The Red Herring Revives: A Mikaelson Love Story

Chapter 64: Knife To The Gut

~Klaus POV~

"I trust you're ready?" Klaus said as he walked into the room where Genevieve had arranged to start the moonlight ring spell.

"One more thing." She said sighing. "The last ingredient is personal. As the spell is designed to control transformation, I need the blood of a werewolf who doesn't turn on a full moon. My first thought was Hayley—"

"Out of the question. I'd just as soon limit the surrogate of my unborn child to the side-effects of your witchery. I am half-wolf; I control my form—use my blood." Klaus told her offering out his hand. She tried to take his hand, but when she went to take it, he grabbed her roughly and glowered.

"If you fail to hold up your end of the deal, the consequences for you will be apocalyptic." Klaus threatened before he released her.

"You say the most romantic things." She retorted as she cut open his palm and dripped it over the stone.

~Iliana POV~

I watched from atop the balcony as Genevieve prepared the spell for the moonlight rings. In an instant, Klaus was at my side watching just as intently.

"If you worry so much, you'll get wrinkles." He teased.

"I can afford to get them removed." I said with a small laugh before turning to him with a serious sigh. "I don't feel good about any of this, Klaus."

"Just trust me." He said with a soft smile. "When have I led you astray?"

"Besides literally every time ever?" I said with a roll of my eyes. "I trust you Klaus, I do. It's everyone else that has me on edge. Genevieve is only doing this to keep you happy, but she answers to her Ancestors at the end of the day. Francesca is a gangster with no allegiance to anyone but herself and her bid for power. And without the two of them, our plan is useless."

"I will keep them in line."

"How are we supposed to bring a kid into all of this?" I asked him. "I'm scared for her."

"I will keep her safe." Klaus promised me as he took my hands in his. "I will keep you both safe. Always and Forever. However long your forever is."

"If only I knew what I was getting myself into when I tried to pick you up at a bar." I said with a bittersweet laugh.

"You don't expect me to believe you'd change your mind, do you?" Klaus said with a roll of his eyes.

"No. I wouldn't change a thing. Everything I lost is worth so much less than I everything I gained." I replied. "But what about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah." I continued. "What did you gain?"

"An amazing woman and a soon-to-be-born child."

"But you didn't need me for any of that." I said with a shake of my head. "You could've done all that with any number of people. Hayley, Fiore, Genevieve, Cami—any one of them could give you that. All I did was hurt you and come between you and your brother. In fact, you're the only one who lost out that day."

"I didn't lose out on anything." Klaus refuted. "Iliana, in a perfect world, we'd be together forever, our enemies felled and raising our beautiful little girl in harmony. But even if that does not come to pass, I will be grateful for all the time we had together because you did something, I didn't think possible. You reminded me of love. That I could feel it and that others could feel it for me. You will have always been worth it."

I beamed at him, impossibly touched by his words. He grinned back at me and before I knew it, he was kissing me. And I was kissing him back. When he pulled away, I gazed back into his eyes, seeing a nervousness I wasn't used to.