A/N: Sorry for the wait on the chapter. I was helping with the Klaroline Awards and focused on making all the fun announcement pages instead of writing. But thanks so much to everyone who participated with that and big thanks to whoever voted for me for Best Klaus Author and Wicked Schemes as Best Debut Fiction as well as for this story in Best Action/Adventure.
And now on with the story. Enjoy!
I am terrified by this dark thing that sleeps in me—Sylvia Plath
Katherine had known that as soon as Rebekah had said that Klaus didn't want the cure that she was going to need to reevaluate her plans and figure out a new bargaining chip. Like hell was she about to let this opportunity slip through her grasp. Five hundred years of always looking over her shoulder, of knowing he knew where she was most of those times, of waiting for him to stake her in the middle of the night needed to come to an end. She wouldn't live like that any longer but Katherine knew the moment she stopped fearing for her life, the moment she thought she could simply settle down somewhere for any length of time that she was finally safe from him would be the moment that Klaus would finally strike.
Unless she had bartered for her freedom. It'd still be a crapshoot on whether or not he'd hold to his word but if Elijah was ingrained into her bid for freedom as well then the chances of Klaus keeping his word were fairly high and she'd finally get Elijah, something she'd been wanting for the last few centuries. It'd go even better for her if she could figure out something else for Klaus to fixate on.
Before it had been breaking the curse, which meant he'd been splitting his time from making her life hell and seeking out his key ingredients. But the curse was broken and she'd thought the hybrid making would keep him occupied for at least a century but no Elena and the Brat Pack had effectively ruined that. Katherine was certain something else would come along, something she could poke and prod at so that Klaus' obsessive tendencies would have him shifting focus from her suffering to something else.
She leaned back on the sofa as Elijah poured everyone a glass of wine, giving off an air of nonchalance as she examined her nails, frowning when she realized one was chipped. Stefan was sitting as well, though on one of the chairs far away from her. It was Rebekah who worried Katherine the most. The girl was agitated and Katherine wouldn't be surprised if there was a hole in the floor by the time the girl finished pacing.
The clack of Rebekah's heals was sure to give anyone a headache, but the added annoyance of her voice was setting Katherine's teeth on edge. "If Stefan filled you in on everything then why are we still here? Why are you not giving us the damn stone so that we can end this madness once and for all?" Rebekah demanded, and Katherine smiled at Elijah as he handed her a glass. "If it's seriously because of the rabble on the couch I'll be severely disappointed in you, brother. You can do significantly better than doppelganger castoffs."
Katherine sipped her wine, trying not to break the glass as her grip tightened around it. "That's enough, Rebekah," Elijah ordered as he set the wine down. "You're being petty."
"Tatia was far prettier," Rebekah continued, and Katherine simply smiled at the girl, unwilling to reply to the dig. "You're nothing but a stand in. At least Nik has moved onto a different hair color. Even if it's such a downgrade to go from royalty to small town beauty queens."
It took all of her inner strength for Katherine not to react to that statement, keeping that intrigue locked deep inside as she tried to figure out who Klaus' interest had moved toward, trying to remember who'd won that silly Mystic Falls pageant in the last few years. That piece of information could be infinitely more valuable than a cure she'd never be able to barter with considering how dire the situation surrounding it turned out to be.
"Rebekah," Stefan started a warning tone to his voice that Katherine knew all too well. She saw him looking at her and knew that he probably had an inkling of what was going on in her mind. Pity for him that Rebekah didn't interpret that the correct way.
"Oh, of course," the Original sister started, her voice rising toward hysterics again. "You'll defend her. You'll defend Elena. You'll even defend Caroline, but not me, never me. No, for me, all you'll do is play the part so that Nik can dagger me. All for your precious little doppelganger." Rebekah glanced over at Elijah, eyes narrowed. "And you're no better. So much for always and forever or the noble brother."
She was out the door before anyone could get a word in edgewise, Stefan following behind her, calling out for the girl. Katherine simply sipped her wine, schooling her features before looking over at Elijah. The regret on his face wouldn't do. She couldn't have him taking Rebekah's words to heart. That girl's life was already guaranteed to continue on. Hers was not and Katherine wasn't about to let an opportunity to procure her safety slip through her fingers.
"She's simply not appreciating that she's no longer receiving the sole attention of her brothers, Elijah," Katherine told him as she set down her wine glass and rose, heading over to him. She took the glass from his hands as well and set it down. "Little sisters rarely ever enjoy when their brothers finally find love."
His focus was on her again and she enjoyed the way he looked down at her, that smile he reserved for her, that touch of her cheek as he whispered her name, "Katerina."
No threats behind it this time as there had been so often before. But she wasn't running any longer and he wasn't giving chase. She just wished she could be certain that he truly saw her as he looked at her and not that foolish girl she'd been before she died. She would never be that girl again. She'd lived too long, done too much to ever regain the last remnants of her innocence back.
"I will call Klaus in the morning. Let him know we have the stone and learn where we are to proceed," Elijah told her, and she didn't quite like the look he was giving her, was unable to read it and she could usually always read him.
"And what about our bargaining chip?" Katherine asked, trying to keep her voice from betraying her worry.
His smile was sad and she could feel the exact moment all of her hopes were dashed. "We cannot use the cure, love," Elijah told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he stepped away from her, picking up his wine. "Klaus will kill you in an instant over it if what the others say is true about Silas and the collapse of the Other Side. Mikael cannot be allowed to return. Nor our mother."
Katherine couldn't discount that. She'd rather the two crazies set on destroying the vampire race weren't allowed out to try their luck all over again. Not to mention she had no intention of dealing with anyone she'd wronged in the last five hundred years. She didn't even remember all of their names let alone their faces.
"We'll find another way," Elijah promised, and she nodded, picking up her own glass and sitting back down, not really buying into his promise.
Seemed to her she needed to go back to relying on good old number one and one of the first things she was going to do was figure out who the new girl in Klaus' life was. She had her suspicions but didn't want to guess wrong, she was damn well going to make sure to use this new information to her advantage.
