Hello dearies,

another quick update on the sequel (which still goes by "Sanctuaries"): I have reached 230.000 words as of yesterday, so there has indeed been some progress. A lot of stuff will be kicked out, though, as the story is much too long. So please rest assured that I'm working on it in every free minute, and once again, thanks for your patience everyone! :)

I know that compared to other stories, this may not be much, but I nearly fell off my chair yesterday when I saw that Dungeons is at little over 100.000 views - holy crap! THANK YOU ALL! This is beyond my wildest expectations!

Also, I would like to thank the lovely guest reviews that have come in over the last few days (and I will of course respond to the new member reviews by PM).

In order to celebrate, I am posting another sneak peek to the sequel, a little longer this time, and with a little more smut in it.

Please enjoy, and from the bottom of my heart, guys - I just can't thank you enough! :)

XXX

She felt him slip under the sheets behind her and turned around to snuggle into him. His arm slid along her waist to her back and he pulled her very close, gently running his fingers up and down her spine. Caroline closed her eyes and let herself be flooded by the sensation of his touch on her bare skin. As she always did when she needed him like she did now, she hid her face in the curve of his shoulder. It was her place, her home. She loved every inch of his perfect body, but the small space between his neck and his shoulder gave her a feeling of comfort she couldn't even explain. And he always knew something was wrong when she hid there.

"What is it, my love?" he asked softly, stroking her back and placing tender kisses on her hair. "What is bothering you?"

"I don't know, Klaus. I just feel awful about something without knowing what or why, and that makes me feel even worse." She huddled deeper into his embrace, feeling his strong arms tighten around her. Nothing made her feel safe like being in his arms, and nothing made her feel loved like the way he worried about her wellbeing. "It's like the times when I wake up in the morning with that nagging feeling that something is going to happen. Normally it's very neutral, and I don't know if what comes my way will be good or bad. I just know it will happen. But it's different this time. It's bad, and I'm uneasy."

He moved back so he could cup her face and take a good look at her. His gaze softened when he saw the worry in her eyes. "Caroline, I will never let anything happen to you. You're always safe with me, my beautiful girl, and you know that." She did. And yet… she wasn't worried about her own safety. For some unfathomable reason, she was scared for the two of them. For what they had and for what they meant to each other. She had feared for her life more than once, but nothing had ever made the panic creep into her every bone like the thought that something might happen to their blissful, utter happiness. Her love for Klaus, while always intense, had grown into something absolute over the last few months, despite his frequent absences and their occasional disagreements. It was comparable to the way her body had reacted to him almost from day one, only now it was not just her body, it was her entire being. When he was gone, everything inside her grew restless until she had him safely back in her arms. Every time he had one of his still frequent nightmares about his baby brother Henrik's ordeal – and with that, his own – she felt his pain like it was hers.

And it was not all one-sided. Klaus was becoming more and more attuned to her, reacting to her every mood like a seismograph. The way he had to take one look at her to know what she needed was uncanny at best, but she loved it. There had been many times when she had thought about whether she was supposed to feel suffocated by their closeness and their unwavering focus on each other. She had tried to see it as neutrally as possible, but she had come to the conclusion that the opposite was the case. Instead of feeling suffocated, Caroline had discovered that she felt free with him. Never once had he tried to force her into doing anything she didn't want to do, and he kept encouraging her every idea and thought. Maybe that was the reason why being with him could never be too much for her – he gave her wings and let her fly wherever she wanted. In turn, she knew she gave him stability and peace of mind, calming him down with just one touch when he needed it the most and showing him he was worthy of love and affection. Something Klaus hadn't felt in a millennium.

Caroline knew he would want to dig deeper into her disquietude but she had to find out more about it herself before she could discuss it with him. And he needs to focus on whatever it is he's doing all the time. Don't distract him with your funny feelings. Still, she needed him close now. As close as possible.

"Niklaus," she breathed, "let me feel you."

His eyes darkened at her whispered plea. Very slowly, his soft lips moved to cover hers, their tongues meeting in that delicious, sensual dance that never failed to turn all her insides to jelly. Most of the time, their lovemaking was rather rough and passionate, the way they both enjoyed so much, but tonight she needed him to be gentle, loving, tender. His lips moved to her neck now, his tongue tracing languid patterns on her sensitive skin while his hand was softly caressing her face. All of a sudden, she felt a tear welling up in her eye. Blinking frantically, she tried to keep it from spilling over. Too late. He had already felt the tiny trace of moisture on her cheek and stopped moving immediately.

