Viktor's lips curled into a wolfish grin and he rose from his desk chair when Adalind Schade walked into his office, paying close attention to every detail. Her crystalline blue eyes were wide open, she was dressed sharply, and not one of her straight blonde hairs was out of place. He could see her breath catch slightly upon seeing him, slowly closing her parted lips as her eyes softened. Perhaps she was attracted to him, perhaps she wasn't and was looking to charm him. He was more handsome than Eric, not that appearance ever stopped royal men from taking a multitude of beautiful women to bed.

"Hello, Miss Schade, I've been looking forward to meeting you." Viktor greeted the attractive blonde at the doorway of his office. "My name is Viktor, I have taken Eric's place as crown prince. I suggest you sit down, we have much to discuss."

Though her features softened upon seeing him, Viktor could see her anxiety return after he greeted her and instructed her to sit down. Adalind sat down in the chair directly across from his desk, she kept her eyes on him as though he were a serpent that would bite the moment she lost focus.

"I wondered who would take Eric's place." Adalind said. "You seem to know more about me than I know about you."

Viktor approached her.

"Eric and I were second cousins on my mother's side, we were quite close." Viktor explained. "I was devastated by his passing in such a... violent, obscene way."

Eric and Viktor were close in childhood, often in the same boarding schools, only two years separating them. Viktor, being the elder of the two, was tasked with keeping Eric in check, something that would have been easier if the boy didn't have such a strong will and a petulant attitude when not getting his way. Viktor would join his cousin whenever he snuck out of their dormitories at night, as young boys they would go to restricted areas of the school, into the woods, go swimming in the lake. When they became teenagers, those trips often included alcohol and girls from the neighboring boarding school.

They grew further apart in their college years, a rift came between them, they had very different views about which direction the family should go. Eric was more of a traditionalist, wanting to keep more to the Wesen world and strictly reclaiming control in Europe than expanding into North America like Viktor wanted. Viktor's ambitions were greater given the scope of influence, but Eric's ambitions were greater in regards to open displays of power.

While it pained Viktor to see his cousin murdered, he was significantly more distressed by the idea of the same happening to him. Eric was out of the way, Viktor now had the potential to execute his shadowy agenda.

"I will do everything in my power to bring to justice the men responsible for this act." He circled around the chair Adalind was seated in. Even when he was behind her, she could feel his eyes practically cutting into her. "Or women." His voice dripped with accusatory venom. Adalind finally had the viper back in her sights when he walked in the direction of a small table, a silver platter with several options of liquor in priceless crystal bottles rested on the dark wood. "That being said, I wish to retain your legal services to the family, you'll stay on in your present position."

"I'll be counting on you to honor your relationship with Eric." Viktor poured liquor into a crystal glass, not offering Adalind so much as water. "Which I understand was... rather intimate." Viktor turned the euphemism into a barb, giving Adalind a knowing look. Adalind looked down, finally breaking the unblinking gaze she fearfully held, somewhat embarrassed at Viktor's knowledge of her affair with Eric. She had noticed the glint of the ring on his middle finger, gold, some kind of a green gemstone of an impressive size, Eric and Sean had similar rings, likely some sort of royal family tradition.

"Police in several countries are putting together their list of suspects, but I too have a list. It is my belief that whatever happened to Eric in Portland had consequences for him here when he returned... I understand you spent time there."

"Yes."

"And you know another cousin of mine, Sean Renard." Viktor raised the crystal glass to his lips.

"Yes." Adalind said it more like a question than a confirmation.

"I think of him more as a half-cousin." Viktor's voice made it sound as though he tasted a wrong note in his liquor, casting Adalind a sly glance, Adalind's lips nervously pursed, feeling overanalyzed. "And you encountered Nicholas Burkhardt."

"The Grimm." Adalind nodded, voice piqued with interest.

"Hmm." Viktor took note of her being most interested in the Grimm. He knew the Grimm took her powers, her elevated interest confirmed something Viktor suspected.

She got knocked up with a royal bastard to sell off in exchange for getting her powers back. He didn't know if that was even possible, but he was under the assumption it was. He would have to find out who she was selling the baby to and make sure that person was well aware that they would be cooperating with the family from now on.

There went any hope he might have had that she could be kept around. She was very attractive, the hexenbiest mother of a half-hexenbiest child, it would have made things run more smoothly if she was cooperative, but he would just have to manage without her. He would call on Klara again now that he knew Adalind would not be in the picture, Klara would provide a much-needed outlet should the royal baby prove difficult.

"To get us off on the right foot, I'd like you to put together a list of suspects who you may think had a hand in my cousin's untimely death." Viktor placed his hand on Adalind's shoulder, a gesture of power, one Adalind recognized as such.

"We're going to have so very much to talk about."

After Viktor acquainted himself with Adalind, he made an assortment of phone calls and ordered around the Verrat to find out who Adalind was planning on selling the baby to. Within a matter of days, he discovered it was a woman by the name of Stefania Vaduva Popescu, a name he had heard before given her matriarchal influence among the Romani people who were skilled in magic, having similar talents to hexenbiests despite being human.

Viktor ordered that Popescu be summoned, voice laced with annoyance 'She should not be that hard to find, a week at most, Danilov, or I'll make sure you feel the brunt of your failure.'

As he pinched the bridge of his nose before having another drink, Klara sat on her bed in her apartment, lacking the sumptuousness and warmth of the one she spent previous nights in, the chill of the winter air and sleeping alone got to her. She felt like she was coming down with something, nausea starting to creep through her body.

Instead of trying and failing once again to fall asleep, she called her sister. The time difference was seven hours, so her 11 pm phone call would translate to an inoffensive 4 pm call back home.

