The penthouse suite at the Fairmont Hotel overlooked the Chicago skyline, its floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of twinkling lights against the night sky.
Inside, the room was bathed in the warm glow of candles – dozens of them, their flames unnaturally still despite the occasional breeze.
Katherine Pierce reclined on silk sheets, dark hair spilling across white pillows. Her eyes were closed, lips parted slightly as gentle fingers traced patterns across her bare skin.
"You're thinking too loud," she murmured, not opening her eyes.
The figure beside her smiled – a young girl, appearing sixteen, with Lucien Winchester's features softened into feminine curves. Her skin held a subtle blue undertone visible only in certain light, her eyes flickering occasionally with azure flame.
"Can't help it," Nura replied, leaning down to press her lips against Katherine's throat. "We're so close to having him."
Katherine's eyes opened, dark and calculating as she studied her companion. "You're enjoying that form a little too much."
Nura grinned, running her hands through hair that matched Lucien's shade perfectly. "You're not complaining." She shifted, straddling Katherine with ease. "Besides, it helps us visualize the goal."
Katherine reached up, tracing the line of Nura's jaw – Lucien's jaw, reimagined as a teenage girl's. A pity to her really that Nura can't transform into males. "And what a goal it is."
"I can still feel it," Nura whispered, her voice dropping, becoming husky "When you touched him, when you kissed his cheek in that roller coaster. It was... fuck, Kat, it was like nothing I've ever felt."
"Better than this?" Katherine asked, arching an eyebrow as she ran her nails lightly down Nura's back.
"Different." Nura closed her eyes, shivering slightly. "His energy... it's not just power. It's like touching a star that doesn't burn you."
Katherine's expression shifted, calculation replacing pleasure. "And you're certain the apples will work?"
Nura nodded, reluctantly moving off Katherine to lie beside her. Her Qareen's form flickered briefly, revealing her true nature – blue fire shaped into Katherine's mirror image – before settling back into the female Lucien appearance she'd adopted.
Qareens are doppelgangers, Jinn versions of the human, made by God that they come into existence, the moment the human is born.
"Idunn's apples restore life force," Nura confirmed. "Your Winchester daddy lost decades to that spear. The apples will give them back."
"And then they'll have no choice but to let me close to Lucien," Katherine concluded, satisfaction evident in her tone.
Nura's expression turned thoughtful. "You know, when we have him, this-" she gestured between them, "-probably ends. I know we don't go full way, since we well, are into men. I'm a succubus after all, its who I am." she stated like it was obvious.
"He wouldn't like our closeness. Me touching you like this, kissing you, loving how your flesh feels against my fire... He wouldn't allow it.
"Jealous?" Katherine asked, lips curving into a smirk.
"Possessive," Nura corrected. "We've both felt what he is. He'll want exclusive rights."
Katherine sat up, sheet pooling at her waist. "I've waited five centuries for Klaus to die. I can sacrifice this small pleasure for something greater."
Nura laughed, the sound like tinkling glass. "We can enjoy it while we still have the time." She leaned closer, lips brushing Katherine's ear. "Besides, when he finally fucks us both, you won't even remember these little games."
Katherine's eyebrow rose. "So certain he'll want us both?"
"I've felt what he is," Nura repeated, her Lucien-like features settling into a knowing smile. "Trust me, my Queen, he'll consume us both... and we'll beg for it." Her hand traced patterns on Katherine's thigh. "The things I want him to do to us... God, just thinking about it makes me wet."
"Focus," Katherine chided, though her pupils had dilated slightly. "We have a heist to plan."
Nura pouted but nodded. "Fine. Business first, pleasure later."
Katherine rose from the bed, moving with fluid grace to the ornate trunk at the foot of the bed. Her fingers traced the intricate lock mechanism before pressing in a complex pattern. The lock clicked open.
"I've waited three centuries to use this," she said, removing a cloth-wrapped bundle.
"Worth the wait to get close to our god," Nura replied, watching with interest as Katherine unwrapped the object.
The Helm of Hades gleamed dully in the candlelight – an ancient Greek helmet crafted from some dark metal that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Subtle engravings covered its surface, symbols older than human civilization.
"I remember when you got this," Nura said, her voice softer now. "That Ifrit was so certain he'd tricked you."
