#so dragons

Klaus stepped into her line of vision, watched her from eyes gone dragon - the human blue buried under a shade of old gold. His cheekbones were sharp, angled over a tightly clenched jaw covered in scruff. Her mouth ran dry, a band wrapping tightly over her lungs, but she refused to flinch.

The skin under her wristband burned.

Niklaus, The Great Hoarder, King of the Dragons. Klaus, the scourge of her people, who ruled the great mountains to the North and East. His magic ran under her skin, had dug into bone and bled like ink over the pulse point of her left wrist. It burned like betrayal, like hope.

She could embrace neither.

“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.”

Caroline finally looked away from the nightmare creature that she wanted to touch, and faced the one she couldn’t. Clasping her hands together, she gave Klaus the Dragon her most polite smile.

“That’s because my betrothed’s lands are at war with yours,” Caroline said simply.

Klaus tilted his head, the move oddly graceful and he stepped closer. She held her ground, arched a single brow as he dragged his eyes down her; the heat of his gaze nearly a touch, lingering at the pulse point in her throat. “Betrothed.”

“Surely, you know of the ceremony in two months’ time, since both our lands border yours,” Caroline said serenely, ignoring the burning in her blood.

The dragon at the gate yawned.

“I’m afraid that will have to be cancelled.”

Lashes narrowing, Caroline let her smile become less polite. “Are you abducting me?”

Klaus snorted, stepping close enough to touch. “It’s not abducting when you’re already mine.”

“Well, I beg to differ,” Caroline responded tightly. “I am not yours.”

He bent close, skin carrying the lingering scent of fire, body warm enough that she could feel him even inches from her. His eyes had paled to wheat, threads of darker bronze the only true color. “You carry dragon gold on your skin. I can smell it.”

“What you smell is the obnoxious breath of your brother,” Caroline said through her smile. “Surely you’d have noticed if you’d marked someone.”

“We can set the courtyard on fire,” Klaus drawled, not quiet touching her. Dragon magic offered immunity to fire, and with what blazed under her skin, had cut through her magical defenses and sank into her blood she doubted dragon fire would singe an eyelash.

“Then you’d better hope you’re wrong and I die,” Caroline said coolly. “Because if I live and a single hair is harmed on anyone’s head because of this nonsense, I’ll hunt you, gut you and mount your over-sized reptilian head on my future castle’s gate.”

His smile widened, teeth gleaming - those unnecessary dimples tempting her. “A declaration of war, little love?”

“Ask your brother to move.”

“No.”

“And why is that?”

“Because somewhere among the cream of your skin my magic has marked you. It’s crawling through your veins, glimmering in soft flecks and it calls to me. Fate and magic have marked you as mine, and no betrothal, no human contract can contest that. Even your Lockwood must bend to the old magics, sweetheart.”

“First, I am not your sweetheart.” Caroline said firmly. “Second… what are you doing?”

His fingers were warm around her wrist. The texture of his skin was slightly abrasive against hers but the long, hot stroke of Klaus’ tongue had her breath hitching in her throat. Staring at him as he breathed against her skin, she clenched her free hand.

“What are you doing?” Her question ground out a second time.

“Hunting.”

“Go hunt somewhere else.”

“Gladly.”

He licked up the line of her arm, lingered at the crook of her elbow. Caroline could feel his magic stirring in her blood, and she struggled to keep it from glimmering on her skin. She’d known the moment she felt him in her blood that forcing him out was impossible - dragon magic was stubborn and it did not release lightly what it had taken. What she needed was space, some distance between them to cleanse herself.

So she’d trapped his power in muscle and tendon, created a barrier with her magic that would pass a surface test; immediately made plans to leave. It hurt, knowing that she was abandoning this - this creature who was beautiful and terrible, for the mundane life her father had chosen. But the contracts were important to her people and a dragon with a wicked tongue wouldn’t change that.

“You’ve licked up my arm, in public,” Caroline finally managed, voice strained. “Now that you’ve thoroughly wrecked my reputation, let go.”

“Do you know what Dragon Gold is Ambassador Forbes?” Klaus murmured, eyes lifting from her bicep, gaze feral, his strange pupils wide with want.

“Physical manifestations of a binding between a dragon and its mate.” She gave him a cool, unimpressed look. “Magic, for want of better word.”

His cheeks creased. “Very good.”

