Ch. 26 If Your Feet Don't Touch the Earth You Can't Feel the Things that Hurt
(TYLER)
"We're going out," Damon says, taking Clare's hand and running out of the house again.
"I think I'll get the others up and we'll get an early breakfast in town," Stefan comments, running into the room he's sharing with Elena.
"I'm going to change," Caroline says running up the stairs. I should follow her, but I'm not ready to hear it yet. Within fifteen minutes everyone else is gone and it's just me and Caroline at the house. I go upstairs slowly, opening the door to my room, finding Caroline on the bed.
"Where were you all night?" I ask her.
"Where were you?" She asks avoiding my question.
"At the public beach, I lost track of time and I came back ready to grovel, only you weren't here, but your phone was."
"Lost track of time with that werewolf skank?" Caroline snaps at me. She heard enough to know that Candi is a werewolf.
"Candi isn't a skank and we were only talking, I didn't do anything but talk to her."
"She has a stripper name and you're telling me she's not a skank?"
"Candi with i," I reply weakly.
"Oh, because spelling it with an i instead of a y makes it much better! I saw you with her Tyler, I saw how close you were, how she touched your arm. I heard you talking, she invited you to run with her on the full moon."
"Yes, but that's all we just talked Caroline I swear, for hours but we just talked. I've never had other wolves to talk to before, it felt good to have someone to answer my questions. I didn't realize how late it had gotten, I didn't mean to spend so much time with her."
"Everything and everyone says vampires and werewolves don't mix, that we should never be together, but I love you Tyler!" Caroline practically screams.
"I love you too Caroline, I didn't cheat on you I was just talking with another werewolf and if felt good, but I would never cheat on you. I told Candi I had a girlfriend several times," I assure Caroline. Although, thinking about it she didn't seem to care that I had a girlfriend, after all she invited me back to her hotel. I'm not going to tell Caroline that though. "I spent a lot of time talking to her, more than I should have, but you have no idea how good it felt to talk to another werewolf!"
"I feel like that just proves that a vampire and werewolf shouldn't be together. This shouldn't work, you could kill me with one bite," she says almost in a pleading shriek. I grab her and kiss her hard, my tongue sliding into her mouth and she welcomes it. I can still taste the tears on her cheeks, I feel the near desperation in her kiss, how she's afraid this is goodbye. After a moment I pull away so we can talk, but keep her tight in my arms.
"I didn't cheat Caroline, I spent too much time with Candi, I lost track of time and I shouldn't have. I know you had the wrong idea, that you got jealous, but I swear on your life Caroline nothing happened with me and Candi. I need to know Caroline, what did you do tonight?"
She looks at my shirt, playing with the collar and not meeting my eyes. "After I saw you with Candi," Caroline spits out her name like it was poison, "I got angry and started walking down the beach. I ran into a guy, a human, and I let my emotions rule my actions."
"Did you sleep with him Caroline?"
"Them," she admits very quietly.
"THEM?! YOU SLEPT WITH THEM?! WHO ARE THEM?!" I yell but my arms on her tighten not loosen. I really want to know so I can go rip their throats out, maybe Damon will help.
"Kurt, Noah and Jace, three college guys. I didn't have sex with them Tyler, not the way you're thinking. I fed from them, all of them, three of them and one of me, before I could compel them all there was some groping," she admits. I'm only slightly relieved, they still touched her and worse she fed from them. Caroline fed from humans and from what I know about vampires feeding it's a very intimate act, and can almost be orgasmic.
"Did you kill them?" I question hoping that there aren't three bodies for us to clean up.
"No, they're alive, with implanted memories of a foursome."
I close my eyes, this doesn't make me feel better, three college guys have fake memories of a foursome with my girlfriend. I don't know what to say, but I'm still not letting go of her.
"I'm sorry Tyler, please don't hate me."
"I don't hate you Caroline, I could never, it still hurts to think about you with three random guys. It hurts to know I'm the indirect cause of it. That you fed from them," I tell her and she grips my shirt tighter.
"I know Tyler I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking! I heard Candi invite you to her home, to run with them and I felt like I was losing you. That everything everyone has said about wolves and vampires is true and we're doomed. If I was losing you then I was going to have some fun, I wasn't thinking Tyler. I just…just wanted to feel something besides hurt, and anger and jealousy. When Kurt smiled at me I felt something different. When I smelled him and his friends I wanted to feed from them, to taste them a…" Caroline is saying but I can't hear anymore.
