Whew, okay guys, this was a tough one to finish. I wasn't sure if I was moving things too quickly. As you all know by now, I want the progress of the relationships with these characters to feel authentic so hopefully, I didn't jump the gun on this. I'm super nervous to share this with you guys, but I've put it off long enough. I'll just have to see what you guys think.
Warning: Mature. Sexually explicit scene ahead.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Stays in the Mountains
One would think after spending enough time with the likes of Damon Salvatore the sight of bodies dropping would become less of a shock. Over the past couple of months, Alaric had started to feel himself becoming desensitized to death. But that was before Jenna passed. After burying another woman that he loved, Alaric was having a difficult time moving on, and watching a student of his go from speaking to him one moment to falling limp the next wasn't helping him any. In fact, it was reminding him why he started hunting vampires in the first place.
Alaric rushed forward to catch Kiara's body. "Damon," he looked at him in disbelief. "What the hell?" He tried to remind himself that Kiara James was also a supernatural creature and that the odds are she would be just fine. But it did nothing to cool the anger he felt holding her motionless body.
"What?" Damon shrugged. "She'd run and blab to Klaus about Elena the first chance she got and you know it."
"No," Alaric glared at him. "I don't. And neither do you."
"What were you thinking?" Elena shoved Damon.
Damon put his hands in the air. "Relax, she'll be fine. I broke her neck a while back, on accident, and she woke up within an hour as if nothing happened. The bitch won't be easy to kill, I can assure you."
"Kill?" Alaric shook his head and lowered Kiara to the ground. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Well, we need to do something, she saw Elena, and she's Team Klaus ergo… " Damon trailed off like they should be able to follow his reasoning.
"We aren't killing Kiara, Damon!" Elena yelled. "She's—"
"What? Your friend?" Damon scoffed. "Hardly."
"She saved Bonnie's life!" Elena crossed her arms in front of her chest. "And that was after you tortured her for weeks. Remember?"
"She only saved BonBon because I threatened her actual friend. It wasn't out of the goodness of her heart if she even has one."
Elena glared at him. "You don't know that."
"You only say that because you believe in people. I don't."
"Regardless, Damon does have a point," Alaric sighed. "As much as I hate to say it, she did see you, Elena. We need to do something."
"I say we take her with us," Damon shrugged.
"And then what? Hold her prisoner again?" Elena threw her hands in the air.
"Until I figure out how to kill her. Yeah," Damon told her. "I'll do whatever I gotta do to keep you safe, even if it means killing your neighbor. Get over it."
"Yeah…" Stefan stepped out from the shadows. "That's not gonna happen."
"Stefan!" Elena took a step forward like she wanted to hug him, but Alaric held her back. Not trusting him after seeing the things he'd done since he's been gone.
"Fancy meeting you here," Damon said as if it were any other day and he wasn't just contemplating murdering someone.
"What part of 'don't follow me', don't you understand?" Stefan asked him. "I'm never coming back," he added, hardly even glancing at Elena. She tried to say something, to beg him to come home with her, but he just talked over her. "Now why don't you get her home and keep her there this time?"
"Fine by me," Damon shrugged. "I'll just take the succubus and go."
"The succubus stays."
"What's that?" Damon asked. He walked up to his brother until they were face to face. "You planning on stopping me, brother?"
"It's not gonna happen because she can't be killed," Stefan told him.
Damon rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Right."
"And you taking her will only cause me problems," Stefan added.
"Wouldn't want that." Damon waved his hands sarcastically.
"It'll get you killed," Stefan finally told him. "She's linked to Klaus. He'll know she was hurt and come looking for her. He'll probably be here any second. And believe me, you don't want to be here when he does."
"Come on, Elena," Alaric said. He didn't need to hear any more than that. He took Elena's hand and dragged her away. She resisted at first, still wanting to talk to Stefan, but she eventually allowed herself to be taken back down the mountain to the safety of their car.
Damon, however, stayed behind.
"What are you saying? If I hurt Kiara, I hurt Klaus?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Stefan told him.
"So all we have to do is figure out how to kill Kiara, right? Kill the succubus, kill the hybrid? And Bam! You're free. We all live happily ever after."
"Yeah, I already thought of that," Stefan walked around him to look Kiara over. "Turns out the only way to kill Klaus while he's linked to Kiara is if they can be killed by the same thing. And they can't."
