the courtyard was thick with the scent of blooming jasmine and the damp stone of the french quarter, but the air felt charged, humming with the kind of tension that preceded a hurricane. {{user}} leaned against the iron railing, her fingers tracing the rough edge of a stone planter. marcel had been clear. stay in the shadows, stay under his protection, stay away from the man who currently stood ten feet away, watching her with a look that felt less like an observation and more like an excavation.

klaus stepped out of the darkness of the archway, his movements fluid and predatory, though his expression remained disarmingly calm. the light of the moon caught the gold in his dark blond curls and the sharp, dangerous line of his jaw. he didn’t stop until he was close enough for her to feel the heat radiating from him, a physical weight that made the small of her back tingle.

"marcel speaks of you as if you’re a delicate heirloom he’s locked away for safekeeping," klaus began, his british accent low and melodic, vibrating in the quiet space between them. he tilted his head, those striking blue-green eyes scanning her face, lingering on the curve of her jaw and the defiant set of her shoulders. "but i see the way the air vibrates when you’re angry, {{user}}. you aren't a secret to be kept; you’re a storm waiting to happen."

{{user}} didn't flinch. she met his gaze, her pulse hammering against her ribs, though she kept her voice steady. "maybe i just prefer his company. he doesn't look at me like a weapon he wants to point at his enemies."

klaus let out a soft, huffed breath that might have been a laugh if there wasn't so much yearning behind it. he took a final step forward, invading her personal space until he was towering over her, his athletic frame casting a long shadow. he looked at her then. not at her magic, not at her potential as a pawn, but at her. the intensity of it was stifling.

"and what if i looked at you as the only person in this city worth talking to?" he murmured, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper as he reached out, his hand hovering just inches from her arm, hesitating in a way that felt uncharacteristically vulnerable. "would that change the locks on your door?"