A/N: Here is the next part. I have nothing witty. I am exhausted. Thanks for reading!
Klaus could practically see the apprehension rolling off Caroline as he led her into the nightclub. They'd easily passed by the bouncer, hadn't even needed to use compulsion to get the two of them inside. There was simply something about the way he carried himself after being in power for so many centuries that often easily opened the doors to these types of places. When one exuded dominance the way that he and his siblings tended to questions weren't asked, IDs weren't needed and the velvet ropes were often pulled aside to allow them access.
He slid an arm around Caroline's waist as soon as they were inside, partly to keep a better eye on her in the crowded space but mostly because he wanted to feel her right there next to him. To feel her perfect curves that he had wanted to touch for far too long in his opinion. Not to mention the way she tensed at the touch, steely gaze quickly directed at him changing to a roll of her eyes when all he did was smirk in response was always gratifying. Klaus couldn't help that he enjoyed her spitfire personality that she had underneath all of that impeccable control.
"What are you in the mood for?" Klaus asked, leading her toward the bar so they could get a better look at the place. "I remember hearing that you enjoy B+. Unfortunately I'm unable to see who has that particular type of blood running through their veins." He felt her shiver against his hand that was gently rubbing the curve of her hip, sliding up her jeans to tease at the sliver of skin between her bottoms and the top she wore. "Male or female? A particular hair color?"
"Let me guess, you favor blondes," she bit out, pushing his hand off of her body.
"Brunettes more often than not," Klaus told her, highly amused by her shrug at that. "There's only one blonde that I'm interested in."
"Your lines are seriously as old as you are," Caroline murmured, crossing her arms against her chest.
"And you're avoiding what we've come here to do," Klaus pointed out, invading her personal space as he leaned toward her. "I know you hear it. The song of their blood rushing as they dance to the music, as they taunt one another with their bodies, most of them working toward a similar rush. I know it calls to you." He tucked back a strand of her hair and then ghosted one finger along her jawline and up to her lips that were locked in a grimace. "Just like I'm sure your pretty little fangs are dying to come out and play."
"Just because they want to doesn't mean that they should," she replied, smacking his hand.
Anyone else and he would have severed their head for doing so, perhaps merely snapped their neck, but with Caroline it only caused him to grin. He didn't want her to cower from him, liked that she felt comfortable enough to act as she did, even when it irritated him to no end.
"And I'm not doing this with you. This is not who I am and just because I'm with you for a freaking year doesn't mean I'll become like you," she snapped, and Klaus continued to grin, arching an eyebrow at her as she started her tirade. That fight in her gaze that seemed to surround her whenever she got like this was one of the things that drew him so closely to her. This spark was something he hadn't seen in entirely too long, hadn't felt this kind of pull toward anyone in far longer than he could remember, and he was beginning to realize that he didn't want it to end.
"I don't drink from humans. I don't compel for my blood source. I don't manipulate people like that. I don't need to be like that." There was something in her gaze then that he couldn't quite pinpoint, an emotion he couldn't quite name, but it was gone before he could decipher it. "So either you'll work with me to get what I need to survive or you'll get to deal with a very grouchy me who isn't going to freaking leave the hotel room. And will eventually desiccate and that'd suck. Kind of puts a big old stop to that dream you have of getting into my pants. Up to you."
Klaus glared at her for that. Not liking the ultimatum she was trying to put on him. She wasn't allowed to be the one in control. This was his game, not hers. "I'm going back to the hotel. Feed from the whole place. I don't care."
She turned on her heel and Klaus grabbed hold of her arm, stopping her exit. "What? Are you going to force me to stay? Are you going to compel me and make everything be just as fake as every other relationship you have?" she demanded, and while he could smell her fear Caroline didn't waver in her harsh gaze, didn't show how terrified she was of that in any of her features.
You don't connect with people because you don't even try to understand them. Her words from the ball echoed in his mind. Klaus released his grip on her, watching her make her way back toward the door and could feel the fury rising within him. No, he wouldn't force anything from her, couldn't seem to allow that to happen. He didn't want to sully what she was even if he wanted it all from her, to consume every part of her.
Klaus didn't want Caroline to become another Stefan. One who he had bonded with and eventually had to break, to lose to the chaos of time because of circumstances out of his control that he'd tried to manipulate with compulsion. Mikael might have been dead but that certainly didn't mean the threats to his own life were over. Not with Alaric out there and the existence of the white oak stake.
He wanted her, though he couldn't quite figure out why he did so. Why he wanted to show her the world was beyond him. This need he had to show her that the small town she had grown up in was nothing compared to what she could have, what he would give her if she'd only give into him, was something he couldn't seem to squash. If anything it only seemed to grow and he couldn't help but despise it a little. It was overriding some of his common sense, some of his usual tactics, and having him work to learn who she was, what she liked, actually attempt to get to know her. And not because he wanted to use her in some scheme like he'd done with countless others before.
Klaus hadn't become intrigued by Caroline because she would get him closer to Elena, nor because she could be handy on controlling Tyler who had become rather unruly lately. He had been interested in the girl in the bed, the strong little thing who he had begun to see parallels with himself after digging into her history just a little.
