"What the fuck is that?"

On Klaus' bed laid a dress.

The man himself was adjusting his cuffs. "Gathering between the factions. Hayley will be leading the wolves along with Jackson."

"A pack?"

"Humans, vampires, and witches as well."

"Why do I have to be there?" I sat on the edge of his bed.

His jaw twitched and he sighed, tossing the cufflinks on his dresser.

"Come here."

"No."

"Come here, you stubborn bastard, so I can make your sleeves fancy."

Klaus stared at me for a moment, before grabbing the cufflinks, and making his way toward the bed. "Why help me?"

"See now, you're asking me a question I don't wanna answer. I'll tell you the truth if you tell me why you picked me?" I threaded the metal through the holes, entirely intent on it. His hand wrapped around my neck.

A clear threat.

"You know what'll happen if the rune thinks you're trying to hurt me."

"It is not sentient."

"Then squeeze." I dared.

His head tilted. "It doesn't matter. You're quite mailable when you're horny."

"Fuck you."

"Find new material, little tempest. I tire of such vulgar language on your tongue." He leaned down. "Not when you're so talented using it elsewhere."

"Does that work on other women or did you reserve it specifically for me?"

Klaus grabbed my jaw, tilting it up. "The boundary will be down for the period of time the factions are here. You will stay by my side until it's back up."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll mercilessly slaughter someone in front of you. No matter how you may scream or beg me to stop, I will not. I'll tie you to a post in the basement and make you watch."

I fell back on the bed. "Fucker."

"Get dressed. The party starts in fifteen minutes."

"I don't want to go to your stupid power struggle meeting."

"But attend you shall. It's not a choice, love." He moved back until he could lean against the wall.

"Are you going to watch?"

"Yes." Klaus crossed his arms. "You'll not be leaving my sight."

"Oh? Is the closet so bad? You'd know if I tried to escape."

He glowered. "I wouldn't put it past you."

Out of pure spite, I tugged the sleeves of his shirt down over my hands, as if it'd protect me better than the rune on my skin. "No."

"Fine." He began undoing the tie around his neck. "Wouldn't be a formal event if I didn't disappoint Elijah."

Klaus dropped pieces of clothing on the floor, uncaring of where they ended up while he searched for something.

"That's not how I pictured this going." I rolled onto my stomach, and laid my head on my arms.

He slipped on a shirt and picked up his jeans. "I'm not going to dress you myself."

So it was a point of laziness.

Not because he couldn't.

"But why are you changing?"

"It wouldn't do for my girl to be dressed improperly alone." Klaus put on a couple of his necklaces.

Back to his usual look.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were doing something sweet."

"Don't be ridiculous." He seemed far more comfortable in what he wore now.

"Right." I set my chin in my palm. "You know, we could go to the super boring shindig on factions and city divisions, or we could do a more fun activity."

His brow rose.

"Take me to New Orleans."

"You're in New Orleans."

"Let me see it. While your boundary is down, and then we could come back. Please, I'm dying, trapped in this place."

I was dying being away from my son for so long.

But I had to play this carefully or I'd never get out.

Poor Bennett.

He stared at me. "No."

"Why?!"

"I have to attend this party. If I don't, Elijah will have my head. Where I go, so do you."

Fucking Elijah.

"And now we're back to square one."

"I could always throw you over my shoulder." Klaus leaned down, hands resting on the footrest.

"Factions. Do you know how dystopian you sound? Lots of supernatural communities have gotten along without this kind of bullshit." Granted they usually had a council to decide what to do.

And then a member from that council was part of a bigger council, that spanned all the packs on this continent.

"Yes, well. Those who reside in New Orleans believe it is theirs. Even when it is my family that built this city, we still had to negotiate with others. Uprisings tend to end in bloodshed." He offered his hand. "Up you get. Lest I need to drag you out."

"Fine."