Chapter 12 – The Pursuit Begins
The three arrived at the airport, then Elijah took Stephanie by surprise when he kissed her on the cheek and wished her well.
"Where are you going?" The panic was obvious in her voice.
"I'm going back to New Orleans as planned."
"Then, why is he taking me all the way to London?"
"Let's just say that my brother has a few secret weapons hidden there. I have to make preparations for the spell and will join you later."
Stephanie was furious. "Why the hell didn't you tell me that it would be just the two of us?"
Elijah looked around, making sure that she wasn't causing a stir. "Simple. You wouldn't have come with us willingly." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Remember that my brother is the most powerful being on this planet and, under his protection is where you will be the safest. Even Damon would agree." He gave a final glance to Klaus, who nodded in response, then walked away.
She watched him leave for a moment, then looked at her former lover. "How much longer until our flight?"
"Less than an hour." Klaus's pale blue eyes studied her, making Steph uncomfortable. "I must say, Love, despite your obvious fatigue, you look stunning today."
Steph felt a slight blush come over her face. "Well, I have to ask: are we really going to London because of your secret weapons, or is it because you want to be alone with me?"
Klaus gave her a wicked smile as he replied, "Well, Sweetheart, perhaps it is a little of both." Upon seeing her disapproving expression, he continued, "Now you can't tell me that you're not at least a little excited to see my English home by the sea again."
She couldn't hide her smile. "It is a beautiful place."
"There now, that wasn't so hard to admit, was it?" He brushed the back of his hand gently across her cheek, grinning at her response.
"I trust that you will be a gentleman?"
"As always. I will not degrade myself by forcing my affections on a lady that will not offer hers in return. Now, why don't we sit a while?"
Stephanie sat down with Klaus and waited for the boarding announcement, feeling lost and out of place. He was always a gentleman with me – he was amazing, actually. She cleared her memories by focusing on the people running back and forth across the airport, so many of them in business attire. The silence between them became deafening as she glanced over at him, watching as he calmly read what appeared to be a classic novel on his phone. "You know Damon fairly well, don't you?"
"Unfortunately," he replied, never taking his eyes off the screen.
"He told me that you tried to kill him."
"On more than one occasion. I'm sure that he failed to tell you that he and Katherine were the ones that brought Mikael back in the first place – in the hopes of destroying me."
"He explained that he was trying to protect Elena and Stefan from you."
He shut off his phone and turned to look at her. "Damon and I are much more alike than you realize. What I think you need to understand is that Elena and Katarina possessed the cursed Petrova allure. Both were skilled at luring brothers into their web and making sure they were not easily forgotten. I'm afraid Damon is not free of Elena just yet."
She let his words absorb as she replayed all the moments she spent with Damon in her mind. "He seemed ready to move on – with me."
"Yes, well, Damon has been known to be quite unpredictable at times." He stood up and looked down at her with a caring smile. "I bet you'd like some coffee – bold, no cream, and three packs of sugar?"
She couldn't help but smile back. "You remember."
"Among other things," he replied, as his eyes roamed her body up and down in a flirtatious way. He walked across the room to the vendor area. Steph watched him, still coming to grips with her feelings. She admired his commanding presence and the way he looked at her was just scandalous. I hate to admit it, but he's definitely going to be a distraction. Her phone alerted her of a new text message. It was from Damon.
You're going to London, aren't you?
Looking around guiltily, she quickly replied.
Yes, but please don't follow us.
Immediately realizing how that sounded, she quickly followed up with:
Mikael is after me – I don't want you to be hurt.
She waited for a response, growing more nervous as the seconds ticked by. Then, another message came through.
I'm not going to follow you – I'm going to follow Mikael.
He's dangerous!
Been there, done that.
Please be careful.
The thought of Damon possibly meeting his end brought tears to her eyes and fear to her heart. She had to tell him how she felt before it was too late.
I love you.
There was a pause before his response came through.
Please be careful is not the phrase I would use. Please don't die would be better.
Another pause, then a new text:
I love you too.
Steph smiled to herself, then quickly put her phone back in her purse, filled with relief, before Klaus came back and handed her the coffee she had requested. He sat down next to her and sipped his coffee in a slow, careful manner. Looking straight ahead, he said calmly, "I hope you sent Damon my best."
She looked straight ahead as she responded, "How did you know?"
"I know Damon. He's intelligent enough to realize that my father is much more of a threat to you than I am. Also, he knows you are safe from Mikael if you're with me. Being the impulsive vampire that he is, I knew that he would make it his mission to track him down and try to destroy him. He will fail, of course. In the interim, he will buy us some time to prepare for the final spell that will send Mikael back to oblivion once and for all."
Silently, Steph sipped her coffee, trying to not worry about Damon. Finally, the announcement for boarding came and they found their seats on the plane. Looking around at the first-class surroundings, she couldn't help but comment, "Wow, Elijah was right about money being no object." Amenities were already waiting for them and it took no time to get their first drinks delivered to their seats. As they waited for takeoff, she noticed that Klaus was cautiously watching a man seated two rows across and in front of them. She looked at Klaus with a questioning look. He leaned over and whispered in her ear.
