Chapter Text
It was not the first time Klaus Mikaelson stepped into the streets of New York and smelled witch blood.
New York housed far more vampires than any other, and witches were particularly hard to come by. However, this one smelled particularly promising.
Perhaps she'd make a good snack, he mused, and he deserved it, after all these weeks of relentless hunting for Stefan and Damon Salvatore.
At twelve am on a Sunday morning, the streets were far quieter than he had expected, but perhaps that was all the better. The more discreet, the better.
Elijah had warned him to be more subtle than he had been last time when he had been hunting for Stefan Salvatore, and Klaus had grudgingly given him his word. Kol, however, had done no such thing and was busy gallivanting Ohio and Kentucky in search of Stefan. Elijah, had gone off to Washington to meet an old acquaintance, who claimed he knew Stefan and his brother Damon’s whereabouts. Rebekah didn’t have a care in the world what her brothers were up to, and was on a vacation with her latest fling in Bora Bora. Freya, being the productive sister, had gone off to research and find rare ingredients for her spells in Mexico, which she claimed would help her magic stronger.
Finn, for his part, was still in his coffin, which was wonderful, Klaus thought fondly.
A werewolf pack leader had told Klaus that Stefan was seen with the doppelganger in new York recently, which had led him there to track him down last week. So far, he had found nothing, and a week of fruitless searching, along with the useless weeks in Wisconsin and Indiana had started to put him on edge.
He had decided to spend one more night in New York and had then decided to join Elijah in Washington, from where they would go to Louisiana, where New Orleans awaited.
He suddenly caught sight of movement near an alley, and flashed near a wall quietly, when he heard a bang, a few curse words, and a muttered incantation.
“Keep your voice down, will you?” a cool, feminine voice said, which Klaus recognized as the same one who had muttered the spell. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“If I had a dollar every time someone said those words to me,” the other voice snarled. “Who the fuck are you and what do you want?”
“You don’t need to know that,” said the cool voice, making the other girl bristle. Klaus leaned over slightly and caught a glimpse of her—long, blonde hair and a livid expression, making his face change immediately.
She was exquisite.
Ethereally beautiful. Her hair, her eyes—everything gave off the impression of power and intelligence. She was radiant, even in her rage, and a foreign feeling rushed over Klaus, making him want to rush over to her, ask her what was wrong, help her, then kiss her, stare into those eyes until he was consumed by them…
What the fuck was happening to him?
The girl and the other witch, however hadn’t noticed him. “I do, actually,” the blonde girl spat. “You’ve literally fucking cornered me in an alley. I think I deserve the reason.”
“None of your business, witch. Tell me where I can find Elena Gilbert.”
It was for a split-second, but Klaus saw the expression of the blonde girl slightly give her away. It twisted into one of fear and betrayal, then immediately reverted back to its original state. The girl knew the doppelganger, which made her very important in his eyes.
“I don’t know about any Elena Gilbert.”
“Don’t you? I could’ve sworn this was her,” said the other woman, holding up a tattered photograph of the blonde girl and the doppelganger together, laughing at the camera. The blonde girl flushed.
“That was years ago. We’re not in touch anymore.”
“How can I be sure you're not lying?”
“You can't,” the blonde girl shrugged. “You can't see into my mind, because even though you're a witch, I'm one too, and I've got some tricks up my sleeve as well.”
“Then you no longer serve of any purpose to me.”
The other witch raised her hands, and a rush of inexplicable panic shot through Klaus, propelling him forward. With a quick twist of his wrists, the witch lay on the ground, her head twisted at an odd angle, and the blonde witch let out a huff of annoyance.
“Did you have to kill her?”
“She was going to kill you, sweetheart,” he answered, his tone mildly annoyed, expecting a stammered thank you or a few trembles of awe at his power at the most.
Instead, the girl merely crossed her arms over her chest, unimpressed. “Don’t call me sweetheart. And that didn’t mean you had to kill her. You could’ve just, you know, knocked her out or something.”
