CHAP 15:

I heard the door slide shut and the slight echo of Klaus's shoes on the tiles. Stopping suddenly as he stepped into the bedroom. Gently placing me on the bed Klaus drew the covers up over me and left the room. I didn't move, just lay there staring at the ceiling. Briefly, I thought of getting up, trying again. But only for a moment. Klaus came back in after a few minutes with a cup of coffee. The smell roused me to attention and I looked at him indifferently as he offered the hot mug of liquid.

"What are you doing?" My tone of voice emptier than I'd ever heard it.

"Offering you a cup of coffee." He smirked.

"No. What are you doing by offering me coffee? You've got me back here. Do what you've been trying to, and get it over with."

"Drink this, and I might just give you your wish." Klaus said flirtatiously and licked his lips. I'm going to be sick.

"I don't drink coffee." I replied stiffly.

"That's a lie."

"Fine." I sat up, shifting my bottom back so I could lean back against the headboard and took the mug. Holding the mug in both hands I took solace in it's warmth as I drank. Meanwhile, Klaus removed his shirt and trousers so that he was only wearing boxers and climbed in next to me. Too close, repulsing me. But I continued to sit and sip the coffee. Beneath the covers one of Klaus' hands began stroking my leg closest to him. First it was just on the outside of my thigh. But then he shifted closer so that our legs were touching and he began to stroke the inside of my thigh. I clamped my legs together and made an objecting noise in the back of my throat, as I recovered from nearly inhaling a mouthful of coffee.

"Uh-ah." He said turning into me, before taking the rim of the cup from me with his fingertips. "I think that's enough of that. My dear, Elena." He continued, drawing out my name. Placing the cup on the bedside table behind him, Klaus looked back to me like I was food. Which really I was. But it occurred to me that he was hungry for more than blood. Klaus' eyes focused back and forth between my own. Just looking. I didn't know what for and it was just plain creepy. Pulling me to him with a hand on the back of my neck I did as I had been directed earlier. I didn't resist. To balance myself I had to place a hand on his chest and his smile as he brought his lips closer to my own was malicious. I'd expected him to just attack. He'd demonstrated how forceful he could be. But his lips met mine gently and lingered before I felt his tongue run along the break between my lips. I didn't part my lips immediately. Simply couldn't make myself. Klaus' hand found my lower back and something pinched me hard making me open my mouth to intake a sharp breath and he slipped his tongue inside. Granted, he didn't plunge in. Thank god for small miracles. Though extremely nauseating, I responded to his kiss.

His hand had remained at my lower back, but now he brought it up between our chests as he disconnected our mouths. A pooled smear of blood was on his fingertip which he raised to my mouth, insisting admittance. I shook my head and tried to push away from him. I was surprised when he'd let me push away from him until he grabbed me around the waist. Making me cringe from my dulled but still present pain and pulled my body down the bed. So that my back lay against the bed and I was trapped beneath him. One of his legs between my two with the front of his thigh putting pressure on my junction. He brought his finger up again, to which I gave him my dirtiest look and tried to stare him down. It was as if to say. You've got to be kidding. He responded by raising his eyebrows as if to say never. To then top it off by winking at me. I rolled my eyes and he brought his finger up within a few centimetres from my mouth and waited expectantly. With resignation I parted my lips and brought my mouth forward. Closing my lips around the tip of his finger I sucked the blood from it, grazing my tongue along the underside of Klaus' finger as I drew my head away.

"Yes." He hissed softly. "Wasn't so hard now, was it?" I turned my head to the side ignoring him "Was it?"

"It's an acquired taste. One I don't favour."

"Yet."

"Whatever." I said exasperatedly.

"Although your comments have become less colourful. Your tone is still disrespecting."

"Terribly sorry." I responded and turned my head to face him again and batted my eyelashes.

"You are, truly something. Honestly. You intrigue me. So bold and fierce, even when things haven't ended the way you'd have hoped."

"Depends on how you look at the glass." I shrugged.

"Indeed. So, can I assume you'll look at this as a mind-blowing experience with someone who has learned many tricks of the trade? I've had many years to perfect my bed-manner." He leered almost seductively down at me.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm sure the tricks you've learnt are from whoring around. And I'll bet every participant put on a great show for you. Faking it, is an art passed down by women to fuel a man's ego; you know." My tone mocking I smiled at him sweetly.

