Unfamiliar but still comfortable and peaceful in away he never managed to feel in the thousand years he lived on this earth.

A beautiful smell coming from the candles she placed on the table beside him, the fireplace made did its role perfectly and the temperature for him was more than fine. He felt her all the night , placing that towel over his forehead and chest. The sound of music she chose mixed with the sound of hummingbird in her chest called heart..

It was heaven. Or maybe just an illusion of it

He never thought of something like that, he never felt that he deserved such kind of care. And again he started to question

*Why*

-" Who are you ?! " he asked. His voice faint and weak like it came from the other side of the world.

She looked at him putting the towel away, her hands are numb and bones ached from the continuous movement she had been doing since the night fall.

-" It is dawn already and you didn't seem like you have slept."

This time his voice was soft, maybe it was because of the poison and maybe he just wanted to show her that side of himself.

-" you opened your eyes seconds ago and you have a lot of objections already ?! " Mercy said with a smile and her eyes showed affection and concern

-" Who are you ? Why are you helping a monster ?! "

He tried to get up , she placed her hand gently on his chest getting him back to the rest mode and the strangest thing was that he obeyed. He didn't fight her actions and for once he gave up the * Alpha Male * role

-" My dearest king , I am afraid to tell you that all monsters are just humans. I have my own eyes and my own heart, to be telling the truth I don't care about what you see in the mirror and I don't care about what people say.

I do what I am good at and I will keep doing it no matter this particular moment you can assume that all your sins are laying in the past.

Think of me as you wish. A slave , a stupid girl or even a monster in a suit of saint.."

Mercy talked about herself with a cracked and broken tone, he could feel how much she hated herself and how many times she had been fails - by those called lovers- so that she reached that stage.

The way she called him king and the way she called herself a slave. Every detail in that place left him a headache caused by overthinking and yet he wasn't able to define a clear thought or feeling that he might take an action upon it.

-" All monsters are humans.." he whispered and repeated softly after her and then he made clear and deep eye connection with her

-" What's your name? "

he needed to know. For him she felt like an outstanding artwork that he never dreamt of having it. She has something more than a pretty face, she has a tortured - shattered- broken soul and she did a great work gathering its pieces up to be whatever creature kneeling beside him.

-"Mercy.."

she broke the eye connection with him. Her voice is vivid like she was ashamed of herself, like the name was too great to be hers. She never felt enough and she never believed the goodness in her and it was a normal thing since she only got the blames no matter how hard she tried to do the right thing.

On seeing her name, the gaze he gave her betrayed no emotion and he kept his deep looks at her for couple of minutes until her voice broke the wall of his amazement.

-" By the night fall I promise everything will be better.."

Again, the soft - broken - tone in her voice was like a dagger going deeper in his heart every time she talked , a dagger he has no intent to take it out anytime sooner.

-" Your heart.." his phrase stopped her and then she cut his words

-" I am sorry ! I know it is too loud for you and as you are sick all your highlights senses are becoming very painful at particular moment, but I really have no choice. I promise, by the night fall I will fix all things up.."

With a desolation tone she had in her voice for being herself, he decided to cut the carp for good and to follow his heart for one - maybe last- time.

-" Why is it like that ?! If you aren't afraid of me, then why?

Sometimes there is a beat missing , normal hearts don't do that.."

he showed concern as well and it was one of his ways to love and to pay back.

-" I have a small problem, for now it is not dangerous. But in the long run we don't know what surprises life is hiding for us. At night it will temporarily fixed and I will be able to give you my blood with my safety concerned."

Mercy reassured him and she was going to continue her path to the kitchen thinking that he got enough of this controversial talk.

-" I am a thousand years old hybrid. I have a sense of control"

He objected again. He only needed to show her that he meant no harm, that he is worthy of the trust she gave him.

She knelt down beside him again, looking at him in such deep and fathomless way that he felt electricity going through his own heart.

-" I see the manners you showed me. You didn't hurt me and I trust you. Stop thinking, it is just I did what I needed to do. If there is a price , I will be the one paying it. There are things in my life that you don't need to know, it will only cause you to suffer and you are already suffering enough. You can think of this as fate , coincidence or just a simple choice. I am going to be fine..

For now, what about me telling you a story?! You need to get your mind off the pain so you can get back to sleep.."

She offered kindly, her handed hanged in the air for a moment before she gathered her courage and placed it on his hair stroking it softly. A moan skipped his lips announcing how much he loved her touch..

-" Your hands are so cold…" he mumbled. On feeling her hands making its way to his neck massaging and placing it on her knee, he closed his eyes surrendering to her touch.

-" I will tell you a story of the Dark paradise: where monsters reach there safe heaven. "

He cut her again with another objection of his that started to be such an annoying thing.

-" There is no such a thing , love. It is just your imagination."

