Chapter 25: Part 7 — Sly of the Tiger
Author's note: We're back in the rival Klaroline business empires world of New Orleans. (Chapters 2, 6, 9, 14, 20, and 23 in this series for a refresher.) This time, the last Original you would ever suspect has gotten into a bit of a bind. Good thing Caroline knows a guy...Also, Caroline's ghouls are back by popular demand — they appear in the main chapter and I also created a mini chapter at the end with a scene told from their perspective. Thanks for all of your reviews!
Warning: Some slight smut on its way!
"There is but an inch of difference between the cushioned chamber and the padded cell."
― G.K. Chesterton
The list of charges Caroline's contact at the New Orleans police department quietly emailed her was staggering. They ranged from petty misdemeanors to criminal with just a hint of federal charges thrown into the mix. She was baffled that one individual, even a careless dumbass Original, could have managed to rack up this many charges during the course of one evening. But this was the reality — his stubborn Original ass had been arrested and was currently sitting in a jail downtown. Caroline bit her lips painted a vivid red, but was helpless to stop the hysterical giggles that burst forth. Soon, she was holding her sides as she shook with laughter at his predicament. Served him right, she thought vindictively.
At Caroline's unexpected outburst, some of her ghouls glanced up from the large sectional couch in the lounge of her underground supernatural fight club, Fang Fights. A group of them were catching up on the latest episodes of Sesame Street that she had kindly recorded for them. Mildly concerned by her behavior, they inquired if she was feeling well and she briefly explained the bizarre situation, much to their delight. Several even clutched their small, round bellies as they giggled their quirky, high-pitched giggles, black eyes glittering with mischief.
Soon, however, the activity on the flat screen drew their attention once more, and the expressions on their gray, rotting faces grew serious as multiple ghouls bent their heads back to their iPads, long, scaly fingers typing away furiously. Two of the ghouls shook their fists angrily at the television, clicking their teeth and growling.
Before Caroline could ask what was wrong, she heard the elevator ding from the lobby, signaling that her hot hybrid date had arrived. With a wide grin stretching across her lovely face, she straightened the small train of her sapphire evening gown and adjusted the one-shouldered ruffle before confidently walking to the lobby.
Klaus stepped off of the elevator just as she arrived, dressed impeccably in Tom Ford. Dimples flashing innocently, he handed her a single pink orchid, her favorite flower. "You are stunning, love," he declared, kissing her cheek softly.
She straightened his silk tie, unable to control how her body immediately responded to the way his incredible body fit in his designer tuxedo. "You have a mirror; you know how you look," she said with a wink, her blue eyes twinkling.
He threaded an arm around her slim waist, pulling her close so she could feel the hard lines of his body. Running his nose along her cascading blonde curls, he rumbled, "You forget that I can smell your arousal, sweetheart. The sooner we arrive at this tedious venue, the sooner I can properly express my appreciation for your ensemble." Gold flashed briefly in his gray eyes as he growled, "Or shall I say, my appreciation for what you forgot to wear under your ensemble."
She shivered at his seductive words, but tried to remain focused on the unexpected wrinkle in their plans. Tonight was the annual Mayor's Masked Ball, an elegant event that drew celebrities, politicians and public officials; it was the perfect setting for her and Klaus to network and continue to grow their business empires. It was being held at the historic Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street, and she had been looking forward to it for months.
Unfortunately, they would now be delayed by this unwelcome distraction. She opened her mouth, carefully crafting the right words to preemptively keep Klaus calm as she told him the news. Toying with the pink petals of her orchid, she said, "About that — there's been a slight change in plans, but I assure you, it's nothing we can't handle."
Before she could elaborate, the elevator doors opened once more, and Kol came rushing out, his brown eyes alight with mischief. "Did you hear?! Elijah's gotten himself arrested," he practically crowed, his boyish face splitting into a wide grin.
Caroline squeezed her eyes shut, resisting the urge to rescind her orders and allow her ghouls to adopt Kol as their puppy after all. She hastily tried to explain to Klaus, "It's not as bad as it sounds."
Practically bouncing on his toes in excitement, he countered, "Really?! Because I heard that the police are sending the mystery liquid Elijah drank during the voodoo ritual to a lab for tests." Kol elbowed Klaus, who was rubbing his temple with his eyes shut in aggravation. He mockingly continued with, "It's apparently illegal to ingest blood, urine or fecal matter within city limits; did you lot know that? Although outside of town, you can nosh on all the poo you like if you're feeling peckish."