Katherine's lips curved into a smile as she held the helmet. "Men always underestimate me, even when they're made of fire."
"You were brilliant," Nura agreed, her form shifting momentarily back to blue fire in her excitement before resuming a female Lucien form again - Jinn can shapeshift, but depending on their emotional state they can or can't control it, and shift into what they feel like.
"Finding that lamp in those ruins, figuring out what was inside..."
"The Ifrit thought he was so clever," Katherine recalled, setting the helmet aside to retrieve a small oil lamp from the trunk – ancient bronze, tarnished with age, sealed with wax bearing Solomon's sigil. "One wish in exchange for freedom. He never expected me to wish for the Helm."
"Or to keep him trapped after he delivered," Nura added with a laugh.
Katherine shrugged elegantly. "Why waste a perfectly good Ifrit? He might be useful again someday."
"He still hates you," Nura noted, trailing her fingers along the lamp's surface. "I can feel his rage even through the binding."
"He'll get over it. Eventually." Katherine set the lamp aside. "You're certain about Asgard's defenses?"
Nura nodded, her expression turning serious. "Thor's death hit them hard. Iblis-" she spat the name like it tasted foul, "-killed him in Chicago two months ago. Odin's fallen into the Odinsleep before that already. Their defenses are at their weakest in millennia."
Katherine watched her Qareen carefully. "You still hate him."
"He lied to all of us," Nura replied, blue fire briefly flickering in her eyes. "Told us we had no inner light, that we needed to feed on human negativity to survive. That sunlight and starlight would destroy us."
Her voice hardened. "Centuries I spent hiding inside you, whispering corruption, thinking I'd die if you were ever truly happy. Only reason having helped you before then, warning whispers about Klaus's intentions for you because I thought I'd die if you died in a pure form and went to Heaven."
Katherine reached out, running her fingers through Nura's hair. "But you survived."
"Because of you," Nura acknowledged, leaning into the touch. "You're probably the first human in history to free their Qareen."
Katherine's expression softened momentarily – a rare glimpse of something genuine beneath. "I remember the first time I truly felt like it wasn't my own thoughts, but guidance. I was sixteen, preparing to meet that merchant's son my father wanted me to charm."
"I whispered such wicked suggestions," Nura recalled with a smile. "And you listened to them, but didn't do it, such a pure girl you were then." her tone turning mocking.
Katherine herself chuckled as she remembered how she was before everything, trying to remain devout while her father and mother wanted to use her - how simple those times were compared to now...
"I always knew something was influencing me, I believed even then in demons after all," Katherine continued. "But it wasn't until after I turned that I found those grimoires in that warlock's collection."
"External magic," Nura nodded. "Spells even vampires could use."
Katherine's eyes grew distant with memory. "That first ritual where I could finally see you..."
"I was terrified," Nura admitted. "No human had ever perceived their Qareen before. We were taught it was impossible - probably another lie."
"And then I took you into the sunlight," Katherine said softly.
"I was certain I would die," Nura whispered. "All those centuries believing Iblis's lies about Jinn having no inner light, needing to feed on corruption to survive..." She shook her head. "When the sun touched me and I didn't burn..."
"You've been mine ever since," Katherine concluded with satisfaction.
"Your loyal subject," Nura agreed with a mock bow, "my Queen."
Katherine's expression shifted back to business. "The ritual to reach Asgard – you're certain it will work?"
"With the components we've gathered, yes." Nura rose from the bed, her form flickering between human appearance and blue fire as she moved to the table where various objects were arranged. "The branch from Yggdrasil's earthly echo, the runestone carved by Norse hands, the blood of a warrior dedicated to their gods."
"Poor Viking reenactor," Katherine commented with mock sympathy. "He really believed he was honoring Thor."
"He died for a worthy cause," Nura shrugged. "His sacrifice will help us reach Asgard."
Katherine lifted the Helm again, studying its surface. "And this will keep me hidden?"
"Yep, from all form of senses, but the Norse still have their tricks and I doubt you can use the Helm's full power since you aren't Hades, so you'll still need to be careful." Nura began arranging the ritual components in a precise pattern. "Heimdall's senses are diminished with Thor's death and Odin's sleep, but he's still dangerous."
