maevelin here it finally is! Weeks ago I held a contest to see if folks could guess where my new ring came from. Maevlin won. She requested classical, anything based on Hades and Persephone, vampires or gods or elemental. She gave me a lot of wiggle room, and my muse ran with it. It's not exactly Hades and Persephone, but I hope you like it!
This is completely, absolutely Not Safe For Work. There are mentions of violence. And there is porn. Lots and lots of porn. Please take the smut advisory seriously, folks.
Always waging wars
Me and you,
Sad but true
We're not us anymore
But there's still one thing we're good for - Apocalyptic, Halestorm
Pandora's box was a door.
A simple door, carved from stone, worn smooth from eons of disuse. What warnings may have been carved to dissuade mortals from unlocking its secrets, were wiped clean. The stories of gods and men, of the realms beyond earth, were lost. The world changed, humanity grew arrogant.
Then, in 1960, deep in the Soviet Union, the Aral Sea began to disappear.
A once small island, Vozrozhdeniya, changed. Without the Aral Sea to define its borders, it rejoined the mainland. No longer isolated, its secrets were not so easily kept. Disease ran rampant in its abandoned testing facility: anthrax, smallpox, brucellosis and tularemia.
And beneath the remains of an abandoned city, left to ruin and waste, a simple stone door opened. A woman walked forth with golden hair and bare feet. She smiled at the rats, breathed deep of the pestilence that tainted the air, and put a horn to her lips.
As the last note fell, there was a clatter of hooves on stone. Turning, hair golden in the sunshine, Conquest smiled.
Caroline was eighteen when the world went dark.
Ragnarok, Armageddon, Apocalypse. The actual word mattered little. For fifty years, the nightmares who called themselves Horseman had wreaked havoc, carved the world into their personal territories. War. Famine. Conquest. Death. The onslaught had ravaged humanity, and in their wake monsters woke.
Vampires. Zombies. They were just the start. All the old nightmares were waking up, called by the sound of a horn. Caroline had woken screaming to those notes digging into her bones, swimming through her blood until a monster rose to silence them. She'd risen, clumsy and fundamentally changed, utterly terrified, and found parental horror that had ended in bloodshed.
She'd buried her parents in the dead of winter. Standing over the cold graves, tears like ice on her cheeks, she'd made the choice to live. She might not be strictly human anymore, but she was still Caroline.
She learned she was no vampire, to drink down blood and to devour flesh. But it hadn't been until she'd woken in a dingy hotel room, a man covered in a myriad of tattoos claiming to be a demonologist that she'd learned what she'd become when the world broke.
He called her a harpy.
Caroline hated the word, the inelegance of it. Harpy spoke of insults, of avian monsters that were nightmares made flesh. There had been nothing gentle in her transformation, nothing kind in her monster's appetites, but when she'd stood naked in her childhood bedroom, stained in her father's blood, it wasn't horror that looked back.
It was survival, a vicious sort of loveliness that sat on her face. Eighteen years of humanity had been stripped away, leaving behind something raw and beautiful. The baby fat, her childhood innocence had all disappeared in a single night.
The demonologist was fascinated by her. She'd eventfully eaten him. Caroline didn't take well to being tortured, and holy salt burned. Humanity had gotten that right, but the words he'd shouted, his whimpered prayers had little impact on her.
But that had been decades ago and Caroline had finally made peace with the violence of her making. But she didn't understand why. And now, she'd somehow found herself in Esztergom, Hungary, staring at the palace rebuilt on Castle Hill by War.
There was a ball, tonight.
The lights of the palace were bright against the dark waters of the Danube. Her gown was vibrant, as was the mask that covered the upper half of her face. It'd bemused her, this touch of whimsy from the creature who'd strode across the continents of earth and taken them as his rightful inheritance.
She'd skulked across Peru and seen the chaos Famine had wrought, the glory he'd achieved in Cusco, lording over all others. She'd lingered in Russia and admired the cleanliness of a country wiped clean, the people who walked in the ashes of their dead as Conquest stood in grey sunlight. She knew the chill of New York City turned to a crisp spring as Death strode among them.
She'd never allowed herself to be close to them. Caroline had walked through their cities and felt their power. But none of them called to her. Not like this. She'd known it as soon as she stepped foot in the city. It had only taken heartbeats after she'd tucked away her wings, lungs filled with the smells of the city, for a horn to cut through the air.
It'd rattled her bones, tugged at the ends of her hair and left her breathless. It'd been a risk, coming here, but as the years had begun to pile up, her dreams had left her restless and aching for things she didn't know. She was hungry, appetites never fully sated. Countless times she'd woken tangled in her sheets, skin flushed and her bones reaching for a need she couldn't shake.
Now, it wasn't fear that bubbled in her veins but anticipation. Her monster stretched along her bones and sharpened her eyes. Behind the peacock colors of her mask, her gaze was devouring as she walked into the ballroom without an invitation.
No one stopped her.
Caroline's lips curled into a hunting smile as she took in the lavishness of the room, the resplendent gowns even more outrageous than her own. In the years since the world changed, a new hierarchy had settled into place, and it was gloriously reflected in this monster's ball. Vampires wearing their veins, wolves with moon-glow eyes, and a wild assortment of myths and nightmares.
It was such a feral dichotomy, seeing these nightmares and the beautifully precise steps of the waltz. Amusement was a bright thing in her chest, and she maneuvered through the crowd slowly, not allowing her greed to send her directly to the Buffet. Every creature had its vice, and while vampires needed blood, made collecting it into an art to be mingled in wine, where werewolves devoured the world in gulping bites, Caroline loved food.
Rich or spicy, decadent indulgences or scooped from a paper cup, it hardly mattered. She'd been amused when she'd read the tales of her kind stealing food or tormenting others by eating it before them while they'd starved. For a moment, she studied the layout, and slid the tip of her tongue along her lower lip as she thought.
This was an extraordinary display of wealth in a time when there were food riots and humans were being cultivated as a resources. Once, the reality of that would've horrified her, but now, Caroline studied the dessert table with greedy eyes.
Not even if she'd put the food together herself could she have managed to arrange such a tempting arrangement. It was almost as if it's been arranged for her, and as unlikely as that was...
She was impressed.
But while her need for nourishment wasn't strictly food, she was learning to feed her monster. No matter the indulgences, there always remained a hunger deep in her bones, a craving she couldn't quite grasp. She'd only felt the edge of it ease once, as she stood in a downpour on desert sands. She'd woken feeling as if she was standing on the edge of a precipice, but unable to take the jump.
The longer she stood in the ballroom, the more her skin prickled, anticipation and adrenaline leaving her breathless. It was as if she stood on that invisible cliff in the desert, but this time she could almost see the jump. Her monster raked at her, starving for the unknown.
"What's a gorgeous thing like you doing in the shadows?"