Klaus forced his mouth down upon mine and I grinned. Probably to shut me up. I couldn't help but enjoy the bitter happiness that insulting Klaus brought me. The softness he'd kissed me with previously was gone. He was forceful and bruising, practically crushing my lips with his. It dragged on and when he finally released my mouth, I was gasping for air. Klaus looked down at me with scorching intensity in his blue eyes. I watched his eyes drop to my mouth, my neck, and then return to my eyes.

"You are, beautiful. I've waited for you for centuries." He whispered.

"I bet you say that to all the girls." Came my uninterested response. What was it with these vampires and having waited for me?

"I never imagined you'd have such spark though. It certainly makes you even more worthy of the wait."

"What are you on about?"

"You were made for me."

"For you? You're deluded. Meanwhile. You weren't waiting for centuries because my existence wasn't expected." Klaus narrowed his eyes.

"How much has Elijah told you?"

"Enough."

"You can't know that. Tell me what you've been told." He commanded.

"How about, you just perform the ritual and drink me dry?" I invited sweetly.

"Oh I will. But that won't be the end for you. Your properties are not just that of a doppelganger. Your blood, while incredibly satisfying and enticing. Is also very unique in that, it will be very valuable long after you're dead. So, tell me what you know."

"I don't really want to talk to you. So that could be difficult." I said stubbornly, completely confused by what he was on about. Long after I'm dead?

"Tell me." He brought his left hand up to rest on my rib cage and dug his thumb beneath the bottom rib and pushed upwards. Sharp pain ran across my sternum and around my side and I cried out in pain. After holding the position of his thumb for ten seconds he stopped.

"Why not just compel me?" I asked him like he was stupid.

"Because," He dug his thumb and pushed again before continuing through my vocal responses to the pain. "You cannot be compelled." He stopped again. I looked up at him sceptically. Really? "Hmm. Apparently Elijah didn't tell you that." He drawled.

"It never came up." I said sourly. It was true.

"So. Do you know I'm a bound hybrid? He dug his thumb in again. I grunted and groaned through the pain but didn't answer him. "Do you know that you have a role in the sacrifice to unbind me? Still not answering I bit down on my lip as I tried to ignore the pain. "Do you know that you're my mate?"

"What!" I looked at him in horror and he removed his thumb. "No. No, no, no-." That's sick. He smiled wickedly.

"But you are. If I'm to create a new race, I need you. Your blood is like a catalyst for the transformation of humans, werewolves and vampires. You see, the side affect of being bound is that I will require your blood combined with my own when transitioning candidates."

"But. " I started trying to grab at straws. It wasn't possible. "You'll kill me during the sacrifice. I'm of no use after that point."

"Oh, you'll have your uses. His eyes wandered down to my breasts and back up to my eyes again hungrily. "You'll be a hybrid after all." His eyes twinkled when my mouth gaped open.

"No!" I couldn't help the visible shiver that crept up my spine and engulfed my whole body.

"Yes." He hissed and brought a hand down to stoke the inside of my knee. Marking slow moving circles that were climbing higher and higher. "Your blood, both human and hybrid will complete me. Before the sacrifice I will feed you my blood. You will die and spend the rest of your very long life with me." I struggled, which was really just a pitiful wiggling beneath Klaus' weight. Even though I'd given up on any chance of getting away from him. I was so disgusted by him just stroking my leg that I wasn't going to let myself just lie here and take it. Even without hope, I still longed for something better. Now that I knew I was going to be his mate, there was no way I could just let it happen. The solution would be to kill myself. But I had his blood in my system. When he threatened me about turning before, I'd pieced together how one would became a vampire. Bram Stoker's idea of being turned was to share blood with a vampire. But I'd done that with Elijah and was fine. Dying after exchanging blood had to be a factor. So I couldn't do that right now, or I'd come back a vamp. Nor did I think I could do that. I'd been honest when telling Elijah I wasn't suicidal. It wasn't something I could comprehend. But this was bigger than me.

He moved slightly, pinning my legs apart and raised himself up a little. Smirking at my struggling wiggle Klaus' hand reached my panties and he began rubbing the material over my mound gently. With another shift of his weigh I felt less restricted and intensified my half-hearted wiggling to a true struggle. But I found it only resulted in my hips having more movement. My struggling combined with Klaus' rubbing made it seem like I was thrusting my hips up to him. I froze upon realising this and scowled as his chuckle met my ears.

