Author's Note: Just a quick shout-out to everyone who asked for a sequel to my Klaus one-shot, Bloodletting. I am working on it, I swear. Please enjoy this in the meantime :)
Be careful making wishes in the dark
Can't be sure when they've hit their mark
And besides, in the meantime I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart
~ Fall Out Boy, My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)
The world around her was practically pitch black and still Caroline raced on, running headlong into unfamiliar territory. Building storm clouds had quickly overshadowed the moon, denying the night any real amount of illumination. But where mortal eyes would have failed to be of any use, blind except for the occasional flash of lightning to guide their way, Caroline's vampire eyes had little trouble picking out obstacles in her path.
She was beginning to feel like she had been running in place for hours, the scenery around her never changing in any significant manner. At one point earlier she thought she had heard the burble of a stream off in the distance, but she hadn't come across any body of water on the route she had taken. Everything along the way and ahead of her as far as she could see was trees and rocks and more trees and rocks.
A light spattering of rain had begun to fall from the darkened sky. It coated the exposed areas of Caroline's skin with a fine sheen of wetness that chilled her as fast rippling currents of air washed over her, the result of the supernatural speed of her movements. The brief moment her mind took to acknowledge the shiver that ran down her spine distracted her attention long enough that Caroline couldn't react fast enough to avoid a slim outreaching branch. The pointed tip slapped against her cheek, leaving a thin line of blood in its wake. Caroline cursed aloud as she came to an abrupt stop and her hand instinctively flew up to her face to inspect the damage. The cut had already healed over. The faint smear of crimson on her palm was the only evidence that there had ever been an injury.
A jagged fork of lightning split the night sky, temporarily lighting up the woods around her. Caroline's eyes scanned the area as fast as they could in that split second, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The heavy clap of thunder that followed drowned out the noise of the woods and left Caroline with only the internal thundering of her own blood pumping through her veins. This was one of the reasons why Caroline never heard a thing before a heavy weight collided with her side, knocking her sideways and to the ground.
Caroline and her stalker rolled in a tangle of flailing limbs and reverberating growls. For a second, she marveled at the softness of the fur her fingers pushed into before she pulled and ripped at it as hard a she could. There was an ear-piercing yelp and Caroline tried to take advantage of the moment to scramble to her feet, but a full set of firm fingers wrapped around her ankle and dragged Caroline back down to the dirt. She did her best to put up a fight, but it became quickly apparent that all of her struggling was of no use. Her assailant rolled her over on to her back and pinned her arms above her head.
"I win," crooned a husky voice that was nearly as dark as the woods and the night, and tinged with a silky sadistic amusement.
"Because you're an original freak of nature!"
"Don't be a sore loser. You put up a good chase."
Caroline didn't need to have vampire sight. She could hear the smirk in Klaus' voice. Even though she was still panting to catch her breath, Caroline managed to huff with dramatic annoyance, "Oh, get off me!" Her view of the night sky blurred and they were rolling again, only this time when they stopped Caroline was straddling his waist.
"You are right, this is much better," Klaus purred agreeably as his hands slid up her jean-clad thighs.
Caroline shoved his hands away. "How did you find me?" she demanded, glaring down at him with accusing eyes.
Klaus gently wrapped his fingers around her right wrist and turned it over so that her palm was face up to her. "You can't hide blood from a werewolf, love."
He felt Caroline's entire body sag in defeat as she stared at the near invisible smudge of blood on her pale flesh. The look of utter frustration on her face made him melt a little on the inside and changed his smirk of victory into a smile of adoration.
"That stupid branch!" she shouted and glowered at the trees around them.
The sensation of gentle lips on the palm of her hand brought her attention back to the elder vampire beneath her. That one small gesture flooded her body with heat that was fanned by the giant butterflies that popped up in her stomach. She tried to fight back the smile that was spreading across her own lips, not wanting him to think she could be swayed so easily.
"You know, you're going to have to let me win one of these times."
"Not if you continue with that hair-pulling bit." His hands were sliding up her legs again. Only this time she didn't push them away and they continued onward until they were tracing the waistband of her pants. "That was such a girl move."
It was no longer possible for Caroline to hide her amusement. Her blue eyes rolled as her melodic laughter sounded through the trees. "You're such a baby," she teased him, mocking him. And Caroline leaned down to press her lips to his, distracting him with a kiss, so that for once, he couldn't have the last word.