Warning: Klaroline sexytimes

His iron blades had never been gripped so well. Klaus felt his blood heat at Caroline's almost reverent touch as she openly admired his vast collection of ancestral stygian iron. Gesturing to the enormous battleaxes on one of the bleeding walls, he proudly proclaimed, "And that's the Blade of Souls, splitter of limbs and eyelashes in equal measure. I wielded it against the great Gargoyle Uprising in the Year of the Third Horseman."

He couldn't help the boast that colored his tone as he revealed, "You know, it's actually quite difficult to slice through the kneecaps of a tri-horned gargoyle; with the surprisingly thick cartilage and acidic blood, you have to saw with a firm grip, taking care when shoving your thumb claw underneath the pus flap and yanking it past the hole of —"

"Yes, I'm sure," Caroline hastily said, looking a bit pale. Poor creature — clearly the brimstone was still making her a bit queasy. "Maybe you could show me the rest of your...um, flame-y fortress," she asked, eyeing the bleeding walls uncertainly as they'd erupted into undulating vertical crimson waves of gore. Show-offs.

Klaus took Caroline's hand, excited to tour his hidden stronghold with her. There was a skip in his step, and he swore he felt...giddy. Like he was experiencing his first millennium all over again. As they approached the sculpted atrium, he noticed that despite her obvious wariness, blue eyes were wide with amazement, taking in every detail with small gasps.

"Is...is that hissing?"

He smiled self-consciously, nudging a few stray pebbles into the cavernous limestone. "Pits of orifice snakes. I've often thought the hissing was quite melodic."

She carefully leaned over, nails digging into his palm in a way that was most pleasant. He wondered what Caroline saw — writhing, sinister bodies, an endless, fearsome reptilian ocean waiting to be unleashed upon the damned?

"Oooh pretty! Those over there are covered in black glitter!"

Actually, it was inky black deceit. Those orifice snakes must've just returned from the Ninth Circle where treachery was punished. Perhaps once this pesky war had been won, Caroline might enjoy gliding with bladed shoes upon the frozen lake there. Although it probably would be prudent to remove the severed limbs of the cursed first.

He pulled her close as they perched on the ledge overlooking the pits, wishing all of their days here could be like this. But whispers from well-placed spies had reached his ears.

Mikael knew of their presence and it only was a matter of time before he would strike.

Caroline must've noticed his tense frame, because she hesitantly asked, "How bad is it?"

"My father's brute strength draws many to his cause. This war is not so easily won."

"Are you afraid?"

Klaus felt his beast rise to the surface, insulted by the notion of his strength being questioned — that he could feel something as uselessly mortal as fear. And yet... "It will be a hard war and I am...uncertain. I'm at a disadvantage because while I know my enemy well, he also knows me." He stared down at the pits, spying one of the spiked orifice snakes, bred specifically for merchants who perform a detestable ritual known as 'gouging of the pricing' and sighed. "I was never accepted by Mikael, even though mother hid her indiscretions well. His particular hatred of me was instinctual — he never looked upon me with the pride of a sire."

The heavy press of claws. Gnashing fangs. Violence was the way of his people, but what was done to him when he was but a fledgling...not enough millennia had passed to undo those nightmares.

"Then it's his loss," Caroline retorted hotly, the fury and indignation in her tone soothing him most profoundly. "You have family who are loyal to you — not him. And you have me. No matter how many minions he tricks into following him, he'll still be alone."

"You would be the fiercest of warriors," Klaus said, shaking his head in wonder. "And I'm the most fortunate of cursed creatures to have earned your loyalty."

He was taken aback by Caroline surging forward to capture his lips in a ferocious kiss. She pulled him on top of her, rubbing her delectable curves along his body. She slyly palmed him through his trousers, letting out a purr of approval that drove him mad. Was it too early to ask if she wanted to be taken among the orifice snakes? The writhing scaly hides and occasional flicking tongues could be a most intoxicating experience...No. Sex on top of orifice snakes probably should wait until one became a bit more...acclimated to hell. She hadn't even seen the Hall of Pierced Spleens yet.

