Edited by myladyelise.
re-edited 8/31/2015
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Klaus settled down next to Caroline on her bed, leaning back against the wood headboard. Her eyelids fluttered closed, her battle against sleep lost. After her experiences today, what she needed most was rest. He should never have let her go into his mind the way he did. She needed to learn these things since they were important skills for any vampire's survival, but he should have shown her something perfectly mundane. Something like meeting Napoleon. She wouldn't have reacted or had the experience affect her if he did. He took a risk showing her a piece of her old life and they both paid the price. It was an unfortunate mistake and one he would not repeat. He would not be so foolish and force memories she was not ready for again.
Being in her bed, having her lying right next to him was the most exquisite torture. He wanted to have her back wit him. To bury his hands in her soft curls, ravish her mouth with his lips and thrust himself deep into her willing body. The lust, the need for her overwhelmed him. It was that way long ago in her first lifetime. Now having faced centuries without her, his desire was at a fever pitch. He wasn't sure how much longer he could control himself. His inner beast howled with rage not claiming Caroline as his mate and Queen already. Making her forever his.
With his fingertip, he stroked one of Caroline's curls on the edge of her pillowcase. He was careful not to pull or tug on it when he wound it around his finger, caressing the silken strands of hair between thumb and forefinger. It amazed him how exactly the same she was to his other Caroline. Her hair as soft, a touch of golden sunshine against his skin. He remembered how he he used to tease his other Caroline, tugging on her curls to pull her into a kiss. Once again he thanked whatever power existed that brought her back to him. Surely fate was not cruel enough to yank away his happiness again. Before he even had a chance to taste it? He needed to figure out who was behind this attack and why. How his enemies came to know about his connection to Caroline disturbed him. oWhile there would always be gossip among the supernatural circles, he found it hard to believe his attraction, his desire for a baby vampire, would already be common knowledge. Based on the attack today, there was more to this. The attacker must be someone well known and close to both him and Caroline. It terrified him, igniting his fury until he could barely breathe.
Caroline murmured in her sleep, her fingers clutching at the blanket she pulled up nearly to her chin. Her slumber was disturbed tonight and he blamed himself. He wanted this date to be perfect for her, for them. In his head he visualized that in spending more time together she would recognize and accept her attraction to him, perhaps even remember bits of their past. She would let down her guard and he would sweep her off her feet, showering her with his kisses and touches. He would show her how much he loved and worshipped her and at last, she would recognize her love for him. That she was his. Instead, their date consisted of an attack on her person, the death of a hybrid on her behalf, her almost falling into a coma and his failed attempt to get her to feed on a live human. It was not a successful evening to say the least.
Making a soft moan of pain, Caroline shifted in her sleep. Klaus wanted to know what she was dreaming. He was going to respect her request to stay out of her head no matter how much it killed him. Reaching out for her hand, he grasped it in his, hoping his touch would calm her. He smiled when relaxed the instant the heat of his skin touched hers. Another time, another place he soothed away her anguish. It had was the day after their first meeting at Elizabeth's I's court. The night before in the garden he found out she was to hunt the next day with the Queen and he vowed to get an invitation. Like he promised Caroline, it wasn't difficult. The French Ambassador, with some encouragement, managed to procure one for him. With little issue, Klaus slipped into the memory that with each passing day was clearer and more detailed.
It was a bright, sunny morning the day of the royal hunt and Klaus blinked at the sunlight, temporarily blinded as he mounted his black Arabian horse. He especially chose the animal from all the other horses housed in the royal stables. Once he had decided on an animal it was been easy enough to track down the owner and convince him that he had lost the horse in a game of chance. He would have killed the man if it weren't for that fact it would look suspicious for him to be the owner of the man's horse so soon after his death. He couldn't afford any gossip about his person if he was to continue his pursuit of the lovely Caroline. All night he wondered at his decision, the compulsion he had to save her life. He never experienced such weakness, such desire for a human before. When he slept he dreamed only of her, her soft body beneath him, his fangs in her neck and her fragrant blood in his mouth. He woke up, his whole body throbbing for her. Furious the hold this mortal seemed to have on him, he drained three blue-eyed blonde servants this morning just to get back at her. With the harsh light of morning upon him he hoped that upon seeing her again, her beauty would not hold up. He wanted more than anything for her to be nothing like the woman he remembered so he could kill her quickly and be on his way.
Seating himself on the saddle, Klaus searched the crowd for any sign of her. She said she would be here, but with each moment that passed without sight of her, his anger and frustration boiled closer and closer to the surface. There was at least twenty-five courtiers saddled in the courtyard not including the guards and grooms, and he wanted to kill them all. A flurry of commotion caught the corner of his eye and he turned his head. The Queen dressed in a riding gown of royal purple made her way towards the courtyard. The crowd parted for her, horses and dogs stepping out of her way so she could join her horse standing in the center of the stable grounds. His gaze locked on Caroline. She followed dutifully behind the Queen, a small figure dressed in a riding gown of dark blue velvet, the edges of it embroidered in silver. When she passed him the sun's rays brightened, haloing her in light. She was radiant, her hair like molten gold, her eyes blue as a calm sea and her skin a delicate, rosy ivory. Something in Klaus's chest clenched painfully and his fingers tightened on the reins. She was just as he remembered from the night before, her pull just as strong. With disgust he realized he would not be leaving court anytime soon.
