New amazing cover by the wonderfully talented shadowscraving or spicingreallife on Tumblr.
Forever in love with you for doing this out of love for the story :D
Caroline stared at the weapon in his hand in disbelief, she wasn't sure why his words left her so surprised. "I kind of assumed that your big ego came from the fact that nothing could hurt you." she whispered moving her finger to poke the stake.
"I am invincible." he was resolute.
She left her pointy finger on the stake and raised her eyelashes towards him. "You just said that this could kill you."
"Indeed this particular stake could turn my family and myself to ashes but I am the one holding it now and it's not bloody likely that I will briskly allow someone else to drive it into my heart."
Caroline chuckled and pressed his hard chest with her hand. "What heart? There is nothing there."
He folded the cloth around the stake with a smile and kept it in his jacket. "I'm not taking any chances, who knows… I might grow a heart all of a sudden."
She closed the locker keeping the key to herself and looked at him with a doubt. "How did Emily get her hands on that weapon?"
"Silas was in my head before I had my protection mark and he found the names in the coven that I gathered to create the stake. He started tracking them down for information and I started killing them before he got an opportunity to interview them, at the end of our small marathon he beat me to the last one and she told him about the stake."
Caroline stopped by the car thinking about this. "Why would you take part in creating something that didn't exist before and that now can kill you?"
"I had a father to reduce to ashes and the occasional sibling that I want to kill, depending on my mood."
She followed him inside of the car with a look. "So you had a special stake for when they steal your cookies?"
"I'm half werewolf, call it a turf issue." he started the car.
"No wonder the witches don't want you around, they are almost extinct because of a radical moody hybrid."
Klaus shamelessly opened his hand over the wheel.
She tucked a few wayward hairs from her braid behind her ear. "Can I touch it again?" she asked him expectant.
Klaus slowly faced her with a really cheeky smile.
She snapped once she realized his dirty intentions. "Forget it." she looked out her window focusing on the beautiful city instead, when they stopped in front of a bank she turned to Klaus. "Will the stake be safe in here?"
Klaus held the door for her. "I could always take it back to the house and keep it hidden among your searing underwear."
"What's wrong with that plan?" she easily asked him.
He rested his hand on top of his car inching closer to her. "It's not wise to have such a powerful weapon around the next time that you lose it."
"There won't be a next time." she tilted her head and walked to bank.
Klaus chuckled closing the door of the car in a good mood and he entered the bank with a smile.
"Klaus!" A sexy young lady greeted him as she made way to meet him at the entrance hall.
"Sydney..." he pulled a low hum from the woman with his accent dangerously combined with a smile.
She took his arm without hesitation. "What you requested has been arranged for." She whispered.
"I expected no less sweetheart."
She leaned her curvy body against his arm. "It's always a pleasure to make you happy and you know that."
Caroline watched them silently and tried to understand what kind of connection they had, Klaus was charming and the woman was taking advantage that he was at her reach, she touched Klaus' chest while she laughed and Caroline frowned with the image, such liberties that this Sydney girl was taking with him.
After a few more trifling exchanges between the couple Caroline had enough and decided to leave the duo to their little nagging game, she took a seat on one of the comfortable chairs and started fondling over a few pamphlets, she looked up from the uninteresting paper to spot Klaus and the woman headed to the area where the safe deposit boxes were located.
She picked a few more pamphlets while waiting for Klaus to return and one in particular caught her attention, so much that she was thoroughly absorbed in it that she missed the exact moment when he sat next to her.
"I'm ready to leave and a tad weightless." He yanked the pamphlet from her hand.
"All done?" she asked him looking for the woman who thankfully didn't return.
"Sydney is a witch, she performed a spell that will keep that stake safe and I will be the only one able to open that safe, with my blood." he easily let her in on the details.
It made Caroline smile and she grabbed the paper back to her. "Where to now?"
"University, apparently." he leaned back on the chair checking her with curious eyes, what an unpredictable little thing that she was.
Caroline slumped back on her chair with a loud sigh. "I'm considering it… I did have a college attempt before you snatched me so maybe I could go back to it." she waved the pamphlet about possible college loans that the bank offered.
"New Orleans has a good academic offer." he said with a smile and stood up to leave.
Caroline folded the paper and took it with her. "Not that I don't find the James Bond life thrilling and fulfilling enough." she teased him on their way back to the car.
"I could always find another cooperant hostage." he said without looking at her and while dialing Marcel's number.
Caroline was not a bit amused, she was even surprised with how much she disliked the snarky comment.
Marcel took the phone from his jacket pocket. "Klaus."
"What's our Sophie up to?"
