Chapter Nine

I tried to stop my hands from shaking as I ran them down the material of my sapphire dress, smoothening out creases that weren't there. I didn't know why I was so nervous, but I supposed in a way it made sense. It was finally here. The moment that was going to make this all very real and terrifying all at once. Katherine was here. Well technically she was down stairs waiting to meet and be introduced to Klaus. I was pretty sure he was avoiding the party as much as I was, which was odd seeing as he was the sole reason for it and the very person he had been waiting for to break his curse was dying—no pun intended—to meet him.

The reason I was hiding in my chambers was because I was trying to hide from the responsibility. I could tell Klaus everything that went wrong, but that didn't guarantee that nothing else would. I was responsible for making sure that the sacrifice actually happened and I could feel the weight resting heavily on my shoulders. I took a deep breath, moving my hand up to brush my hair behind my ears nervously.

Stop hiding. You are here to make sure Klaus unlocks his werewolf side and you're not going to do it by hiding in your bedroom like a scared little girl. Pull yourself together. You need to do this for Elena, Jeremy, Bonnie, Jenna, everyone back home. I needed to do this for Klaus.

I nodded in agreement with myself and exited my room, closing the door softly behind me. All of my good intentions went out of the window when I went to pass Klaus' studio and paused, the sound of his paintbrush working against the canvas calling to me. Before I could talk myself out of it I raised my fist and knocked once against the wood.

'Come in, love.'

A small smile played on my lips as I made my way into the room. Unlike yesterday, the canvas wasn't visible to me as I entered, and I only saw the back of it perched on an easel and Klaus' smirking eyes over the top.

'Is there a reason you're up here?' I pursed my lips and crossed my arms over my chest as I leaned against the doorframe, 'I would have thought you'd enjoy the limelight. Not to mention the arrival of your special guest.'

Klaus rolled his eyes, 'yes well, being as it is my party it will not start until I arrive. The doppelgänger will be there whether I am late or not.'

'Right… so what is it? Your artistic vision cannot be ignored until it's on a canvas?' I smiled when he smiled a half smile, revealing a dimple.

'Something like that.' He said vaguely and I frowned when I realised that he was glancing between his canvas and me much more frequently than what was needed to uphold a conversation.

'Why are you looking at me like that?' the suspicion in my tone made him grin, but his focus did not relent.

'Like what, love?' he was playing dumb and we both knew it.

'Like I'm a science experiment. Or an animal in a zoo.' I took a step closer to him, and the painting, only for him to hold up his free hand and send me a warning look.

'Are you painting me?' I could hear the surprise in my voice and so could he if the confused look on his face was anything to do by.

'You are in the painting. I was almost finished before you came in but I realise now that I didn't quite get the colour of your eyes correct. Don't move. I almost have it.'

I stayed where I was, more because I was happy watching him in that moment. The way he bit slightly on his bottom lip, the way his brow was furrowed in concentration. His blonde curls were swept back from his face and some loose strands dangled close to his eyes, but either he didn't notice or he was too far-gone in his element to care. His eyes shone with determination and passion for what he was creating. It was amazing to watch, and I honestly felt honoured that he let me see him doing something he loved, even though it meant I saw him without his guards up. I couldn't imagine it was easy for him to show me vulnerability.

'There. It's done.' He smiled a genuine smile as he stared at the canvas before his eyes flickered up to me and he gave me a look that made my knees weak. It was a mixture of adoration and happiness.

'Can I see it?' I asked, my voice soft in an attempt to maintain the peaceful atmosphere in the room.

'Later, when the paint is dry. I do have a party to go to after all.' He smirked, packing away his things and leading me from the room with a hand on my elbow.

'Now you care about the party.' I rolled my eyes.

'Is that not why you sought me out, love?' he was amused by my annoyance.

'Actually I was dreading going down there.' I admitted, biting my lip softly. I gasped when he pulled me to a stop before we reached the top of the staircase that directly led to the celebrations. I could hear people chatting and the music playing downstairs.

