Part 11

Dafne closed her eyes and sighed after Klaus had left. She was exhausted, she really needed to rest. Kol had taken a lot of her blood, much more than Elijah or even Klaus. What she desperately needed right now was a safe place to rest. There was only one place where Klaus and Kol wouldn't come. Slowly Dafne got up and headed to the hallway. Elijah wasn't in his chamber, but Dafne didn't think that he would mind her staying here. She lied down on his bed and fell asleep almost immediately. The chamber was dark when something woke her up. For a moment she was too disoriented to realize where she was.

"Dafne?" Elijah's voice said before he lit up a candle.

"Hmm?" she murmured sleepily and got into a sitting position. Elijah was standing next to the bed, observing her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, I… I was waiting for you and fell asleep."

"Oh. Forgive me, I meant to return much sooner."

"That's alright."

She could tell that it was very late, probably almost morning already.

"Did you have problems?" she asked.

"No," he replied absentmindedly while undressing.

The look in his eyes… Dafne knew him well enough to recognize it.

"Were you alone?" she asked calmly.

"No, Aya was with me."

Well, that certainly explained it. Dafne made room for Elijah as he lied down beside her.

"Do you mind if I sleep here?" she asked.

"No, of course not."

Dafne knew that Elijah wasn't going to touch her tonight. It could take a while before he would approach her again. Obviously something had finally happened between him and Aya. He had been interested in her for a while now, but it had seemed that she didn't feel the same way. Apparently she had changed her mind. As always, Dafne tried her best to be happy for Elijah.

There had been couple of other women before Aya, but those relationships hadn't lasted for very long. Dafne had always been there to comfort Elijah afterwards. He had never lied to her or made any false promises; she knew exactly what he was able to offer her. Safety, friendship, companionship. Some physical closeness for every now and then. She didn't expect anything more from him.

When he had kissed her for the first time, she hadn't stopped him because she had wanted to feel that closeness with him. She trusted him and felt comfortable sharing that part of her with him. To her, he was the most important person in the world. It didn't really matter that a part of her was and probably always would be bitter because of what he had done to her. She wanted more than this. She wanted to tell him everything. She was just so very tired.

"Elijah…" she started and turned her head towards him. He was asleep. She sighed and closed her eyes. This was for the best, she couldn't tell him, not without jeopardizing his safety. She could handle Klaus, just like she had done for over a century already. And Kol… She wasn't so sure if she would be able to handle him. Sure Klaus had a temper and he could be unpredictable, but she had somehow learned how to deal with him.

Kol however couldn't really be dealt with. She could only blame herself for that. One moment of weakness all those years ago… She should have been stronger. Unfortunately she hadn't been able to think clearly. It had been just one night, but he hadn't let her forget it. Things had turned out very ugly before he had left. She didn't want that to happen again, but it seemed that nothing had changed. She really wasn't sure what to do.

"Kol," Klaus greeted his brother. "It has been a while."

"Yes," Kol hummed and stretched his arms. "I have heard that you have been busy, Nik."

Klaus smirked and walked over to the table.

"I could say the same to you."

Kol shrugged and emptied his wine goblet while Klaus poured some wine for himself.

"So, what brings you here?" Klaus asked.

"What, I cannot simply come to see my family?"

"Of course you can."

Klaus paused and took a seat.

"Did you just arrive?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. Elijah and Bekah are not here at the moment, but Dafne is. Did you see her?"

Kol shook his head.

"No, I did not. How is she?"

"Sick," Klaus replied carelessly.

Kol kept his face free from emotion. He really had taken too much of her blood. Damn it. Unfortunately it had been a long time since he had fed without killing his prey. He needed to be more careful with her from now on.

"I am sorry to hear that. Nothing serious I hope?"

Klaus glanced at him before replying.

"No, I do not think so. She is after all an immortal."

"Yes… And she still serves Elijah?"

"Of course she does," Klaus snorted. "Just like a loyal little pet."

Kol could easily pick up the annoyance in Klaus' voice.

"I doubt that you would be complaining if she would be your loyal pet," Kol stated coolly.

"That's ridiculous," Klaus snorted. "Why would it matter to me who she serves?"

"Because we both know you can't stand anyone having something you can't have. Especially if that something gives them happiness."

"Oh please, she is just a human. Her life means nothing."

Kol frowned; he didn't believe that for a second. If she would be so meaningless to Klaus, he would have just taken her from Elijah a long time ago. Klaus had always enjoyed taking what belonged to someone else. He took what he wanted, got bored and threw his catch away. It was all about the thrill of the hunt.

Kol had noticed that Klaus had regretted for giving Dafne to Elijah, but he hadn't tried to take her from their brother. Kol couldn't say the same thing about himself. He had enjoyed their night together much more than he could have ever imagined and as much as he had tried to deny it, he had genuine feelings for her. That was the reason why he had left, but that was also the reason why he had returned. He was going to take what belonged to him.