A/N: Thanks so much for reading and still wanting to know how this story is going to play out. A lot of people seem to want to see Klaus feeling possessive so that will definitely happen in a later chapter. And now onto the story.
Twelve werewolves were strewn about their hotel suite. If Caroline hadn't known each of them had their necks snapped only moments ago she might have thought they were sleeping after partying a little too hard. But there was no sound of breathing, no movement of their chests to show their lungs expanding and deflating little by little.
This was only a temporary death though. Klaus' blood in their system would wake them up again soon enough and then Elena's blood would carry them through the next process. It was what would happen next that she worried about.
Unlike the previous pack that Klaus had turned these ones weren't family and friends to anyone in this town. At least if what they had told them before drinking Klaus' blood was true and Caroline didn't think they would have any reason to lie about that. The blood lust was insane after transitioning and Elena's blood wasn't going to suffice for staving that off. Back in Scotland she had seen that the other hybrids were reluctant to attack their own, able to push down the need for blood for a little while before Klaus' original set had headed over to help train them and she had left with him and Sam. But these ones….what was to stop them from tearing apart anyone they saw?
"Is there a hospital nearby?" she finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room while they waited.
"Back where we came from," Klaus informed her, looking up from his sketchbook. Sam's focus remained on Elena's blood that he was carefully pouring into cups, though she had a feeling that he was listening to the conversation.
That was over an hour away, two with the return trip, and while she could always flash there and back she wasn't sure how many blood bags she could abscond with in that time. "So how are we feeding all of them with the like four bags that we have in the fridge?" Because Caroline doubted that the twelve newly turned hybrids would want to share.
Klaus shrugged and looked back at his sketch. "I'm certain that the number of people in the hotel will suffice." He obviously thought that was the end of the conversation considering he started moving pencil against paper again.
"Yeah, no. Cause that's not sending off a big old signal that we're here. Unexplained death of an entire hotel full of customers. Or what? Just going to burn the place to the ground when we're done here. Make it impossible to see how they all died." Would that still alert others like Alaric though? Or Tyler?
Caroline really didn't like the way Klaus' lips curved into a small smile or the amusement in his voice. "They do not need to kill those they eat, Caroline."
"Right. Because that's so easy to do after transition," she muttered, crossing her arms in annoyance as she turned away from him.
She didn't expect for him to place the book down on the couch and head over to her, didn't expect his hands on her arms and for them to glide smoothly up to her shoulders. He was too close again and while part of her welcomed his touch, wanted it badly; there was another part that was desperate for her to step away. "Why don't you go and enjoy the lovely spa that's here, sweetheart," Klaus suggested and she rolled her eyes at that, turning so that she was facing him. That really didn't help considering how close he was standing.
"Don't you need the spa attendants as food for your newbies?" she reminded but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the werewolves waking.
Klaus turned toward them and clapped his hands. "Step one and two seem to have gone just fine."
Caroline watched the uncertainty in the young wolves faces shift to awareness as they remembered what had happened, what they had all agreed to. Klaus motioned for the wolves to head over to Sam who handed out the small cups of blood, just enough to complete the transition. Klaus didn't move from in front of her as the wolves downed the shots and then fell to the floor, writhing in pain as the transition took effect.
She remembered how much Tyler had cried out and it was like watching that happen all over again before yellow flashed in their eyes. The pain was temporary though and within moments they were all happily chatting away in a language that she didn't understand. She could see and could practically feel the relief coming from all of them though, had a feeling that they were all overwhelmed at the idea of never needing to shift during the full moon ever again.
The pretty wolf from the woods stepped forward again and Caroline might not have known precisely what she was saying but her body language was clear enough. The need to please Klaus evident in her eyes, her tone, the way she licked her lips as she looked at him. The possessiveness was back again, winding its way into the very heart of Caroline. Part of her wanted to stamp it out, to force the tendrils of it from making roots but the other part wanted to hold steadfastly to it, to show that Klaus was hers.
Especially when she could see how pleased he was with the newly turned hybrids excitement over their transition.
"Sam, round up a few guests for your new siblings," Klaus ordered and Caroline watched as Sam headed off to do as he was told. "Are you sure you don't want to enjoy some spa time, Caroline? I hear that they're quite good at what they do here."
