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Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Surely A Married Man

Masquerade balls are an elegant affair; people float around a ballroom donning intricate masks and sophisticated fabrics from the local modiste, the atmosphere wearing a perfume of both mystery and intrigue as young debutants engage with society. Unattended, I found myself clinging to the edge of the party for once. After all, my younger sister, Luciana, was to debut soon enough and I couldn’t help but feel the need to keep a watchful eye over potential suitors. While the party was deemed in gorgeous shades of emerald and sage, my dress perhaps highlighted me in its deep red, almost burgundy color, with a matching mask to cover the top half of my face except, of course, my eyes.

As I surveyed the room before me, the 8-piece ensemble’s sinuous music swelled joyously. With a telling eye, I looked from suitor to suitor, analyzing who might my sister pair well with when I noticed a shadowed man's direct stare from across the room. I wasn’t here to find myself a partner even if I was unmarried and accompanied by my eldest siblings, Jeremiah and Maggie, and this man did not seem to grasp that knowledge. So, I dropped my gaze, disappearing into the crowd to avoid his attention. No matter what my parents thought, my attention was on finding a suitor for my sister, not myself. For a moment, I considered leaving the ball already but instead found myself enjoying the festivities and music well enough to stay. But I would be staying far across the room, subtly hiding from the man's curious gaze. Perhaps it would have been wiser to hide closer to the man, even behind him, as I quickly lost sight of his peering inspection when he disappeared into the thick of the crowd. As the music playing for the dancers in the center of the room ends causing a gentle roar of applause, I do not realize the man with the intriguing gaze has found me.

"Hello there." A smooth, lilting voice softly called over my shoulder, causing me to stiffen in surprise.

"Good evening." My reply is cordial as I faced the voice with a small curtsy, finding it to belong to the man who belonged to the hellbent stare.

His lips curled into a smile. "I've been looking for you," He says, his voice calm and even. "Are you hiding from me?"

"Now why on earth would I be hiding? Is there something about you that I should be hiding from?" I speak coyly as I hold my hand-fan in my right hand in such a way to say that he is too willing.

A soft chuckle left him as he stared down at me, "Perhaps you saw me observing your beauty from across the room. I was simply curious to know the bewitching young lady, that's all."  His voice is still soft, holding fast to my attention.

"Curious of what, exactly? Surely you're a married man." My own curiosity had become piqued.

The blond man held a hand to his chest in mock offense. "And what makes you assume that?" His eyes danced with amusement. "Am I not allowed to admire beauty? Should the sight of it be prohibited?" His smirk is confident, as if he's enjoying this more than he should.

"Ah, but if you are married, I might discover myself in trouble just talking to you without your wife present.” I give a polite laugh and gently fan myself with my hand-fan in an inconspicuous attempt to disperse an embarrassed blush that had crept onto my cheeks.

"There is no wife to interrupt our conversation." He says in a low voice, his eyes never leaving mine.

With my sparse knowledge of this man, I could not help but assume his words. "Oh— has she passed? I'm so sorry for intruding."

"Oh, no, no, no, no," The man quickly denied the accusation. "She's very alive. In fact, I'm sure she'll be here at some point."

I shut my hand-fan, twirling it in my left hand, silently telling him I wish for us to part ways. "Well then I suppose I shall take my leave of you, Sir."

"Niklaus. Mikaelson. But you may call me Klaus” He spoke, catching my attention one last time before I departed his presence. “Would you do me the pleasure of sharing your name with me?"

"Aleria." I curtsied,  purposely avoiding giving him my surname as he did. "It was good meeting you, Mr. Mikaelson, but now I must go."

My thoughts turned pink with sudden admiration as I moved away from the man who revealed his name to be Klaus, still believing him to be a married man, only to find myself in the softly lit garden, speaking to myself under my breath: No matter, Aleria, you're not here to find a suitor anyways.

To shake the previous conversation from my mind, I trailed my way over to the middle of the garden by the water fountain, finding a seat on its edge. In this deep night, with the gas lit lamps placed throughout the garden, I found the sky to be bright with clear stars, happily allowing me to find my favorite constellations.

"Astra nobis datur. Sidera facimus. Stellae nempe sunt in mundo, sed stellae sunt lineae imaginariae quae inter eas trahunt, lectiones caelo damus, fabulas dicimus." Words murmured from my lips in Latin to myself as I got lost in the constellations above me.

" The stars, we are given. The constellations, we make. That is to say, stars exist in the cosmos, but constellations are the imaginary lines we draw between them, the readings we give the sky, the stories we tell ." A voice nearby speaks the translation of my words.

I stood, sharply turning around to find Klaus there once again watching me, a small smile on his lips.

"Oh!" I regained myself as I now recognized him, "You know Latin?"

Klaus seemed rather amused at my surprise. "I'm a lot of things... Including a learned man. I speak Latin… Arabic… English, of course… Perhaps you’ll find I know more than you think. And you, my dear Aleria?" He asks, stepping closer.

"Latin, French, and Romanian. I'm learning Greek as well but I have to learn it on my own. My sisters are not as interested in learning more languages like me." I gently dropped my fan, forgetting I was holding it.

"Romanian?" His voice displays his curiosity, "Do tell me something in Romanian."

" Ești un ticălos bunul meu domnule. (You are a scoundrel, my good sir.) ” I laugh before continuing in English again. "Don't tell me, you speak Romanian amongst your many languages?"

"A ticălos ? Now why would you want to disrespect me so?" His voice is rather playful. “And yes, by chance, I do.” The charming blond crouched down, swiftly retrieving my fan for me.

A smile played on my lips "You say you have a wife, here at the ball even so, and yet you’d rather follow an unmarried and unchaperoned woman to the garden."

“I think it’s very clear that regardless of  my marital status, my eyes find you much more captivating.” The corner of his mouth curled into a cheeky smile, holding my attention even more steadfast than before.

I give the titillating blond a disapproving but bemused look. "While my father wishes for me to find a suitor, I am no lady of the night either if that is what you look for tonight."

“There is a fine line between being a lady of the night, and knowing what you want, isn’t there? Are your wants as innocent as you imply, Aleria?”

"Do others say any different?" My eyes narrow for a second before relaxing once more.

“Who knows? But I doubt that someone like you would be so innocent, hiding from me every time you find interest in me.” He gestures towards my face, as if saying I was blushing, despite still not knowing the face under the mask. “Are you, perhaps, already promised to someone?”

I paused, quickly debating how to react, "…No." The word came shortly from my mouth, causing me to reassess myself and smooth the intonation of my words, "But as long as you have a wife, there’s no chance of me being promised to you."

Klaus chuckled as he stepped back a pace, allowing me room to breathe. “Ah, but you don’t know the whole truth. I don’t have a wife.” The snake charmer finally revealed his truth, his words lingering a moment as he stared deeply into my eyes. I was admittedly taken aback but my mask hid my surprise.

"Then why did you tell me you did? And that she was here tonight? I thought you were trying to get my attention, not scare me off, Mr. Mikaelson."

“I was trying to be polite.” He admitted. “I figured telling you I had a wife was better than letting you know that I was here to have a good time. I was hoping that you were here to have a good time as well… perhaps with an inquisitive blond gentleman such as myself?” Klaus’ expression showed that he was confident in his words and yet amused at my own.

Trying to figure the mysteriously handsome man before me out before glancing around making sure no one was near us. "Well… it is true I’m not interested in meeting suitors tonight. Unless they were for my sister and not myself." I say quietly before an idea comes to mind. "Would you mind dancing with me in the ballroom? Surely then suitors might leave me be."

“Are you saying I should pretend to be courting you?” Klaus' head tilts to the side questioningly.

I bit my lip, holding back an impolite laugh, "I won’t force you to. I would just like it if all the other suitors would stop calling on me at home."

As if agreeing to my proposal, he holds out the crook of his elbow.

“Well then I shall be your suitor, if just for the night,” I say, smiling. “Though I’ll admit— my intentions are to have you all to myself by the end of the night.”

Warily, I take his arm, "How do I know you’re not already one of the suitors who has called on me and turned away?"

“If I was one of those suitors, would you still be as attracted to me as you are now?” Klaus’ tone was playful as we walked arm in arm back inside the ballroom and towards the dance floor, passing other masqueraded guests who took obvious notice of us.

I lower my voice as the orchestra ensemble begins to play a waltzing tune, everyone getting into position with their partners. "You think I’m attracted to you, Mr. Mikaelson?"

“Of course I know you’re attracted to me, you aren’t looking anywhere else but at me right now.” He nods to some of the masqueraded couples around us,

I glance over to the orchestra for a clue on the style of dance. The music starts and I start moving around the dance floor before realizing Klaus does not know how to waltz and that I was leading us around the floor. "Wait, you don’t know a simple waltz and yet you accepted my invitation to dance?"

“What can I say?” He says with a chuckle, desperately trying not to look at my feet so he could match my steps. “I’ve always liked taking risks. Especially if it keeps a beautiful lady like yourself close to me.”

Ignoring his comment, I subtly took his hand from my shoulder and spun myself under his arm before placing it on my waist, matching his other hand, "Your hands go here." I murmured, hoping no one noticed that I was leading as it was improper for a lady to do so. "What did they teach you in school?" I tease as he complies with my correction, making small adjustments despite still having no clue how to properly dance.

“School?” He replies, thinking about what I had asked, “They don’t teach boys how to waltz as we’re growing up. But we do learn about other important paraphelia in school.”

"Like what? How to hunt and shoot a gun?" Teasing Klaus came all too easy as I led him through the dance, wondering what he meant because everyone learns waltzing in school, because after all, we were living in an era of decadent balls such as this one.

He paused on his next words, clearly thinking about how to reply so as to not break the charm of the night. “Yes, I can hunt…” he murmured in a patient but dominant way. “But I can also read to you from the Bible; quote Shakespeare… I can talk about the history of the world as if I experienced it first hand.” A small smile formed across his lips.

I couldn’t help but match his infectious smile as he brought up some of my favorite topics, "Shakespeare and history? You’ll have to tell me more." The dance ended as I spoke, causing me to let go of him and curtsy, him bowing.

“You would like to know more about me, Miss Aleria?” His curiosity shone bright as I took his arm, letting him lead me off the dance floor, once more filtering our bodies through the crowd.

"We can return to the garden if you’d like, I’m sure my father won’t mind me not having a chaperone to speak with you for the time being." Not that he was here to notice anymore. But Klaus did not need to know that. He might try to get closer to me than I’d like.

“Yes, I believe that would be better,” He agreed quietly, his voice low with deep interest. “Shall I walk you back to the gardens, my lady?”

