Chapter 60

Anger management

Ava kept her eyes on the floor when she passed me; it wasn't difficult to see that her heart was broken. I had heard her conversation with Elijah and as much as I loved him, at the moment I really felt a need to slap him. Of course I was happy that he was alright, but clearly he and Klaus did have something in common; they both let their obsessions to blind them. To Klaus it was the whole breaking the curse thing, to Elijah getting even with Klaus. In a way I was able to understand them, but that didn't change the fact that they were morons.

Poor Ava had done everything for Elijah and he had taken all her efforts for granted. Well, Klaus wasn't any better, he had always taken me for granted, but I wasn't going to tolerate that anymore. Somehow I felt stronger now and more determined. I was wearing tight black jeans and a black top with "So what?" printed on the front. My hair was up in a tight ponytail and I had even highlighted my eyes and added some plum red lipstick. I was ready to face my husband, but before I reached the front door, someone grabbed my hand. I turned and saw Damon's tense face.

"River…" he murmured.

I touched his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile, I was going to keep my promise and get his brother back. Of course I didn't appreciate being kidnapped, but I could understand how desperate Damon, Ava and the others had been. I still wasn't sure who all these people were, friends of Damon or Stefan probably. We hadn't have time to formulate any real plan, but that didn't really matter now when Klaus was here. He was most likely furious; I could only pray that I would get through to him before he would burn this house or something like that.

I touched the locket on my neck and took a deep breath; it wouldn't be wise to dawdle any longer. I looked into Damon's eyes and silently formed the words "trust me". He frowned; obviously he wasn't exactly a trusting type. Not that I could really blame him, especially in a situation like this. Reluctantly he freed my hand and took a step back. I knew that he and the others would be listening and probably observing everything that would happen. Determinedly I marched to the door and opened it. I saw Klaus, Elijah, Kol, Rebekah and Stefan; they turned to look at me. They all seemed more or less stunned, but Klaus was actually shocked.

"What…" he started disbelievingly.

"Holy…" Kol muttered and grinned. "Very nice."

I ignored him; I had to concentrate on Klaus. Apparently he had lied to Elijah about sinking their siblings to bottom of sea. It was a relief to see that Rebekah was alright and I suppose Kol too, but this certainly wasn't the right time to sort out our messy history, one disaster at a time.

"Anna…" Klaus finally managed to say. "What are you wearing?"

What are you wearing? Seriously? No "are you alright?" or "good to see you". I glared at him and signed that I was fine, thank you for asking. Rebekah was biting her lip, apparently trying not to laugh.

"Hi, Anna," she said and gave me a smile.

I smiled too and signed that it was good to see her. Kol licked his lips and looked at me from head to toes.

"Looking good, darling," he said and winked. "How about a little taste?"

"Kol!" Elijah snapped warningly. Apparently poor Klaus was too stunned to even hear his brother, he kept staring at me. Finally he tried to reach me, but I intentionally stayed inside of the house, the protection spell prevented him from getting in. His eyes narrowed.

"Come here, Anna," he demanded.

I looked at him calmly and shook my head.

"Is some kind of spell stopping you?" he asked, looking at the house like he would want to demolish it with his bare hands.

I shook my head again and signed that we needed to talk first. His eyes widened.

"What? This isn't the time…"

I pointed at Stefan and said that he would stay here. Klaus stared at me, but his disbelief was soon replaced by dark rage.

"What have they done to you? I'll rip their limbs off and make them…"

I shook my head and explained calmly that I didn't want him to hurt these people; they had only tried to save someone they cared about. Klaus gritted his teeth, obviously trying to control himself.

"Anna, you're not thinking clearly, these people kidnapped you, they hate me and want to turn you against me."

I said that I was aware of their feelings towards him, but they hadn't brainwashed me or anything, this was my choice.

"What are you saying?" he muttered tensely. I saw the whole bunch of mixed feelings in his eyes. Confusion, anger, anxiety, anger, fear, anger, desperation, ANGER… I was very much aware that anger management wasn't his strength, but I had to do this. My eyes softened a little before I explained to him that I still loved him, but that didn't mean I would accept some of the things he had done, like daggering Elijah. Also I wanted him to understand that I wasn't his property.