I grab her and push her against the door, she's stronger than me, she can push me away but she doesn't. I pin her wrists above her head and smash my lips to hers. Caroline's mouth parts for me and my tongue slides in dominating hers.
"I love you Caroline Forbes," I whisper as I reach under her skirt but find no panties. That probably means one of those bastards has them, we'll deal with that later, right now all I want is her.
(DAMON)
"I believe the star-crossed lovers have reconciled," Clare remarks when we return to the house. We can hear the muffled sounds of angry passionate sex from upstairs.
"So, they have," I remark, putting my arms around Clare from behind, "maybe we should go make our own noises."
"I believe we were just doing that and I need blood," Clare says, slipping out of my arms and going to the fridge. "We're running low, we need to make a blood run," Clare says, taking a blood bag.
"The four of us can go tonight, we'll probably have to hit Gloucester," I shrug.
"I hear Stefan's car," Clare says as she starts sipping her blood bag.
"Me too, I wonder how long Caroline and Tyler are going to be at it?" I muse.
"If it's passionate makeup sex I'm guessing a while," Clare remarks. Stefan's car parks outside the house and the four of them come in a moment later. Stefan hears the couple upstairs, but the humans don't.
"Sounds like Tyler and Caroline made up," Stefan comments.
"Or it's some really passionate breakup sex," I smirk and Clare hits my stomach. "We'll have to make a blood run tonight, Gloucester probably," I tell Stefan. He nods and we hear new sounds upstairs, mostly the sound of a door opening, Tyler and Caroline descend the stairs holding hands.
"I guess everything is okay then?" Bonnie questions.
"Yeah, we talked," Caroline replies.
"That didn't sound like talking to me," I remark and Clare hits my stomach again.
"So, are we going down to the beach? We only have a few days left," Elena says.
"The beach sounds good, I'm going to get my swimsuit," Clare smiles and goes upstairs.
"Damon, can I speak to you outside for a moment?" Tyler requests. Clare looks back at us from the stairs while I shrug and follow Tyler outside. "Caroline fed from three guys last night, she said she didn't kill them, but I want to…make sure I guess."
"You want to see them for yourself," I state, "I don't think that's a good idea Tyler. These three fucked Ca…"
"She didn't, she swore to me she didn't," Tyler says and closes his eyes a moment. "She fed from them though, and there was groping. I have to see them Damon, I have to know, to know what she planted in their minds. To see that they're alive and she didn't do too much damage, that no one will come looking for her. And, and they have her panties and I want them back. Maybe I'm being a territorial wolf but…"
"I get it," I say, cutting Tyler off, "for once I agree with you. Do you know where she was last night?"
"Yeah, she told me the name of the hotel."
"Okay, let's go then," I remark taking out my keys and we get in my car. Tyler looks up the hotel on his phone while I call Clare. "Running an errand with Tyler we'll be back," I tell her.
"What errand could you and Tyler possibly have?"
"We'll be back, stay on the private beach," I tell her and hang up.
"Clare's not going to like that," Tyler comments, "hanging up on her."
"I know, but she's curious, she'd try and find us. She can punish me later," I remark with a licentious grin and Tyler shakes his head. We find the hotel and get out of the car, I sniff the air and while there are a lot strong smells Caroline is fresh. "We're in the right place, this way," I tell Tyler.
"Yeah, I smell it too," Tyler says.
I follow Caroline's scent to a door, I smell the traces of blood and knock on the door. I hear a few noises inside, but no one comes to the door. I knock again, pounding this time, again noises but no one comes. I knock again, nearly damaging the door when the door opens a crack. The boy is weak but alive. He looks at me with bleary eyes, the scents of blood and Caroline are all over him.
"Move," I say, pushing him back and we enter the hotel room. I turn on the light and two other boys groan and shield their eyes. Weak, but alive, Caroline didn't kill them. Tyler starts looking around the room, for Caroline's panties I'm assuming.
"Hey, what the fuck are you doing?" Questions the boy that answered the door. He moves to stop Tyler but I grab his arm and push him against the wall.
"What did you three do last night?" I ask and he gets this lustfully goofy grin on his face.
