Author's note: Thank you so much for all of the wonderful reviews (especially guest reviewer who made my day with your kindness!) In this story, Caroline just wanted to save the world. However, while testing her scientific theory that had the potential to save the environment, she accidentally might have caused the apocalypse when she woke up a dangerous creature with a teasing smirk. But maybe just a little apocalypse. After all, what kind of god had dimples?!

Warning: A bit of smut because it's been awhile!


"Whenever a thing is done for the first time, it releases a little demon."

— Emily Dickinson


When the safety buckle on her climbing harness broke, Caroline let out a shriek that was more anger than fear despite the fact that she was now dangling approximately fifty feet in the air. Her curses echoed throughout the deserted limestone quarry and she fumbled at her waistbelt for another anchor, managing to firmly set it in the chalky stone before her arm started cramping.

Once her line was secure, she continued her descent, grumbling to herself that she probably shouldn't have sent the field techs home early. Except there's no way she would trust anyone else with her expensive subsurface mapping equipment — especially after that debacle on her last project when Tyler managed to erase four months' worth of geological and petrophysical data when he dropped the ground-penetrating radar system in a creek. With an annoyed huff, she reached the rocky surface of the bottom, unbuckling her protective helmet and harness.

Caroline pushed aside her irritation at her incompetent employees on this latest geophysical project, and instead focused on her growing excitement at what she hoped she was about to achieve. As a senior geophysicist, she'd worked for years in the oil and natural gas industry, seeing the devastating environmental damage that fracking, a method used to extract oil and natural gas from rock deep within the earth, had caused over the decades.

She'd studied the issue extensively, and after several failed prototypes, believed she'd finally created a nontoxic gel that could contain the harmful fracking fluid and transform it into an environmentally safe vapor. Her theory, which she tentatively called "The Cure", could be manufactured globally with minimal impact to resources and could eventually eliminate most of the hazardous chemicals associated with fracking.

She apprehensively approached the well the drilling team had put in place, hating how her hands shook. So much was riding on this. Her career. Her reputation. Being a woman in the oil and gas industry was an almost impossible task, and while a man in her position would be forgiven for any scientific miscalculations, she would have a tougher time reestablishing her credibility if her project failed.

She programmed the system to release the first batch of her gel upon initial contact. The instant the drill pierced the shale, she would have a preliminary data analysis of The Cure. She set the drill for a depth of two miles, the grinding of gears and the low whine of the motor were all familiar, comforting sounds that soothed her nerves as she waited for her test results. She tucked her frizzy blonde curls back into her ponytail, wiping her sweaty forehead as the harsh Oklahoma sun blazed high overhead.

Suddenly, a deep rumble echoed throughout the quarry, and as the ground began to quiver, Caroline quickly moved away from the heavy drilling equipment as she prepared for a potential earthquake. While Oklahoma was on some nasty fault lines, earthquakes hadn't been large enough to feel until the state began increasing its fracking and drilling activities. Now, the state surpassed California in the intensity and frequency of earthquakes. However, having experienced her fair share of earthquakes, she couldn't help but notice that this one seemed unusual.

An immense shadow swept across the brilliant blue sky, worryingly blocking out the blazing sun. While the break from the intensity of the sun was a welcome relief, she couldn't help the slight shiver she experienced at the scientific impossibility of a random eclipse. She quickly leapt back several feet as a sinister red light suddenly shot out of the well. What the hell was going on?

Caroline watched in disbelief as the earth continued to shudder, as though casting off an immense burden, and suddenly, the well split neatly in two, allowing more of the odd beams of blood red light to flood the quarry. She gasped when she spied a hand tipped in razor-sharp claws dig its way out of the limestone bedrock of the well. Without thinking, she raced forward, grasping the hand in hers and began pulling with all her strength, intent on saving whoever (or whatever) it was despite those fierce-looking claws.

A muscular forearm gripped her hand, and suddenly she was staring into a hypnotic pair of gray eyes that briefly flashed the same red light coming from the well. A head full of dirty blonde curls and a wicked smile greeted her as the man finished pulling himself out of the well to stand before her, magnificently bare-chested and wearing some sort of linen fabric that covered his thighs and brushed the tops of his knees.