"What?" Damon scrunched his face together in annoyance. "How's that even possible? That isn't how the link between Elena and Katherine worked. Whatever you did to one, you did to the other. What makes this one so special?"
Stefan shrugged his shoulders, not really caring about how. "I don't know really. Klaus is smart, maybe he designed the link to be that way to protect them both. It doesn't matter. If you don't leave now and Klaus realizes what you did, he will kill you."
"Why? She'll be fine. She probably won't even remember what happened," Damon said. When Stefan didn't respond right away, Damon paused and squinted his eyes at him. "What exactly is she to him?" Damon asked. Then a look of realization crossed his face. "Don't tell me that he actually cares about the succubus?"
Stefan just stared at his brother, not sure how to answer. It seemed that Klaus did care about Kiara. From what he could tell, he might even be in love with her. But he didn't want to give his brother hope. It would only get Damon killed and then all of what he's been through to save his life would have been for nothing.
Before Stefan could figure out what to say, Damon was sent flying into a tree. He quickly stood back up and found Ray crouched in front of them. Blood was still running from his eyes. His fangs were extended ready to bite and he ran straight for Damon. They knocked each other around a bit. Stefan hesitated to do what was necessary. He was already having to bring an unconscious injured Kiara back to Klaus, he had no idea what Klaus would do if he had to bring a dead Ray as well. Still, when push came to shove, he did what he had to do. Because when it came down to it, Klaus was right: you never really stop caring about family.
"Leave. Now," Stefan told him, dropping Ray's heart onto the ground. "I'll take care of Kiara."
Damon didn't look happy leaving empty-handed, but he nodded anyway and disappeared.
After some deliberation, Stefan decided it would be better to bring Kiara back to Klaus and leave Ray's broken body behind. He couldn't carry them both and only one of them was going to wake up. Besides… killing Ray to save Kiara was a much better story than what actually happened. He told himself it wasn't even much of a stretch. It was obvious she had been attacked by something. There were claw marks all over her that hadn't healed yet and they wouldn't heal until she woke up. He assumed she had been running away from a hybrid, maybe even Ray himself, when Damon found her. With the way he was acting, it wasn't hard to believe that Ray was the one who broke Kiara's neck.
On his way back up to the campsite, Stefan got his story straight. He kept it simple. Ray attacked Kiara, slamming her into a tree and breaking her neck. When he kept going for her, Stefan was forced to kill him. It wasn't perfect, but it should work. Or at least he hoped it would.
It was quiet when Stefan finally made it back. When he found Klaus drinking a beer among battered bodies, he put two and two together. They were dead. All of them.
Klaus stood up immediately when he realized who Stefan was holding. The confusion on his face was obvious. Before he could even ask what happened, Stefan started explaining himself.
"I-uh-I think she'll be okay," Stefan told him. "Ray attacked her and she hit a tree. He wouldn't stop coming after her… I-I had to kill him. I'm sorry."
"They all went rabid," Klaus said with a nod. "Some of them I killed. Others just… bled out. In the end, they're all dead."
"And Preston?" Stefan wondered, looking around for the vampire he'd been spending most of his time with the past couple of weeks.
"Dead," Klaus told him. He ignored when Stefan turned to look at him with a surprised expression. "One of them went after Kiara earlier. Preston didn't even attempt to help her, and then... he decided to show his true colors. I was forced to kill him."
Stefan didn't quite understand what he meant by that, but he nodded anyway. He wasn't completely unfamiliar with how Preston felt about Kiara. If he had had the opportunity to get rid of her, Preston probably would have taken it. And since Stefan never spoke about the conversation he had with Klaus the night he attacked Kiara, Preston wouldn't have known about the link between Kiara and Klaus-that made her, for the moment, unkillable. Maybe Stefan should have felt guilty for keeping that information to himself. But Preston was a bit hard to read. Stefan never really trusted him and having him gone was likely better for everyone. So Stefan shrugged it off.
For a moment, Klaus stared at Stefan with an expression that reeked of vulnerability. He was sad. Angry. Confused. And Stefan couldn't believe Klaus was allowing him to see him in such an emotional state. Klaus screamed out in frustration and threw the beer bottle in his hand into a tree. It shattered into pieces.
"I did everything I was told!" Klaus shouted. "I should be able to turn them. I broke the curse. I killed a werewolf. I killed a vampire. I killed the doppelganger." Klaus stared at the ground in confusion. Then he looked up at Stefan with suspicion in his eyes.