'What's the matter Evangeline?' he murmured, his hand caressing the side of my face. I couldn't help but lean into his touch as a deep breath left me. It scared me how much I was coming to rely on him to calm me down and be there for me.

'It's just becoming very real. What we've been waiting for is right down those stairs and I know we've prepared for what originally went wrong, but what if something happens because of what we changed that results in her escaping anyway? Then it will have all been for nothing. She will get away, you'll be stuck as a vampire for another six hundred years and you'll have to sacrifice Elena and it's just a lot of pressure, Klaus! I can't deal—,' my nervous ramblings were cut off when Klaus smashed his lips to mine.

It took me a second to respond to him due to surprise but when I did we both sighed in pleasure. My hands went to his hair and his fell to my waist, pulling me as close as possible. Kissing him was an experience that I couldn't put into words. He made me feel like I was burning from the inside out in the best possible way. Like I was flying. Like I was complete. Like I was safe. Like we were the only ones on the planet. I'd never felt such passion, serenity, compatibility before and a part of me was terrified I was never going to find it again. He pulled back first and rested his forehead against mine as we both caught our breath.

'What was that for?' I breathed.

'You needed to calm down.' He said simply, one hand coming from my waist to brush my hair behind my ear and he continued with a smirk, 'that and I quite enjoy kissing you.'

I rolled my eyes but didn't try and cover the smile on my lips. My hands fell to his shoulders and I didn't realise I was gently rubbing them until a groan of pleasure formed in his throat. His forehead pressed closer to mine, our noses touching and making it so our lips were only a hair apart.

'You keep that up love and we'll never get downstairs.' He murmured. With his lips brushing against mine as he spoke, one of his hands caressing my cheek and the other holding my waist it was difficult to remember why we needed to attend this party.

Doppelgänger. Curse. Birthday party.

I groaned in annoyance and dropped my head to his shoulder.

'I wish we didn't have to go.' I mumbled against the material of his shirt. I could feel the warmth of his skin seeping through the fabric and for some reason I found that comforting.

'You and me both.' He sighed, placing a kiss to my hair before we pulled apart, but before we made our entrance I found myself asking him a question that had been burning in the back of my head for a while now.

'Is today really your birthday?' I asked, smiling at the bemusement on his face.

'When I was born we didn't exactly have calendars to mark the days. But today is roughly when I was born, yes.' He answered, his hands found mine and held them tightly.

'Do you still have the locket I gave you the other day?' he became confused at the sudden change in topic but nodded. He released one of my hands and reached under his shirt to free his collection of necklaces from underneath. I was surprised to find that my locket was one of them, the silver chain standing out against the leather cord jewellery. My hands went to it, gently opening the clasp to reveal the pictures of my family and me.

After looking at it for a moment I smiled and closed it before tucking it back underneath his shirt with the rest of them.

'I want you to keep it, as something to remember me by, it's also your birthday present.' I smiled cheekily and laughed when he kissed my nose.

'Thank you, Evangeline.' He murmured, his forehead resting against mine, 'I'll never take it off.'

His words made me smile as well as the sincerity present within them. We stayed there for a moment, appreciating the quiet and peace between us before we reluctantly pulled apart to face the music.

'You should go first.' I said, gesturing to the stairs that would lead him to the celebrations.

'Nonsense, I cannot arrive to my own party without a beautiful lady on my arm.' He smirked, taking my hand and placing it in the crook of his arm before I could protest.

'But what about—,' he hushed me with a finger to my lips.

'I will introduce you as my long lost sister. Katarina and the rest of my men won't be the wiser.' He assured me.

'Okay.' I breathed, following him. My nerves got the better of me when I heard the guests cheering as he stepped out onto the landing, making us visible to the guests. So to distract myself, as we made our way down, I looked over to him and trusted him to not let me fall.

I could tell the smile on his face was forced; his dimples weren't present and his eyes weren't glittering with the mirth and happiness that usually accompanied the upturn of his lips. But he was still beautiful. He was still captivating.

'Relax, love.' Klaus murmured, his words making me frown.