This small town girl who was meant for a wider world, pushed into a label that didn't quite define her. Tortured by her father, apparently discounted by her mother, always seeming to feel second best to one nowhere near as special as she truly was. Friended and even loved Tyler who should have been her mortal enemy considering the relationship between most werewolves and vampires. Always seeking to be in control.
He should have bedded her months ago and then drank her dry before shoving a stake through her heart or decapitating her. But the thought of ending her life wasn't sitting well with him either, though the idea of feeding from her was stirring up a whole bunch of new possibilities that he wouldn't mind exploring once she finally submitted. He had enjoyed when she'd sank her fangs into him while he'd healed her all those months back and wouldn't mind sinking his into her tender flesh.
But for now he would quench his thirst and his anger on some unsuspecting stranger before heading back to the hotel. Perhaps he'd be nice and pick up some blood bags along the way. She couldn't possibly throw that gift in his face.
To say that Caroline was livid was probably the understatement of the century. She didn't want to feed from anyone; she didn't need to do so. Maybe it had felt amazing the few times she had done so—once before she had any sort of control and the other time to help her friends out—but that hadn't dissuaded the guilt that had nearly overwhelmed her afterward. She might have enjoyed it but every single time she thought back to Damon, back to being that helpless girl in her bedroom, trying to quietly sneak out, afraid of what was going to happen, only to be so viciously attacked by him repeatedly.
She had felt so small, so vulnerable in those moments. He had made her feel like she was nothing important, nothing of consequences, just something to screw around with as he pleased, a living doll and nothing more. She didn't ever want to make anyone else feel that helpless. Not after she'd survived it all and come out stronger.
Maybe it made her less of a vampire to not feed on anyone but it made her feel more human, it made her think that her father had been right in his assessment of her as he was waiting to die, even of Klaus' assessment of her at the ball. Feeding for pleasure or just because she could seemed like it would ruin all of that, turn her into exactly the kind of monster she despised. Caroline knew she might have become one, but that didn't mean she had to be like Damon. He was a different breed.
She had no idea where the hotel was, couldn't quite remember how they had gotten to the castle and then their venture to the club had completely turned her around. It was late and there weren't too many people out on the streets and most that were appeared to be inebriated to her or hurried past before she even thought to ask for directions.
Caroline figured if she kept walking she would eventually come across it, just happy to be away from Klaus and his unending need to tempt her, to provoke her. She really didn't know how she was supposed to survive a year with him, but she knew that she would. He was not allowed to be the end of her.
And she really did need to call her mom.
Even if she couldn't quite face her friends on the phone just yet, Caroline knew she needed to let Liz know that she was okay. Her mom deserved that much at least since she hadn't given her a proper goodbye.
"Look what we have here," came a voice to her left and Caroline sighed, really not in the mood to be hit on.
"Not interested," she muttered, deliberately not looking toward the voice as she continued heading down the street.
"Then you shouldn't have wandered into our territory," the same voice called, and Caroline stiffened at that, taking a deep breath.
Werewolves. Definitely more than one. She would recognize that scent anywhere now.
Great.
"Didn't know it was yours," Caroline tried, still moving but not surprised when three men headed into her path, three more boxing in behind her and still two more on either side of her. "Seriously? I'm just trying to go back to my hotel room."
"Vampires aren't welcome in this city," one of them said.
"We got a strict policy on that," another commented, though she noted that he didn't seem to mind checking out her ass.
"Maybe you should put that on google then. Stamp it on the sign that practically says 'Welcome to Edinburgh' cause I so did not get that memo," Caroline replied, knowing her smart mouth wasn't going to be helping any but she really couldn't stop herself once she got going.
"Seems like someone needs a lesson in manners," one remarked and Caroline sighed. She was so not in the mood for the macho display. She already had to deal with one Alpha male on a constant basis; she really didn't need any others trying to exude that essence around her as well.
"Actually, I'm pretty sure that'd be you since you can't let a lady walk down the street without bothering her," Caroline pointed out as she tried to assess the best way to get away from the group.
"Don't see any ladies around here," replied one. "Only an about to be dead vampire."
Caroline flashed her fangs then, knowing she would need to knock them off balance if she wanted to try and make a run for it. She threw all of her might into one of them, tossing the one next to him to the side. He hit the wall with a loud smack and she was about to flash off when she felt teeth sink into her arm, the venom quickly starting to work its way through her system.
She slammed that one back as well, sending him off of her as she tried not to stumble. She was not allowed to die on some random street in Edinburgh; that much she knew. She was not going down without a fight, no matter the poison that was in her veins. "Bitch," one of them growled and she readied herself to try and snap his neck or fling him away, sensing he was about to lunge at her.
He never got the opportunity and Caroline wasn't sure why at first. She looked around, trying to focus, to keep her balance, and finally spotted Klaus who was quickly disposing of the lot of them. "I allow you out of my sights for thirty minutes," he grumbled, and Caroline had never been so happy to see him even if he was severing heads and other limbs from the group.
