Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.
A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! You guys seriously contribute to this story more than you know! (-:
Nineteen
Blake's hair was no longer meticulously separated into dark spikes, as it had been when AJ had first seen him. Now it was a disheveled mess with the shine of hairspray and gel whenever the sparse bit of sunlight left shone on it.
He stomped down a slope, headed deep into the woods. They had left what little of a campground there had been several minutes ago; although, AJ still spotted a trace of it here and there. A menacing looking merry-go-round worn with red and yellow paint rotated slowly with a despairing creak in a tangle of overgrown brush a ways off the untendered path. It put thoughts of horror movies in her head and made her glance about the shaded forest with some paranoia.
She had tried being as kind as possible to the edgy werewolf, but it seemed no kind words would quell his unease. He was sweating profusely, which was odd considering there was no heat in the forest. There was only a parasite-like cold that purloined what little warmth AJ had, forcing her to move as close as she could to Klaus, who seemed to emanate heat at all times.
Maybe it was just the desire she had for him that made it seem so. Still, she had to admit to herself that she didn't mind one bit allowing them to touch and linger that way. Neither had spoken of it, but she felt an odd tension rise up between them. It only served to make her insides colder.
Klaus would glance up at the darkening cobalt sky every time there was a break in the canopy. AJ could read the apprehension in his eyes and could guess why. The last time she had been with him up in a mountain on a full moon, beset with werewolves gathered about, things had not turned out well. Apart from her life being endangered, those he had been bent on changing were all killed by his hand.
She didn't fully approve of what he was trying to achieve, but her heart stung with sadness at the thought of him having to destroy the only creatures that had been like him. They had been abominations—they weren't supposed to exist in nature. But Klaus existed. She didn't think that of him. It was a headache-inducing thought.
Uncontrollable shivers took over her body as they descended deeper into a valley. A white mist ghosted over the forest floor, curling into wisps at her ankles. She had to clench her teeth together to keep them from rattling.
Klaus slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She glanced up at him briefly to find his eyes on hers, but quickly looked away. Still, she burrowed into his side as they walked.
"How much further?" Klaus demanded of the werewolf, who stiffened at his voice. Blake's step faltered before he continued on without a look over his shoulder.
"Not much," Blake managed to say. "A few minutes."
AJ felt dread swell in her heart. She didn't realize it for a moment, but she was gripping Klaus's hand. Instead of looking at him again, she kept her eyes on the ground.
Would he really go through with this? She couldn't get what he had said before they started this trek out of her head:
I wish it were as simple as that.
What did he mean? He had looked as lonely and as hesitant as she had ever seen him in that moment, confusing her further. Lately, he had been very open with her, she knew. But would he ever be completely honest? Would she ever be rid of that strange feeling that he was lying to her about something important? The feeling had stuck with her ever since she had seen the illusion of herself. Maybe it was like he said. Maybe the spirits were just trying to cause contention between them.
She felt him squeeze her hand and looked up at him, only to find him missing from sight and touch. Then, an instant later, he returned. His arm wrapped around her again, only this time he held a rose out to her, the deep color of blood.
AJ blinked at the rose and then at him before cautiously accepting it. It was a wild rose, adorned with razor-tipped thorns. They only seemed to add to its beauty in a precious, untainted way. A rose without thorns was hardly a rose at all.
"What's this for?" she asked, her voice low as the wind stirred up around them, rustling the leaves overhead.
There was a faint smile on Klaus's lips. "Didn't you know? Portland is the City of Roses. I thought it was only apt." His eyes fell on the rose and a reminiscent expression overtook his face. "Rebekah loved those when she was just a girl."
AJ held onto the rose, keeping it close to her chest as she once more huddled close to him. "She did? You mean… when she was human?"
"Yes," he said. "Believe it or not, but she was much gentler back then. Less angry at the world or obsessed with beauty."
AJ wasn't sure if she could picture it. She chalked it up to just being stubborn. "Has she called you back yet?"
Klaus appeared grim. "No. Not yet."
"Do you think something's happened?" she asked, suddenly a little worried. She had hardly known the stunningly beautiful (and catty) Original, but she was Klaus's little sister. "Would your father have—"
Klaus put a finger to her lips. "Not now." He was eyeing Blake warily. "Another time, love."
Blake was coming to a stop in a gnarled clearing. Trees rose precariously around it, becoming mere silhouettes against the sky. The entire scene seemed to have a sense of disorder about it, like nature had taken its course and looted what had once contained manmade things, replacing it with its own. Traces of the campground were evident in an old light structure entwined with ivy and there were the remnants of a rubbled building far off in view.
