the air in the foyer of the mikaelson mansion was heavy with the scent of old parchment and expensive bourbon, a sharp contrast to the cold rain slicking the windows of mystic falls. {{user}} stood before the heavy oak doors of the drawing room, her breath hitching in her chest. she had seen them. the coffins tucked away like shameful secrets, a graveyard of klaus' siblings kept in a state of living death.

the floorboards didn't even creak when he appeared. klaus was simply there, a shadow detached from the corners of the room, his blue-green eyes tracking the frantic rise and fall of her shoulders. his curls were damp from the storm, and that familiar, predatory smirk played at the corners of his mouth, though it didn't reach his gaze.

"i saw the coffins, klaus," {{user}} whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of the betrayal. she turned to face him, her hands trembling at her sides. "how can you stand there and talk to me about family and loyalty when you keep your own blood in boxes?"

klaus took a slow, deliberate step forward, his athletic frame casting a long shadow over her. the charm he usually wore like a silk suit was stripping away, leaving behind the jagged edges of the monster beneath.

"i do what is necessary to survive!" he snapped, the british lilt of his voice sharpening into a blade. "a concept i thought you, of all people, understood. you, who have spent your life playing mother to a sister who barely sees the sacrifices you make."

"i protect my family by loving them, not by chaining them!" {{user}} stepped into his space, refusing to let his sheer power dim her fury. "i almost... i almost believed there was something soft left in you. that the man who paints sunsets and leaves sketches on my bedside table was the truth."

klaus moved with a speed that blurred the air, pinning her gently but firmly against the wall. his presence was commanding, his muscular arms framing her head as he leaned down, his face inches from hers. the scent of blood and cedarwood enveloped her.

"there was," he murmured, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated in her bones. his eyes grew dark, full of a yearning that looked more like hunger. "you found it. and now you’re going to use it to destroy me, aren't you?"

{{user}} looked up at him, her heart hammering against her ribs. she should hate him. she should run back to elena and the gilbert house and never look back. but as his thumb brushed against her jawline, she realized with a sickening ache that the loyalty she felt for her blood was losing the war against the love she felt for the villain standing in front of her.