Caroline tried to scramble to her feet, but a snarl warned her not to move. Looking up, she saw a spike trap had been sprung and met a tree instead of her chest. She rolled over slowly and her gaze met the burning gold eyes of the wolf. For one wild moment, she thought he'd saved her from another one of the traps, but he snapped at her to prove her hope wrong.
Caroline flinched as the wolf took a step closer, snarling as he approached.
Separated from the others, she was no match for Klaus, especially not when he was in this form, not when he could kill her with a single bite. She held up her hand and got down on her knees, hoping to convey submission. She heard that was supposed to work with aggressive dogs, she wasn't sure if the same could be said for aggressive Hybrids.
"Klaus?" She whispered, holding out her hand.
He appeared to be struggling with whatever magic had forced him to shift, whining and shaking his head. His golden eyes glowed and his fangs were bright, waiting to be tarnished with blood. He could rip her to pieces.
"Klaus," she tried again, "I don't know if you can understand me, but please try."
She wanted to flee, to get as far away from those fatal fangs as she could manage, but it wouldn't do any good now. He would take her down in a matter of steps. If she ran she would cease to be Caroline to him and he would just see her as prey. This was her best chance, her only chance. She had to hope that a part of his mind wasn't overrun by the wolf and that part of him would know her. She could only hope to bide a little time and that Rebekah was close to finding the witch.
Caroline closed her eyes, trying to squash down her growing fear. This was useless, he was overrun by instinct, he was going to rip out her throat and not even realize it until he came back around to his human form. He'd be sorry for what he'd done once he was himself again, not that it would do her any good once she was dead.
She felt a rush of pity for him. If he loved her half as much as she thought he did it would hurt him terribly to know that he'd killed her. How many times had he promised her that he would never hurt her, that he'd keep her safe? She thought it might have been the one time when he'd actually believed he was telling someone the complete truth, and he was going to discover himself a liar even then. If he did remember what he did to her, she didn't want him to remember her crying and afraid. She didn't want to add to his guilt. She opened her eyes and met the golden gaze of the wolf.
"It's okay," she said, "It's not your fault. I know that. I forgive you."
The wolf took a step toward her. She closed her eyes, she was going to face the end bravely, but that didn't mean she had to watch as he ripped her apart.
"It's okay," she said, controlling the waver in her voice. She felt the wolf's hot breath on her face, "I love you."
She hadn't meant to say it. The words weren't a desperate plea, they just slipped out, a last confession while she still had the chance. She was startled by the words, startled that she said it, and even more startled to realize that she meant it. She'd known that she was attracted to Klaus for a long time, she was undeniably drawn to him, even when she was repelled by his actions, but she hadn't accepted that she loved him. She didn't know when it started, all she knew was that she did in fact love him.
She felt a wave of peace, because she thought that there were probably worse things than dying by the hand of someone you loved.
After a minute, she realized that nothing had happened. She no longer felt the wolf's breath hot upon her face. She opened her eyes and instead of gold, her eyes met dark blue.
Naked, Klaus crouched in front of her, breathing heavily from the effort of overcoming the forced transition.
"Klaus," Caroline breathed in relief.
"You love me?" He asked, each word coming in sharp bursts. There was still something feral about his eyes, not composed to their usual calm.
Caroline opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. It was a far easier confession when she didn't think her words would be understood, when she thought she was seconds from death. Now with his eyes raking over her, the words lodged in her throat.
But he didn't seem to need it repeated. He moved toward her, his actions slow and deliberate and caught her lips in his own. Gently, he lowered her back onto the uneven earth, his hands ripping at her clothes, ignoring buttons and zippers.
"You love me," he murmured in her ear, no longer asking.
He was no longer a beast, but not quite a man, dragging his teeth across her skin. Her mind spun. She was alive, he hadn't killed her, but this, was this really a good idea? There was the witch, the cure, her friends. Then she realized that she didn't care anymore. She didn't care whether or not it was a good idea. She didn't care what her friend would think. She just wanted him. She wanted this, wanted him more than she'd ever wanted anyone.
She breathed three words against his neck, "I love you."
"Well that's nice, but I'd say your timing could be better." Rebekah said.
Caroline started. She sat up, quickly fixing her rucked up clothes. She heard Klaus growl in displeasure. He was the one entirely naked, but he didn't seem the least bit concerned by it as he glared up at his sister.
Rebekah held Haley by the neck and tossed Klaus his clothes, which were significantly worse for wear.
"Come on," She said, "I killed the witch and recovered the whelp. I even managed to get a bit of Kol's plan before I ripped the dastardly witch's heart out. That's what I've been doing. And you've been doing each other." She looked somewhere between annoyed and amused. "Well, apparently our dear brother has more witches on the way. If you want the cure, I suggest we get there first."
Please Review!
