The first time Klaus Mikaelson touches your hand, you feel it—not the warmth of his skin, but something sharper, something that pulls at your very soul.

“You belong to me,” he says softly, brushing your fingers with his own. It isn’t a demand. It’s a truth you’ve always known, buried under centuries of danger, immortality, and longing.

He shows you the ring first in the dim glow of his study. Silver, etched with intricate patterns that seem to shimmer on their own. “It’s yours,” he murmurs, pressing it into your palm. “A daylight ring… so you can walk in the sun without fear.”

You look up at him, heart racing. “It’s beautiful… but why me? Why now?”

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Because I want to see you free. And yet… not free from me.”

The moment you slip it onto your finger, a strange warmth floods your veins. You glance at him, startled. He doesn’t move—just watches, eyes dark and endless.

“What is it?” you ask, voice trembling.

“It’s linked to me,” he says, voice low. “As long as you wear it, you’re safe from sunlight—but every beat of your heart, every step you take while wearing it, reminds you… and me… that you’re mine.”

The first time you walk outside at noon, the sunlight bathing the city streets, you feel invincible. The world doesn’t touch you. You laugh, running through the streets, feeling weightless. But then you catch yourself glancing at Klaus, standing in the shadows as always, and the warmth in your chest isn’t just sunlight. It’s him.

Days turn into nights. Weeks turn into centuries—at least it feels that way. The ring doesn’t just protect you; it binds you, subtly, irrevocably, in ways you don’t yet understand. Every thought of danger, every pang of fear, and every moment of peace draws him closer, entwines your lives tighter.

“Do you feel it?” he asks one evening as you sit together under the fading sunlight. He brushes your hair behind your ear, lingering, almost tender. “How it connects us?”

“Yes,” you whisper, finger tracing the ring. “It’s… it’s you. Always you.”

He smiles then, a dangerous, beautiful thing that makes your heart ache and your pulse quicken. “Exactly. I don’t just give you safety. I give you me.”