It was the ache in my shoulders that brought me out of my unconscious state and I slowly lifted my head up to look around the room I was in. From what I could tell it was dark, but whether that was because the lights were off or it was dark outside I wasn't sure, so I craned my neck to get a better look. Evidently, this was not a good idea because the effort I put into trying to look behind me forced my body to twist slightly and I moaned painfully as I felt sharp, bladed teeth dig into my wrists. I cast my eyes upwards and realized that I was in the same position that Damon had been in yesterday and once I realized this, the pain became almost unbearable. I could feel the cold metal violating the delicate flesh of my wrist, I could feel it separating the tendons and the muscles and with every fraction of an inch that I moved, I could feel the metal rip through the muscle. Above everything that I could feel, the worst part was that I could hear the metal scrape against the fragile bones of my wrist. Blood trailed down my arms like thin red snakes and I tried to stretch my feet towards the floor with the utmost care in order to relieve some of the strain my body weight put on my destroyed wrists, but to no avail. My legs just weren't long enough to touch the floor. My entire body went slack as I hanged there, my body swaying slightly causing the chains above to creak ominously. Each time my body oscillated from side to side the metal would rip a little more into the flesh, causing me to whimper pitifully and then sink my teeth into my lip to keep from crying out. On one occasion I bit down too hard and drew blood, coating my mouth with red while the tears slipped one by one down my cheeks.

There was no way for me to tell how long I've been hanging in this room, it could have been hours, days even. A curious thought about what my friends were doing right now flitted across my mind and I forced them away. Surely if I had been here for days, they would be looking for me… right? I cleared my mind of all the clutter and tried to focus on the bear traps that were imbedded into my wrists and how I wanted them to spring open so I could escape, but I was so scared that I couldn't focus. The pain was too much for me to ignore and I swallowed hard through a sticky mouth, my breath coming out in rasps. It was then that I heard ominous footsteps creep closer to the room and my fingers brushed against the chains, desperate to hold onto something for stability. I listened as the lock of the door jiggled slightly, and then clicked open before the door was slowly pushed open to reveal a sliver of light that grew longer and wider as the door opened further. The sudden brightness burned my eyes and I jerked my head to the side to escape the assault but the sudden movement disturbed the traps at my wrists and I felt an excruciating sensation as the muscle and tendon tissues were shredded further, causing an inhuman groan of pain to burst through my lips. Blood pooled at my wrists and around the metal teeth and then slowly oozed down my arm; at a time, the warmth of blood would provide a comfort to me but, seeing as it was my own blood, it proved to be very unpleasant.

I heard the door shut again and then a light was turned on, basking the room in a white glow. The contrast was surely something else when taking in the white and gold walls, the elegant wood trim and furniture, as well as the cool marble floors, but when all of this grandeur was wrapped up with a plastic sheet covered in splotches of sticky redness and tied up all nice and neat with bear traps attached to macabre black chains, we've got ourselves a party. Begrudgingly, I peeled my eyes open and stared at the ground. Slowly, someone's shoes stepped into my view and I took note of how expensive they looked. I felt someone place their fingers under my chin and they lifted my head up so I could look at them. Of course, it was the Devil himself who slid into my line of sight but I couldn't even be bothered to roll my eyes, all I could do was moan weakly which brought a sick smile to his face.

"Glad to see you're awake," Klaus' voice was silky smooth as it caressed my ears and I pursed my lips in agitation, the dried layer of gore cracking uncomfortably.

I coughed dryly after trying to speak and I had to wait until the fit subsided before I opened my mouth again. Klaus waited patiently, like he had all the time in the world, well, actually, he did have all the time in the world. "H-how long… have I been here?" I wheezed and he let go of my chin to take a step back while clasping his hands behind his back in a relaxed pose.

"About twelve hours now," he said pleasantly and I closed my eyes in disbelief. "I snapped your neck a few times before I even put you in those chains, it seems you heal faster than normal vampires – we'll have to play with that."

"Play with that?" I questioned and I watched him walk casually over to a table at the side of the room.

"Seeing as you're awake now," he grinned and picked up a fairly large knife, the blade glittered dangerously and from where I was, I could see how sharp it was. "We can get to the real fun."

My eyes bugged a little and I swallowed fearfully but when he turned back to face me while his fingers fondled the tip of the blade lovingly, I wiped all emotion off of my face. I was not going to let Klaus fucking Mikaelson take pleasure out of my weakness. I watched him steadily as he sauntered over to my hanging form and as he stood before me, I held his gaze with a coldness that could rival his own. I felt the burn of his gaze as it ran down my body and then as it followed the bright red trails down my arms. He looked at me as if appreciating a fine piece of artwork, where my body was the canvas and my wounds and the blood that trailed from them, the paint. In a flash he had ripped open the front of my shirt and it hung from my arms like two rags; the way he stared at me like I was merely a plaything rather than a person made me uncomfortable and I squirmed under his icy gaze.