Anxious for the hunt to begin so he could approach Caroline, he waited with barely contained impatience while two groomsmen helped the Queen into her saddle. Even he had to admit with her looks past gone and her illness eating away at her, she was still magnificent on a horse. Another horse was led out to where Caroline stood and a slight smile touched his lips. The young girl patted and cooed at the white beast. A young, muscular groomsman came forward and Klaus growled when the groom's hands skimmed Caroline's tiny waist, raising her gracefully into the saddle. When she laughed and smiled sweetly at something the groom said, Klaus was hot with jealousy. It should be his hands that touched her, his words that brought joy and a smile to her face. He decided then the groom would not last the night.
One of the Queen's servants blew a series of notes on a horn signaling the beginning of the hunt. With a flick of the reins, Klaus's horse surged forward. He headed towards the Queen along with the rest of the crowd, making his way out of the courtyard and into the hunting park. Once there he looked over the terrain, his acute vampire senses honing in on the rabbits attempting to hide in the underbrush, the flap of wings in the tall pine trees and the acrid smell of a fresh fox carcass. He could sense no deer yet, the object of the hunt, but they were still terribly close to the bustle of Whitehall for them to be present.
Klaus's gaze once again sought out Caroline. Sitting tall and straight in her saddle, her body moving gracefully with her horse, she rode as beautifully as she danced. Next to her and the Queen rode de Maisse, the French Ambassador. At having caught sight of Klaus, the ambassador separated from the group, heading straight towards him.
"Monsieur le Vicomte," de Maisse greeted with excitement.
Klaus inclined his head. "Monsieur de Maisse."
The Ambassador pulled his horse up next to Klaus's, switching to French, "You have made an impression on Her Majesty. All morning she has spoken of you, asking a variety of questions about your prospects and background."
"And what have you told her?" Klaus asked in the same language, his voice deceptively calm even while he twisted the reins around his fingers until they cut into his flesh through the leather gloves he wore. He hated that his pursuit of Caroline thrust him into the public eye. It didn't surprise him that Elizabeth asked questions about him. Not with her spies all over Whitehall. It was entirely possible she even knew that Caroline took him to the Rose Garden last night. What bothered him the most is what the Ambassador might have unknowingly shared about him that could possibly raise suspicion. He would be foolish to think that he completely erased his name from the hint of scandal that sent him to England. While his involvement in the Huguenot murders couldn't be proven, there was still talk. He assumed he had contained the gossip enough it wouldn't have reached de Maisse's ears.
"Nothing, but which is common knowledge," the Ambassador rushed to assure him.
The bewildered expression on the Ambassador's face and the lack of a telltale racing pulse in his body, told Klaud he didn't. "Did the Queen give reason for her questions?"
"Not especially," Monsieur de Maisse answered, hesitating enough he suspected something.
"Come now, you must have some idea of the Queen's intent after spending all morning with her?"
Monsieur de Maisse glanced around furtively. Seeing that no one was particularly interested in their conversation, he leaned in to speak under his breath, "From her questions, I believe she is either considering you for some position at her court or as a potential match for one of her English ladies."
Caroline must have said anything to the Queen about their meeting in the garden and their conversations. He could understand that Elizabeth would be very interested in his background and pedigree if she thought her favored handmaiden and Goddaughter was dallying with a French aristocrat. That Caroline might have girlishly confided to the Queen about her interest in him, pleased Klaus. While it made their courtship even more public, he made an impact on her. The only problem he foresaw is that it would be much harder to seduce and eventually kill her without being caught. He would have to tread more carefully than he ever had before, but to taste Caroline, to ravish her was ultimately worth the price he paid.
"Monsieur le Vicomte, the Queen, she wishes you to come forward," the Ambassador said in a hushed voice. "She does France honor to favor us so."
It was true, The Queen was gesturing for them to approach her royal person. Without waiting for the Ambassador, Klaus touched the heels of his boots to his horse's sides, pushing the animal into a trot to catch up to Caroline and the Queen.
"Monsieur le Vicomte de Beaumont, you are looking well this morning," The Queen commented with amusement. "Fresh air seems to agree with you, don't you think so, Lady Caroline?"
Caroline lifted her eyes to Klaus and he boldly caught and held her gaze until color bloomed in her pale cheeks. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"You ride as if you had been born to, Monsieur le Vicomte. I have always admired a man who could sit a horse," The Queen said with approval.
"And I was right last night to call you the Goddess Diana. You put us mortals all to shame," Klaus flattered, an ironic note to his voice the Queen did not catch.
She smiled, enjoying his outrageous compliment. He stole another look at Caroline and was disappointed to find her gaze focused ahead.
"The Ambassador speaks highly of you. We would like to see you stay at court for a time. We have written to Our Brother sovereign and ally in France requesting your continued presence," The Queen announced.
A royal command. Klaus hated to be told what to do. For once he didn't mind, since it was exactly his intention to stay as long as it took to seduce Caroline. "I would be honored to serve you as long as you wish."
Several of the outriders who were been sent ahead to scout deer galloped towards them, shouting that there was a sighting up ahead. The hunting dogs followed barking. One of the Queen servants handed her a bow and quiver of arrows and she dug her heels into her horses flank, pushing her horse into full speed. Klaus and Caroline followed, urging their horses into a gallop along with the rest of the hunting party.