Caroline turned and found herself looking at a vampire who wore his age easily. His eyes were dark, but the usual black veins and the tell all redness to his eyes weren't on display. Curious, she allowed him to study her, and was amused by the line that formed between his brows. She doubted he knew what she was, even as his eyes cleared with what might've been recognition. Vampires didn't know her monster's truth. Rare, her books had told her, her kind were rare.
"Perhaps I like the shadows," she drawled in response.
"Now that'd be a shame," he said easily, crisp accent somehow not detracting from the laid backed air he maintained. "Particularly in that dress. I'm Enzo."
His gaze dipped along the wild colors of her gown, the modestly fitted front and frothy skirts a gorgeous display of color that only highlighted the bareness of her back. The tattoo down her spine was her only adornment other than her mask, and the colors of the flowers were reflected in her skirts. She'd chose to tuck her wings away, but should she have need to make a hasty escape, the dress would not hinder her.
It was partly why she'd chosen it.
Amused despite herself, Caroline allowed her lips to curve at his flattery. "Are you always this shameless?"
Grinning, Enzo shrugged. "On occasion it has gotten me into a spot of trouble, and my lady is a bit unforgiving, but she's a curious creature and cannot be without me for long."
She absorbed his words with the faintest twinge of disappointment. It's been ages since she'd shared her bed with anything interesting, and she thought that boring wasn't a word she'd associate with this vampire. Still, she had no reason to poach and the night was full of opportunities.
"Do you dance?"
Caroline arched both brows. "Very well, thank you."
A laugh, and a grin. "I suppose I deserved that. Would you…"
His words died off as the music cut off. Awareness and that bone deep anticipation hummed through her, and Caroline lifted her eyes to find a striking couple moving down the elaborate staircase. The woman's blond hair was pulled into a complicated braid, gown blood red. But it was the man next to her that caught and held every part of Caroline's attention.
The starkly handsome lines of his face were without a mask. Wild curls, and wicked smile, but it was his eyes that made her breath catch. Old, the blue was a shade she'd only seen in antique paintings. The edge behind that gaze tugged at her gut, called to the marrow in her bones. His gaze scanned the crowd and he murmured words she didn't hear over the blood rushing in her ears.
Conquest and War.
Her mouth ran expectedly dry. The demonologist had traced the origins of vampires back millennia, had thought them harbingers of the breaking of the seven seals. He'd called them omens of the human race's terrible future. But in those frantic notes, those feverish writings that had taken her years to decipher, there had been mention of something older. There'd been fear in the rough strokes of the pen, ink bleeding frantically on paper of primordial evil that should never have been given a name.
The fallen ones. The violent ones. Horseman.
Nephilim.
The word had sung to her, as she skimmed her fingertips across the ink, until the lettering had stained her fingertips. She'd found few references of the word outside the old texts, had furiously missed the convenience of the Internet.
She did not believe the man before her was the offspring of the sons of God, nor was he a giant, but War? He was ancient. Powerful in ways she'd had no way to measure power.
The music started, a lively tune, and she could suddenly breathe again.
"A bit much, aren't they? That'll be my cue," Enzo murmured. "Save me a dance, gorgeous."
Then he was gone. Caroline hardly noticed, gaze tracking the tumble of curls that left her fingers itching, her curiosity a vibrant thread in her chest. She moved further into the crowd, letting bodies blunt some of the impact. She'd been near Horseman before, had watched Famine and Death from mere feet away.
None of them rattled her as War did.
Moments passed, the crowd near the Horseman beginning to thin as couples moved to dance, and Caroline watched bemused as Enzo appeared next to them. He offered his arm with a charming smile to Conquest. There was an intimacy between him and her that surprised Caroline, a slight softening of those vicious eyes. If Enzo the Vampire was bedding a Horseman, then Caroline's assessment had been surprisingly understated.
War said something that had Enzo laughing, and the dynamics of it startled her. It wasn't precisely friendly, the air War presented, but it fascinated her. The tightness of War's jaw as Conquest smiled at Enzo. It wasn't jealousy as she knew it but it was dangerous all the same. Enzo seemed oblivious, murmuring his next sentence in a way that didn't allow Caroline to read his lips.
Blue eyes intent, War straightened and scanned the crowd carefully. He bit off a phrase in words she didn't know, but before he could move, a lovely brunette witch moved to stand next to him as the music changed again. This time, the familiar tune of the waltz drifted through the crowd, and with tight shoulders and flashing eyes, War led her to the dance floor.
Caroline found herself mingling through the crowds, careful to avoid drawing attention, but she was hardly the only one who was drawn to the power of the Horseman. Watching War touch the other woman, it stroked something violently possessive inside her chest. She was unnerved by it, the desire to bare her teeth and growl.
As the song began to wind down, she could feel the air shift. Taking a deep breath, she filtered through the scents of those who were attending as well as the spells that lingered on walks and people. Glancing back to the dance floor, Caroline was disappointed to find that War had disappeared into the crowd. Another glance showed that Enzo and Conquest were mingling.
She'd wanted to see what had drawn her so endlessly, to staunch to burning in her bones. But seeing War had only set off more emotions, things she couldn't explain, and she needed to think. Inside this monster's ball, the only thing she'd manage would be more frustration.
The cool air felt good on her skin as she stepped outside, and she slipped off her heels. The drop below was several feet, but she landed silently. Adjusting her skirts, Caroline wiggled her toes in the grass for moment, and removed her mask before heading deeper into the hedges.
Why was she so drawn to War?
Brows tucked together, she wandered slowly throughout the garden, admiring the prettiness of it in the moonlight. It was structured just enough to be soothing, but there was still a wildness here. Away from the party and the guests, the inexplicable need she couldn't explain, Caroline felt herself finally relaxing, a careful sort of contentment easing the knot of worry in her chest.
A flicker of moonlight out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning, skirts softly dragging, the paleness of marble in the soft moonlight light made her pause. Setting her shoes and mask aside, she moved closer, enraptured.
The sculpture left her heart thrumming in her chest, awareness prickling across her skin. There was something familiar about the spread of the wing, the movement implied by stone. Her mouth ran dry, lips parting as something swelled in her chest.
Her skin prickled just before an unexpected calloused fingertip brushed down the soft skin of her spine. "Desert wildflowers. Beautiful."
Caroline spun, eyes narrowed, and her breath hitched at the man who stood motionless, framed by the obelisks that marked the entrance to the nook. War stood before her, with flushed cheeks and dark eyes, something wild behind his gaze.
For a moment, she heard an echo of a horn, and she could almost see the cliff. The press of her wings beneath her skin, the spike of adrenaline and the lingering burn of War's touch sang through her. She bared her teeth.
"You don't have permission to touch."
His lips curled, dimples creasing his cheeks, and he clasped his hands behind his back. "How glorious the colors must be, framed by your wings. Malva flowers are all the more lovely for the diversity when they bloom."
