The boundary...

It was open.

I stretched my hand across threshold, the sunlight warmed my skin, oh so deliciously. It felt like freedom was just within my grasp, and I couldn't help but stare.

What if this was a trap.

"Like you said." I jumped at the voice. "I'm itching to see how this turns out."

"How do I know you're not going to stop me?" He stood behind me, chest nearly brushing my back.

"Why don't you take a step and see."

I'd never been enjoyed the feeling of being outside as much as I did until just now. It was- indescribable how much the very air tasted sweeter. I closed my eyes against the sun.

Arms circled my waist and I was hyper aware that I was flush against him. I didn't like how comfortable I was laying my head back, how much I trusted that he wouldn't hurt me. "If you leave my sight, I'll shove you into that room of yours."

There it was.

"Deal." I wasn't planning on it just yet anyway.

Who was stupid enough to try and escape a captor the first chance they got? Trust was essential to making it out of this alive.

He was tense when I moved away, only slightly less so when I held my hand out to him. If I wanted to play this correctly, I had to be more than careful.

Klaus was fucking legendary for his intelligence.

"We need to lay some ground rules before we venture into town."

"Ground rules?" He turned me around.

"I only mean, no murdering, especially Jeremy."

"If the Salvatores annoy me-"

"You're going to take their jabs like a good little hybrid or you aren't going to be able to touch a single inch of me."

His jaw twitched. "You overestimate your importance to me." He brushed some hair over my shoulder.

I swat his hand away. "Alright. No more sex." I turned on my heel, marching toward the driveway.

He caught me by the arm, spinning me around again. "I have half a mind to drag you back in that house."

So close. I'm so close to civilization. And today was when they lit up the town square. I wanted to see it.

"I mean it Klaus. No murder."

We stared at one another, daring the other to back down.

"Please. If you hurt them, they'll never let me near Jeremy."

"And you care for the youngest Gilbert because..."

"The little shit grew on me. I lived with him for months, protected him, it's hard not to care about what happens to him." If I could avoid him getting hurt, I would. "Just- please don't."

"We'll see."

...

The Mystic Grill.

Jeremy told me that this was the place to be. Where all the high schoolers and young adults went to hang out.

I suppose it would be a place that- that he would've liked. Lots of girls, booze, and food. I felt like I was going to puke. It was too much. I thought I could handle it.

Fuck.

Klaus put his hand on the small of my back, pushing me forward.

Oddly enough it was kind of grounding.

"Well if it isn't the beauty and the ugly bastard." Damon Salvatore didn't turn around, merely played with the glass in front of him.

I smacked his shoulder. "Do you really not have any kind of self preservation?"

"He does not." Klaus leaned against the bar. "Clearly."

"Fuck you too." Damon lifted his glass and glowered at us.

"What's got you in such a mood?"

"Nothing that concerns a nosy hybrid."

"And who better than a third party to who doesn't really care either way to listen? All you have to do is buy me a drink or two."

I could practically hear Klaus' annoyance.

"Plus it doesn't hurt that you have a somewhat captive audience." Klaus wouldn't leave more than a foot between us, he wasn't going to find something else to do because he didn't want to listen to Damon Salvatore rant.

Damon's eyes flicked over the both of us. "Elena's pissed at me." His head tilted. "And consequently so's Ric."

"The hell did you do now?"

"I temporarily killed Jeremy."

"Temporarily?!"

"He's got a ring on his finger that keeps him from permanently dying if something supernatural kills him." He waved me off.

I hit him before I could talk myself out of it, satisfied when I heard a crack. "Touch him again and I'll rip your fucking heart out."

He held his jaw and Klaus chuckled behind me.

"You barely spent six months protecting him."

"Right. It was your idea for me to protect him and I did. I was his guardian for months. I made sure he ate, and that his grades were good. I put my life on the line against Kol." I was itching to hit him again.

"And now you're screwing the very person you were running from." Damon got off the stool, standing almost chest to chest with me. "I have eyes, Maverick." He spat.

It wasn't that obvious was it?

"Mind your tongue, lest I rip it out." Klaus threatened lowly.

"See, now I know you're fucking." He was far too smug as he tapped his ear. "When the two of you came in, your heart started racing, and Klaus looks like he has murder on the brain when I've barely insulted him."

"Circumstantial at best." I crossed my arms.

Damon hummed. "Then what is it exactly that the two of you have been doing in that mansion of his? I remember when you were hanging around mine..." He brushed my cheek with his knuckle and before I could slap it away, Klaus had reached over my shoulder and grabbed his wrist.

"Last I checked, mate, I didn't give you permission to touch what's mine." Something popped.

Scratch that, several somethings popped.

Damon grunted, gritting his teeth.

Should I try to stop this?

"Okay, okay. He gets it." I turned the best I could, but I was well and truly trapped between Klaus' arm and the bar top. "It was well before my stay in your house."

"Trouble in paradise?" Damon tried to take his hand away, but Klaus was clearly the stronger of the two.

I should stop this.

"Klaus."

"Hm?" He hummed, dipping his head, and nose brushing against where the bite mark used to be. As soon as we were well across the boundary spell, my healing kicked in.

Goosebumps broke out, crawling along my skin. "You promised." He was so unconcerned, like he was barely putting any effort into hurting Damon.

"I did no such thing."

"As much as I love watching the two of you be all lovey dovey, you mind, all mighty hybrid?" There was something in Damon's voice, he sounded nervous.

Which, he never did.

His wrist cracked, and I backed up into Klaus' chest.

"You breathe a word of this to anyone and I'll do things to you that will make even the devil weep."

...

"What the fuck was that?!" I rounded on him as soon as we got into the ally. "You just had to be the alpha male."

He stared at me. "What did Damon mean?"

"What?"

"His mansion?"

Why did that matt- "You're jealous."

Klaus scoffed. "Absolutely not."

I turned on my heel, moving back toward the bar. "Alright, then I'll just go back in there an-"

He grabbed me, holding me against the wall, face inches from my own. Why did everyone have to get in my damn space? "You're not going anywhere, little tempest."

"Why did you pick me?" I let out in a breath. Klaus' hands were on my waist, lingering on the skin where my shirt had ridden up.

Instead of answering, he began kissing my neck. I bit my lip, pushing my head back against the bricks.

Shit.

Oh shit.

"Not in public." I got out breathlessly. "We...we're not having sex in an alleyway."

Once he got started...

He was fucking insatiable.

"Klaus." His hands were inching up my sides, seemingly intent on touching as much of me as possible. "Back at the house."

When he pulled away, his eyes were blazing. "You'll not go back inside."

"If I knew this was all it took to get you hot and bothered, I'd have brought him up ages ago." It felt good to know I got under his skin for once.

Klaus grasped my jaw. "Alright. No alleyway, how do you feel about the bathroom?"

"Thought you didn't want me going back inside. Besides Damon will hear."

"That's the point, love."

"It's embarrassing." I poked him in the chest. "And walls are uncomfortable. Let's go home."

His eyes narrowed. "You want your first venture into town to end so soon?"

"No." I brushed back a curl that'd fallen onto his forehead. "But if we stay, I know you're gonna kill someone."

"Why the sudden interest in staying my hand?"

"I just want to see one thing before we go. Then we can fuck until the sun comes up."

"And what's that?"

"Jeremy, he told me that this town does these fairy lights once a year, it's supposed to be magical."

Klaus searched my expression, as if looking for deception. He sighed. "Let's go see your lights."