"If you insist, Mr. Mikaelson." The corners of my mouth turned upwards, noting my teasing tonality as we walked into the moonlit garden, playfully continuing our little charade.

“Oh, but I do.”

Chapter Text

We walk side by side in the moonlight as we head deeper into the gardens; the breeze and the faint moonlight making for an intimate setting. i’m once more looking up at the stars as we walk, letting him lead me wherever.

“The night is surely a beauty.”

Klaus suddenly takes my hand and softly kisses it as both acknowledge my words and compliment me the same as the night. It admittedly made my heart flutter.

“Quelle surprise. (What a surprise.) ” Words of French fluidity spilled from my lips before I had a chance to stop them.

"En effet, c'est une surprise, mademoiselle. (Indeed it is a surprise, Miss) " he responds, not daring to let go of my hand as he continues to speak, "Puis-je vous poser une question? (Can I ask you a question?) " 

“Oui. (Yes.) ” My curiosity meets his eye once more.

My head tilts to the side as I think about what to ask.

"May I ask you something… perhaps more personal, Aleria?" His expression softens, momentarily dropping the French in turns for a soft whisper as he leans a little closer.

“Vos mots me tentent beaucoup. C'est tout ce que tu veux? (Your words tempt me much. Is that all you want?) ” I say, continuing walking us into the garden maze where it’s more private.

"C'est bien sûr tout ce que je veux pour l'instant, mademoiselle Aleria. Je vous trouve très attrayante. (That’s of course all I want for now, Miss Aleria. I find you very attractive.) " Klaus’ gaze had enraptured my every thought and I wasn’t sure I wanted to feel so vulnerable

We walk through the maze, not paying attention to where we’re going, “Est-ce ainsi? (Is this so?) ”

“Alright.” His words in English captured my attention as much as his French did. This was so much the truth I hadn’t noticed we had stopped as Klaud noticed the dead end in front of us.

My heart was pounding inside my chest.

Seeing that we are somewhat secluded, he takes another step towards me, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear with one hand, his other still on my waist.

"Just one kiss, for all my hard work tonight. One kiss, and I'll leave you alone." Klaus' whisper leaves his lips in a husky but deviously hungry way.

His lips are close, I can smell the champagne on his breath as he waits for my permission.

“You don’t have to leave me alone, Klaus…” I pressed my lips gently against his, knowing we were alone.

My heart flutters as I feel his lips against mine. Klaus’ arms wrap around my waist again, holding me as if he won’t ever let go before he remembers he’s supposed to be a gentleman and quickly pulls away. His eyes search mine, visibly aching for a reaction from me.

“What is that all I get?” I tease him, letting my hands rest on his shoulders, eliciting a chuckle from him.

“That’s all you get for tonight.” He whispers, eyes steadily locked on mine. He pulls me closer as if to kiss me once again but holds back from doing so, “You’re fun company.”

“As are you, Klaus Michaelson.” Slowly, I lift one hand, going for his mask, “Now who are you under that mask, really?”

Klaus catches my hand, inches from his cheek, holding me back from revealing his identity, “The mystery is half the fun.” He whispered. “I’m afraid I can’t show you who I really am just yet.”

I laugh gently at his words, “Oh, so you’re only willing to kiss a girl if no one knows what you look like?”

“Is the gorgeous lady in front of me saying she can’t handle the mystery of not knowing my true face?” He asks quietly, his tone changing, despite his playfulness, to a more serious one. “A little bit of mystery is good for a lady like you.”

“A lady like me?” A smirk crosses my lips as I tilt my head in curiosity, “I think…” I pause. “A lady like me has enough mystery in her life and you could spare me from more.”

“Oh?” The dashing man raised an eyebrow, his curiosity obviously piqued. “A princess like you certainly has enough mystery in her life? What are your secrets?” A renewed playfulness entered his tone. “I may be willing to spare you the mystery of my face if you divulge a bit of your own secrets. What do you say?”

“Now what secrets could you possibly want to know?”

“Come on, Aleria. You look like you have a few secrets to hide yourself.” Klaus thinks for a second, his eyes drifting down to my lips once more in thought before meeting my own. “How about I start with an easy one? What are your hopes and dreams for your future?”

His question surprise me, making me genuinely think about the question for a minute, “I think… I think it would be lovely to own some land of my own and not under some man’s name.”

“So you want to be a woman of independence?”

My lips turn up in a smile, nodding in agreement.

“That doesn’t sound like such a difficult dream. If you play your cards right, you might even marry a rich man to make it all come true. And if I am right, no man would be opposed to such a woman, like yourself, owning your own property…”

My laugh interrupts his last few words. “You think I want to marry? After all you’ve done to help me avoid suitors? I look at him incredulously through my mask.

“What? You don’t want to get married?” His voice and smirk showed me he was genuinely curious. His smile widens, adding in a playful remark. “Well if not, what do you plan to do with your life, Aleria? Will you sit in your father’s house until you’re the ripe age of 40? Living with the same people every day until you’re old and grey? No children, no husband, no nothing?”

“I’d like to think one day, I’ll have the ability to live on my own, holding my own job. But society thinks differently. They already call my sister a spinster and she’s only 2 years my senior.”

“I find people’s obsession with a woman’s ability to get married to be absurd.” His words showed his annoyance.

“There’s nothing wrong with being unmarried or childless, if that’s the way you want to go about life. You should find yourself a job that makes you happy, even if that’s something ‘untraditional’, such as becoming an artist.” My speech was defiant and strong, reaffirming my stance on society’s beliefs of marriage.

“Is your sister unhappy as well?”

“She’s never been one for men.” Quickly, I realize what that might imply to him, “Or anyone for that matter. Maybe she’d like to join me in owning land some day… What about you? What are your hopes and dreams?”

The man seemed  surprised by how casually I spoke of my sister’s interests. “Are you so open about these things with everyone, or is it just me?”

I deny him any verbal answer, instead only staring up at him. In turn, Klaus cleared his throat to diffuse any negativity between us.

“My answer is a simple one.” He says with a gentle smile. “My hope is to be free.” His eyes held mine with such strength of curiosity. “Would you allow a man to boss you around and dictate your life? To control where you live, what job you hold, and who your friends are?”

“I wouldn’t wish that on you, Aleria.” His voice was soft at these words. All manner of playfulness momentarily left him. We may have just met, but I could tell he truly meant these words.

“I wouldn’t wish a life of imprisonment for either of us.” I pause, a devious thought coming to mind. “Why don’t we keep up this little charade, you and I, of you being my suitor? Meanwhile, both of us can be free to do as we like.”

It’s a win-win situation. We can both avoid getting married; as we wished.

“This could work. But… you do realize that it will mean we’d have to keep up the act in public?”

“I don’t mind.” I lean in and look at his lips teasingly as I speak before pulling away, “Do you, Klaus?”

He bites his lip, showing me I had his unadulterated attention.

“Of course not.” He says with a wink. “I think it would be quite fun.” He slowly moves forward, my body inches away from his, as if he wanted another kiss.

“Shall we seal the deal?”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

Without warning, I lean in place my lips on his. This time, we don’t pull away so quickly. I hold the kiss, letting my lips linger. I hadn’t realized how much I had enjoyed that first kiss we had shared. I don’t want to let go of this moment.

Klaus’ arm sneaks further around my waist, deepening the kiss, and letting his feelings get the better of him. I start feeling myself losing my grip on reality as I lean into him, matching his intensity with each kiss. His hands move to my neck, somehow pulling me even closer into him. A tongue slides between our mouths, I couldn’t tell whose. Hormones and excitement from this forbidden kiss completely absorbed me; I was completely out of my mind. Something inside me was rising, my desire increasing. My thoughts could only fly by, not staying long enough for me to comprehend them, as my body pressed flush against his, reacting without hesitation.

" Don't rush this. Don't think about what this means. Don't even think about it. " I think to myself. " Just enjoy everything about this moment ."

I feel his lips trail down to my neck and I giggle at each little nibble he gives, not realizing I had a vampire nibbling along my neck. It's fun to play a game like this, knowing it's wrong but having no one to stop us.

“Ah-“ I make a noise of pain and surprise as I feel him bite into my neck with his fangs, “Klaus— what are you doing?”

He doesn't stop. In fact, he sucks harder, letting my blood fill his mouth. His hand lets go of my neck only to wrap around my body, holding me tight. Klaus’ sharp teeth were buried deep. I grew fearful as I felt myself start to weaken; my legs giving in, forcing him to hold me upright. I’m terrified of what’s going to happen. “Klaus— please.”  Terror had so engulfed me that I don’t realize I’ve started to cry.

A drip of blood slides down my pale skin as I am released from his bite. The skin around Klaus’ lips were dangerously red. Neither of us knew what to say.

Amidst my terror, I try to use what strength I have left to push him away, succeeding by falling to the ground. I look up at him, seeing his eyes have turned black and his mouth was smeared with my blood.

Shame and anger crossed his face as if he was fighting himself; eventually his eyes faded to normal. 

"Damn you, girl!" He says suddenly. His eyes are burning into mine, his voice serious and malevolent. "How dare you seduce and tempt me like that! I almost drank enough to kill you!"

A newfound resentment towards the man bubbles up from me. Despite that fury, I found I don't have enough strength to get up and get in his face, only to yell at him from my position on the ground, “Damn me? Damn Me? You could’ve told me what you wanted from me in the first place! And maybe I would’ve let you but no— no , you just had to go and take it from me… And here I thought you were a gentleman .” I spit my venomous words up at him

Klaus stares back at me, anger visibly brewing.

"A gentleman?" A coy smile of disbelief crosses his face. "You expect me to be a gentleman after you seduced me with your lips and body in this lonely garden maze? You want to play games like that and expect me to be a gentleman? You are lucky that I stopped myself, and that you are still in one piece." Klaus was shaking with so much anger that his mask came completely off, finally revealing his face.

I only glared up at him. I would’ve run away in fear of the terrifying man in front of me but the blood still leaking from my neck was making me weaker and more tired as time passed without medical attention.

Despite his morbid glare, his face softens just a bit as he bends down and grabs my arms.

"Come here. I'm going to heal you." Without waiting for an answer, Klaus bites his wrist and shoves it to my mouth. “Drink.”

The faint look in his eyes of regret seemed to convince me to drink, the fear washed away and my eyes glazed over as the vampire before me compelled me to drink his blood. When I feel my strength return, and no more pain where Klaus bit me, I pull away.

“That’s a good girl, love.”

His words don’t seem to register in my mind as I lay back on the grass and rub my face, trying to comprehend what just happened. My mask slides off my face into my hands before letting my arms drop to the ground on either side of me. Looking over at Klaus in an attempt to understand what he was, now that I could see his face, I noticed he won’t stop staring at my neck. His tongue traced the outside of his lips as he clearly thought about how my blood tasted.