Her smile dropped, head canting to the side. This close and the age of him was palpable. She'd met a vampire or two whose eyes had spoken of age, but not like this. Anticipation stirred into the faintest beginnings of arousal, and the monster in her veins stretched.
"Wings?" She murmured. "That's an interesting assumption."
His voice was low, the touch of gravel a rough slide of sound against her skin, and he watched her with a curious greed. "With you standing before me? I'd hardly call it an assumption, Caroline."
Caroline's gaze narrowed as she ran her tongue along her teeth, studying him. "I didn't give you my name. I have not spoken it in your city."
He laughed. "Should I not know what belongs to me? You, who've disregarded my call as nothing more than an annoyance, who has ignored her thirst?"
Catching her lip between her teeth, Caroline considered him. There was danger here, oh, there was danger. But the potential for its unleashing wasn't necessarily directed at her. It sat beneath his skin, lingered on his flesh like an old lover. She didn't feel threatened, but there was no doubt he thought her prey.
She wasn't easily caught.
"I don't belong to anyone."
A wicked smile, a flash of white teeth in the low light and he stepped to the side of her, hands clasped behind his back. He nodded to the statue she'd admired before he joined her.
"The Winged Victory of Samothrace, a truly exquisite piece. The creator was a curious man, a tormented soul who was born into a time where gifts such as his were hidden."
Caroline tilted her head and studied the woman's figure. "I thought it was called The Winged Nike."
A creasing of dimples. "A bit misleading, as Nike wasn't the creature he was hunted by in his dreams. Harpy do not easily relinquish their prey, and nightmares are not always merely dreams. Throughout history, some offerings have been more elaborate than others."
"That is not what my wings look like," Caroline said, the words escaping her before she could catch them.
"Good," he rumbled. Her eyes returned to his, and War's eyes were intent as he stared at her. "Harpies are stormborn, love, the flesh and bone of Erde's violence. The eons since that vengeance has taken flight have left the skies lonely, I do not doubt that your magic has shifted to reflect that rage."
There was something malevolent in his tone, a biting edge that scraped like a blade. It sent a shiver down her spine, that first graze of his power against her skin and she felt something inside her shift. Need raked along her insides, a violent rush of want that caught her off guard.
"You seem strangely knowledgeable for someone who by all accounts was banished for longer than we've written history," she finally said, once she could breathe, refusing to bend beneath the weight of him.
"Pandora could never return what she'd released to her box," War said. "Neither could betrayal destroy everything we'd built. You're a glorious sign of that."
There was bait there, a coaxing trap under his words and she discovered she was not adverse to springing it. Still, he had her name and that just wouldn't do. "If you are determined to converse, I will need your name."
"You may call me Klaus," he replied. "And you'll find, Caroline, where you are concerned determined is a weak expectation."
She studied the line of his face, the way his gaze burned against her, and let her smile curl into a challenge. "Tell me more about the statue."
He merely grinned at her imperious words. "Why hide your wings?"
A flicker of annoyance, which he read easily but seemed only amused by. Gaze narrowing, she glanced back at the sculpture even as it became clear that he'd no intention of answering until she did. Sighing, she shrugged one shoulder. "They make a bit of a statement, and I didn't have an invitation."
A bark of a laugh and he was suddenly so close the heat of him was palpable through his suit. Her eyes returned to his as he spoke, his voice was low and intimate.
"Invitation? Come now, love. Let's not pretend shyness. The world is mine, the creatures that live do so by my will alone. But you? You belong to the skies and only the most exalted were given wings. You are welcome here."
Her mouth ran dry as his voice roughened, his want made absolutely clear. The thread of arousal in her blood turned vibrant in response to the unapologetic way he drank her in. She stared back, body thrumming, but unwilling to bend so easily.
"Arrogance is unbecoming."
A wicked flash of teeth, and he breathed deep. "That doesn't appear to be entirely true."
The edge of mischief caught her off guard. She'd have never considered this man playful, but that was definitely a bit of flirt. Intrigued, Caroline didn't step away from him, allowed herself to feel the heat of his skin.
"Such assumptions," she murmured. "Perhaps I enjoyed my previous dance partners."
Klaus' gaze flared hot, power sliding across his iris in bright slashes of yellow. "I'd have seen you, the moment you stepped away from the crowd, would have cut between you and your partner before he could consider touching you. Of all the creatures here tonight, sweetheart, we're too strongly drawn to each other to allow another near us."
She snorted, brows arching high. "Are we?"
A harsh laugh, and somehow he pressed closer, until her breasts nearly brushed his chest, her skirt dancing around his legs in the breeze. Still, he made no move hold her, allowed the potency of his gaze to pin her feet in place. His words.
"How long has the call of my horn chased you, Caroline? How many nights have you awoken with it tugging at your bones, longing for me? Did you imagine it was a coincidence that your monster rose the same night I regained my foothold in this world? I have hunted you for decades, and here you are, defiant and hungry, eyes wary and blood thrumming. All others cower before me, but not you."
Caroline shifted her weight deliberately, angled her chin. The harshness of his tone, the contained violence between them should've alarmed her. He didn't look as if he wanted to destroy her, instead he seemed to want to devour her in languid bites.
"You enjoy being feared," she pointed out.
"I'm a god, should I not be feared?" Klaus seemed unbothered by her bite, watching her with old, knowing eyes. "Do not pretend that you do not enjoy the smell of it, the way your victims flail about as you toss them among the clouds. Or have you not attempted that particular brand of punishment?"
She'd gone still at his words, stomach fluttering at his descriptions. Her monster was restless, and the muscles next her shoulder blades burned as her wings pressed sharply against her skin. His brows creased, as he saw her uncertainty. Head tilting, he studied her with hunting eyes.
"Have you not hunted through the skies, Caroline?" He shifted, hands clasped behind his back once more, as if he did not trust his hands to stay still. "Memories are passed from mother to daughter through magic and blood. To offend a harpy is to risk generations of your bloodline. Crimes are neither forgotten nor forgiven, even for death."
Caroline felt the truth of his words, the crushing lack of what he spoke of inside herself. At most, she'd learned to trust her instincts, but she struggled to understand what they asked of her. Everything in her clamored to reach for him and she spoke before she could catch her words.
"I have no memories." The words escaped her rawly, and she clenched her fist at the weakness it displayed. She expected him to pounce, to use her lack of knowledge against her. Instead, she was startled by the way Klaus' eyes softened, the harsh line of his jaw easing.
"No wonder you've all but starved yourself." She bristled, and he cut her words off with a wicked smile. "But that at least is easily dealt with. Release your wings."
Anticipation thrummed through her at his words and she considered it. Did ancient memories distill into instinct when left without an anchor? What did it mean that everything clamored to accept his words, to show him this last truth of herself?
"Why are you helping me?" She tilted her head. "Why seek me at all?"
"Consider it an opening salvo," Klaus murmured. "As I've said, the skies have always chosen their loyalties. Allow this opportunity to show you why your bones want me and mine."