He began to prowl around me and I felt his lips by my ear when he passed my back, "Do I make you… uncomfortable?" He purred and I shivered unconsciously. He was gone as quickly as he appeared behind me and once again, he faced me with a cool, calculating gaze. Slowly, he lifted the knife and dragged it across my right cheek and blood pooled at the surface. I made no move to acknowledge the sharp pinch of my skin being split; I just continued to stare blankly. In response he dragged the blade across the other cheek, and as the first cut healed, a second was opened. Klaus stepped back when I refused to react again and I caught a flash of frustration but it quickly changed into pleasure.

I was unable to prepare myself for his next assault. Suddenly the tip of the blade was digging into my collarbone and in an agonizingly slow movement, Klaus dragged the blade in a downward curve towards my hipbone. My jaw squared involuntarily and my hands gripped the chains tightly causing the healing gashes on my wrist to violently reopen. A lone tear escaped from the corner of my eye as the layers of pain built on top of one another. Before the slash healed he dragged the blade a second and third time across my abdomen, crisscrossing over the first. I bit down on my lip and the skin broke again and the blood that flooded my mouth caused me to cough harshly as some of it trickled down my throat the wrong way.

"Well aren't you the stubborn one?" He simpered quietly and I lifted my head to spit at his feet. Flecks of blood splattered his shoe and I grinned bitterly.

He looked down at the blood on his shoes and then back at me with a blasé expression. "Of course bleeding you dry of any vervain in your system will take some time – but of all things, time is the only thing I've got an excess of."

My head shot up and I looked at him in horror. No, he couldn't bleed me dry! I shook my head furiously and the movement caused my body to twist from side to side and the bear traps bit further into my flesh.

"Afraid of a little blood, love?" Klaus purred as he dragged the blade across my abdomen again and I let out in involuntary groan, my body quivering as my skin split open like a zipper.

"There is no vervain in my system," I snarled, my eyes smoldering dangerously, "I don't believe in putting myself through more pain than necessary, even if it helps in the long run."

"If that is, indeed, the truth, then why can I not compel you?"

I looked at him in disgust and spit at his feet again and then grinned mockingly, "Having performance issues, Klaus?"

My snarky comment didn't sit well with Klaus as he had his hand wrapped around my throat so suddenly I had no time to suck in a breath. "Kol might tolerate your smart mouth, Miss Knight, but I will not." His gaze challenged mine and I held it stubbornly. "Why can't you be compelled if you're not on vervain."

"Allow me let you in on a little secret, Klaus," I sneered. "I've never been compelled in my life." It was refreshing to watch Klaus Mikaelson show weakness. The confusion was written all over his face and I laughed loudly at how pathetic he looked. "That's right Niklaus," I drawled, my tongue playing with the first part of his name, "I lied. Your intention may have been to compel me to jump in front of that train, one hundred years ago, but it didn't work," I snarled and I watched as the Original Hybrid's face flicker between his three different faces. "I jumped of my own accord."

Klaus stepped back to gaze at me coldly and I tilted my head to the side, challenging him. "If you want answers, Klaus. You're going to have to work a lot harder than you have been." His face twitched and in a flash he was before me again and his arm shot upwards, driving the blade deep into my abdomen. I could feel it pierce though my kidney and I cried out in pain, he then ripped it out again and threw it onto the plastic sheet before stomping out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

After the lock clicked back in place, I began to laugh a true, maniacal laugh.

~O~

It was hours later before Klaus returned. I know this because I counted. When he did return he carried a bucket of what appeared to be water and he set it down near my feet while throwing a sponge onto the surface. He smiled pleasantly at me and I could only imagine what I looked like to him. Nothing but a hot mess with a blood smeared face and tear tracks cutting through the red stains. The places where the blood had dried were beginning to itch as my skin tugged at them and I squirmed uncomfortably, the metal teeth reopening my wounds slightly, eliciting a quiet whimper from me.

"You look a little worse for wear, love," Klaus teased as he stood before me, "Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?"

I stared straight ahead as he bent down to soak the sponge in water. Was he honestly going to give me a sponge bath? How fucking humiliating! I was so caught up in pointedly staring at the entrance into the room that I hadn't noticed the thick, rubber gloves that covered Klaus' hands. It wasn't until he pressed the warm sponge to my cheek that I realized what he was doing.

The water was laced with vervain.

The agony was almost instantaneous and I squeezed my eyes shut against the pain. The water trickled down my body like lava and I clenched the chains with an iron-like grip, my back arching against the harsh sting, but not once did I make a sound. Klaus stood back with a mildly impressed expression before bending again to soak the sponge, this time he didn't bother to wring it out and he pressed it against my chest, releasing a waterfall of agony down my abdomen, and when it soaked into my pants it was like I was being wrapped in fire. I writhed against the metal that bit into my flesh causing the barely healed gashes to rip open again. My lips pressed into a thin line and the chains rattled as I pulled on them. Klaus dragged this out for a long time, I tried to keep count in hopes it would distract me but each time he applied that sponge soaked with vervain to my skin, I forgot everything except the pain, but I was proud of myself for not making a single sound.

