ℍ𝔸𝕌ℕ𝕋𝔼𝔻 - ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪᴋᴀᴇʟꜱᴏɴꜱ

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖞 𝖙𝖜𝖔

❧ a dagger piercing the heart of a rose ❧

≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫

Amalie swirled her lemonade lazily in her glass, the soft clinking of the ice cubes blending with the hum of chatter and music at the Grill.

She glanced toward the door as it swung open, a smirk tugging at her lips when she saw Alaric and Damon heading straight for her. She could already tell by Damon's stormy expression that something was brewing. And judging by Alaric's face, it wasn't good.

"Let me guess," she said as they slid into the seats beside her. "You're here to ruin my perfectly quiet evening."

Damon flopped onto the seat next to her with a dramatic sigh. "I screwed up."

Amalie arched a brow, taking a sip of her drink. "What'd you do now?"

Damon didn't answer, but the way he stared into the distance, sulking, made her lips quirk with amusement. When Damon didn't offer an explanation, Alaric stepped in, shaking his head.

"He force-fed Elena his blood," Alaric said flatly, as if the weight of Damon's idiocy was too exhausting to sugarcoat.

Amalie froze mid-sip, her glass hovering near her lips. She set it down slowly, blinking at Damon. "Oh, you screwed up...big time," she said, her tone carrying equal parts disbelief and judgment.

"I know ," Damon snapped, running a hand through his hair.

Before Amalie could reply, a voice cut through the din of the bar, smooth as silk and laced with amusement.

"Why so glum?"

Amalie turned toward the voice, and her breath caught for just a second. Klaus stood there, all self-assured elegance and wolfish charm, his smile curling at the edges as his eyes locked onto hers. He was even more striking in person, now that he was in his own body. No longer trapped in Alaric's—this was him, and it made all the difference.

"Ugh," Damon groaned, his eyes narrowing. "Klaus, I presume."

"In the flesh," Klaus said, his gaze lingering on Amalie for just a moment longer before he shifted his attention to Alaric. "Thanks for the loaner, mate."

Damon leaned back, folding his arms over his chest. "Any particular reason you decided to stop by and say hi?"

"I'm told you and your brother fancy my doppelganger," Klaus said casually, his tone light but edged with a warning. "Just thought I'd remind you not to do anything you'll regret."

Amalie couldn't help herself—she snickered softly, the irony of it too good to pass up. Klaus' eyes flicked back to her briefly, his smirk widening just slightly, but he said nothing.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Ha. Thanks for the advice, really. But I don't supposed I could talk you into a postponement, huh? What's one month in the grand scheme of things?"

Klaus raised an eyebrow, tilting his head as though Damon had just suggested something utterly absurd. "You are kidding?" He said, the faintest scoff in his voice. He turned to Amalie instead, his eyes narrowing in mock disbelief. "He is kidding, right?"