Chapter 2

Blood seeped through his sleeve and began to dribble onto the floor from his bent elbow. The claws he'd forged himself onto the handmade glove struck the face of his latest victim yet again, causing another round of flesh and blood to splatter across his once white henley.

Klaus was angry, and taking it out on whoever this poor soul was. He wasn't even quite sure what the man had done, but he'd requested someone who deserved his ire, and this is who had been delivered. He assumed it was either someone who had tried to rip off one of his businesses, or a member from a rival cartel. Either way he didn't care, all that mattered now is that he had someone to redirect all his pent up rage at.

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The moment Richard Lockwood had left his office that morning, Klaus had dove head first into his new mission: Finding out everything he could about the girl who had so thoroughly enthralled him from the second he'd laid eyes on her.

Her folder was at the bottom of the stack, purposely placed so she'd be most memorable he imagined, though she needn't have worried about that in regards to him. He hadn't stopped thinking about her for even a second since meeting her. As he read through her answers to what were usually rather mundane questions, he couldn't help but laugh. A feat all in itself.

He could tell through her words that she was highly ambitious. Other words came to his mind as he continued to devour every bit of information at his fingertips; witty, smart, clever, but she also had a sense of humor. From her lists of activities, it was also clear that she cared for others. She was a ray of light, a contrast to his sea of dark that he was desperate to seek out.

But it was then that his excitement over finding this new and intense desire suddenly turned to doubt. A bit of information at the top of the page revealed a very large bump in the road. Right next to her cheerful, but yet professional photograph, he noticed her name.

Caroline Elizabeth Forbes

Forbes, as in the Sheriff's daughter; not only meaning extremely off limits in regards to statutory affairs, but also Forbes, as in Bill, as in the local journalist that had come far too close to his family's secrets the previous summer.

The daughter of the man who'd come close to bringing the entire Mikaelson dynasty to an end last year. The situation Klaus himself had been tasked with solving, as the only one in the family capable of stomaching such a task. The only thing he'd returned to Mystic Falls for in the eight years between finishing school, and coming back for good to take over the business.

'Oh well.' He had thought to himself. 'What she doesn't know, won't hurt her'

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More Blood was soaked into his shirt than remained in his victims body. His weapon of choice cutting flesh into ribbons with no remorse.

To Klaus this was true therapy, each victim turning into a piece of art.

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It was after he discovered her full name that he decided it was time to call in Marcel. His right hand and most trusted comrade. He wasn't a a guard, and he definitely wasn't a drug dealer. Instead Marcel specialized in information, like a Private I that blended in with a crowd, sending his discoveries on later in order to remain inconspicuous. If Klaus had something that needed to be done discreetly, Marcel was his man.

And at the moment, information was exactly what Klaus was desperate for. The folder only gave him a small fix of what he needed. Plus, he wasn't sure how honest Caroline had actually been with her answers, since they'd been given with the intent of winning the pageant. No, he needed real information. He needed to know everything about her from an unbiased source.

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Rip. Slash. Tear. Repeat.

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Marcel had delivered by the time the workday was complete, though not without complaint. Apparently having to spend his valuable time tracking down gossip about a high school cheerleader was beneath him, and he had no problem voicing his distaste at Klaus' sudden interest in her. One of the only people on the planet who could do so without consequence.

The new and very thorough folder had been thrown on his desk just after everyone else in the day office had headed home.

"I have what you asked for." Marcel informed him in a rather condescending tone. "Not sure what you want with the mayors son's girlfriend, but you're welcome." Was all he'd said before leaving again.

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The tips of the metal were so sharp that it didn't take much effort to draw blood. Klaus was ruthless in his attempt to take all his frustration out on this poor soul instead of who he really wanted to, and it wasn't long before the man's entrails were raining down on the floor.

His victim had long since stopped screaming, but it made no difference. Klaus was no where near finished.

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The abrupt news that she was dating Tyler Lockwood burned like acid in his veins. How someone as intelligent as Caroline could waste even a second on that immature jock was beyond him, and the more he thought about it the more his anger turned into blind rage.

Surely that pompous teenager wasn't actually legitimate competition for someone as lovely and exquisite as the beautiful blonde that had been in his office earlier that day. How could she have such low standards, when she so clearly had much better options.

What angered him even more was how much he obviously already seemed to care about the girl and who she may or may not be dating. He'd only just met her for fucks sake, and she was nearly a decade younger than him. So how was it that he already wanted her so badly he was considering killing the teenage son of one of his best political partners in order to secure her?

No matter how it had happened, he knew he couldn't fight it. She was already his. It did not matter that she didn't know it yet, and it did not matter who she may have already given her heart to. Life as she currently knew it would be over soon.

He was going to have to plan his next few moves precisely if he was going to get what he wanted, but he would. He always did.

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His homemade claws dug deep into the man's skin; slashing and ripping down to the bone. Tomorrow, once the body had been discovered, the news would read of yet another animal attack.