The Devil In Me

Chapter 27

"Unless..." Mikael said suddenly and Damon looked up sharply. Mikael tried to keep the smile off his face as he made a show of great consideration.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Come back and take a seat, Damon. Let us see if some compromise may not yet be reached."

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"It is not fair, Nik – Kol is cheating again!" Rebekah lamented, throwing her cards to the table. Kol laughed, pushing his chair back with a scrape.

"You impinge my honour, dear sister, I would never stoop so low!" he said, barely able to keep the smile off his face for more than a moment. Bonnie levelled a look at Kol, and he make a wounded face, still playing the victim, which she soon ignored and turned back to her book.

"Rebekah, you chose to play with him. On your head be it." Klaus muttered as he read by the fire. He had no interest in the card game, save for one of it's participants, a demure blond, sitting all too quietly, with an innocent look on her face. Caroline evaded his gaze, heat seeping into her cheeks as she realised she had lost, and she realised that Klaus had noticed. Kol had cheated, she was sure of it, yet being sure would not release her from the wager she had placed with the devil reading calmly by the fire. Caroline raised her cards to her face, and used them as a fan, the air lifting the blond tendrils of hair that always seemed prone to escape the bun at the base of her could feel Klaus's eyes on her, and as always, her skin prickled and her breath grew short. Damn Kol and his cheating... the heat in her face magnified as she thought of his expression, if he knew what he had condemned her to, a reckless gamble lost, and a debt collector, who would never forget what was owed to him.

Suddenly, she realised her she had met Klaus's stare, it seemed to burn through her, full of unspoken intentions and dark desires. He cocked and eyebrow, and she turned away abruptly.

"Caroline, are you well? You seemed flushed..." Katherine observed as she helped Kol, her partner in the game rake in his winnings. Caroline smiled meekly, knowing she must make an excuse to leave, yet dreading it. It would seem too obvious, too circumspect. Yet, it was agreed in the wager, and she hated to back down, or fail to face consequences of her loss. She let an expression of pain flash across her brow, aware of Katherine's scrutiny and raised a hand to her temple.

"I must confess... my head... perhaps it is a migraine." she murmured, feeling guilty as the assemble company expressed their concern. She shook it all off, standing slowly, she spoke quietly, still clutching her head.

"If you will excuse me. I believe I must to bed, or else suffer more." She said winningly, and saw the looks of concern on her friends' faces, excepting Kol, who leered a little and Bonnie who simply smiled into her book, unconcerned.

"My dear, do you require my assistance?" Klaus enquired politely, already standing, Caroline shot him a glance, before smiling a little wickedly.

"No, of course not. In fact, nothing would make me happier than if you would take my place at the card table, so the game may continue without me" she said, too innocently, and saw Klaus's eyes narrow, just a touch, unrecognisable to any other.

"As you wish my dear" he said, his smile slow and lazy and heavy with the promise of pay back. Caroline swallowed nervously, as she exited the room and ascended the stairs quickly, she reasoned she had about an hour, maybe less, before the wager was collected. She was learning new things about the enigmatic man she had married each day, and one of was that Klaus was not a man who easily forgot his debts.