The Vampire Lord and the Siren

Chapter 9

Stevers POV:

Stevers was excitedly wagging his tail and licking his returned mistress' face. The poor pup had been so confused. One minute they were going for walkies and enjoying the summer night, the next some foul smelling thing had grabbed his mistress from behind. A blue light came out of the creature's hand as her eyes gently closed. Growling at the thing, he lunged to bite at it. Unfortunately, he missed. That creature had been so fast and jumped back the moment Stevers had growled. Carrying his mistress away, the creature retreated into the night. Stevers made his way over to the house that wasn’t his mistress but smelled like her a lot. Maybe the male human inside would help him get his mistress back. At long last, the wait was over and here was his mistress alive and well. She smelt a little like the foul creature that had taken her, especially around the belly, but he would ignore that for now in the face of his overwhelming joy at having her back. The male human did exactly as he had hoped and he would never leave his mistress' side ever again.

Caroline’s POV

Getting to her feet, she rubbed the dog's ears and walked with him inside the house. The house was exactly how she remembered. Sage green was the front room color that matched the sheer curtains by the big front window. Potted plants hung from the ceiling or were clustered in stands on either side of the couch. Pictures in different wood frames stood on the wall-length mantel. She had always loved his home. It felt so cozy and safe. Walking towards the couch, she sat down patting the spot next to her. Stevers laid his head on her lap. Klaus sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and started stroking Stevers' head absentmindedly. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Klaus broke the comfortable silence.

“You know we can’t stay here long, right?”

Sighing, she looked up at him slightly and replied, “yeah I know we have to go to my home to grab a few things soon.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” He said, turning to face her and letting his arm fall off her shoulders. Looking at him quizzically she asked him to explain what he meant. “The vampires already know you live here, right?” Nodding her agreement but still not sure what he was getting at, he continued. “A few days ago your sister called me about an odd visitor she had had. He was a tall dude with dark brown hair, so dark apparently that it looked black, light green eyes and he had an accent.” Stilling at his words she recognized the description of Odporný. Looking down at her, he could see the fear in her eyes. “You know who that was, don’t you?” Nodding slowly, she croaked out “yes” her throat had suddenly gone very dry. “So they know who and where your sister is and where your home is since they took you from here.”

“What are we supposed to do then?”

“Well, to start, we will call your sister and let her know what’s going on so she can protect herself. Next, I thought we could go meet up with Rich in Great Oaks. He can get us new identities and set us up with a new place to live and sell our houses here for us.” He explained his plan in full and was relieved to see her agree so readily. “There’s just one thing I have to ask. I know I said I wouldn’t ask about that place and what happened, but I have to know if you by any chance know why they targeted you or better, yet how did they find you? Was it bad luck or is there a reason you were taken?

Looking down at Stevers, Caroline hesitated to tell Klaus the whole truth. That she had magic and that was why they went after her. She wasn’t sure just how they targeted those with magic and she wasn’t sure she could hide it. Meeting his gaze, she decided to tell him. She wouldn’t have him risk his life for her without knowing what he could be getting into. Sitting up all the way, she looked at him and began to tell him everything.

“I was told that I was picked due to my strong magical potential. What they didn’t know, or at least what I thought they didn’t know, was that after a month I was able to unlock my potential and started practicing how to harness my powers.” Klaus was stunned. She had magic! Magic was rare, not as rare as seeing a vampire or any other creature, but witches were well respected in whatever town they settled in. With her magic they could shield themselves from the vampires and live peacefully. “There’s one more thing I have to tell you, Klaus. Before you commit to leaving with me, you have to know that Zatracení did this ritual to bind our souls together.” Embarrassed, she kept her eyes down on Stever's head as she petted him nervously. She wasn’t sure how Klaus would take that news or the news that the lord and her had slept together. Klaus clenched his hands into fists. Enraged at the thought of a filthy vampire trying to bind himself to HIS girlfriend, it was infuriating. “And ummmm there’s more.” Calming himself down, he took one of Caroline's hands as she continued to pet her dog with the other. “Part of the ritual's side effects is that I was put in a kind of a trance-like state and umm to finish the ritual we had to ummm sleep together.” Waiting for a response she focused on Stevers. His fur was glossy and soft, a testament to how well he had been taken care of. His amber eyes stared up at her with nothing but love for her.

