Bound To You

Chapter 4

It was probably wrong of her, actually it was very wrong of her to do what she did next, but she couldn't help it. Caroline burst into a fit of laughter that lasted a few short seconds. Then suddenly the woman's hand came flying and smacked her right across her left cheek. She stumbled back a little, feeling her cheek burn; she looked up at the woman. She could feel the anger in her grow, how dare she, Caroline thought bitterly. Caroline's eyes must have been getting dark, she could feel the black veins under her eyes, and judging by the horrified look that appeared across the woman's face, she knew this was true.

The woman began to slowly step away, her eyes filled with fear, and then in one swift movement she disappeared behind one of the hall sighed, she didn't mean for her anger to over take her, but it isn't every day that Caroline Forbes gets slapped across the face.

Her mind reverted back to what the woman had said only moments before, she was Klaus' fiancé, and again this made Caroline laugh, she had never pictured Klaus as the type of man to commit to anyone.

Suddenly, for the first time, Caroline noticed that Ray the butler had stayed in the hallway, while his mistress ran; he didn't even bother to go after her.

He looked down the way she had gone, and shook his head.

Caroline gave him a tentative smile as he turned to look at her. "So, she doesn't know about..." Caroline began to say, but then trailed off.

"Oh, she does," Ray said, holding out his arm for her to grasp onto, and she did, looping her arm through his as they walked the hallway. "Although I wouldn't say she's the least bit pleased about it."

"Then why?" Caroline asked, she knew the answer but wanted Ray to say it.

"Arranged marriage," he said, shrugging his shoulders, Caroline nodded her head. "The Lord Niklaus was the one to arrange it. You see, the home Isabella comes from sits on this large piece of land that the Lord Niklaus had been itching to own, for reasons I know not. When she became of age, he had presented the offer to her father who accepted immediately. They were losing money, and could barely afford to keep the land anymore, so when the Lord Niklaus came across with this appealing deal, her father took it."

Caroline considered this. "I'm guessing she wasn't happy with the offer?" Caroline said, watching as Ray stopped to look at her.

"She did not know him, yet she had heard stories, stories about the Mikaelson family." He said, his voice low.

"You mean about them being vampires?" Caroline said, and Ray nodded at this.

"At first she was frightened, she would hardly even look at him and she moved about the halls like a ghost." Ray said, continuing to walk. "Of course as time passed she became aware of the status that was soon to be hers, she would no longer be the small farm girl, but something much more valuable. This gave her a sense of cockiness, and superiority."

Caroline frowned, thinking about how superior Isabella had acted toward her before she realized that Caroline was a vampire, and then she had run, like a scared mouse.

"She still seems scared though," Caroline said. "I mean with the whole vampire thing."

Ray looked sad for a moment as he considered what she had said. "Wouldn't you be too if you knew you were inevitably going to die?"

Caroline knew this was true, Klaus would never keep her around, she was human, and a disposable to him. He would use her to gain this piece of land, and then he would probably kill her on their wedding night. Suddenly Caroline wasn't angry with Isabella, she felt bad for her. It wasn't her fault that she was marring a vampire that was sure to end her life when it had barely begun.