Chapter Eighteen: The Cure

When human beings experience pain, adrenaline rushes their system invoking the fight or flight response. It causes air passages to dilate, providing the muscles with more oxygen, and the blood vessels to contract, redirecting it to the major muscle groups. It can also reduce the body's ability to feel pain. If the stimulus continues, their panic can overwhelm the brain causing them to become lightheaded and eventually, mercifully, lose consciousness altogether.

As Kiara felt the first echoing of Klaus's bones breaking, she told herself that she could always force herself to sleep—to escape into her mind as she had done before. But her connection to Klaus followed her into her head and the realization that there was nothing she could do caused anxiety to blossom in her chest. Unlike with humans, pain triggered the production of not just adrenaline, but life energy to build up in succubi. If she needed to fight off an attacker, she could. She could run forever if she needed to. But there was nothing for Kiara to fight, no enemy to defeat. Nowhere she could go. No way to stop the agony she was feeling.

So she clawed at the sheets of Alaric's bed. When her vision blurred, she threw herself onto the floor. Her muscles contracted as she felt bones bend and break. She screamed. She screamed so loud, the window and mirror in the room exploded around her. Sweat collected on her skin. Tears rushed down her face. She started hyperventilating. And then it was like she was on fire. She flew across the room and the energy swirling inside her flew out of her body and verberated all around her, smashing the bedroom door to the floor.

"What the hell?" Kiara heard Katherine say from a distance. "Kiara?"

Kiara should have been relieved to hear another person's voice again, but by this point, she could hardly think. She just wanted the pain to stop. Instead, she felt something tear into her chest and tighten around her heart.

"Kiara? What's happening?" Katherine asked, pulling her out of the room and away from the broken glass.

"Elijah," Kiara gasped. Her hands searching her body for the invading object and coming up empty. "He's, I think he's killing his brother. I think I might be dying."

But just as quickly as the pressure came, it left and Kiara was back to withering on the wood floor until Klaus's transformation was complete.

Thankfully, Klaus shifted into a wolf quicker than most werewolves and once he was settled in his new form Kiara's pain eased into a dull jittery ache. As her breathing slowed, Kiara became more aware of herself and she realized Katherine was holding her. She could feel Katherine's chest pressed against her back and her long legs on either side of her. There were fingers in Kiara's hair and a song being hummed in her ear. It was an unfamiliar, soothing melody.

"That's nice," Kiara said, her voice crackly from yelling. "What is it?"

"Just a song my mother used to sing to me when I was little."

Kiara opened her eyes. "And it stuck with you all this time?"

"I guess you can never really forget your mother," Katherine said with a half-smile.

It looked like Kiara wanted to understand. She nodded her head as if she did. Then, suddenly, she was groaning in pain again. It felt like her teeth were grinding together and some kind of liquid was running down her throat. She gagged, contorting her body to the side as if she might be sick.

"Hey, you okay?" Katherine asked, collecting Kiara's hair in her hand to keep from getting in her face.

Kiara just shook her head. "I don't know. I feel like I'm choking on blood."

"Do you think it's Klaus?" Katherine asked, not sounding as hopeful as she thought she would. "Is he dying?"

"Maybe," Kiara bit her lip and leaned back into Katherine. "Why is it taking so long? I wish it would just be done with."

Katherine scoffed. "You really are something strange, aren't you? Most people would be blabbing about how much they want to live and what they still need to check off their bucket list. Going skydiving, visiting the Great Wall of China, running a marathon—"

"Losing your virginity?"

"You're kidding…" Katherine's face dropped. "You? You're a virgin?"

"From a completely heteronormative point of view? Yes."

Katherine shook her head in amazement. "That's just wrong."

Kiara smiled a little. "You know I'm only seventeen, right?"

"You're a succubus! Isn't sex part of the job description?"

"Not necessarily…" Kiara looked down at her hands and noticed blood on Katherine's arms. "You're bleeding."

"It's nothing."

Kiara unclenched her hands and saw dried blood on the tips of her fingers. "I… hurt you."

"You were in pain. You didn't know what you were doing."

