Ch 7

"Niklaus, the floor is no substitute to your bed. And why are you covered in blood?"

Klaus shot up from his prone position. Eyes investigating his body and then searching for the blonde. How did I get back? A question that unsettled him greatly. He stood quickly, "What is the hour?"

His brother eyed him suspiciously, "I believe it is just past 6. Do be sure to clean yourself up." Elijah stepped away and soon left the room altogether.

Morning? He had been out for only a few hours. What puzzled him greatly was how he got there and where his blonde would-be-runaway was.

A melody he had not noticed before drifted from the library pulling him from his thoughts. There was his answer, he assumed. He went to find Caroline.

As he drew closer to the room he noted that it was singing he had heard. A soft and melodic sound. It reminded him of the sun on a spring afternoon, when the breeze was still gentle and cooling while the sun warmed the winter chill from his bones. He found it mesmerizing.

He came upon the half-open door. He slipped in without its occupant being the wiser.

Caroline, in the process of retrieving a book from the nearby table, appeared to be reshelving the books from the previous night. The bookcase that hid the coffins had been safely put back to hide his secret once more. Half the books were already placed back on the shelves. He wondered at her reasoning for this but soon found her starting a new verse in her song.

So she had been the siren he had heard. A small genuine smile graced his lips. Her voice was lovely, not a thing of master training, he doubted she would have sung for anyone but her family. But there was something...pleasing about her voice. Captivating in a way that he could not put a finger on. She appeared to feel comfortable enough to sing here. And after everything that happened within the last day, it shocked him as well.

While he enjoyed her singing, a song about impossible tasks such as making a shirt without seams or needlework, he took the time to also appreciate her figure.

Her rich, crimson dress made her complexion seem pale. Too pale. His eyes squinted in scrutiny. Her cheeks barely held color, an odd sight to see. Small red cuts were sporadically scattered across her face and hands, as well. Dark circles under her eyes hinted at little, if any, sleep during the night. He was pleased, however, to note that she had not looked as thin as she had been upon her first arrival.

In the distance, he noted his brother's departure from the castle. Good.

He watched her work and sing in a rare moment of quiet peace. After a few more stolen moments he made his move.

Casually, he walked further into the room, "I have had quite an interesting morning, sweetheart. You wouldn't by chance know why I was lying in the great hall, would you?"

A loud gasp escaped her, face growing a touch paler, making her look almost ghostly. He grimaced at the effect but quickly schooled his features into a mask of mild indifference.

Caroline, after pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts and racing heart, spoke cooly, "For comfort? Your back, perhaps? Or your posture needs improving?"

He smirked at her little jabs but soon sobered up. She continued with her task of replacing the books as he walked up to her. His lips hovered over her ear, and speaking low, he said, "What happened in the woods, Caroline?" He watched in satisfaction at her shudder.

Wetting her lips, she turned to eye him with her fiery stare of defiance. "What do you think happened?" Caroline held his gaze. Always challenging him, daring him to do something. He grinned.

Klaus absentmindedly grabbed a silky strand of her hair in between his thumb and forefinger. Wrapping it around his finger, he leveled her with a serious look. "I could compel you. I could make you say or do anything I wanted. Take that spirited free will of yours away." Her breath hitched, a delicious sound to his ears, "However, I think we both would rather I didn't."

His eyes watched the lovely sight of her throat as she swallowed. A dark smile spread across his lips before it quickly disappeared and his hand, having left its task of playing with her hair, grabbed her forearm. She winced, letting out a small noise of pain which he ignored, "Now, sweetheart, how did I come to be on the floor of my great room?"

"I left you there." Her breath quickened.

Interesting, he thought. "And?" Klaus knew she was leaving out details. For reasons, he could not think of. He couldn't wrap his mind around anything she was doing the last few hours. Or, in truth, the whole time he had known her.

Her heart rate had picked up but she remained calm yet abrasive. "I dragged you from the woods."

His eyes widened in surprise. He dropped her arm, which she quickly held close to her body protectively. "A curious action, love. I wonder at your reasoning behind it. How did you manage the trek?"