She didn't understand the sudden softness of his voice, the darkening of his gaze. There was something about that look that cut into her, left the monster feeling exposed. Caroline had learned to love what she was, what she'd become, but it was her wings that she loved most.
It was strangely intimate, releasing this one glimpse of what she truly was as the pleasure pain of it rippled down her spine. The first time her monster unsheathed had been terrifying, blood spraying across her sheets and the room filled with her screams of terror. Now it was a release she'd learned to control, wings unfurling almost silently, only the faintest hint of blood catching in the breeze.
Klaus had gone perfectly still, muscles and lungs frozen as he took her in. Caroline lifted her chin as his eyes dragged down the length of her wings. They were not the bright, divine things sculpted behind her, but black gossamer and stark bone that stretched out behind her. Letting them spread to their fullest width, she gave a little sigh of pleasure when they folded neatly against at her back.
Framing the vibrant splashes of color she'd inked down her spine.
He drank her in, eyes dark around those streaks of golden power, but it was her hands that gave him pause. A look she'd only have described as cautious confusion shifted his features, and Klaus reached for her with the intention to touch.
This time, Caroline let him.
He cradled her hand with his own, fingers running carefully over her blunt fingertips. Lips curling upwards, she gave Klaus what he was looking for, releasing her hold on this last little bit of magic. Her hands remained slender, but her fingers lengthened, and past the first knuckle, darkened into vicious black claws that could flay flesh from bone.
She retained her blunt, human teeth but her cheekbones were sharper, and her eyes were so dark few could tell the difference between iris and pupil. The contrast of her golden curls was as startling as the delicate points of her ears.
All of her truth was on display, before she tucked everything but her wings and eyes neatly back beneath her skin. Klaus ran his tongue across his upper lip before circling her. "So much exquisite control, for one so young."
Pleasure bubbled in her veins at the rough edge of honesty of his words, the way his scent showed no lie. He didn't think she was lacking before this marble glimpse of what she could've been. She glanced at him through her lashes when he stopped moving, and found him watching her with an emotion she couldn't read burning through his eyes.
"You're a glorious creature, Caroline Forbes."
"I'm going to require that explanation on how you know my name," she told him. Klaus made an agreeable noise as he scooped her shoes, tucking her mask inside his jacket as she situated herself. With her heels in place, they were nearly eye to eye, and if anything, Klaus seemed utterly delighted by that, gaze lowering to trace the curves of her mouth.
"Shall we?" Klaus murmured as he pushed a loose curl behind her ear, dragging his fingertips down her neck, a pleased smile tugging at his lips at her shiver. "I promise to show you how to sate your hunger, sweetheart."
He shifted to her left, arm extended. Her thighs clenched at the look in Klaus' eyes. That edge of something indefinable in his voice turning her cheeks warm. He made no move to hide his intentions, and accepting his offer would clearly be accepting more than just conversation. She should've been alarmed by how much she wanted his skin against hers, but instead she was hungry for what he was offering.
She'd never find answers by playing it safe.
Threading her arm through his, Caroline allowed Klaus to lead her inside.
Klaus' bedroom was warmly inviting. She'd been surprised when he'd led her here, the unexpected intimacy of being in his space stoking her curiosity. Caroline studied it slowly, as Klaus poured them both a drink. The room was large, a pleasing mixture of antiques and color, and she let her eyes linger on the beautifully wrought glass doors that led to a intriguing balcony. An easy escape, should she wish it.
She pulled her attention away from the doorway, to study a particular fascinating painting, curious. The mingled colors gave the impression of wings, a loneliness that she felt. She wondered where he'd gotten it.
"Are you hungry, sweetheart?"
The rumble in his words left her forcing down a shiver. Caroline glanced over at the table where a small buffet had been waiting on them when they'd walked in. A tiny offering of the decadence below. Her mouth watered, but food was a pleasure she wasn't willing to share with him.
Not quite yet.
"Will you be missed downstairs?" The words slipped out before she could catch them, as she thought of the crowds they'd left behind. The collection of monsters. This was War's night and he stood in his bedroom, with her.
The delight that hummed through her monster at that thought left her lips curved in a small smile
Klaus made a thoughtful noise, and she studied the clean line of his shoulders with hungry eyes. He'd discarded his jacket, and the casual intimacy was delicious. "Rebekah can handle any inquiries, but none will be made. I answer to no one."
"Again, with the arrogance," Caroline drawled.
"Arrogance or assurance, love? Should the world not jump for my every whim?" Her eye roll was automatic, which only seemed to further amuse him. He continued, seemingly unbothered by her agitation.
"The world now lives and dies by my will. My brother may carry death in his bones, but death is merely an escape. It is the living who grieve, love, not the dead. What is carved beneath my skin, what I carry in my muscle and tendons, what has reshaped every joint, is far worse. I'm the nightmare that atrocities are committed in the name of and the justification for such horrors, that I leave nothing unchanged beneath my touch. My darling sister, my youngest brother, they've thrived in my shadow. But it is by my hand that the apocalypse rides."
Her skin prickled, the heat of his eyes a brand. There was no mercy in his gaze, just a devouring power and a stark truth. Klaus thought himself a god, and in this new world, perhaps he was one. But he wasn't her God, and he'd hunted her. Her monster prickled against her skin and her hands flexed, her fingers remaining human through force of will alone. If she flinched now, she'd cede power she'd no intention of giving.
"Perhaps," Caroline murmured, spine straightening. "But this is not my personal apocalypse, and as you said, I will not bend to your whims."
His smile was slow and dimpled. "I'd expect nothing else, sweetheart."
The endearment was a rough caress, and she nearly shuddered at the feel of it. Caroline knew the buzzing along her skin was due to Klaus' presence, the way he rumbled through her bones. His smile, the curling blade of satisfaction at her response, left her stomach rolling with butterflies.
He walked over, and offered her a tumbler. She swallowed hard, when he didn't step next to her, but remained slightly behind her, fingers grazing the lines of her spine with careful touches. "Tell me about this tattoo."
She bit her lip, as those seeking fingertips brushed just above the fabric of her dress, nearly skimming the curve of her ass. The seduction he'd begun in the garden had not been a hurried one, and it was clear he'd no wish to hurry now. "Here I'd thought you knew so much about me already."
A throaty noise that sent a shiver across her skin. "Only the hints you've left behind."
Caroline licked her lips, took a centering breath. How had he known to hunt her? More importantly, where had he started? What had given her away? Her voice was husky when she spoke. "And what hints led to the discovery of my name?"
She inhaled sharply at the feeling of his lips brushing between her shoulder blades. The rasp of his tongue, and her lashes fluttered as he made another low, hungry sound. His voice was warm and intimate when he spoke again, head lifting so his lips were featherlight against the ridge of her ear.
"The wind spoke of you, as I stood in a desert filled with wildflowers."