"What?!" Klaus finally asked, directing his question at Caroline instead of his troublemaker brother. "How did this happen? And to Elijah of all people?"
She patted his arm consolingly. "I'm sure Elijah didn't ingest feces. Well, relatively sure. As you know, most voodoo rituals involve blood. Urine is one of those hit-or-miss ingredients that any good practitioner knows doesn't guarantee favorable results." At Klaus' deepening frown, she added, "It appears to be a simple case of Elijah being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He's been secretly dating a voodoo priestess and she convinced him to take part in one of her rituals tonight."
Both of the Originals' eyes grew wide at this revelation. Kol sputtered, "Elijah has been shagging a sexy voodoo vixen? How do I not know this?" He crossed his arms in front of his chest, clearly affronted at being denied this useful bit of leverage against his normally straight-laced brother.
Klaus interrupted Caroline before she could answer, fists clenched as he raged, "So this priestess forced him to perform a ritual? What is she after? Is it his power? His immortality? What alliances has she made? This attack against our family will not go unanswered!"
Caroline rolled her eyes at Klaus' typical reaction. "He was uncomfortable telling you about his relationship because he knew he'd face ridicule from Kol and the Spanish Inquisition from you. The only reason I know about it is because Bonnie and Davina are in Gia's book club and they do more gossiping and drinking than actual book discussions."
"This Gia is clearly after something from our family. She's insinuated herself into my brother's life to steal something," Klaus growled, his black veins crawling under his eyes.
Sighing at the hybrid's unnecessary dramatics, she explained, "Gia's harmless. She really likes your brother and happened to mention to Bonnie and Davina a couple of weeks ago that she was going to surprise him with this ritual to um, enhance their time together. It's completely safe, but since they got caught by the police, I assume that Gia's still a bit inexperienced with her craft."
Kol giggled, rubbing his hands together fiendishly as he gleefully said, "Do you hear that, Nik?! Elijah needs voodoo Viagra to get it up these days!" He quickly took out his phone, cackling, "This is going up on my Twitter right now."
Klaus growled in aggravation, knocking the phone out of Kol's hand with such force that it shattered against the steel elevator doors. "Enough!" He turned to Caroline, somewhat more calm as he asked through gritted teeth, "How can you be sure that Elijah's little pet isn't preparing to betray our family?"
Caroline's blue eyes softened as she caught the undertone of worry in his voice. "I know Bonnie told you that I keep extensive files on my enemies. I also keep tabs on the people I care about. Your family is important to you; therefore, it's important to me. Gia wouldn't betray Elijah because I won't allow it," she vowed darkly, the serious tone of her voice surprising both Originals.
The angry gold faded in Klaus' gaze as he regarded Caroline silently. Whatever passed between them was an intense moment that needed no words to convey their emotions. Seemingly satisfied with what he saw in Caroline's earnest face, he asked, "Despite the fact that this girl is inept at magic, I'm puzzled as to how Elijah was overpowered by the police and taken into custody. Do you know what happened?"
Caroline licked her lips, suddenly uncomfortable at the image that flooded her mind when she recalled what she read in the arresting officers' report. "It's my understanding that Elijah was draped in a number of snakes, which understandably prevented movement."
"Elijah allowed snakes to touch his fancy suits?! It's like I don't know him at all," Kol said in surprise. "Also, it's illegal to have reptiles within 200 yards of a parade — had to learn that lesson the hard way...a few times, actually," he added with a naughty grin.
She cleared her throat and corrected him quietly with, "Actually, the snakes weren't draped over his suit. They were just draped on...him. Well, there was some sort of sacred graveyard mud and Spanish moss smeared onto his skin, but the snakes were on top of that."
Both brothers looked at Caroline with their mouths flopped open. "Elijah was caught performing a voodoo sex ritual, naked, smeared in mud and covered in snakes," Klaus asked faintly.
Kol shook his head in bemusement. "Was he high," he asked jokingly.
Klaus snorted in derision, but Caroline said hesitantly, "Well, maybe. A little." Sighing at the Originals' incredulous expressions, she offered, "Gia's brother-in-law is a wood sprite and he grows these medicinal mushrooms that are a special strain for supernatural creatures."
"What," Klaus asked in disbelief, glaring at his younger brother who immediately dissolved into high-pitched giggles. "Are you sure Elijah ingested these mushrooms?"
Caroline shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corners of her red lips. "Fairly certain. Supposedly, when the police arrived, he grabbed two of their badges and tried to wear them like stripper pasties over his nipples. And then he started singing the theme song from the Dukes of Hazzard." She let out a small chuckle as she added, "He came with them quite willingly after they reassured him that he could meet Boss Hogg."