It was true. They both knew that. Kiara was out of her mind with pain, but it didn't make her feel any better. Hurting people wasn't in her nature. Not as a human or a succubus. She dropped her head back onto Katherine's shoulder as frustrated tears spilled out of her. "I'm sorry. This isn't me."

"I'm fine, Kiara, really," Katherine told her. "I'm a vampire. We can take a beating or two."

Before Kiara could respond, Elijah burst through the door. Kiara knew who it was without even looking at him. There was something about his presence that was familiar to her even from a distance. But she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Not until he called for her.

"Kiara?"

She lifted her head. It was automatic. He sounded so sad like he was mirroring her emotions back to her and she had to see his face. To tell him it was going to be okay. That she forgave him, no matter what he decided to do.

And then suddenly Elijah was on his knees in front of her. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Please forgive me," Elijah said

Kiara thought the worst, that somehow Klaus was dead and it was just taking longer for the link to turn sour. But Katherine understood how the magic worked better than she did.

"He's alive," Katherine said. "Isn't he?"

It might seem silly, but Kiara was proud of him. Elijah had let go of his anger. For one reason or another, he decided to let Klaus live. She wanted him to know that and she wanted him to know that any pain he caused her didn't matter. It wasn't his fault. He had no way of knowing that she was linked to his brother. She moved closer to him, her body feeling heavy and sore. She reached out to him. Her fingers itching to touch him.

Without needing to be asked, Elijah pulled her towards him and his scent enveloped her. He relaxed a little against her body and she smiled to herself realizing how much she had missed him. Then all at once, Kiara knew. She knew what Klaus was doing, what she was feeling him do, and why she was feeling so guilty.

"I'm sorry," Elijah said like he didn't even hear what Katherine had asked. "I'm so sorry."

"He's killing people," Kiara said. The words just spilled out of her mouth.

"What?"

"I can feel him," Kiara looked up at Elijah's face. "Klaus. I can feel tendons in his teeth and blood on his face," she shook her head and buried her face back into Elijah's chest. "It's horrible. I can't take it."

Elijah's hands rubbed up and down her back trying to comfort her. "I don't understand. Why did he do this? Why did he link you to him?"

"It was the only way," Kiara tried to explain as another wave of nausea washed over her making her close her mouth.

"The only way to do what?"

"To save her," Katherine explained. "It was the only way to save her. That blade was spelled to suck out a succubus's life force, when they linked her life to Klaus it made that impossible."

Kiara could feel Elijah tense. "Why didn't you tell me they were linked earlier? I would have had Bonnie unlink them before he broke the curse."

What Elijah didn't know was that it didn't matter. Kiara knew enough about magic to know that Klaus would need to be present for the two of them to be unlinked. And Bonnie would never let Klaus know she was alive, not until the moment she was going to kill him. There was nothing Elijah could have done for her. He was always going to make that choice: to spare his brother or not. Although Kiara did wonder if her link to Klaus had been a deciding factor for Elijah or if he simply couldn't hurt someone he loved like she had always thought would be the case.

She felt him tense again. His muscles moved under his skin like he was about to lunge forward.

"Please," Kiara hugged him tightly. "Don't hurt her."

"Kiara, she—"

"She's my friend," Kiara told him and to her, that was all that mattered.

"Katerina doesn't have friends. She can't be trusted," Elijah said.

Kiara told him there were plenty of people in town that would say the same thing about her. Hell, they might even say the same things about Elijah too. Regardless, Kiara thought Katherine had suffered enough. After all, if over 500 years wasn't a long enough punishment for Katherine betraying Klaus, what would Kiara's punishment be for reviving the witch who almost managed to kill him?

She didn't want to think about it. She wanted to sleep like Elijah told her to. But she couldn't. Not really. It didn't matter if it was the link or her own apprehension of what was to come, rest seemed to be unattainable for the time being. In the brief moments she managed to slip into unconsciousness, she was running under the stars and sinking her teeth into flesh.


Elijah trailed his brother for nearly two days. Along the way, he would clean up Klaus's messes. No one was safe. Not the occasional hiker that got in his way, the love-struck teenagers finding privacy among the trees, or the college student whose car had a flat tire. Finally, on the second morning, Niklaus stopped and he found Elijah there waiting with clothes in hand.

