Chapter Four- and tadah! As promised, another chapter:) And its going to get much more interesting now. I assure you!:D so, reviews much loved and thanks for the ones so far! x Nicc

The next morning was quiet. The news was that Thomas was alive, but barely. His throat had been severely ripped up, teeth marks all over it. A wild beast it had been put down to... but it was like my Mother and Father were hiding something from me. Some other detail about his near death experiance.

What could have done it-?

Klaus came in for breakfast now, sitting opposite me and I saw Father shoot a glance at him. I was suprised to see annoyance... why was Father annoyed at Klaus?

"Claudia, your piano teacher has fallen ill, I am afraid todays lesson shall have to be cancelled." Mother now said as she lowered her fork, making me sigh- typical...

"I could teach her."

I looked up at Klaus now as he swallowed a mouthful of breakfast.

"You?" I scoffed, then Klaus nodded. "I am rather proficiant in the art of playing the piano."

"That's settled then." Father now said, dabbing at his mouth and getting up. "Niklaus will take over for today. Now I must visit unfortunate Thomas." he sighed. "I fear he shall not survive the day."

We were all silent now, then Father got up and left, Mother following shortly after... leaving me alone with the annoying thing that was Niklaus.

I ignored his smirk as he stared at me, but now I felt a flush shoot through my cheeks and I looked him full in the face. "Was there something you wanted?"

The smile-smirk grew. "Nothing. Just... admiring your dress."

"Of course (!)" I said bitterly, then got up and walked out the room, heading upstairs to put my necklace and earrings on.

-FORSAKEN-

There was a knock on my bedroom door a little later on, and a maids voice. "Lord Niklaus is ready for you."

I scoffed, saying under my breath as I did up my necklace. "Lord Niklaus my ass..." then stood up and put my hair behind me, opening the door and walking past the maid without a word.

Now I was in such a foul mood.

As I walked into the drawing room, I saw Klaus sat at the grand piano, waiting for me. He smirked it seemed, then patted beside him.

He was testing me. Testing to see if I was going to be a coward and back out.

I walked over and sat down next to him on the red velvet chair, not looking at him.

Klaus now chuckled, then raised a hand to the keys and started to explain about the minors and majors. Something like that anyway.

Oh he was so very frustrating.

He was a very good teacher, I had to admit. Not too much patience mind. If I went wrong, he made me do it again until I had it perfect.

"There. That wasn't so hard, was it?" he chuckled now as he closed the lid over the keys and stood up. I ignored him. Ignored my "good manners" and just walked off without another word.

Stupid freaking handsome Klaus...

I went for a walk now up to my room to collect my parosol, but then I heard a gasp of pain from the room next door and frowned. What was that-?

Now I tiptoed to the next room and looked through a crack in the door and my eyes widened in shock, making me push the door open and run over to the maid who was bleeding, I could see the red dripping from her neck onto her pure white dress.

"Are you ok?" I asked in concern, and she met my eyes, shaking a little. "I'm fine." she said, making me frown and pull her neckline away and gasp- bitemarks just like Thomas D'Lancys.

"Who did this to you-?" I now asked, more curious than anything else.

"It was my fault." she just said, tears in her eyes, making my frown deepen, then repeat. "How did this happen?"

"It was my fault." she just repeated, and I nodded slowly, then said. "Go down to the physicians, get that healed up..."

She was gone in a flash.

What was happening in this town-?

I ran outside now, staring around for no real reason, as if the answer was just going to say my name...

"Claudia?"

Now I jumped in suprise and turned to face Klaus, who frowned at my heaving chest. "Are you ok?" he asked, and I nodded, sounding like the maid as I said.

"I'm fine."

He nodded slowly, then walked forwards, eyes fixed on mind. "Ok then..." he sighed, then said. "Your Father wanted me to tell you that there will be a dinner party tonight at sundown."

I groaned. "So very soon-? It has been nigh since yesterday that D'Lancy was attacked!"

Now Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Attacked you think? It was an accident."

"There was fang marks on his neck, Niklaus! Like the stories! Like those monsters of the night..." I searched for the word, but it was he who said it.

"Vampires?"

"Yes, exactly that." I nodded, and he chuckled. "But vampires cannot be real, can they?"

"I do not know... there was a few attacks here when I was a young girl. My parents were attacked by supposidly wild animals when they went to the South. Their injuries were gone in just a few hours." but now I frowned. "How do you know my parents?"

Klaus now took his pocketwatch out and looked at the time, then spoke to me, answering my question.

"That is how I met them, actually. I was travelling through and met them at a dinner party. That night they were attacked. I, ah... had them cured permanantly and here we are."

I frowned. "Cured like that? Just how?"

"You would not understand, ma petite." he chuckled, then turned and said. "Come. I have a gift for you." he held out a hand that I stared at, then hesitantly took it and let him lead me to the main room where he sat me on the leather sofa, then turned and picked a wicker basket up, placing it on my lap.