There were moments in life that once you'd experienced them, once they'd been lived through and you were finished with them, that everything was going to change. Her parents' divorce had been one of those moments, watching her father pack his suitcase, that kiss on her forehead as he said he loved her before he drove off and she was left with her mother and a thousand questions she never really got all the answers to, but the innocence of her childhood had laid shattered at her feet and no amount of superglue would be able to put it back together.
Her death had been another, that pillow over her face as she thought her best friend was suffocating her only to be reborn as a vampire. Memories brought back in full force, cravings she'd learned to control, answers to questions she'd never even realized she had laid out in front of her, all the while her relationships shifted with everyone. Some for the better, some for the worse, and others still undecided. She had managed to only feed and compel her nurse but that carnival worker hadn't been so lucky. There was no piecing back together who she had been though, the intensity of her emotions forcing her to adapt, to learn quickly or meet the same fate as thousands of vampires before her and Caroline Forbes was not about to bow out of the spotlight at a mere seventeen.
And now a kiss. Or perhaps it was all the moments leading up to the kiss, a thousand little pieces that had paved the way for her to ever turn to Klaus for comfort. Klaus who murdered Jenna, killed Elena though she'd come back, Mrs. Lockwood, and so many others, people whose names she didn't even know. Klaus who had terrorized her small town, terrorized the entire world, who banished her boyfriend, and reveled in everything that he was, in ways she didn't think she would ever be able to accept let alone participate in.
The same Klaus who had held onto her like she was his anchor, crushing her against his body as he made certain she was healing. Klaus who'd kissed like a man who wasn't sure where his next meal would come from; savoring every moment, igniting parts of her she didn't even realize could be set aflame.
Klaus, whose wolf hadn't attacked her, who'd seemingly tried to offer comfort with his nuzzling. Such a contrast to every other experience she'd ever had with wolves and Caroline didn't know how to put the walls back up, to keep him at arm's length even when part of her mind was flashing danger repeatedly at her.
There was guilt in the pit of her stomach, trying to gnaw away at her insides, reminding her of Tyler and she tried to latch onto that, to remind her mind and her body that what had happened between her and Klaus wasn't allowed to happen again. But this wasn't like the kiss in the forest from months earlier when she hadn't known it was Klaus in Tyler's body. This time she'd been completely aware of who she was kissing and had not only wanted to do so but she'd needed to kiss him. Needed to feel his lips on hers, his skin pressed against her, and to take that strength he'd been so willing to give to her, to find some measure of comfort in his arms.
And she didn't regret it. She knew that she was supposed to regret it.
Why wasn't she regretting it?
Hurting Tyler she would regret though and that thought twisted inside of her, knowing that kissing Klaus would be a betrayal to him no matter how she tried to rationalize it. It would always be there between them, even if nothing else happened between her and Klaus, and Caroline doubted that would be the case. One couldn't open the flood gates like she had and expect for there not to be any cracks created in the land, ones that could never return to their previous state even if the gates were closed again.
But she loved Tyler. Just as she loved Matt. Maybe it had been more intense with Tyler but Caroline was beginning to wonder if that had more to do with her heightened emotions than anything else. She'd barely been friends with Tyler growing up and then she'd helped him with his transition and their relationship had shifted, then the break up with Matt and hanging out so much had shifted it even more. Plus there was the fact that Tyler had accepted what she was, understood it to a degree Matt never could, while Matt had left her behind.
Every sense, every emotion of hers had magnified to a degree that some days she wasn't exactly sure which way was up. She just knew she felt everything—the good, the bad-and it didn't matter how hard she had tried to lock down and hide away the emotions Klaus caused her to feel because they had burst forth and getting them back into the dark hole she'd pushed them into before wasn't going to work.
She didn't know what that meant for her or for Tyler or even for Klaus.
All she knew was that she'd felt safe, loved, and powerful while Klaus healed her and washed away the vervain and that was such a dangerous combination for the girl who always felt as though she was second choice. But Tyler. Kissing someone else was bad enough, but kissing Klaus…
"This way," Klaus instructed, snapping her from her thoughts as she followed him through the forest, desperately trying to locate Vincent.
She hoped the other vampire was still alive, that they could save him, but if not they could at least give him a proper burial. It was the least she owed him after he'd basically sacrificed himself for her.
Klaus stopped moving; catching her arm as she nearly passed him, not expecting him to cease moving so quickly. It took her a moment to realize that she didn't flinch away from his touch. Not even a month ago and she would have done that. He seemed to have realized it as well and Caroline didn't want to handle that penetrating gaze right then, didn't want to look into any deeper meanings, still reeling from the kiss they'd shared not even an hour before.
They'd all said being on the team with Klaus would be dangerous but Caroline wasn't sure any of them realized just how dangerous it was for her. His wolf might not have harmed her but Klaus was devouring her in an entirely other way and Caroline wasn't sure if being torn apart by the wolf wouldn't have been a better outcome for her in the long run.
"Vincent," she murmured, saved from acknowledging Klaus as she spotted the vampire's body.
He was a mangled mess and Caroline was certain there was no way he'd survived, too much blood and she was pretty sure parts of him that were supposed to be on the inside were currently on the outside. Except he made a sound, barely audible but they'd both heard it, flashing over to him in an instant.
"Can you save him?" Caroline asked, looking up at Klaus, startled by the remorse she saw in his features before they were quickly schooled into neutrality.
"I can heal him of the poison running through his veins," Klaus replied, before looking up at her. "But he'll need to feed in order to repair the rest of the damage. Might be more merciful to simply snap his neck and let the poison do its job."
Caroline shook her head, refusing to allow that to be the only option. "Just heal him," she muttered, and started to stand but Klaus grabbed her arm.
"If you think that I am allowing you out of my sight after what transpired you're severely mistaken, Caroline," Klaus told her, his grip becoming painful.