Elijah tossed the garments onto the ground. "You've been busy," he said, leaning his shoulder onto the tree next to him.

Niklaus looked around him as if the world had changed overnight. There was a hint of a smile on his face and Elijah thought he looked almost happy. Under different circumstances, in another life, Elijah might have been happy for him. But as he stood there staring down at Niklaus, he saw Kiara laying on Alaric's apartment floor in tears.

"That was amazing," Klaus told him. He got to his feet and asked, "How long has it been?

Elijah watched him as he pulled on the clothes, wondering if Kiara was aware of what he was doing at that very moment. If it felt like Klaus's hands were touching her body whenever he touched his own. He pushed the thought from his mind. He couldn't think about Kiara or her link to Niklaus. If he did, he would say the wrong thing and he would never see his family again.

"Almost two days," Elijah said. "Full moon came and went. You remained a wolf."

"I can change at will, then," Klaus grinned at him. "It's good to know. I remember every single kill."

"Yes. I've been cleaning up your little mess along the way," Elijah told him.

"Just like old times, brother."

Elijah wanted to smack him. Instead, he handed Klaus the shoes he brought along with him. "You've had your fun. I believe we have a bargain."

"Ah, yes," Niklaus slipped them on. "Now, what was that again? Oh, yeah. Wait I remember. That's it. You wish to be reunited with our family."

"You gave me your word, Niklaus," Elijah brushed off the jacket in his hand. "And you've already lied to me once. I expect you won't do so again."

"This should be good, what did I lie about this time then?"

"Kiara," Elijah said, trying to keep his voice steady as if what he was about to say didn't bother him. "You said if I let you go no more harm would come to her, but you must have known she would suffer the transformation with you. I imagine she felt every kill you committed as well. For nearly two days she's been in agony."

"It's the least she deserves after what she did."

"She's done nothing to you," Elijah told him, watching his reaction. "All she ever tried to do was convince me to make peace."

"She tried to kill me!"

"I tried to kill you, Niklaus," Elijah said. "Not her. Her only sin was trying to help me find our siblings. The siblings you swore to reunite me with only days ago."

"What kind of brother would break his bond?" Klaus said, rolling his eyes. "Even though you did try to kill me."

Elijah flicked open the jacket he was holding and silently offered to help Klaus pull it on. "I could have," he reminded him. "But I didn't."

"And now no one can. Not even you," Klaus said. "But I do wonder… was it for her? Or for them?"

Elijah offered him no answer.

"Relax, Elijah. I was only curious. All is forgiven," Klaus told him.

"You do know you will need to be unlinked from her immediately."

"Do I?" Klaus raised his eyebrows and smirked at Elijah's strained expression. "You really fancy the little wench, don't you?"

"Of course not," Elijah remained impassive. "We made a deal, she and I. I simply wish to fulfill my end of it. That's all."

Klaus studied his face. "Then you wouldn't mind if I held onto her for a bit then? I find her… fascinating."

"Niklaus—"

"She does, after all, mean nothing to you, right? Brother?"

Elijah clenched his jaw. He didn't know what game Niklaus was playing, but he didn't like it.

"I'd understand if you've become a bit attached to her," Klaus smirked. "She is quite beautiful." When Elijah didn't comment, Klaus continued. "You know, I was fortunate enough to have a taste of her the other night," Klaus told him, enjoying the annoyance on his brother's face. "She's absolutely exquisite, probably the best thing I've ever tasted."

"Yes, well, I don't have time to wait while you have your fill, Niklaus," Elijah said. "Kiara needs my help with some things. I expect you to unlink yourself from her and then tell me where they are," Elijah said.

"You need to lighten up, brother. Where's your sense of humor?" Niklaus smacked his shoulder and started to walk toward the car that Elijah had waiting nearby. "I'll bring you to them soon enough."

The fact that he never promised to unlink himself from Kiara did not go unnoticed by Elijah and Elijah's worry did not go unnoticed by Niklaus.

The journey back to Mystic Falls was silent. Elijah's hands gripped the steering wheel. He was still angry with his brother. There was so much he wanted to tell him, so many things bubbling up inside that he had to press down if he wanted to get what Niklaus promised him.

Elijah wanted Kiara to be alright. He wanted his siblings. More than anything, he wanted to know that Niklaus wouldn't go back on his word. Again.