"I hope you realise that I will not be your mate just because you turn me, nor will I help you make more monsters!" I fired defiantly. My eyes were wide and I couldn't keep a lid on my fear. I feared for what my afterlife would bring. "If you think I'm just going to submit to your plans, you're so wrong!"

"You." Klaus growled. Stopping his rubbing and fixing me with such a dirty look that I mentality took a step backward away from him. I shied my head away when he brought his hands up to my neck and squeezed, pressing my windpipe and cutting off the air I would have liked to inhale. "Will need to learn some respect in that time. We can't build an empire with you so resistant to me." My eyes bulged and watered as I grasped his wrists trying to remove his hands. But him being a vampire, it was hopeless. Gulping for air I couldn't get, my cheeks burned and I thought I was going to pass out like earlier. Finally he released the pressure on my neck and I took huge rasping breaths, twisting my torso to the side as I coughed and spluttering in between breaths of air. After a minute I breathed a little easier, but my windpipe still felt restricted. "The ritual must be performed on a full moon. So you and I will have a few weeks to get respect right, and for you to adjust to my company. Don't worry. You'll have a lot of fun." He turned me back onto my back and dropped his voice to a whisper. "I know I will." Before he kissed me again and returned his hand to my crotch.

"You-." I began. When he broke the kiss. Only to stop, startled by the hoarseness of my voice.

"I?"

"You will never havemyrespect. Nor will I ever let you use my blood. What do you intend to do? Hold me captive? Because you should know, I don't take kindly to that."

"Like you didn't take kindly to being held captive by Elijah? Hmm? You'll come around. Before the sacrifice in fact. We're going to be spending a lot of time together, you and I. And you will let me use your blood. If you don't let me, I've no problem with taking. " As if to prove his point he ripped my panties from me. A choked sob left my mouth from the confronting preview of what my life would become. I moved my hands down to cover my nakedness but Klaus caught them and held them together above my head.

"Don't be shy, my lovely. It's a crime for someone so beautiful to be so modest."

"What's a crime is what you're doing." I said hoarsely. But with enough vile in my comment to satisfy me.

"Now. To restrain you." He winked at me and was gone. I couldn't believe it and sat up, unsure of what was going on. I heard rummaging in the walk in robe and assumed he was there. While I had the chance I removed the small knife from beneath my breasts with my right hand and held it against my right side as I made to move my stiff body off the bed. Too late though, as Klaus appeared, pinning my legs to the bed again in an instant. In his hand one of Elijah's ties.

Grimacing I swiftly brought the knife up to stab the blade into Klaus' abdomen with my bruised hand. He groaned loudly in pain and grimaced. It was the only angle I had to get him, though I knew it wasn't a particularly damaging location. It took a bit of force, but I travelled the blade upwards to the bottom of his ribcage. I couldn't deny the happiness filling me as a gurgling noise came from his mouth. His watchful gaze egging me on, I couldn't shake the feeling that he looked proud. But I didn't have time to think now. Hesitating for any reason would get me no where. Klaus' body began to ease down upon mine like a dead weight. I slid the knife out of him and wondered if this was his way of keeping me where I was while he healed. I didn't think I'd done a great deal of damage to him with this knife. Playing dead? In a manner of speaking. Positioning my arm in a curve so that the blade of the knife faced into his side and little bit around to his back, I made sure it was level with his rib cage. Thrusting it into him until the handle came into contact with his body and my oesophagus convulsed like I was going to vomit. Taking note that I'd managed to bury the blade in between ribs, I tried to ignore the sickly hot wetness of his blood oozing onto me. I ignored the urge to vomit again at the sensation of metal against bone, as I pulled the knife towards me within the slot I'd found. Removing the knife I repositioned it above another slot between ribs and repeated. All the while ignoring the additional amounts of blood that ran from Klaus, onto me, before no doubt ruining the mattress beneath me. I kept repeating my assault on his ribcage. Tears sliding out the corner of my eyes in frustration and horror. At what I was doing, at what I had to do. But I couldn't keep a quick pace up for long and the healing of his body surpassed my stabs and slices in his side. Time was running out for me and I was starting to panic. Any moment he'd be operational again, and I knew things weren't going to go well after this knifing.

