Chapter Three

'Thank you so much.' I smiled kindly at the woman who packed up the rest of the dresses I had chosen as well as the clothes I had arrived in—I was now wearing a blue dress that was really quite modest. It stretched all the way down to my feet where I was now wearing these god-awful leather shoes.

'You're welcome, madam.' The lady returned my smile, though I could tell she was curious about me and I couldn't blame her—most people would be thanks to my fashion choice when I had waltzed into the town.

To say everyone had frozen would be an understatement. They stopped, they stared, they pointed, they whispered. All very nosy, if you asked me. I had quickly ducked into the closest clothes store I could find and compelled the woman to help me find enough clothes to sustain me for two weeks. I wished I had some money or something, but I didn't and so I had to compel the woman to give it to me free of charge. I ignored the pang of guilt in my gut as I made my way out of the store with my huge bag of clothing. Thankfully people didn't stare this time.

I wondered over to an empty bench across the street, deciding to take a minute and absorb everything around me. What struck me the most was that it wasn't all that different from my time, sure the architecture, the inventions, the fashion was all different but that was all. I assumed that was because I hadn't had the pleasure of talking to any other men yet—I assumed the gender oppression would become evident when I did. Klaus didn't appear to care about how women "should" act, which was a relief. I don't think I could have kissed his ass for two weeks.

I grimaced when my stomach growled in hunger, my gums itching at being around so many people in my vulnerable state. I took a deep breath and pushed it away, not wanting the veins under my eyes to freak anyone out. I glanced around, trying to find someone who was about to wander off on their own and it seems I did well. A young man was cutting down an alleyway across from me, I assumed it was a shortcut, but I didn't care. I stood from the bench and followed him as inconspicuously as I could, this wasn't how I usually fed but I was grateful to find my instincts were taking over. I followed him for a few minutes until we were far enough away from anyone else so that I wouldn't have to worry about witnesses. I took a deep breath and set my bag to the ground before flashing in front of him.

He blinked in surprise and before he could speak, I compelled him.

'You will not make a sound. This isn't going to hurt.' I told him, bringing my vampire face forward and leaning forward to allow my fangs to pierce his neck.

I couldn't help the groan of pleasure that escaped my mouth when his blood filled my mouth; it had been too long since I had fed and I silently vowed right there that I wouldn't leave it so long ever again. I listened to his heartbeat and the moment it hinted at slowing down I pulled back and bit into my own wrist, ordering him to drink before I compelled him.

'You will forget this happened. You won't remember me feeding from you or drinking my blood. You will continue about your day, as you would have before I stopped you and you will stay out of any life threatening danger for the next twenty-four hours. Do you understand?'

'I understand.' He repeated back to me.

I nodded and flashed away, grabbing my bag and exiting the alleyway casually as I headed back towards the Mikaelson residence. I was in a much better mood now that my hunger had been satisfied, not to mention no one was looking at me like I was crazy anymore either. That was always a plus. When I reached the house—it had taken me longer to get back because I'd walked at a human pace—I could hear arguing coming from the inside.

'She couldn't have just disappeared!' Klaus yelled and I rolled my eyes in irritation—I assumed he was talking about me.

'Niklaus, I assure you that I do not know who you are talking about.' Elijah replied in a calm voice.

'Very well, then I will send out a bloody search party—,' he stopped screaming, so I assumed he heard the front door open and then close as I stepped through it.

I had barely taken a step before he was three feet in front of me, and it didn't take a genius to determine that he was angry.

'You don't have to greet me every time I come back.' I said, attempting to diffuse the tension with a little teasing but he clearly didn't appreciate it.

'Nice try, love. Where have you been?' he growled.

'I went to conquer the town, I now have them calling me queen and attending to my every demand.' I deadpanned, continuing when his annoyance only seemed to grow, 'where do you think I've been? I went to get clothes that people wouldn't give me dirty looks for wearing and I needed to feed.'

'You could have got both of those from here.' Klaus argued, making me release a sigh of frustration.

'I don't need you to take care of me, Klaus, I don't know what kind of woman you're used to, but I'm perfectly capable of looking out for myself.' I replied with an icy tone, the truth was, I was used to looking out for myself, as well as Jeremy, Elena, Bonnie, Caroline… well everyone I cared about.