Klaus flew through the woods behind the Queen, Caroline keeping pace with him. This was the part of the hunt he enjoyed the most, the wild frenzy of the ride, the cornering of prey. When the hunting dogs once more picked up the scent of the deer, they grew more frantic in their barking. The animals ran through the forest, their beauty magnified by their graceful movements. They sprinted, their eyes white with fear when the dogs nipped at their heels. Cornered and surrounded at last they slowed and Elizabeth raised her bow shooting off an arrow. It hit a doe in the side and it fell to the ground in a heap. Klaus sniffed the scent of the deer's blood in the air and he was thankful for his age and his self-control. It was been centuries since the blood of an animal had affected him.
When the Queen came to a stop beside the fallen doe, Klaus noticed that Caroline turned her horse away from the animal and walked away from the group. Elizabeth noticed his interest in her handmaiden and she turned her head to give him a frustrated look.
"My Lady Caroline is too kind-hearted for her own good. While she enjoys the ride, she cannot stand the killing. It is something I keep urging her to get past, but the girl is stubborn and refuses to do so." The doe made a sound of pain and the Queen let loose another arrow. This time hitting the deer in the center of its forehead.
"With your permission, Your Majesty, I would check on the Lady Caroline?"
The Queen was silent, her calculating gaze falling on him. She was evaluating his trustworthiness and his intentions. Klaus cursed the fact that so many witnesses surrounded him. It made it impossible to compel her to get his way.
To his relief, Elizabeth at last nodded. "Don't let her cry for too long. It isn't good for her."
Klaus turned his horse, searching for the vision dressed in blue. He saw her far ahead in the distance. Whipping his reins against his horse's neck, he signaled the animal to run. It took mere moments for him to catch up to Caroline. True to the Queen's words, tears trembled on her dark lashes, her eyes deep pools of pain.
"Have you come to mock me?" she asked, her tone laced with bitterness.
"Never, my Lady. Your tenderness reveals your kind heart."
"The others do. They find me to be feeble-minded and silly because I do not enjoy the killing of animals. There have even been questions as to my sanity," she laughed hollowly, wiping at her eyes. "And yes, I do realize I am a contradiction since I participate in the eating of meat, but I can't bear the process that puts it on the table. Father Leonard tells me all the time that animals were put on earth by God for our sustenance, but I cannot stand to watch their suffering and death."
The thought of anyone being cruel to Caroline or thinking her feeble-minded made Klaus furious. He couldn't quite explain why, since he himself found her reasoning to be quite ridiculous. "Who are these people? Let me defend your honor."
"It is of no matter. They will think what they will." She smiled up at him through her tears. "Would you really do battle to protect my honor?"
Klaus wanted to shout no. It went against everything he stood for. He would never be so weak-hearted as to fight for a mortal's honor. Her beautiful face, her eyes shining with pleasure at the thought, he was very much afraid he would. Anything to keep her tears at bay and keep her looking at him like he truly was her white knight and savior. "Of course, with sword or dagger I would defend you from the slights of others. Under my care, you would never suffer an ill word or insult."
The radiant smile Caroline bestowed on him, her face alight with happiness had him wishing there were a dragon he could slay for her. Disgusted, Klaus was tempted to drag her from her horse and drain her dry just to prove she had no hold on him. He forced a calm he did not feel, focusing on the ultimate reward of having a willing Caroline to feed from.
"Are you skilled with sword and dagger, my Lord? They say at the French court the gentlemen are most talented with powder and rouge," Caroline teased.
Klaus chuckled at her playful taunt. "I wouldn't like to boast, but there are few that can measure their weaponry talents against mine."
"Maybe in France, but here in England? I have been told my whole life of the superiority of the English in all sports. I think a display of your talents is in order." Caroline eyes sparkled merrily.
Unsheathing his hunting dagger from its scabbard at his waist, Klaus lifted it to the light, twirling it between his fingers. "Pick your target."
Caroline lifted her hand to shade the sun's rays from her eyes while she gazed into the distance. At last she pointed to a slim tree about 25 feet away. "Can you hit that?"
He flashed her an amused smile. "I shall prove to you how lacking your English courtiers are." Throwing back his arm, he flung the dagger with just a mere fraction of his strength. The blade whistled through the air, landing in the tree with a thud.
Spurring her horse forward, Caroline moved directly in front of the tree. Once there she stared long and hard at the knife, before turning to look at him. "You split the tree."
Klaus urged his horse to join hers. Buried to the hilt, his dagger had cracked the trunk of the tree into two pieces. "It must have been rotten in the middle," he explained with a shrug of his shoulders.
"You didn't embellish the truth at all. I take back everything I said. You are truly skilled." Caroline looked to him, her eyes wide and admiring and Klaus felt something akin to pride in his chest. It was silly that something so little could impress her. Klaus hated he would gladly have his skills tested again, just to have her continue to look at him that way.
"Does this mean you will no longer disparage my fellow Frenchmen?" Klaus teased.
"All, but you."
Klaus laughed and placed his hand around the dagger, yanking it free from the tree.
"Did your father teach you weaponry?" she asked with hesitation. She must have remembered his reaction to discussing his family the evening before.
"No," he said, his voice cold. Swallowing back the anger rising from his belly into his throat, he shoved his dagger back into its scabbard. "It was my brother."
Caroline flicked her reins, moving her horse into a walk. "What is your brother's name?"
Klaus looked at her sharply. He wasn't used to people asking him about his family. Usually, whoever had the misfortune to bring up the subject experienced a painful death. He didn't want to answer. Her curious and interested face compelled him. He reminded himself he was answering to lull her into believing that there was enough of a connection between them that she would freely give him her blood.
