Darkest Temptations

Chapter Fifteen: Playing with Fire

Elena Mikaelson

As soon as the bell boy arrived to collect the remaining luggage from Caroline and Klaus's suite, I swiftly made my exit. Unable to endure the intensity of the situation for even a moment longer. Maybe it was a bit immature of me, but at that time, it just felt like the best decision. Caroline was taken aback when she saw Klaus kissing me, causing me to feel shattered. I had been feeling quite confident lately, finally moving on from the past and looking ahead to the future. This is the harsh truth of what occurs when I dare to feel a moment of happiness - chaos ensues, and I'm left to clean up the mess and support everyone once more. Klaus insisted that this was my greatest vulnerability, suggesting that I was afraid to embrace happiness, and perhaps he was correct in his verdict. However, my behavior wasn't me lately, kissing him, accepting the earrings, and holding hands. After being away from Mystic Falls for just twelve days, this was the person I had turned into? I wonder what Jenna would think as she looked down at me. What about my parents? They had all passed away because of my self-centeredness and now I was letting them down even in death. I felt so embarrassed that I couldn't even gather my thoughts.

I had used the elevator to reach the lobby, but to avoid encountering April in the chaotic situation, I chose to seek refuge in the bar. I needed a place where I wouldn't be disturbed for a few minutes until I could compose myself. This life was never meant for me, and that was the harsh reality I needed to come to terms with. It was impossible to return upstairs and reveal all I had done to Caroline; discussing such personal matters was not something I was comfortable with. I couldn't bring myself to meet her gaze at that moment. She appeared deeply let down by my actions, as if her world had been shattered and there was no way to mend it.

Upon reaching their suite earlier, Klaus welcomed me inside. He was wrapping up a phone conversation related to Vegas as he opened the door. He grinned when he saw me there by myself, without April. While still on the phone, he discreetly placed it behind his back and leaned in to gently kiss my cheek, as light as a whisper. Once he completed his call, he strolled over to me while I was standing by the wall of windows, enjoying the view of the water in the moonlight. Klaus snuck up behind me and playfully teased me, trailing his hand down my back and whispering in my ear. I wasn't drawing a comparison between the two, but there was a certain quality about Klaus that Stefan lacked and could never possess. Klaus was a master of subtle movements when it came to women, recognizing the power of even the smallest touch between two individuals. I could hear him inhaling deeply, savoring my perfume, and I felt embarrassed by my body's reaction to his deep growls, as I closed my eyes to centre myself in the moment, as if he were a wild creature and I was his prey.

Caroline was unaware that Klaus was not saying anything suggestive in my ear when she entered the room. His precise words sounded innocent coming from him, but they held a deeper significance for me that I couldn't fully convey.

He'd whispered "Describe your wedding dress."

He was curious to find out which gown had caught my eye in the boutique, which dress had made me feel like royalty the moment I put it on.

But there was no way I could get out of explaining to Caroline what happened next. That kiss was a moment Klaus and I both shared. It was the second one we exchanged, and that it paled in comparison to our first. She was unaware of Klaus's tongue being in my mouth or how he reacted to my response to his kiss. I refrained from sharing this with her because it actually felt good to finally have a secret that I didn't need to be ashamed of.

It was at that precise moment I looked across the bar to find Caroline entering with a gentle grace to her movements. All previous signs of her hurt and disappointment were gone, replaced with a solomen and content expression, free of doubt. Her eyes scanned across the bar until she found me seated in one of the beige booths alone, she began to smile her lips tight and thin. She made her way over to me, now wearing her coat and scarf, placing her handbag down beside her as she sat down across from me.

"He told me what happened." Caroline spoke before I could.

"Caroline before you say anything else. I think you should hear it from me."

"No seriously. He told me what happened and I'd say it was none of my business but trust me I had a few things to say to him after he told me what he did."

"What he did?" I repeated.

Caroline nodded "He told me what the kiss was supposed to mean. And he shouldn't have done that to you. Asking him to kiss him once to prove you were actually in this with us and not just stuck here like in Mystic Falls."

Tell me he didn't do this. He didn't just throw himself under the bus for me.

"He actually told you that?" I asked attempting to keep my tone in check and gain all the information I could.

"As soon as you left." "And I would have been down here sooner only I wanted him to know just how evil and immature it was for him to do that to you. Elena, I do believe he is sorry for it."

"I erm, I just don't know what I'm supposed to say right now."

"You didn't need to kiss him. If he can't see you're in this with us than that's his problem and not yours."

"…Right."

"Has he asked you to do this before?"

"What? No, no of course not." I said suddenly aware of how tired I sounded.