She tried to yank her arm away, put all of her own strength into it, but his hand only tightened, eyes flashing yellow and she hissed at him, her own eyes darkening. Okay, she really didn't like how his lips curled into a smirk or the arousal that filled the air. Really didn't like that part of that scent was definitely coming from her as well.
Not good.
"Oh I'm sorry, did you think just because we had a moment that you get to double your already crazy amount of over protectiveness?" she snapped, trying to yank her arm away again but it was no use with the amount of strength he had compared to her. "Because newsflash so doesn't work that way."
"I'm relatively certain that's precisely what it means, Caroline," Klaus replied, and she swore she was going to have actual bruises on her arm from where his hand was with how tight his grip was becoming.
"There were no declarations of anything so no it doesn't," she muttered, still trying to get loose. Not that she even had an idea of where she'd go. Caroline simply didn't want to be as close as she was to him any longer.
He rose at that point, hand still tightly gripped around her arm. "Shall we do that then? Are you certain you're ready to know the exact extent of my feelings toward you?" Klaus asked and she froze at that, staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights. Caroline didn't know how it was possible but he stepped even closer to her, invading her personal space, and she forced her feet to remain rooted to the ground, to not step back. She wouldn't give the hunter inside of him that kind of power. She was not his prey. "For me to confirm what's no doubt been mulling around in your head for ages now?"
No, no she definitely wasn't ready to actually hear that kind of thing from Klaus. "I didn't think so," Klaus murmured, and Caroline frowned as he reached over, brushing strands of hair from her face.
Okay, she was definitely not ready to even contemplate let alone have this conversation or moment or whatever was happening between them. "Still doesn't mean you get to dictate what I do. You don't get to control me, Klaus. I'm my own person—vampire—whatever—so I get to make my own decisions about what I do. Like standing and trying to figure out where we can get Vincent some blood so he can heal."
"My apologies for not wanting you dead," Klaus snapped, and she could practically feel the anger radiating off of him.
"I wasn't even going anywhere," Caroline protested, glaring at him, unsurprised when he reciprocated the look.
Ugh. This wasn't getting them anywhere and poor Vincent was dying at their feet. Something she wasn't about to let happen.
"There was a farm on the way to his house, right? So heal him and we can take him there," she started, trying to calm her body down, to decrease the intensity of everything happening around her, igniting fire in her veins. Refocusing everything back onto Vincent, into saving the other vampire was the only thing she could think of dong. "He saved my life. We're saving his."
"I never would have hurt you," Klaus replied, anger still lacing through his voice. He did release his hold on her and she scowled at the reminder that only brought up memories of his wolf nuzzling her cheek.
Thankfully he tore into his wrist and pressed it to Vincent's mouth. Caroline watched the vampire drink, though noted that Klaus didn't allow his wrist to linger long, only delivering enough blood to rid him of the venom before scooping Vincent up.
Minutes later they were at the farmhouse and inside of the stable, Vincent drinking a cow, body healing. Caroline leaned against the wall, trying to sort out what was to happen next, knowing they needed to take down the witches but wondered how that would happen. They couldn't just show up in Vincent's house, not with how strong their magic had been. The witches were probably on guard for any kind of attack. The sound of a car pulling up had all three of them halting their movements before Vincent flashed out of the stable, the sound of screams reverberating through the air within seconds.
"We need to stop him," Caroline murmured, taking a step toward the doorway but Klaus held up a hand as he headed toward her.
"You wanted him to heal. Animal blood won't sufficiently allow that to happen. Not with the extent of his injuries," Klaus countered, and Caroline tried to ignore the smell of blood hitting the air as well, tried to ignore how Klaus' scent seemed to surround her as he stopped in front of her. "We're going to head into battle soon and he needs to be at the top of his game. That will only happen if he feeds from humans. Just as you and I did earlier."
She knew he was right, knew it down to her very core, remembering how much weaker Stefan was compared to Damon. If the three of them were going to be taking on a coven of witches who had already shown they could force Klaus to turn into a wolf, they needed to be able to hold their own, and nothing but human blood would allow for that.
Another reminder that she couldn't step back into the life she'd been living, that there were going to be even more extremely difficult choices ahead, and that the bubble she had been living in back in Mystic Falls had effectively been burst. There was no patching it back together.
"That person doesn't have to die though," she replied, clenching her hands at her side before she flashed around him and out toward Vincent who had nearly drained the farmer dry. She pushed him off, knowing the element of surprise was the only thing that had allowed her to do so, and bit into her wrist, forcing blood down the man's throat.
Vincent snapped at her, seemingly ready to tear her head off but Klaus was on him before he could make a move, slamming the vampire onto the hood of the car. "I would hate to rip your head off after I just busied myself saving you."
Caroline ignored the two of them, already sensing the shifting calm in the air around them as Vincent came back to his senses. Her priority was the man in front of her. The one she had fed from earlier had been dead, and maybe she could have prevented Klaus from draining the one he had but she hadn't. So she wanted to at least try and prevent the farmer's.
Everything was muddled, all of her perfectly crafted morals breaking into pieces at her feet and she wasn't sure which ones she could salvage, but she knew she needed to save some of them. She wasn't about to lose herself completely. Adapt maybe, certainly grow, but Caroline had every intention of remaining who she was at her very core even if she was finally allowing herself to partake in some of the darker parts of vampirism.
"Go inside, relax for the day. Eat, sleep, be normal and don't remember a thing about what happened when you arrived home until we're gone. Go get us a set of clothes," she easily compelled before letting the man stumble toward his door.
"I am sorry, Caroline," Vincent started and she held up a hand.
"Seriously, so not necessary. I'm pretty sure I'd have tried to bite your head off if we were in one another's shoes," she replied, shaking her head. "Feeling better though?" At least he looked a whole lot better. No insides spilling outside were definitely an improvement and he looked to be completely healed. Even if he was probably going to remember being torn apart by Klaus for a very long time. That kind of experience didn't simply disappear because he'd survived it.