“I'm afraid simply knocking someone out isn’t really in my vocabulary, sweetheart.”
“Yeah, well, maybe you need to invest in a dictionary, Dimples.”
Feisty. He'd remember that.
“Perhaps you'd like to educate me on the basics of capture and interrogation, sweetheart?” he drawled, kicking the dead witch away from his feet as he stepped towards the blonde girl, who eyed him warily. “My name is Klaus.”
He expected a touch of recognition, a small shriek or a gasp of panic would have sufficed, but this girl still looked indifferent. “Oh, I know you. You're the hybrid.”
“You’ve heard of me. Fantastic. Well then—”
“Don’t get all high and mighty, Dimples. You may be the only hybrid in existence, but you're still a dick, from whatever I've heard.”
“And what have you heard, love? I assure you, I'd be happy to hear about and correct any misconceptions you might have of me.”
She snorted. “I'm sure you would, but it’s twelve am and I'm busy. So let’s just end this here and I'll pretend I never met you. Sound good?”
He side stepped her just as she stepped out of the alley and around the dead witch’s body, sliding a hand around her arm. “Now, love, let’s not be hasty. Surely our encounter can't be that forgettable for you? I did just murder a witch to ensure your safety, after all.”
“How chivalrous of you,” she commented dryly, and Klaus resisted the urge to smile. This girl was too daring for her own good, and he found that he liked that about her. “Like I said, I'll just go and we’ll pretend we never met.”
“Oh, it’s not going to be possible for me to do that, love,” he said, tilting his head and smiling. “I've only just met you, and I find myself intrigued.”
“Oh, how nice. Give yourself a medal.”
He wondered why he hadn't killed her yet. She's the doppelganger’s friend, Elijah’s sensible voice whispered in his head, warning him not to be impulsive. She could be of use to us. And by the way she had looked when her name was mentioned, the doppelganger may still be alive. You absolutely cannot kill her, Niklaus. We may need her.
And also, you want to get into her knickers, Kol’s less than practical voice piped up.
“What's your name, love?”
“You know, when I said I needed to go, I meant it. Goodbye, Dimples.”
He blocked her with a press of his hand against the small of her back, and she looked at him, unimpressed. “And to think I called you chivalrous. You know, most people would think you'd have learned some manners after living so long.”
“And how old are you, love?”
“Is this turning into an interrogation, Klaus? I literally just told you I have some work to do. Goodbye.”
“I'm afraid I can't let you leave just yet, love. I pride myself on my excellent hearing abilities—”
“God, you're so full of yourself. Do you ever stop bragging—”
“And,” he continued, “hear that you know of the doppelganger. Elena Gilbert?”
The disdainful look in the witch’s eyes turned into one of hatred. “I don’t associate myself with people who want to hurt my friends, Klaus. And from whatever I've heard of you, your intentions with my friend are certainly not going to be safe for her well-being.”
“My, aren’t you perceptive?” he drawled, causing the look in her eyes to flare. “Calm yourself, love, all I need from the girl is a bit of blood. No harm, no foul.”
A blinding pain shot through his head, making him drop to his knees, clutching his head in agony. He looked at the witch through half-lidded eyes, his head twisting in pain and fury. The girl had her eyes focused on him, her fingers curled the way witches did while giving someone an aneurysm.
“I'm a witch, Klaus,” she hissed, “a force of nature. I'm not stupid. I know the damage just a bit of blood can do. Don’t test me. Original hybrid or not, I will kill you if you go after my friends.”
“Sounds like someone is a bit too confident in her abilities,” he gritted out, trying to push past the pain. As much as he hated to admit it, she was strong. Gathering all the strength he had, he looked at her, his eyes turning gold, causing her hand to waver, giving him the opening he had been looking for. Breaking past the aneurysm, he flashed over to her and pinned her against the wall, his hands against the wall on her sides, his eyes still shining gold. “You seem to forget that I am immortal, sweetheart.”