"Elijah. My father," the word stuck in Klaus's throat, almost gagging him, but he continued, "never had time for such things. It was my older brother Elijah who took on the task of teaching me." Klaus remembered another time, another place. There was once a fight between his mother and father over his education and Elijah stepped in to right his father's neglect. Elijah suffered his father's displeasure in working with Klaus on his weaponry skills but he did not given up. Day and night he tirelessly taught Klaus everything he knew, until Klaus was able to surpass Elijah's own skills. Did Elijah regret it now? They had been at odds for a century, ever since Katherine entered their lives and his brother did the unforgiveable and developed feelings for that creature.
"So it is just you and Elijah," Caroline prodded.
"No, I have two other brothers, Finn and Kol." He didn't like to think about Finn and his misfortunate alliance with that woman, Sage. Maybe a few centuries in his box would cool his ardor. As for Kol, he was always on the move, dangerously wrecking havoc wherever he went.
"Three brothers? I can't imagine the chaos of the house you grew up in," Caroline laughed. "Your poor mother."
He refused to think of his mother, her body crumpled in the ground, her face devoid of any spark of life. "I have a sister, too, Rebekah," Klaus added.
Caroline's eyes lit up, sparking as brightly as the sun's rays on water. "Poor Rebekah, surrounded by all you boys. The stories she would be able to tell of your exploits as a child."
"I don't think they would be very nice ones. My sister has a devilish streak."
"Like her brother, I think." Caroline smiled up at him, her smile soft and yearning and he was pleased. He already he was worming his way into her heart.
Klaus threw his leg over his horse, dismounting. "Will you walk with me a bit, my lady?" He tied his horse's reins around a stout oak tree.
"I would like to, but there is the Queen. She may have need of me." Caroline looked around the woods looking for signs of the Royal hunting party. Fortunately for him, they already moved on.
"She sent me after you, to check on you. I don't believe she was expecting you to return." Klaus wasn't sure what the Queen was expecting, but he wasn't about to return Caroline to Elizabeth. Not yet.
Caroline bit her lip, wracked with indecision. She needed only just a slight push and he she could be convinced. He moved over to her, catching her horses bridle in his hand. He led the animal towards where his horse was tied up. "If the Queen needs you she will send someone to fetch you. They haven't gone very far."
Caroline nodded and handed him the reins, which he promptly tied around the nearest tree. Wrapping his hands around her small waist, he lifted her from the saddle. This close to her, he could see the fluttering of her pulse under the delicate, thin skin at the hollow of her throat and her intoxicating rose scent overlay the rich, fragrant smell of her blood. His whole body tightened in response and never before had he wanted a woman so badly. She was just above him, her lips a breath away from his and it took all of his self control to lower her to the ground. When he did so, her breath caught in her throat and he wanted desperately to kiss her. He was moving too fast and scaring her away. His instincts told him he couldn't move too slow either. He needed to ensnare her whole heart until her only desire was to be with him. Only then, would she offer herself up willingly, wholeheartedly welcoming her death at his hands. That would finally allow him to move on and rid her from his mind.
"You are very lucky in your siblings, your family. My whole life I have wished for brothers and sisters, for a family." Caroline's face was shadowed with sadness when she took his arm.
"My family and I are frequently at odds," Klaus replied with a stiff tone. They continually disappointed and irritated him in equal turns.
Caroline squeezed his arm. "But at least they are there. You don't have to be alone."
"Do you feel alone, my lady?"
"Always," She said in a small voice. "Unlike you, I am alone with no family to call my own. While I do have the favor of the Queen, she is still the Queen and I can't ever forget that."
Klaus frowned, her sorrow upsetting him and it was sickening. She was rousing new and unknown emotions in him that he didn't remember ever having experienced before. "What of the court? The other handmaidens? Haven't they become your family?"
"It is at court I am the loneliest. I am an orphan and I am constantly reminded of it. The other handmaidens come and have families, parents who arrange matches for them, or if they don't, a nobleman soon chooses them and they leave to be married. It is a continuous revolving door and every time one of them leaves I wish it was me, but it never is. I know I am not the prettiest one, or the most connected, but still I want to be chosen."
"I would choose you if given the choice," Klaus purred. Staring into her startled eyes, he threw propriety to the wind, grazing her cheek with the back of his hand. "I would always choose you."
"My lord." The address became an endearment falling from her lips.
In that moment, Klaus had her, could kiss her if he wished. He held back. She was so beautiful, so innocent in the way she looked up at him. Like a lamb unknowingly coming to its slaughter. He didn't understand this horrible ache in his chest that refused to subside. Was this the sickness that befell Elijah and Finn? If so, he wouldn't bear it. Wouldn't stand for it one minute longer. Damn the consequences, he would kill her now. He pulled back from her, turning his head and forcing his fangs to elongate and his bloodlust to come to the surface. He focused on the beating of her heart, the blood rushing through her veins, anything but the look of sincerity and trust on her face.
The rustle of grasses and bushes, and the sound of frantic hoofs on the ground startled him. There was an animal bearing down on them. Had the horses attracted it or maybe they stumbled to close to the things home. Caroline froze next to him and even with his vampiric instincts so close to the surface he remembered her ignorance of his true nature. With expert precision, he pulled his dagger from its sheath. A wild boar crashed through the trees towards them and he pulled back his arm waiting for the right moment. It came within seconds. The animal feet from them, he threw his dagger. With deadly precision he aimed for right between the animal's eyes. The boar squealed, falling to the ground inches from them.
