"Damn it." Klaus growled angrily, kicking a rock. "Where are these damn werewolves?"
"There aren't any here." A soft, feminine voice spoke behind him.
Klaus spun quickly, surprised he didn't sense anyone so near. His fangs were bared as black veins spread below his eyes.
His brows furrowed in confusion when the girl showed no sign of being afraid. Instead, her head tilted slightly to the side, curiously.
She took slow steps toward him until they stood only inches apart. Small hands reached up, fingers sliding across his cheek bones softly.
"Are you a vampire?"
Yes, I am. Why are you not afraid of me?" He couldn't understand her behavior.
She smiled, even though her eyes showed sadness. "I'm used to vampires attacking me. Guess I must taste good." Her hands dropped to her sides, and she shrugged, eyes cast downward.
Klaus relaxed, standing up straight and hiding his fangs again. He placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head upward. Brown eyes met his blue eyes. "Now who would want to hurt such a beautiful creature?" He smirked as her face grew red.
"You don't have to make fun of me." She huffed and swatted his hand away like one would a fly. Turning her back to him, she began to walk away.
Klaus ran after her, but at human speed so as not to startle her. "Wait, you said there are no werewolves here. I've heard rumors that state otherwise." He kept a steady pace next to her as they continued their way closer to the trees.
"The only thing here is shapeshifters, though they do take the form of wolves; they're about the size of a car."
Klaus sighed. Yes, I understand the mix up now. I'll have to try somewhere new."
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that there are real werewolves as well since I already know about vampires and shifters. Though…" She glanced at him, never slowing her pace. "I've never seen your kind of vampire before."
"Ahh, no wonder you've been attacked. Cold ones," Klaus scoffed. "Febel weaklings. They are not true vampires."
The girl stopped in her tracks, turning to face him. Her eyes were serious. "Weak? You're stronger than a cold one?"
See, darling, my kind get stronger the older we are."
"That's amazing." She sounded awed.
Klaus chuckled. "Having a cold one problem, I'm assuming?"
"Not lately." Bella shrugged.
Klaus went to speak but was cut off by a growl behind him. They both turned at the same time to see a cold one standing there in the field.
"Laurent?" Bella asked.
"I've finally found you; Victoria will be pleased."
"Victoria? Why is she around?" He could hear the confusion in her voice.
"To kill you, of course. Mate for a mate, though." Laurent hummed for a moment in thought. "You smell as delicious as I remember. I could eat you now as an act of mercy. Victoria will want to torture you." They watched as he licked his lips in hunger.
Klaus just sighed, as if bored. "No cold one problem, hmm." He mocked.
"No need to be a dick about it." Bella huffed while crossing her arms and sending him a glare. "And we really didn't until just now."
"Would you like me to get rid of it?" Klaus smirked confidently.
"Well, if you're offering. Go on." She waved him away.
"I'm not offering." He chuckled. "A trade instead."
"What could you possibly want from me?"
"Dinner with me."
"Seriously?!" She groaned, irritated. "Are you asking me to eat dinner with you or be your dinner?"
"Oh, I'm not picky." Klaus teased. "I'll let you choose."
Laurent growled loudly. "Stop acting as though I'm not here!" Laurent ran towards Bella with a snarl.
"Yes!" Bella screamed
"Yes what? And I want your word." Klaus sighed, testing her patience.
"Yes, damn it! I'll go to dinner with you. You have my word, please!" Bella was panicking and gasping for air as she watched Laurent blur through the field, growing closer.
The moment Laurent came within five feet of Bella, he disappeared. A blink was all it took.
"Where?" Bella started to ask, but the question turned into a scream when Laurent's head hit the ground with a thud, right in front of her feet.
"No need for screaming love. What time should I get you for dinner? I'm thinking sevenish." Klaus stroked his chin, thinking out loud.
Bella noticed Laurent's body in front of Klaus and venom dripping from Klaus's fingers.
"Holy shit," she whispered.
Klaus pulled a cloth from his pocket and used it to clean his hand off. "Public dinner? Or private? Also, I will be bringing up the topic of this Victoria if you want to take that into consideration for your choice."
Bella just gaped at him. She tried to reply but ended up stuttering, "P...p..pr..private."
"Excellent choice, love. When are you free?" Klaus pulled her close to his side. His arm wrapped around her waist, dragging his knuckles down her spine.
"Now." She gasped. Chill bumps spread across her arm.
"Even better." Klaus smirked, then took off at super speed to his car.
Within a couple minutes, they were both in his black BMW, headed towards Seattle.
"Where are we going?" Bella's voice sounded nervous.
"You asked for private, so I figured room service at my hotel suite. Can't get more private." He chuckled mischievously. "Why sweetheart? Have a bedtime?" Klaus asked while making a pouty face.
"Jerk!" She swatted his arm as hard as she could but ended up laughing with him. "And no, well, not today." She turned her face away, hiding her blush.