Stefan tried not to react. He shifted Kiara in his arms. The bite on his arm was aching and itchy. But he didn't dare put Kiara down.
"You look like hell," Klaus finally said.
"Last I checked… I'm dying," Stefan reminded him. "And you don't want to heal me."
Klaus seemed to consider this for a moment.
"I had to take Ray out. I couldn't protect Kiara," Stefan said. "I failed you. I'm sorry. Do what you have to do."
"It should have worked," Klaus repeated. As if he believed Stefan might know why it didn't. But in the end, he picked up an empty beer bottle, bit his wrist, and let his blood fall into it. Then he offered the bottle in exchange for Kiara. "Bottoms up," he said.
Stefan stepped forward and handed him Kiara, before taking the bottle.
"We're leaving," Klaus told him. He turned and looked down at the dead would-be hybrids mournfully. "It appears you two are the only comrades I have left."
Being suspended between life and death was like being trapped in an endless room with no lights or windows or doors. There was no dreaming. No glimpses of the Other Side. And no way out. Just a never-ending sense of nothing. Kiara wandered in the darkness of her subconscious by herself for what felt like a long time. At first, she thought that this was what death was for a monster like her. Utter nothingness. And she told herself it was probably more peaceful than a creature like her would deserve. But then panic began to set in. It was too quiet. She called out. She called for Holly. Elijah. Her mother. Even Klaus. But there was no one there. She was completely and utterly alone. It was worse than her worst nightmares. And she ran, she ran tirelessly to escape it. She screamed at herself to wake up. She pulled at her hair. She banged on her head and pinched herself. Finally, she saw something in the distance. It was like a light at the end of a tunnel. She didn't dare blink. As she approached, she realized it was a person.
"Hello?" Kiara called out, only for her own voice to echo back to her.
Slowly she came to a stop to find herself face-to-face with… herself. She frowned, wondering if it was some kind of mirror or illusion. She lifted her hand as if to touch a smooth surface before her, expecting her reflection to do the same, but it didn't. Instead, it smirked at her.
"Hello Kiara," it said.
Kiara stepped back in surprise. "What is this? Some kind of trick?"
"Not a trick," Her double shrugged her shoulders. "A spell."
"A spell?" Kiara frowned.
"Well, a potion really," Her double said. "A kind of… sleeping potion and it's time to wake up. I've been waiting for this moment for a really long time."
"I don't understand. Who are you?" Kiara asked.
"I'm you. Well, a part of you anyway," Her double told her. "Holly likes to call me Sky."
"Sky?" Kiara repeated. "That's—"
"The name mom gave us. Yeah," Sky nodded. "Now it serves as our middle name."
"I don't understand," Kiara said.
Sky sighed in annoyance that she was having to spell it out. "What did you think was happening when you drank that potion Holly gave you?"
"I-I don't know," Kiara hugged herself. "It was supposed to repress my urges. Make me more human."
"Yeah," Sky scoffed. "Well, it did much more than that."
"What are you talking about? Whatever you're trying to say, just spit it out!"
"It split us apart!" Sky said. Her eyes glowing a haunting emerald green. "It locked me away and kept me here. So you can go on pretending to be something you're not!"
"Here? Where's here?"
"This…" Sky looked around with distaste. "This is the back of your mind. The place where things that are forgotten are left to rot. To fade into nothing."
"I don't understand…" Kiara shook her head. She could feel tears pushing behind her eyes, but she didn't know why.
Sky crossed his arms in front of her and stuck out her hip. "Think about it. Your mood swings. The gaps in your memory. It all has to be caused by something and that something is…?"
"You?" Kiara asked.
"Ding ding," Sky nodded. "Now you're getting it."
"But how?"
"When the potion's effects start to wear off, I can find my way out. Sometimes you feel me and just… do what I would do. Sometimes I can step out for a little while and take control. Never for too long though. Then I'm back to this. Alone. Empty."
Kiara backed away, shaking her head. "No. No, that can't be. Holly would have told me!"
"Maybe you don't know Holly as well as you thought you did…"
"No!" Kiara cupped her hands over her ears. She knew it was childish, but she didn't know what else to do. "Go away! You're just a dream!"
But no matter how hard Kiara pressed into her ears, Sky's voice rang through loud and clear to her. "Like it or not, I'm a part of you. I feel everything you feel. I know your loneliness. Your desire to be loved. Everything. Because we're one and the same, you and I. Holly's been keeping us apart for too long now, but one day, very soon, we're going to be together again," Sky told her.
