Klarosummer Bingo prompt: Strawberry

The steel had been warmed by bodies all night long. She wrapped her hands around the pole, swinging her legs up into a cross ankle layback which drew appreciative whistles from the crowd. The stage lights blazed like the sun, but she soaked it in until her skin glowed and became its own beacon. Caroline reveled in how powerful her body felt as she seemed to defy gravity and effortlessly slide along the pole, transitioning into several combination spins that ended with a backflip that flowed into splits.

The air was heavy with pheromone-laced anticipation, and she wondered if those gathered understood how the performers toyed with their senses, feeding on their energy until they were sated. Of course, at Bacchanalia, no one was ever completed satisfied. That was the point — to always leave the patrons wanting more. They flocked there in droves, eager for a wink, a caress, a teasing whisper from the dancers as they lounged upon velvet and silk.

Caroline gazed confidently at the entranced patrons, watching how the wine flowed freely in jeweled chalices, eyes glassy and heavy-lidded as they observed the beautiful bodies writhe in intricate patterns. She could smell the sweet strawberry wine, almost tasting the seductive, rich flavors as she watched the nude servers pour the blush pink aphrodisiac from the marble fountains. She'd recently fallen in love with strawberries, especially its intoxicating wine — grapes were so BC.

She painted ripe strawberries and vines along her body, weaving the leaves across her bare flesh, as the patrons delighted in tracing the intricate lines — when she allowed them to touch. They begged so sweetly, their slurred words a jumble of silly promises. Sometimes she was feeling generous — like tonight. Especially when she caught sight of his dirty blonde curls in the crowd.

Most assumed she was a nymph like the other dancers, and she did nothing to dispel those assumptions. It was so easy to blend among the humans and demigods; they could sense her free spirit and innate wildness, but never guessed her divinity. Which suited her just fine — she'd grown weary of ruling; the gods were petty and their world was so small. Caroline wished to live wide. Only satyrs would see her as she truly was, and so far, none had crossed her path. Good thing too — satyrs were nothing but trouble. And what they wanted from her she refused to give.

With a sly wink to the crowd, she performed a quick handspring before wrapping her legs around the pole for an elaborate aerial invert. Brushing a blonde curl from her face, she blew kisses to her admirers as she seemingly floated off the stage. She paused at the bar, Bonnie handing her a delicious strawberry wine sangria that tasted like pure pleasure.

Dryads were a rare find in this particular world, and Bonnie had been reluctant to coax out of her dimension. Especially with those secrets. But then Caroline promised her a safe home and all the soul energy she could devour, and suddenly Bacchanalia had the best bartender in the six realms. It was a comfortable companionship that suited them both, and she stroked the shining oak bar affectionately as she headed toward the champagne room. Where he was waiting.

Klaus was far too charming and attractive to be a mere human; from his scent, she could detect a subtle hint of power and was certain he was a demigod. That seductive smirk of his made her think he was possibly of Eros' bloodline, but the way he spoke of his art gave her reason to believe his mother was one of the muses. He'd been booking time with her in the exclusive champagne room for a while now, and it was rapidly becoming the highlight of her evenings.

"You are a goddess," Klaus told her, making a pleased hum as she wrapped her body around the steel, seductively bringing her legs into a split grip variation that made his eyes darken with lust. She knew what he liked. Every slow, sensual movement left him desperate for her, his greedy gaze making her a bit breathless.

Arching her back into a shoulder mount, she rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, "You have no idea." The bite of his cologne flooded her senses, and she needed his touch now. She straddled him as he lay back against the silken pillows, her hips barely brushing against his lap.

Rumbling in pleasure, he rested a possessive hand at her waist as he guided her movements, fingers trailing lower as her breath caught. She could feel his need for her, and while she'd indulged in their playful explorations for some time now, she'd never broken the rule that she'd set for herself to never take it further — too much intimacy felt like, well, too much. And while that rule had served her well in this world, it was nearly impossible to ignore this connection with Klaus.

She pushed his hands to her breasts, feeling his strength as he kneaded her flesh. As though sensing the shift in her mood, he pulled her more fully onto his lap, crushing their lips together. They writhed against each other, creating a delicious friction that scorched the air between them. Caroline shoved her fingers through his dirty blonde curls, startling when she felt two pointed horns rising. Satyr horns.