"Lucky me. When do you need to be back?"
"By Sunday evening. My dad is fishing for the weekend and won't be home until then."
Klaus smiled and slammed on the gas pedal, speeding up.
Couple Hours Later...
Klaus and Bella sat in his hotel room; their food had just been delivered, and he was pouring them drinks.
"So how about a story while we eat?" He asked.
"What kind of story?"
"The story of Victoria and the human surrounded by shifters and cold ones." Klaus sipped his wine.
"Can I make it a Cliff Notes version at least?" Bella sighed loudly.
"Very well."
"Girl falls for boy. The boy turns out to be a cold one. Her best friend ends up being a shifter. Shifter and Cold One hate each other. Drama. Accidents. Blood. Boy abandons girl in the forest because he's bored of her. Girl gets depression. Her best friend helps her but falls in love with her. She doesn't feel the same. Best friend abandons her. As for Victoria, Her mate tried to eat me. The boyfriend and his family kill the mate. So now she wants me dead, I guess. The end." Bella took a bite of her food, happy to be done with the story.
"I know what it's like to be abandoned." Klaus says, his eyes staring off into the distance.
"I'm sorry." Bella spoke softly. "No one should feel like that."
"So they never bothered to kill her as well?"
"Well, one of them voted to hunt Victoria down and kill her, but he was outvoted and has to listen to the coven leader. He's also the one who actually killed her mate." He saw her smile sadly but with fondness for whoever she spoke of.
"At least he had a brain, it seems. Shall I kill this Victoria as well?"
Bella snorted. "And how much is that going to cost me?"
Klaus chuckled. "You catch on quickly, love. How about just dinner again?"
"Really? That's all you want?"
Taking another bite of his dinner, Klaus just shrugged. "I'm just a nice guy, like that."
"Riiiight." Bella replied, sounding skeptical. "Fine than, yes. I don't want to risk anyone getting hurt because of the mess my ex left me in."
"Very well, as you wish, love." Klaus moved their empty plates to the sink, then led her to the couch, where they sat next to each other.
"I told you practically my whole life story; what's yours?" Bella asked him.
"You only gave me the cliff notes, plus my life story is much longer than yours."
"I still want to know. You can use the Cliff Notes version to."
"I'm not even sure if my story could fit in notes." Klaus chuckled.
"Anything. I want to know something about you to." Her blush spread across her whole face. Even her forehead.
"I'll try." Klaus thought about how to shorten his as well before replying. "Brother died. Mother was a witch and turned the rest of us into vampires so she wouldn't have to lose another child. Shortly after, it was discovered that I was illegitimate. She had cheated on who I thought was my father, Michael. Michael decided to hunt me down and kill me, and I'm still on the run."
"How long have you been running?"
Klaus's eyes fluttered closed for a moment when her hand moved to cup his cheek. There was worry in her eyes.
"A thousand years." He felt her moving closer to him. Next, her lips pressed against his cheek, and his eyes popped open to look at her. Again, he felt like he was falling into a pool of caramel or honey due to those damnable eyes. He couldn't take another moment of it. With a twist, his head turned enough that he could press his lips against hers. A hand slipped into her hair, leaning her head back slightly.
"I'd prefer a genuine kiss from you, sweetheart." Klaus watched her eyes switch from staring at his face to the wall in an attempt to hide her blushing.
"I haven't kissed much before." She had admitted.
He chuckled. Her admission turning him on. "Shall I teach you? This offer is free of charge." His breath whispered in her ear.
Klaus could see her pupils dilate with desire, but something was stopping her. "It's just an offer, love. You can turn it down."
"You would let me?"
"I'm an asshole, I'll admit, but not a rapist." His fingers started to uncurl, releasing her hair. "It's only pleasurable if you want it as badly as I do."
"Than, yes. Teach me." She whispered shyly.
Roughly, Klaus slammed his lips against hers, teasing her tongue with his own.
Deepening the kiss, causing moans to slip from her mouth.
He could feel her body tremble, sensitive to his touch.
Klaus wrapped both arms tightly around her, lifting her into his lap.
They pulled away from each other to catch their breaths.
"I won't be taking you home for two nights. So how do you wish to spend them, love?" His smirk grew wider as her blush darkened.
Sunday. 6pm.
Klaus pulled in front of Bella's house. He gripped her hand, kissing her knuckles. "I'll contact you when Victoria is disposed of."
"Thank you, Klaus." Bella kissed the edge of his lips shyly.
He smiled gently at her as he opened his door. His body freezing halfway out of the car when the smell of blood filled his nose.
"Klaus? What is it?"
"I smell blood. Lots of it."
Her eyes grew wide in panic. "Charlie.." She gasped, jumping out of the car and running towards the house.
"Wait!" Klaus growled, and using his speed, he was able to beat her to the door. "Stay behind me at least."
Bella nodded and moved to stand behind his back as he entered her house.
