Timeless

Chapter 15

Klaus was waiting for Caroline inside her bedchamber. He had kicked off his boots and stretched out on her bed, shutting his eyes, trying to find a moment's piece. He had thought about going to see the doppelganger, making up for the time he had lost with her that morning, but he didn't feel up to it. He was angry and restless and no doubt she would annoy him to high hell.

Caroline's bed was unmade. Apparently his servants weren't doing a great job of keeping up with their chores. Couldn't anything go smoothly in his life? He grabbed one of the feather pillows and tucked it behind his head, catching the scent of Caroline on it. It was that spicy, vanilla smell that he had come to enjoy. He closed his eyes and remembered their tryst from a few nights before. His body responded as he recalled the smoothness of her skin and the tiny sounds she made as he overtook her.

Just then the bedroom door open and Caroline walked into the room. She let out a heavy sigh when she noticed him on the bed.

"What are you doing here?" She said shutting the door behind her and kicking her slippers off.

"I can be in here if I want to be. It is my home," Klaus replied, continuing to lounge comfortably on the bed.

Caroline shook her head. "All I want is to lay down and take a giant nap," Caroline said.

Klaus opened his arms up. "By all means love," he smirked.

"Oh so your being nice and funny again," Caroline retorted.

"I'm never either of those things," Klaus mused, "perhaps funny. When the moment strikes."

Caroline rolled her eyes before hoisting up her skirt and climbing onto the bed, coming to rest on his chest. Her reaction caught him off guard; he hadn't actually expected her to climb willingly into his arms. But he didn't question it. He just wrapped his arms around her.

"Hmm," Caroline hummed, "I like you like this."

"Like what?" Klaus asked.

"Light, nice," she replied, "you've been so angry all day. It was kind of scary."

Klaus remembered Gretchen's words from the morning. She had said that Klaus had been scaring Caroline. "I apologize for frightening you."

Caroline shrugged against him. "It's not you that I was really scared of."

"The wolves?"

"No."

"Elijah."

"No," Caroline said exasperated. She sat up out of his arms and sat back on her heels, facing him. "I don't get this whole distrust thing with your brother."

"You don't get it because you don't understand."

"Then explain it to me," she countered.

Klaus took a deep breath. "His motivation for staying on my side is buried beneath the castle grounds."

"Your siblings?" Klaus nodded. "He stays for them."

"I've threatened him a time or two using their sleeping bodies as leverage, yes. He won't dare cross me when there lives are at stake."

"But you wouldn't hurt them," Caroline said. Klaus made no reply, his eyes flicked away from her. "Besides, I don't think that's the only reason Elijah stays."

"No?"

"He cares about you." Klaus rolled his eyes.

"I don't want to talk about Elijah," he said, "I'd rather talk about you."

"What about me?"

"Did his little trick work? Is my brother now privy to secrets of my future."

Caroline shook her head slowly. "No."