I was startled when I felt movement from within it, then Klaus opened the lid and I found myself smiling at the little ragdoll kitten inside, its deep sapphire eyes looking up at me, creamy fluffy white fur all around it.

"Oh! She is beautiful-!" I exclaimed, taking the little bundle of fur from within the wicker and putting her on my lap, running a hand through the soft creamy fur.

"You seemed lonely." Klaus said with a chuckle, then went to stroke the kitten, but it hissed and went for him, catching his hand with sharp little claws. He withdrew it swiftly, and I pulled the kitten away as I saw blood on his hand.

"Good girl." I chuckled, and Klaus nodded, rubbing his hand. "Feisty like her owner I thought."

I set the kitten down on the floor and watched it go scampering over to the chair on the other side of the room, then hide under it, watching Klaus with big wide eyes.

"See? Another person that doesn't like you." I smirked and he rolled his eyes and said. "This hasn't changed your mind?"

"Not a fraction." I said, trying hard not to smile, but it was hard. He was handsome. Devilishly so. His eyes held mine now, then I felt something tug inside my brain that made me lean forwards and hesitate a moment, but then he just kissed me and took me by suprise. Never in my life had I been kissed. Sure, I had when I was a foolish young girl, running around with the errant boys... but never properly.

But my friends were right about the whole jumpy feeling in your stomach thing. But now as I kissed him back, I wondered something-

All these attacks... they only started when-

I let him go, backing off with wide eyes.

When he came to town.

"Oh my God-!" I just exclaimed, getting up and backing off. "It was you, wasn't it-? You're the one who tried to kill D'Lancy-!"

Klaus raised an eyebrow once more, then chuckled. "Actually, he died a few hours ago."

I felt a feeling of fear shoot through me now, then realized that it was the truth.

It was him, these attacks... D'Lancy and that maid...

He was a-

I went to turn and run, but found him stood before me, making me yelp a little in shock and back off once more.

"You're a vampire." I just said in a mumble, and he neither denied or confirmed it, proving my suspicion.

I pushed past him and ran out the house, panicking. I'd kissed a monster that literally had blood on his hands.

Now I had to find Father. To tell him we had a monster in our midst.

-FORSAKEN-

When I did find him and Mother on the way to their Mayors, I called out for him to stop, and Father turned, frowning.

"Good Heavens child. What is it?" Father asked as I stopped before him, my chest heaving from the run.

"It's him! Klaus! He's the one that killed... T-Thomas-!" I finally got out, and then added in a kind of hysteric shriek. "He's a vampire!"

They glanced at each other now, and I frowned. "You don't look suprised."

Father sighed now, then Mother said. "Claudia... we know what he is."

"What-!"

"I told you. I saved them."

Now I turned and faced the man, vampire... whatever he was in person, and Father said. "Klaus is a very old friend of ours, Claudia. When you were very young, we had an accident with the carriage on the way back from Paris. Klaus here saved us."

Now Klaus chuckled. "Oh, if you call begging to the point of annoyance saving you both." then he walked up to Father and sighed. "You let me down, Frederick. You were supposed to find her. You swore you knew where she was..."

Father now stuttered out. "B-but I-?" there was a nasty crunch, silencing him instantly, and I heard Mother scream. Klaus had rammed his hand through Fathers chest, then yanked it back out, saying to him quietly before he died, coughing up blood in the process.

"I don't like liars, Mr La Roche. And I deal with them quite harshly."

Then let him drop to the floor, then looked at Mother. "And for you, my dear sweet Elizabeth." she was frozen to the spot as he walked up to her, then raised a hand to her cheek.

"You can die knowing that your beauty of a daughter now belongs to me. I think she will make a fine vampire, you agree?" he was smirking by the end.

Mothers eyes widened and she just said in a horrified gasp. "No-!" but then Klaus twisted her head sharply, making me close my eyes tightly, tears leaking from underneath them, ignoring as best I could the muffled thump as she fell to the ground.

Now I felt lips at the nape of my neck, making me jolt violently. "As for you, sweet little Claudia..." he chuckled, making me say quietly.

"Are you going to kill me?"

Klaus let me go, then I opened my tearstained eyes and stared into his own, flinching how... possessed and demonic they looked. He raised a hand to my cheek for a moment, then cocked his head.

"No." was his answer, then he chuckled. "I rather like you, Claudia. You're interesting. Worth something to me." then made me scream as he sank his fangs into my way too exposed neck in a flash, making me try to push him away, but to my suprise, he did. But now he raised his arm and bit into his own wrist, then forced it to my mouth. I just gave up- he was too strong.

I heard him chuckle once more now as he lowered it a moment later, then put a hand either side of my shaking face.

"We're going to have fun, my little Claudia."

Then everything went dark...