"Caroline," he whispered, wide-eyed and anxious. "Please. Talk to me, my darling."

His worried eyes and the overwhelming tenderness in his lovely voice were all it took to make her start crying in earnest. At a serious loss now, Klaus sat up and pulled her with him, making her sit between his thighs and wrap her legs around him, just the way she had back in Tiffauges when he had finally told her about what had been haunting him for so many centuries. He gathered her close and kissed her moist eyes, running his hands soothingly up and down her arms and over her back. Caroline sniffled and leaned her forehead against his.

"I'm so sorry, Klaus. I was so set on not distracting you from business, especially not with such an unsubstantiated panic attack. I need to find out what it actually is I am so worried about, but… Klaus, I love you more with each passing day and you've become so vital to my wellbeing that I'm positively terrified of anything that could possibly happen to us – not so much to us physically but to us as… well, us! And this feeling that something is dangling over our heads just won't go away. But I don't really want to talk about this right now. Please make love to me, Klaus. I need you so much."

She saw his eyes burst with feeling, and she knew he could read her. He understood that she needed him at his most protective and gentle now, and that she needed him to make her forget her fears. He carefully lowered her onto the mattress and locked his eyes with hers, his gaze caressing her face and his hands softly stroking her hair. Gradually, his lips sought hers until they finally touched, making her eyes flutter shut. Pulling him close, encaging him in her arms, she expected him to deepen the kiss, but his lips left hers and she was about to protest when she felt them tenderly brush her cheeks… her forehead… and her eyes. He took her head in his hands and kissed every inch of her face so lovingly it nearly killed her. Very slowly, his lips began to trace a pattern underneath her jaw line until they finally reached her neck. Touching her skin almost reverently, he lingered on each kiss, and only after a very long time did his tongue begin to taste her.

Klaus savoured every bit of skin, moving from her neck over her collarbones to her shoulders and her chest until at long last, he reached the soft swell of her breast. Unbearably tenderly, he cupped it with his hand and placed languid kisses all over the sensitive area. Finally, his mouth closed over her nipple, making her give a soft, shaky moan. Her hand ran through his hair.

"Klaus," she merely whispered, putting everything into that one little word. Moving on to her other breast, he licked it just as gently, making Caroline shiver under his skilled ministrations. His mouth eventually went on to discover her belly, her waist, her hips, becoming ever so slightly more demanding on the way. Caroline gasped audibly when he lifted her leg and let his lips and tongue take very thorough care of the back of her thigh. She let out a little cry as he reached the hollow of her knee, running his tongue over the two small indentations. He worked his way all down to her feet, gently suckling on each toe while his hands incessantly moved all over her legs. After a long while, he paused, placing her feet on his chest and looking down at her, his eyes clouded. Caroline was burning by now, having been set on fire so slowly by his calm, intense worshipping of her entire body, and so she nodded, breathing heavily.

"Please."

Wordlessly, he took one of her hands and squeezed it lightly. Then he moved forward in a blur and suddenly, his tongue ran over the entire length of her sex. The moment his lips touched her, he groaned loudly, making Caroline roll her hips to better meet his greedy mouth.

"Ah, you're divine, my love. A goddess. My goddess!"

She whimpered as he continued to lick her while he kept making little sounds of delight. His hands moved under her butt, lifting her from the mattress only the slightest bit to allow himself better access to her soaking wet folds. His tongue slid into her determinedly, then he licked her clit, slid into her, licked her…all at a pace so torturously slow that Caroline was no longer able to control any of her body's reactions. She shivered, trembled, moaned and pressed herself against his agonizing mouth, demanding more… more… But he never increased his speed. Oh God, Klaus, if only there was a way to just melt into you!

It took a few more languid swishes and flicks of his devilish tongue, and Caroline felt the familiar sparkle inside her, spreading from her core into every fiber of her body. It was an orgasm so slow, sweet and delicious she could almost taste it on her tongue.

"Niklaus… I love you… so much!" she choked out, making him give a guttural growl against her while he was gently absorbing her climax. Their hands had found each other, fingers intertwined, holding on for dear life until the very last shudder had rolled through her.

Stroking her body tenderly, he moved up to lock his eyes with hers. Caroline pulled him close. "Will you make love to me now?" she whispered, smiling at the deep longing in his eyes.

"Is that what you want, my sweet little one?"

"More than anything."

