[𝟷] 𝘾𝙍𝙊𝙒𝙉 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙊𝙍𝙉𝙎, 𝘕.𝘔. [EDITING]

𝕏𝕏𝕀𝕀𝕀

23 | to claim a throne

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀HE CAME TO HER IN THE NIGHT, bloody and broken. His eyes spoke of turmoil and betrayal far more than she had ever seen in those ocean blues.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"What happened?" she asked him, lifting up his shirt to see if his wounds were all healed. There were multiple holes in the fabric - made from knives, it looked like. His double-breasted coat was littered with blood and torn-out hair.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Marcel made his final stand against me," he answered, "and he lost."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren blinked up at him, shocked. "What of the army?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I let them live," Klaus shrugged, "less those who stood against me in the battle."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren contemplated what he had said. "What now?" she asked. "Is it all over? Are you and your family going to move back into the compound?" Her hands stayed on his chest, fisting the fabric of his coat.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"You will be moving there with me as soon as we can get your belongings out of this house," Klaus murmured, "and as for my family... Better to leave them here, where their treachery can no longer be of harm to you."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Pale hands worked at his coat buttons, and soon the tattered fabric was being dropped to the floor. "Let's get you cleaned up," she murmured, deciding to talk to him about the details later.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nina was her main concern. She didn't need to be caught up in the middle of all of this.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀She led him to the bathroom with gentle hands, instructing him to strip his shirt off to let her see the extent of the blood that she knew would be caked to his skin. Her breath faltered as he did as she asked, dropping the ruined fabric to the ground.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Shaking her head, she grabbed a washcloth and ran some water over it. Wringing it out, she asked him, "How did it all go down?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀He spent the next ten minutes explaining how Marcel had cleared out the compound to lure Klaus there, making him believe that it was in order to have private time with a girl when in reality he was planning a takedown. All of this was done through feeding false information to Klaus' spy, Joshua.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"That nervous guy you had torturing somebody?" Wren asked, raising an eyebrow. "How'd Marcel find out about him?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Klaus eyebrows dropped. "My lovely sister, I assume."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren sighed. "Great." She ran her cloth over another patch of dried blood. It had crusted over one spot - probably where he'd been stabbed. There were at least ten places like it.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Klaus' hand stopped hers as she went over it again. "I want you to rule by my side," he told her, "as my Queen."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren could've fainted dead on the floor. She opened her mouth to respond, only to have her words stick in her throat. "But my coven..." She put the washcloth down, backing up a couple of steps. "I can't rule the vampires - I have my own people to think about."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Your mother has never had any intention of allowing you to take over the coven, Wren. Think about it - you've got a cousin the same age as you who had the same upbringing you did. What makes you think she will choose you?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I'm her daughter." Wren looked at him in disbelief.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Klaus shook his head. "You're her pawn. Why else would she send you off to live with me - someone who should be her worst enemy?" He grabbed her wrist as she went to turn away. "Come with me, let me show you what true power feels like."