After a long time, he broke the silence. “Look at me please.” Hesitantly she looked at him and made eye contact. “I meant what I said when I told you I wouldn’t judge you for anything you had to do to survive and make it back to me.” He pulled her into a hug and asked no more. He could tell there was a missing piece to the story but, frankly, it didn’t matter to him in the slightest. She was there with him in his arms once more. Breathing her scent in, he relaxed and was even more determined to protect her. “ OK, let’s go by your house to grab anything important after I grab my stuff, then we will make our way to Great Oaks. While on the way, you need to call your sister to make sure she stays safe. Faith was really worried about you, you know.” They got up and started packing up Klaus’s important papers and a few of his favorite photos of them. Once they were done, one box and two duffle bags of clothes were all he was taking. It would have to be enough. They couldn’t waste anymore time. He wanted them to be out of Greenshire well before sundown. Driving around the lake to the east side, Caroline saw her house come into view.

Home was a cozy two-bedroom-one-bath house just outside of town. The front door was painted a dark, rich plum color that stood in contrast to the dark green walls of the house. Her garden was being overrun by weeds and the vegetables she had been growing had all gone to seed since she missed the harvest time. Grabbing the spare key from inside the gnome that was in its place by the front door, she let herself in. Stevers pushed past her and bounded happily into his home. He snuggled up on his bed and dug out his rawhide that he had been chewing on. “Oh so that’s where your spare key was. I tried to get in here to grab a few things for Stevers but I couldn’t find it.” Smiling at him, she started packing up a few things. She did notice a few of her things were not quite where she had left them. The lack of dust in some areas was also disturbing. Having left some windows open for two months, the house should have a layer of dirt blown in from the hills out back. But here and there she noticed, especially around her family photo albums and some lineage stuff she had been working on for Faith, it was suspiciously clean. Pointing this out to Klaus, he agreed it was suspicious and stated it probably had been Odporný proving his point further that they needed to leave quickly.

While in her room packing up the last few pieces of clothes, she wanted a crash from the kitchen that startled her. Calling out to Klaus to see if he was OK, she was met with silence. Not even Stevers was making any noise. Cautiously she made her way down the hall towards the kitchen. She heard some mild cursing and was relieved to see Klaus on his knees cleaning up what looked like her jar of strawberry preserves smashed all over the kitchen. Looking up, he stammered an apology saying he was trying to make some sandwiches for the road and knocked them off the counter. Laughing softly, she helped him clean up and finished packing her clothes.

Once all of her things were by the front door, she took one last look around her house. Whistling for Stevers to come in from outside, she sighed and left the home that she had fought so hard to gain. Klaus helped her with her bags, trying to pack everything into his Subaru. “Did you have to pack so much stuff?” He complained while lifting a particularly heavy bag. Rolling her eyes, she replied “Yes I did. I brought most of my clothes along with all of my important papers and photos. Did you call Faith?”

“I left her a voicemail telling her what was going on and to lay low. I didn’t tell her where we were going, only that she had 24 hours to call me back at my number before we got new phones.” He added when he saw Caroline raise an eyebrow at leaving a message. Climbing into the car, Caroline turned around in her seat to make sure Stevers was settled in properly on the backseat. Seeing that he was fine, she looked over at Klaus. “Alright, let’s go to Great Oaks.” Klaus started the car and started to make his way down the gravel road. Dust thick and heavy laid behind them, the only sign that they had been there. It took about an hour of driving to leave Greenshire for the last time. Hopping onto the freeway, Klaus flipped on the radio. The local weather came on, sunny skies and a light breeze, the perfect fall day. Once the weather was finished, the news popped on next. Not paying much attention, Caroline gazed out the window, watching as they passed other cars.