There were no werewolves in sight.
Blake's back stayed facing them determinedly. His shoulders were tense and he seemed almost as motionless as a vampire could be. At his sides, his hands were clenched into pale white fists. The cold seemed to lack an effect on him.
Klaus stepped away from AJ, his face tight with anger. No longer was he the sweet, softer Klaus; the Klaus that would think to offer her a rose or consider what might have become of his baby sister. Now he was the lethal, dangerous Klaus. Her heartbeat picked up instantaneously.
"We're not taking a break, mate," Klaus said in an even tone, challenging. He stepped around Blake until he faced the werewolf. "Keep moving."
Blake said nothing. His eyes were glued to the ground.
"Where are my wolves?" Klaus demanded, his voice as sharp as the thorns on the rose. "I thought I made it very clear to you that this wasn't an option. Take me to them. Now." He stepped in Blake's face, making the werewolf flinch back.
"Klaus," AJ spoke up, warning. "We can still turn back. There's plenty of time—"
"No," he said bitingly, his eyes dark, never leaving Blake. "It seems I should have thought over your willingness to give up your pack mates, hmm? I suppose it worked out well for you earlier, with my attentions being casted elsewhere." AJ didn't have to hear him say it to know he meant her. "You're clever, I'll give you that. It's too bad, though. I was feeling quite merciful towards you, to not draw out your death. It seems that you have changed my mind."
Before Blake could even move, Klaus used his supernatural speed to throw him against the long-forgotten light post, snapping it in half as Blake's body fell cringingly on top of it. Klaus made to move towards him again, but AJ quickly grasped his arm.
"Klaus," she pleaded. "This isn't the way. Please don't do this."
Her touch seemed to freeze him in place. Although he wouldn't meet her eyes, she could see the indecision within them.
"Klaus," she tried again, quiet. "Things can be different this time. You don't have to hurt anyone."
"You're right," he said slowly, his eyes returning to Blake, who was now sitting up and clutching his ribs. "Things can be different this time. But in case you hadn't noticed, love, the moon has risen. There isn't much time left."
AJ looked up through the canopy. The milky glow of the full moon would have been enchanting if it didn't mean that werewolves would reign the night. "You mean—"
"I mean," Klaus enunciated precisely, his voice dark, "this is a trap. Isn't it Blake? You wanted us up here when your pack changed."
Blake was sitting fully upright now. The ribs he had clutched now seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever, like they had healed quickly. Though he still seemed timid, even fearful in Klaus's presence, there was a hint of victory in the werewolf's eyes. He stared at AJ.
"I heard rumors," Blake said in a low tone, "that you had a girl with you. A human girl. I thought I'd take my chances."
Klaus's smile was wicked. "What poor thinking on your part, then. She cannot be harmed, which means I am not open to negotiating some kind of truce with your pack. I am a hybrid, you fool. Nothing will touch her."
Blake narrowed his eyes that were now glowing a golden-yellow. AJ could see them through the thickening darkness. Claws protruded from his fingertips, digging deep into the earth below him, curling to his hand. As if on cue, a howl rang out back up in the valley.
His pack had already changed.
"I heard something else, too," Blake said. His speech was imposed by the canines that had grown in his mouth. "Something about that necklace of hers and woodland spirits. She's not supposed to be here, is she?"
Klaus automatically stepped in front of AJ, his shoulders squared. "A useless threat. I'll have you all killed within seconds."
Now Blake smiled, and it was sinister with his canines pressing down into his bottom lip and his eyes aglow. "I'm not an idiot. You want hybrids. We're the largest pack you'll find in the country, and I think you know that. I guess this is where my fate truly rests with you. Will you choose making hybrids or your girlfriend's life?"
AJ swallowed hard. She now saw Blake's angle, clear as day. He was trying to turn Klaus against her. What with the thin ice they had been walking on for some time now, she wasn't sure what Klaus's reaction would be. Glancing down at the rose she still held, she wondered if soft and sweet Klaus could still thrive beside harsh and cruel Klaus.
Blake cried out in agony, then, as his bones twisted and contorted with his shift. The process wasn't as slow as AJ had hoped for. Klaus turned to her slowly, his blue eyes the color of steel and permeated with the same abstruseness. She backed up, one step at a time, uncertain of his intentions. Her fingers seemed to vibrate with her fight-or-flight instincts.
