The infectious sound of her laughter echoed throughout the dinning hall as her body shook in response to the conversation.
"My lords, your humor is so refreshing." She smiled kindly upon the two enamored brothers. Her brown orbs glowed with humor. "I cannot say how many times I have laughed tonight. "
Niklaus leaned forward, his elbows resting on the extensive wooden table. "You have laughed fifteen times so far, Miss Petrova, but the night is young." He winked and threw a mischievous look to his older brother. "I say we can have her laugh at least ten more times, do you not agree, Elijah?"
The brother forced a smile at Niklaus, "If we continue our sibling banter, perhaps we can." He turned his level gaze to the young woman, his demeanor softening noticeably. "Would that amuse you?"
Katerina met his gaze with a bashful one of her own. "You must not argue on account of me." She moved her gaze to the wine glass in front of her, which she picked up and brought to her lips.
Niklaus's grin grew at her words. "Don't fret, love. We are blood." He gestured to Elijah and himself with the knife. "We are supposed to bicker."
"What are brothers for" The elder responded in a low voice. He watched his brother flirt with a heavy feeling in his stomach.
For a few moments the trio continued dinner, leaving the conversation at pause. The only sounds were the quiet clashing of silverware, the three's steady breathing and a single, melodic heartbeat.
"So, Katerina," Niklaus broke the calm quiet with a switch to informalities. "There is a question which you have swiftly evaded throughout the weeks of our acquaintanceship."
Her long curls swayed around her face as she looked up from her meal. "Is that so?" Her eyebrows raised in mild surprise. "Well, I am not the only person here keeping an air of mystery, my lords."
He shot a glance of amusement to his brother before replying. "Is that so? In that case, I have a proposition. For every inquiry you answer, my brother and I shall answer one of yours. " Elijah gave him a warning look, but he continued anyway. "What do you say, Katerina? Willing to unmask a secret or two?"
She pursed her lips in contemplation as her brown eyes moved to Elijah questioningly. "What do you advise I do, my lord?"
Elijah shook his head apologetically, "Please forgive my brother, Katerina. You are not required to answer any of his intrusive questions."
"It's no bother if I can learn about my mysterious hosts." She grinned at him then looked back to Niklaus. "Let's start."
His smile turned wolfish.
X
"You are walking on a very thin line, Niklaus." Elijah warned. They were in the library, hours after the dinner had ended and the fair maiden had left. His brother sat with his feet on his desk as he drew aimlessly in his sketchbook.
"Is that so?" Niklaus paused his pencil, letting it hover above the parchment, and raised an eyebrow at him. "What causes you to assume such?"
"You know what." Elijah walked forward and pressed his hands against his brother's desk. He resisted the urge to shake his brother by the collar at the memory of his flirtatious dinner conversations with her.
"Ah, now I remember." He feigned understanding. "You are referring to our little dinner party with Miss Petrova, aren't you?'
The answering silence made Niklaus laugh.
"Watch yourself, brother. Your humanity is showing." He returned his eyes to his sketchpad, moving his pencil quickly across the parchment. The image wasn't anything definable yet, just a myriad of shades and lines, but he focused on it with a strange intensity. His brother's interest in the arts was infuriating at times.
Elijah ignored the jab, his irritation with his brother increasing by the minute. "You do realize how close you are to exposing our true identities, do you not?" The conversation had taken a dangerous turn; closer to their past, and Niklaus didn't bother to stick with the usual story. He answered her questions honestly and ambiguously. Katerina was a sharp girl. It was only a matter of time until she learned the truth.
"Oh retract your fangs, Elijah." His brother rolled his eyes at the tense form in front of him. "That doppelganger is oblivious and shall remain so as long as I see fit."
Elijah clenched his teeth together, holding back his reaction to the way he discussed her. "She is not your possession, Niklaus." He shook his head at him, disgusted. "Nor is she Tatia."
The name paused the hybrid and his work. He raised his eyes slowly to his brother, rage clear in the stormy orbs. "This has nothing to do with her."
"Then what is this all about?" He pressed, baffled by his brother's interest in the girl. "She is nothing to you. Why can you not let her be?"
The tight set of his jaw relaxed. His brother's anger had swiftly transformed into a mask of ever-present amusement. "How curious. You seem very intent on having me leave Miss Petrova be. I wonder why. Don't tell me you have fallen in love with another doppelganger, Elijah?"
Elijah moved his gaze from the younger's, and stared intently outside the large glass window behind him. It was close to midnight now and the moon stood perched at the top of the sky, glaring down on the two arguing siblings. "Leave her alone, Niklaus." He paused, hesitating slightly. "Please." He stressed the word with vehemence.
Niklaus watched his brother as intently as the art he had in his hands. Centuries of life together made him easily readable.
