The stronger the bourbon on his breath became over the course of the night, the looser Klaus' shoulders got until they'd lost all tension. His furrowed brow from when he'd walked in had since been smoothed over; the only creases left were at the corners of his mouth when he smiled. Soon, the alcohol would be metabolizing its way through his system at an inhuman rate. He was on the verge of sober by the time Camille locked up the bar and they ambled out into the alley. It was wet from recent rain. Cigarettes butts were littered about and pieces of broken glass sparkled under the neon sign on side of the building in streaks of red and blue.

Watching her throughout the night behind the bar with only one patron to serve (him, of course), wearing a deep maroon blouse that displayed her collarbones paired with a skirt... Well, he'd fought his urges long enough. He drew her out of sight alongside a stack of crates piled high near the exit. It obscured them from view of the street.

Mostly.

her voice pulled him back from the void he had been sinking into. inside this room time didn't exist; day and night had melted together until nothing made sense. he had lost track of how long it had been since his crimson eyes had seen another soul. he knew who was behind it who used enough dark power to trap him, to keep him contained, to push him out of their territory and lock him away like some cursed thing.

he tried to move when he heard her steps, he truly did, but the chains held him down, cold metal biting into his wrists as they kept him pressed against the damp brick wall. he felt weak too weak. there were no shadows to feed on, no souls to call for strength. only darkness, thick and suffocating, until the door finally opened and her light reached him just enough.

❝ camille ... ❞ his voice, usually low and controlled, came out fragile, almost broken. he hated that she could hear it, hated that he could not pretend strength in front of her. ❝ you know who. ❞ because of course she did. he had trespassed where he wasn't wanted, stepped into power that feared him enough to cage him.

❝ you shouldn't be here ... ❞ the warning was soft, barely more than a breath, but it carried all the truth he couldn't hide. the danger wasn't him not now. it was everyone else closing in.

"If you did not find me agreeable in this century I would of course leave you be and find you again in the next, or the one after that, you would damn me for far less than my persistence but eventually I would wear you down vita mia. I do not walk away from the fascinating and beautiful, I would simply bide my time" he spoke earnestly as she circled him the way tourist circled marble statues appraising them, their features and considering whether to reach across and touch.

She's in front of him again, her delicate fingers humming with apocaliptic power toy with the fabric of his coat, climbs up to trace his cheekbone with her thumb and that's when Lestat turned his head to kiss her inner wrist leaning into her affection.

"Tease" the vampire accused when she nearly kissed him but pulled her arms away to look up at him so innocently as if he didn't know Audrey was toying with him.

"Cara, I do not run away, it is far more likely you will flee and abandon me but it is a risk I am willing to take.." Lestat was usually the one being abandoned than doing the abandoning. He leaned closer, nuzzled his nose against hers and his palms traced down her arms to find her hands , unclasping them from their perch and placing them on his chest as his rested on the small of Audrey's back and her cheek respectively.

"I know you will be my ruin yet I am trapped in mt longing to taste the apocalypse" he whispered forehead against hers, nuzzling her nose, her breath so warm against his skin.

The South had charms not unique to the North, but Southern women seemed to have a warmth that could be mistaken for shelter. The fact that she put herself on display and was so posed did not help his distracted mind.

The word felt even more tempting, as though a warm blanket was lulling him to comfort after a cold excursion. The man bit his lip as he was meeting her, with fair and feminine charms. He could not look away.

Heart fluttering was right, and he studied her, "You and I have obligations. "He tried to reason with her, as though sanity could prevail there.

//THE WORST!

love starters (accepting) // @empathetixs​​ ‘ you’re safe here. ’ - from wanda

          it’s an emergency and, quite frankly, it’s like both of their lives are just one emergency after the other; one emergency on top of the other, in a big messy pile. if it’s true that misery loves company, then he and Wanda are certainly well on their way to become BEST FRIENDS. offering a short, yet immensely grateful, nod of the head, he ventures in and waits for her to shut the door behind them --- and has a sound ever felt more relieving? especially to someone half-covered in blood and with a malfunctioning bionic arm? granted, the latter will be the real issue here, given the accelerated healing and all that... but well. one issue at a time. first of all, the priority is to release this deep breath he’s been holding.

there was a soft, almost wicked curl at the corner of aidoneus' lips as she leaned in, her breath close enough to ghost across his skin. his fingers traced the rim of the bourbon glass, slow, deliberate, while his eyes locked onto hers and refused to let go. he wasn't a man who let people in. he wasn't a man who shared his thoughts, let alone his vulnerabilities.

and yet camille had a way of slipping past barriers that should have kept her miles away. a talent for walking straight into the hearts of dangerous men and surviving. ❝ so you want to learn more about me ? ❞ he murmured, voice low, touched with playful menace. ❝ knowing very well it could put you in danger ? ❞ he lifted the glass, letting the bourbon burn down his throat, giving him a moment not to think, but to steady the unexpected shift inside him.