Caroline's pulse skittered. There was such satisfaction in his voice, as he spoke of wild flowers. The tattoo along her spine burned, and her exhale was shaky. Turning, she met the darkness of his gaze. "What do you mean?"
"I saw your work in the Atacama desert, Caroline. There are so few truly elemental creatures left in this world, and far rarer are your kind. It wasn't until that moment, the desert a sea of color and life, that I truly believed your line had survived the eons." Klaus tongue slicked along his bottom lip, gaze moving along her face, lingering on her mouth "You carry the seeds of life in the marrow of your bones, Caroline, and I find that unbelievably arousing. I found myself jealous of the lover who drove you to such heights."
She blinked, uncertain to what he referenced. She rarely took lovers. Her monster respected power, but it wasn't necessarily about brute force. She'd never allowed those few who'd been invited to her bed to see past her human face. Caroline wasn't surprised that she was sexually attracted to Klaus, what surprised her was the way her claws itched to dig into his skin, the way her monster wished to mark him. The longer she spoke to him, the more he pressed for information and the more he deliberately tempted her, the stronger that want became.
Head tilted, she murmured her question. "Lover?"
Something hot bled into his gaze, gold streaking through the blue. His fingers trailed delicately along the curve of her chin, and she shivered, at how good that small touch felt. His head angled, and that quickly the air went of out the room.
"Have you not taken a lover since your awakening? Or have they been so inept they were incapable of driving you to such heights that all your glorious control slipped?"
That day in the desert, she'd willingly given up her control and her monster run free. Those hours had been glorious, the desert white beneath in moonlight beneath her, as she'd soared for hours. After she'd returned to earth, she'd been grounded for days by an unexpected storm. Later, she'd seen pictures of the desert in bloom and it'd tugged at her chest in a way she'd been unable to articulate.
What he spoke of, letting her monster out to play between the sheets, intrigued her. She was a greedy creature, covetous and always hungry. But Caroline wasn't certain it wasn't a two edged sword. She met his gaze, held it even as his hand drifted lower. "Just because I've chosen to share your bed tonight does not mean my previous partners are any of your concern."
His lashes hooded the intensity of his gaze for a heartbeat, and then the need in his eyes sparked through her blood. "You mistake me, Caroline. Your previous lovers? They concern me only in the ways they've disappointed you, love."
"Why?" She murmured, head tilting as she watched him from beneath her lashes. "Do you imagine that I came here with the intention of falling into your bed? I admit to being drawn to you, but why should my previous partners concern you all?"
"Why?" He returned, voice as low as her own, words husky and nearly a caress. "I want to spread you out on my sheets, to linger with the taste of your arousal on my tongue until your monster claws at my flesh. I wish to ruin you, Caroline, so that regardless of who you choose to let into your bed, you will think of me."
Caroline's blood flushed hot. There was no way to hide her surge of arousal, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. Deliberately, she took a slow drink of the glass she still held, nearly hummed in sudden delight. A quirk of Klaus' smile, the glitter behind his gaze, told her he'd see her reaction. Alcohol rarely affected her for long, and so consuming it had become about the flavor of it on her tongue. Whatever Klaus had poured, it was good.
Another small taste, and she set it aside and reached for his collar. Fingers smoothing the crisp fabric, she glanced up through her lashes.
"Arrogant, to believe I'm so easily ruined by a single night's performance, Klaus. But go on and tell me, what you meant by sating my hunger?" She skimmed the stiff fabric that had been heated by his skin, allowed her fingertips to just brush the flesh at the base of his throat. "I'm not ashamed of my sexual desires and as tempting as your collection of sins for my tongue, I can feed those easily enough elsewhere."
"Can you? Perhaps. But I think you'll find I'm not so easy to shake as you imagine." He caught her hand, ran his thumb across her knuckles. "But that for all that I look forward to indulging in any number of your appetites, I spoke of Power."
Her gaze returned to his. "Power?"
"You're an old nightmare love," Klaus said easily, unconcerned by the darkening of her eyes. "You'll always be drawn to the ancient places of the world, the lingering power there. You're still growing into your monster and it needs to be fed."
Head canting, she watched him carefully. "And I'm to believe you'll just provide this power? Share what you believe to be rightfully yours, at what cost?"
"You've been slowly gorging yourself since you set foot on my grounds," he rebuffed calmly, bringing her wrist to his mouth. His lips brushed along the veins there, smile slow and wicked. "And I hardly offer anything freely, Caroline. Did I not say this was merely an opening salvo? A chance for you to see why you should choose me?"
Caroline considered his words. He had said he was a source, not the source. Klaus had given her enough information that she could possibly discover what it was about his power in particularly that drew her, should she wish to learn.
But a night spent satiating more than one appetite, that appealed to her. Letting her smile turn hot, gaze darkening with her want, she smoothed her free hand down the clean line of his chest. Breathed in the scent of their mingled arousal.
"Make it worth my while."
His laughter wrapped around her, the rich sound digging into her bones. Dimples flashing, gaze wicked, he brought her fingertips to his mouth, lips brushing lightly against her skin. Her mouth ran dry at the hint of teeth, the way his smile pressed brand-hot against her flesh. Something dangerous crawled behind his eyes, and he dropped a second, slower kiss on her palm.
"I do enjoy a challenge, sweetheart." His smile turned dangerous, something wicked and coaxing curving along his lips in invitation. Another soft, lingering kiss and then he tugged delicately. Lashes narrowing, she considered before allowing herself to turn.
For a moment, there was a silence that stretched her nerves taut, and then his fingers wound into her hair. Lashes fluttering closed, Caroline swayed back into his palms as he slowly searched for pins. Her hair tumbled in slow curls around her shoulders, and each unexpected caress left her skin prickling. For a moment, he lingered, fingertips rasping pleasantly against her scalp. She nearly purred as she arched into his caress, and Klaus laughed low in his throat.
"Will you make that sound for me, when I have my mouth on you?" He murmured huskily.
"I suppose that depends on where you put your mouth," Caroline responded just as lowly, and Klaus made another soft noise of amusement. His fingers trailed down the sides of her neck, one hand dipping lower to run along the top of her wing. She didn't bother to stifle her moan then, head tilting back slightly as he repeated the caress.
"Take off your dress."
Eyes closed, her mouth curled upwards at that rasped demand. "Why should I?"
"Because I can't reach your zipper," Klaus told her, his voice deepening with intent. "As much as I've admired the colors against your skin, I'd be just as happy to see it against my floor. In shreds, if necessary."
Turning her head, Caroline arched one brow as her right hand reached for the hidden zipper, dipping one wing to hold his gaze. Slowly, a deliberate tease, she eased it down her side, dress loosening along her ribs. His pupils were already wide and dark, threads of golden power turning his eyes luminescent, but as her tongue snaked along her lips, his gaze was devouring.