Marcel looked at the building in the other side of the street. "She has been getting a lot of visits today, I've recognized a few witches already so my guess is that she is gearing up for something big."
"Busy little annoying witch but I saw it coming."
"Do you want me to shake things up?" Marcel asked looking at the building again as another known witch made way inside.
"That's all right, let them be. While they are busy conspiring against me it gives me enough time to tie some loose ends."
Marcel tossed the phone to the passenger side, cryptic Klaus as always.
Silas drove around town trying to find a way to get through Bonnie's shield, she wouldn't let him inside of her mind and he couldn't tell if she was doing it consciously. Of course that the ongoing conversation about shoes with Rebekah was keeping her focused on that rather than on the strange key that she mentioned earlier.
The two girls laughed at some comment that Rebekah made and he finally hit his limit, he parked the car in front of a coffee shop. "Since Niklaus doesn't want to be found, we should give it a pause and have some coffee." He suggested.
The girls left the car at ease with the new situation, they were more interested discussing the new red shoes that Rebekah was wearing and while holding the door for them he thought of a way to get Bonnie alone.
Caroline looked at the sign shoved in the front lawn and then at Klaus. "Are we buying a house?"
He put his keys away with a smile. "Do you want a house?"
She hesitated. "I like Marcel's."
"Me too." he replied but already charming his way to the woman stepping outside of the house.
"Are you here to check on the house?"
"Yes, I was just driving by and saw the sign…" Klaus softly said.
The middle-aged woman graciously smiled. "That's nice but you need to make an appointment for open house day." she fixed the sign by burying it deeper into the dirt.
Caroline made a very loud and upsetting sound. "But I really wanted to see the house Nik…"
He somberly put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry cupcake, I'll try to find the time between work."
"But you start shooting the new movie soon and then I will be stuck inside of that awful hotel with the baby."
Klaus gave her a look and contained his laughter. "I'll call my agent and maybe he can find us another house to your likings."
"I like that one." she pouted adorably.
The woman looked away from the sign and to the expensive car, then at the expensive clothes that they were wearing. "It wouldn't be that much trouble to make an exception, since you are already here..."
Klaus and Caroline gave her a perfect synchronized smile.
Bonnie excused herself to go to the bathroom and left the table surprised of how easily her conversation with Rebekah was flowing, she headed towards the little private hall when Elijah called for her.
She looked back at him. "Yes?"
"I was just hoping to have a quiet word with you."
Again Bonnie didn't feel comfortable, unlike when she first woke him up Elijah now had the strangest energy around him, like everything was still about him. "What about?"
"I'm concerned for your friend Caroline… she has been spending too much time with my brother and I'm afraid Niklaus is only using her for the obvious reasons that bring shame to me as a man myself."
Bonnie was troubled by his words. "I… don't think that their thing is like that."
"What other reason would a man like Niklaus have to spend time with her? I mean, she is beautiful but very far from my brother's type. He enjoys the highly educated women."
Bonnie gritted her teeth upset. "My friend is the most honest, sweet and fun person I have ever met."
"All high qualities but not what our family is accustomed to. I truly think you should convince her to leave before she gets her hopes high and her heart shattered." he said smiling because he took her off guard and her mind was racing in fear which lowered all of her walls to him.
"I will talk to her." she said slowly accepting that he might be right.
"Perhaps as soon as she returns from this key hunt of theirs?" he dropped the word hoping that she would go find the link inside of her mind but instead she simply turned around and left.
All that he caught were a few loose words that he couldn't use, Silas was all but happy, it had to be a spell of some sorts keeping her mind blocked to him or maybe the medallion around her neck.
He needed a new plan to get Bonnie vulnerable enough to open her mind completely to him.
"I will go for coffee, lock up when you finish." the woman left compelled closing the door behind her.
"It would be a lot easier to simply compel her from the start." Caroline stated the obvious standing in the middle of the empty house.
"I'm aware." Klaus took a piece of paper and a knife from his jacket.
"But where would the fun be in that?" she winked at him with her index pointed at him.
Klaus tried to situate himself inside of the house, he couldn't remember the exact spot he needed to drop his blood.
"Why are we here?" Caroline asked coming closer to see what he was holding. "Is that from that black book?" she only made out strange words scribbled on the paper.
"Yes." he simply said and took her shoulders guiding her to the left, he looked behind him and then at her.
She made a silly annoyed face when he moved her further to the left. "Why are you carrying a copy of it instead of the actual book?"
"Because I've hidden the real book in a safe place." he looked around knowing that something was not right.
"Can I move?" Caroline asked raising her hands when he left the room.
"Stay." he ordered from another division.
She rolled her eyes.