"Haven't I given you everything you have wanted?" he asked, clearly offended.

Yes, he had, if we were talking about objects, but I also needed a certain amount of freedom. Now he looked really angry, for a moment I was afraid that he would completely lost it.

"Anna," he murmured in his teeth. "Come to me now and I promise I'll spare your little friends, including Stefan, assuming they'll stay out of my sight for the rest of eternity."

He looked furious, like every word would have caused him physical pain, but what scared me were the words he didn't say out loud. This was the only deal he was going to agree to and I had already tested his patience way too much. Despite of his fury, I wasn't afraid that he would physically hurt me, but everyone else on the other hand… He held out his hand and looked at me callously.

"Come to me now before I'll change my mind."

He meant what he said; there was no doubt about it. I had done everything I could for Damon and his brother so I lowered my head and stepped over the threshold. Klaus lifted me in his arms immediately, an arm under my knees and an arm wrapped tightly around my back. I felt the muscles in his arms flexing, not because of supporting my weight, I might have as well been weightless, but because he was beyond enraged.

"Niklaus…" Elijah started, but Klaus didn't pay any attention to him or to anyone else, he zoomed to his car and almost threw me inside. I was scared, but I tried my best for not to show it when he started the car and hit the throttle. Apparently he had no problem leaving his siblings here without a ride. Thankfully none of them had intervened to this, I was pretty sure that Klaus would have hurt them. Well, actually a part of me hoped that someone would have intervened, as selfish as that was. He was quiet for a long while, driving like a maniac. My hands were shaking, but somehow I managed to buckle up my seatbelt, for a moment I was sure that we would hit something. Maybe that wouldn't kill either of us, but I doubted that it would be a nice experience.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?" he finally asked, fighting to control himself.

I had no idea how to reply, but thankfully I didn't have to, he didn't even look at me.

"You made me look weak in front of people who will most certainly find a way to use that weakness against me."

My eyes widened, that kind of thought hadn't even crossed my mind.

"I can't afford to look weak," he continued callously. "I have more enemies than you can even imagine and if the word spreads that I can't even control my woman…" He paused and turned to look at me. His intense gaze made me wince. Suddenly he hit the brakes and grabbed my shoulders with both hands.

"If you want something from me, you will ask when we're alone, never in front of other people. Do you understand?"

I swallowed and somehow I managed to nod. That didn't make him to loosen his grip; he wanted to be sure that I had got his message.

"You caused me a lot of trouble today, Anna, more than you know," he stated and ran his thumb over my cheek. "Now tell me, how are you going to make it up to me?"

I shivered when he leaned closer, touching my neck with his lips. A fear wasn't something that turned me on; it never had so I pulled away and signed that to him. He frowned but slowly his eyes softened.

"I wouldn't hurt you, Anna, even if I wouldn't be pleased with you. You're my girl, aren't you?"

I nodded and leaned my head on his shoulder. We stayed there for a while, his fingers played with my ponytail.

"You know, I don't entirely hate this…modern style of yours," he murmured. "In fact, it gave me an idea."

I looked up and saw his grin.

"You'll be a hitchhiker and I'll be a fugitive who gives you a ride."

I couldn't help but smile, he just loved role-plays, but I didn't really mind. I pulled away and crossed my legs when he started the car again. This sounded like a simple game, but I had to struggle in order to concentrate. Something what he had said bothered me, about him having more enemies than I knew. I'd never thought that he could actually be afraid of someone. The whole idea was just ridiculous, surely I had misunderstood him.

"Tell me sweetheart, aren't you afraid to hitchhike all alone?" he purred.

I nodded and blinked my eyes innocently. He smiled and slid his hand towards my inner thigh.

"Well, you should. I'm not a nice man."

Obviously his anger had been replaced by something even more powerful; it wasn't difficult to tell that he wanted to rip my clothes off. For once I was grateful for his impulsiveness, for a moment I had actually been afraid of him.