Chapter 2: A Hidden Threat

The upscale restaurant was bustling with activity. Cami enjoyed the first part of the evening when Richard reminisced with her about the fun they had as kids. Then, to Cami's surprise, the conversation turned to how successful he had become with his business dealings and how many properties he had started to acquire and she suddenly found herself bored. It was as if she was talking to a stranger. Grateful for the waiter bringing their food, Cami eagerly plunged into her dinner. She knew she should enjoy this fancy meal while she could. The restaurant he had chosen was way out of her budget. Looking up at Richard, she found herself staring at how he wolfed down his food in a very ungraceful manner, causing her to feel slightly embarrassed. Excusing herself, Cami went into the Ladies' Room to touch up her makeup and be alone for a moment. Staring into the mirror, she talked to herself quietly, "So he's got bad table manners. And he's boring. But, he's good looking and he's rich. What's not to like?" She stepped out into the hallway and felt her heart drop into her stomach as Klaus stood in front of her, wearing a very nice black suit and tie. He leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, looking devastatingly handsome.

"What's not to like, indeed." He gave her a hint of a smile. "Good evening, Camille."

Her mouth failed to move as quickly as she wanted it to. She finally found her words, replying as casually as possible. "Good evening, Klaus."

"I must speak with you."

"Well, now is not a good time. I am on a date this evening with Richard."

"A woman of your caliber deserves far better than a petite bouquet of flowers and an outdated limousine."

She studied him, then started to become angry. "You've been spying on me, haven't you? Oh, that's just perfect! You ignore me for two weeks and the moment I start to live my life again, you need me for something! What is it this time? You need me to protect Hope from a deranged uncle, perhaps? What is it, Klaus?"

He stared into her blazing eyes. The harshness of her words didn't phase him. "I'm here to protect you."

"What are you talking about? Why?"

"Because you are important to me," he stated simply. He stepped closer to her. "I came here to tell you that. I also must tell you that I have never seen you look more beautiful than you do right now." He reached out and caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes at his touch, giving Klaus a sense of satisfaction. He knew at that moment that she did care what he thought of her.

Cami opened her eyes, a smile beginning to emerge across her lips. Her heart began to pound as she realized that this was Klaus confessing his feelings for her – something she thought would never happen. She said softly, "Is this your way of trying to tell me how you feel about me?"

Klaus smiled at her, then released her cheek and held her hand in his. "I cannot deny that we have a connection. I thought of nothing else but you these past two weeks. That is when I realized that you are just as important to me as my own daughter. You are someone that I would fight all the demons of hell for. That is why I need you to trust me, as you always have, Cami. Richard is wearing the symbol of the Green Serpent Guild. It is an ancient coven of witches that I came across a long, long time ago. If he is in league with them, he is not to be trusted."

It took a moment for her to absorb the words he just spoke to her. That was the most honesty he had ever shown about his feelings, which satisfied her as a therapist and as a friend, but as a woman who recently discovered that her feelings for him were becoming more romantic in nature, she was slightly disappointed. Shifting her focus to the subject at hand, she looked around the corner and spotted Richard, who was busy eating his meal, occasionally checking his watch. Turning back to Klaus, she let go of his hand and responded, "I'm going to continue my date now. Thank you for your warning and I will try to find out what is going on, but I need to do this my way. Will you trust me to handle this on my own?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, "Yes. I will not be far, in case you need me."

Cami waved her finger at him. "No more spying on me. You need to let me continue my evening with Richard in peace. Do you understand?"

"Camille..." He suddenly lost his words.

"What?" She replied, a little more harshly than she intended. Cami braced herself, expecting Klaus to put up a fight and demand to do things his way. Surprisingly, he remained silent and did not retort.

Klaus wanted to tell her that seeing her with what he perceived to be a dangerous man was unbearable for him, but he didn't want to anger her any further or be accused of being too controlling. He reminded himself that her perception of him meant a great deal to him. Instead, he stepped closer to her again, closing the space between them. Leaning in, he inhaled the intoxicating scent of her perfume as he kissed her softly on the cheek. He then slowly moved his lips next to her ear and whispered, "Have a good evening, Camille." A rush of wind signaled his exit and he was gone.

Swallowing back the lump in her throat, Cami steeled herself and walked back to Richard, as confidently as she could. He grinned when he saw her sit down at the table.

"I was about to send out a search party. Are you alright?"

Smiling, Cami replied, "Sorry…there was a long line." She grabbed her glass of champagne and guzzled it down. She helped herself to the bottle that sat on her table in a bucket of ice and poured another. Richard watched in astonishment.

"You like to drink," he stated, with a hint of displeasure.

"I know what you're thinking, but I promise you, I got it under control." She guzzled it down, and poured herself yet another glass. As she started to lift it to her lips, Richard extended his arm and stopped her from continuing by grabbing her wrist.

"Cami, before you get totally sloshed, I need to discuss something rather important with you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Your uncle left you some valuables when he died. There's one particular piece I want to buy from you."

Cami's eyes grew wide. She knew what he had to be referring to. Feigning ignorance, she replied, "Richard, my uncle was a priest. He was not wealthy by any means. He left me a couple of family heirlooms…that's it."

"I know there's a key. Where is it?"

She was starting to get pissed. "Hey! Back off! You are being a total jerk!" She started to stand, but her knees buckled and she found herself seated once again, the room beginning to spin.

"I'm sorry I had to do this, Cami, but you are going to give me what I need."

Trying hard to stay conscious, she grabbed her purse, but he began tugging it away from her. "Klaus…" she managed to say before everything turned dark.

Klaus walked along the alley next to the restaurant, mulling over his options. He knew that Richard was plotting something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He would have preferred to take Richard aside and compel the information out of him, but he promised Cami that he would let her handle it. Their relationship, whatever it was, was based on trust, which was still very difficult for Klaus when his natural inclination was to act without hesitation. Hearing his name fall from Cami's lips stopped him in his tracks. He held back for a moment, listening carefully for any signs that she might need his help. She was unusually silent, which worried him. As promised, he had not spied on them, against his better judgement. He knew something was wrong. He rushed back inside and saw Richard running down the hallway with her purse. Grabbing him by the neck, he slammed him against the wall, causing him to drop the purse. "What did you do to her?" He demanded, furious and deadly.

"Just a short-acting drug…it'll wear off. I promise!" Richard was stuttering, obviously afraid.

"Who sent you?"

"Madame Regina. She sent me to get the object from her."

"What object?"

"Here." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a drawing, handing it over with a shaky hand.

Klaus grabbed it and put it in his own pocket. "Now, give me your bracelet."

"No, I need this to get back in to see her!"

"I know Madame Regina personally. I can assure you that you will not want to see her once she has received word you failed your mission. Now, I can spare you her wrath and just kill you now, or I can let you go so the Madame can have her fun hunting you down."

"I don't want to die," he pleaded.

"Well, you're dead either way, I'm afraid. So, let me do you this favor, out of respect for Cami." He bit him, drank his blood, and then snapped his neck. Looking around, he found the maître d and compelled him to forget what he saw. It seemed that there were no other witnesses, so he quickly grabbed the bracelet and put Richard back in his limo and informed the driver to take him back to Madame Regina, with his compliments. He then went back to check on Cami, who was still passed out. As he sat down next to her, he placed her purse back on her lap, then opened the drawing that Richard had of the object in question. It was circular, with many components that looked like a cross between a watch and a compass. Across the top of the page was a single word: Ascendant. Klaus realized that he had a lot of research to do. If this object was what he thought it was, then there would be others coming for it. Scooping up his companion, Klaus whispered to her, "Come on, Sweetheart. It's time to take you home."