Neither of the Mikaelson brothers expected to find Stefan Salvatore there as they stepped back into the room.

"Klaus, your back," Katerina said with Stefan next to her. "Look who decided to come for a visit."

"You just keep popping up, don't you?" Klaus smirked.

"I need your help…" Stefan told him. "For my brother."

Elijah's eyes searched the room until he found Kiara sleeping on the couch.

"She just managed to fall asleep," Katerina told him.

Elijah only nodded. Annoyed by the link between Kiara and his brother once more. The faster they were unlinked, the better.

"Well, whatever it is, it's going to have to wait a tick," Klaus said to Stefan. "You see, I have an obligation to my brother that requires my immediate attention."

"You understand how important family is, otherwise you wouldn't be here," Elijah said when Stefan looked in his direction. He wanted Stefan to understand why he betrayed them. His honor was very important to him and the fact that he went back on his word for the first time in decades made him feel disgusted with himself. "My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my own."

"And so I shall," Niklaus said. When Elijah turned around, Klaus was holding a silver dagger in one hand and an unfamiliar looking blade in the other. "But first, you have a choice to make."

"What is this, Niklaus?"

"This is your dagger," Klaus lifted his right hand. "This is Kiara's. If you drive this into Kiara's chest, then I shall reunite you with our family. If you drive this dagger into your chest, I shall spare her any further pain. It's your choice, brother."

Elijah frowned. "Why? She's done nothing to you."

"Because whether or not she is innocent of any wrongdoing, you are not and it is quite obvious that you care for her," Klaus said. "Consider this your punishment for trying to kill me. You will choose: your succubus or our family. I will not give you both."

Elijah swallowed. His eyes shifted to look at the girl still lying just a couple of feet from him. She was unaware of this game they were playing and undeserving of such little regard for her life. He wondered what she would say if she knew what was happening, what Klaus was making him do, and his mind wandered back to what she said to him only days after they met.

"I spent most of my life by Niklaus's side. We promised one another that we'd remain a family, always and forever. There was a time when I would have done anything for him, but now, after what he's done, forgiving him seems impossible," Elijah said.

"You may feel that way now," Kiara nodded. "but as a vampire, you face eternity alone. You may find that if given enough time, anything can be forgiven."

"Perhaps."

"Or not," Kiara let out an awkward laugh, as if she could sense his doubt, and looked away from him. "What do I know, right? Still, I think we should find out for sure what happened to your siblings before you go killing anyone. That way you don't do something you'll regret later, you know?"

Elijah smiled. We, she said. "Yes, I suppose we should." He stood and brushed the hair out of her face. She was as captivating then as when he first saw her. Perhaps even more so now that he's gotten to know her better. "Thank you for agreeing to help me, Miss. James."

Elijah wasn't sure if he could forgive Niklaus for this, but he was positive that if he hurt Kiara, he could never forgive himself.

He knew it was ridiculous. In his lifetime he had taken the lives of many people, most of whom didn't deserve it, and he hardly knew Kiara, but somehow it felt like he's known her for years. It was rare for him to care for someone so quickly. After losing so many loved ones, he had become guarded when it came to matters of the heart. With Kiara, it was easy, natural, and when he heard she was an immortal being… he thought she was a safe thing to care for.

Elijah could hardly even ask the question, but he had to be sure. "You're asking me… to kill Kiara?"

"I'm asking you to make a simple choice," Klaus pointed out.

"She's done nothing to you."

"I don't care! If it weren't for me, she would be dead by now. As far as I'm concerned her life is mine to with whatever I please. Besides, this isn't about her. It's about you."

"Elijah?" Kiara's voice silenced them both. Klaus turned around to face her. There was surprise in his eyes, perhaps even a little shame like he didn't expect for her to hear the exchange. But she said, "It's okay."

Elijah frowned. "What?"

Everyone in the room watched her step closer to the brothers. It was clear that she was exhausted. It had been three days since she fed and more than that since she really slept. There were circles under her eyes and an unsteady movement of her body. But even in her sleep-deprived state, Kiara knew the dagger wouldn't kill her, not until she and Klaus were unlinked.