"Much," Vincent murmured, before dropping down onto one knee in front of Klaus, head bowed. "Thank you."
"You can thank me after we dispose of your motley little witch crew who are no doubt trying to track the two of you down with magic," Klaus replied, already moving away from the vampire, though Caroline noted his pleased grin. "Though, I must say that I am rather unimpressed with who you put your trust in these days. I thought you would have learned better after the incident with Mikael."
"I did numerous checks on them before allowing any of them into my home. None of them were from the same coven, not even the same country," Vincent started and Caroline flicked a stray strand of hair off her face as Vincent tried earnestly to plead his case.
It was still something to see others treat Klaus with such respect, with that undercurrent of fear that she always sensed coming from Vincent even as he seemed to value anything Klaus said or did. It was such a contrast from how she'd seen the residents of Mystic Falls deal with him, especially her group of friends. Usually there had been fear, at least at first, but they'd all become too cocky, she'd realized that, and it seemed like they'd forgotten precisely who they were dealing with at times. Respect though, they'd never given him that and Caroline wondered how much that grated on his nerves that some newbie vampires, a new witch, and vampires with a century or so under their belt treated him the way they did.
Respect was earned though, and Caroline hadn't seen anything from Klaus in those months he'd been in Mystic Falls that garnered him their respect. She doubted he saw it that way though, not with so many centuries under his belt of forcing respect from others. Just as he forced other relationships. Like with Stefan. Like with the other hybrids. Even with his family in some ways.
Yet, he didn't force it from her. Hadn't ever compelled her for company or anything else. Their date had been a brokered deal but she had agreed to it and had a feeling if she'd really tried she could have gotten him to trade a hybrid for something else. She didn't know quite what to make of it, just another layer to add to the shambles already falling around her feet.
"How do you expect us to take down a coven of witches who've already shown that they can take you down in at least one way?" Caroline asked arching a brow as Klaus scowled at that, definitely not liking the reminder of what had happened, of all he'd done and nearly accomplished.
"I'd think you'd already know the answer to that considering it was something your friends had you doing more than once with me," Klaus replied, cocking a brow at her as he clasped his hands behind his back, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
"We create a distraction." Of course. If they were looking at or dealing with something else then they wouldn't even see the three of them coming. "I'm kind of thinking my usual tricks won't work so well on the witches."
"That's where the good citizens of the village down the road will come into play," Klaus replied, and she didn't like that answer. "We'll compel them, Vincent will give them permission to enter his house so we can get around that industrious spell on it, and we'll use their entry and the subsequent altercation to get the drop on the coven."
So they would be collateral damage.
"Plus we need to get back into Vincent's place anyway in order to get the bones, isn't that right, old friend?" Klaus continued, and Vincent voiced his affirmation.
Caroline frowned at that, wondering how many would die, but in the end more would end up dead if Silas wasn't stopped, if hell was allowed to reign on earth. They couldn't allow that to happen.
"Try not to eat those we'll be using, hmm?" Klaus continued, as the farmer came back out with a change of clothes for Vincent.
"Won't they see through it all though?" Caroline pointed out. She knew Klaus had after that first time, even if he'd continued to allow her to play the part her friend's needed.
"Oh most definitely, but we only need mere moments, Caroline," Klaus replied, locking his gaze with hers. "We're not going to be talking with them or learning of their plans. We're simply going to kill each and every one of them. Something you were adamant about helping out with not too long ago."
"I still am," she snapped, glaring at him. "Just because I'm not a big fan of throwing other people into the fire doesn't mean I'm not ready to do what it takes to stop the witches." Because if they weren't taken care of they'd only try again, and what if the next time Klaus wasn't able to break through? What if he ripped her apart? She wasn't as old as Vincent; she'd probably succumb to injuries much quicker.
Then what would happen to her mother? Would she die when the world turned to chaos never remembering she had a daughter? Maybe that would be better for Liz Forbes, not to know all she'd lost, all the craziness that had been her life, but Caroline was selfish and she couldn't allow that to happen. Her mother would remember her because they were going to stop Silas, no matter what it took. If she had to darken her soul a little to accomplish that then so be it.
"So fill me in on what exactly you want us to get the villagers to do for this nifty little distraction idea of yours," Caroline told him, not sure she liked the fluttering in her stomach that was caused by how proud Klaus seemed as he looked at her.
"I'll tell you everything you need to know," he replied, small grin reminding her of the one he'd had at the pageant when he'd told her he would tell her all about being the bad guy.
That wasn't good at all. Especially when that grin had her smiling back, the remains of her walls crumbling even further into dust. "I reserve the right to do my own spiel if I think yours is too wordy," she countered. Even if it was quite something for her to accuse anyone of saying too much.
"By all means," Klaus replied, motioning for her to follow him toward the newly clothed Vincent. "I'd love to see what your mind comes up with."
Her grin only seemed to widen at that before she realized what she was doing and sighed internally. Oh Caroline Forbes, what the hell are you getting yourself into? More importantly how exactly would this new path alter her life for better or worse, just like all the other divots in the road that she'd gone through so far?
She was almost surprised that she couldn't wait to find out. Only the thought of Tyler squashed her eagerness but even that was quickly swept away and pushed out of her mind as she listened intently to Klaus' plan.
Rebekah glared down at the tourists milling about on the street below. She despised their enthusiasm, the lust for life that seemed to be in the air, mingling with laughter and music. She'd enjoyed this city once when they'd been passing through it, but any of the love she'd had for it was long gone and she wanted nothing more than to leave it. She shouldn't have been surprised that Elijah wasn't sure what he wished to do just yet. That he needed more information about it all.
She had been daggered when Katherine was in the picture but she'd seen it all play out once with Tatia, watched her usually loyal brother be played for a fool by the girl while toying with her other brother. She had seen Klaus' anger, his need for companionship and loyalty as she'd come to after he'd removed the dagger, had seen the bitterness between Elijah and Niklaus, the ripple of distrust easily growing into a chasm with time.