Something about him was incredibly alluring and despite my annoyance at that fact, he was slowly getting to me.

His little head tilt of curiosity did not help remove these feelings.

I sit up quickly, unsure of what he’s going to do next as he steps towards me, “Klaus…”

He stays quiet. Achingly quiet.

“What did you do to me?” My hand slips across my neck where he bit me, feeling a healed wound in its place.

“I drank your blood and I made you drink mine.” Klaus’ words were said so plainly as if it should’ve been obvious what just occurred.

“But… vampires are just a fairytale… right?” I look at him as he crouches in front of me.

“We’re far from a fairytale.”

Chapter Text

Far from a fairytale . The words rang in my head like the softest alarm bells.

But I didn’t care at this moment.

My body starts moving closer to him, my thoughts telling me to kiss him. There’s a part of me who wants him to take me right here, in this garden maze where no one can see us. Yet, there’s another part of me that is stopping me - my thoughts and feelings are mixed up as I still struggle with the recent events. We are so close to each other that we’re practically breathing the same air as one. My feelings for you are overwhelming, and my heart, mind and desires battle for control. I want you, I crave your body, I need to have you…

“Would you like me to turn you into one of us?” Klaus’  lustful voice, sounding so sincere, almost seems like he cares, breaks my train of thought.

“Is that possible?” My voice shakes ever so slightly as I speak.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll gladly turn you into a vampire.” He leans  forward slightly, his soft lips grazing my neck, before leaving little kisses from my shoulder to my collarbone.

I don’t answer him just yet as I lose myself in the feeling of his lips on my skin again. It was so unfair the power he had over me in this moment.

His hands start moving slowly, one holding my cheek and the other resting on my neck. His lips move back up my neck and further. His kisses tickled my ear.

I laugh and attempt to pull away from his lips on the corner of my jaw, “Hey, that tickles!”

"Good. I intend to keep doing it.".

“Stop it.” My words almost slur in between laughs as he starts leaving little love bites on my jawline. I attempt to push him off of me to get him to stop tickling me but his grip on my body pulls me on top of him. “Well someone’s playing dirty to get what they want.” I grin, amused by our position

Klaus’ fingers run through my hair, slightly undoing the way I had it styled for the ball.

This is exciting, this is forbidden and this is wrong. I can almost taste it.

I blush, pulling away as I remember we’re still near the party we were attending. “You, my good sir, are dangerous to be around.” I give a half smile, “In more ways than one.”

His hands stay wrapped around my waist as he speaks, "You're... blushing?"

Klaus’ devilishly crooked smile and raised eyebrow had me captivated.

“I’m an unmarried and unchaperoned woman sitting atop a man alone in a secluded area, Klaus. Am I not to blush at the idea?” My cheeks blush more as I explain.

"And we wouldn't want anybody to suspect something, now would we?" He teases me before turning honest, "I would love for them to find us like this, with you sitting on my lap." 

"It would be a dream come true." I roll my eyes, thinking he’s still teasing.

"Would you like everyone to know how I make you feel? How you beg for me like this and I want nothing but you?"

I buried my face in his chest in mortification. “If anyone found us here, we’d be forced to marry. And we already said neither of us wish to be married.” My voice was slightly muffled by his chest, which gently shook with laughter.

"Is someone's face turning red?" He mockingly asks, as if it wasn’t obvious. "You look cute like this.".

As he lifts my chin, removing my head from his chest, I narrow my eyes at him as I sit on top of him. “You're just happy to tease me all night long aren’t you?”

"I certainly am. I would love to keep teasing you for many more nights after this night is over." He winks, only teasing me further. "Can I ask you something, little one?"

I turn red once more at him voicing his thoughts of us together many nights more but the thought I’d cut short by him calling me little one .

“You can always ask…”

Klaus’ gentle hands brush my hair out of my face only to trail down my cheek and hold my chin firmly enough to look deep into his eyes.

"Kiss me" He commands. It's almost a whisper.

“That’s not a question.” I lightly tease him before gently pressing my lips against his once more.

Klaus’ arms almost instantly envelope me, pulling me closer, if that were possible. Kisses slowly played through this quiet moment between us, our bodies gently melting into one another’s. My hair falls from its pinned form as Klaus tangles his fingers in it. The heat between us was rising but it seemed as if we couldn’t stop. My body pressed against him in such a way that was aching for his touch as I lay on top of him, the skirt of my dress covering us both. All my words escape me as I hold you close. I'm lost in this passionate, forbidden and dangerous moment.

There's so much power behind my kiss, it made my heart race as my body slowly turned against me. I know that he could feel it.

His hands start roaming my body, discovering every inch of it. I couldn’t help but let him. I craved him.

My hands found his as he attempted to remove the top layer of my dress without looking, assisting him in opening the front of my dress to my corset, leaving my skirt and petticoat still covering my lower half. I blush and laugh as he fumbled with my garments, “Do you not know how to undo a corset?”

His deep blue eyes bore right into mine, "No, I don't know how," He says flatly.

Blush rushes through my cheeks once more as I realize I have to help him. Silently removing the rest of the top layer of my dress and untying the back of the corset, never dropping eye contact, my corset loosens, tempting the man.

“Now try.” I say in a quiet but alluring voice.

Klaus’ gaze never wavered as he gently tugs the rest of my corset away revealing my bare chest. "It's untied." He says with a cock of the eyebrow, almost as if he did everything himself..

“Very good.” I mock him in a teasing way.

"I've never said I wasn't a good learner." He let his fingers run over the top of my collarbone, tracing where he had kissed before. "The view is nice, too."

I bite my lip as I feel his fingers gently run over my bare skin, making me shiver involuntarily. His gentle touched roamed lower.

"You're cold?" He asks with a curious tone, teasing me slightly, as his fingers slid across my skin towards my stomach.

“It is a bit of a chilly evening…” I trail off before deciding to tease him, “…but I’ve heard skin to skin contact is the best way to keep warm…” My hands trail across the clothes covering his chest, causing him to grin with false innocence.

Klaus slowly opens his shirt and slides it off, letting it fall on the ground. "You're more than welcome to keep me warm, Aleria."

Passion overthrows my consciousness as I lean into him, pressing our bare skin against one another, kissing him without remorse. His hands caress every curve my body owned, his warm breath on my neck held my attention, his fingers gently grabbing fistfuls of my hair, everything he was doing…

It felt so… right .

It was an obsession like never before. I couldn’t get enough of him. I wanted nothing but him.

His hands slowly moved towards my waist and the skirt I was wearing. I didn’t mind the feeling of his hands wandering underneath my skirt as much as I thought I might. Having his hands sliding up my thighs, feeling my skirt giving way to him, even the occasional graze of his vampiric fangs had me lost in another world.

“I don’t think we could turn back now.” I joke as my hands find the top of his pants, making me realize that as long as we’re on the ground and I’m on top of him, there’s no easy way for him to remove his pants.

I heard a subtle chuckle escape him while I fiddled with the lining and buttons of his pants, "I didn't know this was part of your plan, little one."

As he spoke, with his lips against my neck, my skirt moved out of the way, almost with a mind of its own. Klaus’ teasing little pecks of infatuation moved down to my chest, breasts in plain view. I just grin, almost laughing to myself at his words as he rolls us over, him now on top and between my legs. The only thing between us now was pure lust.

And unfortunately his pants.

My body burned with desire as I looked up at Klaus, freeing him to ravage me if he wanted. His fingers grazed my inner thigh, moving closer, and closer. My body is on fire, my breath heavy, but I control myself and my thoughts so as not to move too fast for me to forget this moment.

"Am I moving too fast for you, my lovely Aleria?"

“Not at all.” I say breathlessly. I desperately wanted to tease him, to show I was able to control my desire for him but a small moan escaped me as I felt his lips trailing kisses along my chest.

I could feel his lips curling into a smirk at the bare sound I let out and the moment between us only got more and more intense with his fingers sliding gently upwards, delicately ignoring my undergarments.

Klaus suddenly whisper in my ear, "Should I keep going, little one?"

My eyes are closed as I revel in the way he makes me feel.

“Please…”

"Please what ..?"

God . The man has barely touched me and I was already a slave to what his delicious lips could do to me.

"Do you want more?"

My eyes open, looking up at him, all innocence gone from my eyes. “Please take me. No one will know.”

"If I take you, I'm never letting you go." He pauses. "Are you sure that's what you want? There's no going back from this."

I nod before kissing him again, my hand gently holding his face.

That was all he needed from me before his fingers traced my folds, quietly sliding a finger in and out. I could feel him staring at me and I almost felt embarrassed that I was so easy for him to play with so I closed my eyes.

In and out. In and out. A second finger joined the first inside me and my eyebrows furrowed in pleasure.

In and out. In and out. Our heavy breaths became entangled in the cold night air.

In and out. In and out. Klaus was steady with what he was doing, his thumb drawing circles between my folds as the other fingers moved.

I felt him press against my bare skin below my skirt as it sat bunched around my waist, my hands once again finding the top of his pants and I unbutton them.

Once more, I open my eyes, only to find him intensely watching my every reaction to his touch. His fingers slid from me, now sticky with early essence. My body aches for more. We weren’t done here yet.

"Are you ready, little one?"

“Fuck me.”

The words that came out of my mouth just then surprised the both of us. But not enough to stop.

“Yes ma’am .” Good to know he could take orders, I thought to myself.

My thoughts didn’t stay long as Klaus had quickly moved the opening of his pants aside and drawn out his phallus, gently teasing me by rubbing the tip between my legs.

A squeak I didn’t know I could make, liberated itself from my body. Klaus’ breathy moan quickly followed suit as he slipped himself inside of me.

In and out. In and out. At first, the movement was methodical and planned. Then his lips met mine.

In and out. In and out. Klaus’ speed and force both picked up as the passion between us kept rising.

In and out. In and out. Faster, if that were even possible. Whines and moans between us were muffled by Klaus’ hand over my mouth. We didn’t want to draw attention.

In and out. In and out. I could feel myself reaching a height of passion that from which you can only come down. Klaus slowed and added his fingers back into the mix, making circles. Fingers on the outside, phallus on the inside.

In and out. In and out. Suddenly Klaus pulled himself out of me as I shook with the height of my pleasure.

A sticky white substance leaked from Klaus and I couldn’t help but lick my lips.

“What, did you want to be with child?”

His sudden words caught me off guard and I shook my head with a laugh.

“At least not tonight.”

Chapter Text

Time passed and we found ourselves getting dressed again, me however, struggling to tighten the back of my corset. “Would you mind helping me?”