"It was great, this super hot chick that looks like a living Barbie Doll (I find it insulting that he's comparing Caroline to that plastic bimbo toy) came back to the room with us. We had a fantastic orgy, we all fucked her," the guy says and Tyler growls. Now all the boys look at him because it was definitely not a sound a human would make.
"I should kill you all for touching my girlfriend," Tyler snarls and turns around with his eyes yellow.
"Easy wolf boy, we don't want the cops looking for you either. I'll take care of this," I assure him. He snarls but goes back to looking for Caroline's panties.
I look at the guy I'm holding and lock onto his eyes, "Last night you and your buddies got high and came back to your room. You saw a pretty girl on the beach and worked her into a fantasy. You never touched her, she was never here. What did you do last night?"
He repeats the story I compelled into his mind and I throw him down on the nearest bed. I repeat this with the other two, telling them exactly the same thing. They got high and had a fantasy and Caroline was never here.
"Found them, let's go," Tyler says when I'm done with the last one. We leave the hotel room and get back in my car to drive to the beach house. "Will it stick? The compelling? Will they remember Caroline?"
"She drained them pretty good, she didn't kill them but I don't think they'll leave that hotel room today. I can't completely take the memories or image of Caroline from their minds but what I compelled into them will stick. They believe they saw her, got high and worked her into a shared fantasy. Don't go back and kill them, they aren't worth it."
"It's my fault, Caroline saw me and heard me talking with a female werewolf. She got jealous and went with them," Tyler confesses, "it just felt good to have my questions answered, to have another werewolf to talk to."
"Did you tell Caroline that?"
"Yes, I explained it, we talked, she knows I need other werewolves the way she has you and Stefan, and now Clare. Caroline just doesn't want me to see Candi again."
"Well yeah, the she-wolf you were spending all your time with is named Candy," I reply.
"It's spelled with an i," Tyler comments.
"Oh yes, because the i totally makes it not a stripper's name."
(CLARE)
"I'll call you when I get back," Tyler tells Caroline, kissing her passionately Friday after school.
"You are coming back right?" Caroline pouts gripping Tyler's shoulder with one hand, and playing with the collar of his shirt with the other.
She's pouting because Tyler is going away for the weekend, he's flying to Pennsylvania to meet with a pack of werewolves. We returned from spring break late last Saturday, and while Caroline and Tyler had made up things were still a bit tense between them. The things they'd done couldn't be taken back, but Caroline did know that Tyler needed other werewolves. Tuesday night had been the full moon, and Caroline was there when Tyler changed, spent all night as she normally did. The next day she called Klaus, asked him if he knew of some werewolves Tyler could connect with. Apparently, he did because a couple days later he called Tyler and told him he was flying to Pennsylvania for the weekend.
"Caroline," Tyler sighs but with a caring smile, he takes her hand from his shoulder and places a gentle kiss on her palm, "I'm coming back. I'll be back Sunday night, I'll call you as soon as I'm in Mystic Falls."
Tyler says goodbye to the rest of us and walks away quickly. He's excited to be going to meet the werewolves, I can't say I blame him, it's very comforting to be around Stefan and Damon most of the time. When he's out of sight Caroline bangs the back of her head against her locker. Rather hard actually, it draws some attention and Stefan gives her an admonishing look.
"I know he needs it, but this weekend is going to be so lonely without him," Caroline mopes.
"No it won't," Elena says, linking her arm through Caroline's, "Bonnie and I are coming over tonight for a sleepover and girl's night. Tomorrow we'll go shopping, and have lunch."
"Yeah, we'll keep you so distracted this weekend you'll barely miss Tyler," Bonnie assures her just as my text sound goes off.
Klaus: Shall I come into the school to collect you? You're taking a very long time to come out of the building.
"I should go," I tell the others, "have a fun girl's weekend."
"You could come with us Clare," Elena offers.
"Yeah, you should join us," Caroline says.
"I can't," I shake my head, "Klaus is waiting. I'll see you guys Monday."
"I'll walk you out to Klaus," Stefan tells me before kissing Elena softly. "Have a good time this weekend," Stefan tells the girls and we walk out of the building. Jeremy waves and goes to his locker.
"Hello Ripper, escorting my lover out of the school?" Klaus says with a kind of purring, teasing tone as he pulls me to him.