Klaus turned to Caroline, sure that she would be thrilled and grateful at his heroic kill. Her eyes were wide with shock, her complexion drained of all color and her body stiff with fear.
"My lady?"
Caroline didn't even blink. She stared at him blankly.
He saw this before. Caroline was in shock, stuck in the horror of the moment. Klaus cupped her face in his hands, staring deep into her icy, blue eyes. "Caroline," he soothed. "You are safe. I swear it. Nothing can hurt you, not now."
She at last blinked, her eyes focusing on Klaus' face. Her limbs trembled and when she swayed on her feet, Klaus gathered her into his arms. He moved her away from the dead carcass, back towards their horses. She was so tiny, like a small helpless bird in his embrace. Seeing her like this battered at the defenses he built around his heart. He no longer needed to kill and hurt her. Was this a change of heart? He couldn't bear to see her so quiet, so still and empty. Like the prince in a fairy story, he wanted to awaken her, bring her back to life. Pressing his lips against her hair, he held her close to his chest.
"Niklaus." Tears filled her eyes.
His name on her lips did something to him, stirred in him an intense need to protect her, to make her happy. Bring a smile once more to her face.
"You are safe," he repeated again, hoping to calm her.
"I thought I was going to die, just like my mother." Caroline could no longer hold back her tears and they streamed down her face. "She was attacked by a wild boar. The thing knocked her from her horse and trampled her."
"You are not going to die. I promise, the animal is dead. I killed it myself."
"Yes," she replied, but she was still reliving the ordeal.
Klaus lowered her to the ground and when she slipped from his arms, he felt the loss like a piece of his flesh was torn away. What was she doing to him? He wanted to curse at her, shake her and get her to explain this hold she had on him. He reached out with his leather, gloved hand and wiped her tears away.
"Thank you." Caroline took one step towards him and then another until she stood directly beneath him. She gazed up at him, her eyes soft and shining. When she reached out to stroke his rough cheek his heart knew a dull ache. Standing on her tiptoes, she brushed her lips against his in a chaste kiss. The feather-light touch, so sweet and trusting, struck him to his core. Raw emotion flooded him, his senses reeling at the onslaught. For the first time in centuries, in the darkest places of his being, he felt a flicker of light. Something was happening to him, changing him and he seemed powerless to stop it.
Caroline stepped away from him, lowering her eyes. Her cheeks flushed a dark pink. "Forgive me. I don't know what I was thinking."
There was no calculation in what Klaus did next. Swooping down he caught her mouth with his, cupping her face with his hands. With all the gentleness he possessed he rained kisses down on her soft lips with tiny, delicate touches. A soft sigh floated on the air when her mouth opened to his. He took his time, suckling on her bottom lip before moving to taste her. She was sunshine, honey and wine all mingled together. At the caress of his tongue on hers, she unfurled before him like a blossom to the morning light. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers weaving into his hair, pulling him even closer to her.
The press of her lithe figure against his own, her small breasts jutting against his chest and her hips molding to his was enough to drive him crazy with desire. Klaus deepened the kiss, his hands smoothing their way down the curve of her spine and she moaned against his mouth. He had never known such strong want, such an overwhelming desire to possess. He couldn't take her like this. Not here on the forest floor with the stench of death in the air. For her, there should be the romance of moonlight, the sensual touch of fine silken sheets and no threat of rude interruption. Something he couldn't guarantee. Even now the vibration of hoofs in the ground and the faint sound of barking approached. While still out of normal hearing range, the Royal hunt was drawing closer.
Klaus pulled his mouth from hers and Caroline made a small sound of protest. She moved to step away from him and he held her tighter in his arms, not wishing to let her go just yet. "Now it is my turn to ask your forgiveness," he rumbled in a deep voice against her silky hair.
"My lord, there is nothing to forgive. Except maybe the fact that you stopped." With shyness, she hid her head in his chest.
"I am, my lord, to you once again? After the most exquisite kiss I have ever experienced?"
Caroline pulled away from him, turning her head to look at him anger. "You are mocking me? You must know I am an innocent in these things and as such you shouldn't tease me so."
He wished he were. It was beyond comprehension to him that someone so completely naïve in the ways of passion and seduction should hold him in such thrall. "Caroline – "
"I didn't give you permission to call me by my name," she threw at him. She whirled around to head back to where their horses waited.
"Caroline." Klaus moved to follow after her.
She stopped in front of her horse, an annoyed look on her face when she faced with the reality that she had no way to mount her horse without him. "My lord," she said stiffly, when he stepped in front of her. "If you would kindly assist me."
Wrapping his hands around her waist, he trapped her between himself and her horse. Avoiding his gaze, she huffed with annoyance when he didn't immediately lift her into the saddle.
"Caroline, I would never mock you." At these words, she seemed to melt a little. He didn't know what to say to reassure her other than the whole confusing and disturbing truth. "What passed between us, the kiss we shared, it was like none other I have ever experienced."
Caroline's eyes darted suspiciously to his, looking for signs of his honesty and he kept his gaze steady on her. He needed her to believe him, needed her to see his sincerity in this. It was the one thing he could be honest with her about.
"What of all the women you have kissed back home at the French court?"