I didn't realise Klaus was functioning until he grabbed the wrist of the hand I was holding the knife in. Yelping, it felt like the bones in my wrist had literally crushed to small pieces. The knife dropped from my hand and tears leaked from my eyes, but not in pain. He'd hurt me worse than my latest wrist injury. I was panicked. No way was I getting out of this. I would be forced into some twisted breeding program and expected to behave according to his needs. An afterlife of imprisonment. Klaus raised himself from my body to reveal much of my torso covered with his blood. His hands holding my upper arms out to the side tightly, I cringed at the pressure of his grip. He looked practically murderous as he spoke slowly.

"That. Was a big mistake Elena." Was all I heard before I felt his fangs painfully bite into my neck and his greedy sucking as he drank easily from me. At some point while he drank he released one of my arms to flick the fallen knife off the bed. He let go of my neck and kissed down past my collar bone to my breasts. I was dazed, but was aware of my nighty being ripped down the front to reveal my chest. It was obvious I was doomed. This was happening. It was really happening. My wide eyes seemed to appeal to Klaus. His hungry gaze focused on me as he sucked on my left nipple and then latched onto my breast with his teeth and drank from me again. After spending a few minutes on the first nipple he moved to the next, again biting into my sensitive flesh. I cried out with each bite and weakly struggled when one of his hands again found their way to my inner thigh again.

I was feeling groggy and weighed down again. My struggles more like laboured twitches. I couldn't do anything, my brain was so foggy. For a moment I wondered if it was trying to reduce the clarity of what was happening, to save me the trauma of knowing everything that was about to occur. My gaze was on Klaus, but my eyes just couldn't focus on him. Not that I wanted them to. I could feel everything though. Klaus' sickening hot breath, in my most private place. Then the warmth of his mouth between my legs as his tongue worked to elicit some reaction from me. I wasn't giving any and I never would. Everything was so disgusting. The bed beneath me, the ceiling above me, the air in the room. It was overpowering. I felt so dirty and helpless. Tears leaked from my eyes as I pitifully said no, and begged him to stop, over and over again.

My heart lifted in my chest when Klaus removed his mouth. Stupidly, I thought he'd finished. That he'd leave me be. But instead he inserted a moistened finger in me. Slowly he stroked my inner walls. It was killing me that I had no control. Couldn't fight him off. Klaus's mouth came down again on my inner thigh and he bit into my artery as he intensified the rough strokes of his finger. I groaned in pain as he bit.

"Mmmm. I will thoroughly enjoy your life with me, Elena." Came his deep mumble in between mouthfuls of blood.

"Please." I breathed. "Stop."

"Oh, you don't really want that." He whispered.

"Just stop. Or kill me. Just kill me."

"Not yet, my dear." My heart swelled in my chest. I felt familiarity, safety, love. In my daze it confused and sickened me. What the?

"Not ever."Came a somewhat familiar yet hard male voice. Klaus groaned, and I felt the breath rush out of him across my skin.

"Brother." Klaus drawled breathlessly. Before his weigh was lifted off me and I heard a loud crash to the side of the room. Klaus slid down the wall whichnow bore an imprint of his body. And, I couldn't believe it, my brain had to be confusing me or playing some sick joke. My eyes recognised my rescuer as Elijah were instilling some form of cruel torture on me. Whoever he was, he had my small knife in his hand and he began to repeatedly thrust it into Klaus in a blur of movement. I closed my eyes and tried to block out the stabbing sounds from my ears. There was more crashing around the room and I noticed Klaus fighting back. I willed for the universe to be kind to me and not allow Klaus to kill my rescuer.

"How dare you." The male growled fiercely. "How dare you treat a human in this way. Let alone someone you know I care for. You are a cruel creature Niklaus. Something I've known for too long a time to possibly still consider you my brother. But why you must be so foul against your family I will never fathom." My rescuer growled fiercely causing my heart to swell and flutter fast as I my breaths increased, unbelieving. It was Elijah. It had to be. He wasn't dead. A flood of tears cascaded down my face in happiness. For a moment during the ongoing battle, as if sensing my elation the vampire turned to look at me and I saw his face. It was Elijah. Those beautiful features looking at me with love, and relief. Focussing back on Klaus and forcing his hand into Klaus' chest in one fluid motion, to remove his hand with some difficulty. In it, a deep read muscle. I knew it was Klaus' heart. I looked to Klaus's body, slumped on the floor unmoving.