"Of course, my lady." Klaus’ sultry voice said, unknowingly using my title.

He delicately helped lace my corset and started tightening it. As he did this, I felt Klaus brush my hair to the side, off my neck, giving my shoulder a gentle kiss. "Done."

I couldn’t help but blush. Indelicate thoughts of recent events raced through my mind at the gentle feeling of his lips. “Thank you.” I turned back towards him, placing my hands on his chest. “And thank you, for tonight. It was wonderful.”

There was something so innocent and sweet about a man who's just been with you the whole night but still manages to treat you with gentle care.

"I should be the one thanking you." Klaus was looking down at me as we swayed in the moment, "It was wonderful, and I don't regret a moment of it… I've only just met you and yet I'm left with such a wonderful memory of you, Aleria."

I lightly chuckled at the sentiment before reaching for the top layer of my dress to put it on, not thinking too much on his words.

"You look so beautiful."

I smiled. “You’re too kind, Klaus.” Suddenly I remember we were supposed to be attending a party and we’ve just been consorting in a secluded part of the garden maze for some time. “Shall we return to the party? Or would you like to walk me home? My brother was attending to me tonight but…” A giggle leaves my lips. “It seems he has misplaced me.”

"As much as I wouldn’t want your brother to worry, I'd like to walk you home." Klaus watches me settle the rest of my dress around myself as if nothing had occurred. "I'm sure the party can do without us for a bit more, right?"

I smiled up at him before grabbing our masks and my hand-fan from the ground, walking beside him as we wandered in an attempt to exit the maze. It was a bit of a chilly evening but I did not notice until Klaus put his suit jacket around my shoulders to warm me. As we looked around the maze, trying to find where we came from, I held on to Klaus’ gentlemanly outstretched arm. Neither of us had realized we had moved so deeply into the maze.

“No one told me that… intimate relationships could be so beautiful.” My eyes met his as we finally escaped the belly of the maze.

"Really? You're just now learning these things?" Klaus’ chuckle came through his words before he cleared his throat, “I would have guessed that you're an experienced woman. You carry yourself with such confidence, with grace, as though you've had plenty of romantic experiences, little one."

I playfully smacked his chest with my hand-fan, laughing. “I had already told you, Klaus Mikaelson, that I’m no lady of the night. And I know you know my name, so there’s no need to keep on with such a silly nickname.”

"Alright, Alright. But do you admit to being a beautiful woman at least?" His lips twisted into a playful smirk as he continued, "A lady of the night or not, you do seem to have some knowledge about intimacy, and about relationships, don't you?"

I looked ahead as we walked the main road, back to my family’s house. “You could say that I’ve read a book or two my father wouldn’t approve of if he knew its contents.” I smirked proudly, holding back a laugh.

"And did you like what you read about, my dearest Aleria?"

I noticed the candlelights of our front porch were still lit in the far distance, ready to welcome me home. Which meant that we wouldn’t really have much more time to speak before we parted ways.

“Nothing that’s important any longer.” I tease him lightly before stopping our walk by turning to Klaus with a serious expression. “What’s it like to be a vampire?”

A peaceful moment passed.

"It's both beautiful and lonely."

At first, I thought that was all he had to say but he continued on with more detail, "You never die, you're never sick, and you never age. You have time to do whatever you want, to travel, to learn so many different things, to visit so many different places. And yet, everyone from your life is either dead or older while you stay the same, making it harder to connect with people. Unless perhaps, they too are vampires."

Looking at him, desperately searching his eyes for any lie, I found none. “Can you turn me?”

His gaze bore into me, making sure I was quite serious about my decision.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" He asks, clearly trying to make sure that I understood the commitment. "Once you're a vampire, there's no going back. Except for particular death by a wooden stake."

I looked down for a moment in thought before firmly meeting his eyes again. “I’m sure. How does it work?”

He stayed quiet for a moment, as if he wasn’t sure I fully understood it yet.

"You’ve already completed the first step: drinking the blood of a vampire." 

“And then?”

"A little misfortune in the middle. After that, your heartbeat will stop, but you'll then wake up again as a vampire."

“A little misfortune?” I couldn’t help but laugh at how silly his wording sounded but Klaus was all but smiles.

“A little misfortune.” He confirmed before quickly snapping my neck with his forceful vampiric strength.

The world went black before I could comprehend he had killed me. Swirls of grey smoke plumed into my empty void of vision. Laughter… laughter from my sisters and I playing in the yard as children bounced between invisible walls, echoing, echoing, echoing. Magnificent colors bloomed flowers before me, creating a garden path to the forest beyond my home. My father was waiting at the edge of the forest, a sorrowful happiness plagued his face as he beckoned me towards him. Is this what death would look like? Would I really trade my sisters, mother, and brother for an eternity again with my father? One step forward and I could find out. One step forward was all I was going to take. One step forward and everything faded away in favor of bringing Klaus’ face, illuminated by the moon back into view.

Air flooded my lungs with a deep gasp as I woke up from death: a vampire

"Welcome to your new life. Welcome to a life that will last for eternity."

A moment of realization hit me with a mighty strength, “You killed me… I saw my father… Klaus you killed me.”

There was no note of shame or remorse upon his face.

I took his hand as he helped me up. Fine, I won’t bother him more on the subject of my death. “Is there anything I should know before I return home?” I look towards the house, the porch lights not quite reaching us as we continued.

"There's only one thing you need to know, Aleria."

I tease him. “Hmm, sounds like a dreary life for me.”

Soon we found ourselves standing in front of my house, a candle flickering inside.

"You'll learn in time that being a vampire is not dreary at all. You'll make the most of this, Aleria. But you need to know that this power is not something to be taken lightly. You're now an immortal being. Your life is no longer something you need to stress about or something you need to worry about. You can do whatever you want with it, and no matter what happens to you, you will always be alive. Do you understand?"

“I understand.” I let go of Klaus as I became aware of my mother’s stare through the living room window. “Well, I suppose this is goodbye.” I curtsy before continuing speaking under my breath, “I would kiss you but my mother is watching.”

Standing straight again, I hand him his masquerade mask. “Goodnight Mr. Klaus Mikaelson.

"You have a wonderful wit, Aleria. Goodnight."

The feeling of wanting to say more pulled at me, but I knew better with my mother waiting inside. So instead, I simply turned and knocked on the door as Klaus leaves, feeling ill-able to walk through the door myself. A not so fond aspect of being a vampire now.

“May I come in, Mother?” My mother opened the door, quietly ushering me inside, and nodding a goodbye to Klaus from afar.

Chapter Text

I look up from my painting, seeing a dashingly handsome man in the doorway. Klaus had turned me into a vampire just last night. “Klaus? How’d you get in my house?”

“Well dear, your door was opened.” I didn’t know he was lying through his teeth that he had compelled my brother to let him in and then forget about it. “Are you alone?”

“I was.” I say, blatantly referencing that his arrival meant I wasn’t alone anymore. I looked back down to my painting and added a few more strokes.

“May I take a look?” His voice suddenly was heard just above my shoulder.

I gestured for him to look. It was a painting of Klaus in the nude, like a Greek god, with a woman whose face can’t be seen laying against him. “What do you think?”

“She has pretty hair.” Klaus’ voice made his unseen smirk evident. “And those curves.”

I blushed at his words and smiled at him. “Don't you recognize her? Even without seeing her face?”

“Of course I do. Who ever could forget? He slowly started running his fingers through the ends of my hair. “Very nice… Very nice work indeed.”

Despite everything in my body wanting to lean into his touch once more, I dipped my paintbrush in more paint, adding more details as I ignored his touch. “And so who do you think it is?”

“I think you know very well who this woman is. And I believe she is just as beautiful as the art portrays.”

“O vos diaboli (Oh, you devil.) ” I say in Latin.

“And the best part about it is that I’ve seen the original up close and personal.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, so I set the paintbrush down and turned to him. “This was supposed to be a gift for you. I haven’t let anyone else see it.”

“A gift for me huh?” Klaus started a trail of kisses down the side of my neck. “You are too kind. But my heart just wants you. Not a painting of a past conquest.”

With a gentle push against him, I stand, a teasing look on my face. “So now I’m just one of your past conquests?”

“Oh my dear, you are so much more.” He pulls me towards him by the waist. “Shall we remind ourselves just how much more you are, little one?”

“My family could come back at any moment, Klaus, I don’t believe this is a wise idea. Besides, maybe if you properly courted me, maybe the other suitors would finally go away.” I leaned in, whispering to him my next choice of words, “I haven’t told anyone how you deflowered me the other night.”

He pulled back to look me in the eyes. “I’m afraid courtship is not in my nature and even if I tried it would be a waste of time. You want the real Klaus and he wants you. And I don’t really care what anyone thinks of me taking what I want.”

“But still, we could get caught, and I’d rather not society damn me a whore.”

“Do you care what anyone thinks? Really? You were a human once and now you are much more. You live by your own rules now just as I do. So why don’t we go upstairs and let them catch us if they’d dare?”

My eyes narrowed slightly with a small smile. “You certainly like to cause trouble don’t you, Mr. Mikaelson?”

“Yes, I do. So shall we?” Klaus took a step back and bowed with his hand out as if he were a gentleman leading a dance.

I hesitated before giving in. “Fine.”

Before I took his hand, I covered the tastefully racy painting with a cloth and moved my paintbrush into a nearby bowl of paint water to clean it.

Klaus cocked an eyebrow. “You think your little paint supplies will be more enjoyable than what my body has to offer?” He paused. “I find it hard to believe anything tops that.”

I found him amusing as we walked up the stairs, “An artist never lets her tools go to waste. As we reached the top of the stairs, I looked him up and down, taking in the beautiful man before me.” Let’s create some art, shall we?” I take his hand and lead him past many doors to my room at the end of the hall.

“You are too cute, don’t you know that? Just remember my little artist, I can’t be painted or captured in a canvas; I must be experienced.” As he entered my room behind me, he dropped my handhold.

Turning around left me in quite the shock as I wanted to close the door but found Klaus already undressing his shirt. Before he could take notice, I regained my composure quickly. “Some of the best art is the one we experience.”

“Then experience me love. I won’t disappoint.”

We kissed deeply as we stood there at my door, my hands gently laying on his chest.

WIthout much pause between kisses, he backed me up against my bed. “There we go. Much better.”

I laid back onto the bed, letting his lips roam my skin as I close my eyes in ecstasy, listening to the sound of him unbuckling his belt.

As he lifted my leg up, he started kissing my thigh. “Seems like someone had the right idea.”

The skirt of my dress bunched around my waist as he kissed my inner thigh, my corset holding my dress onto me still. “Damn, I’ve missed this.”

“Yes you have… but there’s something else I wish for even more… You know what I seek, don’t you?”