She came to stop in front of them. Her eyes moved from the dagger in Klaus's hand to Elijah.

"I said, it's okay," she forced a smile. "I understand what you need to do and I forgive you."

"You don't actually think that I—"

She smiled back at him, sadly. "How can you not? They say family's the most important thing in the world, right? And yours is for always and forever."

"No!" Elijah felt tears stinging his eyes despite himself. "I won't do it, Niklaus. I won't hurt her."

"Elijah," Kiara stepped in between the brothers, her back to Niklaus. "We both know what needs to be done… your family is all you've talked about since we met. But if you won't do it," she turned and grabbed the dagger from Klaus's open palm. "Then I will." She pointed the dagger at her own chest.

Before she could move, Niklaus leaped forward, knocking Kiara to the ground, and burying the dagger into Elijah's chest.

Elijah gasped in shock.

"No!" Kiara screamed, rushing to her feet to pull at Klaus's arm so he would remove the dagger, but it was too late. The dagger was already taking effect.

Elijah slowly went gray before sinking to the floor. Kiara followed him down, intent on removing it, but Klaus pulled her away and pinned her to a nearby wall.

"Why? Why did you do that?" she yelled, trying to push him away from her. "I was willing to do what you wanted."

"I know you were, love."

"Then why didn't you just let me?" she glared at him. "It's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"Why do you keep assuming I want to hurt you?" Klaus stared at her.

Kiara stopped fighting him and shrugged. Her eyes cold for the first time when she looked at him.

Klaus licked his lips. His eyes glancing from her eyes to her lips and back again. "I was never going to let him hurt you, love," Klaus told her. "I would have daggered him no matter what he chose."

She scoffed.

"It's true," he backed away from her a little, not trusting himself at the moment. There was a part of him that was just aching to comfort her, to beg for her forgiveness. This faint voice inside him was crying out for her approval and he didn't know what to do.

"Then why put him through that? Why all the theatrics and mind games?"

"Because he tried to kill me!" Klaus told her and her face dropped. He was in pain. She had been so focused on the physical sensations she had been feeling over the last few days, she almost forgot about the emotional side of things. Now she realized he was hurting and lashing out. "He had my heart in his hand. He was ready to kill me! And I wanted to know what stopped him from doing it. Us or you. It seems we have our answer."

Kiara said nothing. Her eyes moved to Elijah's body across the room. She was inches away from him and yet, she knew Klaus would never allow her to pull that dagger out of his chest. There may as well have been a wall between them once more. She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor and just slipped away, into the depths of her mind.

There was a millisecond of hesitation. Kiara's lack of response seemed to bother Klaus. He stood there staring at her as she tried to process the feeling washing over her. It seemed to be a mix of mourning and loneliness and fear, not completely unfamiliar to Klaus. Not wanting to think about the fact that he had caused her to feel that way, he turned his attention to Stefan.

"Now," he said. "What am I gonna do with you?"

Out of anger, or frustration, Klaus picked up a knife from the kitchen and stabbed Stefan in the chest. He ignored him as he cried out in pain.

"You feel that?" he asked. "It's scraping against your heart. The slightest little movement," his eyes moved up to the ceiling. "And you're dead."

"He's just trying to help his brother. Tyler bit him," Katerina told him.

"The witches said you have a cure," Stefan said, looking him in the eyes. "Make me a deal. Just give me the cure and I'll do whatever you want."

Klaus pulled the knife out of Stefan's chest and walked towards the kitchen counter. Stefan groaned, falling to the floor.

"Trouble is," Klaus emptied a blood bag into a glass. "I don't know if you'd be any good to me, the way you are now. You are just shy of useless," he said and took a sip. Then Klaus crouched in front of him and said, "I heard about this one vampire, crazy bloke, always on and off the wagon for decades. When he was off, he was magnificent. 1917, he went into Monterey and wiped out an entire migrant village. A true ripper. Sound familiar?"

Stefan looked down at the ground before forcing himself to meet Klaus's eyes. "I haven't been that way in a very long time," he told him.

"Well, that's the vampire I can make a deal with," Klaus said. "That is the kind of talent I can use when we leave this town." He lifted his hand and waved Katerina over. "Katerina, come here."

