Caroline had long grown used to her hunger, the odd void all of her kind felt. Even as they scoured the earth trying to fill it with all manners of things, that sense of absence remained.
Some chose rarities as their vice of choice: objects or beings or both. Others indulged in emotion. Others still in dreams.
Personally, she thought it was foolish to limit herself. And so she collected a little bit of everything. Not to say she wasn't discerning. Of course she was. Only the most precious remained in her personal collection.
And habit meant it felt natural to look at the world around her and mentally pick the pieces she liked best. The shape of that brunette woman's eyes. The flush in that stuttering man's cheeks. The odd little scar on that small child's knee.
And those were only the superficial things. There were others. Little tastes and licks of sweet compassion, sour jealousy, bitter anger.
Then, she met him.
He swaggered his way into her office.
Blonde curls, blue eyes, pink-red lips that curled into a wicked smirk. Dimples that carved into his cheeks as he did so. Any one of those features would be worth taking, but together they were lethal.
And this creature knew it. She could gorge for centuries on his arrogance alone. His decadent paranoia. Rage. Loneliness. Hate. Love.
Caroline unconsciously licked her lips. He was veritable feast.
His power was nothing to scoff at either. The cold bite of death and the rich copper of musk and spice of a wolf. All aged together for centuries.
She would be a fool if she didn't know who this creature was, and Caroline was no fool.
So, what brought the Original Hybrid to her?
"Mr. Mikaelson," she greeted, a smile on her lips, "take a seat." She gestured toward the armchair. "What can I do for you today?"
He sauntered forward, near lounged in the chair as faux-carelessness worked to hide his predatory nature. She was sure he fooled many into erroneous complacency.
And though the smirk had faded, he still exuded arrogance as he spoke.
"Ah, see it is actually a question of what I can do for you."
"Oh?"
The smirk was back. "I heard you had an interest in Silas?"
Her head cocked, curious where he was taking this. "He's a bit before your time, Mr. Mikaelson."
"He was," the man drawled. "Some fools were messing around with forces beyond them. Needless to stay they got in over their heads and one thing led to another." He leaned forward. "And now, I can offer Silas to you."
"Silas is an Immortal. How did you kill him?" Caroline was skeptical to say the least. Silas was an impulsive boy, but surely there would have been more waves from the supernatural grapevine if he had risen.
"At the hands of the servants of nature themselves. Petrification, nifty little thing that."
Caroline leaned back in her chair, intrigued. If true, she would love to get her hands on him. Though, likely not for the reasons the Hybrid expected. She would devour his Immortality and magic in gulping bites certainly, but the true reason was a bit more sentimental.
See, Qetsiyah had been a friend of sorts once. A precocious child and a delightfully pernicious woman. The least she could do was torment her betrayer a little before sending him to her.
She drummed her fingers on her desk, eyeing the Hybrid's continued easy confidence, and inclined her head.
"I need to speak to your witches before I make my decision."
He just nodded, seeming to have expected that. "Shall I call her, then? My brother can have her here in half an hour or so." Reading her expression, he reached for his phone and proceeded to do just that.
As he hung up, Caroline went to speak wanting to suss out what he was considering as payment for Silas, only to be interrupted by a shout.
"I will make you eat my floppy hat if you keep asking about 'Dimples McAccent'!"
Her guest looked amused, raising an eyebrow at her, but Caroline was annoyed.
"Apologies, one moment," she said a bit curtly, her heels clicking sharply as she ducked out into the hallway.
Sybil stood with her arms crossed, appearing uncharacteristically riled, a gaggle of the younger interns (infants really) arrayed before her.
Caroline could piece together what had likely happened, though she still demanded answers.
"Sybil, explain."
The brunette turned to her, expression smoothed into something a bit embarrassed and apologetic.