She growled at him, making the gold in his eyes flare. “Let go of me, you narcissistic asshole.”
“Now, that’s harsh,” he remarked, noticing that despite her best efforts, a thin stream of blood had started to come out of her nose, making him back away slightly. A young witch, apparently. Young, but strong. The girl looked at him, her expression full of loathing, her hand moving up to wipe the blood off her face.
“Let’s try to be civil to each other, shall we?” he said, his tone brooking no argument. “We both know that I have no intention of letting you go anytime soon. So what's your name, sweetheart?”
She looked at him murderously. “Caroline.”
“And can I have a last name?”
“Like hell, buddy.” Names were power, and in the world of witches, they were leverage. Caroline’s coven would probably have her last name, and as much as he hated to say it, she had been smart to not tell him her full name.
“I suppose that’ll have to do for now,” he drawled, making her glare. “Caroline,” he added, making the r sound more pronounced.
He was certain he did not imagine the shiver she let out at the sound of her name. Grinning, he wiped off the excess blood on his hands on his shirt. “Now, love, do you want to tell me why that witch was so hell bent on murdering you?”
“No,” she said shortly, turning around to walk away. He flashed over to her, raising an eyebrow, making her sigh. “I can't tell you, Klaus.”
“And why not?”
“Because you're a murderous, raging, psychopath,” she said dryly. “And I don’t trust you to not kill me and my friends.”
“Oh, love, I could never kill you. You're too intriguing for me to kill you.”
“How many people have you said this to and kept your word?”
“Not many, which gives you the idea of many people I say it to. Now, Caroline, I, on my part, would like to avoid any unnecessary arguments with you. Care to do the same?”
“No. All I want to do is go. Goodbye, Klaus.”
He smiled at her, then stepped away. “Alright, then, love. Until next time.”
She glared at him suspiciously, wary of his quick dismissal of her. “Don’t come after me. I mean it.”
“Of course not, sweetheart,” he smirked, nodding as she walked away.
That poor witch. She’d see him again, even if she didn’t want to. She’d help. He’d slaughter people. It would be a wonderful friendship.
XXX
“Seriously?”
“Hello, Caroline,” said Klaus, grinning at her over the dead witch’s neck, which was dripping blood over his shirt. Pity, that, it was new. “Lovely to see you again.”
“It’s the Lockwoods’ house. You cannot even give me a legitimate reason for being here. They hate you. You drowned Tyler’s mom.”
“She was boring,” he said, adjusting the cuffs of his now bloodstained shirt. “And she made Rebekah angry, and we couldn’t have that, could we?”
“Are you stalking me? I thought I told you not to come after me. Don’t be creepy, Klaus.”
“I’m not being creepy,” he said, his voice slightly resentful. “I’m simply rejoicing in the fact that fate has decided to bring us back together.”
“Really?” she asked dryly, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are you a believer in fate, Klaus?”
“No, not in the slightest,” he said brightly, dropping the body of the dead witch and kicking it away. “Now, since coincidence has been such a willing participant in my plans, I'd like to discuss a few things with you.”
“I won't,” she snarled, raising her hand in preparation of giving him an aneurysm. “I thought I told you to stay away from me.”
He sighed, dropping into a chair. “Look, Caroline, these unnecessary threats are becoming rather tiresome, so why don’t you just hear me out? Both of us remain unhurt, and you and I can get our respective jobs done.”
She sighed and turned to face him. “Fine.”
Klaus brightened, a smile stretching across his face. “Really? Excellent. Why don’t we start with—”
“Oh, no, I don’t think you understand, Klaus. I will just hear you out. Not help you.”
He scowled and ploughed on, picking up a bottle of bourbon and two glasses from the nearby cabinet. “Oh, you will, Caroline, there isn't a doubt about that. I will not leave without the location of that doppelganger.”
“You can't just force me to help you—”
“As I was saying,” he said, pushing past her, handing her a glass, taking a swig from his own, “I am looking for someone, and I could bet all of Elijah’s suits on the fact that you are too, along with Elena Gilbert. And I also have a feeling that that person isn't your favourite.”