Klaus came back carrying a chair that he placed next to Caroline.
"I know that you hate questions but what are you doing?" she asked when he tilted her head.
"Reenactment." he answered thoughtful.
"You need to work on your role-play techniques because this sucks." she said when he took the chair away again.
"I killed that witch who provided the blood for my mark inside of this room, she was a Voodoo witch and those tend to linger around in spirit. It so happens that I need her raw angry energy awaken." he said remembering now that she had been facing the window, he turned Caroline around and laced an arm around her neck.
"Not to question your infinite wisdom but do we really want to wake a poltergeist that practices Voodoo?"
"It will be like a safe house to trap someone else inside."
"Someone like Silas." she grimaced. "My head is hurting in anticipation."
"Not to worry love, I know what I'm doing."
Caroline sighed against his chest loosening his tight grip around her. "So you need to reenact her death?"
"I need to remember the exact spot I carved her heart out and then leave my blood where I shed hers, that will surely enrage her." he whispered against her ear and glued to her back.
"Are you sure you didn't have fun with her before you killed her?" Caroline had a small peek at him.
Klaus smiled moving his free hand and rested the tip of a blade over her heart. "I always have fun sweetheart."
"Please tell me that she at least put up a good fight?" she looked down on the knife wondering if he was going to push it further.
"Actually she did…" Klaus recalled and turned her around. "She gave me a headache and we fought for the blade."
Caroline grinned. "Can't do much about the magic part but…" she tried to get the knife away from him.
Klaus easily took her hand twisting her wrist painfully.
"Ouch… ouch…" she complained as he bent her arm next to the point of almost breaking it.
"What was that?" he asked appalled.
"Me… trying to help you." she tried to fight him for freedom but the more she struggled the more it all hurt. "You are hurting me…" she finally said close to tears.
Klaus released her immediately. "Tell me that you are capable of fighting better than that." he was shocked with the pathetic attempt to take the knife from his hand.
"I can manage." she slowly said aware that she was better at sneaking her way out of things than fighting.
"Have you not said that your father was a hunter?"
"I don't know what your parents did for fun but bonding with my father involved ice-cream… before he decided that I was no longer daughter material." she rubbed her wrist.
"My parents couldn't decide what education method was more effective, the whip or my father's bare fists." he said without looking at Caroline. "So I decided to do something about it."
She caught his blue eyes that seemed green today and a glimpse of overwhelming pain in them that she wasn't expecting.
"Never take your eyes away from the blade." he quickly shielded back up and waved the weapon in his hand.
Caroline nodded and took the knife as he handed it to her, she grabbed it and tried to attack him but he easily took it back with no resistance from her. "All I caught was your big hand taking it away." she grumbled upset.
He gave her the knife back nesting it on her palm. "Because you were looking at my attractive hand instead of the blade."
She gripped it again and moved, this time she caught the way that he sneaked his hand between the little space that she left free between her fingers and the cutting blade. "I saw that!" she gasped.
"Good, now learn how to handle a knife properly." He prepared to take the knife again.
She narrowed her eyes with determination and managed to keep it until he twisted her wrist like before.
"And to guess what your opponent will do next." he said and quickly took her neck pinning her against his chest. "Now I have the blade and your neck at my mercy to snap, how will you get out of this one?"
"Slam my head against your chin, kick you where it hurts or flirt my way out of your hold?" she asked unsure which one to use but eager to learn.
"On some scenarios, all the above love." he said already dodging her head with a smirk.
She was still trapped in his hold after a weak attempt to break free. "Obviously this is not a good scenario." she said upset.
Klaus rested the blade against her chest like before. "I'm stronger than you are and the only times that you have managed to surpass me so far happened when I was distracted..." he moved his unshaven face along her neck knowing that she would react to that. "It's just like Tango Caroline, so distract me."
She smiled, a dance of seduction she could do easily, Caroline melted against his body and her hand over his arm became soft as silk, the other found his leg and she moved it sinfully. "I do like a good dance." she said in a soft purr.
"It's only a question of knowing your dance partner." he kept his husky voice.
"Who likes to lead and who likes to be led." she moved her nails across the arm that held her neck and moved her body pressing herself further against him, Klaus' hot breath made it hard to focus but she wasn't leaving him indifferent either as she kept her other hand on his leg stroking it close to very sensitive areas. "How distracted are you Nik?"
He watched the woman all but melting under his touch and missed the swift move she made. "I am distracted." he admitted because she just stole the knife from his hand, waving it at him happily after her deed.
"What now?" she looked back at him.
"Stick the blade in my leg and then twist it to avoid letting the wound close, slam your head against my nose and kick me where it hurts." he smiled.