"Are you alright?"

No. No I'm really not.

"Uh, we should get going right?" I asked and attempted a smile.

"We can stay another minute if you wanna talk about it."

"I think we should get going."

A very tired April was waiting for us in the lobby and while Caroline joined her by the doors I claimed to have forgotten my phone and made my way towards the elevators knowing exactly where I was heading. I needed to address what had happened with Klaus. He had taken on the burden of our secret himself and lied to Caroline in order to prevent her from knowing the reality of how well I was adjusting to our new lives and how little by little I was slowly letting go of my relationship with Stefan. I believe even Klaus knew that Stefan would always be in my heart, but all Klaus needed now was my heart going forward. And perhaps I was now accepting not only my attraction to him by the willingness, to give our upcoming ceremony the respect it deserved.

Klaus had done a lot of wrong in his life, he had killed his enemies, taken the blood from innocent victims, carried his family around like cargo and worst of all he had done it with a smile on his face. What he had done I would never understand, but I would be lying to myself if I didn't say I could see myself willing to forgive it someday. If you live a life without regret then you're not living life with a true heart. Now Klaus's past wasn't something that could just be written off as a learning experience. He'd done a lot of damage, it was part of the reason we were living in Utah and not somewhere he'd live before and a place that could bring problems to our door. My theory was that Klaus took some time on the road to truly reflect on his life up until this point, that time alone, just him and the open road would have given him an opportunity he hadn't be given for a long time. Some quiet time, no enemies to fight, nothing to run from and no other people and their options. The truth is I believed on his road to Utah Klaus forgave himself, which isn't a small thing to do, sometimes it takes years to muster the strength. I think when he pulled into the driveway that day, with the sun on his shoulders, wearing new clothes and driving a car that wasn't meant to scream wealth, it was for practical purposes. I think that's the moment Klaus felt most human, and when he saw us pull in beside him, he knew this was where we were all suppose to be.

I turned to look at my reflection in the mirror as I stood in the centre of the elevator alone. I watched myself take a deep inhale of breath and then slowly release it. I smoothed down my hair and brought it around my shoulders before a genuine smile formed upon my lips.

"Goodbye Elena Gilbert." I said to my reflection.

When I left that elevator, I was now and forever Mrs Elena Mikaelson.

I was the last one of us to come to terms with our new lifestyle but that didn't matter now as I made my way down the empty hallway at four a.m that morning. What mattered was the confidence I felt radiating off my skin as I moved, this wasn't the comfort of the shield, this was me, accepting beautiful flawed me as I was. I knocked on the door of Caroline's suite and within a few seconds Klaus opened it surprised to find me there, but even more so by the fact that my eyes remained fixed on his as I moved towards him then letting myself in. Klaus watched me lock the door behind me, keeping his gaze fixed on me trying to figure out my intension for being there.

"Caroline told me what you said." I explained as I stood before him.

"It was the right thing to do."

"For who?"

"For you."

I leaned off the door then and crept closer to him "Why did you do this?" I asked keeping my gaze fixed on his.

"…If she knew the truth you'd feel judged. And…I didn't want that for you."

"Is it wrong of me to keep it from her? When I know all of her secrets?"

Klaus smirked and brought his hand up to tuck my hair behind my ear gently "I think our lives together will be filled with secrets sweetheart. But this can be ours."

"And what's the secret? That I'm just suddenly over my relationship with Stefan?"

"You know what our secret is." Klaus spoke with a slightly deeper voice, prompting me to look up and meet his gaze.

Klaus smoothly wrapped his arm around my lower back, pulling me close to him. My hair cascaded back over my shoulders as our lips nearly touched in that fleeting moment. I raised my hands to his shoulders and kept them there, while my lips stayed pressed against his as I closed my eyes.

"Elena Mikaelson." He whispered against my lips.

Klaus eagerly pressed his lips firmly against mine.

Suddenly releasing a vibrant moan, Klaus swiftly lifted me up against him, effortlessly hoisting me with his large hands under my thighs, deepening our kiss. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he turned us in the direction of the sitting room. With one arm holding me against him and the other down by his side, he carried me like I was a feather in his arms. I brought both my hands around to cup his face as I continued to kiss him, unable to stop myself as I met his equally eager lips. Klaus guided us down to the sofa with a gentle touch, positioning me underneath him with my head resting softly on the cushions as he positioned himself above me, making sure not to put pressure on me. I'm not sure what led us to this point. But all of a sudden, Klaus and I found ourselves acting like teenagers once more, passionately kissing on a couch as if it were the most important thing in the world. Klaus was respectful and considerate, making sure to only touch me where I felt comfortable. As I held his face while he kissed me, I noticed I liked his stubble. It made me realize that I was truly kissing him, especially considering Stefan's inability to grow facial hair. We would share a kiss before gazing into each other's eyes, eagerly pulling each other back in once we caught our breath. This kiss was more intense than our first one. There was something different about it, as if he finally saw me for who I truly am, not just the girl he first met. He gazed into the eyes of Elena Mikaelson, his second wife, and saw the woman whose thighs he appeared to enjoy being pressed against his hips.