A shadow appeared behind Caroline’s eyes, and Klaus fought the urge to ask her about it. That would show her that you care. You can't have that.
“So, here’s what I'm proposing. You tell me the other person’s name. I kill the other person for you. You let me take a few drops of the doppelganger’s blood, and we’ll both be on our merry ways. How does that sound?”
Caroline eyed him. “No.”
He looked at her, taken aback. “No?”
“No,” she said firmly. “No, I will not help you. No, I will not let you help me. I don’t want anything to do with you. I want to do the thing I wanted to do and just get on with my life. So, goodbye, Klaus.”
Something snapped inside of him, and he flashed over to her lividly, his eyes glowing gold. “Do not test me, witch,” he snarled, making her look at him disdainfully. Enough with her and her attitude. He was the original hybrid, for goodness’ sake, and he would not be talked to like a rejected boyfriend. “I have been nothing but civil to you during both our encounters. I have been polite—”
“Barely,” she drawled, taking a sip of her bourbon.
“I have saved you from a murderer, not including today—” he continued, choosing to move past her interruption.
“That’s kind of hypocritical, coming from you, don’t you think?”
“And all I am asking for, in return, is a name and some blood. So, I hope you can find it in your delicate sensibilities to think that I actually have no intention of killing your friend, and tell me where she is!” the last part came out in a roar, and he was pleased to see her flinch slightly. There. That was the way people should behave when they spoke to him.
Except the pleasure that he got wasn’t genuine.
She stepped closer to him, and placed the glass on the table. “Here’s the deal, Klaus. I am not an ordinary witch. I am not a person who backs down just because the most powerful creature on the planet is threatening to kill me if I don’t. I am loyal to my friends, Klaus. So you can torture me, and kill me, or do…anything to me. I'm still not telling you where Elena is.”
He gave her a once-over, the gold in his eyes dying to a yellow. “Stefan and Damon Salvatore.”
He would never forget the look on Caroline’s face after he said those names. Something inside of her seemed to collapse, making the usual brightness of her personality seem to shrivel up. She looked betrayed, a look he knew all too well, one he received most of the times by his siblings whenever he stuck daggers inside their chests.
“How do you know those names?” Caroline asked, her voice low and dangerous.
“So you know them?” Klaus asked, lounging back down into a chair. “Lovely. By the look on your face, you want them dead as much as I do.”
“What do you mean, do I know them?” she spat at him. “You know that I know them. You’ve obviously found out their names because you want to blackmail me into helping you. Well, guess what, you're right on one account. I want them dead even more that you do, so they can't be used as leverage against me, Klaus.”
“Well, love, your perceptiveness has decreased in the past few weeks,” he drawled, finishing his bourbon. “I didn’t actually know you wanted Stefan and Damon dead. In fact, I was actually going to tell you that I happen to want Stefan and Damon dead as well.”
Her eyes widened, though her voice remained steady. “So, what, are you going to kill me for being associated to them?”
He moved slightly closer to her, noticing the intake of her breath. “I am not going to kill you, Caroline,” he said, looking her in the eyes. They were blue, he noticed, like his. “I happen to think you're a very capable witch. And I also think that you want the Salvatores dead for a reason, and not for just a petty revenge scheme. Help me, and I assure you, you will have their hearts on the ground.”
She appraised him, then took a deep breath. “I reserve the right to kill Damon.”
“Deal.”
“I get to torture Stefan, but you can kill him.”
“Deal.”
“You take only a bit of Elena’s blood.”
“Deal.”
“You cannot go back on any of these terms.”
“Deal,” he said, silently vowing to stretch the last one a bit more with her when he had the time.
She nodded, then sat down on the chair in front of him. “They killed my friend.”
“Stefan and Damon?”
A dark look appeared in her eyes, making Klaus want to rip out the Salvatores’ tongues and cast them into the fireplace. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting this way?