He looked over to me and smirked, 'if you grip my arm any tighter, you're going to break the skin.'

I blinked and looked down to where I was gripping his forearm and realised with a start that he was right. I softened my hold immediately and sent him an apologetic look only to see that he was already watching me. The amusement was definitely real now. I shook my head and tried to repress the smile that was twitching at the corners of my lips.

'Would you join me in a dance, love?' he asked and I realised with a start that we had reached the bottom of the stairs and we were fully encased in the party.

'I would love to, but I think the first girl you dance with should be Katarina. We can't forget why we're here, Klaus.' I told him, trying and failing to hide the disappointment on my face. I'd never been good at hiding how I was truly feeling.

Klaus' eyes flickered over my expression for a moment before he smiled softly and nodded. He didn't say anything and instead started to lead me over to where Elijah was standing. When the elder Mikaelson shifted and revealed who he was talking to, I realised why. He was talking to Katherine. I felt something inside me harden and I gripped Klaus' arm a little tighter to stop him.

'I'm going to get a drink.' I told him, scurrying off before he could comment. I could feel his gaze on my back, but he didn't follow, which I was grateful for.

I didn't want to meet her, to be introduced to her. Like I said, I wasn't good at hiding how I felt and I was pretty sure the murderous intentions on my face would be easily read by her. There were a few reasons why I hated Katherine; she forced me to become a vampire, she led Stefan and Damon along for her own amusement, she compelled my aunt to stab herself, she triggered Tyler's werewolf curse, she tormented my sister for her own pleasure. And now, I hated her for running from the ritual, for making so my sister was the one who had to be sacrificed, for making it so Klaus had to live with his curse for another six hundred years. My reasons for my distaste had only grown with time and I was sure they would only continue to. I would fulfil my duty and assure she didn't run, but that didn't mean I had to interact with her beyond that.

I finally reached the table that held the food and refreshments. I helped myself to a goblet of blood, both grateful and worried that it seemed to be relatively fresh, but the origins of my meal failed to matter when I heard Katarina's ridiculous laugh. I rolled my eyes in irritation, finding a secluded spot along the wall at the back of the party, where I could observe but stay out of sight. Apparently I was a sucker for punishment. I watched Klaus and Katherine talk, laugh and exchange casual but flirty touches. She touched his arm and he brushed her hair behind her ear—I felt myself prickle at the sight, as it was something he often did to me. I pursed my lips to hide my scowl when he led her to the dance floor, her holding onto his arm with a merry smile on her stupid face. Bitch.

It was going to be a long night.

Xxx

Thirty—yes thirty, I counted—flirty touches later I snapped and left the room. I may have told him that he needed to spend time with her but that didn't mean I could bear the sight of it. He needed to woo her, to court her, in order to gain her trust and make offering her somewhere to stay less suspicious. I knew that. But that didn't ease the ball of led in my gut whenever I watched them together. When I saw his smiles aimed at her, when I saw her being on the receiving end of his touches, part of me wanted to scream, the other wanted to rip her apart. If I hadn't already known I was in love with him, the fury, hurt and jealousy that reared it's ugly head upon seeing them together would have clued me in.

I took a deep breath, welcoming the cool night air into my lungs. England truly was beautiful, then again I supposed everywhere in the world would be at this time. Most places that I had seen from our journey to here consisted of greenery, endless miles of nothing but the earth and the sky. It was almost liberating. I found myself lying upon the same boulder I had watched Klaus and Elijah sword fighting from. It seemed like forever ago when in reality it had only been a few days.

The stars twinkled at me from the sky, easing my nerves, my anger and allowing me to relax against the cool stone underneath me and allowing my thoughts to drift. The day I had spent with Klaus had been wonderful, just as I hoped it would be. And what he had said… that he wouldn't forget me, that he wouldn't let me go if he found me again, those words did two things. They gave me hope that maybe he would remember me six hundred years into the future and they made me feel idiotic for having faith. Because no matter how much I wanted to, how sure he appeared now, the rational part of me reminded me that six centuries was a lot of time and it was likely that my face would blur in with the rest of the others. It broke my heart, but it was probably true. But I reminded myself; I had my time here with him now, the memories, the glances, and the touches… I would remember everything. It was real now; it just wouldn't be forever, at least not for him.