He pushed up her sundress, smiling fondly at the brightly colored floral pattern. Only his Caroline would choose to wear sunshine on her trip to hell. Running his hands possessively along her thighs, he ducked his head to playfully nip the quivering skin.

"Show me?" At his confused expression, she mumbled, "Your fangs. Um...I want you to bite me."

Her blush was endearing, but it was the heat behind her clumsy request that captured his monster. And her scent. By the infernal gods, her scent was flooded with wondrous fragrances. Woman. Desire. Ripened honey aching to be tasted. His fangs unsheathed and he dragged the points along her flesh, drawing random patterns as she gasped. With each pass, Klaus dug a bit deeper, tiny scratches of little hurts before the big hurt.

But only the hurt for which she begs. He put his fangs to flesh, slipping through layers of skin with the skill of a consummate lover, desperate to show her what he had to offer now that he was whole once again. Her shrieks of pleasure made him vibrate with need, and her blood was achingly sweet and hot and just...Caroline. Consumed by her taste, Klaus hurriedly freed his cock, rubbing along her clit as his body demanded more.

Spreading wide just for him, Caroline's body called to his, a seductive smile touching lips now wet with her blood. He pushed inside, groaning at the exquisite feel, and their cries of ecstasy mingled with the hissing in the pits below. He flexed his hips, bringing out long, deep strokes that made her clench around him.

"Fuck," she gasped, "right there, yes!" Blue eyes blazing, she impatiently yanked her sundress the rest of the way off, cupping her bare breasts as she demanded, "Everything — give it to me. Now."

Fucking hell. Her commanding tone made his beast roar, and as he sped up, bringing them both to the tipping point, his wings suddenly unfurled. Caroline unexpectedly reached out and grabbed the thick, curved spikes at the top of his leathery wings, anchoring their bodies together as she fought for her release.

His mighty bellow made the atrium arches quake, and he fucked them both through that glorious moment until properly spent. They curled up together on the ledge, and she murmured with a hint of surprise in her voice, "Huh. You know, the orifice snakes do kind of have a melodic hiss."

In that moment, she looked like a queen. Caroline didn't tremble at the nightmares around her, nor did she shy away from his monster. She touched the most beastly parts of him without hesitation. His queen, he thought with a smirk, toying with her curls as they lay together, their mingled scents already making his blood hot.

She playfully rubbed her foot along his calf, nuzzling into his chest. At his hum of approval, she slid down, planting teasing kisses as he fisted his cock back to life. With an impish grin, she laced her fingers over his, mimicking his movements.

"Good girl," he hissed, bucking into the feel of her hands, lust overpowering them both when she took him in her mouth. She swirled her tongue, sucking him down as he commanded, "Take it all." Despite all they'd shared, the schoolgirl blush that suddenly colored her cheeks was most endearing — and thoroughly erotic. Especially when she slipped between his legs, mouth still affixed to his cock as she tugged insistently. Dirty minx. When he won his war, he vowed to fuck her properly on the hellfire throne.

He thrust into her mouth with vigor, spilling down her throat when suddenly she let out a screech and flattened herself along the ledge as bats swooped overhead.

"Shit! You have bats?!"

Confused by her outburst, he shrugged and replied, "Camazotz tends to breed whole colonies when he gets bored. Human sacrifice can get a bit tedious, you know."

"Um...sure."

With an indulgent smile, Klaus pulled her back into his arms, feeling her skin heat once more as he ran his tongue along her neck, savoring her delectable flavor.

"Bloody hell, Nik! Do you have any idea how long you two have been going at it? The guests are starting to arrive!"

Bollocks. With an irritated groan, Klaus craned his head slightly to look over the ledge and acknowledged Rebekah's impatient ranting below them. "We're on our way."

Caroline scrambled to pull back on the ragged scraps that remained of her sundress, pausing to glare at him over its condition. She whispered urgently, "What is she talking about?"

Ah. That. "My coronation ceremony."