"No!"
"You can't shut me out forever, Kiara. Sooner or later, you'll have to accept who you are."
"No!" Kiara shook her head. "You aren't me. You're a nightmare. Wake up, Kiara! Just wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"
Kiara remained unconscious during the entire walk back down the mountain and the short drive to the nearest hotel that met Klaus's standards. It wasn't until Klaus lowered her onto a rather large bed and started to remove her shoes that she opened her eyes. She groaned, bringing a hand to her still healing neck.
"Ow," she grumbled. "What happened?"
"What do you remember?" Stefan asked her from his place in the middle of the room. His hands were shoved in his pockets.
"I-I remember… being attacked by a hybrid and Preston being an ass," she glanced at Klaus who was sitting down on the bed next to her. "Then I was running down the mountain."
"Do you remember Ray attacking you?" Stefan asked her.
"No," Kiara frowned, looking at him. "Did you… stop him?"
Stefan nodded uneasily. "Yeah."
Kiara nodded and, to his surprise, smiled at him. It was soft, hardly even noticeable really, but Stefan caught it. "I guess I owe you one," she said.
"Yeah, well…" Stefan shifted awkwardly, trying not to let guilt seep out of his skin like sweat. "I was just doing my job."
"Stefan?" Klaus said out of the blue.
"Yeah?"
"Leave us."
Stefan nodded, offered Kiara a nod and awkward half-smile before leaving to find his own hotel room down the hall. Hoping she wouldn't remember what really happened that night.
Once they were alone, Klaus turned his full attention to her. His eyes looked her over as he searched his mind for the right words to say. Even without saying anything, Kiara could feel that something was wrong. It was more than what happened to her. Klaus was distracting himself by focusing on her instead of his own pain.
"Klaus…" Kiara tried to sit up and flinched. "What happened? Are you okay?"
Klaus almost laughed. "You can hardly move and you're asking if I'm alright?"
"I-" Kiara blushed. "You just seem… sad."
"The night didn't go as I'd hoped," he admitted. His eyes on the purple bedspread under them. "But that's not important right now… I'd rather focus on you. How are you feeling?"
"Sore," Kiara told him.
Klaus nodded his head. "Your neck was broken," he said and put up a hand to try to calm her down. "Not to worry, love, you're alright. It was just like going to sleep. It did, however, stop your body from healing."
"So… I-I'm not a hybrid?" Kiara asked him.
Klaus just chuckled. He couldn't help it.
"What?" Kiara stared at him in confusion. "I had your blood in my system and—"
"Love, it takes more than a broken neck to kill you," Klaus told her, taking her hand in his. "And me, for that matter. Surely you realize that by now?"
"Oh… right," Kiara mumbled.
No death meant no transformation into a zombie hybrid.
Kiara reached up with her free hand to touch her hair, mainly to distract herself from the embarrassment she was feeling. When she felt how sticky and knotted it was, she scrunched up her face in disgust. "Oh, God. I look terrible, don't I? No, don't tell me. I don't wanna know."
Klaus looked her over with gentle eyes. "I don't think you could look terrible if you tried," he told her.
Kiara looked away from him, her face heating up at the flattery. "Yeah… well, even so, I-I should still try to get cleaned up. Don't want to ruin this bedspread." She tried to stand and Klaus stopped her.
"You're still healing, love."
"I know," she smiled awkwardly at him. "But I can't sleep like this. I have to get this shit off of me, like now. I feel gross."
"Very well," Klaus said. He put his arm around her waist and helped her to the bathroom sink. Then he watched as she tainted the fluffy white towels pink with her blood. She wiped her face clean before realizing it wasn't going to be enough.
Kiara stared at herself in the mirror-like she was looking at a different person. It was the most disheveled Klaus had ever seen her look. Twigs, leaves and dried blood had twisted knots into her red hair. Her face and hands had been scratched up when she was slammed into tree bark. There were deep gashes on her chest and stomach from when the hybrid clawed her that had yet to fully heal. Her neck obviously wasn't broken any longer, but it was still discolored. Her clothes were torn and tattered. Even Kiara's fingernails had filth under them.
"This isn't working…" she finally said, throwing the now red towel down into the sink.
"A shower may be best," Klaus told her, pushing off the wall.