Katherine nodded, retrieving a small vial of blood from the trunk. "Let's begin."
The ritual circle glowed with blue-white light, runes pulsing in rhythm like a heartbeat. Katherine stood at its center, the Helm of Hades held in one hand, the vial of blood in the other. Nura moved around her, placing the final components at cardinal points.
"The path will open briefly," Nura explained, her form now fully blue fire, looking like a Jinn Katherine, with a pair of blue-white fire wings, and a tail, as she prepared to guide Katherine. "I'll go first to ensure it's safe, then you'll follow physically."
Katherine nodded, watching as Nura completed the circle. The Qareen began chanting in an ancient language – not Arabic or Enochian, but something different, the language of smokeless fire that predated human speech.
The runes flared brighter, and the air in the center of the circle seemed to thin, revealing glimpses of another realm beyond – massive branches stretching into infinity, stars unlike any in Earth's sky.
Nura's form dissolved into pure blue essence, flowing into the opening between worlds. Katherine waited precisely three heartbeats, then uncorked the vial and poured the warrior's blood over the Helm.
The ancient metal absorbed the offering instantly, a subtle darkness emanating from it that felt satisfying and beautiful. Katherine placed it on her head.
The world around her shifted, perspectives altering as the Helm's power enveloped her. She could still see herself, but knew she had vanished from all other perception. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the opening.
Traveling through Yggdrasil's branches felt like being stretched in all directions simultaneously.
Katherine's vampire body screamed in protest as cosmic forces pulled at her essence.
Around her, massive branches stretched into infinity, connecting realms beyond common reach.
Stars unlike any in Earth's sky burned in various colors. Creatures never described by human tongue in millennia moved between worlds.
'Keep moving,' Nura's voice echoed in her mind. 'Follow my light.'
A blue flame flickered ahead, guiding Katherine along a specific branch. The journey seemed to last centuries before reality solidified around her once more.
Katherine stumbled slightly as her feet touched solid ground. She found herself on the outskirts of what had once been a golden city.
Asgard – realm of Norse gods, home to warriors and so called deities.
But the Asgard before her was diminished. The golden gleam of its towers had dulled. Black banners hung from every building, symbols of mourning for the fallen Thunder God. The rainbow bridge that connected to other realms flickered.
'They mourn him deeply,' Nura's voice whispered in Katherine's mind. 'Thor was beloved.'
Katherine nodded slightly, taking in her surroundings.
The Helm's power continued enveloping her, rendering her invisible to all perception. She could see Nura's form – blue fire shaped into a woman – floating beside her, also wrapped in the Helm's power.
'The garden is there,' Nura indicated, pointing toward a walled enclosure near the central palace. 'Idunn's apples grow behind those golden gates.'
Katherine began moving, her vampire speed tempered by caution. She stuck to shadows despite her invisibility, old habits of survival.
Asgardian guards patrolled the streets, their expressions grim. They wore armor that would have gleamed in better days but now seemed dull with neglect.
Katherine slipped past them easily, using centuries experience to move silently, and make use of their mourning.
'Careful,' Nura warned as they approached the palace grounds. 'Heimdall may be diminished, but his senses remain sharp.'
Katherine slowed her pace, every movement calculated. She avoided loose stones, kept to the softest ground, and paused whenever guards passed nearby.
The palace grounds were more heavily guarded than the city streets – warriors in ceremonial armor standing at rigid attention despite their obvious grief.
The garden wall loomed before them – twelve feet of golden stone carved with runes of protection. A single gate stood at its center, guarded by two warriors whose armor marked them as elite protectors.
'There's another way,' Nura guided, leading Katherine around the perimeter. 'A weakness in the wards where two protection spells overlap imperfectly.'
Katherine followed, moving with liquid grace along the garden wall until Nura stopped. The Qareen pointed to a section of wall that appeared identical to the rest.
'Here. The spells create a blind spot. You can climb over undetected.'
Katherine assessed the wall, plotting her approach. With vampire strength and speed, scaling it would be simple.
The challenge was doing so without affecting the wall in a way that would appear like someone is climbing it. She removed her boots, securing them to her belt before beginning her ascent.
Her fingers found minute cracks between the golden stones, her toes wedging into nearly invisible seams. She climbed with the precision of a spider, testing each hold before committing her weight. At the top, she paused, surveying the garden within.
