTER ON 22 “CRASHING A PARTY” had a beautifully destructive ring to it, but Klaus found the reality a disappointment It had been too easy to get invited, and Elijah’s constant reminders that violence was prohibited turned out to be entirely unnecessary All that awaited them inside the villa was an ordinary party Witches and werewolves drank and danced with their own kind, each casting occasional disdainful looks at members of the other clan The ballroom was stuffy, and the human servers moved numbly through the crowd, controlled by some sort of spell that made them just as dull as everything else Klaus couldn’t figure out why his brother had been so eager to attend this event, but Elijah’s reasoning was often unsound A doe-eyed young woman handed him a glass of champagne, and Klaus tasted it gamely It was probably of very high quality, but it made no real impression on him He was, after all, hardly the best judge of beverages served in polite company “Wait,” he called, and the young woman turned obediently, a tray of glasses still balanced on one hand Klaus stepped closer to her, taking in the honey glint of her hair and the gentle throb of the pulse in her throat “I need some air.” He improvised “Can you show me to the garden?” The human girl hesitated for a moment, her lips parted as if she knew she was supposed to refuse, yet couldn’t She put down her tray, and Klaus followed her to the edge of the glittering ballroom He caught her before the door had fully closed behind them, his eyes adjusting immediately to the darkness of the garden His right hand curled around her mouth, muffling any sound that might escape, while his left hand brushed her hair away from the skin of her throat He felt his teeth extend and sharpen as he stared at her smooth neck His fangs reached for her pulse, tore into her throat, and locked it in place while her hot blood flowed into his mouth Klaus’s mind had already begun to wander by the time her heartbeat grew faint His eyes roved the moonlit garden, looking for hiding places The minute the serving girl was dead he carried her to a honeysucklecovered wall and concealed her among the clinging vines Klaus didn’t bother to inspect his work too carefully Leaving the boring party for a boring kill had unexpectedly made him feel even more out of sorts He slipped back through the carved double doors, struck for a moment by the light and music inside His return went almost entirely unnoticed, but not quite The glow of a dozen chandeliers glinted off a pile of perfect blonde curls, and a pair of serious blue eyes was fixed on his face Rebekah must have been spying for Elijah and catering to his tiresome obsession with “fitting in.” Making sure the wayward half brother didn’t anything to endanger their brilliant plans Together, the three Original vampires could have taken ownership of this fledgling city in a heartbeat, making it a fortress against the enemy that hunted them Instead, they had spent nine long years cowering in dark corners, feeding only when necessary and ingratiating themselves with the locals Klaus had agreed to it all for the time being, but he couldn’t be expected to forego all entertainment while bending to Elijah’s schemes He turned away from his sister in disgust, only to see that he was being watched by someone else The girl staring his way was one of the witches, he thought, although he was almost sure he had noticed her dancing with a lanky werewolf earlier A lovely young witch who wasn’t afraid to stray from her own kind? That might be enjoyable and could even redeem this dreadful party With her raven hair, porcelain skin, and intensely black eyes she could almost have been a vampire, but Klaus knew that the spells that filled her pretty head were nothing compared to his power Klaus imagined splitting the white skin of her throat; he could hear her begging him to He could be the last man to soak up the light that seemed to radiate from her before putting it out forever He watched the young witch move through the room, pausing to speak here and dance there Now and then her shining black eyes found his before darting away Klaus moved closer, stalking her through the ball gowns and frock coats like a tiger slipping through tall grass The music changed, and the dancers obediently separated into groups of eight, one couple at each corner Klaus ended up one group over from his new prey—was it his imagination, or had she begun to move away as she saw him come closer?—but that was easily remedied The dancers stepped and turned to the music, and Klaus let them carry him and the girl toward each other He watched until she was just behind him, and then he spun “May I cut in?” he asked flatly, not waiting for an answer as he pulled her into his arms Her partner stammered something and then backed away Klaus didn’t bother to watch him go The girl’s red lips quirked up in a rueful smile “Poor Gerald,” she sighed, her black eyes glittering in the candlelight “I don’t think he saw you coming.” “I think you did, Mademoiselle,” Klaus countered, spinning her away from his body and then back in, closer this time “Vivianne,” she replied, holding up her gloved fingers expectantly He turned her hand over to kiss the underside of her wrist, letting his lips linger on her skin a bit longer than the usual She didn’t blush the way most girls her age would have; instead she raised a skeptical eyebrow “Niklaus Mikaelson,” he returned “It’s an honor.” “I’m sure,” Vivianne murmured She glanced away, distracted Then she looked back up at him and smiled, and it was as if the sun had come out: dazzling, powerful, and dangerous “Who dragged you to this tedious affair, anyway? Or did you just wander in and lose sight of the exit?” From across the room, Klaus noticed Elijah lurking at the outer edges of the ballroom His brother’s brown eyes were searching, boring into his Elijah jerked his head, trying to catch Klaus’s attention without anyone else noticing Klaus stared at him curiously, intrigued by the vehemence of his silent protest “My siblings assured me this party would be the social event of the season,” he answered “I wasn’t convinced, but it certainly has improved dramatically in the last few minutes.” Vivianne’s eyebrow ticked up again; he couldn’t quite tell if she was flattered or just amused “I wouldn’t have thought you were the sort of man who enjoyed pattern dancing.” “Neither would I.” The music signaled a change of partners, but Klaus glared at the young man who held his hand out to Vivianne “I don’t quite have the hang of it,” he admitted, “but you dance beautifully I wasn’t aware this city could turn out such polished young women; have you traveled?” Her onyx eyes glittered with mischief “I think you want me to know that you have,” she interpreted dryly “You must have seen extraordinary things.” “Oh, I have.” Sights that would have made her hair stand on end, but Klaus could save those topics for another, more intimate time “But you didn’t answer, Mademoiselle Vivianne.” In fact, he noticed, she hadn’t even given him her last name She leaned closer to his chest than the dance strictly required “How terribly upsetting for you.