A teasing thought sprung to mind as we were face to face, “Marriage?” I knew full well neither of us wanted to get married.

“Don’t you play coy with me love. You know exactly what I want right now. Don’t make me spell it out to you.” His words came out with a quiet growl of desire.

I sat up, forcing him to stand in front of me as I slid off the bed and to my knees in front of him. “Is this what you wanted, diaboli ?”

Klaus tucked two fingers under my chin, making me look up at him. “Oh you naughty little girl. I like you. You seem to have gotten the hang of it.”

His hand travels to the back of my head, tangling in my hair as I pulled his pants down, relishing in teasing him as I gently rubbed the knot of stiff sinew from above his briefs.

“You certainly have the skills to make the devil fall in love and fall at your fingertips.”

I stood up once more, kissing him as to distract from his lonely member. “You? Falling in love? I thought you said you could never do such a thing.” I grinned mischievously.

“My lady, I said I couldn’t fall in love, but I never said I was immune to feeling passion or desire. What am I to do when someone has me wrapped around her fingers? Die?”

With no response but a grin and a passionate kiss, our bodies began moving in unison.

“This makes me want more. So much more.” His fingers slowly reaches to my corset, beginning to understand how to unfasten it on his own.

“And what happens when I say no?” I mumbled against his lips.

Klaus pulls away, looking me dead in the eyes, “Is that what you want? You want me to stop?”

I just wanted to know if you could take orders, mi diaboli .”

“I may be a devil in the flesh, but you are my devil in every way .” Little pecks of kisses were traced all over my skin as he undid my corset, successfully removing it.

I laid back on the bed once more as he moves between legs, my skirt being shoved out of the way.

“You have no idea how much I need this. Need you .”

“You sound like you needed this more than me.” A gentle moan dances off my heavy breaths when he kisses the inside of my thighs again, “Or maybe not… just don’t get me pregnant.”

The feeling of Klaus laughing against my skin tickled. “Now what are you saying? You don’t want to bear my children?”

His laugh makes me laugh as well. “At least not at this point in my life.”

“Ah, you want children, just not with me.” His smile shows he’s being playful and that he wasn’t hurt. “You are a little tease. Maybe I do need this more than you, but then again, I’m not the one controlling my thoughts right now.”

Another moan leaves my lips as he sucks on my skin before I pull his head away from my legs, forcing him to look me in the eye. “Are you saying you want children at this moment in your life? And you want them from me? I thought we were happy just having fun together. Besides, we have only just met. I had never seen you before in the city.”

“We are having fun, dearest. However, I am not blind and I can see we fit perfectly together.” His kisses, now trailing up my arms from my hands, distracted me. “You think I would make a terrible father?”

“How would I know? We barely know each other, Klaus.” My voice is soft as I look up at him, the passionate moment between us dissipating.

“All I know is I like how your body reacts to mine. I like how we can be silly and playful together and I like how when it’s just us. It’s just us. No need for lies or games. You are my little artist and I am your devil… I do not know if I could be a good father but I know I would like you to be the mother of my children.” His words whisked me into a wondrous future before the spell was broken by his silly next words. “And you smell good enough to eat.”

Sitting up, I moved my skirt back to cover my legs as I scoot back on the bed, almost feeling like this conversation was making my skin itch. “But children means either marriage or a life of shame. And I want neither for myself.”

Klaus stands against the edge of my bed, as close as he could be without making me anymore uncomfortable. “What if I told you I wouldn’t allow you to be shamed? What if I were to marry you? Would you say no?” The moment spiraled quickly downwards, I saw we no longer agreed on the future and I was stubborn to the bone.

“I would. I would say no. I don’t wish to be married at all and I thought you felt the same.”

“I do not wish to be like my father marrying for status or power. I believe I could marry you just because it makes me and you happy. I’m not my father. I’m not his son. I am my own person with my own choices and I choose you.”

“You’re not hearing me, Klaus. I, Aleria Moonstone, don’t want to marry you. Ever.” I was getting quite annoyed with him not listening to me.

His smile faded a little, his voice turning a little more stern. “What if I told you that it is not up to you whether we get married or not?”

“It’s up to my father. I know that. But if he heard one word of how you deflowered me the other night, he would make your life hell.” My brother may have been posing as our father recently, but he was just as protective, if not more so, of my sisters and I.

“And what if I could speak with your father? What if I convinced him that you and I love one another?”

“But I don’t love you Klaus. The way we met was not fate, I can tell you that much.” My bedroom door swung open as my younger sister Tilly comes in to speak to me but she stops short, seeing our compromising position. The shock was written blatantly across her face. There was a man in my room… at my bed… and my corset was no longer cinching my undergarments to my body.

“Tilly I can explain…”

Klaus moves swiftly back and I take the opening to scoot over to the other side of the bed and stand up before speaking to Tilly, “Tilly, please believe me, this is not something to run to father about.”

“It’s true your sister was just… Klaus looked at me for assistance as what to say but I only glared. “...helping me with a gift for someone and things got a little out of hand, but I assure you dear, there was no harm done.”

Tilly leaves without a word, shutting the door once more as I turn to Klaus. “You should leave, Klaus. You can’t be seen by my father.”

“And why is that, my dear artist? He casually sat back on my bed as Tilly left.

“My father, and my brother, are very protective of me and my sisters. He has threatened before to shoot any man who comes into the house uninvited.” As I snatch my corset back, I am genuinely a little worried for him and I start pushing him towards my window.

Klaus grinned with some demonic excitement. “Your very protective family, huh? How do you think your father or your brother would feel if they found out that you and I… Had such a nice little session together?”

I grew quiet. “They’d shoot to kill you.” I removed my hands from him and wouldn’t meet his eye. “So no one else would find out…”

His hand tucked under my chin, forcing me to look at him. “And what would they do to you if they found out? Would they shoot you too?”

“I don’t know…” I gently pushed him towards the window again, urging him to escape onto the roof to leave without being seen. “Please. Go…”

“Fine… you win this time love. But just to be clear, I left because you asked me to, not because I was scared of your overprotective family. But before I return to America, I at least want one last taste.”

I kissed him back, saying goodbye before opening the window for him. “Thank you Klaus… for everything.”

“It is only just the beginning, Aleria. You and I are destined to see one another again, you and your art will make me visit your home again. We are connected and that is something no one can change. Just remember, you have summoned the devil himself and you cannot make me go away no matter how much you want to. Goodbye, Aleria, my little artist. I shall dream of you joining me in New Orleans.”

“Goodbye, Klaus.” I watched him jump down from the roof as I shut my window, not realizing I wouldn’t see him for another 200 years. Who knew the devil would travel from New Orleans all the way to little ol’ Essex, England, and pursue me like a lost pup. I sure didn’t.

Chapter Text

A sickening hunger for something I couldn’t explain grew in me one Klaus left. I couldn’t pinpoint the cause. All I knew was I wasn’t so hungry it was painful, and I wasn’t to bleed yet this month, what could cause this pull? I decided to find my sister Tilly and explain to her what she had entered upon so abruptly. Little did I know she was sneaking around outside my door in an attempt to listen in. Only by opening my bedroom door, causing Tilly to stumble to the ground, did I realize this.

“Tilly! You know better than to sneak around, participating in activities you know Father and Mother would’ve disapproved of.” I complained to the grumbling 17-year-old as she peeled herself off the floor.

“You’re one to talk. Sneaking around, participating in activities you know Father and Mother would’ve disapproved of .”

Ah yes, the mocking voice of my younger sister. What a delightful treat…

“Look, I won’t see that man again in this lifetime. Is that what you wish?” I wasn’t aware how true my statement was. In fact, I wouldn’t see him until the lifetime of my great-great-great-great-great-great-however-many-more-greats-grand nieces and nephews.

“It’s not what I wish for you if it does not make you happy, sister.”

“Seeing my family happy is what makes me happy, Tilly. Besides, I think we scared him off.” I chuckled lightly.

“I understand that seeing us happy is what makes you happy, Aleria, I really do. But if you’re not happy because you can’t see him…” Tilly stopped short, sounding regretful.

“Theodora Claire Moonstone. I will be okay without him. But if you ever do something as reckless as that, I will make sure Jem locks you away until you’re married.” I was holding her hands, letting her know that I was indeed okay with not seeing Klaus again, for some time at least, but also firmly implemented it in her young mind that she is not to fool around and mess up her future prospects for marriage.

“Marriage? Aleria, I don’t even want to think about marriage. I just want to feel and be free. But all you and Jem do is talk to me non stop about how marriage is important. Why can’t you and Jem just leave me alone and worry about yourselves for once in your life. It’s not fair for you both to be constantly treating me like a child.” Tilly’s naivety was showing through her rising anger toward me and our brother Jeremiah.

“That’s because you are a child, Tilly! You’re seventeen ! That’s when you debut into society as a burgeoning woman, which means you are not an adult and you are still a child . You have barely begun to understand the world. And one such child like yourself only understands the world after starting your life with another person. Do I care how you start your life with another person? Yes. Do I care about who you start your life with? No. I am your older sister and because Henrietta has not made a match, it is up to me to give this family good prospects and a good standing in society by marrying a wealthy man. And if you want to live the life you want to live, without a man, that means I cannot. One of us has to be able to take care of the family now that Father has passed away, Mother is completely beside herself, and Jeremiah has yet to make a match of his own. And without him receiving a wife’s dowry, neither of us will have one and will not be married for love. Now get off your high horse, get your head on straight, and find someone to marry before I find one for you.” The rage bubbled higher and higher, feeding my unbridled and insatiable hunger, causing me to not care if I hurt my younger sister as long as she had a future lined up as I no longer get one as a vampire.

Tears brimmed in Tilly’s eyes. A redness of both hurt and resentment burned holes in me. Her voice shook as she could barely contain her emotions, “I shouldn’t have to have you or Jem dictate my life for me. I can dictate my own Aleria. What makes you and Jem think that you can control me. Because you seem to put your nose in my business as much as I do in yours. So why do I have to get off my high horse when you should be looking at yourself in the mirror Lerie?”

“I am looking in a mirror.” I stared her straight in the eyes as if she were my reflection. “And I am horrified by what stands in front of me.”

“Horrified? Horrified ? Lerie, you were the one who brought a man who none of us knew into the house. Do you think Jem and Mom would be ok with you doing this to us? I heard most of what was going on and I don’t want you to become one of them. It wouldn’t be fair to mom. She already lost dad. She can’t lose you, Jem, or any more of us. Do you even care that you could be hurting us by doing this? And the fact that he thought it was even ok to talk to me… when I don’t even know him. Lerie, I love you and want you to be happy. But he makes me uneasy just by the way I heard him say something about summoning the devil. What did you do?”  My sister misunderstood everything that had happened behind closed doors but all I could hear was her delicious heartbeat, pounding with an intoxicating sense of adrenaline.