I didn't know how long I was out there for, but it had to have been a few hours due to the change in the moons position in the sky. I idly wondered how much longer I would have to wait before the sun would rise, but I knew I wouldn't be out there that long. The party would be over before then—many of the vampires that had been invited didn't have daylight rings so they'd need to leave before they were at risk of being burned alive.

'I wondered where you went.' I genuinely jumped when Klaus' voice interrupted the silence I'd grown accustomed to.

'Parties aren't really my thing.' I said, not technically lying and not taking my gaze from the twinkling lights above me.

'I cannot imagine why. Your beauty is exquisite and deserves nothing less than being the centre of attention at all kinds of gatherings.' His voice was closer now, but I refused to look at him, not wanting him to see the anger and hurt that had resurfaced upon his presence. They were irrational and I had no right to be feeling them, I knew that, but I just couldn't make them go away.

'Katherine isn't here. You can stop laying it on thick now,' I muttered, the words tasted bitter in my mouth.

'Ah, so that's what this is about.' I could hear the smile in his voice.

'I don't know what you mean.'

'Is that right?' he was clearly humouring me and I refused to take the bait. My silence only appeared to amuse him more.

'You're telling me that you haven't been out here for hours because you couldn't bear being present at the party because the doppelgänger was all over me?'

'The infatuation seemed to be even on both ends.' I muttered, unable to help myself.

Klaus chuckled and before I could comprehend it, he was suddenly on top of me, every inch of his tantalising body was pressed against mine. I bit back a gasp and shot him a confused look.

'Let me assure you, love, any affection that you saw me bestow upon Katarina was merely for show. You have no reason to be jealous.' The sincerity in his eyes allowed the remaining tension to fall from my shoulders. I completely relaxed against him, allowing his body to fully mould into mine.

'I know I have no right to be jealous of her, I know what you need to do for appearances, but I just couldn't help but feel… inadequate compared to her.' I murmured so quietly I wondered if he would be able to hear me. I couldn't remember ever being so open with anyone, but for whatever reason Klaus made voicing my insecurities feel safe.

'Evangeline, inadequate is not a word I would ever use to describe you.' He told me honestly, his hand caressing the side of my face.

'I—,' my voice broke as if the words physically didn't want to come from my mouth.

You make me feel safe, you make me laugh, really laugh for the first time since my parents died. You make me feel strong, like I can do anything with you by my side. It scares me because I don't know if anyone will ever amount to you. I'm scared I'll return home and you will have forgotten all about me. I know you said you wouldn't, but six hundred years is a long time. You'll find someone else, because you're you, you won't remember me but I won't be able to forget you. I'm in love with you.

But fear stopped me from saying any of that so instead I bought my hands to each side of his face and pulled him down and captured his lips with mine. His stubble prickled against my hands and his hands delved into the arch of my back, aligning our hips together in a way that drove us both crazy. The kiss was full of passion and lust that had been growing between us all night. He pulled his mouth from mine to trail open-mouthed kisses along my neck. He nipped, sucked, licked and when I felt his fangs graze the skin a moan escaped my mouth before I could contain it. I didn't need to see his face to know he was smirking, but I didn't care. One of my hands slipped into his hair and gave him the encouragement he needed. Without further hesitation, his teeth pierced the soft flesh, drawing my blood from beneath the surface.

He groaned at the first gulp of my blood and my pleasure only grew from there. It felt as if every gulp he took was directly linked to my core. The more he drank, the more my desire grew. I didn't know if it was normal or if Klaus was a biting expert but I had never felt more turned on in my life. His hand slid up my thigh. His touch made my skin burn hotter, if that were even possible. I moaned, fighting to keep my vampire face supressed, but apparently Klaus was expecting my turmoil and he pulled away from my neck. He smirked when I whimpered at the loss of contact and held his wrist out for me, giving me a pointed look when I hesitated. When I stopped fighting it, it came forward easily and my fangs sank into his flesh without any more hesitation. A whimper tore from my throat at the taste of his blood; he tasted better than anything I had ever tried. He had allowed me to drink from him before, but that was to cure my werewolf bite and I hadn't the time to appreciate his flavour. I could confirm that he was exquisite.