She felt like she had been slapped in the face at those words. Was he trying to get her out of the room? Was it because he knew she wouldn't approve of them feeding from humans or because he didn't desire to have her around anymore now that he had found some new entertainment? She didn't like how quickly her insecurities could rear their ugly head, how they could try and drag her down, remind her of all the times she had been second best, just not quite good enough for one reason or another.
Klaus must have sensed the shift in her mood because he turned to look at her. "I would rather you remain here but I know how much you abhor feeding from the vein," he told her as he brushed his fingers against her cheek.
"Someone has to be here to make sure you don't let them go overboard," Caroline replied, trying to sound indifferent to everything that was happening, but it didn't quite work. She did want to ensure that no one died that day though.
Klaus simply grinned at her before turning back to the new hybrids. She noted that the girl had moved back to a chair and was watching her curiously for a moment before turning her attention back to Klaus who had started talking. It wasn't long before Sam returned with a group of people and Caroline had a feeling that they were all compelled considering how easily they walked into the room.
Klaus sat down on the chair nearest Caroline as the hotel guests made their way over to a hybrid. Caroline watched them all move, could see the barely contained thirst in the hybrids' eyes as the humans drew nearer to them. Fangs were out and in throats before she knew what was happening. No one screamed, no one even flinched as they were torn into, the compulsion that Sam must have done holding firm.
Caroline swallowed at the smell of blood that was flowing and dug her nails into her palms as she tried to force the need for it down. She could hear Bonnie's disgust in her mind; her mother's worry as well, and couldn't help but wonder what all of her friends would think of this moment. How they might look at her if they saw her standing there, watching others feed on humans and not rushing to push them off. What they would think of how her fangs were itching to fall, how the veins around her eyes were already puffing out with the rush of blood.
She didn't expect for Klaus to pull her down to him, causing her to fall into his lap; didn't expect to see the same need that she felt reflected in his features. Though while her eyes darkened his grew bright, reminding her of moonlight. "Hungry, Caroline?" he murmured, his nose brushing against the length of her neck and she bit back a moan at that.
She was starving, for blood, for his touch; for so much and she knew that he realized that. Blunt teeth scraped against her neck and there was no holding back her moan as her eyes shut at the contact. Her hands were tangled in his shirt, clutching the fabric as the scent of blood and lust surrounded her.
Caroline needed to move, to reel back and force the hybrids off the humans soon, to stop them from killing the guests that they were dining on. It was hard to hold onto that when Klaus's mouth was against her neck, sending delicious little shivers down her spine. His hand sliding under her shirt and touching the skin of her back knocked her into reality quickly though and she pulled away.
"Their heartbeats are too slow," she told Klaus and he sighed at that, clearly annoyed at the moment between them ending. "You said they didn't need to kill."
She was off his lap in seconds and heading to pull a hybrid off a human but Klaus caught her arm and tugged her backwards. He ordered something to the lot of them and Caroline watched as every hybrid stopped feeding. They bit into their wrists before forcing a little blood down their human's throat. Moments later all of the hotel guests were leaving the room and the hybrids were sitting down again, awaiting orders.
"Satisfied?" Klaus asked, looking over at her and she nodded, pleased that no one had died. He looked back at the hybrids and spoke a little longer before the lot of them headed out as well, Sam following behind them.
"Sam is setting them all up in rooms in the hotel. They're not to leave it or snack on anyone for the remainder of our stay," he informed her once they were all gone. "They will eventually though, Caroline. And humans will die here and there. No great loss to anyone."
"It's a loss to whoever they leave behind," Caroline pointed out, not wanting to have this conversation.
"Their human relatives will continue on, living and dying in their measly amount of years," Klaus replied with a wave of his hand. "We're the predators. They're the prey. I won't force you to feed from a human. We've both seen how well that works in my favor. But I will not prevent my hybrids from doing what comes naturally to them."
"Then why didn't you just let the hotel guests die?" she muttered, arms crossed against her chest as she glared at him.
"Because you were right about not wanting to leave any trace of our presence here. Compelled to forget and a little anemic for a bit is much preferable to a massive death count right now," he replied with a smirk. "I've managed to do this for a thousand years, Caroline. I do know what I am doing."