Wiping away tears of mirth, Kol begged, "Please tell me Elijah's performance was caught on the police's dashboard camera!"
Klaus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in aggravation. "We can find out when we get to the station. I'll make a call to the group of detectives in our pocket. They should be able to smooth things out eventually." He looked over at Caroline, smugly adding, "It pays to know the right people, doesn't it?"
She smiled enigmatically, and said, "While you're doing that, I'll go get our masks for the ball and my clutch." She walked back toward the lounge in a whisper of silk, but the eager footsteps of the most irritating Original were right behind her. He obviously was anxious to glean more embarrassing details about Elijah's arrest.
"So, Caroline, I heard that Elijah was riding a donkey through Jackson Square at some point tonight; is that true," Kol's teasingly questioned, walking into the lounge after her.
Rolling her eyes, she answered, "Of course not. Don't be ridiculous." Raising an eyebrow, she coyly added, "It was a goat."
They both began laughing, unable to control the absurd images that flooded their minds of the normally uptight Original. Suddenly, a pink collar studded with large rhinestones appeared around Kol's neck. As soon as he felt the leather underneath his chin, he cursed. "Bollocks! Why does this keep happening?!"
Confused, Caroline helped him unbuckle the collar and said, "I'm almost afraid to ask. I'm not sure I need more information on your vast number of fetishes, Kol."
Scoffing, he flung the collar away and said in irritation. "Every so often, some blasted collar will appear around my neck. I can't figure out what's triggering it. I swear I haven't pissed off any of the tasty little witches I've bedded...lately."
A noise from the sectional caught her attention and she turned to see several of her ghouls poking their heads over the back of the couch to watch them intently. When they noticed Kol, they waved at him, clicking their teeth and calling out, "Sweet Meat!"
Understanding dawned in Caroline's blue eyes and she bit her lip to keep from laughing at Kol's predicament. "They think...never mind; I'll talk to them," she promised Kol, not wanting to explain to the Original that they were convinced he was their new puppy.
The Original cocked his head, somewhat baffled by the way the ghouls kept wiggling their long, scaly fingers at him. "The little buggers seem a shade friendlier than before," he mused, cautiously walking closer toward them. When one of them patted an empty cushion on the couch, Kol gamely sat down, much to the delight of the ghouls. "Hey, I think they're starting to like me," he declared happily. One of the ghouls handed him a few M&M's, patting him on top of his head and crooning in soft, guttural tones.
Caroline bit her tongue to keep from laughing, and in a strangled voice, she told Kol, "Come on, let's go pick up Elijah at the station." She grabbed the jeweled masks for the ball on their way out, pausing to fondly pat several of her ghouls on their rotting heads. They met an impatient Klaus at the limo parked outside. Kol, noticing the heated glances between Klaus and Caroline, snorted and said, "Not interested in seeing Nik's naughty bits, so I'll take the Jag and meet you there."
Smirking at his brother's hasty retreat, Klaus opened the door to the back of the elegant white limo, helping Caroline onto the ivory leather bench before settling beside her. Dimples bracketing his wicked smile, he seductively said, "Now that I've put the wheels in motion to secure Elijah's freedom, perhaps I could take care of your release, sweetheart?"
Caroline laughed softly, her blonde curls dancing. "You've been nursing that one since Kol revealed Elijah had been arrested, haven't you?"
He licked his lips, gray eyes flashing in delight at her teasing. "Perhaps." He placed his palms on the cushioned leather on either side of her hips, effectively boxing her in. As he leaned in for a kiss, she stopped him with one metallic Giuseppe Zanotti placed on his right hipbone, angling the spiked heel strategically close to his hardening cock. Glancing down at the somewhat menacing silver heel, he raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Something on your mind, love?"
Forehead creasing, she huffed, "Yes. Two things, actually. One: I found out today the crew you hired to distribute my solar panels to low-income families has been skimming off the top and some of my merchandise has been 'falling off the truck' a bit too often for my liking. Fix it. Or I will." As her tone grew mildly threatening, she inwardly smiled with pleasure when she noticed his growing erection clearly responding to her dominant tone.
Klaus toyed with the elaborate wing appliqué of her silver stiletto. "And your second order of business?"
Caroline's red lips cu rved into a sinful smile. "Make me come without moving a single bobby pin out of place or smearing my makeup." She winked, goading him playfully with, "Are you up to the challenge, Klaus?"