As though noticing the unusual darkness during midday, he frowned, glancing up at the sky and impatiently waving one of his arms until the massive shadow faded away, leaving behind the blazing Oklahoma sun once more. Caroline realized she was gaping, but couldn't seem to stop herself as she asked in bewilderment, "Did you just melt the eclipse?"

He turned his intense gaze upon her, evaluating her curiously. He said, "Dingir xul, Ninkilim, shūtur eli sharrī."

Caroline shook her head at the stranger as he waited expectantly for her to reply. She noted a harshness to the foreign words, and she couldn't deny her attraction to the commanding way he spoke them.

At her obvious confusion, he tried again, switching to what sounded like a simpler language with shorter syllables: "Bishu Ninkilim, dammu..." he trailed off, clearly noting her continued lack of understanding. Grunting in frustration, he held up his hand to her, as though asking her to wait there. Before she could do more than blink at the ridiculously attractive man (who came out of a well in little more than a loincloth — seriously?!), he disappeared from her sight with the same ease as the enormous shadow faded from the sun.

Almost as soon as he vanished, he reappeared, a newfound shrewdness on his handsome face. "I am Ninkilim-Niklaus, god of the Sumerians. You have my eternal gratitude for freeing me, powerful sorceress." He gave her a brief nod with his curly head, his gray eyes dancing with amusement as he placed a flirty kiss on her knuckles, adding, "But as a token of my undying affection, you may call me Klaus."

Jerking her hand out of his grasp, her blue eyes were wide in wonder as she watched his lethal-looking claws fade back into fingers. "Wait. What," she stammered, her thoughts racing as she furiously tried to catch up to what Klaus had told her. "You're an ancient god and you think I rescued you?" Scrunching her nose in confusion she asked, "Also, how do you suddenly speak English?"

"When I left you just now, I traveled the world and learned all of the languages to ensure I could communicate with you," he revealed, the smugness in his voice both irritating and strangely appealing as she kept staring at his beautifully sculpted chest, the collection of necklaces merrily glinting in the sun. He leaned close, the sensual curve of his lips teasing her as he told her, "I was trapped for millennia by my vindictive siblings for daring to amass the armies of my faithful, marching them across the known world to conquer what is rightfully mine. And then you used your incredible magic to break through my prison deep within the earth, freeing me so that I may reclaim my kingdom once more."

Rubbing her sweaty forehead, Caroline replied, "Okay, I'll admit the traveling the whole world and downloading all its languages in an instant is impressive. Plus, you know, the whole melting the eclipse thing. But not everything has magic. You keep saying I'm a powerful sorceress who freed you, but I did it with science, and also completely by accident. Actually, I'm a geophysicist," she explained, taken aback by how Klaus seemed to hang on her every word.

"Geo fist-us. Hmm, I must admit, love, that you practice a powerful brand of magic of which I'm unfamiliar. It sounds marvelously wrathful. Tell me, sorceress, did you come by your gifts through your lineage or did you sacrifice many souls to procure your extraordinary power," he asked, once again grasping her hand and sensually stroking her upturned palm.

Charmed by his antics despite the ridiculousness of the situation, she quipped, "Like most high school graduates, I went to college to solidify my uh...sorcery where I majored in geophysics with minors in geology and physics. I was in the middle of an experiment that might just save the environment and I apparently broke you out of the ground with a drill bit, a superheater and a hydration unit."

"Then you are as wise as you are powerful to command your useful minions of Geo Lugy and Fist-us." Cocking his head, Klaus asked curiously, "This sacred ceremony of 'biting of the drill' — does it require multiple blood sacrifices or coupling upon the altar with your priest of Hide-rayshun Un It?"

She couldn't help the snort that escaped as she blurted out, "What the hell kind of god are you that you so casually ask about sacrifices and creepy ritual sex?"

His devilish smirk came out to play, bracketed by deceptively innocent dimples. "For you, I can be many, many things." At her derisive snort, his expression grew slightly more stoic as he explained, "I'm the Sumerian god of thieves and trickery."