“Stefan,” she said, looking blankly at the ceiling. “Mostly him. It’s not really complicated. Elena was going to die, and my friend didn’t have the skill to keep herself and Elena alive. The ritual wouldn’t work because Elena needed to be channelled by someone for a particular period to stay alive. Someone with a personal connection to her. Her parents are dead, she has practically no family, and her brother’s never around. So Bonnie had to be volunteered.”
“Bonnie?” Klaus echoed, “Bonnie Bennett? Sheila Bennett’s granddaughter?”
A ghost of a smile appeared on Caroline’s face. “So, you know her. Everyone did, the Bennetts aren’t exactly the most discreet witches. Anyway, in the end, Bonnie’s power was going to kill her, and she wanted to back out, find someone else, but Damon couldn’t have Elena not channelling someone for even a second. So of course, Bonnie was forced to be connected to Elena, and she died a slow death because of over-exertion. I was there. I had to watch. She died screaming. I couldn’t help her, my powers were tied down when Damon had drugged my wine earlier that night. She died in front of me. Elena survived. I can’t hate Elena. She didn’t know. But I hate the people who killed Bonnie, even if Elena loves them, and I want them dead.”
Klaus stared at her, his expression grudgingly respectful. It was a wonder Caroline was keeping her head while talking about her friend’s death. “I broke my curse in Mystic Falls three months ago. I gave Elena Gilbert the elixir in exchange for her help. However, she was kidnapped by the Salvatore brothers immediately after the ritual, and my family and I were unable to go after them. I had asked them for a bit of her blood, and they gave me their word, and they took it back. And because of that, I was unable to complete a particular…task I wanted to undertake when I became a hybrid. So, I want the doppelganger, and Stefan and Damon’s heads on a pike. And for that, I need to know their whereabouts, whereabouts I can only find out about with the help of someone who knew them. I also need the doppelganger’s blood, which I want without killing her, and she can only be persuaded to give that to me if her friend convinces her. You don’t have the money, resources, or protection to track the Salvatores and Elena on your own. I need your help, Caroline, and you need mine.”
Caroline gave him a once-over. “What’s this task you’re talking about?”
He gave her a small smile. “I think that’s enough information for now. So, will you help me or not?”
She looked at him carefully, looked at the floor indecisively, and then met his eyes again. “Yes.”
XXX
“First step to working together peacefully: no murdering people, innocent or…other…in front of me,” Caroline hissed as they walked down West Dickson Street, people staring at them as they did.
(Well, Caroline was stamping her foot angrily and Klaus was walking along, but it technically constituted at walking.)
“I was hungry,” Klaus said exasperatedly, rubbing at a spot of blood on his Henley. “I haven’t eaten anything in thirteen hours. We’ve been on the road for five. You’ve made me walk for three. I've tortured five different vampires for four hours. I've listened to your endless ranting for the past hour. I think I deserve a late lunch.”
“Have all the stats, do you?” she asked, a disgusted look on her face.
“As a matter of fact, I do. Oh, stop looking at me like that, Caroline. You eat lunch, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she growled, her expression mutinous, “but I eat actual food. Not people.”
“Oh, well, forgive my dietary habits, sweetheart, but as I'm sure you know, it wasn’t me who chose to eat people, it was my mother. You can pin all your rage on her.”
She huffed and flounced away, her blonde ponytail bouncing behind her. Klaus smiled and walked slightly more rapidly to catch up with her. “Now, where were we with the locator spell?”
“I can't get an exact read on their location, which means they’ve either got a witch to hide them, or they’ve gotten something else for Elena to channel which could help shield them from any locator magic. My best read is the eastern part of USA: Georgia, Pennsylvania, Delaware…you know.”
“Eastern USA,” Klaus mused, his expression thoughtful. “One of Kol’s covens is concentrated in Ohio. And last I heard of him, he was there. You might know the coven, it’s the Devereaux one, powerful witches. And Kol favours them. They’re our best bet at the moment.”