She knew that. Considering how he'd needed to run from Mikael, to keep hidden from him, it only made sense that Klaus wasn't an idiot about deaths like Damon seemed to be. Caroline didn't even want to know how many Mystic Falls' civilians were dead at that Salvatore's hands. She knew that her mother had a number of unsolved disappearances on her caseload but it wasn't like anything really pointed to a vampire disposing of them. Quite the coincidence that the number of disappearances had spiked after he'd returned to the town though. Even if he did have the cooler full of blood bags.
"What are you going to do though? With these new ones?" Would there be another phone call to bring hybrids to train these ones as well?
"I'll personally be seeing to these ones training," Klaus informed her and she frowned at that, not entirely sure what that would entail. "Don't worry. It won't interfere with our travels. In fact, I think we'll head to France in the morning. I own an estate there that will work perfectly for what needs to happen next."
France.
Caroline couldn't help but be excited about heading there. It was a country she had always dreamed of but never really thought she would ever set foot in. Now she would. Even though it seemed like it would be for some sort of training camp instead of wine and castle tours.
She had been so lost in her thoughts about it that she hadn't noticed Klaus invade her personal space all over again. "Are you still hungry?" Klaus asked and she noted how her gums were aching for blood. "You didn't get a bite to eat earlier."
There was no point in denying that she was starving still. There were blood bags in the fridge for her to have and they would do the trick, even if they would never be as satisfying as fresh from the vein. "I'll just grab a bag in a few."
She should have known something was up by the way Klaus was smirking, that blood bags were not what he had in mind for her. She didn't expect him to sink his fangs into his own lip, drawing blood that had her gasping at the sight and smell before he kissed her. She could taste his blood and her fangs descended before she knew what was happening, tongue desperately trying to draw it all into her mouth before the wounds closed up.
He tugged at her hair, pulling her head back just enough so that she couldn't reach his lips any longer. Blood was smeared against his mouth and she licked her own, tasting his blood there as well. She watched him, confused as to what he was doing as he kept his hand in her hair, his other moving up to brush her cheek.
"You're magnificent, Caroline," he told her and then he was guiding her head toward his neck. The sound of blood pumping right under his skin there was too much to ignore as with the taste of him in her mouth already. She sank her fangs into his skin as he settled them down onto the couch. His hand in her hair loosened as she continued to drink. "If only you would let yourself go."
She wasn't paying attention to his words, her focus on the blood sliding down her throat, on the scent of him enveloping her. His hands were under her shirt and moving up the skin of her back before he maneuvered them so that she was lying beneath him on the couch even as she continued to drink her fill. He detached her from his neck and she snapped at him, desperate for more. Her disagreeable utterance never quite came to fruition as Klaus' mouth crashed down against hers. Her fangs banged against his own but it was the feel of him settling between her thighs that had her crying out into his mouth.
It was also what snapped her back into reality and pushing at his shoulders as she panted, trying to catch her breath and her bearings.
Klaus shifted back away from her, his fangs still out and eyes too bright. She moved out from beneath him and got up from the couch. "Tired, sweetheart?"
That did seem to be her usual excuse for whenever she pulled away from him. "No." He was leaning back against the couch now, arm draped across it as he watched her. "Not ready though."
Honesty really was the best policy. Usually at least.
Because if she went over that line with him there would be no going back and she wasn't ready yet to make that giant leap. There was still so much that she needed to figure out, that she needed to deal with. Because Caroline wasn't stupid. She knew that once she did let go in the way he seemed to want her to that he would never ever let her go.
"I'm going to go take a bath." Alone and away from Klaus and every inch of him that tempted her to stop fighting for control that she desperately clung to. "Can you order us room service?"
"Anything in particular?" Klaus watched her, no doubt trying to read what was going on in her head.
"Surprise me. Though not like…the server's head on a platter." Cause no.
He simply quirked a brow at her and she grinned before heading off to the bathroom. She needed to call her mom. Maybe Elena or Bonnie too. Needed to speak with them and hope that they could help reground her, at least for a little longer. Weeks alone with Klaus and she could already feel her belief of right and wrong being shifted, the black and white way she had always seen the world mixing into shades of grey.
It terrified and exhilarated her all at once.