"We'll call and check on Clare," Stefan tells him.
"This thing where you don't trust me is getting tiresome Ripper," Klaus replies with a bored tone.
"You want us to trust you give us a reason to," Stefan replies in a hard tone.
"Really Stefan, I helped Tyler did I not?"
"At Caroline's plea, and helping Tyler doesn't even begin to make up for the things you've done," Stefan shoots back and Klaus growls.
"Yet, you're forgiven so easily Ripper," Klaus barks.
I'm worried they're going to start fighting, so I distract Klaus and rub my hip against his crotch. "Let's go back to your place, it's been a long afternoon," I whisper to him.
Klaus relaxes, smiling a bit and looking at me with lust in his eyes. He cranes his neck down to take my lips, his hand caressing down my lower back to my ass. He says nothing more to Stefan, pulling out of the kiss he quickly opens the car door and gets me in, then runs to the driver's seat. I text Stefan as Klaus begins driving to his house.
Clare: Fighting with Klaus is futile. I'll be okay. I'll call later.
Stefan: If you need us call, we'll be right there.
Clare: I will.
We reach the house and I get out of the car but Klaus runs over and picks me up running me inside. He slams the door closed and pushes me against it as his lips join mine. He pins me to the door and rips off my clothes, everything but my skirt. He takes me to the sofa, bending me over the edge and lifting up my skirt. I feel his length poking at my slit and right now it's all I want.
"Please Klaus," I beg.
"Patience Lover," Klaus hums with a husky whisper against my neck.
I feel him moving down, his head between my legs as he spreads my slit and his tongue reaches out. I moan and tremble when I feel his tongue parting my vaginal lips. I moan and buck my hips, he removes his tongue after a moment. He was just getting a taste, I begin to protest but he sinks his fangs into my thigh and begins to drink, after several large gulps he pulls away.
"Have I mentioned Lover, how wonderfully amazing all your flavors are?" Klaus whispers in my ear licking his lips.
Before I can reply he takes my hips and thrusts deeply into me, he goes all the way in with one thrust. I moan and grip the sofa beneath me, Klaus holds my hips firmly, I can't turn around, I can barely move. Even with vampiric strength it's all I can do to grip the sofa as he fucks me hard and deep from behind. It doesn't take long for me to climax and as soon as I do Klaus turns me around, he quickly divests himself of his clothes and lifts me up taking me to the kitchen.
I wrap my legs around his waist as he perches me on the kitchen counter and enters me again. I moan and grip his back, my nails digging into his flesh, he groans a little but that's all. His thrusts quickly pick up speed and I feel myself close again, I begin trembling and cling tighter to Klaus. Just as I feel myself nearing the brink Klaus extends his fangs and sinks them into my jugular. He starts to suck and it pushes me over the edge, I explode in orgasm and Klaus keeps drinking.
"Klaus," I breathe trying to push him away.
He won't budge and he won't stop drinking, I turn my head, sinking my fangs into his neck and drinking. He finally pulls away, licking his lips, he lies me back on the counter and leans down taking my nipple between his lips, but his fangs have retracted. He thrusts a few more times before he releases into me.
"I need blood now," I remark as Klaus pulls out of me and I whimper at the loss and sudden emptiness.
Klaus says nothing but walks to the fridge producing a blood bag and he gives it to me. I open it and start drinking while he pours himself a drink.
"You got blood bags?" I question.
"Only a couple, drink up, call Adam and the others so they know I haven't killed you and get dressed. We're going out," Klaus tells me and runs upstairs before I can say anything else.
I assume by out he means away and he isn't likely to tell me where. I finish the blood bag, toss it and go to the fridge. There's one more in here and I drink it down fast. Klaus ripped my clothes, but he brings me down others. He must have gone shopping while I was on spring break. I get dressed and he brings me his laptop so I can call Adam.
"Hey Clare," Adam grins.
"Hi Clare," Drew calls from next to Adam.
"Hi Drew," I call to him and he pokes his face into view making me giggle.
"You with Klaus this weekend?" Drew asks.
"Yeah, all weekend."
"Anything happen?" Adam asks, pushing Drew's face out of the way.
"I've only been here for twenty minutes," I reply.