“So, Ohio?” Caroline asked sceptically, “to meet a bunch of witches your brother likes? The brother I've heard has a reputation for being the most reckless and irresponsible member of your family?”
“Prejudice doesn’t suit you, Caroline.”
“Oh, shut up, Klaus.”
XXX
“Nik, how lovely to see you,” Kol drawled as soon as he saw them step off the plane. “It has indeed been too long. Come, give your favourite brother a hug,” he said, spreading his arms wide, making Klaus glower at him.
“Kol, we last saw each other three months ago. I've seen you go off on benders for more.”
“Tomato, tomahto,” Kol said dismissively, waving a hand, finally noticing Caroline. his face broke out into a wide smile. “And I see you’ve found company who can actually tolerate your miserable personality, brother. What's your name, darling?”
Caroline gave him a cold smile. “Is the nicknaming a thing in your family?”
“Oh, Elijah and Rebekah scoff at it. Nik and I, however, find it fun. It’s very endearing to women, see, helps us get into their knickers a lot more easily.”
“Kol, you're reaching your limits,” Klaus warned.
“He never lets me have any fun,” Kol said, pouting, before a smile reappeared across his face. “But, love, you're avoiding the question. What's your name?”
Caroline crossed her arms and frowned. “Caroline. And let me make something clear: it’s not a pleasure to meet you, Kol. I’m only helping your brother out because he’s doing me a small favour. So whatever questions you may have about me, save them. It’s bad enough I got tangled into your crazy family. I don’t need to know another Mikaelson.”
Kol’s lips stretched into a shit-eating grin. “Well, well, well. Nik, you’ve found yourself a spitfire. That’s new. None of your exes were like this.”
“Kol, must I remind you that I still have the daggers in my possession?”
Kol held up his hands in protest. “Alright, alright, I'll back down. But not before getting to know you, darling. I know you're awfully hesitant but I assure you, Nik’s the non-fun brother, not me. I'm full of surprises.”
Caroline rolled her eyes and strode past him. “We’re here for the Devereaux coven, Kol, and Klaus told me you knew them. And I want to meet them. Immediately.”
“Oh, darling, of course. Anything for you. And it won't be hard, my girlfriend’s in that coven.”
“Is that so?” Klaus asked innocently. “Then are you sure they’ll help us, Kol? Seeing as you’ve slept with almost all of them? You do remember what happened with the Whitewood coven, don’t you? Oh, yes, they strapped you to bamboo sticks naked and tried to spell you to burn you alive,” he said, before turning to Caroline and smirking, “My brother has a particular proclivity for witches, in the literal sense, isn't that right, Kol? Who’s the latest?”
Growling, Kol ignored Klaus’s jabs and turned back to Caroline. “I don’t know how you put up with him, Caroline. Is it the looks? The hair? It certainly can't be the sex, you're too good to have slept with Nik, of all people.”
“Watch your tongue, Kol,” Klaus snarled, while Caroline stifled a laugh.
Kol put out a hand, making Caroline eye it warily. “Come on, Caroline, let me introduce you to my favourite witch, and my girlfriend, Davina Claire.”
Making their way into a small cottage-like house, a young girl looking no more than sixteen or seventeen stood up and looked at Caroline and Klaus suspiciously. A quick glance at the spot of blood on Klaus’s collar Caroline had tried in vain to tell him to scrub off told her that the witch knew everything she needed to know about them. The girl—Davina—narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t mention your friends were vampires, Kol.”
Caroline snorted. “Oh, please. Can you see me tearing into people’s carotid arteries and sucking the life out of them? That’s all him.”
“Pleased to know you think so little of us, Caroline,” Kol scowled at her, making a corner of Davina’s mouth twist up, before frowning and looking back at Caroline. “So, what are you? You're obviously not a werewolf, otherwise you would’ve stunk of dog.”