Some days she thought that only the threat of Mikael and a promise never quite kept was all that had Elijah sticking around. That and his always flickering belief that there was still some resemblance of the boy they had known somewhere in Klaus. Maybe there was, just as the girl she'd been was somewhere inside her, and the man Elijah had almost been was somewhere inside of him. Too much had happened though for any of them to ever return to whom they had been. No amount of redemption would ever get them back to the start.
But that was life. One was never the same person in the end as they had been born.
She felt Stefan's presence long before he spoke but refused to turn around, not wanting to hear his justifications. Maybe she was the girl who loved too easily, who yearned for it more than anything else, but she knew love. She'd experienced it a few times before, tricked herself into thinking she was in love with others, but amongst all her various suitors there had been those she had truly loved.
Alexander had been one. His betrayal cutting a hole in her heart that could never quite be repaired. Doing the same to her relationship with Nik. He'd never trusted her the same again after that, even if he wouldn't be parted from her side. His dealings with her lovers had taken a horrid turn after that one as well. Most never made it a week once Klaus realized she was in love again.
Rebekah knew she had been falling for Stefan back in the twenties. Maybe it hadn't quite been love, not enough time for it to become that, but the spark had been there, the longing, the need. She was certain it would have developed into something deep if not for Mikael having found them.
"I wasn't defending Katherine," Stefan started, and Rebekah scoffed at that, hands gripping the railing tightly. "I don't care what you say to her, Rebekah, unless it has to do with Caroline."
Caroline. Her eyes narrowed at the name, annoyed further by the cheerleader's mention. "Believe me, the last thing we want is Katherine Pierce knowing about Klaus' obsession with her," Stefan continued, coming to stand by her.
Rebekah was ready to rip him a new one but she had to concede his point. As much as the other blonde annoyed her, having Katherine try to use Caroline as a pawn against Nik could be catastrophic and as angry as her brother made her, as much as she did was him to suffer, she couldn't quite bring herself to wish for him to lose out on love. Even if he'd been the one to take hers so many times.
"I won't bring her up again," Rebekah muttered, refusing to look at Stefan, her gaze locked on the crowd below.
"Thanks." He made a move to leave her on the balcony but there were things she needed to say and he was going to listen.
"Your emotions weren't off," Rebekah started and she could feel him freeze at that, no doubt he was turning back to look at her. "Oh, I know that's what everyone thinks. You do your Ripper Stefan when you're off the wagon, but that doesn't mean your emotions were off then. They weren't. You were happy." She glanced over at him. "I won't say you were in love, I wasn't, but I was falling and so were you."
He didn't deny it, simply sighed and didn't move from the spot near the door. "I'm not that guy, Rebekah."
"No, because you're afraid of what everyone will think of you," she continued and looked back at the street, not really caring what he thought of her analyzing him. "Afraid they'll all know that all you had really done was finally embrace what you are and now you're back to hiding from it." For a girl. For that damn doppelganger. What was so special about her anyway? Rebekah had never figured that out, she doubted that she ever would. "We're not human, Stefan. The morals they have don't pertain to us in the same ways. We have to forge our own. They eat animals as we eat them."
"They don't go around slaughtering them for pleasure," Stefan pointed out and she laughed at the naivety of that answer. She'd expect it from a baby vamp, not from one as old as him, but he'd been stifling himself for years.
"Tell that to the hunters. Or better yet, ask the animals. I'm sure the cows and chickens would beg to differ. It's called the circle of life. Humans are simply not the top of the food chain. We are." She turned around then fixing her gaze with his. "Anyway, that doesn't matter right now. What does matter are some cold, hard truths. Such as that taking the cure won't wash away the sins of the past. It won't erase all either of us have done. And I've no doubt our enemies would be all too happy to slaughter any children we might have to make us pay penance."
She saw the horror in his eyes at that, the startling realization that what she said was a very real possibility. They both had enemies, her more so than him, but one didn't go around being a Ripper without hurting far too many families over the centuries.
"I'm not willing to pay that price," Rebekah told him and headed past him and back into the hotel. She walked away from the street full of happiness as she let go of a dream she'd never quite believed would ever become reality anyway.
It was utter chaos inside of Vincent's house and every single detail of it seemed like pure perfection for Klaus. A chorus of screams played out their own melodic symphony, echoing through the home as villagers and witches fell dead at his feet.
The villagers were not by his hand but the witches were using them as a barrier just as he'd predicted or sending them flying their way as a means to try and slow the vampires and Hybrid down. It's hardly effective and it seemed that sending in the villagers through all the various points of entry had thrown the witches off balance. He enjoyed when scenarios played out how he wanted, allowing him to stick to the original plan, not that he didn't have a plethora of other ones at his disposal. He never did like going into a situation without knowing multiple ways to get what he wanted. Sometimes it couldn't be helped, but Klaus rarely allowed for anyone to put him in situations where he was unable to have an upper hand.
From the setup of the candles and the fact that the majority of the witches had been kneeling, Klaus had a feeling they had been performing a spell, no doubt either attempting to reconnect with him and force his hand again or a locator spell to try and find the other two.
They had certainly found them.
It was a quick thrust; grab, tug and hearts were removed from chests, bodies dropping to the floor. Or a simple flinging of whatever was nearest to him: a plate, a candle holder, a villager, and heads were off before the witch could utter a word. It was a dance he knew all too well, one he'd perfected over the years and enjoyed partaking in every so often. Even if it did remind him of an all too recent betrayal and the necessary deaths of the last of his hybrids.
Well, almost all of them. Still the annoying little upstart to deal with eventually.
His gaze moved to see how the other two were fairing, not that he actually allowed Caroline to be too far from him, easily keeping himself mere steps from her in case she needed help. He shouldn't have worried, while she had hesitated with the first witch, her little morals left over from her human days nearly getting the best of her, she'd become quite adapt to the dance after that. She had less finesse with killing than Vincent or he did, but Klaus was certain she'd become quite skilled with time.