What would she become if she finally cast off the shackles of the good vampire? If she finally allowed herself to truly experience everything that she wanted, that she craved, no matter how wrong she would have thought of it if she had still been human? What if she finally stopped trying to play the part of a human girl and let herself just be?
Would her mother ever be able to look her again? Would Liz Forbes be able to love her still? Because in the end, regardless of anyone else's opinion including Bonnie or Elena's, what mattered most to Caroline was that she still had her mother on her side. That Liz never looked at her in terror or with such heartbreak as she had down in the Lockwood cellar when she'd outed herself as a vampire. Could she ever truly grow if she kept holding on to the girl her mother loved?
Caroline turned the water on and watched it flow into the large tub. She could hear Klaus ordering room service and tuned him out, tuned everything else out that was happening around her as she peeled off her clothes. She added some body wash to the stream of water, letting it fill the tub with scented bubbles before she sank down into it, trying to let the worries on her mind wash away.
The addition of twelve more hybrids to his army would have been enough of an accomplishment for the day. But having Caroline let go of her finely tuned control for even a few moments was a breathtaking experience that had Klaus anticipating when she would finally allow all of her trappings to be flung free. Waiting for the walls she had erected around her to fall down was a tiresome process but he had already learned that there was no point in trying to bulldoze through them. Chipping away slowly at them, opening her eyes to new experiences, to parts of herself that she tried to lock away got him farther than anything else.
It was like watching a butterfly push its way out of a chrysalis. It took time, it took quite a bit of effort and if one tried to hurry it along the butterfly would become damaged, not quite the perfect specimen that it should be. But if allowed to break free on its own perfection would follow.
With Caroline that meant getting her to slowly accept what she had become now, that she was a vampire and not the teenage girl part of her still clung viciously to. It meant slowly binding her to him, making it so she would never wish to leave his side.
She wouldn't drink from humans but he could tempt her with drinking from the vein still by using his own, something Klaus was finding to be incredibly erotic. Having her fangs deep inside of him, her pulling at his blood was sensation that he would never be able to capture in any of his sketches. It had him wanting to sink his own into her at the same time, to let the blood flow between the two of them.
Blood sharing was something he didn't do. Not in the way he wanted with her now. Offering up some blood in a vial or forcing it down someone's throat was one thing. He reveled in the power he had over life and death in those situations. But with Caroline it was different. There was still the tinge of power that he wanted to have over her. He also wanted the intimacy of it, the completeness that others had spoken of before. Klaus had always balked at their discussions about it; saw no use in letting anyone put him in such a vulnerable position. Especially not someone who was far weaker than he was but the desire to share blood with Caroline was becoming hard to suppress.
"Make sure they're all ready to leave by eight tomorrow," Klaus told Sam as he looked down at the various doors in the hallway. All of the hybrids were safely tucked away and seemed to be following his orders. No current upstarts like the unfortunate Lockwood boy in this group.
Sam nodded and Klaus headed back to the elevator and up to his suite with Caroline. She was already in her room and from the state of her breathing fast asleep. She had been a bit distant after her bath at first but once room service had been rolled in the usual snappy conversation had taken hold again. Caroline had kept her distance though and Klaus couldn't help but notice how she kept away from him as they ate and talked. He'd also noted the way her hands had trembled slightly as she looked at him, though he hadn't smelled any fear.
Klaus stopped at the door to her room, listening to her toss and turn in her sleep. It was the low moan followed by his name mixed with her arousal that had Klaus arching a brow. He quietly opened the door, finding her still asleep, smiling before she moaned quietly again.
It took no effort for him to delve into her dreams and it took all of his self-control not to take them over when he saw what she was dreaming of. She was lying naked on the hotel room bed with him between her thighs, thoroughly enjoying her body and the little sounds of encouragement that she was making.
Klaus lingered for a moment, taking note of what it was she desired, how she came undone as her dream version of himself sank his teeth into her thigh. Then he pulled back out, leaving Caroline to her darker desires. Klaus drew his fingers down her face, enjoying the way she leaned into his touch.
He didn't think it would be that much longer before she was his; mind, body and soul. He just needed to keep on chipping away at her defenses and planting himself more thoroughly into her life. That loyalty she handed so easily to her friends would transfer to him and unlike the hybrids, unlike his siblings; she would remain at his side for eternity.
But first he needed a cold shower.