Uncharted Territory

Chapter 4

Once Caroline had resigned to bed, Klaus changed out of his clothes and sought solace in his artwork. After the night he'd had, he needed the distraction. He positioned his easel near the window and began to relieve his stress with drawing. He sketched the view of the skyline outside against a blank canvas, beginning with a wall of skyscrapers. When he finished getting lost in the process, he stood back to survey his work.

There was always a reason for each piece, conscious or not. He thought he'd chosen the skyline by accident, just admiring its incandescent properties. But he realized, with irony, the buildings were a metaphorical echoing of his high guard standing erect in his subconscious. The faintly etched windows acted as cracks of light weaving through the darkness to his anima. He grunted, throwing the pencil against the easel with anger. When his art began to unintentionally portray the things he'd been forcing to the depths of his mind, there was no way to ignore it anymore.

This damnable light that blared through his blackened soul was beginning to hurt his eyes, and she didn't even know it. How had Caroline managed to crack him so easily? She opened his mind to questions he never thought he'd ask himself. Whycouldn't he connect? Surely it wasn't just Mikael's maltreatment of him. Was it? How long had it been since he felt something, anything, for anyone? Tatia? Could he even feel that way again or was he already? He didn't want to feel, but he did want her. What kind of sense did that make?

What was even more inexplicable was that the harder he tried to ignore what he felt, the easier it was for her to sneak to her way into the abyssal cavity of his chest. He'd kept his heart guarded all these long years and here he was unraveling at the slightest stroke of skin or taste of her lips. His libido craved her, that much he knew, but that was sheerly a primal need. Bodily impulses were vampire instinct, including amplified sex drive. But the way her lips melded to his in perfection was not just mere coincidence, was it? She was right to slow up. Sex complicated things. And after all, they'd only been out of Mystic Falls for two days. Time was no matter to him, but he knew Caroline would want as much as she could hold onto. It was infuriating but respectable. Most girls had such low standards. But then, Caroline was not most girls.

She was a game-changer. There was something he couldn't resist about chasing after her when she was so adamant about not letting him have her. She was a challenge and he always fancied himself a good one. But Caroline was different. She had logged into the game, taking him on, full force. Something he never expected. It was refreshing - the butting of heads, the witty repertoire, the desperation not to succumb to each other's wills. Each one wanted something from the other that they knew they would never get. But as it was, neither would relinquish control. That made it all the more frustrating, invigorating, and arousing.

As his emotions ran wild, his urges rushed to the surface. He let himself be engulfed by the chilling rush of callousness and felt better instantly, felt more like himself. But the urges wouldn't disappear on their own. Klaus sauntered into the kitchen to remedy that tiny detail. Still reeling in cold-blood, he ripped open the wine cooler and snatched a blood bag from the pile. There were still seven left. One less wouldn't hurt and it was quicker than picking out a bite from the streets. He tore the tubing with his teeth, spitting it to the floor with a snarl and began to drink. As the blood slithered down his throat the tension in his back eased. He downed the bag until it was transparent and slammed it into the counter, sighing with pleasure. He padded over to the sliding doors in the living room, stepping out onto the balcony to breathe in the night air. Between feeding and the rush of the altitude, he found clarity again.

Love was a weakness. If you let someone close enough to hurt you, it became an inevitability. You never gave that advantage away. It was just logic. So why was logic suddenly failing him, leaving him to question and second guess everything? It was unnerving beyond belief. He was a sensible man, always, and constantly three steps ahead. But with her, he felt lost and at the same time, found. He could never pinpoint exactly what it was about this blonde baby vampire that corrupted him, but he was certain one day she would drive him completely mad. If she hadn't already...