Elijah strode over to me with difficulty, Klaus' heart still in his hand. Struggling to keep my heavy eyelids open I saw his eyes quickly travel up my body. Too my relief they didn't linger long of my nakedness. I didn't want to focus on what had been happening.

"You're alive." I whispered. Noticing how difficult it was for him to stand. He appeared to be straining in my direction even as he stood.

"I wouldn't die on you my love." His mouth curved upwards. It wasn't a smile. It was far too grim for one, but it gave me some comfort. I was so exhausted, from fighting, from the torment of what might have been.

"I'll be right back." And he was gone. Doubt hit me and I tried to command my eyes to stay open, to stay alert. It wasn't over. I'd imagined it all. Surely this was a hallucination? Starting to panic again, I saw Elijah return and was put at ease. My relief nearly allowing sleep to claim me. The heart was no where to be seen. Instead his hands held a bathrobe. I felt him lift me into a sitting position as I groggily watched his face. Despite him supporting me I gripped onto his shirt weakly for dear life. He draped the robe over my shoulders and gently took each hand of mine from him to guide into the arm holes. Once through I went back to clinging to him with little strength. Realising his shirt was soaked in a wet warmth I took a hand from his shirt and looked at my palm, blood stained. But I couldn't tell if it was my own, Klaus' or Elijah's. I tried to ask if he was okay, only to mumble. He closed the robe over my body and I heard his soothing whispers.

"Shhhh. I'm here. I've got you." He then lifted me from the bloodied mess of a bed, and carried me out of our bedroom and to the lounge room. Elijah set me down on the lounge, but I didn't want to let go. So he lifted me again. Turned around and sat on the couch with me sat in his lap and curled up to his chest. "Here." Elijah brought his bleeding wrist up to my mouth. I turned my head away from it. "You're injured Elena, let me heal you." He brought his wrist to my mouth again and I cleaned up the spread of blood with my tongue, so that I could find the wound before placing my mouth over it. I gently drew Elijah's blood into my mouth. Within seconds my body ignited and I was filled with warmth. It was extremely pleasant as it seemed to envelope me, thick and heavy. Removing one of my hands from Elijah to hold his fore arm to my mouth I sucked harder. Elijah made a deep gravelly noise in the depths of his throat and dropped his face to turn it into the side of my head. The bridge of his nose against my ear I was all too aware of his body, how he was holding me. After a few minutes more Elijah pulled his wrist away and my hand immediately returned to his shirt. I turned my head so that our cheeks were touching and his face nuzzled into my neck.

The fog in my brain seemed to be clearing a little.

"Thank you." I began. "So much. I Just-." I broke off. "Thank you." I spoke softly into his ear.

"You've no need to thank me Elena. Keeping you safe is my priority. And yet. I failed you -", His voice broke off. "To keep you safe. I wasn't enough. Because of that you had to endure Klaus. I didn't keep you safe."

"I thought you were dead." I choked out. "It's not your fault. None of it -. How could you protect me when you were also targeted." I said gently but insistently.

"But it is." He cut me off solemnly. "I should have made sure this house was impenetrable."

"But it was." I leaned back and looked him in the eyes, taking refuge in their warmth. I could see the pain he was in. But as if he knew I needed it he let his love for me shine through.

"Was, being the operative word." He said finally. Before shifting his weight and drawing a blanket up over me. "I should have made it so that you were safe inside this house. Klaus has killed Michael. He wouldn't have been able to get in otherwise. The knowledge of vampires that I told you, had you feeling safe in this house. It trapped you in here with Klaus."

"I was trapped anyway. Even when I got away, I didn't really." I paused and my eyes glistened with threatening tears. "I -, I drank Klaus' blood. Or, he made me -."

"Don't worry yourself with what might have happened right now. You need to rest." Exhausted, I didn't disagree. The warmth of the blanket and the security of Elijah didn't really give me a choice. I nodded slightly and rested my head on his chest.

"I'm glad you're not dead." I said sighing.

Closing my eyes I slowly relaxed and let fatigue carry me off to sleep, easing all my worries and fears.