A jumble of images flooded Mallory's mind.
Usually she could block them out but this ... this was too intense! Energy flowed from Klaus, giving her the perfect high — better than booze, better than drugs, better than sex. Well, better than average sex.
Adrenaline flooded her bloodstream, heightening all senses. Power, anger, loyalty. Niklaus Mikaelson was such a potent mix. The hunger grew fast, too intense for one taste. Addictive. That thought alone sobered her. It was a mistake.
Stop! Stop now or you won't be able to stop at all. She pulled away gasping, and finally, the spell broke. Her chest heaved as she tried to steady her breathing.
"Wow ..."
The energy she'd pulled from Klaus had her all amped up, sending a tingling sensation along her skin. It felt like static electricity, like walking into an electrical cobweb, like... she looked down at her arms — glowing traceries of veins mapped the inside of her skin. Wait a minute ... the realization hit her like a slap in the face.
Glowing veins?!
"Oh no! No, no, NO!" Mallory mumbled repeatedly, scurrying off the bed.
She slammed the door opened and wheeled out of the room, running as if the very demons of hell were chasing her. Panting, she halted in front of a large mirror and took off her tank-top.
"HOLY SHIT!" she yelled out and whipped around to inspect the skin on her back too. "You have got to be kidding me!"
Every single artery, vein and blood vessel in her body was glowing bright blue. She was lit up like a bloody Christmas tree!
Klaus fell back on the mattress with a husky sigh. A strange feeling of harmony overwhelmed him, clouding his mind.
Mallory...
A surge of love, an urge to hold her followed.
Beautiful Mallory ...
Mal.
A few seconds passed. Where was she? He opened his eyes ... why did he feel so weak all of a sudden? Almost like... little by little, the fog in his mind began to clear. He blinked several times, then his eyes widened in astonishment. That bloody witch!
The urge to hold her near was swiftly replaced by a fervent desire to choke the life out of her. He got up furiously and went after her.
Heavy footsteps thudded down the stairs and Mallory turned her head in that direction. A massively pissed off hybrid was coming at her, teeth bared and gold eyes showing.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa buddy! Wait—" she brought her arms up defensively, but Klaus was having none of it. He bulled forward and was by her side in a flash.
"Hey, don't touch me— "
"Don't touch you?!" his hand closed around her throat, "I'm gonna kill you, you bloody witch! What did you do to me?"
Klaus' fingers squeezed tighter, cutting off her breath. She gasped for air and desperately hit at his chest. Pointlessly. It only made him lift her from the ground - by the throat. Son-of-a-bitch! Pain kicked in and with it, some innate dormant power.
"Let. Me. Go!" she hissed, feeling a fire course through her veins. Not only energy — white hot fire! A special strength, laced within each of her molecules, rendering her ... unbreakable. Pain flashed again, through her hands, and she shoved him hard in the chest.
When Klaus registered what had happened, he was already flying through the air. She'd pushed him hard, launching him across the room and through a closed door on the opposite side. But the funny thing was ... mere seconds before she'd done it, he'd seen her eyes gleam in a molten-gold color. That couldn't be!
He got up and shook his head to clear his vision. His chest hurt like hell and when he looked down he couldn't believe his eyes. Deep bleeding marks of claws were running across it. Claws?!
That's when Mallory screamed.
She was staring, terrified, at her bleeding hands. Six-inch claws extended from each tip of her bloodied fingers. Long, pointy and sharp. Worthy of the perfect predator.
"What the fuck ?" she cried out, "— no, this can't be real. This is a dream! A bad dream. Just wake up, Mal... wake up!"
Her voice was thick with confusion and she shook her head, panic-struck. It wasn't an act — Klaus could hear it in the erratic heartbeat. She truly was terrified. And that fear seemed to generate an electricity field around her. One that was pulsing and growing, dangerously. A crackling sound ripped through the air and sparks of light began to shimmer.
It felt like lightning was about strike.
Elijah and Ruth arrived just in time to see Mallory's figure engulfed by a glowing sphere of energy. It shielded her, pulsing like a spectral heartbeat. It was growing in intensity, as if it were about to explode.
"Mallory!" Ruth shouted and slowly started toward her cousin. She could see her properly now: yellow eyes and... claws?! Great. Just great, Mal! You just had to snack on the Hybrid-cake!
"It's all right, Mal" she said, trying to keep her attention. "Look at me," the brunette's eyes flickered back and forth, "we can fix this ... you can control it... just... steady your heart, Mal."
The energy came out in waves, and, as she got closer, Ruth's skin began to bruise. It was only through great effort and concentration, that she managed to come close enough to touch Mallory's forehead.
"Sleep!" she commanded, and Mallory collapsed. In a flash, Elijah was by their side.