“But since I am betrothed, and there seems to be a very distinctive lack of gold on the arm you just mauled, let go.” She forced herself to stare coldly at him. Five years ago she would’ve hauled his mouth to hers, tangled her fingers in those wild curls and kissed him until he melted.

But this was now.

Her final stint as Ambassador Forbes was done, the mantle of Princess heavy. She wouldn’t have even still been here if it hadn’t been for the uncertainty of the passes. Attending the formal dinner last night had been courtesy only, a wish to avoid insulting her hosts. She’d have plead a headache had she known that the dragons would be attending; if she’d only known that this one was prowling with his magic wide open, hunting. Tyler would never forgive this, could rain war down on her people.

She couldn’t allow that.

“Really sweetheart, mauled?”

“I will not ask you to release me a third time.”

He kissed her palm, licked the pad of her thumb and laughed. “Or what? We both know you’ve got all your precious human magic caught up in binding what courses through your veins. That was cleverly done. You nearly slipped my grasp - but that would have been only a momentary fix, little love.”

“You do not want me as your enemy.”

“I want you naked in my bed, golden light turning your skin luminescent. I want your hair across my pillow, the heavy silk of it around my fingers.” Klaus canted his head. “But I digress. I did not expect to find you here - a thousand years have I flown alone, Caroline. You are an unexpected gift.”

Her soul hurt. She could feel the truth of his words and the steel, the iron she’d need to repudiate him did not sit on her tongue. Swallowing heavily, she tried to speak - to deny him, but his hot fingertips pressed against her lips.

“I will lick along every inch of you, taste the salt of your skin, until I find the crack in your defenses.” Klaus murmured, fingers stroking along her throat. “I’ve been told an orgasm works best - watch the cream of your skin flush gold; the soft, delicate swirls of claiming run beneath your skin.”

“Now you’re being inappropriate on purpose,” Caroline said lowly. Her expression didn’t alter but the rest of her heated, the flush of arousal would hopefully be confused for her growing temper. But the sinful, lazy smile as he breathed deep told her Klaus, at least, knew the effect he was having.

“I smelled you first, the lushness of your skin, that tantalizing mix of honey and woman,” Klaus told her, fingers gentle as he pushed a loose curl behind her ear, stroked her pink cheek. “But I could not find you among the guests - you must have slipped out the moment my magic breached your defenses, mingled along the lines of your soul. Did you sleep last night, little love? I’ve been told the magic binding can be painful. If you’d come to me, I’d have eased the heat of it, stroked the lines of you until you purred.”

Caroline refused to acknowledge his words, the burning low in her stomach. Lack of sleep had little to do with the edge of her temper - an evening spent trying to slow his magic from sinking into her marrow. She still didn’t know how he’d gotten through her defenses in the first place.

“I’ve no interest in your fantasies,” Caroline said primly, even as her body told a different story. Lie. Lie. Lie. Every part of her hummed at the thought of him stroking her with hands and tongue, struggled not to imagine how warm his skin burned; his dragon-fire contained by human flesh and bone.

“My guard and I have been delayed long enough.”

“Where are your guards?” Klaus asked, gaze scanning the courtyard with narrowed eyes.

“There is a dragon in the gateway. I prefer them to use their common sense and watched from a safe distance.” Caroline told him, exasperated.

Klaus stilled. “You mean that.”

“Of course I mean that,” Caroline said. “There is no use in them dying because you want to prove some misplaced point.”

“You’re lucky this will not be an issue going forward.” Klaus said firmly, stepping into her space. “Caroline - do you think for a moment that I could not change shape, take you with me by wing and claw?”

“If you think for a single moment that I’m going anywhere with you…”

His mouth was so hot, branding hers; those long fingered hands cradling her jaw as the rough stroke of his tongue against the seam of her lips almost broke her. She felt his magic push hard against hers and Caroline shoved him away; staggered out of his arms with a heaving chest, magic holding by tenterhooks. She bared her teeth when he tried to reach for her.

“You will stop this madness at once.”

“You’re mine.” Klaus said determinedly, tongue snaking across his lips.

“I belong to me,” Caroline growled, straightening her dress. “But I choose to serve my people, and I have willingly chosen to enter into marriage with my betrothed. This insanity of yours ends now.”