Not having a choice, Katherine stepped forward and put her hand in his. Without any warning, he bit her.

"No," Katherine gasped, staring at the werewolf bite on her wrist certain it meant imminent death. "No! No, no, no… "

Klaus bit his own wrist and shoved it towards her making her drink his blood. And the wound closed.

"You want your cure?" Klaus asked him. "There it is."

Stefan pursed his lips. "Your blood is the cure."

"Gotta love Mother Nature. Now… let's talk you and I," Klaus said, pulling Stefan towards the counter with his arm slung over his shoulders.

Katherine sat down on the seat closest to Kiara. She waved a hand in front of her face, but Kiara just kept staring straight ahead of her with a blank expression. It was like she locked herself into her own mind. None of this seemed to be bothering her. Katherine frowned. This silent zombie was nothing like the Kiara Katherine had come to know.

"Kiara?" Katherine whispered, grabbing her hand. "Are you alright?"

"He daggered Elijah."

Katherine nodded. "I know, but on the bright side, you're still breathing. I know I'm biased but if I had to pick—"

"Without Elijah, I'm dead anyway. If Klaus doesn't kill me, my father will."

"I wouldn't be so sure…" Katherine told her. Her eyes glancing up at Klaus.

Meanwhile, Klaus cut his hand open and collected his blood in a vile. "There it is," he said. "You want to save your brother? How 'bout a decade long bender?" Klaus looked at him. "And I have big plans for you when we leave this town."

"I'm not like that anymore," Stefan reminded him.

Klaus looked him over, trying to figure out if Stefan really meant it or not. "Well, that's too bad," he said, tipping the vile over to let it spill into the sink in front of him. "You would have been a hell of a wingman."

"Wait," Stefan sighed.

And Klaus smirked at him. "Now that's more like it. I want you to join me for a drink." He slid a blood bag across the counter and watched Stefan take one sip from it. "Finish it," he told him. His face was completely void of emotion. "All of it."

When Stefan didn't do anything, Klaus put his glass down and said, "You do everything I say and I save your brother. That's the deal."

So Stefan finished the bag and threw it to the ground only for Klaus to slide another towards him.

"Again."

Blood bag after blood bag Klaus made him drink until Stefan couldn't seem to stop himself from sucking them down. Soon he was on his hands and knees on the floor trying to force more from the empty ones and Klaus couldn't look happier.

"You're very cooperative," Klaus pointed out. "It's almost as if you're enjoying it." He dropped another in front of him.

"No more," Stefan said. "Not until you give me the cure."

"Not until we make a deal. It's your choice, Stefan. You can either remain here living your life in Mystic Falls, or you can embrace what you truly are, leave town with me, and save your brother's life."

Stefan struggled with the choice, clearly wanting to resist his darker impulses. But he grabbed the blood bag anyway and drank.

"That's the spirit," Klaus smiled.

Then Klaus got to his feet and turned to Katerina as she dropped her hold on Kiara's hand. "Sweetheart…" he said. He grabbed her by the throat and compelled her. "Take this over to Damon and come right back."

"You want me to leave?" Katerina asked him. Her eyes momentarily moved to Kiara who lifted her eyes ever so slightly to look back at her. A ghost of a smile on her face, she sent a little head tilt of approval her way. A silent way of telling her to go, to run, even if it meant leaving her behind.

Honestly, Kiara knew that Katherine didn't really need her approval. She would run no matter what Kiara wanted. But it seemed pointless to make her feel bad for doing what needed to be done. There was no reason for both of them to be stuck there. Not when they both knew the importance of having their freedom.

"No!" Stefan shook his head, knowing Katherine couldn't be compelled.

"Yes," Klaus said. "And if I were you…"

Katerina didn't hesitate. She grabbed the vile and sped out the door before Klaus could change his mind.

"... I'd hurry."

Niklaus smiled to himself and took a seat down at the little dining room table set.

"She'll never take it to him," Stefan said, but Klaus just shrugged. "She'll never take it to him."

"Yes she will," Kiara told him. Her voice was slow and distant.

Both vampires looked at her as if just remembering she was in the room. Stefan scrunched his eyebrows together in disbelief.

"How do you know?" Stefan asked.