There was just something sensual about kissing Klaus, we weren't in love but we shared an attraction but started with hate. Now we were married and unable to progress the full extent of what that meant for the both of us. What we did know was the attraction was there and possibly had been there since our first day in Utah.

I just knew going forward I wanted to explore it further. Perhaps even in Vegas.

Klaus Mikaelson

I kept my arm around Elena's shoulder the entire time we were in the elevator together. She didn't want Caroline to know we had both lied to her and I understood not wanting to create unnecessary tension between us, especially at such a critical time in all of our lives going forward. Our main focus now was Vegas and I had spoken to each of them about times and venues, and when we touched down in Vegas it was my responsibility to ensure everything was set up for each venue before I took time to pick up my suites and make a few phone calls. But for right now all I could do was focus on her and the way she smelt and taste whenever I touched her. Nothing further had happened between us in the suite, April had text to tell me our limo to the airport had arrived and they were waiting for us in the lobby. I'd already gotten us checked out and we were ready to move on literally to the first chapter in our new lives together.

Elena looked up at me and I brought my lips down against hers, kissing her once and bringing my tongue into her mouth wishing to savor her sweet taste. I brought my arm down from around her before the elevator doors opened. We weren't hiding our time together, I was merely being respectful of what she needed for now. It was alright that we alone knew of our attraction for the other, I didn't mind this secret and in time I believe she too would grow more comfortable with it also. But for now all Caroline and April would believe was I would continue to kiss Elena each day as I did with them and on occasion I might try my luck at holding her hand. It wasn't odd for them to see me doing this, they knew we were on vacation and everything was different while we were here. But now that we were heading back to Utah, things would return back to normal while some things might have developed.

There was no tension between us as we made our way to the airport, the seats were all heated for us arriving and plenty of room for all of our new luggage containing the girl's new wardrobe and gowns. Caroline sat close by me on the ride there, and I kept my hand upon her thigh occasionally caressing it as we all discussed the final arrangements and times for Vegas. I'd booked us into a five start hotel and reserved three honeymoon suites for our time there. The girls would need somewhere to change into their bride and bridesmaids gowns and I wanted them to have everything they deserved. I would be busy with last minute arrangements so I had gifted the girls a spa day encouraging them to get whatever treatment they wished. April reminded that they could use their time there to develop their Utah new look to which Caroline and Elena both agreed to give some thought.

When we arrived at the airport I got out of the limo first and assisted each of them out as our driver unloaded the bags. Seeing a cold April tightening her coat around herself I quickly took off my scarf and began to wrap it around her neck to warm her up. She smiled and leaned in kissing me once which I returned before heading over to collect our luggage. Whilst thinking about how sexy she was just then, her pale white skin, soft pink lip and silver eye shadow in the moonlight, she had no idea what she was doing to me right now.

We entered the airport with my arm around Caroline and my hand unknownist to her and April wrapped around Elena's as we walked by my side. I looked around as we entered, keeping an eye on us before leaning in and kissing Caroline's cheek making her smile in response.

"I'm so tired right now." April said as we walked.

"I'm sleeping on the plane." Caroline responded.

"What about our flight back to Utah?" Elena asked.

"Sorted." I replied before caressing her hand before inching her closer to me as we walked.

"Remember we need to have our meeting before we head to the spa." Caroline said her eyes shifting between Elena and April then.

"I thought we were going to talk about the wedding details at the spa?" April questioned.

"She means our other meeting."

The wives meeting…

April clicked her fingers then in realization and nodded.

"Are you going to stick with her through security again?" Caroline whispered to me.

"We should be fine there were no problems before. But I'll stay behind her this time just to be sure."

April couldn't compel anyone so if she ran into trouble with her new I.D or was questioned she'd need one of us. It made Caroline and Elena feel better seeing me managing such matters. And I was all about doing whatever was necessary to make these girls happy. Especially those who were driving me wild with their perfume right about now. I caressed Elena's wrist watching her as we walked daring her to look my way but she never did, causing my eyes to drift down to her lips and study the newly applied peach pink I found there. She had no idea what I wanted to do to her right here in this airport.