"You have fallen for her." It wasn't a question, but came out in a sigh of exasperation.
He settled the sketch book onto the desk and walked around his brother's side. Elijah refused to turn his gaze to him and continued to look at the pale moon. "Love is a poisonous emotion, brother. You of all people should know this. " Niklaus shook his head then left his brother alone in the library.
X
"Do you require anything else, Lady Rebekah?" The servant questioned, his eyes glued to the attractive blond opposite him.
The voluptuous figure sat perched on a cushioned bench. Her back was all he could see along with her smooth, pale shoulders that remained uncovered by her gown. The long strands of golden hair moved like chimes in the wind with every stroke of the brush. She took her time before answering him; fully aware of the mesmerized look he was giving her.
"Come here." She finally responded, placing the tiny brush on the vanity table in front of her.
He was by her side in an instant, eager to please the lovely mistress. "Yes, miss."
Rebekah slowly turned her body to face him, sizing him up. He wasn't an ugly thing. In fact, he could even be considered attractive. Fair hair, pretty eyes and well built. She licked her pink lips enticingly as she stood from her spot. The bottom of her gown brushed against his legs and sent goose bumps throughout his body.
"Yes, miss?" His voice shook slightly. She could hear his heartbeat quicken and the heat from his body intensify.
"I need you to satisfy me," She told him in a low voice, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Can you do that for me?"
The servant's eyes widened but he responded immediately. "Yes, miss."
Rebekah flashed him a killer smile. "Good." She opened her mouth as her canines elongated and the veins around her eyes manifested grotesquely.
Before the servant could react she had him held against the bedroom wall with her fangs digging into his skin.
X
Rebekah licked her lips in satisfaction, relishing the left over blood in her mouth. The human had been surprisingly delicious. So much so, she might just taste him sometime again soon. She smiled at the look on his dimwitted face as he wandered off after their "discussion". Humans were so easy sometimes.
"Did you have fun, sister?" A horribly familiar voice asked.
The blond vampire's body froze; for once caught off guard. She regained her composure in the next second and snapped, "What do you want, Kol?" She glanced over her shoulder, finding the speaker leaning against the opposite wall and wearing his centuries old smirk. He donned dirt ridden trousers and a wrinkled grey tunic. His light chocolate hair was mussed and stood at its ends. He looked as if he just came back from the fields. "Going native, are we?" She swallowed, trying to clear the lump that had grown in her throat at the sight of him.
"I am shocked at you, Bekah. I have returned after six months and this is the welcome I receive?" He replied, his eyes wide with faux offense.
"Welcome back," She greeted him shortly, turning around entirely to face him. "Now would you be so kind to leave me be?"
He was in front of her in an instant, looking down at her with his mischievous green eyes. "Would you be surprised to know I missed your rude comments?" A hand reached towards her face and pushed a golden lock behind her hair.
The simple touch sparked a silenced war to wage inside the girl. A part of her, a large part of her, felt electricity shoot through her veins.
"Kol," She spoke his name as a warning. He ignored her and let his eyes roam from her face down her gown, admiring the sight of her bare shoulders and the work the corset was doing for her curves.
"Come now, Bekah." His lips turned upwards, moving his hand to her waist. "Didn't you miss me?"
"No." Yes.
He leaned down, moving his lips to her ear, "I know when you're lying, Rebekah."
His lips brushed lightly against the side of her face and moved tantalizingly to her lips. She closed her eyes briefly, savoring the contact. If her heart were still beating, she was sure it would be fluttering right now. Her mind betrayed her body, however. Trecherous. Sinful. Unholy.
She placed a hand on his chest and pushed him away. "Stop it." She hissed, slightly shaken. She didn't want this, not again. No. No. No. That's what she had to tell herself, needed to tell herself. If she let herself-No.
He interrupted her thoughts."That's not what you said a few months ago, Bekah." He winked.
She shot him a lethal glare, returning to her usually snappish self. "The past is the past and I am telling you to stop, brother." She stressed the last word, hoping futilely that it would hit some nerve of decency.
He shook his head, chuckling darkly. "Ah, my dear sister, you continue hold yourself to the human's laws." He grinned. "It's no matter. I can be patient for the things I desire. You'll be begging for me soon enough anyways. You always do." He pressed his lips against her cheek as quickly as a Hermes himself.
Then h e was gone.
She fell on top of her bed, sighing with relief. She hoped with him gone, she could clear her guilty, dirty conscience. She couldn't.
His words couldn't leave her head.
You'll be begging for me soon enough anyways.
You always do.
What bothered Rebekah was the fact a part of her knew he was right.
*A/N Well this is my attempt at a non-Klaroline piece of Vampire Diaries fiction. So what's the review? Yay or Nay? Please review so I can gather your reactions. :)