With a sexy growl, Klaus pushed her upright against the bench seat, settling on the floor between her spread legs. He slowly raised the silken hem of her gown, allowing it to pool around her shapely legs. At her insistent whine, he placed a finger to his teasing lips in a shushing gesture. "Patience, love. I've instructed our driver to take the scenic route to the station. We have a bit of time still." He surprised her by immediately taking his finger and resting it against her clit, gently rocking the tip along the slightly raised flesh.
"Right there," she panted breathlessly, fighting the urge to rotate her hips and nudge his finger inside where she needed it the most. She knew how much he enjoyed taking his time with her, and the dirty promises she read in his heated gaze were too tempting to ignore.
Klaus ducked his head, his breath ghosting across her trembling flesh. With careful, feather-light strokes, he rubbed his finger across her sensitive little button, delighting in the moans he pulled from her. Soon, he ran the edge of his tongue across her slit, groaning at her tangy taste.
Her nails dug into the soft leather, easily splitting it open with an audible pop. She leaned her head back, her nerves on fire as his wicked tongue swirled within her. She felt the familiar tightening in her belly, and she knew she couldn't hold on much longer.
Completely attuned to her body, Klaus quickly slipped in his finger, easily adding another as her creamy center eagerly welcomed him. He increased the power of his strokes, rubbing her trembling walls and whispering sensual words as he encouraged her release.
Caroline lifted her hips, following his seductive rhythm and groaning as he picked up the pace, anxious to chase her orgasm to completion. He used his other hand to almost painfully pinch her swollen clit, the fiery vibrations flowing through her body until they reached a feverish pitch, bringing her to completion.
She panted against the ivory leather, lazily watching Klaus as he resettled beside her on the seat. Intent upon wiping that smug smirk off his handsome face, she leaned over and wrapped her tongue around his fingers, causing the steel in his eyes to flicker briefly to gold. With a naughty grin, she boldly rested her hand on his thigh, rubbing him through his black dress pants. Soon, she reached across his lap with her other hand, sliding down his zipper to free his erection.
As his breath quickened, she lightly trailed her fingers across his rigid length, making tiny circles across his heated flesh. As she delicately swiped across the tip, she was pleased to feel a few drops of his desire that had gathered while he was bringing her pleasure.
Gritting his teeth, Klaus leaned his head back, closing his eyes as he twitched delightfully under her clever fingers. "Please," he bit out, emitting a small groan as her fingers firmly wrapped themselves around his length.
With slow, confident strokes, Caroline set to work, wanting to give him a taste of what she had planned for them later. She paused briefly as she reached his wide head, squeezing just enough to make him squirm underneath her as he gave himself over to her every whim. She continued pumping, loving how eagerly his body responded to her touch. Soon, she increased her pace, stroking him faster and faster until he gasped out in warning, "I'm coming, love," as he opened his eyes to reveal a wild, dangerous gold.
With a dirty smile, she soothed, "Don't worry. I've yet to miss a single drop." She quickly bent her head over his lap, her blonde curls brushing his thighs as she took his throbbing cock in her mouth. She lightly sucked along his damp flesh, pulling him close as he bucked his hips, spilling his release onto her waiting tongue.
Immensely pleased with themselves, they leaned back into the soft leather seat, silently making sensual promises to each other to finish their interlude more thoroughly once the evening's events were finished.
When they arrived at the police station, they found Kol cheerfully interrogating Elijah on the steps. "Tell me, brother, this voodoo Viagra — how long does it last? Any nasty side effects? Zombie willy, for instance?"
With a scowl, Elijah continued trying to pat down the unkempt bird's nest that used to be his impeccably styled mane. Clearly, the effects of his supernatural acid trip had worn off. "Your tedious questions underscore your dim-wittedness, Kol," he intoned wearily. He noticed Klaus and Caroline's arrival and nodded tersely.
Clearing his throat, Klaus attempted to tuck in his teasing smile. "Elijah, surprised to see you out so quickly. Obviously, the detectives we bought were well worth the price, hmmm?"
Looking decidedly uncomfortable, Elijah answered, "Yes, well, tragically, their authority has its limits as I was required to endure the indignity of a mugshot."
Over Klaus and Kol's delighted laughter, Caroline reasoned, "Maybe it's because Elijah's a good ol' boy never meanin' no harm?" Elijah's chagrined expression was too much for the group, who all burst into hysterical laughter at the stuffy Original's expense.