"I," Kiara took a deep breath. She had been leaning most of her weight against the sink. "I'm too tired."
Klaus considered this. "A bath then." Without waiting for an answer, he turned to the tub and turned the water on.
"Careful Klaus," Kiara mumbled, already red in the face again. "People will start to think you care about me."
"It's a good thing we're alone then," Klaus told her. She could hear the smile on his face even with his back to her.
It was a nice bathtub. Certainly, the nicest that Kiara had ever seen. It was large, almost like a jacuzzi, and deep. Kiara was almost excited to be able to use it. Or she would have been if she wasn't feeling so nervous around Klaus at the moment. After all, the last time she tried to bathe with a Mikelson around things took a surprising turn.
As warm water began to fill the tub, steam lifted into the room fogging up the mirror. Not able to study her appearance any longer, Kiara spoke up. "Where are we?"
"We're in a rather expensive lodge in the mountains," Klaus told her, still leaning over the side of the tub. "I would have preferred to be as far away from here as possible, but… you're hurt and honestly I could use some time to process. As I said, it was a rather rough night."
It was then that Kiara recalled that Klaus had killed Preston. Klaus had chosen her over the vampire henchmen he'd come to depend on. He must have realized that Preston couldn't kill her, but the fact that Preston tried was enough of a reason for Klaus to want him dead. It was possible that Klaus was upset by his betrayal, but Kiara had a feeling that it wasn't the only thing bothering him. He was hurting. Deeply. She could feel it.
"Your back…" Kiara tilted her head at him. Somehow she hadn't noticed it before, but his shirt was torn. His back was covered in scratches and dried blood. "What happened?"
"Hybrids…" Klaus said. "They went rabid. Attacked me, a couple at a time. It must have been after you were… knocked out. I suddenly felt lightheaded and they caught me by surprise. Managed to nick me."
It was a bit more than a nick, but Kiara wasn't about to argue over semantics. Especially now. Not when she understood what was bothering him. All those werewolves from tonight were dead and Klaus was mourning them. These friends-to-be. Losing them and not knowing why suggested the unthinkable. That he might not be able to successfully create more like him after all
Kiara took an unsteady step towards him and lowered herself to the ground behind him. "You aren't healing." Her hands ghosted over the wounded area. "Why aren't you healing?"
"I'm not sure. Perhaps the link delayed it since you weren't able to heal. That being said, there does seem to be something stuck in there…" Klaus reached back like he might try to pull something out, but it was obvious he wouldn't be able to do so on his own. "It'll need to be removed before I can fully heal."
Now that he mentioned it, Kiara could see something. There, just beneath the remains of his shirt, were pieces of tree bark, claws, shards of broken glass, and even a fang sticking out of his back. It seemed he had downplayed how bad things got. Without even asking him, she started trying to pick some things out of his skin. He turned his head to glance back at her but didn't say anything. She tried to be gentle. She pinched what she could with her nails and wiggled out the offending materials. But eventually, she decided she didn't want to work around his clothing any longer.
Kiara peeled up the bottom of his shirt about half-way before Klaus stopped her.
"Woah there, love," Klaus said, shivering slightly as her fingertips tickled his sides. "I thought you said you were tired?"
"Oh shut it," Kiara muttered. "I'm just… I need to see what I'm doing. That's all."
"Relax, love, you can take off whatever you like. I only ask that you say, please."
Kiara bit her lip and said, "Do you want me to help you or not?"
"I'm only teasing," Klaus smirked back at her and lifted his arms to pull the shirt off of him. He couldn't help feeling a little pleased under her gaze. "There. Anything else you'd like me to remove for you, love, just say the word."
Kiara might have had a smart remark, but she was only half paying attention to what he was saying. The wound on his back was larger than she thought and she wasn't sure if she could properly clean it without the necessary supplies. "Man, I wish I had some tweezers or something. This isn't easy to do, you know."
"You're doing just fine."
Eventually, Kiara managed to clear the wounds on Klaus's back of debris. She watched as his skin slowly closed and smoothed over. She sighed with relief. Then she allowed herself to relax a little.
"I'm sorry about tonight," she said.
Klaus frowned, turning off the water. "Why would you be sorry?"
"I don't know. Maybe if I were stronger things would have gone differently and you wouldn't have been torn up like that." Kiara shrugged. Her eyelids drooped tiredly until she slowly leaned her forehead against his back. "All I know is they're dead and you're hurting. And I'm just, I'm sorry."