I had never done illegal narcotics when I was human, but if I had I imagined that the feeling Klaus' blood gave me was the result. I felt like I was flying, like my blood was singing in my veins. Klaus' free hand caressed the side of my face as I drank. He was watching me with a small smile on his face and if he hadn't looked awed, I would have been mortified. No one had ever seen my vampire face. It was a miracle in itself, but I had been determined not to be a monster since I had been turned. Unlike Caroline, I had known what was happening to me the minute that I woke up after Katherine killed me. So I had already been on my way to moderation before Stefan and Damon figured out what I was, resulting in stellar control. The fact that Klaus was looking at me like that while I was feeding from him made my confidence with what I was soar.

Eventually he pulled my wrist away from him, smirking when I growled softly in protest and leaned down to kiss my forehead. I wondered if it was the blood high that made the simple touch feel like so much more. His hands trailed down my waist, I bit my lip from the sensitivity; the smallest caress was making me burn for him even more. My hands went to the exposed skin at his neck, dipping down and tearing away his shirt, allowing me access to the smooth, hard skin of his chest. I both felt and heard the growl that rumbled in his chest. My eyes met his and the hunger in them made me whimper. Before I could comprehend it, he grabbed me roughly, greedily, and crushed me to his chest.

I blinked and we were in his chambers, the door slammed shut as he lay me down on his bed. Thoughts of our location disappeared from my mind as he captured my lips in a bruising kiss. I gasped when I felt him tear my dress from my body, clearly as impatient as I was. As soon as all fabric was gone from my person I flipped us over and gave him the same treatment, enjoying the way his lips turned into a smirk and his eyes darkened with lust at my dominant behaviour. But it didn't last long, for I was underneath him again in the blink of an eye.

He kissed me again, his hand lifting my left thigh and hooking it around his hip before sliding into me in one swift movement. He swallowed the moan that fell from my throat, giving me a second to get used to him before he moved. His movements were rough, possessive and dominant. I wondered if it was his wolf, coming to the surface and laying its claim on me. For whatever reason, the idea of that just enhanced my desire and I arched my back, allowing him to delve deeper inside me. I could feel that I was nearing the end and my hands found his shoulders, my nails sinking into the soft flesh. I found myself clawing at his back as I fell over the edge screaming his name with my head thrown back. He growled in response and took advantage of my exposed throat, sinking his fangs into the flesh once again. I gasped in surprise when I felt my pleasure spiking, once again bringing me to ecstasy. Klaus followed me after my second time, surrendering to the gratification and emptying himself inside of me.

Klaus removed himself from me and rolled over, bringing me with him and allowing me to lay against his chest, our legs carelessly tangled together. We were both breathless and satisfied. In the back of my mind I knew I needed to leave. If Katherine were staying, as we planned, it wouldn't look good if she caught me leaving his room in the morning. But I couldn't bring myself to move. The scent that was purely Klaus surrounded me and for whatever reason bought me to a state of relaxation that I couldn't ignore. I could feel my eyelids drooping from that alone and with the feel of him around me, the comforting feeling that accompanied his warmth, I knew the idea of me leaving to go to my own room was a lost cause and so I surrendered myself to the darkness.

There's chapter nine! Katherine is finally here. Evangeline hasn't had the pleasure of meeting her yet, nor does she want to, but will it pan out that way? We'll just have to see ;) What did you think? Do you like the Evangeline/Klaus interactions because honestly I love writing them. As you can see Evangeline is still a little insecure over her feelings for Klaus. She knows she loves him, but doesn't know he feels the same way and vice versa. Will they find out how one another feels soon?