She remained stubbornly silent.

Huffing in frustration, he moved a foot away, giving her a brief reprieve from his immediate presence. "You will keep last night our little secret, love" His eyes slid over to her, "No one, and I mean absolutely no one, must know what lies behind that door."

"Your brother-"

"Not a soul."

The room held a quiet stillness to it. The two beings occupying it caught in a staring match of wills, till the younger of the two nodded their agreement.

Klaus grinned, "Good." He made to quit the room.

"Traditionally a little gratitude for a selfless act would be given," Caroline chided him.

Smirking, he turned, "What for, love?"

Mouth falling open in haughty disbelief, she ground out, "You would have been eaten by wolves."

"Werewolves, you mean," her eyes widened as he continued, "They could certainly try. It would only mean a gruesome and bloody end for them."

"So they were different, like you?" She seemed truly worried for a second.

A twinge of concern flared up in his chest, an odd thing for him. "In a way, they are supernatural beings like my family." He made his way back to her, this distracting creature he could not stay away from. "During the day, they appear as normal as me and you," her breathing picked up, heart beating just as fast, "but on nights when the moon is full, they transform into wolves."

She bit her lip, drawing his mind back to the previous night when the little minx surprised him with a kiss. He had enjoyed the softness, her intoxicating scent. He could steal his own if he wanted, what would she try to do to him if he did? He snapped himself out of the memory and forced his absurd impulses down.

"Are they born that way or is there another way one becomes a werewolf? How many are near here? Do they act like normal wolves? Are they poisonous? "

His brow knitted together in confusion, "Why the questions, love?" At her silence, he sighed and answered her odd questions, "We are born that way. There is a pack nearby, about fifteen of them, omitting the three from last night. When transformed they act like normal wolves. Their bite is poisonous-" he stopped abruptly. Her reaction giving him pause. A small gasp, white face, pulse racing. "Caroline," he said in warning, "what happened?"

She swallowed, still clutching the arm he had grabbed earlier. Suddenly, the pieces clicked in his head. Looking down at his hand, he noticed a small trace of blood. He supposed he had not noticed due to the blood on his own clothes. He reached out to grab her hand, "Let me see it, Caroline."

Slowly, as if unsure of his true intentions, she placed her slender hand into his. He turned it over and, with both hands, he ripped the sleeve open.

"Are you mad?! I could have untied it for you?!" Caroline berated his actions having completely forgotten why he had done it.

He couldn't hide his chuckle at her outburst, "I'll have one of the maids fix it for you." She stilled, blushing at something he had said.

"I can fix it myself." She muttered under her breath.

Red spots had started to form on her linen chemise sleeve. He gingerly rolled it up her arm to reveal crudely made bandages that barely did their job.

Caroline was a mystery to him, asking questions he found himself answering when he shouldn't, finding his secrets and surprising him in the process, and helping him when she could have easily left him. He found her too intoxicating, too confusing, too interesting, too alluring. Too different. And now he finds that not only did she drag his lifeless body back to the castle, but she had done it while sustaining a bite wound. He wondered if she fought one of them off too, he wouldn't be surprised if she did.

He leveled her with a serious stare, "Were you going to tell me about this, or simply hope for the best?"

She huffed in exasperation, "I saw nothing wrong with keeping it to myself until you told me that it was poisonous! Who ever heard of a poisonous wolf bite? And what was I supposed to do with you pinned to a tree and a wolf attacking me? And how could you have been incapacitated so easily? You practically left me alone to fend it off. You were the one attacking them, not I. I hope it lost an eye."

He listened to her ramble on as he undressed her arm. Amused at the one-sided ongoing conversation. The wound looked better than he had expected, though it still looked bad. The skin around the punctures was red and bruised in a multitude of colors. He interrupted her, "You're lucky, sweetheart, this could have been worse. It could have killed you. Or it could have been a regular wolf with a disease. Next time you get hurt you should let my brother or I know." Klaus looked up to catch her doe-eyed stare, one brow cocked up in question at his statement. He tossed her a devilish smirk, "Vampire blood has healing properties. Which reminds me, you failed to let me finish what I had been saying earlier. A bite from a werewolf is poisonous...to vampires. Mostly harmless to humans."