Caroline giggled. "Do you need a demonstration Master?"
"I trust your quick learning." he released her.
She shrugged anyway and flashed to Klaus, he grabbed her wrist but she was fast and dropped the knife catching it with her other hand and by the time he tried to lace his arm around her she already had the blade scratching his Denim and his big body parts that she was acquainted with.
He looked down and smirked. "Not bad hostage."
She was happy and squealed at him because of that glee.
"Never let your guard down." he whooshed shoving her against the wall, he had a hand on her throat and an evil smile on his lips.
She smiled as well because the tip of the blade was now cold under his chin. "Thank you for the lesson." she whispered.
Klaus moved an inch closer to her and the blade scratched his skin. "Suddenly I find teaching arousing."
"Teacher-student fetich?" She lowered the knife.
His breath became hotter against her face and his stare enticing. "Depends entirely on the student."
She batted her eyelashes once, moving her eyes like she was taking the offer, after all he was a thousand years old and with a lot to teach.
Without her resistance Klaus took the knife from her hand and dropped it, they were kissing each other before it hit the ground.
Kol was serving himself a long drink when he heard someone coming in only to exit the room in the next second, when the same set of heels came back and closed the door he looked in that direction.
She was not saying anything so he took his drink waiting for something else besides the deeply conflicted look that she was giving him but Bonnie turned around and left the room as she had arrived.
He raised his glass to her. "It was a pleasure talking to you darling, come back soon."
Bonnie walked down the hallway trying to organize her thoughts, she couldn't just go around accusing people like that and she wasn't even sure what it was that she suspected.
Elijah had a strange vibe about him but that was not a valid reason to go around talking about it.
She met Caroline on the way downstairs and decided to focus on that matter at hands. "We need to talk."
Caroline lost her smile. "With alcohol." she took a bottle of champagne from the kitchen and also a few strawberries.
They sat down at the huge sofa in the living room and Caroline waited for her friend to start, she seemed tormented by something that she needed to get out of her chest.
"I'm worried about you and Klaus, I don't understand how you can be so close to him all of a sudden."
Caroline chewed on her strawberry very slowly. "I just help him with some stuff."
"He could just be taking advantage of you Caroline, I mean, you just met him and already you're sleeping with him every night. I'm not judging you Care but I'm worried that he could be using you." Bonnie was sweet, she really tried not to hurt her feelings.
Caroline wrinkled her lips a bit. "It's not like that, he's not using me because I took the first step."
"You shouldn't be here Caroline… when he gave you a way out you should have left. At least one of us should be very far away from this family."
"I'm not going anywhere without you." She smiled with all the sweetness in the world.
"What if he hurts you just to punish me if I fail? He already abducted you once to force me to help him."
Caroline chose another strawberry to eat. "He won't hurt me and you won't fail."
"You sound so sure." Bonnie held the bottle to have a big taste of it.
"I matter Bonnie, for the first time in my life I am useful and someone cares for me... in a very twisted Klaus' way I sort of matter to him and he teaches me stuff and he shows me exciting things and we get to do all these crazy plays."
"I'm speechless." Bonnie mumbled stunned.
"I know that it sounds strange but I feel safe with him. And I like the insane stunts that we pull off together." She pulled her shoulders together with a cautious look at Bonnie. "I feel really guilty and dirty when it's over but I also like the sex…"
Bonnie kept her eyes on the bottle.
"Are you ok?" Caroline asked in a low voice.
"Yeah..." Bonnie shrugged. "It sounds like you're developing a major sympathy for a known sociopath and I've been here for a week but he hasn't locked me up in the basement and the only time that Klaus really threatened me was when you were missing."
Caroline twiddled her fingers. "When all this is over, I'm going to stay here in New Orleans Bonnie."
The witch hastily stopped drinking.
Caroline carried on. "I'm also thinking about going back to college."
Bonnie was all out of words.
"I miss college." Rebekah joined the conversation without asking for permission.
The other two girls looked at her and she leaned over taking the bottle from Bonnie without giving away how much she actually eavesdropped. "We could go to college all together."
"Just like that?" Bonnie asked.
"Does anyone have anything better to do?" she had a big sip of the beverage.
"We could transfer here Bon." Caroline said excited.
"We could car pull and share homework tips like regular friends." Rebekah grinned, the others weirdly looked at her but she ignored them. "I could arrange for the car and drive us, I could also tell you what really happened during the Plague and we could pretend to be friends."
"It will be like an adventure." Caroline allured Bonnie.
"I'm spiritless in this town but I don't want to leave my brothers and the only remotely interesting thing to do around here is Marcel but that would push Nik to kill him so I need the distraction."