'I see.' He said in a deadly calm voice and I rolled my eyes when he was suddenly in front of me, an inch between us, 'I don't remember giving you permission to leave.'

'I don't remember needing permission to leave.' I retorted, sending him a stubborn look.

Klaus stared at me for a moment longer and I felt myself frown in confusion when a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. I couldn't help but think he looked beautiful when he smiled and I shook the thought away before I cocked my brow at him in question.

He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it just as quickly, his expression turning blank as he stepped away from me and turned to face who had joined us in the hallway. Elijah.

'Forgive the intrusion. I am simply anxious to meet the very woman whose absence got my brother in such a temper.' Elijah said, coming to stand next to his brother.

'Evangeline from—' I started to tell him but Klaus cut me off.

'The Americas. I found her and decided to turn her while I was hunting… I found her spirit captivating.' Klaus said, a fake smirk on his face.

I glared at him, which caused him to release a genuine chuckle as he leaned forward and took my elbow. The gesture was not lost in me—he didn't want me to tell Elijah where I was actually from, why I didn't know, but I wasn't going to push him.

'Excuse us, Elijah, I'm going to make sure our guest is properly prepared for dinner.' Klaus said, leading me away before Elijah could so much as shake my hand.

I shot him a questioning look when we reached the hallway that led to his quarters, but I decided not to speak until he did. When he opened the door to his room instead of mine I went to pull away but his grip tightened as if he had been expecting it as he pulled me into his room and closed the door quietly behind him. He finally released me, leaning against the back of his door and observing me silently. Unable to bear the weight of his gaze I looked away and glanced around the room. His bedroom was a lot lighter than mine—the only dark wood present was the floors and the frame of his bed. The rest of the walls were painted white and he had various pieces of art placed on the walls along with a few blank canvases resting against the wall.

'Why did you lie?' I asked, my voice barely audible to him.

'You can speak freely. I had the room spelled to prevent eavesdropping.' He said, pushing away from the door and wondering over to the alcohol he had resting on top of his dresser, 'and I didn't tell him because Elijah will kill anyone he considers an enemy or a threat to his family. If he knew you were from the future he would want you dead because of the information you may have on us, or your intentions towards us.'

'Well in all fairness, if I had been on vervain, he would have been right to question my intentions.' I shrugged, ignoring the guilt forming in my stomach.

I may have hated Klaus, but that didn't mean that the idea of daggering someone and robbing them of the rest of their life was that easy. I hated that he killed my aunt and sister, but that didn't mean that I could handle the idea of killing him. I would have done it, because that's what my family needed, but the guilt would have haunted me.

'You seem relieved about that.' Klaus observed, his blue eyes studying me as he took a sip of his drink.

'Believe it or not I didn't want to dagger you, so yeah I'm a little relieved.' I admitted, sitting on the edge of his bed and running my hands through my hair.

'You and I are quite similar.' He stated, the conviction in his voice made me look up, 'family is important to you. You look out for them, always and forever.'

I shrugged, standing from the bed and suddenly feeling the urge to grab some air, 'is it just this room that's soundproof?'

'Yes, and I can still hear those outside my room. Bear that in mind if you ever plan to sneak out again.' He said, but there was no malice in his voice.

'I didn't sneak out last time.' I teased, 'I walked out the front door.'

With that I turned and left him, wondering why he was being so friendly to me. Was this what Klaus was like when his paranoia hadn't completely overtaken him? Or was he just trying to lure me into a false sense of security before he turned and stabbed me in the back? I decided that him being kind towards me wasn't the worst thing as it meant my stay here wouldn't be a complete downer. And now I wasn't planning on daggering him, I wouldn't have to feel guilty about his kindness, as I didn't plan on betraying him. Therefore, I wouldn't worry about it, but I would remain guarded. Hopefully that wasn't a stupid decision.

There's chapter three! I hope I am capturing Klaus' growing interest in Evangeline properly. He will always have a temper, but he isn't always friendly, mainly because he doesn't have to be. I think the fact he is here says a lot. Anyway, let me know what you think!

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