She couldn’t let him touch her again. Her magic was paper thin now, and she struggled not to reach for him. To stroke along the rough velvet of his tongue with hers, to challenge him until he followed through that threat. What did he look like as a dragon? Was he as dark as his brother with the faintest touch of blue to his scales?

Klaus’ cheekbones were stark, the force of his temper shimmered visibly in the air between them. “No.”

“Yes.”

“And what? You return to your people? My magic runs in your veins.”

“Allegedly,” Caroline replied icily.

“You will not age.” Klaus ground out. “Your life is now tied to mine. Time no longer pulls at your bones. I should let you leave, return to this useless human who does not guard the treasure he has been given - but I will not. Dragon magic is as territorial as I am, little love. It will let no other touch you, will let no other magic claim you. How long until your suitor casts you aside, when the fire running through your veins no longer lets you near him?”

Caroline took a step back, face pale. He stalked forward, the fury behind his gaze turning the courtyard blistering. She forced herself to hold her ground, even as she started to sweat.

“Release the bindings, Caroline.”

She said nothing, even as he stood close enough for their clothing to touch. He hissed out a sound - steam against rock - and curled his hands into fists. But she would not bend. This wasn’t about her - her life had never been that forgiving.

“And if I offered you a bargain?”

Caroline eyed him warily. “What kind of bargain.”

“I will call off the feud your betrothed instigated, by hunting my family and the attempted murder of my brother.” Klaus said tightly. “For you.”

Caroline froze.

“I’ll provide your people with the mages they will lose should the Lockwood family break contract due to your refusal to marry,” he lifted a hand, smoothed her hair with careful fingertips. “Which I would have done regardless, Caroline.”

Caroline licked her lips. “Why?”

“Release your magic, sweetheart, and see.”

Caroline stared at the alien eyes watching her, the predator who knew he’d found a chink in her armor. Who was waiting her out - he wasn’t forcing, for all his gritted threats. Klaus wanted her to come to him.

A thousand years he said. A thousand years to fly alone. Caroline caught her lower lip between her teeth, wondered at the loneliness - at the faith he must have wrestled with for magic to pair him with someone. His self-control at her continued denials.

So, did she trust the magic that ran beneath their skin? Did she believe in fate? More importantly, did she trust this dragon when he promised to defend her people?

“I know about the hoarding.” Caroline said softly, voice rough.

Klaus leaned into her personal space, dimples bracketing a smile made of sin. “Nothing I’ve found is more precious than you.”

Caroline scowled, lowered her lashes to glare. “If you’re correct, I won’t be hoarded.”

“All the time,” Klaus corrected, thumb lifting to stroke across her wet bottom lip. “I will hoard you - your laugh, your scent, you smiles; the lushness of your skin sprawled across silk sheets. But I can be coaxed into sharing, with the right incentive. Drop your magic, Caroline.”

“So sure,” Caroline said quietly.

“Yes.”

Caroline dropped her magic. Released the barrier that was so thin. The pressure behind her eyes disappeared, and the feel of his magic moving through her left her flushed. Klaus closed his eyes, chest moving as he breathed her in. She watched in surprise as he shuddered, eyes opening slowly to run over her again.

He said nothing as his gaze stilled on her left wrist. Steady fingers removed the heavy cuff, and then his fingertips smoothed across skin stained gold in a delicate pattern. She bit her lip at the unexpected sensation, the way she could feel his magic shift across her skin. Something incandescent flashed across his eyes; her stomach flipped as he brought her wrist to his mouth, tongue licking across the mark.

Her blood started to burn for reasons that had nothing to do with magic. Klaus licked again, a rough stroke of his tongue and Caroline shivered.

“Every inch of you,” Klaus reminded her, voice hardly more than a growl. “Until every part of you is golden.”

She knew she was blushing, cheeks hot. She opened her mouth to growl a response when she realized the shimmering heat around them had shifted to true flame - sparks dancing around them like fireflies. They drifted into her pinned curls, brushed against skin, and all she felt was a lingering warmth.

“I told you - you’re mine.”

Caroline scoffed. “And I told you, you don’t want me for an enemy.”

Klaus laughed and Kol lifted his magnificent head, wings lifting to spread wide. Warm, possessive lips brushed her ear as Klaus leaned close.

“Welcome to my family, Caroline Forbes.” He pressed against her hair and laughed again, the sound… happy.