“Watch your tongue, witch,” Klaus snarled at her, his eyes bleeding wolf gold, causing Kol’s eye veins to pop out as he hissed at him. Davina scowled and raised her hands, prepared to give Klaus an aneurysm. Clearly having had enough with all their drama, Caroline snapped her fingers, setting off a loud bang, causing them all to wince.
“Enough!” she growled, and Klaus look at her, impressed. No other witch he had known had pulled off a trick like that. She was powerful. With an irritated expression on her face, she turned to Davina. “It has been exactly one minute since I've met you, and already, you're acting like my prejudiced grandparents. As for you,” she said, rounding towards Kol, making him roll his eyes, her expression turning dangerous, “do that in front of me and I'll try to burn you alive. Be nice to Klaus. And you,” she hissed, turning to Klaus, making him shift uncomfortably.
How could she have this effect on him? He was the original hybrid, for god’s sake. No ordinary witch should have such control over him.
And yet, he found himself staying quiet and listening to her rant. “If you pull off any, and I mean any, funny business with Davina, the deal’s off. I don’t care what you do to me, torture me, kill me—”
“I’d never kill you,” he growled, making her glare at him, and he distinctly saw Kol throw him a surprised look out of the corner of his eye.
“Like I said, I don’t care what you do. But don’t you dare lay a finger on Davina. And the same goes for Kol. I've heard what you do to your siblings, sticking fucking daggers in them like a fucking psychopath, for god’s sake. I, for one, don’t want to cart around Kol in a coffin for the rest of our…trip.”
Klaus looked at her with grudging respect. “Yes, love,” he muttered, causing Kol to snort. His head flashed over to Kol, his eyes bleeding golden once again, causing Kol to grumble.
Caroline turned to Davina, who glared at her with her hands folded. “And seriously? You're dating a vampire. An original vampire. And you're still prejudiced? I mean, come on.”
Davina stared at her with an affronted expression on her face. “I’m not dating Kol! I barely tolerate him on a good day!”
Kol had the decency to look abashed, before staring at Davina with a lovesick expression on his face. “But imagine how good we’d be together, darling!”
Davina made a face and turned back to Caroline, a hint of a blush on her cheeks. “Fine. I’ll help you. But just because I owe Kol. Not because I'm his girlfriend.”
“Yet,” Kol muttered, and Klaus snorted. “As if.”
“Oh, piss off, Nik.”
XXX
“Your witch is a lot more trouble than she’s worth,” Klaus muttered, staring at the remains of the fire in the fireplace, while Kol lounged over the bed, nursing his drink.
“Yes, well,” Kol muttered, taking a swig from his glass, “she’s downright gorgeous, and terribly clever, so, yes, she is worth it.”
“Since when do you like brunettes, Kol?” Klaus asked, moving towards the table to refill his glass. “I thought redheads were your type.”
“Since I met Davina Claire,” Kol said, his eyes shining like a lovesick idiot, and Klaus snorted inwardly, making sure to mention it to Rebekah, who he would probably meet soon. Kol narrowed his eyes, and settled himself more comfortably underneath the covers. “You're once to scoff about my witch, Nik, with all the pining and panting you're doing after yours.”
Scowling, Klaus took a long sip from his drink. “I’m not pining or panting after her.”
“Oh please. Even Elijah would agree. You and your little witch, frivolously gallivanting across the country—”
“We’re not frivolously gallivanting across the country, Kol,” Klaus growled. “We both have jobs, and we’ve found an area where they overlap. We’re just helping each other, that’s all.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” said Kol lazily, settling under the covers. “And if that’s the case, why do you seem so reluctant to leave her side all the time? You’ve never been so attached to anyone, not even Aurora or Tatia—”
“Shut up, Kol,” Klaus snapped. “Right now. You are not to compare Caroline to those insipid women.”
“Oh, you're just bitter, Nik,” Kol said, backing down once he saw the furious glare directed towards him by Klaus. “Oh, alright, alright.”
