Hope |Klaus and Hayley|

Chapter Six

"Feet apart. Survey your surroundings. Lift your head and inhale deeply. What do you smell?"

"I smell fucking air."

"Hayley, concentrate."

"I am," I whine," I just can't smell anything. I'm a shitty hybrid."

"Awaken your senses. Close your eyes and inhale."

From six am, I've returned to vigorously training with Klaus. And it sucks. I wore tight, black workout clothes for apparently nothing. He's in a particularly foul mood and barely glanced at me. We're deep inside a forest, just the two of us, luckily no annoying vampire volunteers. This part of the training requires me to strengthen my sense of smell. Apparently, I suck at picking up scents.

Klaus has hidden pungent clothing somewhere in the six-acre, coniferous forest. My task is to find it using solely my nose.

"Pick up anything?"

"Just your cologne. You're swimming in Calvin Klein."

"I'm losing my patience with you. I'm going to end up snapping your neck. Apologizing in advance."

I throw him a contemptuous look. "I can totally win you in a battle."

He raises an eyebrow and smirks. "Is that a challenge?"

"Shut up, you're distracting me now. I think- oh my god, I smell something." Whatever it is, it's absolutely vile. The stench of dried blood, mud, and something particularly disgusting fills my nose. I close my eyes as asked and follow the trail.

Before long, five miles away, I'm standing in front of a laundry bag hanging from a branch of a decrepit tree. The smell worsens incredibly. I make a face. "Whose laundry is that?"

"Your cousin's."

I turn around and face him with a huge smile. "I passed your stupid test. I can smell, congratulations to me."

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. And as a punishment for that mouth of yours, run a lap around the perimeter of the forest," Klaus orders, an evil glint in his eyes. He laughs at my outraged expression and walks away toward the lake.

Grumbling, I catch up to him. "What's my other option?" I demand.

"Well, I could think of another activity that involves losing the same amount of calories," he says suggestively. My cheeks flush. He's so forward with what he wants.

And it is hard to say no to Klaus. I'm pretty sure no woman could resist him as well. Klaus looks particularly handsome in his suit and sexily tousled hair. I have to restrain from losing myself in those blue eyes of his. Before training, he attended a funeral for a fellow vampire that committed suicide which explains the formal wear.

"Not in the middle of the forest. Who has sex in a forest?" I'm appalled. Sex is a sacred, intimate act reserved for doing in a meaningful place and time. Okay, I'm not one to talk since I did it in Klaus' bedroom, but I was drunk.

Klaus, however, doesn't seem unfazed by the idea. "It's not as bad as you think."

"You whore! With what desperate girl?"

"Caroline's not desperate. She's quite a charming girl. You two would get along well if you didn't pine after Tyler."

"Caroline? Holy shit Klaus, and here I thought I knew everything about you," I say bitterly.

"It was four weeks ago, Hayley. You didn't mean anything to me then."

"You had sex with her while I was carrying your child?"

"Don't use that tone with me. You kissed Elijah. Why can't I be allowed to go after the woman I like?"

"Because it's fucking Caroline. Then again, you never had good taste in women." I know I'm being hypocritical, but I'm blinded with raging jealousy. And I'm insulting myself in a way because if Klaus had bad taste, he wouldn't be with me.

"If it means anything, I prefer brunettes now anyways. They're sexier and smarter."

Smiling, I avert my eyes from his and edge closer to the lake. It's blue and glistening, inviting me to come in. My clothes are drenched in sweat, so I slowly strip. The shorts come off, then the shirt, and shoes. I'm left in a sports bra and boy shorts that are much more comfy than sexy thongs. But maybe I should've worn a thong today. But by the lustful look on Klaus' face, maybe the silk boy shorts aren't so bad after all.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," I tease and descend into the cool water. It feels like heaven, the waves lapping my body and the sun beaming onto my face. I dunk my entire body in and resurface, my hair slick and wet against my back. Klaus undoes his tie, his eyes never leaving mine. Then, he unbuttons his collared white shirt painfully slow to annoy me. The shirt and blazer land on the dirt in a heap. I can't help but gaze at his beautifully structured pecs and abs. Thousands of years in that body- no wonder he's so cocky.

It's sort of tense and awkward when the pants come off, but then he lazily kicks off his shoes and socks. Klaus, in all his glory, standing in nothing but underwear that reveals everything it's covering. I feel embarassed looking down there, but he doesn't care.

He makes ripples in the water as he comes near me, a playful smirk on his face. "This feels amazing," he remarks, and I roll my eyes.

"Are we really going to talk about the water?"

"Tell me what you want, Hayley." His voice is low and undeniably attractive. He's close enough so I can just reach out and touch his chest.

"I want you to kiss me." And so he did.

In that moment, everything fell into place.

"Help! Help me!"

We break apart, confused. I notice a scrawny man with small, brown eyes running toward us. Klaus protectively stands in front of me, shielding me. I can tell the man is a werewolf.

"Who are you?" Klaus asks, his tone deadly.

"Please. I mean no harm. There's this deranged thing following me. It-it's trying to kill me!" The man's eyes shift nervously. Klaus and I exchange uneasy looks. The man is clearly not in his right mind.

Before we can react, a silver arrow shoots out of nowwhere and through the man's chest. The arrow drops to the ground with the man's heart attached. I scream loudly, disgusted by the still beating, bloody heart lying on the ground. The man's face is twisted in horror and surprise.

Klaus curses under his breath. We don't move, making sure no more arrows fly out of thin air. Klaus hugs me and kisses my cheek, noticing my fear. "Hayley, I want you to dress and go home. Tell Elijah what hapened and bring him here."

"No, I'm not leaving you. His murderer might still be out here. Jackson told me about some psychopath hunting supernaturals. I can't lose you Klaus."

"Love, nothing can kill me. Don't worry about me. I'm going to find his killer. I can use the man's clothes to find his scent. And Jackson is right. The person whose terrorizing my town needs to be removed- permanently."

"Klaus, stop trying to be the hero. I'm not leaving you."

He gives me a terse look, but I ignore him. I say," Stop fighting with me. We're wasting time. Let's catch this son of a bitch and end this now."