Klaus halted when he reached the edge of the living room. "Jesus," he growled, spinning to shove her face into his chest. "You don't need to see this."
"What? What is it, Klaus?!" She screamed, her body shaking in fear.
"Your father is dead, love. I'm sorry." And truly he was. He knew this girl was too gentle a soul to deserve any of this.
"NO!" Bella screamed and beat against his chest, trying to free herself. "I need to see!"
"No, you don't, love. Let the last time you saw your father be the last image you have of him. Not this." Klaus tried to soothe her as he kissed the top of her head several times.
"You're right." She sobbed with a hiccup.
Klaus turned her around toward the exit. "Go wait in the car for a moment." He dangled his keys over her shoulder. "I'll try to be quick."
He watched her nod, tears still streaming down her cheeks, as she walked away with his keys.
Klaus kept his eyes on her until she was in his car with the doors locked.
There was so much blood, it looked like someone had played jump rope with Charlie's corpse. Klaus growled angrily. His steps were slow as he had to be careful not to step on any 'pieces.' A slip of paper made a flapping sound next to the coffee table. Retrieving it from the table, Klaus began to read, becoming more enraged with every passing word.
Bella,
Your father was just the beginning. Watch as my newborn army wipes out your little dog squad. I want you to watch everyone you love die before I snap that neck of yours.
Come to La Push.
Hope you're not late.
-V-
In his anger, Klaus had ripped the letter to shreds. Over the weekend, he had managed to get the more detailed story from her and wanted to kill these cold ones and that friend of hers. She had done nothing to deserve any of this.
He sped around the house, gathering things for her to keep, but not so much that it was noticeable. This was most likely going to piss her off, but he had to cover this murder up. So off came the gas hose attached to the wall behind the oven. With a full bag, Klaus strolled out the door, flicking a match behind him as the whole house went up in flames.
The moment he sat in the car, he turned to her, waiting for the lecture or name calling but nothing happened. It worried him. "Bella?" Klaus called out. "Your home.." He mumbled, unsure of how to continue.
He watched as her shoulders straightened and she let out a deep breath, as if she were gathering strength. "It's okay. I get it." She smiled at him. Not happily, of course, but he could see that she was grateful.
In a moment of tenderness, Klaus pecked her gently on the lips.
Then sped off to their next destination.
He was already driving towards La Push as he told her about the letter. The girl was much to caring for her own good, and she begged him to get there in time to save the pack, just as he'd predicted would happen.
His tires screeched to a stop in front of the Alpha's house. At least that's what Bella told him. A group of tribal Indians that looked like body builders came running out of the home towards them, surrounding the car.
Klaus followed Bella to the man he assumed was the alpha she spoke of.
"Sam! There's a newborn army of cold ones headed here right now. We have to evacuate the homes. Where is everyone?" Bella rushed to explain.
"We sensed something coming, so I gathered everyone here except Jacob. He wouldn't answer me."
"Well, where would he be?"
"I guess he's still on patrol. You didn't see him? He's patrolling behind your house today."
Klaus could see that information hit her like an anvil as she stumbled back against his chest. His hands latched onto her arms, steadying her.
"Bella, what's wrong?" Sam asked.
The shock was written all over her face; there was no way she could speak at the moment, so Klaus had to answer. "We just came from her home. Her father is dead; it was only a couple hours old." The insinuation clear.
"Oh god, Bella, I didn't know. I promise Jacob will pay for this, but right now we, as the pack, will have to run for it as well. Thank you for warning us, Bella, but there are only five of us. We can't fight an army." Sam told her, sounding defeated.
"You can't make it far enough in time, Sam. Cold ones are fast." Bella had finally calmed down enough to speak again.
"There's no other option for us."
The silence dragged on for several seconds as they tried to think of a plan. Klaus looked to Bella, finding her brown eyes, which were quickly becoming a weakness, staring back at him as if begging for a solution. Klaus had a selfish thought of what it would feel like if someone as caring as her cared for someone like him.
"It would be easy, but..." He sighed dramatically. "It IS an army. These clothes are quite expensive to replace if they get dirty."
Bella's rolled her eyes, giggling at his childish display. "What is it you want this time?"
Klaus gripped her chin tightly, pulling her inches from his face. "You."
"No!" The entire pack protested; they didn't want her to lose her freedom again now that she had it back from Edward.
But Bella wasn't the kind of person to risk all of their lives just out of pride.
A symphony of growls came from the coast as dozens of cold ones crawled out of the ocean waves and began walking up the beach.
Bella's hand made a fist as she watched the newborns continue to grow in number. "Klaus." She called out to him. Her eyes reached his with a sharpness that spoke of an anger Klaus hadn't been sure she even possessed. "Kill them all."
Klaus smirked while handing her his jacket. "This'll be fun." He chuckled darkly, then took off at a speed faster than any of the others could keep track of.