She talked to her nieces and nephews, they were all doing well, middle of the school year, cold as all hell. Mark wasn't home from work yet, so Klara had some time to disclose what was happening in Austria.

"I'm hooking up with a guy currently, it's helping me get over Johann." Klara told her sister when she asked if there were any men in her life.

"Good for you. Be careful hooking up with guys, especially at your age." Lil said with a knowing laugh.

"My age? You know, I got over the whole being mad at you for getting pregnant in high school thing-"

"Klara, you're twenty-five and have no kids, the baby rabies are going to set in, if they haven't already." Lil said matter-of-factly to Klara. Klara's jaw dropped and she scoffed.

"Lil! I can't fucking believe you sometimes!" Klara raised her voice, both amused and shocked.

"It's only natural, Klara. Seeing you with my kids, I know damn well you'd be a great mom."

"Well, this guy really isn't an option for a baby daddy, he's both sterile and far out of my league."

"Who is he?"

"Just a guy who works for GQR."

"There's something different about you, I can't put my finger on it, but whatever this 'sterile guy at GQR who's out of your league' did must have been good."

"Oh, you have no idea."

"Tell me everything!"

"He's super kinky."

"I never took you for the kinky type, Klara. You're so uptight and straight edge."

"I never was really into anything kinky either, Johann and I tried some stuff and it didn't pan out, but this guy's the real deal."

"Well, have fun with your infertile kinky boytoy, sounds like a dream. How hot is he?"

"He's not your type, he's not super muscle-y or beardy, but he's definitely hot. Like I said, way out of my league."

"What does he do?"

"He's in upper management." Klara fibbed.

"You know, Klara, men, even those professional kinds of men, would date a girl who worked in a drive thru if she was hot enough, and you're definitely hot enough. Don't sell yourself short, in a lot of ways, you're probably out of his league."

"I'm a reasonably attractive blonde with big boobs, I'm sure he's known very attractive blondes with even bigger boobs."

"Klara, you have an affect on men, one that I had before I had all these damn kids and doubled my weight-"

"Hey, you have an affect on Mark, that man adores you."

"Duh, he's my husband and gave me all the damn kids. Anyways, you have an affect on men, just like me, and you need to get in tune with it like I did, you try to seem all humble but I know you better than that. I love you, but for all your accomplishments in college and work, you seem to just drift around when it comes to love."

"I've only been in long term relationships until now. I don't 'drift around.'"

"Yeah, and those two were weirdo losers who wasted your time. You need to start thinking about the kind of man you want to raise a family with."

Klara felt her phone buzz, it was Viktor.

"Sis, I gotta go, important work call. I love you, bye." Klara abruptly hung up on Lil and answered Viktor's call. "Your highness."

"I'm surprised you're up at such a late hour."

"I'm coming down with some kind of flu, I haven't been able to sleep."

"How unfortunate, I was planning on inviting you over again."

"Pardon me." Klara dropped her phone on the bed, he could hear her vomit in the distance. When she was done retching, she washed her hands and returned to the phone. "I'm sorry, I've come down with something."

"Don't apologize, my dear. You just rest and focus on getting well again." There was genuine tenderness in his voice.

"Thank you." Klara's voice was faint.

"There is still something you can do for me. I want you to touch your body exactly the way I tell you to."

"Yes, sir."

"Start at your collarbones, lazily stroke them with feather-light touches. Imagine it's my hands on your exquisite body."

Klara obeyed, closing her eyes, thinking of his hands, sighing softly, surprised such a gentle touch could feel so good.

"Mmm, good girl." The smile in Viktor's voice transferred over the phone. He sat straighter in his office chair and clicked a button on his laptop that showed the footage taken by the cameras in Klara's room.

There she was, under the covers, wearing a slutty little slip of a nightgown probably, touching her collarbones, her skin had a glow to it despite the flu she was coming down with.

"Tell me what you're wearing."

"A nightgown and a pair of socks."

"Remove the nightgown and keep the socks." Viktor watched her do as she was bid and placed the rumpled nightgown at the end of her bed, her breasts now deliciously exposed to him and she didn't even know it.

"Now give the same attention you gave your collarbones to your chest, just gently stroke the skin, feel for every little spark of pleasure." Viktor's speech slowed, like something thick and sweet slowly dripping down. He undid his trousers and pulled out his hardening cock, stroking it slowly, not wanting to rush anything, his eyes fixed on the screen. "Cup those lovely breasts and just gently squeeze them."

Klara winced in pain when she did, her breasts had been swollen and tender recently, it made wearing bras painful. Viktor noticed her grimace, her full breasts might have been slightly, almost imperceptibly fuller, but he couldn't tell for sure.

Nausea, swollen breasts, vomiting, glowing skin.

No, there was no way in hell, he was sterile.

He continued their game, getting himself off, not perceiving whether or not she got off, his mind was elsewhere, entertaining ideas he probably shouldn't have. Why get his hopes up?

He had to know.

His thoughts were now plagued not with Adalind, her baby, Eric's death, or even his own arousal, there was a woman out there he had days earlier who was displaying early pregnancy symptoms.

She might have taken other men.

The rational part of Viktor's mind was overtaken by the desire to make sure she hadn't been with other men. He reviewed weeks worth of footage, seeing nothing that would indicate she brought a man home, she hadn't even gone out at night save for the date he invited her on. The only other man who had been in her apartment was the man he sent with her gifts.

There must be someone at work.

She did say she hadn't been with someone for nine months. She was very pent up and responsive to his touch, he was inclined to believe she was telling the truth.

She's a common American woman.

He could deal with the consequences of that. He would keep her, marry her, shape her into something more aristocratic, try to keep her out of the royal family's dangerous games the best he could.

She might not want you.

He mocked his rational mind; If she was carrying his child, she wouldn't have a choice.