In a minute, he had bit into his arm. "Drink," he commanded her.

Caroline leveled him with a skeptical and slightly disgusted stare.

He sighed, "I can grab you a cup if you would like."

She shook her head, "I would rather not drink at all."

Klaus shrugged and fixed his sleeve, "As you wish, love." He turned and made his way to exit the library.

Before he could, though, she stopped him with a question, "Are they dead? Y-your family that is."

"All vampires are dead."

Huffing in frustration, placing a hand on her hip, she pressed her question further, "Are they permanently dead? Or are they..." She fumbled for accurate words to explain herself.

"Think of them as sleeping."

He made his way to the entrance of the library. "Remember, love, not a word." With that, he left her to continue her task.

That night, while she laid awake waiting for sleep to take her, something Klaus had said echoed in her mind.

'We are born that way'.

What did that mean? Just when she thought she had made some progress, another fact is placed on the table and she must figure out how it all makes sense.

And why had he been kind and caring? He had shown her, twice now, his softer side. A peek into his inner self. And yet, she had seen the rather real threat of what lurked beneath his exterior.

The last thought in her head before sleep finally came to her had been of her wine at supper, the taste was all off.

Several days passed with ease, a sort of pattern settled over the occupants of the vast castle.

Each morning, she would breakfast with at least one brother. Midday was devoted to being useful, either in the kitchens, the garden or exploring the various rooms in the castle. A walk in the afternoons shortly followed by supper. The day would end with a book or a chess match with Klaus. Some days she'd even win a game. She found herself in deep discussions with Elijah and aggravating arguments with Klaus.

And at night, she would write letters to Rebekah. She doubted the woman would ever read them. But it helped her feel better. Like she was talking to a friend, and maybe she would give the girl her letters? Maybe she would want to hear what her brothers were up to while she...slept? She couldn't make out what to call that death like slumber the other family members were in.

It fell on one of these days that she found out about the much anticipated birthday celebration in a week's time.

"A party?" She could scarcely believe that there would be a celebration, let alone a birthday of a man who's lived for quite some time.

"Yes, there will be many people in attendance," Elijah said before taking another bite of his food.

"People like the two of you." She was fairly certain that there would be few, if any, humans at this party.

Klaus smirked, "Most are, yes, but there will be a few humans there. You have no need to worry, no one will feed on you, love."

Caroline stared at him in mild concern, "I would hope they'd have the decency not to."

The vexing man to her right chuckled. As if she were joking?! Rolling her eyes, she failed to see the look that passed from eldest brother to younger.

Elijah cleared his throat before speaking, "As you are living here, and seen as a sort of friend to our family, they would not dream of it."

Caroline eyed him suspiciously but refrained from commenting. She would never get used to this.

"I might add, then, since you have joined us for an undetermined time," Elijah began glancing at his brother, "you should know that a few guests shall be staying with us as well."

"It will be like having a friend," Klaus chimed in, a devilish smirk spread across his face.

"And we trust that you will keep them company, especially the girl, I believe she is your age." Elijah continued as if he had never been interrupted.

That piqued her interest and curiosity. "Am I to be her chaperone?"

"Yes," Klaus' voice lacked its usual playfulness. He had taken on a serious tone.

Their eyes locked in a silent conversation. "Fair enough, I will be on my best behavior."

"I hope you will be. If something were to happen to my guests-"

"You'll kill my family while I watch, yes, I understood that the first few times."

He frowned and went back to his meal.

She wanted to ask more questions, why would they want people to stay here, who were these people, why would she need to keep an eye on the girl, but she had a feeling these wouldn't be answered by either brother. For now, she would have to be content with the unknown and wait.

AN: Long time no see! I'm a bit busy at the moment, hence no updat for a while- but I'm hoping to get more out soon. Thanks for reading! :D