"No eating around Campus, I want to enjoy this as a human." Caroline warned the other blonde.
"Is that what you tell Nik when you are all alone with him playing X Marks the spot?"
Bonnie laughed under the scold of Caroline. "Sorry..." she quickly apologized.
"No feeding on humans." Caroline insisted.
Rebekah brushed her long hair with her fingers. "Whatever fills your cup of tea."
Caroline clapped happy. "This will be fun, it will be just us girls getting an education."
Rebekah truly liked the other girl's enthusiasm.
"Do I even have a choice in this?" Bonnie asked reaching out for the bottle.
"No!" the two blondes said at the same time with a big smile.
Bonnie accepted her sentence by drinking the rest of the bottle alone.
Marcel came out of the car when he saw Klaus walking down the street. "They are still going in and out like it's Christmas."
"If Santa is in town he should pay them a visit." Klaus looked at the building.
Marcel closed his door. "We are on witches' turf, do you think that they still believe in Santa?"
"Let's find out." Klaus smiled amused.
The two girls said goodbye to Sophie with a tight hug.
"Be safe." she cautioned them although she knew that they were safe in this part of town.
The girls rushed down the street, very few people were around at this hour and they crossed the main street to a smaller one without seeing anyone familiar, they were pacing fast but stopped when a tall man cut their way.
The girl with the long hair touched the arm of the other. "Let's go back." she whispered recognizing him.
When they turned around there was another smiling man blocking their only exit.
"Good evening ladies."
They looked back and forth worried.
Marcel came closer to one of them, he touched her hair making her flinch. "I thought that I made it clear that the witches were to lay low and play dead."
"We didn't do anything Marcel."
"She knows you…" Klaus said terribly close to the other.
The girl fearlessly confronted Klaus. "She also knows that you can't kill any witch on this side of the line because that would break the already fragile truce that we have going on."
Klaus was all dimples. "Who mentioned murder?"
Marcel's eyes turned red at the same time that Klaus smiled at the girls with fangs.
Silas smoothed his tie watching the blond girl fascinated with the artist painting on the street, he stopped near her and smiled when she looked to the side feeling his presence. "I think that I have seen you at Marcel's house." he said with a charming voice.
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, he invites me sometimes." she leaned over to whisper. "He wants to turn me into a vampire but don't tell anyone."
Silas laughed softly, enchanting the girl as he wanted. "I see that you enjoy the arts."
"I'm obsessed with any kind of art and I only go to these parties because of my college work... I'm trying to find what triggers the bad gene. What makes someone truly evil and why some are more vulnerable to it than others."
Silas smiled, why use the siblings to sever the one relationship he needed destroyed? Caroline was assisting the hybrid and they had been a constant step ahead of him so it was time to add another player to the mix.
"That's fascinating." He lied with a smile.
"You're Elijah, aren't you?"
"On my good days." He joked. "And I know of someone else in the family who would love to meet you."
Camille smiled curious but also very interested to find out if he looked half as good as Elijah did.
Rebekah moved her head recognizing Klaus' laughter, he and Marcel looked very cheerful as they arrived home and she could only guess what kind of fun they just had together.
Marcel joined her in the terrace where a few of his men gathered, one of them was playing the guitar in a lazy late night rhythm and Marcel wanted to cool down to that jam, he took the beer that Rebekah offered him with a smile and started humming when he picked up on the tune that his vampire was reproducing.
Like everyone else Rebekah was captivated by the song and couldn't take her eyes off him when Marcel started singing.
Klaus could also hear him on his way up, he was going to his bedroom but changed course at the last second and knocked on Caroline's door.
She answered with her hair wet from a shower and stopped him with a finger on his chest before he motioned to come inside. "No sex for you."
"I wasn't looking for another dent in my immaculate ego by having you freak out after another round of glorious sex." he leaned against her threshold.
She did the same against her door and crossed her arms. "You reek of bad doings that didn't include me."
"Marcel was getting jealous." he smiled showing his mischievous dimples.
"Well you should get used taking him along with you because I will be busy with college from now on. And Bonnie is going to be there with me, as well as your sister."
"Stranger things have happened, I suppose." He left the safety of the limits of her room. "Before attending your first class go see Sydney tomorrow morning, she will be waiting for you."
"A mission?" she asked not sure if she wanted him to leave just yet.
He leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. "Goodnight Caroline." he walked away with a smile.
She licked her lips slowly, how she hated these sweet kisses that he gave her and what they could truly hide behind them.
Soundtrack:
Rumble and sway – Jamie N Commons
Goodnight Moon - Shivaree