Of course that would all depend on if she managed to handle what she'd done afterward. She hadn't broken down after killing the other witches but those had threatened her mother. These had threatened her own life and Klaus was aware of how little Caroline seemed to value herself against others. He would simply need to ensure that she saw reason if the guilt tried to overwhelm her.
It had done so to him once, during that first kill, but once he'd turned and Mikael and his mother had tried to break his spirit he hadn't regretted a kill. They had broken Niklaus, the boy who could never quite stand up to that tyrant, too weak to ever find his own way. Klaus wasn't weak and he'd made certain everyone he crossed paths with knew that. Anyone who made him feel even a sliver of weakness met with the same fate.
Except the blonde currently ramming candelabra into a witch's chest.
Klaus whipped around, tearing off the head of another and tossed it to the side, smiling as he realized that was the last of the witches. The villagers who survived stood around in a daze, unsure what to do now that their compelled task was complete. They would need to be compelled again, made to forget the ordeal, get their dead buried, probably have them bury the witches as well. Though he'd love to burn the lot of them. Maybe he would.
"Vincent," Klaus beckoned and motioned toward the remaining group, certain his protégé would know what to do.
The other vampire simply nodded and ushered the group out of the room, leaving Klaus alone with a dead coven and Caroline Forbes. He turned toward her, steeling himself for the onslaught of guilt, not entirely certain how he'd even go about helping her through that. Death was part of who she was now and this had been defending them all. Technically defending the world considering what the witches were conspiring to do.
She was rising from the floor, staring down at the witch she had killed before looking over at him, and he sucked in a breath at the pure lust he saw there. Her eyes were darkened, none of her irises shining through, but it was those fangs bared, the blood smeared on her face, on her stolen clothes and into her hair that his eyes locked onto first. He knew this was her bloodlust getting the better of her, every emotion she had pumping on overdrive.
The need for release was always under the surface, waiting to be fulfilled, and now that the release from killing had been, the other primal urges were demanding the same treatment. Klaus doubted that Caroline even knew what she was doing and he reeled his own need back, forced himself to maintain control as her desire filled the air around him, taunting him as he watched her.
He was going to talk her down, point out that it was simply her emotions controlling her at the moment because he needed this to be something she truly wanted, not simply her bloodlust playing with her inhibitions. But Caroline was in front of him before he could speak, hands shoving him into one of the few remaining upright chairs, following after him. His body slammed down onto it, but Klaus hardly cared as Caroline straddled his body before kissing him hard, matching the intensity he had back in the water and he wasn't about to let her go, nor would he be telling her to stop.
Not now. Not when she initiated this all over again.
There was no hesitation on his part, his hands sliding down her back to cup her ass, pulling her even closer and he smirked as she moaned at the contact, her mouth never leaving his, tongue demanding entrance. His hands moved up her back again before tangling in her hair and giving a little yank to stop her exploration. She practically hissed at the loss of contact, her eyes narrowed and darker than he had ever seen. She squirmed in his lap before pressing her hips down and forward, seeking contact of some kind.
Klaus grinned at her, pleased when she reciprocated the look, enjoying the wildness to her gaze that seemed to soften at that and he eased his grip on her hair. He pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth, delighting in her annoyed sigh before he moved down to her neck, lips, teeth and tongue alternating on her skin. Her whimpers and the hands moving to fist into his shirt coupled with the steady pressing of her hips against him was shattering his already tenuous grip on control.
He knew she wasn't shy about sex; after all she'd tried to initiate a round back when he had been in Tyler's body, but having her push him back against the chair before pulling her shirt off and tossing it to the side was still startling, even if it was eagerly welcomed. Her chest was bare to him, streaks of red against her skin from all of the blood that had soaked through the fabric, and Klaus leaned forward, enjoying the way she tensed against him as he licked the blood from her collarbone.
She was an absolute vision, his very own angel of death and like hell would he ever be able to let her go now. His teeth grazed her collarbone, not breaking skin, and he couldn't help but smirk against her skin as she moaned. Klaus pulled her closer still as her hips pressed against him, hands in his hair, tugging at his curls as he licked and sucked the blood off of her inch by agonizing inch.
There was still so much that needed to happen, far too many tasks that they needed complete to stop the rise of Silas and keep Mikael and Esther contained, the key laced around her neck and nestled between her breasts a stark reminder of that, but it was all pushed from Klaus' mind, none of it taking any priority as one of her hands released its grip on his hair and snaked between their bodies to work on unbuttoning his pants.
Klaus palmed her breasts and the hand she still had in his hair moved to his shoulder, fingers biting into his skin as he took an already hardened nipple into his mouth. Her entire body seemed to arch at the contact, head lolling backward and her hand stilling, current task forgotten for the moment. He could hear Vincent just beyond the doorway, hesitating, no doubt listening in for a moment before his footsteps faded into the distance.
There would be no one to interrupt them and Klaus relished the thought but it was short lived as she tensed in his arms and not because of what he was doing to her. He could feel her coming down from her high, her fingers shaking where she was touching him, rational thought no doubt finally settling into her brain again and he frowned, so close to lashing out before she could, to put up the barrier so she couldn't hurt him in the only way she ever did. Funny how harsh words from her cut deeper than any sword or dagger ever could.
He never got the chance to though, not as Caroline pressed her forehead into his chest, hands curling into his shirt as she tried to get her breathing under control. He waited a few moments, uncertain what to do with his hands, how to react to what she was doing, but eventually Klaus pulled her closer, running a soothing hand down her bare back as she got her emotions under control.
"I'm…gonna go see if Vincent has anything that I can change into," she murmured, untangling herself from him, arm covering her breasts as she scrambled to pick up her shirt from the floor.