He swiftly moved to hover over her, gently nudging her legs apart. They devoured each other with their eyes as he effortlessly slid into her. Supporting himself on his elbows, he covered her entire body with his, something he did not normally do as it didn't allow him enough leverage for some of his wilder moves. But today was very different. He pressed her arms to her sides with his elbows and suddenly, his legs were on either side of hers, pushing them closed, all the while not breaking his steady rhythm. I feel so… covered, protected, surrounded! This is beyond beautiful! It was the most complete and secure she had ever felt but still, there was something more that she needed today.

"Tell me what you feel, with everything that you do to me. Please tell me!"

He smiled and kissed her. Gently at first, but his lips quickly became more demanding. Moving in and out of her moist core at a slow but firm pace, he whispered, "Right now, my baby, I feel so protective of you that it almost supersedes my desire. Almost." With that, he pressed her legs even closer together, making her moan and sending himself into a series of gasps.

"Being inside you is the single most overwhelming sensation I have ever known. You completely surround me, you fit me so perfectly and… the sheer joy of feeling you… how you pulsate around me…" He growled as she contracted in response to his breathless whisper. "I can sense how you grow ever warmer, how you all but pull me into you. My love, the way you writhe and shiver under me turns me into a God for a moment – but it renders me so helpless at the same time."

Caroline pressed an open-mouthed kiss on his neck, tasting his skin with the tip of her tongue and giving him a few small bites with her human teeth. "And that," he moaned, "goes all through me, just making me want to do nothing but shag you for hours." She sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes glued to his, staring at him in fascination. His voice, together with the way he expressed his need for her, never ceased to render her helpless. As did what he said next.

"My darling girl, you are so beautiful to me in every single sense of the word. So incredibly beautiful."

She struggled to free her arms. She needed to touch him. He let her arms go, and she immediately cupped his cheeks with her hands, lovingly caressing him, letting the tips of her fingers trace every inch of his face. Klaus had not increased the pace of his thrusts but she could feel he was nonetheless working himself up to a powerful climax. Panting, he locked his eyes with hers.

"I want to feel your fangs in my neck when I come, my baby."

She shook her head, reluctant for some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on. "I don't want to hurt you today."

Smiling, he gave a somewhat harder thrust, leaving her gasping. "You won't. Trust me. Do this for me, please."

With a throaty moan, Caroline surrendered to what she, too, actually wanted so badly and gently sunk her fangs into the soft, delicate skin of Klaus' neck. Oh God, his blood gets more delicious every time I taste it! And it arouses me more than ever!

"I love your taste," she whispered between licks, "you are just beyond delicious, Niklaus."

He groaned at her passionate murmur and infinitesimally increased the speed of his thrusts. They moved as one, their bodies so attuned to each other that they needed no time to adjust. Caroline reveled in Klaus' deep, sensual moans and let her hands glide down his back, cupping his butt and enforcing his moves, never ceasing to suck his dark, thick blood into her greedy mouth.

Crying out, they finally came together, trembling and holding on to each other. Caroline felt the blood stream from her mouth and was sent into more spasms of pleasure when Klaus licked his own blood off her. Their orgasms didn't seem to end this time, as if something was prolonging them, giving them time to enjoy their ecstasy. It was heaven. Pure, simple and absolute.

After a while, he carefully moved them to lie on their sides, facing each other, and pulled her into his arms again. Stroking her damp hair, he whispered, "I love you, my Caroline. So completely." She took a deep breath and swallowed the tears that were threatening to fall again. What the hell is this? Why do I look at him and feel like I want to cry my eyes out in panic over losing him? God, I'm scared! She couldn't help it and hid her face in the curve of his shoulder again. If she looked at him for one more second, she would lose it.

Hearing him sigh, she summoned all the strength she could muster and forced herself to breathe steadily. His hands never stopped caressing her hair and back, giving her much-needed warmth and protection.

"Sleep now, my love. I am here, and I won't let any harm come to you. To us." He pulled the covers over them and gathered her closer. "Whatever it is that worries you, I will take care of it. We will talk about everything tomorrow. Remember that we have all the time in the world."

Caroline closed her eyes and kissed him tenderly before hiding in her little corner of his shoulder. Her sanctuary. "I'm being silly. You're right, we will face whatever it is together. Just promise me I'll never have to be without you, okay?"

Klaus tilted her chin so he could look at her. "I promise, my darling. As long as you promise me the same."

She nodded, cupping his cheek and placing another soft kiss on his lips. "I promise, Niklaus."

Neither Caroline nor Klaus had any idea that not even twenty-four hours later, one of them would break that promise.

Thanks for reading, and I hope I'll be able to post the first chapter in a few weeks! :)