Klaus laughed. Caroline was jealous. Jealous of women whose lips he didn't even remember, women who gave him only a fleeting moment of pleasure when he first bit into them and their blood spurted into his mouth. "There are no other women, no other kisses that could possibly compare to this."
He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her with a slow, savoring kiss. Her body liquefied in his arms, her hands finding their way to his chest and she opened her mouth, enticing him to enter. He submitted, sliding his tongue silkily against hers. He tangled his hands in her hair, angling her head so that he could seek out the depths of her mouth. When she breathed, he stole her breath.
Even as he lost himself in the kiss, he couldn't help but wonder what he was doing? He knew he desired Caroline's body and her blood and now he wanted more than that. He wanted to possess all of her. He was very much afraid that he would only ever know peace within her arms.
Groan in frustration, Klaus pulled his mouth from hers. The Queen's hunting party was bearing down on them and if he was ever to be allowed near Caroline again they couldn't be caught in such a delicate position.
"The Queen is coming." He cupping her face with his hand and stroking his thumb across the satin skin of her cheek. "If you truly wish me gone from your life and court you can denounce me in minutes. Or give me a chance, Caroline. Allow me to prove to you that for me, there is only you." He took a grave risk by placing such power in her hands. Caroline had only to say the word and he would be banished from Elizabeth's court and from her presence. He needed to know if she would chose him.
Looking up at him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes dark with passion she desired him. Was that enough for her? He didn't want to compel or influence her. He wanted her to offer herself up to him of her own free will. For some reason, this was important to him.
She hesitated for a moment, composing herself, before she at last spoke, "I don't know what has come over me that I should act in such a brazen manner with you, my Lord. It is not my habit to kiss gentleman I have just met."
"But, you did. You kissed me first."
Caroline bit her lip, nodded in agreement. "There is something between us, something I do not understand and the power of it scares me. To lose the chance to figure out what this all means, to lose you, scares me more, my lord. I have no choice, but to choose you."
Klaus lightened in his being at her words, her choice. She chose him, willingly and without compulsion. He wanted to kiss her again, show her how much her answer pleased him. There was little time now. He knew he grinned like a fool when he lifted her into her saddle, but he didn't care. "You won't regret your decision."
He un-tied the reins from the tree they were tied too, handing Caroline hers before he mounted his horse. The hunting part thundered through the trees. The dogs, scenting the dead boar barked frantically, running off to find the carcass and several of the huntsmen followed.
"Ah, Monsieur le Vicomte, I trust you have taken good care of Lady Caroline in my absence?" The Queen greeted, her bright eyes flitting from Klaus to Caroline and then back again.
"Your Majesty, he saved my life. A wild boar flew at us from the trees and he managed to kill it with one throw of his dagger." Caroline towards Klaus with a proud look on her face. "If not for him, I am sure I would have suffered the same fate as my mother."
The Queen inhaled sharply. "This is true, Monsieur le Vicomte?"
Klaus inclined his head.
"Then we are in your debt." The Queen turned to peer at Caroline, the stiff features of her face softening with concern. "You are unharmed, Lady Caroline?"
The Queen could see that Caroline was physically unharmed so she must be worried about her Goddaughter's mental state. She had to know how fragile Caroline still was over her mother's attack and death.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Caroline offered the Queen a reassuring smile.
The pack of dogs returned, the huntsmen in tow. One of the men carried Klaus's bloody weapon in his hands.
"The dagger belongs to Monsieur le Vicomte de Beaumont. Return it to him," The Queen commanded.
The huntsman who carried the dagger moved towards Klaus, wiping the blood from it on his tunic before handing the weapon over. Klaus slid the dagger back into its scabbard.
"Taylor and Smith escort Lady Caroline back to the palace." Caroline opened her mouth to protest, but the Queen held up her hand, cutting her off. "She has had enough excitement for the day."
Caroline turned her horse towards the group of huntsmen. Taylor and Smith separated from their fellow hunters, taking a position on either side of her guiding her back to Whitehall. The Queen spurred her horse forward in the opposite direction and the rest of the hunting party followed her. Klaus yearned to follow Caroline back to the palace. Except he couldn't leave the hunting party without the Queen's permission. He watched Caroline's small figure until the trees of the forest swallowed her from sight.
Klaus straightened, pulling himself out of his memory when Liz Forbes' car pulled into the driveway. He needed to leave because if Liz found him here, Caroline would never forgive him. That needed to change. Tomorrow he would make it clear to Caroline that they needed to involve her mother in her protection. He was very worried that there would be another attack soon and he needed to have complete access to Caroline at all times to protect her. That would require Liz's permission. Having spent countless lifetimes without Caroline, he wasn't about to risk losing her now.
He brushed his lips lightly against Caroline's. It was not a kiss good-bye, but one that held all the promise of things to come.
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Caroline tossed and turned, at last sinking into the darkness of sleep.
Bright colors flashed and all the shades of the rainbow swirled before her eyes. The lilting strains of a lute, the melodic strumming of a guitar and the thumping of drums filled her ears. Above her, hundreds of candles were mounted in iron chandeliers, bathing the stone room in golden light. She was surrounded by crowds of courtiers dressed in fantastical costumes, their faces hidden by masks. There were hepherds and shepherdesses, mermaids and mermen and numerous Arthurs and Guineveres. At the center of it all was the Queen, dressed as the Goddess Diana in a silver-feathered mask and matching flowing robe embroidered with crescent moons.