She shifted her torso, and the heavy bodice slithered down her hips to pool at her feet. Klaus' next exhale was slow, as his eyes lowered to skim down the line of her spine, the curve of her ass hugged by pale lace. He stepped forward, just close enough that the warmth of his body brushed the bare line of her spine, heated the edges of her wings.
"Magnificent," he breathed. The slow, mesmerizing caress of fingertips followed the same path as before, but this time Klaus lingered, each knot of her spine seemingly to be savored. Caroline shuddered, as he moved to trace the delicate lines of her tattoo, his voice a low, pleased rumble. "Where did you find the artist who painted this so beautifully, Caroline?"
"It was a favor," Caroline answered, voice throaty with need as he continued to merely skim his hands against her. "A particularly gifted witch did the work so my magic didn't leach it from my skin."
"And what," Klaus rumbled. "Did you exchange?"
Her smile curved upwards. "It's a secret."
The heat of his fingertips was replaced by his mouth, teeth a faint edge against her spine. His hand slipped beneath her wings to brush along her ribs before settling against her waist, nails biting faintly into her flesh. But it was the glide of his tongue, followed by the faint sensation of his mouth that weakened her knees.
She took a steadying breath, eyes sliding shut as her skin tingled. She moaned, lip caught tightly between her teeth, when his knuckles dragged against the base of her wing. He repeated the caress, and she shuddered, nipples tight in the cool air, arousal a hot flash in her veins.
"Put your hands on the wall, sweetheart. So I can see them."
Caroline opened hazy eyes, frowned slightly at the rough demand. "We'll ruin your painting."
"I'll paint another."
She paused, head angling. He painted. The scourge of millions, and he'd created such a beautiful image that tugged at her chest. The dichotomy of it intrigued her, but before she could ask, Klaus slipped his fingers beneath the band of her underwear, skimming beneath the lace until he hovered just above the heat of her.
"Your hands, Caroline."
Spine arching, her ass moved against the rough edge of his cock, a taunt to match his refusal to touch where she wanted him the most. She tossed her hair back and glanced at him. "Why should I?"
With a honeyed smile and wicked dimples, he leaned forward and snaked his free hand around the curve of her waist and continued upwards in a tantalizingly slow path, until he cupped her breast. The hand in her underwear continue to tease, never dipping quite low enough. Palming her breast, he let his voice go low and coaxing, thumb a distraction against her nipple.
"So stubborn. I'm going to pet your wings, sweetheart, until your muscles are languid and you purr for me." He pinched her nipple, his mouth brushing her shoulder blade, and a shudder ran down her spine. "Then I'll peel this lovely lace from your skin, see what other delightful sounds I can coax from you."
Caroline wanted that. The implied promise in his voice, and her nails dug little divots into the wall. But Caroline had never been one to let someone else do all the work, and she wanted her turn. "When do I get to touch you?"
"Do you want to?" Klaus queried, something dark and greedy threading through his tone.
"Yes."
The kiss against her nape was soft, nearly sweet. "Next time. Tonight is my move, I believe. If you wish to satisfy your need for control with me, you'll have to return to my bed. Tonight, allow me to show you why you should."
The appeal of having him between her lips, of having the strength of him beneath her while she had complete control was an arousing one, but her skin ached to be touched. She could allow him this one night uncontested, and perhaps she'd bring ropes if she decided to take him up on his offer. Caroline sighed, the sound part acceptance and part complaint. "If I must."
His laugh was husky. "Your hands, Caroline."
She shifted to the side, so she could press her palms against bare wall. She tossed him a challenging look, at the amused sound he made deep in his chest. "I like your painting."
Something hot flashed across his pupils, gold expanding until the black nearly disappeared. Still twisted, she allowed her tightly folded wings to unfurl, gossamer and bone spreading wide. Lips curving, she turned back to the wall, her voice a throaty demand.
"You said you'd pet me."
She'd never allowed anyone to see her wings, much less touch them. His hands had felt good before, but he didn't start at that sensitive ridge he'd teased her with earlier. Feather soft, his palms stroked down the glimmering length of her wing. The sensations surprised her, how decadent each careful caress felt. Klaus was thorough, lingering on every sensitive ridge and line, until her knees wobbled and her forehead pressed against the wall. Her breathing was ragged, his name a rasp in her throat as he mouthed across her back, hands shifting to her neglected wing.
She was loose limbed and panting, body as languid and aroused as he'd promised. Her mind felt hazy as he crooned low in his throat, fingers skimming along her back. Klaus released her and her whine turned into a jagged curse when he suddenly stroked both hands over the sensitive inner curve of her wings. Her spine arched, fingers dragging down his wall, and Caroline shook. He repeated the motion, and the surge of wetness between her thighs would've been embarrassing if she hadn't been so viciously aroused.
Caroline allowed him to turn her, wings still spread so the smooth line of the wall braced her spine. Klaus ran his eyes down her flushed breasts, the hard points of her nipples, and groaned, dipping his head to lick one far too briefly. She reached for him, needing more, but he sank to his knees and her breath hitched at the sight he made. Flushed cheeks, lips wet from the slide of his tongue, the want in his gaze open and devouring.
"One day, you'll let me stroke you in my bed, wings spread across my sheets." Eyes holding hers, he urged one thigh over his shoulder, so the point of her heel she still wore dug into his back. "I'll paint them with warm oil and then take you in a slow, lazy climb."
"You talk a good game," Caroline taunted, voice a rasp. His lips curled, head turning so he could kiss her thigh. Her lashes lowered to half mast as he scraped the sensitive skin with the blunt edge of his teeth. A wet stroke of his tongue, and his chin lifted to study her face, eyes glittering with challenge.
She held his gaze, one hand threading through his hair and her free hand smoothing along her stomach. "Should I show you how I like to come?"
His smile startled her. The taunting challenge, the teasing, disappeared in something that almost appeared to be fond. He was dimpled and delighted, and her stomach clenched as his lashes lowered and he breathed deep.
"How I'm going to enjoy you," he murmured before his mouth lowered to the wet lace, tongue a rough dart against her swollen clit. Her fingers gripped his hair, thigh clenching against his shoulder as he continued to mouth against her. Caroline's head tipped back, free hand crawling up to her breast, hips rolling against the wet heat of his tongue. He teased her mercilessly, darts and flicks, the lace of her panties a barrier from where she wanted his tongue most. It was a wickedly fast climb, the play having built her up steadily since he'd first touched her in the garden. But still he lingered, tongue increasing the burn but not quite giving her enough.
She whimpered, fingers moving frantically at her nipple, digging her heel sharply into his back as her fingers tugged on his hair. Klaus groaned deeply and sucked on her clit through lace. Caroline gasped, body rigid as she came. Her orgasm left her trembling, and she moaned out his name. The noise he made was contemplative, and she shuddered as it vibrated against her.
"Look how pretty you are with your hand on your breast," he murmured, tongue flicking across her now hypersensitive clit; a scrap of teeth, and she jolted against his hold. "But I think we can do better."