They both sat in silence for a while, before Kol looked over at him, a strange expression on his face. “And what happens to your witch after your jobs are done? Do you both just go off on your separate merry ways?”
Klaus felt a hook-like feeling in his stomach that resembled his intestines being pulled out of his abdomen. “I—I suppose so.”
Kol raised an eyebrow. “Do you not want her around? I was under the impression that you cared—”
“I do not care for her,” Klaus snarled at his brother. “I do not care for anyone except you, Rebekah, Freya, and Elijah anymore. And it will stay that way.”
“Then what was with the whole I will never kill you, Caroline, display in front of me and Davina? And the way you let her speak to you? You’d have had my head if I'd even tried to.” A grin spread across Kol’s face. “Ah. I see.”
“See what?” Klaus growled, drinking more bourbon than was probably healthy.
“It’s her, isn't it? That’s why you're so attached to her.” Kol’s smile was wide. “You found her.”
“Found what?”
“Your mate,” Kol said, the syllables clearly enunciated, and Klaus felt a feeling of both dread and excitement wash over him.
“That’s—that’s ridiculous.”
“Or it isn't,” Kol said, his eyes shining with excitement. “You broke your curse three months ago, Nik. You're not just a vampire anymore; you're a werewolf too. And you’ve seen it yourself, werewolves usually find their mates immediately after their first turning. And you can turn at will, Nik. It’s possible that Caroline—”
“It’s not,” Klaus snapped, making Kol close his mouth in surprise. “Caroline’s not my mate. I don’t have a mate. I’m simply drawn to her because she’s powerful, that’s all. And yes, I might keep her around after we’re done for a few favours. She doesn’t owe me anything, but I would be happy to help her in exchange for spells, because as much as you may adore your witchy girlfriend, Kol, she’s not strong enough to—”
“That’s another thing I was hoping to talk to you about, Nik,” Kol said, his expression slightly hesitant. “Caroline’s not much older than Davina, but she is powerful, and I was hoping you'd keep her around, because I think she would be a good mentor for Davina.”
Klaus looked at Kol strangely. “You’re that fond of her?”
Kol looked hesitant. “I think I could actually love her someday, Nik. And I want her to stay with me. As more than a friend. Of course, if worst comes to worse, I will accept her friendship. But I want her. I want her to fall in love with me.”
Klaus thought about it, and nodded. “Alright. I will ask Caroline to stay after we’re finished. But for you and Davina Claire, not for me.”
Kol smirked. “That’s what you say right now. Just wait until she’s here for days in a row, sitting with me and Davina, and not speaking a word to you. You'll go mad.”
“I will not,” Klaus snapped. “She’s merely an acquaintance, Kol. Nothing more.”
“Is she?” Kol pressed on. “Do you mean to tell me you haven’t even thought about her in a certain way from the moment you met her, Nik?”
Well, he had thought extensively how she’d look spread out on his sheets, her legs around his waist, her wrists bound with his ties, moaning his name—
“No, of course I haven’t,” Klaus growled.
How her hair would spread across the pillows, how she would grip the sheets in throes of ecstasy, how he could make her fall apart with merely a few touches here and there—
“Haven’t you?” Kol smirked, noticing Klaus’s pained expression.
How she would look when she smiled, those beautiful eyes lighting up, rolling her eyes and coming up with witty comebacks to his teasing, kissing him softly—
“I haven’t, Kol!” Klaus roared. “Stop asking!” And with that, he flung himself out of the chair and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
“Come back after your cold shower, Nik!” Kol gleefully called after him. “But please refrain from telling me the dirty details when you finally shag Caroline and admit that I was right about the mate bond!” he said, the last part coming out in a yell, making Klaus growl, slamming open the door to his room and opening the shower door, kicking off his clothes, turning the heat to the water off.
He closed his eyes briefly, wanting to get some semblance of peace, instead having images of Caroline naked or scantily clad, straddling his lap coming to his mind instead.
He groaned.
He was so fucked.
He was going to kill Kol.
XXX