Intrigued, Caroline couldn't help flirting back a little. "Prove it," she challenged, the logical, scientific part of her completely enchanted by the idea of real magic actually existing. She was perplexed by how he just stood there, gray eyes twinkling, and then she felt a cool breeze which was completely out of place in the midday sun. She blinked and suddenly Klaus was dangling a daisy-patterned bra from his finger. Her bra.

"What the hell," she shrieked indignantly as she snatched her bra from him, feeling her cheeks turn rosy. At his teasing laughter, she scoffed and said, "I would've been more impressed if you stole us some greasy fries and ketchup from the diner back in town."

Raising an eyebrow at her challenge, Klaus immediately vanished, only to appear before her once more, a triumphant grin as he handed her a white plastic basket full of crisp, steaming-hot fries and a bottle of ketchup. He gave her a sweeping bow, telling her, "This is such a paltry bounty compared to what I require from my subjects, love."

He watched her with open curiosity as she maneuvered a large chunk of concrete from the well casing that had broken during his escape, finally using his powers to assist her in turning it over so that they could sit on it. He explained in a nostalgic tone, "My Sumerian shrines and temples were overflowing with priceless treasure from my clerics and other faithful subjects. As their patron deity, thieves who desired my blessings would lay much of their ill-gotten gains upon my altars."

Caroline rolled her eyes at his arrogance, and yet continued to sneak peeks at that well-defined chest that seemed to glow from the sun's intense rays. Dipping a French fry in the pool of ketchup she'd squeezed in one corner of the basket, she closed her eyes as that first salty goodness of fried magnificence touched her tongue. "Yeah, I guess I'm easier to please — a basket of fries after being at a well site all day is my idea of a priceless treasure."

His gaze carried a hint of heat in them as he watched her tongue chase the salt on her lips. He shifted slightly, as though uncomfortable, and turned his attention toward the ketchup bottle. He questioned, "I assume this chalice bears the blood of your enemies — these Tomato people of the Kingdom of Heinz." He eagerly dipped a fry into the ketchup, his eyes lighting up at the first taste. "Delicious! The tortured souls of the Tomato people are positively scrumptious. I'm curious as to what the fallen Kingdom of Heinz did to incur your vengeance, sorceress."

Letting out a delighted laugh, Caroline shook her head, not bothering to correct Klaus. She couldn't remember when she'd had so much fun. "Nothing. I just enjoy the way the Tomato people taste."

Nodding in understanding, he ate another fry, remarking thoughtfully, "Bloodthirsty as a means to cater to your every whim — I approve." Licking a bit of ketchup from his thumb in a manner she found ridiculously erotic, he said, "Now, as a boon for freeing me, I will discuss carving this world into territories rather than simply seizing it all. I'm impressed by how much larger the world became during my absence. During my brief travels earlier, I spied a magnificent herd of wild horses in a kingdom called Wyoming. I lay claim to this land."

"Seriously?! You can't just take Wyoming because you like the horsies," she lectured him, noticing the way his smirk deepened as she argued with him, adding as an afterthought, "Take New Jersey. Please."

He pushed aside the nearly empty basket of fries, leaning closer to her as he countered with, "Only if you take the Kingdom of Washington DC. The momentary glimpse I received of it seemed utterly preposterous."

"Huh. You're not wrong," Caroline acknowledged with a sigh. She leaned over, grabbing her water bottle from her backpack. Taking a quick drink, she handed it to Klaus, suddenly unable to tear her gaze away from the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed. Good grief, did it suddenly get hotter? His gray gaze swept over her once more, the intensity of his stare making her lash out in the unbearable heat of the quarry. "Seriously?! Will you quit staring at me like that!" She paused, clenching her fists as she gave into an impulse she'd been nursing ever since he appeared. "Or, do something about it."

A flash of red gleamed in his eyes as he practically purred, "I accept your challenge, sweetheart." He captured her lips, drawing out her breath and leaving her gasping for more as he pulled her blonde curls free, a sexy growl escaping.