"Forgive me, Caroline, it seems some of us," she leveled a sharp glare over her shoulder before continuing, "have the survival instincts of a pack of lemmings and the discretion of a peacock." She took a breath. "They were most eager to tangle with the Hybrid, wanting a shot at claiming his looks and voice for themselves."
Caroline fought the twitching of her lip, admittedly finding such an idea rather humorous, understanding now what had set the normally tranquil brunette off. The woman had a bit of a protective streak after all.
"Do keep your scolding a tad quieter next time, Sybil. As for the rest of you," Caroline glared the interns into submission. "When my business is concluded you are free to make whatever attempts you please." Her smile then was all predatory delight, noting the uneasy shifting of a few. Perhaps, their intellect had returned after all. "You're dismissed."
She whirled around, stalking back into her office.
Refusing to acknowledge that slightly shameful debacle, she got straight to business as she re-seated herself.
"So, Mr. Mikaelson, assuming you do in fact have Silas, what is it you want?"
"A favor of sorts. You won't act against me or my family, and you'll inform me of any you know that are attempting it."
"I'm not one of your lackeys," she reminded him, archly.
Rather than grow offended, the hybrid seemed even more smug. "Is Silas not a hefty enough payment, then? What if I informed you Amara had also been uncovered?"
Now, she was interested.
"Then, you would have your favor."
"Wonderful, but for both Silas and Amara I would like to make an addition. You understand?"
Frankly, it would have been a bit disappointing had he not bargained for more. She laced her fingers together as she regarded him, waiting for him to continue, wondering what he would try to demand.
"There are two particular souls on the Other Side that have long been a thorn in my side. In return for Silas and Amara, I want them destroyed in addition to my previously asked favor."
Her eyes glinted in delight, this deal was excellent. She was a bit surprised the hybrid hadn't demanded more. Perhaps he had already learned the perils of boredom? No matter.
She extended her hand.
"Very well. In exchange for Silas and Amara I shall not act against one Niklaus Mikaelson nor his family. I shall inform him of any malicious plots should I become aware of them. I shall destroy two souls as specified by him. This I so pledge."
He took her hand, grip firm with warm, skin and fingertips lightly calloused. "So mote it be."
A rope of light twined about their hands, burning as it sunk into their flesh. A small sigil briefly flashed on both of their wrists before fading.
Caroline was delighted, her grin widening as a knock sounded at her door.
The witch and the brother.
"Come in."
Oh, what a marvelous century this was turning out to be.
Title translates to "promise" or "pledge" in German. The inspiration for what Caroline is partially comes from Rumpelstiltskin and his deal making which has German origins. Admittedly, there's also OUAT interpretation of that character thrown in along with demon deal implications.
3/15/2020 Mini-sequel additional content below.
Contains smut!
Caroline licked her lips and tasted the remnants of Mediterranean sun on her tongue. Cloying, heavy darkness. The faint, effervescent notes of passion fruit. And all of it swallowed up by clinging bitterness.
The blonde hummed, even after several months the potent flavor of Silas' Immortality still lingered on her taste buds. Some two thousand years of fermented power was hard to scoff at even by one such as her.
Honestly, she had been a bit surprised that the Hybrid truly had petrified the foolish witchling, her delight genuine when she set her own eyes on his entrapped form. An expression of shocked, horror carved across his face.
And there had been no mistaking the pulse of his entombed power either. Nor the way her binding word had flared and burned against the skin of her wrist. The mark of their deal set.
Now sitting in her office, said sigil was alight once more, sizzling with power.
She sighed, not surprised but a little exasperated all the same by the news that had reached her ears a few moments ago. News that had her wrist tingling with magic. Reaching for her office phone, the blonde dialed and listened as it rang, once, twice, thri-
"Hello, sweetheart, another call so soon?"
This man. Caroline had never experienced such an instant headache prior to him entering her life.
"Perhaps Klaus, you should considering making fewer enemies if you want fewer phone calls."
She could hear his smirk as he responded. "And miss out on your lovely voice? Never."