Caroline wandered the crowd, her white silk gown swishing around her. Focusing her gaze, she scanned the costumed nobility for Niklaus. She would recognize him anywhere, even in a mask. The beauty of his piercing blue eyes was impossible to hide. Or, the way he looked at her. Like she was responsible for every breath he took. It made her quiver from the inside out. He saw not only the physical with her, but also what was deep in her heart. With every passing day, he knew her better than she knew herself.
She didn't have to seek him out. She nearly swooned at his gaze, the heat that scorched her through the silk of her gown. The music in her ears lowered to a distant hum, the air around her stilled and the courtiers that lay between them faded away. The crowd parted for him like the Red Sea when he strode regally towards her. He wore all black velvet with an antique looking gold crown on his head. On his face was a midnight colored mask. When he moved towards her, the candles above flickered, shadowing his face in darkness. It reminded her sharply of one of the black woodcuts of death found in Father Leonard's biblical book of Revelations. She shivered, her heart crashing into her chest. When they were at last face to face, she was completely at a loss for words.
"My lady." He offered her a courtly bow, his deference very much at odds with the devilish smirk upon his face.
Lowering her eyes, she dipped into a curtsy. "My lord."
"Tonight you may address me as My Lord Hades," Klaus teased. "And from your costume it looks as if I have found my," he softened his voice to a purr, "bride."
Caroline face burned at the way his gaze boldly roved over her figure. It made her very aware of how naked she was in her costume. She wore no hoop or farthingale under her gown. Only a silk Grecian dress adorned with handmade silk flowers. Her hair was loose and unbound, hanging down her back and on her head was a wreath fashioned of the Queen's white and pink roses.
It all made sense now to her that the Queen insisted on this costume. Caroline planned to go as a fairy with silken wings, but her Majesty dismissed the idea and went so far as to have this gown made for her. She even placed the wreath of roses on Caroline's head herself.
"A very unwilling one if I remember correctly," Caroline countered in a playful tone. "Hades stole Persephone from her friends and family, forcing her to live in darkness for most of the year.
Klaus frowned. "She was only unwilling in the beginning. Once she saw Hade's great love for her, understood how much she meant to him, she returned his love."
"Did she? Or did Hades leave her no choice? She was alone in his kingdom, completely dependent on him and his will. She had no one else but the dark creatures of hell to keep her company. Living like this it is no wonder she developed feelings for him. Except, were they of her own free will?"
"How could she not return his affections?" Klaus's asked, his voice throbbing with passion, his eyes glittering like a starry night. "Hades loved her so much he risked the wrath of the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus to have her. He gave her everything she could have wished for, showering her with gifts and precious jewels, making her Queen of his kingdom and his heart."
Klaus's words, his silken voice, wrapped around her her seductively, like a wisp of smoke. Self-consciously her fingertips went to the necklace wrapped around her throat.
"It was with gifts just like this that Hades wooed his bride." Klaus hooked a finger under one of the pearl strands of her necklace, lifting it from where it lay across her décolleté.
Caroline's breath quickened in her breast at the intimate gesture. The necklace arrived that morning at the Queen's dressing chambers addressed to her. She would never have accepted such a costly gift if not for the fact it carried no sign of who it was from. The Queen was most excited at the gift, encouraging her to wear it. Made of three pearl strands and adorned with a huge emerald set in gold filigree it cost a small fortune.
"Did you send this to me?"
"It looks beautiful on you." Klaus curved his lips into a smile. "A gift fit for a Queen." He released the strand of pearls and it fell against her breast. Hot from his touch, it scorched her skin.
Desire burst in her, igniting sparks of fire that danced over her sensitive flesh. "If it wasn't you who sent it…perhaps it was Lord Randolph?" Caroline questioned, her tone light and teasing. "He does always stare at me so."
Even in the flickering candlelight she could see his face harden, his eyes gleaming with all the violence of a predator. Her breath stilled in her throat.
"I will cut out his eyes the next time he so much as glances at you," Klaus growled low in his throat.
For the first time since she met him, a slither of fear wound its way into her heart. He was jealous. She always heard men could be driven wild with jealousy. This was the first time she experienced it herself. That she could evoke such an emotion from Niklaus thrilled her. It gave her a dangerous power over him.
"You're jealous." Caroline was playing with fire and she couldn't stop.
Niklaus grasped her wrist, yanking her from the crowd that surrounded them. He took dragged her out of the Presence Chamber. She should protest, stop him from removing her from the masquerade. Except her heart thundered with excitement, every nerve ending within shivering with fear and desire. At last, he led her into an empty hallway. There were no candles lit here, the only light came from the moonlight streaming in from the high arched windows above. Caroline blinked her eyes, adjusting to the darkness. From the distant hum of conversation and fading music they were far enough from the Queen that there was little chance of being discovered.
Niklaus pressed her against the cold stonewall, trapping her with his body and she gasped.
"Shall I take you as Hades took Persephone?" Klaus asked, a threat in the silk of his voice. "Take you away from your beloved Queen and everything you hold dear? Imprison you where no male mortal shall ever be able to gaze on you again?"
Caroline shivered and wondered what monster in Niklaus she provoked with her teasing. He spoke as if he truly could steal her away. For a fanciful moment, she almost believed him.
"If you did that, you would never gain my love."
"Not even with gifts like this?" Klaus' fingertips traced the edge of her pearl necklace with a feather light touch and Caroline held her breath. "Or kisses like this one?"
