Always and Forever (The Hybrid and The Wolf - Book 7)

Chapter 10 - There in the Disappearing Light

Klaus, Hope and Kenner were in the courtyard. Klaus fell onto a table, breaking it after letting Hope unleash her rage on him.

Klaus stood, looking at his children. "Do it again. Harder, this time. All that pain, that simmering darkness. You need to purge it before it eats you alive."

"Dad--" Hope started.

"Give me your anger!" Klaus told them, raising his voice.

Kenner turned around and yelled, waving his arm as he angrily threw Klaus against the wall.

Klaus sat up, breathing heavily as he leaned against the wall with blood on his forehead.

"It's not working!" Kenner said in frustration.

"You're both holding back," Klaus replied.

Hope looked at him. "You really think we wanna feel this way? No matter how hard we try to get it out, we don't feel any better."

"You're not the one I wanna hurt," Kenner told him.

Klaus stood. "Give me a name."

~*~*~

Klaus showed up at the hotel room Roman was hiding in and killed the vampires guarding him.

Roman looked at Klaus in fear.

Klaus walked closer.

"Get it over with," Roman told him.

"Oh, I'm reserving that honor for someone I love very much," Klaus replied.

Klaus snapped Roman's neck, sending him unconscious.

~*~*~

Roman was now tied up in the dungeon of the compound.

Klaus tossed a bucket of water at Roman, waking him.

Roman coughed and looked at Klaus in alarm, trying to break the chains binding him. "Come on."

"Have you decided how you're going to kill him?" Klaus asked.

"Slowly," Hope answered.

"Hope?" Roman asked, surprised. He saw Hope and Kenner standing in the shadows nearby. "Kenner, hey."

Just from one look, Roman knew something was different with Hope and Kenner.

"I wanna do this alone," Kenner said.

"What?" Roman asked, shocked.

"This is supposed to help us feel better, right?" Kenner asked.

Roman looked at Klaus. "What's wrong with them?"

"They have an affliction," Klaus told him, walking around him. "For which your pain is momentary comfort."

"My pain?" Roman repeated.

"Mm-hm," Hope confirmed. "But I don't want an audience."

"Hope," Klaus said, looking at his children.

"If you wanna help us, go," Hope told him.

"Well, I was rather hoping to be part of the show," Klaus replied. "Well, consider starting small, then. Fingernails or perhaps the tongue. Build the suspense."

Klaus walked away, closing the gate.

"Hey, wait, you're not actually gonna leave me here with them, are you?" Roman asked, nervously. Klaus ignored him, leaving. "Hey!"