Finally, after what felt like hours of him just sponging me off, he stepped back to take a look at his handiwork as he threw the sponge back into the bucket. Water splashed across the floor and over my legs and I jerked roughly to the side causing my body to sway in the air. The weight of my body combined with natural gravity worked against me and I felt the traps grate against my bones. Eventually, I just hung there, my head slumped forward and I was breathing heavily, my entire body shaking uncontrollably.

"You know, Olivia. This could all end if you would just answer a few simple questions of mine," Klaus reasoned as he picked the bucket back up and I glared at him.

"I'm no stranger to pain, Klaus," I hissed and he raised his eyebrows. "I expected more out of the great Klaus Mikaelson, though. You're not living up to your reputation considering you have yet to impress me."

"We aim to please," he purred and walked out of the room again, leaving me suspended, wet, and partially naked. Ugh…

Klaus returned not too long afterwards and stood before me with his hands clasped behind his back. "How do we feel after almost twenty-four hours in my care?" He hummed.

"Rejuvenated," I spat and he chuckled darkly.

"Good to see you haven't lost your sense of humour," he mused as he wandered over to my right arm and leaned upward to fiddle with the bear trap. I bit down on my tongue as his touch activated a dull throbbing in my wrist; I felt him fiddle with my hand and then I realized my ring was gone.

"Put it back on," I snarled and I lashed out with my leg to kick him but he easily dodged it and it only caused a wave of pain to course through my body. Klaus casually tossed the ring up and down in his hand and backed away from me while making a show to put it in his pocket.

"I think it's time we let some natural light into this room, don't you agree, Liv?" Klaus called out loudly and I stiffened, my head shooting up to look wildly around in fear.

"K-klaus, what are you doing!?" I demanded, while trying to turn around but only causing more agony for myself. "Klaus, please. Don't do this!"

It was too late, I heard the metal curtain rings clang against the rod as Klaus ripped them back and I was quickly bathed in sunlight. I couldn't help it, there was nothing for me to do but scream loudly. I had never screamed in such a way before but the agony was brutal, and once I had extinguished all the air in my lungs I couldn't inhale any more. I could feel my skin blistering and the smell of burning flesh was overpowering as I writhed against my restraints; tears were pouring down my face and my throat was beginning to go raw. Suddenly, the room was sent back into darkness as Klaus tugged the curtains back into place and I let my body go limp as I hung there, gasping for air. Klaus wandered back to me and he lifted my head so I could look at him. I had no more strength in my body, I was utterly exhausted but still, I remained stubborn.

"Are you willing to talk now?" He murmured quietly and if I didn't know any better, I'd actually think he was regretting this.

I gave him a murderous look and my foot kicked outwards, connecting with his stomach and he stumbled backwards. He straightened as if I had never touched him and his lips sunk into a frown, "Fine then," he snapped and strode over to the curtains again, "On to round two."

Again, I was bathed in sunlight and again, my screams sounded again like a siren; Klaus walked around me like jungle cat, his eyes glittering maliciously. I sobbed uncontrollably through my cries, my back arching in desperation to escape from the sunlight's assault, but to no avail. The entire room was basking in it from corner to corner. Surely someone could hear me, anyone. Why weren't my friends coming to save me like I had come for them? You failed to actually help them… I snarled at myself, but I still came for them! I continued to scream until I could do so no more, my throat was shredded from all the yelling and it was agonizingly sore. That was when Klaus pulled the curtains closed again and he walked back towards me and went to stand at the door, his shoulder leaned against the dark wood frame. If it weren't for the bear traps latched onto my wrists I'd be lying on the ground in a heap and unable to move, I was breathing so heavily that my torso expanded noticeably with each breath and every muscle in my limbs quivered from being clenched so tightly.

I didn't see Klaus pull out his phone but I tried to tune in when I heard his voice.

"Yes, I've heard about their little plans. I trust that you've put an end to Mary like I asked?"

I was too weak to listen in on the other person's answer.

"Excellent. Listen, Brother, I have another favour to ask of you."

More silence and I pulled at the chains, Klaus turned back around and fixed me with a hard stare, his finger coming to rest on his lips when he heard me whimper.

"No, I cannot tell you about it. You'll have to come home and find out for yourself."

There was a pause.

"See you soon." Klaus hung up and stowed the phone back into his pocket and then sauntered closer to me.

I didn't even have the strength to glare at him so I just watched him with caution. "Have you had a change of heart, love?" He asked again while his hand came up to brush against my cheek and then to tuck the stray hairs behind my ear. I jerked away from him and my eyes turned to stone when they met with his again and he sighed deeply. "Have it your way, then," he shrugged.

At the sound of the metal rings sliding over the rod again, I was plunged into a third wave of agony.