to bargain with death - part iii
“The gods have no mercy, that’s why they’re gods” That was, until he met her.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as his words began to sink in, “You do?” She asked, she knew it was a long shot to ask so much of him.
“I… Yes,” he confirmed, breathing out a sigh as he turned his attention to the ivy-covered fountain, “You may say goodbye to her and when she returns to the living, you may stay in my palace.”
“Your palace?” She had assumed that she would trade places with her mother. He had surprised her yet another time.
“The Underworld is not a place for the living,” he replied. It was as though he had an inexplicable feeling to keep her safe, and the thought of her surrounded by the dead souls of the Underworld was difficult to even imagine. As full of life as she was, despair and hopelessness were contagious and he did not think he could watch her light diminish before his eyes, “You’ll be my guest at the Palace, no harm will come to you.”
“Thank you, Klaus,” she said sincerely, as she held his face lightly with one hand, as he slowly turned to look back at her. She stood on the tip of her toes and gave a kiss on his cheeks.
She felt a tingle on her lips as she lowered herself onto the soles of her feet, and it was then that she truly comprehended her actions, “I- I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have-,” she began to walk backwards. She had been bold and reckless to think that she could just kiss a God, no matter the reason, and no matter how right and completely natural it felt.
“Caroline,” he reached out and placed a hand on her elbow, stopping her from going any further, and to her surprise, he leaned in to capture her soft lips with his own. It was the gentlest of kisses and the moment their lips touched, he felt a surge of warmth travelling through his body that was both strange and foreign, but he knew he wanted more.
He could feel her stepping close to press her body onto his and he revelled in the way she was moulded to fit his. His hands reached into her golden locks and hers in his, and she let out a satisfied sigh as she nipped at his bottom lip.
As pleasurable as it was, he knew he had to stop before he dishonoured her. When he pulled away, he stroked the blush that had begun to blossom on her porcelain face, as his fingers trailed down to her bright, beautiful smile. His touch was light, but ever so reassuring.
“I find myself willing to do things for you that I would never have imagined doing for anyone else. Not in all the years of my existence,” he confessed truthfully, leaning his forehead onto hers, “But I would do it all for you.”
continue part iii on AO3 | start from the beginning
thank you to everyone on kc discord for encouraging me to continue this story <3