She blinked the haze from her eyes, and dragged her tongue across her lips. "Better?"
He pressed one more delicate kiss against her covered center, and then he tore her underwear away from her body. Eyes wide, she groaned low in her chest as his tongue slid through her dripping folds, the taste long and slow. Klaus made a soft noise of enjoyment and repeated the motion. And again. And again. Until she'd wound his curls tightly between her fingers, the lash of his tongue driving her towards madness.
Klaus' tongue slipped over her clit on the next pass and she panted out his name. He smiled against her before his lips moving to wrap around her clit, the suction gentle and not nearly enough. She dug in her nails, head tossing, hair sticking to her wet skin.
His mouth was sweet torture, and each wet rasp left her hips writhing against him. One hand moved to grip her ass, holding her against his mouth and her building orgasm left her nearly senseless, voice high pitched and frantic. Another hot, rough pull followed by a lash of his tongue, and Caroline pitched over the edge, a scream harsh in her throat. Boneless and sweat slicked, she sank down the wall until she was cradled against his body.
"There's the expression I wanted," Klaus crooned as her lashes fluttered open. Smile hunting sharp, he leaned close and pressed his mouth against hers. The first taste of him was enriched with her arousal, and her whimper was loud in her ears as she licked frantically into his mouth, shuddering as he cupped the weight of her breasts. He pulled back with a nip against her lip, thumbs circling her nipples before they too dropped away.
He didn't leave her wanting for long, urging her legs around his waist. Once she was tucked firmly against him, Klaus stood easily. Caroline let her high heels fall away, far more interested in his mouth, the hard line of his cock. He indulged her seeking lips with lingering kisses until he reached the bed. He murmured his next request against her lips.
"I want you against the headboard."
She gripped his waist tightly between her thighs, rolling against his cock, and she watched satisfied as he shuddered. "It's a perfectly good bed."
He nuzzled her neck, teeth sharp against her throat. "Your wings, sweetheart. They need a little strengthening before I can lay you on your back."
She bit his lip, licked the sting when he rumbled. "I want you to come."
Those glittering eyes met hers. "I will."
Caroline lowered her chin, kissed his throat. "Hmmm, but when you've got your cock in me, I expect a certain amount of stamina. I'm hardly complaining about the number of orgasms you've given me, they were amazing. But I can smell how aroused you are. And since you won't let me use my mouth on you…"
She unhooked her legs and shifted backwards, careful to tuck wings comfortably beneath her. Satisfied they were stronger than he thought, she spread her thighs. Klaus made a deeply gratifying noise, and Caroline tossed her arms above her head. Spine arching, she watched him from beneath heavy lashes. "Will you come on me?"
The cords of his neck stood out in relief, jaw a harsh line. Bracing his arms on either side of her, he watched her with feral eyes. "I thought this was my show?"
She shrugged, brought one hand up to touch his jaw. "Just making a suggestion."
His lips curled into something dangerous as he moved to peel away his clothes, eyes locked with hers. Her heart pounded, nerves coming alive at the edge behind his gaze. "Hmm, so you are. You will watch only, Caroline. You cannot touch. Not yourself, not my cock. The only orgasms you'll have tonight, are the ones I'll be giving."
Her lips parted in protest, but she held her tongue at the challenge that bloomed behind his gaze. His fingers moved to stroke his shaft slowly, eyes daring her to complain. Hissing, she clenched her fists into the sheets and he laughed roughly. Taking it as a challenge, Caroline widened her thighs, voice a throaty purr at the sight of his hands tight around his cock.
Shivering, she watched as his thumb brushed over his tip, smearing the bead of liquid down his shaft. A slow glide, his hips arching into his hand, and his eyes moved down her body, beads of sweat sliding down the hard line of Klaus' abs. Her exhale was shaky, and he swallowed harshly as he took in her dripping folds. She moaned, arousal heady in her veins, new interest gathering between her thighs.
Klaus's chest tumbled at the sight, and she licked her lips as she watched as he gripped himself tighter. It was a rush, knowing she could affect him just by being, her flush of new arousal hot and wet between her legs increasing his arousal. Deliberately she rolled her torso, her appreciative noise full of want. Klaus bit off a rough expletive and she smiled lazily, his muscles taut and rigid.
He said she couldn't touch. Not that she couldn't speak. Devilment mingled with arousal, and she let her knees climb higher.
"Will you come for me, Klaus?" She purred, glancing up from beneath her lashes when his breathing turned labored, movements roughening. She stretched out a little further, letting her wings shift beneath her. "Pretty please?"
Klaus leaned forward, bracing his hand further up the bed. His eyes were directly above her chest, and she took a deep breath, letting the motion lift her breasts higher. "Such a dangerous mouth you have, love, your tongue such a temptation. Let's see if I can motivate you to entreat instead of taunt, hmm?"
His gaze flickered upwards, and the devilment there was her only warning before he dragged the head of his cock against her slit. Klaus made a ragged noise before he rocked against her clit. Caroline whimpered, her spine arching at the sudden livewire of sensation. He repeated the motion, and her eyes squeezed shut.
It shocked her, how easily he pushed her towards a third orgasm, her body rising to roll into his next thrust. Klaus continued to thrust against her, the slick sliding motion of his cock against her clit leaving her mindless. Each arch pushed them both closer and closer, and she could hear how roughly he was stroking himself. Just as she tipped towards the final edge, Klaus groaned and spilled hot and sticky across her thighs and belly, the heat of his orgasm against her clit. She whined in protest, body trembling, toes curled tightly into the mattress.
Smile slow and dangerous as his muscles slowly unlocked, Klaus watched her, his body still trembling. "You're so close, love."
She nodded, breathing ragged, and he kissed her sticky belly, and licked his lips clean. "The next time you come, it'll be on my cock."
She made a noise of agreement, hands reaching for him, but he caught her wrists. Caroline moaned in disbelief as he urged her into a sitting position. He smoothed her hair back and shushed her. "You know where I want you."
She considered denying him, seeing if an orgasm had softened his stance on being completely in charge. She nearly reached between them to finish herself off. It wouldn't have taken more than a few strokes against her clit, she'd been so close to coming again, and her limbs were still shaky with it.
He easily read her thoughts, smile sharp and tempting. "The headboard, sweetheart. It'll be worth it."
Shuddering, she let him help her shift to her hands and knees, crawling towards the headboard. Her clit throbbed and each movement was a kind of torture. Curling her hands against the smooth wood, she settled on her knees, spreading her wings wide.
A moment later, Klaus had joined her. The heat of him a brand against her back, and she gasped at the unexpected edge of his cock against her ass. The refractory period was unexpected, and she struggled not to grind against him. Eyes closing, she took a deep breath and reached for a bit of levity.
"What is it about this position you like so much?" Her voice came out a hoarse rasp, need clear in her voice. He laughed against the ridge of her ear and reached around her to toy with a nipple.