"Are you all right?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
"No!" Ruth kneeled down to stroke Mallory's head. "What happened here?" she looked up to Klaus, "What did you?"
"What did I do?! She's the one that attacked me!"
"Why? What were you doing when she attacked you?!" Ruth's eyes flashed as she focused on Klaus.
"Merely showing our best hospitality."
The designee met his smirk with a sneer, making her disapproval obvious.
"Well, you obviously know how to show a girl a good time!"
Deciding that it would be best to put a tight lid on his temper, at least until he got some answers, Klaus kneeled down too and picked up the unconscious girl, sliding one hand around her back and the other under her knees.
~~ooOoo~~
Later, while Elijah and Ruth were in the library, Klaus sneaked into the chamber where Mallory slept. Soundlessly, he approached the sleeping figure, his eyes carefully appraising. The claws were gone, leaving half healed marks as testimony. He cocked his head to the side and reached over to brush a strand of hair away from her face. She looked ... normal. Peaceful. Beautiful. He smiled at the irony.
Beauty was an outer shell. Beneath it lurked something else. Old and primal. Something feral. Never, in his unnatural long life, had he experienced something similar.
He was beginning to understand her. He knew his own nature, recognized it when he came face-to-face with it. A vicious beast that struck out hungrily, uncontrollable. Still, he needed more answers. He needed to know what made her tick, what made her whatever she was. So he waited silently in the shadows.
Some time later, the girl stirred on the couch.
"Ugh," she murmured, propping herself up on an elbow. "Oh boy..." Mallory buried her face in the palm of her hand. "Damn sleeping spells!" Each movement sent sharp shards of pain into her head. "I need..." she swallowed hard, " ... oh, I need an whiskey. With a side of vodka!"
Klaus set his own glass on the side table and got up. "Day drinking like a genuine role model, aren't we?" There was a glint of sarcasm in his tone and Mallory's mouth twitched up.
"Is my super-special-power! Now hooch me, alpha-dog! My head is pounding harder than a sailor on shore leave!"
Klaus' eyebrows inched up slowly— compared to her, sailors were a paragon of class. Stopping in front of the couch, he crossed his arms and gave a long, incredulous look.
"What?" Mallory asked with disdain, "No hooch?!" her eyes widened over-dramatically, "Damn it Mikaelson, you really are a monster!" Sighing deeply, she dropped her throbbing head into her hands.
"Or —" she added sheepishly, than looked up at him from under her eyebrows, "—you're still pissed off for getting home-schooled in: 'Being the snack 101'."
Klaus looked her dead in the eye and by the way he held eye contact Mallory knew she'd hit a nerve. Good! The guy was way too much of a control freak.
"Bravery," he said "—is an attractive trait in a woman." Once he was sure he had her undivided attention, he continued "Stupidity is not!"
"Oh, for the love of…" Mallory sprang up exasperated, "I'm sorry! OK?! I didn't mean to do... that... I just," she paused, fiddling with her fingers for a moment, than looked up, "You know what, Mikaelson?" she flashed a smile before continuing, "For an immortal, you take things far too seriously!"
"Is that so? Well, since you're so versed in the matter, would you care to elaborate the affirmation?" Klaus was visibly trying to restrain himself.
"When you're indestructible -as you so often claim to be- nothing is really a threat. Therefore, nothing needs to be taken this seriously."
For a second the ghost of a smile, bitter and sweet, passed over his face. There was some truth in her words. Truth and folly. The recklessness of a mortal. The recklessness of youth. Far too emotional and impulsive for a conspirator.
"That," he said softly, reaching for her face, "would be a beautiful lie to believe."
His hand slid over Mallory's cheek, one finger anchored behind her ear. None of them spoke. She held his gaze and gripped his hand with her own, in an inexplicably familiar gesture. Wide, dark eyes locked with his, and he couldn't exactly pinpoint the moment when comprehension settled in. Just a whisper of feeling. A sense, nothing more. But he somehow knew, deep in his soul, that she meant him no harm.
"For what is worth," Mallory said softly, "I ... truly am sorry. For earlier I mean, not for sounding like a colossal moron. That's the lack of alcohol!"
And there it was - the closest thing to an apology, he would ever get. He smiled and walked over to the liquor cabinet.
"Ever think you might drink too much, love?" Klaus asked, retrieving a bottle.
"Never!" Mallory answered with a smirk. "With great power comes great ability to drink. You know it's true, Mikaelson!"
It was pointless to suppress the smile; the girl had real spirit. He burst out into laughter. Loud, shoulder- heaving laughter.
"That's very funny, sweetheart. Regardless," he continued, "if you trick me again, I will find a nice, comfy, dungeon to throw you in. Here," he added handing her a shot-glass and a bottle. "Help yourself."