"I wonder, sweetheart, how long do you think you can keep on running from what you are?" Klaus asked. His mouth pulled back into a tight grimace as he watched her scurrying about. His words had the desired effect, her back becoming rigid, that delightful fire snuffing out the timidness she had briefly displayed.
"I'm not," Caroline replied, pulling the shirt on and Klaus didn't doubt for a moment that she'd deliberately shown off her chest as she did so. "I just know that everything is twisted right now and yes my emotions are running crazy but no I don't know what that means right now and its seriously not the important thing to focus on when the entire world is like so on our shoulders right now. That's what we need to be thinking about. Not this." He quite enjoyed the way she motioned between the two of them. "Whatever this is. Also I so know that your stupid alpha maleness would so take sex as like cementing the fact that you'd totally never let me go." She turned on her heel and was out the door before he could respond, leaving Klaus alone in the room.
He stared at the closing door and leaned back in the chair. Hadn't she figured out by then that he wasn't going to be letting her go no matter what? If anything her pulling back was enticing the wolf inside of him even more, the desire to claim her as his intensifying, but he would wait. He would continue to exert the utmost patience with her until she was ready and Klaus didn't doubt for a moment that one day she would be. The lake and what had just happened only helped to cement in his mind that she would come around, that Caroline Forbes was as drawn to him as he was to her, and he wouldn't rest until she finally saw where her loyalties and love were meant to lie.
He also meant to drill it through her head that she was important, something that seemed Caroline was unable to grasp or accept and he blamed her so-called friends for that fact. He'd be all too happy to help drill that into their heads as well, in much less pleasant ways than he would with her.
There was a knock on the door followed by Vincent peaking his head in. "Shall I have the villagers dispose of this lot as well?"
Klaus simply nodded. "The clothes you were wearing when you transformed are ruined but I managed to find your necklaces and ring. I've set out a fresh set of clothes for you in one of the rooms as well if you'd like to freshen up while I deal with the rest of this," Vincent continued as he walked over to hand over the items. "Caroline is already utilizing the facilities in hers."
Klaus nodded again, looping his necklaces and placing on the ring as he stood. "I'll need to make a long distance call when I'm finished and you've let us retrieve what we came here." Hopefully the others had completed their tasks without as much trouble as he'd gone through. He doubted it though. It seemed Silas' followers were upping the ante and he wouldn't be surprised if everyone was dealing with their own roadblocks.
"Of course." Vincent held open the door, head bowed as Klaus headed into the hallway before moving to show him where to go. "I'll pull out what I have about Silas from my library as well. Just in case it can give you anymore needed insight."
"It seems you're still of some use to me," Klaus commented as he entered the bedroom, watching his old protégé smile at that, pleased he was being helpful. "I do so hate wasting my blood on those unworthy of it."
Vincent bowed his head again. "I'll go pull those materials now."
Klaus watched him turn and walk away, satisfied that Vincent remembered his place that the vampire hadn't forgotten who he was and what he could do, that he held the appropriate amount of respect for him. Perhaps once this Silas business was over, he'd ensure that others thoroughly learned that lesson as well. Some definitely needed a refresher course while others needed to be taught it for the first time. He really did enjoy enforcing that lesson.
Closing the door he heard the water running in the nearby room and smiled, easily picturing Caroline under the shower head. He would enjoy teaching her far more pleasurable lessons when the time came and she was finally willing to truly embrace who she had become. He doubted it would be too long for that to occur and headed off to his own adjoining bathroom, needing to release some tension that hadn't been sufficiently satiated.
He never got the opportunity, a loud crash at the end of the hallway alerting him to another's presence, and Klaus headed out to see who was creating the disturbance. A man he'd never seen before was standing before Vincent who was sprawled against the wall, stakes pinning his arms to it. "Ah ah ah," the man tsked, glancing over his shoulder at Klaus. "I wouldn't go trying to tear off my head just yet. Hunter." He pointed to himself, smirking and Klaus scowled at that, hating the blasted group and the little curse that went along with killing them.
Klaus heard the shower shut off and she was his priority. Vincent would have to take care of himself and Caroline had the key to the vault. They could always come back and retrieve the bones later. "Besides I'm here to help," the man continued, stopping Klaus' silent reverie. "I'd really rather not but the damn spirits are insistent that you lot are actually going to help us stop Silas. Infinitely more important than killing either of you."
"What's going—?" Caroline started as she opened the door and Klaus whirled around, eyes flashing yellow at her, his very tenuous grip on control slipping.
"Get back in that room," he demanded, thankful that for once she didn't argue with him and simply closed the door. Klaus turned back toward the Hunter who was pulling the stakes out of Vincent's arms.
"I know better than to harm the girl," the Hunter started, doing nothing to alleviate Klaus' frustration with the situation. "The map was to here the other day." He touched a spot on his bare arm and while Klaus couldn't see anything he did remember that it had been about that long when he'd had Jeremy Gilbert draw what he could see on Connor. "Yesterday it grew all the way to here." His fingers moved to the nearest collarbone. "Means someone is killing vampires by the droves and I wouldn't be surprised if it's completed soon. You need me."
"Perhaps," Klaus replied, tucking away the new pieces of information. "But you do not need any of us."
"According to the Spirits I do," the Hunter pointed out and Klaus smiled, pleased that the man seemed to flinch at the rage reflected in it.
"I hardly trust those who've tried to kill me on a number of occasions." Or helped to imprison his wolf side.
"From what I hear you don't trust anyone," the Hunter replied, dropping the stakes to the floor.
Vincent remained against the wall though, not trying to attack, and Klaus had a feeling his protégé knew what would happen if a vampire killed a Hunter. "Give Lucy a call. Tell her Vaughn found you. She'll vouch for me," the man continued, and Klaus pressed his lips together, further annoyed the situation. As if he trusted that witch either. "Look. You can lock me up however you need. Take any weapons I have on me. It's not like any of you are stupid enough to kill me and like I said, I need you alive."