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice like honey mingled with blood “I’m sure you’re accustomed to getting your own way.” A short, surprised laugh burst from his throat “Oh, mysterious Vivianne, I think I would rather have you deny me than get my way with anyone else tonight.” “You shouldn’t insult the guest list,” she chided playfully “For all you know, I invited all of these people They may be five hundred of my closest friends.” “Half of them may be, at any rate.” The division between the two clans was still evident; there were no werewolves on their side of the ballroom “Peace is a wonderful thing,” Vivianne replied, so blandly that he suspected she was thinking something quite different The long war between the witches and werewolves of New Orleans had finally drawn to a close, and Klaus had seemed alone in not choosing to celebrate Was it possible that this witch had doubts of her own about the truce? Elijah was adamant that it must go forward with no interference from the vampires, but if some of the witches themselves were dissatisfied this charming young woman could be much more than just a meal Klaus realized that he was smiling genuinely for the first time that night Maybe he ought to let the pretty witch live; New Orleans seemed less dreary for having her in it “I will have to stay close to you and borrow some of your popularity,” he teased “I don’t think I have many friends here tonight.” “How lucky that I’m here to protect you from all these horrible people.” She rolled her eyes dismissively, looking for a brief moment like the girl she was He smirked “Protecting the innocent is what I do, Mademoiselle I’m surprised my reputation hasn’t preceded me.” The song ended, and the dancers stopped with it Vivianne stretched onto her tiptoes, bringing her face so close to his that Klaus could have bitten her lip “Oh, but it has,” she whispered, her wicked smile blocking out everything else in the decadent ballroom She reached up to touch him, caressing the corner of his mouth with one long finger He turned to kiss it, to devour it, but she pulled back out of his arms, and he saw that her fingertip had come away red A forgotten bit of the serving girl’s blood; it must have been there all along Vivianne was halfway across the ballroom by the time he thought to follow her, and before he could move, horns gave a celebratory flourish Frustrated, Klaus waited, impatient but confident there would be a better, more private opportunity to catch her soon “Ladies, gentlemen, distinguished guests,” a voice cried, silencing the chatter around them “It is my great pleasure to welcome you to this happiest of occasions I have the honor to present to you, for the first time as a betrothed couple, Armand Navarro and Vivianne Lescheres.” Vivianne reached the side of the werewolf Klaus had seen her with earlier, sliding her arm through his as if they had never been apart Her smile was absolutely brilliant as she raised one white arm and waved to the crowd The ballroom exploded in a frenzy of applause and cheering, but Klaus was utterly still Suddenly, the party made perfect sense They weren’t just celebrating the end of the war; they were sealing it with blood The Navarros were the premier werewolf family in New Orleans, so a Navarro was marrying a witch—and for them to agree, Vivianne must be an extraordinary witch Klaus narrowed his eyes Extraordinary, indeed She must be the one he had heard about: the daughter of both a witch and werewolf He’d always dismissed the rumors as foolish, and yet the daughter of both clans stood before him with a beating pulse When Elijah had mentioned this party, he had certainly failed to include some key details—and the only reason Klaus could think of was that his brother didn’t trust him to stay out of the deal that was being struck under their noses But someone should intervene Klaus felt safest when his rivals hated one another at least as much as they hated him Besides, Vivianne was far too good to waste on a werewolf “She’s not for you, Niklaus,” Rebekah snapped, appearing beside his elbow “This alliance has been a generation in the making Interfering with it is absolutely out of the question, so just forget she exists.” Klaus watched Vivianne dance with her fiancé Her lithe body moved gracefully across the floor, her skirt following a moment later like a white echo He didn’t answer Rebekah; there was no need They both knew her warning had come too late Copyright © 2015 by Alloy Entertainment A bout the A uthor J ulie Plec skillfully juggles work in film and television as both a producer and a writer She is the co-creator and executive producer of The Vampire Diaries and the creator of The Vampire Diaries spin-off, The Originals, which tells the story of history’s first vampire family Plec got her start as a television writer on the ABC Family series Kyle XY, which she also produced for its three-year run She also collaborated with Greg Berlanti and Phil Klemmer on the CW drama The Tomorrow People, the story of a small group of people gifted with extraordinary paranormal abilities J ulie wrote a screenplay adaptation of The Tiger’s Curse, which has Ineffable Pictures and Lotus Entertainment attached to produce, with Shekhar Kapur directing She will also produce the feature @emma with Darko Entertainment Past feature production credits include Scream and Scream 3, Greg Berlanti’s Broken Hearts Club, Wes Craven’s Cursed, and The Breed ISBN-13 : 6 The Originals: The Resurrection An HQN Books novel/ May 2015 Copyright © 2015 by Alloy Entertainment All rights reserved By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 D uncan Mill Road, D on Mills, Ontario, Canada M3 B K9 This is a work of fiction Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the U nited States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries www.Harlequin.com ... breathe in the smoke, and stayed low to the ground Soon he was cut off from everyone, the others enveloped in the blaze Their screams pierced through the deafening roar of the fire Once the warehouse... alone as he waded through the Mississippi River Dozens of other citizens fled the city with only the clothes on their back, desperate to get to the other side of the bayou The smell of smoke burned... taken their turn, pledging their allegiance to Klaus’s army by drinking his blood Klaus let them think the gesture was symbolic—what was the point in letting them all know they’d be vampires by the