If I had any care or sensibility left in a single bone in my body, I would’ve stopped myself but before I knew it I had sunk my teeth into Tilly’s savory little carotid artery and started drinking.

She deserved this. And I was hungry.

Tilly screamed in pain and I felt her hands against me as she pushed me away in an attempt to escape the room.  Her fear was evident but seeing Tilly run away… the taste of her blood on my lips was like the nectar of the Greek gods.

I wanted more.

Before I knew it, I ran over to her, faster than I had ever run. She looked as if she were moving at half speed. Her neck was between my teeth once more but this time I held on to her tightly with my newfound strength, not letting her go this time. Tilly’s weight became heavier as the more I drank her blood, the less her legs could hold her up.

The greed I felt as I drank her blood was hypnotizing. It may have been blood but it tasted like sweet berries, fresh from the bush, just asking to be consumed.

As the biting hunger dissipated from my mind, fear and regret came rushing in to replace it.

“Tilly. Tilly .” My words calling out to her got more urgent as she didn’t respond. I started shaking her as I kneeled down holding her in my lap.

I had been too consumed by the taste of my sister’s blood to realize I had been drinking too much of her. And now?

Terror consumed me.

Tilly’s heartbeat was slowing despite me shaking her to wake back up. It was my turn to be terrified of what had happened to my sister as tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision more than my bloodlust ever could have.

A thought came to mind as I remembered how Klaus almost drank me to death the same way. Filled with a lust for greed.

I was not about to let my little sister die. Not now. Not at my hands. Without much more of a thought, I bit my arm open as Klaus had done to himself and shoved my wrist against Tilly’s lips.

“Drink. Tilly, please .”

Just as I was about to give up, I felt the slightest suckling, like a babe suckling on one’s finger, against my wrist. Tilly survived. She survived me.

I was still yet terrified that she would forever be scared of me as she opened her eyes, obviously aware of what I had done to her. She scrambled back, and all I could do to earn back her trust was stay where I was and beg her for forgiveness. I wanted to explain everything, about Klaus, about vampires, but I didn’t want to die. Not again.

“ Tilly .” Emotion soared through my voice, straining to be heard through the thick layer of morbid silence hanging itself in the space between us.

“ Tilly . Tilly, please forgive me. I didn’t mean to. We can both just forget this ever happened. Forgive me. Don’t tell anyone I’m a vampire. Just forget about it and we can go on like nothing happened. I’ll even paint you a new art piece for your room. Please, forget what happened and forgive me for what I did. I don’t want to hurt you.” I struggled to speak through my sobs but it was as if my words controlled her, no, compelled her, to do exactly what I said.

“Just make the piece about us sisters in front of a lovely landscape.” Tilly stood, no longer weak in the legs, taking my words to heart more so than I would’ve ever expected my energetic younger sister to do.

I watched her walk away perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened.

“Just clean yourself up and help me get dinner started.” Tilly called back to me as she headed for the washroom to clean her own neck.

As I wiped my lips free of some of the blood, I stood. How could I ever go on like this living with my sisters, brother, and mother, constantly craving their blood? I figured there must be a way to tell them. Though, I would have to wait to turn to my books until after dinner.

Chapter Text

Dear Diary,

Today’s date is Tuesday, October 16, 1838.

It’s been 3 months since Klaus turned me into a vampire. I haven’t seen him since and I don’t know why he has disappeared. My thoughts lead me to think I have done something horribly wrong to scare him off. Maybe it was wrong of me to want to be a vampire. And yet, my sisters decided my fate was to be their fate as well. But, I suppose I should think of him no longer.

Last year our family started hearing talk of a burgeoning town in the colonies. Our father, Jeremiah Moonstone, wanted us to be one of the few founding families but he passed away from Yellow Fever. Mother is still beside herself in grief and often locks herself away in her bedroom.

That has left our brother, Jeremiah II, to lead the household. He was not only the eldest and only brother, but the only sibling who did not wish to become a vampire. I suppose when we do eventually live in the United States, he will appear like our father as he is the only one to still age.

In the meantime, while Mother is not working and our brother being our only financial support, my sisters and I have no dowries to be married off with. Henrietta is already 22, quickly becoming what society deems a spinster. Lately it seems as if Henry has no interest in courting men. Meanwhile sweet Theodora, my best friend, Tilly, is brimming with excitement for suitors. She’s only 17 and yet Tilly has already one foot out the door, ready to explore the world and its wonders.

And here I am, aged 20, already planning for our future without either Mother or Father, however long away it is. I think it would be lovely to open a little flower shop. The three of us sisters, delivering bouquets around the town in order to help support our brother with income. Until then, it will just be a lovely dream.

Perhaps Jem will take a wife soon. I am unsure how we might explain to her that we are vampires and will no longer age physically. If whoever she may be does not take the knowledge well, my sisters and I may have to leave our dear brother behind. I suppose then Jem might finally be able to live in peace, without having to worry about Tilly, Henrietta, or I, and our vampiric needs.

We found out rather quickly that going without blood is not an option for us and eating rare meat does not fill the same stomach as almost draining a man. I don’t always like to admit it, but I still remember the berry sweet taste of my sister’s blood, the day I turned. If she weren’t my sister, I would’ve happily drained her as well as others.

My sister, Henry, though, has perhaps the most control over her thirst. Tilly seems on edge every time she drinks from a person. I, however, enjoy tasting the adrenaline coursing through a man’s blood, fear encompassing him. Klaus must’ve felt the same way when he first drank from me. I must find a way to stop thinking about him. If he won’t ever return, I find him to be holding me back from what I truly desire from life. Though I have yet to figure out quite a desire.

Yours, Aleria

Chapter Text

Another deliciously soft vein, another barely beating, bloody heart. Hunger no longer was what drove me to drink men dry. It was desire. Nothing was going to keep me from getting what I wanted and what I wanted now was fun; deadly fun. A woman I had met on a soggy afternoon in 1852 France was next to me and couldn’t agree more. The two of us dug mercilessly into bodies with no one to blame but ourselves. I had only known Katherine Pierce for 30 years but the two of us schemed together like it was fate. A fate that knew no difference between being handcuffed to the bed and the untimely death of a young boy on the streets.

“Say Katherine, do you think we should have a little charade in place as to not draw attention to your whereabouts? I know that you’ve said you were running from someone and yet after all these years, you’ve never told me who.”

“Please. I already had one in mind. Just a little compulsion and we’ll be alright.” Katherine smirked and daintily wiped the blood from her mouth as the body she drank from thudded to the ground. “There’s a soliciting woman a mile down the road I’m sure no one would mind blaming.”

“Maybe we should take a page out of her book once in a while and get a little attention before a little snack.”

“Do you mean to say you haven’t?”

Her words elicited a laugh that almost caused me to choke on my victim’s blood. “If I felt like I could benefit from doing so like you do, I would more seriously consider it. But for now, I think I’ll stick with looting their bank accounts before… sampling the wines.”

“Mmm.” Katherine hummed in thought. “The best wines I’ve tasted came from Mystic Falls… Now those Salvatore men were full bodied, if you know what I mean.”

Katherine and I, along with my two sisters and brother had known the Salvatore family well. In 1864, the founding families had caught word that my sisters and I were vampires and concluded that Katherine was one too. Vivid memories of her admitting she turned us in flooded my mind. In that moment, I was angry at her but she had an escape plan and I wasn’t letting her leave without me. My sisters didn’t let me leave without them either. But that was the last I saw of them after we escaped. I remembered hearing 2 shots in the road behind us and Tilly crying but I didn’t care to look back.

Another gunshot dragged me out of the memories and back to where Katherine and I now stood above two dead men, each of us covered in drips of blood.

The clicking sound of a rifle being reloaded was heard in the distance.

“That’s our cue to leave this mess behind then. Shall we?” Katherine sped off out of sight and I followed suit. She brought us to the home of a woman named Belle Gunness.

“Why here?” I asked.

She only responded by knocking on the front door.

A lovely round woman with big, beady eyes answered. “How can I help you beautiful, young ladies?”

“I believe you offer some services behind closed doors. We’re interested in partaking.” Even though Katherine wasn’t compelling the woman yet, I figured this must be our scapegoat.

“I’m sorry, I don’t offer my services to women.” Belle started to shut the door but I put my hand up, stopping her. It may have not been my idea but I wanted to be the one who did this.

“Oh we aren’t looking for those services. We just want you to take the blame.” I advanced on Belle but was stopped by the doorway.

“I’m not taking no blame for nothing, Miss.” Her voice was surprisingly steady seeing as she finally took notice of the blood on the collar of my dress.

“Why don’t you invite me in?” With those compelling words, she did just that.

“This is Katherine,” I gestured to Katherine who was still stuck at the doorway with a sneering glare. “I’m Aleria,” I put my hand over my heart before gesturing to Belle. “And you, our little scapegoat, who are you?”

“Belle Gunness. Just a woman trying to make an honest living.”

“Oh we don’t mind how you get by. In fact, we make an honest living too. Just a little more… messy I suppose.” I leaned against Belle’s kitchen table, not far from the front door. “We were just wondering, hoping rather, that you would say…” Now was the time to compel the woman and high tail it out of there. “Take the blame for the suspiciously bloody deaths of men over the past few years.”

“I did it. I killed them. I solicited myself to them and then killed them to get more money.”

The explanation was all her own invention. All I cared about was that she would go down in history instead of us.

Even though Katherine was still stuck at the door, unable to come in, I felt like telling the woman our secrets. After all, if she told anyone, they’d just think she was even crazier than before.

I told Belle how Katherine and I met by chance in 1852 but she didn’t believe me. Belle knew we had to be older than her if that was to be true. “Of course it’s true. Have you never heard of vampires?” That had shocked Belle into belief. Well that, and our blood-stained clothes. I continued to recall how I hadn’t seen Katherine again until 1864, where we met the Salvatore brothers and almost died in a fire because of them. Since then, we spent many devious days together, hiding trails of bloodless bodies throughout America. Virginia to Illinois wasn’t all we had visited to bring death, but it was our favorite to return to. I preferred Chicago but Katherine, of course with being on the run, couldn’t have favorites.

Belle suddenly interrupted my ramblings, “Oh I just met a man in town the other day who said he was on his way to Chicago. Said he was looking for a wife. Heard tellings about him setting up shop for a new fair out there. Chicago Fair or something or ‘ether. His name’s Henry Holmes if you meet him.”