"Oh no, love," Klaus turned around and lifted her up into his arms. "You can't go falling asleep on me now. I just got the bath ready."
She felt him shift on his feet as he kicked off his shoes. Before she could even ask what he was doing, he took a step into the tub.
"Wait, Klaus," Kiara said. She opened her eyes in surprise. "Klaus, what are you doing?"
Without answering, he brought his other foot into the water.
"Klaus, we're still—" Then Klaus lowered them both into the tub. "Wearing clothes."
Klaus just smirked at her. "Would you have preferred them removed?"
"Well, bathes are typically done without clothes…" Kiara mumbled.
"No objections here, love."
"You're crazy," Kiara said. Her clothes were clinging to her body uncomfortably now that they were soaking wet. "Did you hit your head? Because you've definitely lost your mind."
"I'm just having a bit of fun." Klaus shrugged, flicking some water in her direction.
Kiara just shook her head at him, fighting the urge to smile at his antics. She'd never seen him act this way before.
Meanwhile, Klaus's eyes looked over her appreciatively, and reached out to grab the bottom of her shirt. "And… trying to get you cleaned up like you wanted. Now, come on, off with this, love. Let me have a look at you."
"W-what?" Kiara tried to pull away. She knew he was talking about the cuts on her chest and stomach, but she wasn't sure if she should be removing any clothing around a wet emotionally charged Mikaelson. But Klaus wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back to him. She placed her hands on his chest and said, "Klaus… I-I don't think this is a good idea."
"Why's that, love?" Klaus frowned. "Don't you trust me?"
There it was again-that question. He'd asked the same one when they were out on the mountain, just after he killed Preston. She still wasn't sure how to answer it.
Klaus lifted a wet hand and placed it on her cheek. "I'm only looking to take care of you, love. Honest. You're hurt. Let me help."
Kiara chewed on her lower lip for a second, thinking of having to tackle the task of cleaning her sore skin on her own, before saying, "Okay." She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and went to pull it over her head, but paused when the movement pulled on her cuts. Klaus helped her by lifting it fully off of her and he did it quickly to prevent further pain. "Ah," Kiara hissed. "Thanks."
The only thing covering Kiara's upper half was a thin black bra, but Klaus was focused on the huge scratches defacing her typically perfect skin. He grabbed a towel from the shelf above the toilet and dipped it into the water. Then he began squeezing it over her so the water would run over the wound. He didn't attempt touching or rubbing the area yet knowing it was still sore. However, he needed to clean it to be able to see if there was anything stuck in the cut that was preventing it from healing.
He could feel her eyes on his face as he worked. Sometimes her gaze would flutter down his neck to his arms and chest. It was like she was testing his will power by allowing him to do what he thought he was necessary to her. Somehow her doing nothing out of trust felt like an intimate act. Surely she must have known how difficult it was to focus on the task at hand with her half-naked in front of him. Yet she didn't say anything to distract him from that fact.
"Am I—" Klaus cleared his throat. "Does it hurt?"
Kiara smiled at him. "A little, but I'm sure you know that."
"Yes, well, I'll try to be quick."
"You okay? You seem a little nervous."
"Give me a break, love," Klaus said, flicking his eyes from her chest to her face. "You may be injured, but you are by no means less tempting than usual." Then he smirked and added, "But I'm sure you know that."
Kiara tried and failed, not to smile. His words sent a thrill through her. She wouldn't admit it but knowing that he desired her was exciting. Flattering even. "Would it help if I turned around?" she asked him.
"I doubt it."
The water was pink with blood. Klaus managed to pick out some dirt and rock from her cuts. As he worked, the injuries slowly began to shrink.
Kiara looked down at them and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh good. I was scared that Holly's potion may have stopped my healing abilities for a minute there. That would have sucked."
Klaus smiled at her and continued his work until her chest appeared free of debris. Then he had to ask her to stand so he could look over her stomach area. It looked like she was going to question his request, but she simply stood up. And then her abdomen was directly in his eye-line.
Thankfully the injury across her stomach wasn't as deep as the one that was now closing on her chest. He only needed to gently massage the area free of the dirt and bits of leaves in it before it began to improve.
"Alright, love, now let's get your hair," he said.