Caroline had driven me out of my mind in the limo, every time I touched her knee she moved away from her testing me patience until I clasped my hand down upon her thigh. Elena and April were unaware how badly she was leaning into my touch and encouraging me to pinch my grip upon her thigh even harder. While my sweet April, the girl who was the bravest of all of them smiled back at me every single time she caught my eye. I couldn't help but smiling at her, she made me feel strangely human, like a young man who just met a girl he knew would change him for the better if he would just give her the love she deserved.

Before we knew it, we'd checked our bags and cleared security and were heading onto the plane. I loaded everyone's carry on bags into the overhead compartment as they all took their seats. April was beyond exhausted and fell asleep in her seat within one minute of sitting down. I watched as I finished with the bags as Elena carefully switched the overhead light off above her and asked the flight attendant to bring them both two pillows and blankets. I just stood there watching her for I don't know how long, time seemed to stand still for a moment. She closed the window shield so the morning light wouldn't disturb April, before she checked that her seatbelt was fastened securely. When the flight attendant returned Elena took the items from her hands and quickly covered April with a blanket to keep her warm. Then and only then did Elena finally take a breath.

"You look a million miles away." Caroline commented

I looked down at her sitting at the window seat below me and I smiled back at her before I slipped down into my seat and buckled my belt.

I turned in my seat to kiss her then, holding her cheek as her tongue entered my mouth and I sucked her lower lip for a second before releasing her. I pressed my head against the headrest and smiled as she did the same thing keeping her eyes locked on mine.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked her.

"Nothing. I'm just here with you."

"And how's that going?"

Caroline playfully shrugged it off resulting in my hand brushing across her hip. When my eyes met hers I began to shake my head slowly.

"You're so beautiful."

"And you're so tired." She said and gently held my cheek, before tracing her finger tips below my tired eyes.

Caroline bit her lower lip while gazing back at me, her hand finding mine as she said "Will everything be different now?"

I stared back at her, seeing the hope and lingering fear staring right back at me in those gorgeous blue eyes.

"The hard work begins in Utah." I told her

She sighed and squeezed my hand gently "Do you really think we can do this and make it work?"

"We'll make it work."

"But how do you know?"

"Because there's nothing standing in our way."

Tyler Lockwood

I'd grown more and more frustrated over these past few days over everyone's decision not to take the advice of the hunter and use him to aid us in our escape. At first I had agreed, I wouldn't lie and pretend I didn't think he was going to use us as a pawn in his escape. But now that our resources were almost up and Bonnie was growing more tired with each new spell she performed it seemed the hunter was becoming our only salvation in this chaos. I missed Caroline so much I could barely breathe. I knew she was alive I just felt it in my gut and I was trusting that feeling. I knew that something had to be done and thankfully I wasn't the only one thinking the same thing. These last few days I'd found myself speaking less with Stefan and Matt and instead began to seek Damon's outlook on all of this. I wasn't ignorant, anyone with the ability to see knew he was desperately in love with Elena, his own brother's girlfriend. That was something I could use, I couldn't keep living on hope alone it wasn't enough to keep me apart from Caroline for another second.

I knew we had to figure out everything and quickly, we couldn't keep up the story at school that she and her mom were setting up her new house and Caroline would catch up with everything she missed. Sooner or later people were going to start asking questions about her and I knew we needed to work harder to ensure they wouldn't have to. We needed to find them and devoted every second of our time to achieving that goal. But we couldn't just let the hunter go, that just wouldn't work for us and so Damon and I understood the measures that had to be taken going forward. While most would agree the avenue we chose to take was beyond immoral we didn't have the luxury of thinking about the after effect of our actions. Damon and I were in the exact mindset, we knew what needed to be done and we chose the right path for us going forward.

While Stefan was out of the house and Bonnie and Matt were at their own houses getting a change of clothes we both headed down to the basement where we were now keeping the hunter under lock and key. I went in first, and I inflicted what I believed was the right amount of pain for answers, I left with my knuckles covered in the hunter's blood. I remained outside the cell door for just a few minutes after Damon entered the room with him, I found I couldn't listen to the sound coming from the room. It was beyond anything you could ever imagine, I heard bones breaking, I read Damon lunging and feeding on him and worst of all I heard the hunter beg for death from start to finish. But Damon left that cell with the information we needed, information that had us packed and on the next flight out of Atlanta.

We didn't leave a note, we knew after Stefan and the others came across the hunter that they would know what we had done. But at the same time they'd know we wouldn't come home without Elena and Caroline.

That's why we were on our way to Nevada.