"AJ," he said. "You should run. Now."
AJ blinked. "But—"
A twig snapped behind Blake. Behind him were several pairs of glowing eyes. Her eyes darted between them and Klaus.
"Love," he said, urging. "Go."
The forest was a tangle of dead underbrush. AJ found herself periodically tripping over roots, vines, logs, and sticks. She didn't know what Klaus had planned, but she knew he had something planned. No one ever outsmarted him. He would figure something out.
It was as if someone had placed black sheets up all around her. She could hardly see a thing, save for the few bits of places where moonlight seeped down and lit things with a ghastly radiance. She had set off in a dead sprint, having no clue whatsoever where she was headed. Now she felt stupid for making such a rash decision. But it wasn't as if she had the time to ask for directions, considering the werewolves had begun descending upon them.
The thought of someone trying to turn Klaus against her had never crossed her mind. If she didn't loathe Blake so much in this moment, she would think he truly was very clever. The whole time she had spoken with him, she hadn't gotten the slightest hint of an ulterior motive off of him. He had fooled her.
Things had happened so quickly, though, that she hadn't truly had time to assess the threat at hand. Before entering the forest, she had known it would be somewhat of a risk. The spirits flourished in woodland areas. Her necklace hadn't even been removed earlier that day and yet they had found a way to hijack her brain and make her see things. But she had thought Klaus's presence would keep them away. Stumbling alone through the alien forest wasn't something she had anticipated.
Blake had threatened to have her necklace removed so the spirits could get to her. But how could he possibly know about that? Did news of that sort travel through the supernatural world? Or was there something else about Blake they were missing?
When Klaus had moved to turn to her, she had almost been certain he was willing to sacrifice her in order to have his hybrids. What would he think of her, knowing she could doubt him like that?
Was it such a good idea to mull these things over during her escape?
By now, she was panting for breath. Something about this forest made her feel uneasy, like there were eyes on her at all times. She was coming to a significant sized tree up ahead and stopped when she reached it, trying to breathe in as silently as she could as she listened to her surroundings.
Nothing. She heard nothing but the flutter of the leaves in the wind. Then another howl came from behind her, back where she had left Klaus. It was more of a cry than anything else. A cry for help.
AJ was torn between heading back and helping the werewolves and trying not to become their next meal. What was it like to have such raw animal instincts take over one's mind? Could they think straight?
She had no answer to that question. Darting forward again, she knew she had to get moving. Klaus's unusually steel-colored eyes came back to her as she pushed on. What had he been thinking? What was he thinking right now—what took all of his attention so that she had to make her escape on her own?
Another terrible cry of a wolf. It was closer this time, but not close enough to put her in any imminent danger. What was Klaus doing?
When it suddenly dawned on her, she had to force herself not to stop. Klaus was changing them. But how? How could he find a way to change them after they shifted into wolf-form already? Would it even work?
She felt sick to her stomach. He had the ingredient he needed for it to work—Elena's blood. It hadn't bothered her much before, but now she could only be glad she hadn't eaten anything in hours. She would wretch if she had.
He would feed them Elena's blood.
Pushing herself forward faster, she tried to clear her mind of racing thoughts. There had to be a way out of this forest. She had to move quickly, especially if he was changing them right now. They would have bloodlust that couldn't be sated by just a few sips of Elena's blood. It would take much, much more.
Her boot caught on a knot of tree roots just at her ankle, throwing her forward into a patch of dirt. She held her arms out in front of her to break the fall. When she did, a throbbing sting went through her right hand. She looked down at it in surprise.
It was silly, really, that she had forgotten all about the rose Klaus had given her and yet she had made certain to hold onto it. Maybe it was the fact that it was such a sweet gesture from him, she could bear to turn it down.
Now, in the middle of a dark and foreign forest crawling with werewolves and quickly turning hybrids, she found she couldn't breathe properly.
When he had first handed it to her, she noticed how sharp the thorns were. They were as sharp as any tip of a knife. Now her hand was a bloody mess. It was a beacon for the hybrids to find her. From what she had seen last time, they moved very quickly. There would be no escape for her.
She wanted Klaus by her side now more than ever.
What do you think of this chapter? For those of you who are concerned, I do like AJ and Klaus together, very much. There will be more AJ/Klaus to come! Review and make my day? (-:
Also, I'm open to any thoughts on what should happen from here, or when they return to Mystic Falls. I always love to hear your ideas to see how I can intermingle them with my own. So if there's something you'd really like, let me know?
Review!