Chapter 12
Dance with the devil
"You know sweetheart, we are going to a restaurant, not to a church", Kol said when Selene came out from the bathroom.
She was wearing a long blue dress and a white sweater. Her hair was up in a ponytail.
"I'm sorry", Selene said insecurely. "What do you want me to wear? I don't really have…"
Kol smiled.
"You look lovely. But it seems that we have to get you some new clothes. Maybe something more…sexy."
"Thank you but I like my own clothes", Selene said quickly.
"Oh, come on darling, you have nothing to be ashamed. You have a beautiful body; trust me I know, I have seen you naked."
Selene blushed.
"I'm sorry", Kol said smirking. "Did I make you uncomfortable?"
Selene didn't say anything. She hadn't even thought about it before but of course he had seen her naked when he had saved her from Roker. He had carried her to her bed when she had been unconscious… That wasn't something she cared to think about. The whole thought made her shiver. Selene really hoped that he wouldn't make her wear same kind of clothes than those two girls. Those girls…
"So…did Nikki and…Mandy leave?" she asked as calmly as she could.
Kol looked amused.
"You mean did they leave alive?"
"No, I…"
Kol apparently enjoyed her discomfort for a moment before he continued.
"Yes, they left alive. I didn't feel like getting rid of their bodies and besides… they did offer me a lot of amusement, as you probably heard."
Kol was grinning devilishly. Selene was blushing even more. Unfortunately she had heard a lot more than she would have wanted.
"Right, shall we go then?" Kol asked and hold out his hand for her. Selene took it, hoping that she could just go back to bed. She really didn't feel like going out, especially with him. Who knew what he was planning. He was completely running this twisted show. Selene didn't like that at all. She hated being just some pawn in his game. Kol seemed to be in a good mood and he talked incessantly when they walked outside and got in to a cab. Selene didn't feel like talking. She just wanted to get this over with.
"What's the matter sweetheart?" Kol asked smiling.
"Nothing, I'm just… not that hungry."
"Well you have to eat darling. We don't want you to starve yourself now, do we?"
Kol leaned so close to her that she felt his lips touching her ear.
"That would be such a shame when I have so many plans for us."
Shivers went down Selene's spine. She wanted to move away from him but she forced herself to hold still. She wasn't going to give him that satisfaction when he obviously enjoyed messing with her. Finally he pulled away smiling kindly. He took her hand and kissed it gently.
"My sweet Selene."
The cab driver probably thought that they were a young couple in love. Anyone else would have thought the same by looking at them. It wasn't easy to see behind Kol's mask. Selene could saw more clearly than she would have wanted. Under all his "manners" and those false-gentle smiles, there was the most terrifying darkness she ever thought existed. She was afraid that if she would look into his eyes for too long, she would be lost in it. That sounded stupid, even in Selene's own ears but she couldn't help it. She was terrified of him. But she couldn't show it. She couldn't show any sign of weakness. He was already toying with her like a cat with a mouse. But the thing was that when the cat got tired of playing, it eventually ate the mouse.
"Selene?"
Selene startled. She hadn't noticed that they had stopped. Kol opened the door and helped her out. They were in front of some fancy restaurant.
"What were you thinking darling?" Kol asked smiling.
"Nothing special", Selene murmured.
They went in and surprisingly got a table without any reservation. Selene wondered how exactly did that mind control thing work. She decided to ask Kol about it. He didn't seem to have any problems talking about it.
"It's very simple; I can make people do what ever I want. Kind of like a puppeteer, except that my puppets are alive. Like Pinocchio."
Kol seemed to be very amused by this thought but Selene didn't really find it funny.
"Ok. Have you ever…used that on me?" she asked although she wasn't sure did she want to hear the answer.
Kol grinned.
"Of course not my darling, I want our thing to be real. And I want you to remember every second of it."
Selene swallowed. Why was it that he managed to make everything sound creepy? Selene looked at the menu but she couldn't even pronounce most of the names of these foods so she let him take care of ordering.
"Would you like to dance?" Kol asked when the waiter had taken their order.
"Oh, I… I really can't dance", Selene murmured.
"Then just follow my lead", Kol said smiling and took her hand.
Selene was very uncomfortable when Kol led her to the dance floor. She felt clumsy and was sure that everyone was staring at her. There were some dressed up musicians playing something composed. Few other couples were also dancing. Selene tried not to step on Kol's toes. She had to admit that he was a good dancer. She was so concentrated on her steps that it took a while before she realized how close to him she actually was. He smiled and leaned even closer. Probably he was doing that just to make her feel more uncomfortable. Selene felt his hand on her back sliding a little lower.
"Isn't this fun?" he whispered in her ear.
"Sure", Selene forced herself to say.
She was grateful when the song was over and they returned to their table. Selene felt that she needed to wash her, probably red, face with cold water so she excused herself and went to a ladies room. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Selene closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She had to stay calm. Part of her wanted just stay here forever. She had to force herself to go back. But before she got to their table, she felt someone touching her shoulder. It was a blond man who was maybe in his thirties. He was smiling at her politely.
"Excuse me miss, may I have this dance?"
Selene was stunned.
"I…"
She looked at their table. Kol wasn't there. The man held out his hand for her. Selene didn't know what to do.
"Ok…" she said mainly because she thought it would be rude to decline.
"I'm Patrick", the man said smiling when he led her to the dance floor.
"Selene."
"That's a lovely name. Are you here with someone Selene?"
"Yes, I'm with my…friend."
It wasn't exactly the word that Selene wanted to use to describe Kol but it was the only one she could think of.
"Oh. A boy friend?"
"No, just a friend."
"Ok. So do you have any plans for later?"
"Yes", Selene said quickly. "I promised my friend to go to…to his place."
"Oh, ok. Listen, this might sound bold but I was wondering…would you maybe like to have a cup of coffee sometimes? I mean, you seem like a nice girl and…"
"Excuse me", someone said.
Selene froze. Kol was standing there smiling charmingly.
"You should come to eat now before your food gets cold."
"Yes, yes…" Selene murmured. "Excuse me", she said to Patrick and walked to their table as fast as she could. Kol pulled out a chair for her like he always did. He was still smiling. Selene had to force herself to look at him.
"I…I'm sorry, I didn't…"
"Oh, don't worry about that darling, let's just eat now."
Kol was very polite during the rest of the dinner. He was smiling the whole time. For some reason that scared Selene.
"Excuse me for a moment darling", he said when they were finishing their dessert.
Something was really wrong. She had upset him. But it was just a dance. And not like they were a couple or anything. Why would he care if she danced with someone? Still Selene had a bad feeling. She forced herself to hold still until Kol came back and paid the bill. He didn't say a word when they took a cab back to the hotel. Selene didn't want to be alone with him but she didn't have a choice. When they got back to their room Selene was sure that he would kill her. Or at least hurt her. She tried not to shake but she was terrified. Kol took a step closer and raised his hand. She thought that he was going to hit her but instead he just touched her cheek.
"My Selene", he said smiling. "There is something you should know about me. I can be quite…possessive sometimes."
Selene nodded.
"I'm sorry, it won't happen again", she murmured.
"Oh, I know it won't. By the way, I ran into that friend of yours, nice guy, very… hearty."
Kol was still smiling when he took something from his pocket. It was wrapped in toilet paper. He opened it like some kind of gift. Selene barely managed to muffle her scream. It was a heart.