Her smile was cut short by Katherine loudly clearing her throat. I turned to see she was now sitting down in the doorway, obviously tired of me running my mouth.

“Well, I suppose we’ll be on our way now. Have fun making history!” I stood and Belle waved goodbye sweetly, as if she had any choice to do otherwise.

“Don’t tell me you’re looking to settle down in this lifetime already when there’s many more to live.” Katherine said to me as we made our way back down the lane.

“Beats being on the run.” A teasing jab of a response.

“You may wish to think that, Aleria, but I find I quite like traveling the world.”

“You’ll tire of this life one day I bet. Perhaps not a soon one but eventually you’ll find the world a bore.” After I spoke, the two of us fell into a comfortable silence as we walked. A silence that allowed us to hear the faraway commotion we left surrounding the men drained of their blood.

A loud wail met our ears the closer we ventured. We passed unnoticed. The wail I’d heard belonged to a woman not much older than I would be naturally. Her tears reflected the setting sun as they drip.. drip.. dropped onto a man’s carcass below her.

While perhaps I wanted to stay in one place for some years, I could never see myself living a man enough to bring me to such distasteful acts.

If I married and my husband died, he would’ve died at my teeth.

And no one would question it.

Chapter Text

A well dressed businessman leaned against a brick building, not another soul in sight, providing a quiet evening. The dirt roads of 1892 Chicago swirled dust around my skirt as I walked by. The man had not escaped my attention but yet did not hold it for more than a passing glance either. As I passed him, the smoke from his pipe blew gently across my face. While I haven’t cared for the scent before, something about it this time smelled sweeter than death on my lips.

The sound of his steps following behind me as I continued walking honestly made me smile. Just another potential easy catch for another bloody meal. Maybe this one I’ll keep around for a bit… play with my food as one might say. I let the man follow me a few blocks, our feet softly breaking the solitude of the street.

I could almost hear the gears turning in his head as we turned a corner one after the other: Who is this woman? A prostitute, a rich man's wife?

Finally, I found myself at a nearby park and sat down on a bench, almost as if inviting him to join me. He was after, very clearly following the only person around.

As he approached, I spoke at last. “They say one shouldn’t play with their food, but I find it makes the meal rather more enjoyable, don’t you, Sir?”

His amusement about my words played brightly on his face despite the low light of the street lamps, a soft chuckle escaping him. "You're very correct, my lady. I also think that playing a bit with prey makes the kill much more..." The man sat beside me on the bench, "Intense."

I was admittedly surprised by his forward words. He made me wonder if he was a vampire too. His heartbeat said otherwise. “I see we speak the same language… and who exactly might I be speaking to?”

His black eyes bore into my own, the ghost of a smile tainting his chilling demeanor. "My name is Alexander. And the name of the charming lady in front of me?"

“Aleria. Pleasure.” I didn’t show notice of his leaning closer but he clearly held my attention.

"Aleria... That's a lovely name. May I ask you, my Aleria, how old are you?"

I flinched slightly at his warm touch in the cold of the evening. Perhaps it was the softness of his hand upon my cheek, but I welcomed the danger of Alexander like few other woman might in the evening of the day. “Don’t you know not to ask a woman such a question?” I gently teased, showing I wasn’t offended. “All you need to know is I’m old enough to be married, Mr. Alexander.”

A laugh left his lips, cracking away any remarks of a perilous night. "My apologies, my lady. I'm just curious about such a bewitching woman like you."

I know I wasn’t one to behave like the typical woman of this time, but why would I when a vampire like myself was built to withstand the cuts and bruises of time itself?

"Are you married?"

His words broke my train of thought. “I see you don’t shy away from bold questions.” I laughed, avoiding answering too many questions for now.

"I'm a very direct man… You're not like other women, are you, Aleria?"

“No, I would say not… most women wouldn’t dare go unchaperoned in a city like this, let alone in the evening where bold, handsome, pipe-smoking men may be lurking about.”

The grin that wove itself upon his lips almost made me forget I just met this man.

"You just called me handsome, my lady." His fingers found their way from my cheek to my hair, gently twirling it.

I delicately grabbed his hand and removed it from my hair, placing it back in his lap. “I suppose I did, didn’t I?”

Alexander very clearly seemed to find my reactions very intriguing.

"You did, indeed. Though you still didn't answer my previous question. Are you married, Aleria?"

“A persistent man…” I mused before toying with my words once more. “Regardless of who I am now, you could be my husband and I, your missus.”

With one smooth motion, Alexander gently grasped ahold of my chin and pushed it up slightly, gazing into my eyes as if he were mapping the stars..

"I can be very persistent, you'll find that out soon enough."

My body almost reacted on its own as if I was once again in a dimly lit garden, underneath my past love, Klaus. With Alexander’s hand on my chin, my body instinctively leaned to meet his, my hand resting on his chest in a poor attempt to stop my movements. “Persistence is key.” My eyes flashed almost hungrily as I spoke.

"Persistence brings rewards."

A ripple of silence passed between us, our eyes locked on each other.

"And you can find yourself caught in a web of it."

“Careful now, Alexander… speak of entangled webs and know female spiders eat their husbands after successful reproduction.” I couldn’t help but smirk, my tongue grazing my teeth. There were more intentions behind my words than I knew he could decipher and that made this all the more fun.

"Perhaps I like to be devoured by a beautiful, cunning woman such as yourself." His smirk mirrored mine as his hand slid down from my chin, wrapping itself around my throat. "Perhaps I enjoy the danger."

“Perhaps we should get married then.” I continued, using his repeated turn of phrase.

He laughed once again at my quick response.

"Ah, you're a fast learner, aren't you, my Aleria?" If I wasn’t sitting down, I might’ve admitted being called someone’s girl would’ve had me weak in the knees. "I don't even know your age, your favorite color, or your favorite flower and you're already asking me to marry you."

“Dahlias used to be my favorite but now I find a liking to Lavender. The look, the scent… the meaning …” A pause lingered on my words as my eyes reconnected with his. “I used to work in a flower shop with my sisters.”

"And what does lavender symbolize, my Aleria?"

“Devotion.” was my one worded answer.

Alexander’s hand squeezed my throat like my favorite necklace, begging for attention.

A breath caught in my throat. I could simply stop repressing my desires, let myself make ungodly noises underneath his grasp but no. This time I wanted a city to live in for more than just a night and a few kills.

"Devotion..." He repeated, his hand still holding fast. "A beautiful flower, with a beautiful meaning. I wonder what other beautiful things you've been keeping from me, my lady."

“I suppose that depends on your outlook on things not widely considered beautiful.” I tilted my head slightly, showing my curiosity. Maybe I didn’t need to find that man Belle had said for me to find all those years ago. I had all the fun I wanted right here. But as much as I wanted to keep his hand squeezing my throat, I reminded myself that I wasn’t here in Chicago to have sex in a park.

"I have a very... unconventional taste when it comes to beauty. I find beauty in things that others would shy from."

Admittedly, I was disappointed by the coldness left behind when he removed his hand from my skin. “Even death?”

"Even death, my Aleria." He paused for a moment before adding, "I find the beauty in darkness, in chaos... in blood."

“Then may death do us part.” I said, as if reciting marriage vows.

"Ah, my little Aleria, you're quite the clever one." His lips moved close, just a breath away from my ear, almost grazing it with his teeth. "And you're not as innocent as you appear. I can sense it, my lady."

My eyes narrowed momentarily at his teasing words. “I may be a woman in the night, Alexander, but I am not a woman of the night if that’s what you were insinuating.”

"Oh, I'm well aware you're not a woman of the night, my Aleria. But I doubt that you're as pure as snow and completely innocent, either."

“I’m as innocent as blood on snow.” There was something daring about my words and I wondered how he would take it.

A simple raising of the brows was his only reaction.

"As innocent as blood on snow, huh? That's quite the contradiction, my lady. Blood can be very... impure."

“Blood is as beautiful as death.” I said, referring to our earlier comments.

"You're absolutely right, my Aleria. Blood is beautiful. It's the epitome of life and death."

Alexander shifted closer on the bench, dissolving the space between us. "There's something incredibly seductive about the color red, don't you think?"

“Something incredibly delicious.” I agreed with him.

His smile widened. With this, I couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement. One I haven’t felt in centuries .

"You're a woman after my own heart, my Aleria… Or are you trying to steal it?"

“If I stole it, I do believe it would be in my hand, would it not?” I couldn’t help but tease the literal sense of his words.

Alexander’s laugh matched my own at my witty remark..

"Touché, my lady. You know how to use my own words against me… Is my Aleria a thief then?"

“No thief. Simply a woman with desires beyond tonight.” I say, as if once again speaking of us marrying.

His smirk widened even further as I spoke of desires beyond tonight, alluding to marriage yet again. With little hesitation, he once more held hold of my chin, turning my face slightly to look towards him. "Oh, my Aleria... You have a way with words that is both intriguing and alluring." Alexander’s lips were a mere breath away from touching mine.. "You're quite irresistible, you know that?"

“One might say it’s a part of my charm.” I stood up, leaving him wanting for the kiss that was yet to happen.

His stature matched mine, only he happened to be a bit shorter than I in my heels as he stood up, a hint of disappointment in his expression, but his expression quickly morphed into a smug smile. "Ah, my lady, you enjoy playing with my desires, don't you?"

“If your desire is to marry, then I will happily continue playing. Then we could both get what we want, hmm?”

The man moved closer, close enough to be a taunting pest. "You know just how to tease me, don't you, my Aleria? I'm not sure if you're truly serious about this whole 'marriage' thing, or if it's just a delightful game for you."

“Why can’t something be both?”

"Ah, perhaps the only way I can find out is to take you as my bride and see if you mean it or not. Do you mean it? Do you truly want me to be your husband?"

“You’ll just have to find out. Just as I will find if you are as true with your intentions as I am. Tomorrow morning, first thing at the courthouse.” I set the ambiguous bet between us to see if he was something I could hold onto for atleast a few years.

His glad smirk showed his appreciation for my imprudent boldness and audacity. "You drive a hard bargain. You think you can hold me down, do you?” Another beat of warm silence passed between us. “Tomorrow morning, first thing at the courthouse, my lady. I'll hold you to it, and hold you down if necessary."

“I’d be honored.” I teased in return of his last comment before kissing his cheek and moving to walk away into the evening.

This little cat-and-mouse game us two had going was certainly a fun start to a temporary life. Maybe this will help me get the fantasy of finding Klaus again out of my head.

"Until tomorrow, my Aleria,"

“Until tomorrow, my Alexander.”

"Until tomorrow," he repeated, his voice whispering low enough that only the evening breeze heard his words.