Kiara didn't answer. Her eyes were back to staring blankly in front of her.

Annoyed with her behavior, Klaus stood up and said, "Well, I have a car waiting outside. Best not to keep the driver waiting."

Stefan slowly got to his feet, but Kiara remained where she was on the floor. Even when a group of men came into the apartment and picked up Elijah to carry him downstairs.

Klaus crouched down in front of her. "Come on, love," he said. His eyes searching hers as they simply looked past him like he wasn't there. "It's time to go."

She barely even blinked.

"Enough with the theatrics, love. I get it. You're still upset with me," Klaus growled.

"No theatrics," Kiara said. "I'm just not going with you."

"I'm afraid you don't have a say in this. You see, we're still linked, you and I—"

"I don't care," she said. Her eyes finally meeting his. She was so angry, they were glowing. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

Klaus clenched his jaw and pulled her up by the arm. "You don't have a choice, love. As long as you are linked to me, you're not leaving my side."

But Kiara struggled as he forced her towards the door and she was surprisingly strong. Her feet barely dragged across the wood floor beneath her as he pulled her along.

"Come on, love," Klaus said, bending down to lift her up and over his shoulder. "You're better than this."

"Then I guess this is your influence," she spat. Her fists pounding onto his back as he exited the apartment.

"Sweetheart, if you don't behave… I'll be forced to punish you," Klaus smirked to himself as he headed down the stairs. He could feel her anxiousness when he touched her. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, beneath all that anger, she still felt the pull he did.

She stopped, going limp. A wave of sadness slapped the smile of Klaus's face. "What more could you possibly do to me?" she asked.

When they got to the black SUV that was waiting for them, he opened the door and sat her down on the seat. Gently. She tried to pull away from him, to move further into the car, but he held her by the legs.

"I realize you're upset about Elijah," Klaus told her, trying to look sincere. "But you must understand, he needed to be punished for what he did and I did technically keep my word, in a way, he has been reunited with our family."

"You're such an asshole," she shook her head.

"Perhaps," he smirked. "But I can assure you that things will be much easier for you if we get along."

Her chest shook as if she wanted to cry but simply didn't have the strength to anymore. Then she whispered, "You hurt me."

"I did," he agreed with a small nod. "And I assure you, it brought me no pleasure."

Kiara's eyes scanned his face. Even if they weren't linked, she would know he was telling the truth. Somehow when it was just the two of them he was different and it was harder for her to stay upset with him. Now she could see the potential in him that Elijah spoke to her about, the thing he held onto for centuries.

Just thinking about Elijah made her chest ache.

"If it makes you feel any better," he tilted his head. His eyes on her mouth as if considering moving closer to her, to feel her lips against his once more. "I don't plan to hurt you again. You have nothing to fear so long as you behave."

Without a word, she pulled her arm back and smacked him across the face.

Klaus's shock was obvious as he stared back at her. When he saw she was glaring back at him, he raised an eyebrow at her, secretly loving the rebellious look in her eyes. He wanted to kiss her more than ever. But instead, he grabbed her wrist to keep her from hitting him again.

"That was for keeping me linked to you while you broke the curse, for taking Elijah from me," she told him. "And then acting as if I'm some plaything to order around. If one of us needs to behave, it's you. Not me."

"Fair enough, love. I'll let you have that one, but only because I can feel how positively furious you are with me at the moment and I really would prefer that we get along," Klaus said. "Word of warning though: you really don't want to push me."

Kiara looked disappointed when she looked at him. "You aren't who I thought you were, are you? All that shit before, it was just an act, wasn't it?"

Klaus didn't answer her. He didn't know-how.

"You said you have plans for Stefan," she said. "Does that mean you have plans for me too?"

Klaus smirked at the question and leaned toward her again, happy to find that she didn't back away from him like he worried she might. "Have you ever considered that I might just enjoy your company?"

"No." She shook her head.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see then love," he plastered on one of his signature smirks and pulled away from her before shutting the door.


Thanks for reading. Review if you'd like. Let me know if you think this chapter was any good. I could use some ideas for what will happen on the road between Kiara and Klaus. They will be spending a lot of time together so if you guys have anything on your wishlist, let me know. I could use the inspiration. ;)