He smiles for the first time and god only knows how much she loved his smile. She would just refuse to say that out loud..

-" Once upon time , in era that you have never lived in and a place that vanished before you were born. There was a man who was born sick, a black sheep as they always said.

He had no choice becoming a monster and he never liked it.

His days passed while he was asking for forgiveness, while he was searching for away to take his life with his own hands. The game of life was just a sarcastic thing, in order to find a proper way of death he learned how to survive and live.

Adapting to what he was led him to the darkest core of himself, but whatever remained human was still buried inside of him. That was when he found love, when he knew that he needs to come back to the person he once was.

She was so pure and innocent , yet she wasn't normal like she seemed to be.

She was his salvation and only thing required for them to be together was just his true and honest well to seek forgiveness for whatever sins he had done.

The power of love purificate the soul and they were so deeply involved in that miracle called love..

This time he was going to live, he died once and she was going to fix the error happened back then.

It required a holly wooden stick , long enough to held their hearts on it at the same time. Being on the promised land, praying for the last time and dying together. Where blood was mixed together , the wound is replaced upon the wound, hands refusing to let go of each other and eyes looking with mixed emotions..

That was the way for them to get salvation, to find their path to the truly after life, to the paradise where there is no goodbye, where he is an angel with dark wings and not called a monster anymore.."

Mercy's tears started to fall at the last part , but Klaus was deeply asleep since he heard his warm voice whispering like that spreading please and joy to his tortured soul.

###

The sun placed one of its rays on his eyes causing him discomfort which led him to wake up. For the first time - since he got there, three days ago- something wasn't normal.

The perfection he felt was no gone even everything was in its place , except one thing! She wasn't there!

No matter how hard he tried he wasn't able to hear her hummingbird heart anymore and again the fear of lose took the control over him.

-"Gahhh.." he screamed loudly as he got himself in his feet. His wounds hurt and burned him like hell.

-"Mercy.." he yelled with her name as a groan of pain

Taking few - painful- steps in order to make it up stairs, he got closer and all his dark thoughts were scaring the hell out of him.

His wounds started to bleed again, before he managed to collapse he heard the door gets open and finally she was in.

-" Where the hell did you go ?! " he screamed all of his pain and anger - he never felt before- out.

She reached out to him quickly, holding his hand tightly and letting the weight of his body to be lent on her.

Those looks in her eyes left him speechless. His anger was vanishing away like he has no choice on keeping it.

Angst, fear, concern and affection that was honest and true emotions she showed him in every action and every look.

-" Hey, Hey! Easy , My king. It is too early for you to get up. I needed to get things done so you can feed, I needed shopping as well. It is a remote place as you see and it took me time. I am sorry, I should have told you.

You were just sleeping peacefully and I didn't want to get you up so you would face this horrible pain alone, I didn't think you would wake before I come and I didn't know you were going to worry. May I ask for forgiveness?! "

She soothed him his hands tightly like no one on this earth did before, not his mother, not one of his siblings and none of his lovers.

He looked at her with tears in his eyes wondering to himself what kind of magic such a young and normal girl like her has to make him fall for her that quick ?!

-" Mercy.." he called in agony like he wasn't able to recover from the pain left in his heart on the thought of losing her, losing his Dark paradise.

Slowly she helped him to see on the one of the stairs,rubbing

his face softly with her soft hand.

-" Everything is fine now. You can get all blood you need.."

She whispered to closed eyes hybrid, offering him her wrist.

Looking at her with hesitation, unconcern but at the same time with lust. He didn't wish for her body nor her blood , he just wanted a bond with her..to make sure that he is capable of control and he won't hurt her.

His demons for the first time in centuries were silent and his true self started to talk up , telling him what he truly wanted to get. He needed unbreakable bond with some innocent soul that would believe in him..

He needed the love which would purify him and leads him to the promise land she talked about it. He wasn't able to fight his urge anymore..

Her hands on his neck, getting him closer to her wrist. Grabbing his shirt tightly and hugging him while he did it.

It hurts, she won't lie. But every salvation is started by pain and when it was coming to the end , she can admit to herself that - at some point or another- she liked it.

Now it was over and he was hugging her back as well, with his chin resting on her shoulders and his hands surrounding her waist..

-" I got your phone a charger. You will need to call your siblings for help.." she thought that tired whisper of her will break the moment, but it only caused him to lock and engulf her deeply in his arms..

-" It tastes different, I mean your blood. No matter how much this is going to cost me , but I need to know the truth you are hiding deep down. The truth you are going to whip yourself over and over by it because you have a stupid-wrong- thought about what you truly deserve.

I trust you, you will never hurt me. Tell me, what is your secret. "

He was pushing her on the edge with his sweat talk and he was so good at it, so good that she admitted it.

-" I chose to become your anchor, you are my chosen for now and for good."