Kiara probably could have handled that on her own. But when she lowered herself back into the water, she turned around to allow him to pick her hair free of the twigs. It seemed that he was telling the truth when he said he wanted to take care of her. Maybe it was his way of apologizing for putting her in harm's way or maybe it just bothered him that she was hurting and he needed to do something to try to make it better. He seemed like the restless type. Either way, Kiara thought it was sweet. It was certainly the most tender she had ever seen him. Once her hair appeared to be free of debris, Klaus eased his fingers through her hair. Detangling it.
"Dip your head back," he told her.
She did so without hesitation. And it pleased him. He continued busying himself with pampering her, enjoying her trust and willingness to let him do so. He used the shampoo and conditioner provided by the hotel to wash her hair for her. He felt her hands move over his legs under the water sending chills from his knees up through his chest. After he rinsed her hair for the last time, he didn't want to stop touching her so he started to massage her scalp.
"Mmm," Kiara hummed. Her eyes closed. Her head tilted back again. More relaxed this time. "That feels nice."
"Happy to be of service."
Slowly, as if he were expecting her to stop him, he slid his hands down the sides of her neck and started rubbing her shoulders. This earned him more appreciative sounds from Kiara. She allowed him to move closer to her. His hands dipped under the water and down her sides sending tingles through her body. The more pleasure she felt from his touch, the bolder he became. Soon he was lost in the moment. His teeth grew with his arousal and his lips found their way to her neck without him even realizing it. He hadn't intended on drawing her blood, but when he felt the liquid on his lips his tongue slipped out to taste it instantly.
Sensing the effect washing over him, Kiara froze. Her hand flew to her neck and she looked back at him. Her eyes were wide. "What did you just do?"
"I-I didn't mean to. I swear," Klaus said. Whether he meant to or not didn't matter. It only took a small sample of her blood to affect him. His breathing quickened. His pupils dilated. He could feel himself tightening his hold on her, to prevent her from moving away from him. And with their link connecting them, his excitement only fueled hers.
Kiara's hands tugged nervously at her hair. "This- this can't be happening."
"It's alright, love."
"No! No, it's not," Kiara said, turning around to face him. "You don't understand."
"I think I do, love, but believe it or not, I can control myself," Klaus told her. Then added, "When I need to."
Kiara just stared at him for a moment as if afraid to say the words on her mind. Finally, she said, "It's not only you that I'm worried about."
And he kissed her.
He probably shouldn't have. Kiara was shaking with nerves or pent up frustrations. Maybe both. But he couldn't help himself. Not when he knew that she wanted him too. He'd been holding himself back from her for quite some time, but he knew the truth. He ached for her. He cupped her face in his hands and deepened the kiss—sliding his tongue along her lips, pleading with her for access. And when her lips parted, he groaned happily. He slid his hands up her back pulling her down to settle onto his lap. Her legs fell onto either side of his hips and he pulled her closer still. Holding her felt like laying out under the sun. Kissing her felt like surrendering to the ocean—only these were waves of pleasure crashing over him. Pulling him further out to the place of no return.
He couldn't get enough of her and it terrified him.
Kiara's hands disappeared into his hair—stroking, scratching, and tugging. He was buzzing from those sensations alone. When she moved her hips against his, he lost control with a growl. In a blink, he had them out of the tub and back onto the waiting bed. Maybe he should have slowed down. He was the older one after all. He should have had better control of himself. And maybe if they hadn't been linked, if he hadn't been so aware of the effect he was having on her, he would have. But all he could think about was satisfying her needs. So he tore at the remainder of her clothing before ripping off his own.
Immediately, his hand explored the new territory. The parts of her he had never seen before were just as beautiful as the rest of her. He paid attention to her reactions as he touched her, experimentally at first, so he could determine what actions would please her more. More out of habit than necessity. When his mouth ran along her neck, he felt her shiver and building excitement. When his fingers circled her nipples, he felt his hardened in response. And with every touch, she responded in kind. Her nails dug into his back. Her leg lifted to wrap around his waist and grind against him. He continued playing with her body, enjoying her as she had him not too many nights ago until finally, she muttered, "Please."
He grinned down at her. "Please what, love?" he asked, unable to hide the arousal in his voice.
"I-I'm," she stuttered. Her hips moved against his and her face turned deliciously red. "I need more."
Klaus hummed and brushed his lips against hers. "You look so amazing like this. So perfect."
"Don't be mean," Kiara groaned.
"Mean?" Klaus smiled. "How so? I thought that was quite nice of me to say."