There was a wildness in his gaze she'd never seen before. His lips curled into a knowing smirk. "I suppose both of our secrets are out. Wouldn't you agree, Dionysus?"


Klarosummer Bingo prompt: Dog days of summer

If he'd known that this was where his day would take him, he would've bought the whole bloody park and furnished it properly. He'd endured torture from Mikael that was more comfortable than this park bench. Klaus scowled, settling further against the splintered wood as he tried to look inconspicuous. Like he wasn't the world's most powerful immortal spying on a small-town charity event.

Caroline's bubbly laughter hit him like a beam of sunshine, warming him as he used his supernatural hearing to listen in as she ordered about the volunteers. She'd cheekily called it 'Dog Days of Summer', providing bathing and grooming for dogs to benefit a local animal rescue.

He watched in anticipation as the enormous beast tentatively approached the lovely blonde, sitting perfectly in front of her with a friendly tail wag. Come on, mate just like we practiced. A satisfied smirk slid across his face as he watched it raise one heavy paw to shake, yipping excitedly when Caroline dissolved into a mess of cooing noises, stroking its gray and white fur.

"Tell me, Nik — when you see such a spectacle, does your wolf pull focus and insist on gawking at the fluffy doggy rather than the hot blonde?"

Klaus grit his teeth, turning to glare at Kol who'd cheerfully plopped down next to him on the bench. "Don't you have a doppelganger's brother to frighten off with your ill-conceived propositions?"

"I still say he was intrigued by the idea. But I think it was when I suggested the doppelganger bring the bacon and nipple clamps that I lost Jeremy," Kol admitted with a careless shrug.

He eyed his little brother critically. "Fairly certain it was the fact that you wanted to involve his sister in your threesome that soured the mood."

"So you're suggesting I should start by inviting Jeremy's aunt instead," Kol nodded, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

Klaus was distracted by Caroline bending over to scoop up a stack of towels, so didn't bother wrenching his gaze away as he muttered, "Actually, I killed their aunt. But perhaps there's a cousin you could creepily suggest?"

"Bollocks. You're murder on my sex life, Nik."

He mumbled something non-committal, far too focused on the line of soap suds that Caroline accidentally had brushed across her forehead. She laughed with the other volunteers, playfully throwing bubbles in the air as the beast in the plastic tub frolicked. Excellent. Keep things friendly, mate. No hints of aggression.

Kol was incredulous as he told him, "You shaped Italian politics over the course of multiple centuries, from the Borgias to the Medicis. You once triggered a world war because a clumsy archduke accidentally stepped on your shoe. And now...you're lurking in a park pretending not to be listening in on an insignificant town's do-gooder party?"

"There are bigger strategies than you can fathom at work here. I've intricately laid the groundwork for future endeavors, I can assure you," he answered defensively, crossing his arms as he noticed that the mongrel was now enthusiastically licking Caroline's face. Keep your tongue to yourself, mate.

Kol snorted, elbowing him as he teased, "And the fact that Caroline supposedly broke up with your dullard of a hybrid has nothing to do with your sudden interest in tasty blonde surveillance?" He squinted at the gigantic fluffy beast that she was rinsing off, suddenly exclaiming, "Bloody hell! Is that another of your hybrids?"

Klaus shifted uncomfortably, feeling the tips of his ears burn. "I may have invoked the sire bond and had a hybrid shift and infiltrate the dog grooming to verify that rumor." His fists clenched as he noticed the mutt was bumping his nose a bit lower than necessary along Caroline's collarbone.

He chose to ignore his brother's hysterical giggling and growled when he observed his hybrid had resumed licking Caroline's face and neck, getting an eyeful as she leaned over to rub a towel through his fur. You've crossed the line, mate.

He didn't bother hiding the skip in his step as he sauntered across the way to show that hybrid what his liver tasted like.


Klarosummer Bingo prompt: Ra (sun god)

Back by popular demand —This is a continuation of my 'Mummy' drabble from A Beautiful Symmetry: Chapter 56 - Klaroween Bingo. Enjoy!

Considering Klaus wasn't the one regenerating organs, muscles, and flesh, he certainly was making the most agonizing noises. Finally, he tapered off, emitting a few odd grunting noises like a constipated camel. Good thing he was cute.