"I don't mean with Klaus, I know what you two were doing as soon as you got in the door. I mean at all, since I talked to you yesterday?" Adam asks.
"Nothing, but I should call Damon before he comes over," I remark.
"I think I'd be happier if he came over," Adam comments. He raised his voice but even if he hadn't Klaus would have heard him. He comes over wrapping his arm around me from behind and grinning at Adam.
"Don't trust me with your best friend?" Klaus teases.
"With what I know, not at all," Adam replies, not flinching and staring Klaus down.
"Why, what do you know?" Drew inquires.
"I'll talk to you guys later," I tell them, ending the video call. I'm sure Adam will make some excuse to his brother, or divert his attention. I close the laptop and retrieve my cellphone to call Damon.
"You okay?" Damon asks, answering before the phone rings once.
"Just checking in, we're getting ready to go out."
"You mean out of town?" Damon questions with a growl.
"He didn't say."
"Clare where is he taking you?" Damon demands and Klaus snatches the phone from my hand.
"Where's the fun in telling you Salvatore? If you want to know that badly let's see if you can find us," Klaus says and hangs up the phone. "Time to go Lover," Klaus says, taking my hand and taking me out to the car. We get in the car and he starts driving.
"You know you just challenged Damon to come find us," I remark.
"Yes, it was quite fun, he won't be able to find us."
"How did you know about the werewolves in Pennsylvania that you sent Tyler to?" I ask after a few moments.
"That pack of werewolves has been around for hundreds of years. One of the first I found in the states," Klaus tells me.
"So, you keep up on all the werewolves because they're deadly to vampires?"
"Not all of them, just a good number, I'm a hybrid."
"You're what?"
"Part vampire and part wolf," Klaus says easily while I gape at him.
"When were you going to tell me? You bite me all the time."
"I just did, and my bite would only be deadly to you if I were a full wolf. In fact, my blood is the cure for a werewolf bite to a vampire."
"Do the others know you're a hybrid?"
"Of course."
"Why do you call Stefan Ripper?" I question. I've heard it before it just never occurred to me to ask. Knowing now that Klaus is a hybrid it occurs to me that there might be a reason behind it aside from Klaus having a nickname for Stefan. I always thought Klaus gave him the name to be ironic, the way you would call a fat man Tiny.
"He began calling himself that Stefan can be especially cruel and devious," Klaus comments with a proud grin.
"I can't picture that," I shake my head.
"You should have seen him in Chicago," Klaus says. His grin gets a bit more wicked, but he doesn't elaborate.
"You never told me where we were going, did you even get my backpack?" I question looking in the backseat.
"We'll procure everything you need when we get there," Klaus replies.
"Klaus…" I begin but that's all I get out as his fingers get between my legs and move my panties aside. He wriggles two of his fingers into me and I moan, leaning my head back against the seat. After he brings me to climax again I'm silent for the rest of the drive, deciding it's better not to ask questions.
"We're here," Klaus grins, pulling into the valet dock of an expensive hotel and casino.
"We're spending the weekend in Atlantic City?"
"I prefer Vegas really, but that requires a flight or at least a day to drive out. That wouldn't give us much time there, having to get you back Monday and all," Klaus says as our doors are opened by the valets. The valet helps me out of the car and Klaus soon comes to take my hand. "A city for sin, and fun and full of tasty meals," Klaus grins, licking his lips. Other people heard him, but they think he was talking about human food.
"Does seem like a city you would like," I comment.
Usually we stop at the front desk so Klaus can compel the desk clerk into giving us the best suite at the hotel. This time we don't, he takes my hand and takes us to an elevator, producing a key card from his pocket and slips it in taking us to the top floor.
"When did you come out here and get the room?" I query as the elevator begins moving.
"I was without you for more than a week Lover, I had time to do many things," Klaus smiles. I don't want to know what he means by that so I don't ask. The elevator stops, opening to a hallway with only a few doors. I follow him to one of the doors and he slides the key in opening the door. The room is typical of the ones we stay in, lavish, expensive and far more than we need. "Let's go to dinner, there's some clothes in the closet for you, pick out a nice dress for dinner."