Caroline eagerly mapped the contours of his bare chest, loving the slick feel of the light sheen of sweat as she breathed in his arousing scents of warm, earthy spices. When her fingers tangled with his collection of necklaces, he pulled back, as though intending to remove them. She shook her head, possessively touching them as she panted, "Leave them on." Pulling him down for another soul-burning kiss, she relished the feel of his smirk against her lips.

Klaus encouraged her to lean back on the cracked well casing, bowing his curly head to her waist where he circled the button of her pants with his tongue. Her skin tingled as she felt his hot breath through the lightweight fabric, biting her lip when he easily unbuttoned her pants with his teeth and skillful tongue. She quickly scrambled to help him pull them off, loving the way the stubble from his cheek scraped deliciously along her bare thigh.

"My faithful would flock to my temples, so eager to prove their devotion as they offered their riches, their bodies..." he rumbled, licking a determined path along her skin, "their souls," he finished huskily as his intense stare bore into hers. "Tell me how you demand your faithful worship you, sorceress."

Caroline shivered at his words, the sinful pictures they painted making her arch into his powerful body. "No faithful," she murmured, toying with the hem of the linen wrap he wore, "because the devotion I demand they can't seem to fulfill," she finished confidently, moving her hands underneath to cup his ass.

He grunted at her touch, grinding against her as she quickly yanked on the knot at his waist, leaving him bare. "Permit me to show you how a god proves his devotion," he swore, his eyes flaring red as he shredded her thong with his claws, wrenching open her thighs and curling his tongue within her until she screamed his name.

She writhed against every stroke, already feeling her orgasm build. With a final swirl and a determined flick at her clit, she came with a hoarse shout, grinding her pelvis against his stubble as he eagerly lapped at her arousal.

Klaus smirked down at her, gently petting her still-shivering flesh as he crawled up her body to rip off her red t-shirt, taking a nipple in her mouth until it became a stiff peak. At the first bite of his teeth, she gasped, tugging at his curls to bring his mouth closer. He moved his mouth to her other breast, pulling at her nipple with an urgency that left her panting.

She could feel her core throbbing once more and yanked on his curls until she could see his lust-blown gaze. "Fuck me. Now," she demanded, spreading her thighs wide at his sexy growl of assent.

He dug his fingers into her hips, positioning the tip of his hard cock against her folds, rubbing against her slick center until she bucked against him helplessly. That first taste of his searing flesh as he sank into her ripped a groan from her that he swallowed with his mouth, moving urgently within her. His long, punishing strokes filled her over and over, and she loved the way he seemed to touch every part of her with his wandering hands.

The side of her breast, the long column of her throat, even her trembling belly felt his reverent touch. She could feel herself falling once more, and eagerly chased her high by squeezing her thighs around him to pull him close. As she shuddered around him, he let out a hoarse yell, slowing down the exquisite feel of his strokes as he savored the final moments of their powerful connection.

Leaning together against the demolished slab of concrete, Caroline found she didn't even mind the blazing sun beating down on her sweat-soaked flesh. Like a content cat, she languidly stretched, allowing the warmth to sink into her bones as she regarded the god beside her. Klaus also seemed startled by their chemistry, and she understood his surprise — it had been ages (if ever) since she'd been this excited about someone. What the hell was that? Normally, nothing took away her focus on her work; she was passionate about her career and determined to continue to make a name for herself in the industry. Wait! Her work! How the hell did she completely forget about her latest test data? Scrambling to her feet, she left an amused Klaus in her wake as she raced over to the drilling equipment to examine the preliminary readouts. She clapped her hands together excitedly. Her test was successful — according to the data, she'd just discovered an environmentally safe method for fracking. Holy shit.

A slow, confident grin spread across Klaus' handsome face as he leaned against the concrete, completely unconcerned by his nudity as he studied her bare form unabashedly. "Tell me, love, how do you feel about ruling the world with me?"

Caroline nodded, preoccupied with her exciting data readouts before turning to flash him a wicked smile. "First, we're going to save the world. Then, we'll talk about ruling it."