Dark Moon | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter 24

Klaus had been drinking and looking at his art.

Normally, he prided himself in being a confident person. People feared Klaus Mikaelson, not the other way around. He had slaughtered entire towns who opposed him, single handedly.

And yet, he'd fallen apart at the sight of Esmeray.

If he were to admit it to Kol or even Elijah, they would laugh, surely. He suspected Elijah knew what had happened when he hadn't approached Esmeray, but he also imagined his elder brother had been feeling smug about it, even slightly. Klaus hated knowing that Elijah could have taken advantage of his cowardice to make a move on Esmeray. He knew he should have been more courageous to ensure this didn't happen.

But he hadn't been able to. He thought she wasn't going to come, that he'd have to resort to dancing with a stranger. He'd ascended the staircase when Elijah had announced the dance, and there she had been, wearing the dress he'd had specifically made for her. She had smiled at him, too. She had come of her own free will and seemed eager to speak with him.

Naturally, this induced anxiety. He knew he had hurt her. He hated himself for having laid so much as a finger on her. Since the moment he heard of her, he should have been more gentle, and instead, he'd made her feel like she wasn't free even when he was trying not to be so restrictive. How could he hope to protect her when he himself made any home they shared a toxic prison filled with scathingly spoken words? He understood he needed to do a better job of controlling his temper if he wished to pursue her. He had to control his impulse and keep himself from being reckless.

Everything about her intrigued him, and softened him when he really took a moment to step back and think of who was standing before him. She was the only person left from his time that wasn't related to him. The instant Finn and Kol had found out about this the other night, they'd been intrigued, too, without even having seen her. It was rare, now as Originals, to find someone who shared an understanding of the past in that same innocent way that they'd once had before they were turned into vampires.

They could all sense the power radiating off of her. For Klaus, especially, it seemed to be a worse sort of tug in her direction. He knew that in a similar manner, she was drawn to him. It was as if their two inner wolves understood that they were the closest thing to kindred spirits or even soulmates to each other. The universe seemed to want them to be a pair, just as it seemed to like placing the doppelgängers together, though it was all yet to be discovered. For two creatures who were the only true ones of their kind, who had strength and abilities beyond belief, of a rare breed that filled each with unmatched potential, it was only natural they would want to be with one another.

Klaus felt as if his wolf side was demanding for him to make her his. But he knew that being so assertive wouldn't get him anywhere. He didn't want to succumb to his wolf's desires, because he knew she wasn't a trophy to be won, rather, a person who had her own opinions (he knew this quite well from how often she'd snapped at him).

He knew she was not fragile, but he saw that she could be more gentle than he ever was. She tried to see good in everyone because no one had ever seen the good in her, as they had been too focused on her destructive exterior— something that wasn't even her fault. She was kind and generous and defended herself only because she was used to being put down, and she didn't want anyone to perceive her as weak. He actually enjoyed her remarks, even when they could be infuriating. It showed that she had more depth to her than most people might think.

He perked up at the sound of footsteps heading toward him. He set down the bottle of bourbon in his hand, looking away from all the artwork of his that he'd arranged around the room. The door opened, and Esmeray stepped in, the door closing behind her at the hand of someone else— Elijah.