Idunn's sanctuary was a paradise of perpetual spring.
Trees of every variety grew in perfect harmony, their branches heavy with fruit regardless of season. At the center stood a tree unlike the others – its trunk silver-white, its leaves golden, its branches bearing apples that gleamed like captured sunlight.
'That's it,' Nura confirmed. 'Idunn's tree. The apples restore youth and vitality – perfect for healing life-force drain.'
Katherine dropped silently into the garden, landing in a crouch before straightening. The air here smelled sweeter, filled with the scent of blossoms and ripe fruit. She approached the central tree cautiously, senses alert for any sign of detection.
The golden apples hung just beyond reach, their light pulsing gently like heartbeats. Katherine studied them, noting subtle differences between them – some brighter, some larger, some with patterns swirling beneath their golden skin.
'Choose carefully,' Nura advised. 'The brightest ones hold the most power, but taking too many will be noticed immediately.'
Katherine reached up, her fingers hovering near a decently bright apple, but not too bright - she still wants John to be able to die - just when she chooses, alongside the important 'how'.
She selected it carefully, applying gentle pressure to the stem until it separated from the branch with a soft snap that seemed deafening in the quiet garden.
She froze, listening for any reaction. When none came, she reached for a second apple - better take some for a rainy day, maybe for other deals - then a third, each chosen for its brightness and vitality, since she already got the one she wants John to take.
As she plucked the third apple, a sound like distant thunder rolled across the sky. Katherine tensed, looking up through the branches.
'Heimdall,' Nura warned. 'He senses something amiss. We must leave now.'
Katherine secured the apples in the pouch at her waist and turned toward the wall. Before she could move, heavy footsteps approached the garden gate.
She pressed herself against the silver-white trunk, relying on the Helm's power to keep her hidden.
The gate swung open, revealing a towering figure in golden armor. Heimdall's eyes – said to see across all realms – scanned the garden slowly.
Though diminished by Thor's death and Odin's sleep, his senses remained sharper than any being Katherine had encountered.
His gaze passed over her position once, then returned, lingering uncomfortably close to where she stood. Katherine remained perfectly still, centuries of patience serving her well.
'He can't perceive you, not with the Helm and how weakened he already is,' Nura reassured her. 'But he senses the disturbance in Idunn's magic. We need a distraction.'
Nura's spirit form drifted toward the opposite side of the garden, where she concentrated her energy to knock a different apple from its branch. The sound was slight, but in the silent garden, it rang like a bell.
Heimdall's head snapped toward the noise. He strode in that direction, golden armor gleaming even in Asgard's light.
Katherine used the opportunity to slip away from the central tree, moving with fast toward the wall.
She scaled it in seconds, dropping silently to the other side as alarms began to sound throughout the palace grounds.
'Apparently little Heimdie is the careful type.' Katherine thought to herself as she bit her lip.
Guards shouted orders, their footsteps pounding on stone as they rushed toward Idunn's garden.
'Run,' Nura urged. 'The pathway to all realms are closing.'
Katherine sprinted through the palace grounds, no longer concerned with stealth.
Speed and reaching one of the paths she knew that lead to Earth were her priority now. Guards shouted as they sensed her passage – a blur of disturbed air.
"Intruder!" The cry went up. "Protect the relics!"
A spear whistled through the air where Katherine had been a moment before. She dodged without slowing. The Helm's invisibility held, but Asgardian senses were adjusting, tracking her changes to the surroundings rather than her appearance.
'Left here,' Nura guided. 'The pathway is beginning to form.'
Katherine veered left, leaping over a low wall and landing in what appeared to be a ceremonial courtyard. At its center, reality itself seemed thin – the air shimmering like heat waves over desert sand.
Behind her, the sounds of pursuit grew louder. A horn blared – three long notes that echoed across the realm. The palace defenses were fully activated now.
'Hurry!' Nura's form was already dissolving into the shimmering air. 'The passage won't hold much longer!'
Katherine gathered herself and leaped into the distortion. The sensation of being pulled apart returned, more violent this time as Asgard itself seemed to resist her departure.
She felt the apples in her pouch grow hot, their magic reacting to the journey between realms.