Chapter Text

Not even 24 hours after we got married, I had found myself alone at Englewood, Alexander’s home as well as now my own. Alexander claimed he had a business errand to run and he would return in a few days.

As much as I should’ve been pained by this matter, I found peace in the quiet. After all, I had only seen the man a few times before this: when we had first met, when we married the day after, and then before he left on a mysterious excursion that he just now returned from. While he was away, I had been working with the meager staff of the household to keep myself updated on the past and present happenings of the property and Bond name. As Alexander walked in, I could only assume one of the staff told him I was in his office, looking over the papers. “My Aleria.” he greeted, a soft kiss planted on my cheek as he rounded the desk.

“Good evening, husband.” I chirped plainly back to him. Even though we hadn’t known each other long, and were married almost as long, I was starting to find confusion within myself about whether I had truly grown fond of this man or if I had developed a bond of convenience with him.

“I trust you've found everything in order during my...absence?”

“Everything but the mysterious location of one Alexander Bond .” I joked with a straight face as I set down the papers I was holding, leaning my elbows on the desk, hands clasped. “Tell me. What had you rush off in such a hurry not a day after we married?” Admittedly it was much harder getting to know this man than the man I seemed to have first met that night.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, the tension in the room starting to ease. “Ah, yes, the intrigue surrounding my sudden departure. Well, I suppose the truth is far less exciting than your imagination likely conjured up.”

Alexander moved opposite my seat at the desk, putting his weight on the desk via his palms, almost putting us eye to eye. “In truth, I had some...family matters to attend to. Matters that required my personal attention, away from prying eyes and wagging tongues.” For a moment, his gaze became an unfocused glare, causing his newly-minted wife mild concern, before he shook himself clear of the seemingly negative thoughts lingering in his head. “But I assure you, dear wife, there was no scandal or illicit affair involved. Merely the unpleasantness of burying a man who had caused me considerable pain throughout my life.” Alexander regained his regularly classy but impish nature, his mustache twitching to the side with his tempered smile.

“Affair or not, our little… business arrangement … of a marriage has appearances to keep up. And that task is easier done by two than one, don’t you agree, my Alexander?”

“Indeed. Appearances do matter, especially in one’s social circle. Not that we are of royal regime but still important as anyone is in society. And having a united front, even if it's based on a mutual understanding rather than romantic affection, can serve us well.”

Alexander’s eyes grew wry and mischievous with his thoughts. “But let's not pretend this marriage is solely about maintaining facades. We both know there's more to it than that.”His voice lowered, taking on a conspiratorial tone. “You've proven yourself resourceful and capable in managing the household thus far. I suspect there may be other...assets you bring to the table as well.”

Assuming he was implying once more that I was one of sexual prowess almost made me laugh. While our first night of meeting was filled with teasing flirting, I couldn’t help but wonder if that was part of why he married me. To use me. To use my body for his pleasure.

If that was even partially true…

No. I wouldn’t let him touch me if that was true.

I was in control here. Not him.

My body. My rules.

Even if that meant breaking my own rule.

“So tell me, my clever wife, what else should I know about the woman I've married?”

With those simple words, Alexander not only pulled me from thoughts running angrily around my head but also triggered impulsive thoughts. Thoughts of telling him I was a vampire and had been feeding off of the staff periodically flooded my mind. It was a good thing he couldn’t read the thought straight from my head like a book. I had promised myself never to use my vampiric compulsion against my husband… not even to make him a perfect husband who ignored my desire for blood.

“Nothing comes to mind.” I plastered a soft smile upon my face to hide my wayward train of thought, if it had ever crossed my face. “Maybe you should ask more specific things if you’d truly like to know more. Or is this a marriage of convenience to assist you with certain assets of your life you keep hidden?”

My words elicited a chuckle from my husband. “Ah, so you're playing coy now, are you? Very well, I shall take the bait… ask more… pointed questions.”

A breath of a moment passed between us as he settled into a more upright stance. “To answer your question directly, this marriage serves purposes for both of us. While I appreciate your assistance in managing the estate and keeping up appearances, I'm sure you have your own reasons for desiring a union with me. Perhaps you'd like to enlighten me as to what those reasons might be? After all, transparency is key to a successful partnership, wouldn't you agree?”

“Transparency is indeed key, my husband. But transparency can also cause many an issue if too much is revealed too fast.” I stood up and walked around the desk so that we were now side by side, facing opposite directions as I leaned back against the desk, my head drooping from his steady, piercing gaze. “But, to answer your question: my reason to join you in a rushed marriage is stability. I’ve been on a long journey myself with a dear friend. Her name was Katherine. As much as one can enjoy uprooting your life every few months, never staying too long in one spot… it made me crave a singular place to stay and call home. And what easier way to do that than marriage? It keeps me held to my own word.” At this point, I found meeting his eyes with my own was valuable. “ Especially the ones we spoke to each other in front of the preacher… from this day forward until death do we part .”

Alexander left a pause after my words, almost making me think he wanted anything but what I said. They say one’s eyes are windows to the soul… and right now they were telling me his soul understood and respected my wants. “Your desire for a steady foundation makes sense, given your past experiences. And while our circumstances may be unconventional, I believe we can provide each other with the security and comfort we both crave.”

Alexander turned around, matching my lean against the desk, his arm sweeping behind me and resting upon my waist. “Your commitment to our vows is admirable, Aleria. And I must confess, I find your honesty refreshing, even if it does leave me with a few unanswered questions.”

“Which are?”

His gaze softened as he ignored my two words and continued, not pressuring me to tell all in one night. “Perhaps, in time, we can share more of ourselves with each other, gradually building trust and understanding.”

I had found my gaze fixated on the floor as he spoke over me, the feel of his arm around my waist quickly grounding me as he gently rubbed his thumb along the lace trim of my dress. My eyes now locked onto his, almost becoming lost in the depths of them just like the floor. “And what of you? What compelled you to marry me on such brief notice?”

“My reasons for marrying you, Aleria, are perhaps not as straightforward as yours.”

Worry. Almost a fearful worry. One that said my earlier thoughts were right.

“You see, I've always prided myself on being independent, self-sufficient. Marriage, to me, represented a loss of control, a surrender to another's will. But then I met you, and something changed. Maybe it was the way you handled yourself during our initial meeting, displaying a quiet strength, intelligence, and unnatural allure that intrigued me. Or perhaps it was the realization that, despite our differences, we shared common goals and values.

“Like our mutual find of the beauty in death and other unnatural topics.” I agreed, my body releasing the tension I didn’t know it was holding.

I could’ve sworn I caught the man off guard recalling our first conversation but his lips hid below his mustache and he was quick to cover any surprise. “Indeed, our fascination with the macabre and unknown brought us together, didn't it? There's a certain allure to exploring the darker aspects of existence. The thrill of delving into the forbidden, of uncovering secrets that lie just beyond the reach of the mundane world.

With one swift and strong move, Alexander pulled me by the waist and slid me along the desk, closing the small space between us. “Perhaps, in each other, we've found not only a partner in matrimony but also a confidant for our more… unconventional interests.”

"And what might yours be? I believe if I tell you my... adventurous interests before you tell yours, I would scare you off quicker than any frightened animal."

A chuckle rumbled from deep in his chest, the sound low and almost casually primal. “Ah, fair point, my dear. One wouldn't want to overwhelm the senses upon first acquaintance. Or soon after.”

Alexander removed his arm from my body, his tone becoming more solemn, his eyes trained on mine. “Allow me to preface mine by saying my own interests are not entirely wholesome either. While I don't partake in the violence or bloodlust often associated with the macabre, I do harbor a certain appreciation for the Gothic and the occult… old castles… cobwebbed crypts… mysterious artifacts… these things stir my wonderment. And when coupled with a dash of morbid curiosity, well, one might say I'm drawn to the mysteries of death itself.”

His admittance honestly confounded me. "Death? I don't believe your fascination in death to be real." How I truly managed to find myself only the darkest of lovers throughout my extensive lifetime, I did not know. "Please tell me you jest." I pressed lightly with an encouraging smile, hoping he'd take the bait instead of the darker path.

Hope of a man with a lighter soul was quickly dashed by a rich laugh emitting from him. “Oh, no jest here, my dear. Death has always held a certain...fascination for me. You see, as a man who's known pain and loss, I've come to realize that death is the great equalizer. It strips away the trappings of society, revealing the truth beneath. And in that truth, there lies a strange sort of freedom. But make no mistake, Aleria. My interest in mortality doesn't extend to a desire to court the Reaper personally. Rather, it's a curiosity about the nature of existence, the mystery that awaits us all on the other side.” With the weighted words he spoke, his enigmatic smile did not match. But it did return me to a lighter mood.

"If you do not wish to court with death itself, I do think you would not wish to court with me." I teased my true nature with misleading words. "But it seems we skipped past the courting and straight to marriage, yes?"

A tilt of Alexander’s head. “But perhaps that's precisely why I find myself so drawn to you, Aleria. The unpredictability, the air of mystery that surrounds you like a velvet cloak…”

Alexander reached out, trailing a finger along my jawline, gently convincing me to stay looking at him. “As for the hasty union, well, fate can be quite...persistent. Or perhaps it's simply that our natures align in ways that defy convention. After all, who needs traditional courtship when one can dive headfirst into the depths of passion and discovery?”

His words twisted a smile upon my lips. Maybe I wouldn't mind him as a partner in bed for a little while. Alexander’s mustache was a partial deterrent as it scratched my face more than I preferred when we sealed our marriage with a kiss. Regardless of the aforementioned deterrent, I stepped forward, spinning on my heel to place myself in front of him, my hand landing softly on his chest. "Diving headfirst doesn't sound too bad to me."

Underneath my hand, I felt his soft heartbeat grow louder, louder in the sense that the thought of how delicious his adrenaline soaked blood flooded my mind. And then… he spoke, tearing the thought from my mind.

“Then let us take the plunge, my Aleria. Strong hands framed my face, thumbs brushing over my cheeks keeping my attention trained perfectly on him. “I promise to guide you through the depths, to show you pleasures you've never imagined.”

A searing kiss… pent-up desire… perfect adrenaline . His mustache scraped my skin, a ticklish reminder of the rough edges to complement ethereal, no, vampiric beauty.

“Let's explore this newfound intimacy, shall we?”

Chapter Text

Hello my dearest readers!

          If you have not yet joined my discord for my ao3 works, you probably haven't heard yet that I am rewriting this book. Hopefully, it will get just as much attention as before, if not more. I had come to the realization that I have been improperly pacing this book and I don't want to skip the fun details that may or may not be important later on in this series. The next few updates in this book will be the rewritten chapters PLUS more chapters in between so you get the full picture.

Cheers from your dearest author,

          Evaine P. Biene (bookishqualities)