Moments ago, he'd accidentally brushed the sacred blue scarab necklace onto Caroline's mummified corpse, breaking the warding spell and triggering her regeneration. Not to mention immortality. The priests of Sobek had placed the mystical object in the tomb for Queen Qetsiyah's resurrection, and would not suffer a lowly servant receiving such a boon. Time to make a plan.

Caroline stretched, scattering the crumbling linen cloth strips to the low table where she'd lain for nearly 2,500 years. She flexed her fingers, wincing slightly as the newly formed joints popped loudly in the tomb. Praise be to Ra — regenerated skin was positively humming beneath her curious touches! She'd never felt so alive.

Noticing the handsome archaeologist had calmed down to just slight hyperventilation, she gave him a tentative smile, clearing her throat as she felt the roughness of her voice after thousands of years of disuse. "You've earned my eternal gratitude; your selfless act has freed me."

"You are...were...a mummified corpse!" He winced, as though concerned his words had offended her, quickly adding, "I mean, your people had...uh, laid you to rest thousands of years ago. How is this possible?"

Laid her to rest. Right. When Qetsiyah passed on from the sleeping sickness, the pharaoh had ordered all of her servants to be sacrificed so that they could continue to serve her in the afterlife. Caroline still recalled the glint of bronze as the curved edge of the khopesh was pressed against her throat. But she was stronger now. She would never be weak again. "The scarab necklace that was meant for another was my salvation. Today you brought me good fortune."

She noted with interest how he seemed to be actively avoiding looking at her naked flesh, a pleasing blush staining his cheeks. He warms to me. "I am Caroline. May I call you Klaus?"

"Yes, of course, love." His gray eyes flicked over her form, quickly moving back to her face as he removed his denim overshirt and handed it to her. "I...uh...don't worry, ok? I can help you acclimate."

Caroline was touched by the tenderness in his tone. His concern for her welfare. When had another cared about her well-being? Never in her lifetime. But perhaps this new life will be different. She gave him a soft smile, enjoying the way his dimples topped his answering grin. She donned his shirt, breathing in the warm spice of his scent with a pleased hum.

Unfortunately, now wasn't the time for carnal desires. She pushed aside the gilded silver funeral masks, examining the hieroglyphs on the wall behind them to help direct her search. Nodding to herself, she scooped up several clay jars, thrusting them into his arms. "We need to take these with us," she told him decisively, not bothering to offer more details despite his questioning brow. She grabbed the scarab necklace, irritated that she couldn't find the one item that would afford them the most protection.

"What are you looking for?"

She studied the table where her body had been stored, noting with interest the lapis lazuli stones that decorated the edges. Praise be to Ra! Her eyes widened as she realized what the gemstones were hiding. She grabbed a copper axe head and used the sharpened edge to pry off the stones until she located the true prize — the blood red Phoenix Stone. She tucked it away in her shirt pocket, telling him with some urgency, "We need to leave this place. The priests of Sobek will be angry that I've abandoned their queen to the spirit plane, stealing her resurrection. They are coming."

Klaus frowned, shaking his head. "That's ridiculous, sweetheart. The priests died thousands of years ago."

By Ra's holy scepter — how could he be so naïve? She grumbled under her breath, fetching a few more protection charms from the queen's ornate sarcophagus. "Believe what you like," she answered simply, pulling him from the tomb and into the sun's brilliant rays. She stood there, dazzled by the light she'd been denied for thousands of years.

He noted her awestruck expression, gently squeezing her hand. "If I wasn't standing beside you, I'd think you were a desert mirage. You're glorious."

Charmer. He'd have enraptured pharaoh's entire court with his silver tongue. She allowed him to lead her back to his sleeping quarters, an impressively sized room — he must be a man of great stature. Even the queen's personal rooms were miniscule in comparison.

They'd just settled on the terrace, a feast before them of delicacies she'd never imagined when she suddenly felt them. Lifting her eyes to the crowded street below, she saw the group of men clad in red and black robes, wearing the feathered atef crowns. When they spied her standing with Klaus, they raised their ankh scepters, hurling curses and accusations.

Caroline turned to Klaus, noting the way the color drained from his face. She could feel her new power rising. No harm would come to him. She smiled, allowing a teasing note to enter her confident tone as she said, "See — I told you. But don't worry; I'll help you acclimate."