Yggdrasil's branches flashed past, cosmic forces buffeting her from all sides. Something grabbed at her ankle – an Asgardian spell attempting to recall stolen property – but Katherine kicked free, pushing herself toward the blue flame that was Nura, guiding her home.
The transition back to Earth was abrupt. One moment she was stretched across cosmic dimensions; the next, she crashed onto the hotel room floor, the ritual circle flaring once before going dark.
Katherine lay still for a moment, catching unnecessary breath as her body readjusted to Earth's reality. The Helm rolled from her head, its power temporarily exhausted by the journey.
Nura's form coalesced beside her, shifting back to the female Lucien appearance she preferred. "We did it," she breathed, excitement making her form flicker between human and fire.
Katherine sat up, reaching for the pouch at her waist. The three golden apples gleamed inside, their light undimmed by the journey. "Perfect," she murmured, lifting one to examine it more closely.
Patterns swirled beneath its golden skin – constellations, seasons, the cycle of life itself captured in fruit form. Its scent was subtle but enticing – promising renewal, restoration, life.
"Will Asgard retaliate?" Katherine asked, securing the apples in a spelled box designed to mask their energy.
Nura shook her head. "They're too weakened by Thor's death and Odin's sleep, having to keep their forces incase another pantheon attacks. By the time they recover enough to seek vengeance, we'll have our god's protection."
Katherine's lips curved into a satisfied smile. "Then it's time to prepare the ritual." She rose gracefully, moving to the table where components for a second spell were already arranged. "How long until the apple we want to use is ready?"
"They need to be prepared properly," Nura explained, following Katherine to the table. "Sliced with a silver knife, soaked in mead mixed with specific herbs. The ritual will take about six hours."
"Perfect timing," Katherine noted, checking her watch. "We'll arrive at the Salvatore Boarding House tomorrow morning – concerned citizens bringing a miraculous cure."
Nura laughed, wrapping her arms around Katherine from behind. "And then we'll be one step closer to having him."
Katherine turned in her embrace, studying the face that mirrored Lucien's so perfectly. "You're certain they'll accept our help?"
"They won't have a choice," Nura replied confidently. "John Winchester is dying. The Dark Spear drained decades from him. Without the apples, he'll be dead within a month."
"And Lucien will do anything to save his father," Katherine concluded with satisfaction.
"Exactly." Nura's expression turned hungry. "I can't wait to feel him again. To have his energy flow through you and me." Her hands wandered suggestively. "Do you think he'll be rough with us? God, I hope so. I want him to hold us down, to take what he wants..."
Katherine silenced her with a kiss. "Focus. Ritual first, fantasies later."
Nura pouted but nodded. "Fine. But after..."
"After, we can celebrate properly," Katherine agreed, turning her attention to the ritual preparations.
As she arranged the components, Katherine allowed herself a moment of anticipation.
Five centuries of running, of looking over her shoulder for Klaus.
Five centuries of careful planning and patient waiting.
And now, finally, she had found something – someone – powerful enough to protect her.
A god walking in human form.
All she needed was to get close to him. The apples were her key.
"Soon," she whispered, slicing the first golden apple with a silver knife. Its juice ran like liquid sunlight across the blade. "Very soon."
Beside her, Nura hummed in agreement.
Katherine caught her reflection in the window – a 500-year-old predator preparing to approach her prey. But this time, the prey was something far more dangerous than she had ever encountered.
The thought sent a thrill through her that was part fear, part excitement.
"Let the Winchesters and that Belmont try to refuse our help," she murmured, continuing the ritual preparations. "They'll find I can be very... persuasive."
Nura laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "That's why you're the Queen."
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the chapter.
Do tell me how you found it.
I found writing Katherine being close and having a partnership/friendship with her Qareen interesting. Since Nura was with her since her birth, and knows her better than anyone, and is the one who helped her against Klaus as much as she could.
Katherine is the "Queen" in their dynamic, final decision is hers, but Nura can be quite annoying and persuasive.
Also, Bonnie's Qareen looks like a monster, because hers hates her situation, so it reflects that. I showed this with how Nura's emotions affected her, and the explanation of it affecting them, but for those who didn't recognize what that meant for Bonnie's here is the direct explanation.
Question is though, what about... Lucien's Qareen? What's he like?