"There are many positions I want you in. There are many ways I can spread you beneath me, until your mindless and begging, the only thoughts in your head being for more. But while these wings of yours are still strengthening, they are not so delicate that a little play will damage them. So I will take you like this, and after, on your stomach. Later, once you've had a little more power, I'll spread you across my lap, so that your breasts rub against my chest with each rock of your body. I'll tangle my hands in your glorious hair and rock you slowly to orgasm."
His hand snaked down her belly as he spoke, and Caroline's fingers were white knuckled against the headboard as he brushed her clit in tantalizing strokes. Her breath stuttered out, and she felt his lips curve, as her knees pressed harder into the mattress, ass shifting against his cock. He dipped two fingers between her folds, teased her with a few rough thrusts before pulling free. Her whimper only seemed to delight him as he encouraged her to lean forward. The slick sounds of his hand wet with her arousal readying his shaft, sent another thrum of need through her, and heat pooled low until her thighs were slick.
"What do you want, Caroline?" Klaus questioned, his voice gravel rough as he continued to stroke himself. Eyes falling closed, she shivered, body clenching tightly at his low sound of need, a rough grunt as he trembled behind her. Body clenching, unbearable empty, her wings shifted as restlessly as her body.
"I want to come."
A tweak of her clit and she jolted against the headboard, crying out. "I've told you how that will happen. Ask nicely."
She'd remember that, when she'd bound him to this bed with spelled ropes. Body wet and aching, she let herself gasp out the request. "Put your cock inside me, Klaus, and make me come."
Blunt teeth dug into the base of her shoulder, and she moaned, back arching as the tip of his erection stroked over her clit. Trembling, her low whine of his name nearly turned into a sob as he filled her smoothly, their combined arousal easing his way. He seemed to be in no rush, regardless of the rigid lines of his muscles, the harshness of his breath against her skin, and each inch was a slow torture.
Once seated, he dropped one hand low against her belly, pulling her tightly against him, and the other fondled her breast and nipple. Over sensitized, body stretched in every way that was good, she clawed at the headboard.
"Move."
Instead of following her off bitten order, the hand at her breast slipped down her body to circle her clit with a lazy fingertip. She was unable to move against him with his hand holding her hips still, each deliberate circle of his fingertip left her reeling. Her moans turned pleading, pitch rising as he pinched her clit, breath a sob in her throat.
"I like you like this," Klaus rasped in her ear. Another circle, another slow tease as he rubbed her clit between her fingers, and her muscles trembled with the building orgasm. "Clenched around me. I want you to come just like this, Caroline. With my cock buried inside you, your pussy a magnificent vice."
She'd have been pissed, if it hadn't been for the shake in his fingers, the ragged exhale against her ear, the pulse of him buried inside her said he was just as desperate as she. That need pushed her so close to the edge, she heard the headboard creak beneath her hands. Klaus groaned low as the violent clenching of her body, even as his fingertips continued with excruciating patience. He kept her on that edge, holding them both agonizingly still, until her voice broke, demands changing to pleading.
A low hiss, and his fingers pinched her clit firmly. The pleasure pain pushed her over, and she shouted her release as she trembled through the near violent orgasm. Her mind was hazy when she slowly surfaced, cheek cushioned by a soft pillow.
Klaus had lowered them to the mattress. He was still inside her, hot and hard, and she nearly choked on air as he shifted. A low, needy whine escaped her as he shifted and Klaus hummed her name.
"Alright?"
Panting, fingers twisting in the bed sheets, she nodded shakily. "Yes."
A soft kiss at the nape of her neck. "Good."
Klaus shifted his hips, the slow slide of his cock inside her as he withdrew left her gasping. The quick snap of his hips as he thrust back inside her pulled a scream from her throat, body sensitized from her orgasms. Klaus made a deep sound in his chest and repeated the motions, until her hands were scrambling at the bedding, the edges of her vision turning hazy as he drove her towards release. She felt her magic surge at a particularly firm snap of his hips, fingers buried in the covers turning black and sharp.
The sudden, harshly spoken words against her back told her he was close, that he was as affected as she. Everywhere they touched her skin started to burn, flecks of golden power gathering at the edges of her eyes. Burning up, hips pressing back into his with each thrust, Caroline hovered on the edge of something big. Klaus must have sensed it, because his hand tunneled beneath her hips. A few deliberate strokes against her clit and her body locked up, vision going dark as she came, scream ragged in her throat.
Klaus' orgasm was hot inside her, his body trembling against her skin as his hips locked to hers. He pressed his forehead against her back and breathed harshly while she struggled to come back to her senses. His weight was not unpleasant against her wings, and she was sated in ways she hadn't known were possible.
Slowly, she became aware of more than her trembling limbs. Klaus murmured her name, pressing a soft line of kisses down her spine. The slow, wicked curve of his mouth against her skin left her shivering, and his next sentence had her going still and stunned beneath him.
"Do you hear the rain, love?" Klaus nuzzled into her neck, fingers warm and wet against her belly. She blinked opened her eyes and listened, catching the soft sound of the rain against his windows. Her breathing deepened, as she remembered his earlier jealousy, the way he'd demanded to know if a lover had ever shattered her control.
His lips teased the ridge of her ear, with his next sentence. "Shall we see if we can start a monsoon?"
It was the rain that woke her. No longer a gentle wash, this was a true storm. The rain beat heavily against the windows, the wind wiping violently through the air.
Caroline had no idea how long she'd slept. The night had been a haze of sex that still clouded her eyes, left her muscles warm and sated. But there was an odd buzzing beneath her skin and the longer she was awake, the more energetic she felt. Her body started to hum with need she couldn't explain.
Slipping out from of the bed, uncaring if Klaus woke, she walked to the balcony doors and let the storm in. The cold water splattered over her skin, and instead of terrifying her, it left her with a longing that pulled her monster to the surface.
"Going to go dance in the clouds, Caroline?"
She turned to face the bed, peered at Klaus, rumpled and sex mused amongst his ruined sheets. His posture was content, and she wondered what he saw, to leave such greed on his face. What about her rain soaked hair and skin left him wanting. His slow, wicked smile curled her toes.
"Go feed your monster, sweetheart. A storm waits for no one. I'll be here, should you wish to return."
The Harpy beneath her skin watched him, and she returned that smile. She took one step forward, uncaring of her nakedness as she left the wildness of it sink into her bones. One last considering look, and Caroline gave him her truth.
"Perhaps I will." She ran her tongue over her lips, luxuriating in the cool water lashing fruitlessly against her skin. Her smile turned lazy and taunting. "If I do, I'll be bringing ropes with me. And it'll be my turn to call the shots, War or not."
His laughter followed her into the storm.
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Also a huge thank you for fanfantasticworld for my beautiful graphic. And justanotherfiveminutes and livingdeadblondequeen for reading over this large thing that wasn't supposed to be this large, who made sure that I didn't have too many hands during the sex scene and most of the phone betrayals were caught.