Unexpectedly, the police chief appeared, anxiously fidgeting as he stood in front of Caroline. "Miss Forbes," he said somewhat nervously, quickly bowing his close-cropped blonde head. "Please accept my sincerest apologies for this misunderstanding."
Caroline favored him with a brilliant smile, her tone magnanimous as she said, "Of course, Chief Donovan. I trust the governor's call helped clear up any remaining questions concerning tonight's events?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said hurriedly. "Again, I apologize and hope this unfortunate incident can be put behind us." At Caroline's slight nod, relief flooded the police chief's face and he quickly walked back into the station.
She turned to find the three Originals staring at her in amazement. Shrugging her shoulders, she nonchalantly explained, "The governor is in a bowling league with my ghouls." Winking slyly, she added, "He also really likes cookies."
Talking over Kol's awestruck words of 'that was bloody brilliant' and 'powerful little vixens are so bloody hot', Elijah awkwardly attempted to thank Caroline for her assistance in securing his release. She waved off his gratitude and wished both him and Kol a pleasant evening as she tugged her speechless hybrid back toward the limo.
Finally regaining his voice once inside the limo, Klaus turned to her and asked with a knowing smirk, "With such influential connections, couldn't you have prevented Elijah's mugshot?"
Blue eyes twinkling mischievously, Caroline impishly declared, "Of course. I don't know about you, but I think I've found my photo for this year's Christmas cards."
Excerpt from this chapter (told from the ghouls' point-of-view)
Black eyes narrowed suspiciously, the ghouls carefully studied their enemy. They tracked the insidious footage he released on a regular basis, trying to find a pattern to his mad ravings. His hate-fueled propaganda filled them with disgust and they knew it was up to them to keep a close eye on his nefarious activities. They had tried all manner of pinpointing his location without success. Their enemy was a wily, dangerous creature and it was clear he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
Ishkur the Fiendish gnashed his sharp teeth in anger as he watched the beast on television grab more and more cookies into his hairy blue fists, mindlessly devouring them. He growled at his fellow ghouls, "We cannot allow this cookie terrorist to gain more followers. At the alarming rate he devours the cookies, it will severely deplete global supplies and could lead to a devastating cookie shortage."
Nodding her rotted gray head in sympathy, Zahgurim said, "Praise cookies. We cannot allow this Cookie Monster to amass an army." Typing notes on an iPad with her long, scaly fingers, she added grimly, "We must continue to track his movements and monitor his broadcasts from the Street of Sesame."
Earl pointed a claw at the blue monster's visage, commenting in disgust, "He has crazy eyes. How can the other residents of the Street of Sesame not realize the immense danger they are in from this cookie dictator?"
Grunts of agreement were heard as several of the ghouls attempted to follow the peculiar numerical sequencing signal he was communicating to his followers via cookie counting.
"Furthermore, his coded messages are clearly designed to ignite the masses. This 'C is for cookie' rhetoric he continuously spouts demonstrates his pro-cookie agenda and desire to destroy global cookie resources," Ishkur the Fiendish added, shaking his small fist at the television.
Sunshine's hysterical laughter distracted the ghouls from their cookie terrorist monitoring, and they craned their long, spindly necks to see what had happened. "Sunshine, are you well," Barashakushu the Bloodthirsty asked, the guttural nuances of the clan's language underscoring her concern.
Sunshine smiled at them, making them feel warm and happy, like they were eating cookies. Her sweet word-talk flowed over them, explaining a hilarious story about Stuffy Tie-Man breaking human laws involving riding a goat while wearing sacred ritual mud and draped in snakes. Silly Original, it's always a good practice to inquire with local authorities regarding the culturally acceptable number of snakes one may wear in public.
Sunshine briefly left them to greet her Ass-Weasel, but then they sensed the presence of Sweet Meat, and they gave him a collar. Praise cookies, it just wouldn't do for their puppy to be walking around without his collar. What if he got lost? Endukugga of Uruk made a note to research microchipping as a precaution.
Sunshine returned to the lounge with Sweet Meat behind her, and the ghouls were pleased to see that he responded to their simple commands. Once he sat down where Endukugga of Uruk pointed, he was given a treat like the puppy training website suggested.
Earl patted the top of Sweet Meat's head while grunting, "Are we sure we should be giving Sweet Meat chocolate? I thought the website said not to."
Endukugga of Uruk shrugged his shoulders as he finished feeding Sweet Meat the M&M's. "I guess we'll find out. Besides, it's important to use positive reinforcement. Especially during our puppy's developmental years."