She leaned against the wall, watching one try to run in the other direction, the rest of his friends dead on the ground. Klaus was on him in seconds though Caroline noticed that he wasn't killing this one. Instead he was talking to him and if she had more control of her senses in that moment she might have made out what he was saying. But she slid down the wall, landing on the ground with a thud.
Klaus was at her side in seconds or maybe that was a hallucination. Her mother kneeling beside her was definitely one. But Klaus scooping her up as carefully as he could, holding her gently in his arms had to be one as well. "I have you, sweetheart," she thought she heard him murmur before they were moving.
The next thing she knew she was laying on a bed and Klaus was sitting beside her, biting into his own wrist before pulling her toward him. He didn't say a word as he pressed his wound to her mouth and she greedily sucked, hands wrapping around his forearm as she drank. Vaguely she realized he was stroking her hair, that he was murmuring something to her as his blood ran through her, curing the poison that was trying to overcome her.
Exhaustion eventually pulled her down and she fell asleep, not realizing how long he stayed with her, needing to make sure his blood was working, keeping a tight grip on her as he continued to brush her hair.
Once he was certain that all of the werewolf venom was out of Caroline's system, that she was actually sleeping soundly, Klaus finally released his hold on her and left her alone in the bedroom. Finding her surrounded by werewolves had been aggravating enough though he had enjoyed ending that problem even if he would have preferred turning every last one of them. But one had lived and that one would easily lead Klaus to the rest of the pack that was in the area. Seeing that Caroline had been bit though, that had made him see red.
It was one thing for him to have planned it, to know he would be nearby with the cure while he had tested Tyler's bond and gotten what he needed from the Sheriff, not having any real connection to the girl yet. But what if he hadn't left the bar when he did? What if he hadn't bothered to track her by her scent, confident that she hadn't found the hotel yet and knowing he should find her? What if he had simply let her wander about for the night?
The what-if scenarios were driving him up the wall, fueling his anger and he didn't know where to direct it. He couldn't at Caroline who was sleeping. Nor did he want to at the wolf compelled to sit on the couch and not say a word. He needed him for now, had every intention of turning him and siring the boy.
Klaus stalked out toward the boy, silently shaking in fear on the couch, eyes widening in horror as he was spotted. It was gratifying to see. "You will not move from here unless someone comes into this room to do harm to her. And then you will do whatever it takes to make sure she lives, even if you die," Klaus informed the man, watching the compulsion take hold before he left the room and headed toward the elevator.
Thankfully he didn't have to wait long, nor did he even have to take it, pleased when a young couple stumbled off the elevator, clearly inebriated. Not to mention the lack of surveillance on the floor was quite helpful considering his intentions.
Following them back to their room was simple enough and no invitation was needed as he offered to hold open their door so they could stumble inside, easily following them in. While he would have preferred to hear their screams as he killed them, Klaus didn't want to risk alerting anyone to their deaths just yet, nor did he wish to wake Caroline. So he compelled them to be silent and not to run, forcing one to watch the other die before ending that one as well.
Blood stained his shirt and face, he knew he must have looked like quite a sight, and went to the bathroom to wash it off, easily getting rid of the remains of it on his face and simply removing the shirt to destroy later.
He headed back to his suite, bloodlust satisfied for the moment, anger momentarily abated and pleased to find the werewolf still sitting on the couch, hearing Caroline asleep on the bed, unharmed.
"You and I are going to have a lovely little chat, mate," Klaus informed the young man, heading toward the refrigerator. He took out one of the blood bags and poured some of it into one of the champagne flutes on the table with the complimentary champagne he hadn't opened yet. Securing the rest of the blood in the fridge he turned back to the young man, noting the confusion on the boys' face. "I'm sure you sense the vampire in me. Probably also pick up on that wolf, don't you?"
He sat down across from the young man, placing the flute down out of the boy's reach. "I know the rumors spread out around the US already but I'm not sure it's crossed the seas just yet," Klaus continued, watching the young man. "I've got a bit of both in me, vampire, werewolf. An actual living hybrid and by the time I am through with you I'll know precisely where your little pack is." He waved his hand. "Feel free to respond."
"Like hell," the boy started and Klaus simply grinned, amused at the outburst.
"You'll be singing a very different tune in a few moments." Klaus forced his own blood down the boy's throat, watching him sputter and try to figure out what was happening. And then he snapped the boy's neck. It shouldn't be too long after that and he'd have one newly sired hybrid.
And hopefully one grateful blonde vampire upon waking as well, but he wasn't about bet on that outcome just yet. He never could quite tell how Caroline would react sometimes and had a feeling this would be one of those circumstances. He glanced down at the dead wolf on the floor and then toward the open bedroom door, seeing her asleep on the bed. They would have to cut their stay at the hotel short after what he had done but once the boy woke the mission to find the pack would begin and Caroline would be coming along whether she wanted to or not.
Klaus would simply need to make certain that they knew not to harm her. That would be easy enough to put into effect once the pack was sired to him and until then he could use compulsion as could Caroline if she desired. And wouldn't that be something to see?