"One of my father's spies."
"How do you know?" She whispered back.
"He's been following us from your apartment complex."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'll take care of it once we're in the air."
It took another half-hour before the plane finally took off. Steph began reading on her phone and checking her work messages. Occasionally, she would look at Klaus to see if he was going to make a move yet. He remained perfectly calm, reading on his phone again. She soon became bored and remembered how tired she was.
Seeing her put the phone away, Klaus said, "I was wondering when you would try and get some sleep. You look very fatigued, Love." He gazed at her with concern.
"I'm going to try to sleep. I don't know if I can," she replied.
He smiled at her, gently cupped her chin, and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Pleasant dreams, Stephanie."
She closed her eyes and smiled, despite the situation. He did make her feel safe and she did trust him, as much as she hated to admit it. Her mind took her back to the last night she spent with Damon, except he didn't leave and they spent the next day together shopping and driving around the city. She could almost feel the wind blowing her hair when she was startled awake by a swift movement. Klaus was no longer next to her. She quickly looked over to the man he was watching and he was gone, too. Looking at her watch revealed that they were several hours into their flight and did not have much further to go. The stewardess came by and Steph gladly accepted a glass of champagne. As she finished the last drop, Klaus came back to his seat, acting as if nothing were wrong. She looked to see if the man had returned to his seat. He was still absent. Leaning over, she had to ask, "What did you do to him?"
"I forced him to reveal that Mikael is indeed on the next plane following ours. Apparently, he had gotten as far as Memphis, then heard that we had already left Kansas City. He will land approximately six hours after our arrival in London. Now, how did you sleep, Love?"
"Very well. I can't believe I slept that long."
"Did I ever tell you that your left eye tends to twitch about five times when you first drift off to sleep?"
"You still like to watch me sleep?"
Klaus chuckled softly. "You are quite beautiful in your most vulnerable state. How could I resist?"
He's smooth and charming still – don't fall for it, Steph. Deciding to change the subject, she asked what he did with the man.
"He's occupying one of the loo's at the moment. I'm sure he'll find his way out once we land." Klaus brushed his finger across her lips and the taste of blood filled her senses. "Just as I suspected – you did not feed before we left. I would offer you the poor fellow I just rendered unconscious, but I fear you may kill him as hungry as you are. Come with me."
He escorted her to one of the unoccupied restrooms and offered his wrist to her. She eagerly began to drink, savoring the intense flavor of him that she had long forgotten. In such close quarters, Steph could feel his response to her drinking from him as his eyes took on an unnatural golden glow. Her own desire for him took over all reasoning and thought as she offered him a taste of her own wrist. He did not hesitate, only taking a small amount from her. Their eyes met and Klaus claimed her lips with his own as he pulled her even closer, grasping her thigh and pulling it up against his hip. He leaned his back against one wall, holding her close. His blood pulsated through her body, and suddenly, her whole world was Klaus, once again. She quickly unbuttoned his shirt, eager to run her hands over his torso. His soft moan urged her to go further. She boldly reached for his zipper, giving him the signal that she wanted more. "I've missed you, Klaus." She pressed her lips against his eagerly, their tongues exploring each other with pure lust.
In a flash, he began indulging in the pleasures of her body. He gazed into her eyes with pure desire. She held onto his shoulders, desperately trying to recover from each powerful movement that made her weak all over. Desperate to taste him again, she drove her fangs into his shoulder, eliciting a slight groan of pleasure and pain from him. "Take all you want, my Love," he breathed huskily into her ear. He then bit into her neck, causing a new shockwave of feeling to course through her, finally reaching her inner core. The urgency between them escalated. He kissed her again, then ran his tongue down her neck, licking the remaining blood from her already healing wounds. His wounds were already gone and the blood had dried quickly. He grabbed her even tighter, his eyes growing darker as his intensity came to a glorious end. Both were still as he hovered his lips over hers, sharing breath for that one delirious moment. She held tight to him, savoring the feel of his body against hers.
"I'm not finished with you yet," he pushed her against the opposite wall, kissed her, then trailed his lips down to her bosom, where he teased and tantalized. She cried out softly and ran her fingers through his hair. Suddenly, his hand went down further and she soon realized that she was no longer in possession of her body's responses. Klaus had complete control of every single nerve ending, every single emotion that she possessed. A scream escaped her lips as the intensity overwhelmed her, her body trembling as he demonstrated his masterful techniques. When his magical fingers finally ceased, she struggled to regain her breath. He stood to full height and met her clouded gaze with a slightly satisfied grin. "I told you I would make it up to you."
Still overwhelmed with emotion and physical pleasure flowing through her body, Steph pulled him into a passionate kiss. I still love him. I can't help it. Damon will never forgive me. I may never forgive myself.