His mouth swooped down to catch hers, his lips moving over hers hungrily. He kissed her with ferociousness, a passion unlike any she experienced with him before. His tongue masterfully caught hers with a forceful caress and her body, instead of denying him, melted into him. Pressed against him, her breasts swelled against the hard planes of his chest. Her whole being burned at his kiss and she ached, every part of her yearning for something she couldn't put into words. When he pulled his lips from hers, she sighed at the loss.
"I will have you, Caroline," Klaus vowed.
Caroline trembled at his words. Before she could formulate a response his mouth sought hers once more, harsh and demanding. Without thought, her arms wound around his neck, pulling him even closer to her. Pressed so tightly against him, his lean, muscular body rubbing slightly against hers, she was overcome with brand new sensations. Her skin tingled, her whole body vibrating with want. His mouth mated to hers and together they found a rhythm that stole her breath. Her loose gown became tight constraining her when every inch of her highly sensitized skin wanted his touch. What was he doing to her? She never felt so wild, so wanton before.
Klaus drew back his head to stare at her, his eyes ringed with gold in the moonlight. The look of need, the desire she saw there, scared her. What they felt for one another was not natural. It couldn't be. Were they damned? Father Leonard often warned her of the devil. It must live inside of her because she would sell her soul to have Niklaus look at her like that forever. When he pressed his lips to her throat, lightly nipping with his teeth, she swooned against the wall.
Klaus wrapped his arm around her waist, steadying her. He sought and found a sensitive spot in the curve of her neck, suckling the delicate skin between his lips. Black spots assaulted her vision and she struggled to breathe. His tongue swirled lightly over her flesh, teeth scraping and she fisted her fingers in his hair. Exquisite pleasure flooded her body and she tugged at his curls.
One of his hands cupped her breast, his thumb raking a hardened nipple through the silk of her gown. Caroline made an incoherent sound that came from some deep place within her. Greedily, he lowered his head to the tight little bud, curling and uncurling his tongue against the thin material of her bodice, until the gentle friction had her gasping for air. When at last he fastened his mouth to her nipple and sucked, she went still. Paralyzed with exquisite lust.
"Do you know what you want, Caroline? What your body wants?" Niklaus murmured against her breast, his voice thin and frayed.
She wanted him, but she couldn't say it. She knew that to admit to him, to herself, this truth was to give him power over her. Show him that like Persephone to Hades she could be seduced to his will.
Caroline shook her head from side to side.
He made a sound of frustration, his hands lifting her skirts, sliding to cup her bottom. The heated touch of his fingers sliding over her bare skin caused her to buck. He grasped her hips, setting her against the most male part of his body. A choked cry was torn from her lips when he held her tight against him. Her softness against his hardness. When he gently rocked against her now swollen sex she saw stars.
"This is just the beginning of what I can give you," Klaus said roughly.
With maddening slowness, he tilted his hips, grinding against her. Caroline weakly buried her head in his shoulder. She wasn't sure if she should shove him away or push herself brazenly against him. He shifted again, touching her in just the right spot so she could feel the length of him and embarrassment burned in her face. He was so much bigger than she ever dreamed a man could be. While she was familiar with artist renderings of the male body, the reality was so much different. Her mind went blank when his hand slid between their bodies. Her whole body tensed, but he ignored her and ran his fingertip through the soft curls between her legs.
"You mustn't," she said whimpered
With just the tip of his index finger he stroked the nubbin of womanly flesh at the juncture of her thighs. Never touched so intimately before, she couldn't stop him, wouldn't ever stop him. When he continued to touch her, she grasped his shoulders, her fingers clawing into him. He chuckled. When he paused in his ministrations, she cried out.
"Tell me that you want me. Tell me that you are mine." His voice was ragged.
Caroline was hanging on a precipice, her self-control unraveling. She no longer possessed thought or reason. He stole both from her.
"Niklaus," she whispered.
"Not enough."
The truth hit her. With Niklaus, pleasure came with a price and it was one she was afraid she would pay over and over again. "
I want you, Niklaus."
Refusing to look at him, she knew he smiled at her capitulation.
His fingertip fluttered over her tight sex and she moved against his hand. He encouraged her, rocking her back and forth against him while he whispered her name over and over. She was incoherent, her whole body tensing. Her her vision blackened, pleasure soaring through her. She flew higher and higher. When at last she could take it no longer she shattered, lost herself and fell through the stars. She couldn't move, couldn't think. Everything was vibrantly more intense than ever before. Ripples of satisfaction spread throughout her body. When she was still, Klaus slowly lowered her to the ground. She was afraid she would fall over, but he steadied her, spanning her waist with his hands. Looking up at him, she found his gaze resting on her.
"You're mine, Caroline. Don't ever forget it."
Bright light flash before her eyes and Caroline fell through darkness. With a gasp, she sat upright in her bed, her gaze falling to where Klaus at earlier. Whipping her head around, she searched the moonlit darkness for him. He was here somewhere. How else to explain the dream she had? She couldn't have in a million years dreamed that on her own, could she? It had to come from him. That girl, the Caroline in the dream, was the one from earlier. When she was in his head. Why would she dream of that woman? Dream that woman was her? None of it made sense unless Klaus was somehow manipulating her dreams. She wasn't sure what bothered her the most. That he had sent her the dream or the fact that it left her breathless, every nerve in her body screaming for more of his touch. Either way, she was going to close her eyes and force another sex dream. This time it was going to be with Tyler and it was going to be even more amazing.