Clair de Lune - K.M.

c h a p t e r t h i r t y f i v e

Klaus was not happy to learn about the hybrids that I killed. At first I was prepared to stand my ground, thinking that he was mad at me, but after watching him yell and smash furniture I realized that he was more angry at the fact that he felt like he was running out of hybrids.

There's only fourteen of us left, including me. That's it. I feel like that's enough but Klaus doesn't seem to agree. He's obsessed with having his hybrids as a way to protect us and is even more determined to find the cure now that the number of hybrids available to him is running low. Unfortunately, how soon that happens is riding on how quickly Damon can train Jeremy up to kill vampires so he can grow his hunters mark.

With everything going on, Klaus is in a terrible mood all week. He spends a lot of his time locked in his painting room working on god knows what and even though he still makes plenty of time for me, I can tell that he's getting restless. Klaus gets antsy when things don't go his way and right now, things are definitely not going his way.

Saturday morning I let out a quiet yawn and roll over in Klaus' giant bed. I've spent most nights this week at my house, convinced that Klaus didn't want me around anyway, but I was proven incorrect when he showed up at my door practically begging me to come home. I didn't even bother resisting, mostly because I'd missed him just as much these past few days as he'd missed me.

Soft morning sun is peeking in through the curtain clad windows. As I roll over, I reach out for Klaus next to me to find him still asleep. He's on his stomach with his head towards me and the blanket is hanging low over his hips. The soft skin of his bare back is warm beneath my palm and I can feel the rise and fall of his slow breathing, my touch doing nothing to wake him.

I scoot over so that my face is close to his and lightly push his hair back so I can examine his features. His full lips are parted slightly and I trail my eyes across his sloped nose and the light smattering of freckles across it, the kind you can only see when you're this close.

Klaus is so peaceful when he sleeps, all of the stress and anger he holds inside during the day able to fade away. He looks innocent, something that I don't think anyone has ever described him as. I love looking at him like this. It reminds me that underneath the tough hybrid exterior, he's still a human being. He hurts and he loves and makes mistakes. It's the part of being human that can't be taken away by vampirism.

Quickly, I lean forward and press my lips softly against his for just a moment. The pressure isn't enough to wake him completely but Klaus does stir for a moment before falling still again. I pull away and slide out from under the sheets, pulling on a pair of shorts and one of Klaus' shirts before I head downstairs.

Everything is quiet in the large house. There's no one here except Klaus and I and the few hybrids on guard outside, so the only sound is the soft plod of my feet on the floor as I walk down the hallway. I push open the door to Klaus' painting space and spy the thing I'm looking for, the large grand piano in the corner.

I head over and pull out the bench, sitting down and running my fingers over the keys. I've been playing a lot this week trying to get my mind off things and I've found it to be very therapeutic. Playing piano is like being enveloped in another world, one that you have the power to create and change as you move along.

Klaus' piano is exceptionally beautiful. It's old, really old, but well maintained and in amazing condition. I have no idea why he's kept it all these years but I'm incredibly grateful that he has. It's an angelic sounding instrument and as I begin to play I immediately know that I'm going to be spending a lot more time here. My fingers move almost without me controlling them and I get lost in the stunning melody pouring out of the instrument.

I'm not sure how much time has passed when I hear a voice behind me.

"And here I thought you couldn't get more beautiful, pup"