"You know how…" Kiara sighed, wiggling against him.
"I can't say I do, love," Klaus said.
But he did know.
"You're teasing," Kiara said. Her voice whining in desperation.
Klaus pressed his forehead against hers, drinking in having her in such a state, and said, "Perhaps. Just a little."
Then, suddenly, he was on his back. Normally he would have felt challenged by such a bold move, but when he looked up at her, her eyes were glowing that sparkling emerald. He froze, unsure of how to proceed. Was this still Kiara? Or was this now Sky, her darker impulses breaking through her subconscious?
If Kiara were human she might have asked if what she planned to do next was acceptable to him, but as a succubus, she didn't need to. She knew what he wanted. Not to mention, they were linked. So when she straddled Klaus's hips, wrapped a hand around his throat, and slowly lowered herself onto him, she knew how he'd react. First, he'd freeze and moan. All of his muscles tensing as he tried to become accustomed to the intense sensations that came from being inside her. Then he'd try to take control of the situation again. As soon as his muscles twitched, she pressed him down onto the bed harder making his heart jump into his throat. His eyes met hers looking wilder than she'd ever seen them.
"Don't look at me like that," Kiara scrunched her eyebrows at him. "You brought this on yourself. Now… don't you dare move before I tell you to."
Klaus raised an eyebrow at her. He still wasn't entirely sure who he was dealing with, both versions of Kiara was willing to take this commanding tone with him, but when his eyes wandered up her body and she squirmed under his gaze, he knew. There was a hint of uncertainty in her movements, which meant it was still Kiara. And she was absolutely beautiful.
When Klaus dropped his hands back down onto the bed, she began to move. Torturously. Her hips moved back and forth, grinding against him, but not quite the way he wanted. He was tempted to move—to grip her hips and guide her up and down like he wanted. But he didn't. He allowed her to use him. The feeling and the view was enjoyable enough. His breathing deepened. His eyes rolled back. And the second he felt her flutter around him, he flipped them over to finish things the right way.
"You're perfect, sweetheart," he muttered into her ear. "Absolutely perfect. I can't get enough."
He didn't even wait for her to catch her breath. He just started moving, slowly, deeply at first. Then quick and quicker until she was crying out.
In the end, they were both completely spent. Content, but exhausted. His body was still tingling when he slipped out of her. And he was shaking when he went to the bathroom to collect a damp towel to clean her up. The effects of Kiara's blood had begun to fade after the first time that she came, but that didn't stop them. No. They had continued until she came two more times. Only then did Klaus allow himself his own release.
Kiara quickly drifted to sleep soon after Klaus finished wiping her down. He felt a sense of pride knowing he had worn out a sexual goddess like her. But now that the moment of passion had passed, he found himself overthinking things. He had no idea what this meant for them. Or if it would ever happen again. And the thought of asking her, of having a conversation like that, it seemed impossible. After all, he knew the truth, didn't he? A monster like him would never deserve someone like her. She would always be too good for him. And one day, maybe soon, she would come to realize that too.
To the Reviewers:
Athena-Spencer: I loved your review. It made me smile. Yes, when Klaus finds out what happened I'm sure he will be livid. However, we will have to see what happens.
ArtemisLuna85: You are too good. Yes, I questioned that myself. But as you can see... I came to the conclusion that she didn't "technically" die so she was fine. But what she would have become if she had she died does pose an interesting question.
SorayukiChinatsu: Killing Damon is definitely an interesting idea. As of right now, what I have planned coincides with Klaus's canon storyline in Mystic Falls, but then as Kiara's storyline comes in... it will really start to drift from the story we know. So I suppose killing Vampire Diaries characters down the line is entirely possible. We will have to see... ;)
klaus04: Thank you so much for your review and sorry this took so long to update.
XxMegzQiixx: It doesn't have to be monogamous at all. I'm just feeling out the story as we go and seeing what seems to feel right for the characters. I don't really plan on forcing anything on them in either direction at the moment. I agree that the three of them could work really well together. When I originally started this story, I hadn't even really considered that as an option until people started suggesting the idea. Now I'm keeping that in mind as an option moving forward. And I also agree with you about Elijah, he has a very dark side and experience with struggling to repress it-he just doesn't realize that yet at this time.
So... yeah, that's it. I really tried with this one. I hope it was an enjoyable read. Regardless, thank you so much for reading. I hope you liked this chapter. :)