It was true, Klaus wouldn't kill him, nor would he allow Caroline to do so either. Vincent perhaps, but if the man was right about the mark growing then they would need access to that map and there were no guarantees at the moment that anyone else had located a Hunter. Would be best to keep him around for the night at least until he was certain they didn't have use for him.
Half an hour later and Vaughn was secured in the makeshift dungeon. Unfortunately no one was answering his phone calls. Klaus hardly thought that boded well for how the others were doing with their tasks. He headed to Caroline's room and walked inside, not surprised to find her sitting on the bed. "Can you finally tell me what the hell is going on?" she demanded, and he tried not to smile at her annoyance, knowing it would only set her off further.
"A Hunter has decided to grace us with his presence," Klaus replied, sitting down on one of the chairs in the small sitting area. "Says the Spirits told him to seek us out and work together." He enjoyed the way she bit her bottom lip as she took in that information, her mind no doubt working a mile a minute. "Vincent and I have him locked up until I can see if any of the others have located their own Hunter and of course none of them are answering." There would be hell to pay if they were actively ignoring him. He doubted it but at the same time couldn't help the paranoia that still considered that to be an option.
"You should sleep. Who knows when the opportunity to do so will happen again," Klaus suggested, not budging from the chair. He wasn't about to leave her alone, not when he didn't trust the Hunter. It wasn't as if he'd be able to get any sleep knowing Vaughn was just down the hall, no doubt memories of his lost years would plague Klaus if he even attempted sleep.
Caroline looked ready to say something, her mouth even opened and he waited for her to protest that he needed to leave, but instead she simply shifted in the bed so she could turn off the light before getting under the covers. "Thank you," she murmured after some time, breaking the silence.
Klaus didn't reply, listening to the rest of the house, making note of where everyone was located, but he did smile. He couldn't help the warmth that ran through him whenever she did thank him. She was the only one who'd done so and meant it without coercion in a very long time.
Bonnie hated what had just happened, what Eddie had endured just so more of the damn mark could grow. It had been brutal to watch and listen to the deaths of the vampires and that was all she could do as she stood on the outskirts of the house they called home with the rest of the Coven, chanting the spell that kept them locked inside as he tore his way through killing every last one of them. Any that manage to somehow slip through were easily caught by Kol and thrown back into the mess.
It was the horror on those one's faces that ate away at Bonnie the most. The recognition when they saw the vampire who had created them before he threw them to their death that was going to haunt her. She didn't like vampires, not besides the handful she called her friends and her mother, but this just didn't seem right. How had it been different than what Valerie had tried to do?
"Oh cheer up, Bon Bon," Kol started once they were back in the car. Eddie was curled up next to her in the seat, worn out from all he'd accomplished as well as sedated so he didn't continue to try and attack Kol. She really wasn't sure why they didn't let him stake the Original. It wouldn't kill him and at least it'd get him to shut up. "They might have looked all cozy and charming in that little house, almost domestic, but I can guarantee you that they were enjoying little bloodbaths in there at least once a month. Could practically smell it in the linoleum."
She ignored him, not willing to rise to his bait, though it was hard to ignore the need to cause him just a little bit of pain. Instead she focused on Eddie; rubbing his back in what she hoped soothed him. The car lurched to a stop and she could swear she was going to get whiplash from how fast it had stopped.
"Driver fail," Eddie muttered, lolling his head to the other side as he rubbed his temples.
"Lucy why are we stopping?" Bonnie looked out the front window, eyes widening as she took in the scene on the road before them.
It was covered with bodies. How many she couldn't tell in the darkness, the only light coming from the car's headlights and the moon in the sky. But it was a lot, more than she'd ever seen before and she wondered how they had all gotten into the middle of the damn road and why. This couldn't be good. She knew that much. "I'm not hearing any pulses," Kol muttered as he got out of the car.
Bonnie and Lucy followed after him, Eddie didn't budge. She could hear the car doors behind them opening as well and wondered how many of the Coven was also coming to see what was happening. "This can't be a coincidence," Lucy murmured, coming to stand by her.
One of the Coven members headed over to the nearest body, leaning down to check for a pulse. "I really don't think you want to do that," Kol called out, and Bonnie had to agree with him. This had all the makings of a horror movie and the first rule for that was to not go near the bodies in the middle of the road.
As if to add credence to Kol's words, one of the bodies in the middle of the lot sat up and pulled something out of his pocket. "Of course," Kol murmured, shaking his head. "I have to say this is rather ingenious." The lone one drank whatever he was holding and a shudder ran down Bonnie's spine and she was pretty sure she heard the others hold their breaths.
It didn't take more than a second for the man who'd been dead to look at them, eyes darkening and fangs dropping down. "They're all in transition," Kol continued, and headed back to the car, pulling Eddie out of the car and thrusting him toward the roadway, his groggy movements having Bonnie wonder how well he'd manage in this fight.
More were rising, all drinking from vials in their pocket and the one nearest the witch who'd gone to check for a pulse latched onto her leg once its fangs had descended. "Looks like we've got more vampires to kill," Kol stated as he yanked the witch away from the vampire, easily shoving it back to the road with his foot.
The Coven and Lucy were already moving forward, starting the spell again to contain the newly turned vampires that Eddie was heading toward. Bonnie didn't like this at all. This was a set-up; these people had sacrificed themselves to die twice. Once to become a vampire and the second time to help the map grow on Eddie's arm.
"Don't look so worried, darling," Kol told her as he sidled up to stand beside her. "We're one step closer to completing the map." Though he didn't seem as enthused as he sounded, attention flickering to the woods surrounding them, almost as if he was waiting for the next trap to be sprung.
Bonnie ignored him, her gaze focused on Eddie who was whipping through the crowd, killing as he moved. He would never recover from this. So much for her promise to help him. So much for her promises to help anyone. Nothing was going as planned but she had a feeling that had more to do with it never really having been her plan. She'd been following everyone else's since the start, simply changing whose she was following.
Perhaps it was time she finally made her own.