I go to the bedroom he pointed to and open the closet. There's a selection of dresses, all of them seem rather fancy for dinner, but I imagine that's the point. I look through the dresses before settling on an emerald green one, it has an empire waist, and a full skirt that stops at my knees. I can't wear a bra but one is built in, and I find black heels to go with the dress. I take the dress into the washroom to change, finding everything else I could need in there. When I emerge from the room Klaus is dressed in an expensive suit, and holds out his arm to me.
"Let's go dine, I'm famished," he says.
We leave the room and take the elevator down to the casino. I don't feel so overdressed once we're down. While some people are wearing jeans most are dressed up. Klaus leads us to a restaurant, an expensive one it seems based on the way everyone is dressed. We're taken to a table, and a waiter comes over, Klaus orders two glasses of the finest brandy they have.
"We're not really going to eat from here are we?" I question.
"Of course we are, order anything you like and then find tonight's meal."
I look at the menu, I wish the foods listed evoked the same desire in me that they used to. I decide to go straight for dessert, ordering a very expensive dark chocolate mousse when the waiter returns.
"Find anything you like in here Clare?" Klaus asks when the waiter leaves.
"There's so many smells in this restaurant it's hard to tell," I comment.
"Then let us dance," Klaus says, getting up and offering me his hand. I take his hand and follow him to the sunken dance floor, a live band is on stage. Klaus takes me in his arms, expertly gliding us across the floor and near as many couples as we can get. We dance through two songs, allowing us the scents of every couple on the floor. Then he takes us back to our table the long way so we can get the scents of many others. "So Lover, who shall we eat tonight?"
"Can't we just hit a blood bank?" I question trying to sit at the table where my mousse is waiting.
Klaus catches my hand and pulls me to him, tipping my chin up to meet his eyes. I feel when I'm in his thrall, and then he speaks, "You'll eat to your heart's content tonight from anyone and everyone you wish until you are satiated, and tell no one."
"Yes," I exhale.
"Good, now what's the first meal of the night?" Klaus breathes against my ear.
I close my eyes thinking back over the scents we encountered. Easing my way out of his embrace to sit at the table and Klaus sits across from me. He's awaiting my answer but I take a bite of dessert before I speak. Looking around the room to find our dinner, our victim. I can't think of them as such or I'll break inside.
"Across the room, he wears a suit with a dark blue tie, longer dark hair a little like Damon's," I tell Klaus before taking another bite of my mousse.
"He smelled of mint, you liked that?"
"I want to taste him," I reply.
"As you wish Lover, he's with another man are we to eat them both?"
"The other didn't smell appealing, something sour," I reply wrinkling my nose.
"Drugs, still in his system, we'll have to get the man alone. I believe that's your job Lover," Klaus says.
I eat my mousse slowly and watch the table with the two men. I enjoy the taste of the dark chocolate on my tongue, though it's not as it used to be when I was human. When I see the man with the drugs in his system leave the table I run over faster than a human eye can track. To the man it would seem as if I appeared from nowhere.
"Where'd you come from?" He asks, looking me over. There was a chance he was gay sitting with another man, but they didn't seem to be lovers more like friends. When his eyes rove over me to check me out and I see the lust in his eyes I know it's confirmed.
I look at him and lock my eyes onto his, "You want to come with me."
"Yes I do," he replies standing up and I take his hand.
I take him out of the restaurant, Klaus catching up to us at the elevator. The man glances at Klaus briefly before looking back at me.
"What's your name?" I ask the man.
"Cole," he says while Klaus slides the key into the elevator and presses the button. "What floor?" Cole asks me as the car begins moving.
"Same floor," I reply and Cole nods.
When the elevator doors open we follow Klaus out and to the room. When Cole sees that we're going to the same room as Klaus he stiffens a little.
"What's…" he begins but Klaus takes Cole's face in his hands.
"You will come into the room and do everything the lady tells you to," Klaus compels him and Cole nods following us into the room.
"Take off your shirt Cole," I instruct as Klaus closes the door. Cole does as instructed, I smile at his bare chest. "Get on the bed," I tell him and he does so, crawling over to me. He leans down to kiss me but I move my head faster than he can see and bite into his neck. I begin to drink, he tastes wonderful, sort of like mint ice cream. I drink, and drink and drink, I want more and I can't seem to stop.
"If you don't let go you'll kill him," Klaus says though he doesn't sound very concerned.
I hear his words, I feel the life of this man fading, yet I can't seem to stop.