Caroline had also never thought she would be reduced to something as juvenile as an eye roll, but her interactions with Klaus brought her increasingly close to it.
"Hn, well this isn't a social call. And it's a bit more than a courtesy one this time as well. It seems your normal, bumbling grudge-holders have become a bit more daring."
"How so?" He asked, all trace of flirt gone in an instant, a hint of a growl underlying his words at the perceived threat.
"It seems they've employed some witches. Powerful ones looking to resurrect your parents."
He chuckled, a dark kind of pleasure in its tone.
"How unfortunate for them that they're a bit too late with their plans."
She rubbed the tense skin between her brow, knowing how he would react to her next words. "There is still some cause for concern."
Silence.
"Now, whatever do you mean by that, Caroline?" His voice was soft, but hardly gentle. All predator and threat. A blade cloaked in shadow. The hunter in the night.
The blonde was unrattled, her tone level and calm. "No matter the end result, my kind are devourers first, Niklaus. Destroying Esther and Mikael means consuming them, and for souls as old and powerful as they, the…hm digestion process is not instantaneous."
She heard something crack on his side of the line, his voice a bit distorted when he next spoke, no doubt having crushed part of his phone.
"What precisely does that mean?"
"They still can't be called back into the world, no matter how much magic is thrown, channeled, or stolen to power a ritual. But if the witches are particularly clever or well informed, they could detect where their souls have gone. And they could very well call on one of the others, strike a bargain just as you have. We're unfortunate enemies to have, Klaus."
His snarl cut off when the line went dead, his phone likely entirely destroyed. Caroline returned the handset to its cradle, and picked up her fountain pen to return to her work.
Annoyed but utterly unsurprised when Klaus stormed into her office a few hours later.
Caroline glanced up at his expression and flicked a wrist at the door, sealing it shut with a resounding thud.
"Sit," she ordered, forcing him into a plush chair before he could argue. He glared at her furiously, eyes flickering gold, but didn't shout or struggle.
"What are you doing?" He hissed as she walked around her desk and set her hands on his forearms, leaning over him to peer at his expression.
"Helping you relax." She reached for his fly and quirked a brow. "Do you object?"
His nostrils flared and his fingers clenched around the armrests. She felt muscles tense and bulge beneath her own grip. The two of them staring at each other with burning intensity.
And then he relaxed the slightest bit, leaned back into the cushion of his chair.
"No."
Her hand stayed motionless by the button of his jeans. "I need the words, Klaus."
"Yes, I bloody consent to your relaxation help."
Her lip quirked but she refrained from chuckling, made swift work of his zipper and tugged his cock free. He was flaccid having entered agitated not aroused. But deft fingers and power turning her hand hot and buzzing quickly changed that.
His head was soon craned backward against the chair, the veins of his neck stark as she heightened his pleasure. And when she released him, his complaint was obvious, silencing only as she reached for her skirt and rolled the tight material upward.
Settling across his lap, she braced her heels on the floor, pulling her panties to the side and sliding down his length in one smooth motion. It felt good for her, but better for him she knew. Her inner walls flexing around his cock as she expertly rocked against him.
His expression was telling, an orgasm building quickly as he groaned, eyes dark and slightly dazed. It didn't take long at all for him to climax within her, his seed hot and potent.
Allowing her own release to pulse through her like lightning down her spine, her eyelids fluttered once. The core of her eagerly accepting his offering.
Klaus himself was loose-limbed in his seat, still a bit out of it as she stood up, righting her clothes with not a hair out of place. She paused only to envelope his wet cock in her mouth, tasted the last trace of his release, swallowed the little morsel of power.
And then she was tucking him back into his pants, returning to her own chair as she waited for the Hybrid to compose himself.
Her tongue swiped out once across her bottom lip. Salt and the sea. Blood that lingered like petrichor. The sparks of a fire.
Delicious.