Warning: Just to make it absolutely crystal clear— this chapter and those that follow are UNEDITED and will not make sense in conjunction with the previous chapters. I will be editing them and posting them in blocks when I have the time. If you want to continue reading, please do with an open mind. If you wish to wait until the next block of chapters are edited, I promise to update them as quickly as I possibly can. Otherwise, stop leaving rude comments on the book or it will be taken down.
FIRE AND ICE
⎯⎯ heart over mind
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ SIR, I THINK YOUR HYBRIDS ARE BROKEN
"You okay? Is Ray getting heavy?" Klaus teased as he, Stefan and Thea made their way up the Smokey Mountains, searching for Ray's pack, the Salvatore carrying the dead werewolf over his shoulder. "I'm fine," the vampire muttered, securing his hold on the werewolf so he didn't fall. "Are you sure about that? You know, we've been walking for quite some time now. If you need some water or a little sit-down" the hybrid trailed off, an amused smirk on his face that caused Thea to roll her eyes in agitation.
"Look, I get that we're all stuck together, but if you idiots could stop antagonising each other it'd do wonders for my sanity," the dark haired wolf muttered as she pushed through them, walking ahead of them in frustration causing the hybrid to frown. The young Lockwood was still hurt after her conversation with Klaus last night, but instead of letting it consume her, she chose to ignore it- going back to hating him like she did 2 months ago. "Yeah, if we could just skip the chitchat, it'd be great," Stefan agreed with the wolf, throwing the original a glare.
"So much brooding," Klaus spoke mockingly, ignoring what Thea had said not even 2 minutes ago causing her to roll her eyes, "your self-loathing is suffocating you, my friend." Stefan snorted lightly, "maybe it's cause I'm a little tired of hunting werewolves. We've been at it all summer," he retorted in exhaustion, "yeah, or maybe it's just because we're stuck in the company of the immortal jackass," Thea said from further ahead. As a result of their advanced hearing, Stefan and Klaus could hear the wolf's remark as clear as day.
Klaus frowned as Stefan laughed lightly, "she's never going to forgive you, you know?" the Salvatore vampire told the blonde original before he began walking slightly ahead, attempting to catch up with the Lockwood wolf so she didn't put herself in any danger. Klaus shook his head, a blank look on his face as to appear like he didn't care- but it was obvious that he did. He knew what Stefan had told him was the truth. The wolf had poured her heart out to him last night, admitting everything the hybrid felt himself and instead of telling her how he truly felt- the hybrid shot her down, too cowardice to admit to his true feelings.
Up ahead, the hybrid noticed that Thea and Stefan had halted to a stop. Walking towards them in curiosity, Klaus saw what had caught their attention, his eyes landing on a group of people sat around a campfire. "Ah, thanks to our pal Ray we seem to have found ourselves a pack," the original stated as he began to walk towards the group, Thea and Stefan trailing behind him.
As they got closer, each of the people's eyes snapped towards them, Stefan taking it as a que to drop Ray's temporarily dead body to the floor. "Ray! Oh my god!" a girl with short red hair screamed as she ran towards the wolf, dropping to her knees beside him. "Who are you," the girl hissed with a glare as she peered up at Thea and Stefan, causing the wolf to roll her eyes, her arms folding across her chest.
Klaus took the opportunity to step forward, alerting them of his presence with a smirk plastered on his face. "The important question is who I am," he said with an air of confidence, the girl's eyes flicking towards him, "please, forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus," he stated causing the girl to back away in fear. "You're the hybrid," she stuttered, causing the rest of the group to perk up in the apprehension.
"You've heard of me. Fantastic."
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"It's fascinating, actually," the original uttered as he peered round at the wolves from his seat on the log, Thea and Stefan sitting next to him. "A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun. A true hybrid," he said, causing the red head from earlier to shake in fear. Thea felt guilt swirl inside of her. All of these people had gathered together, ready to turn later tonight completely unaware that they'd be tracked down by the immortal hybrid and killed.
Suddenly, a startled gasp caught everyone's attention as each of their eyes snapped over to the source of the sound. Ray sat up, struggling to breath, "what's happening to me?" he gasped out, clawing at his neck. Klaus looked towards Stefan, motioning for him to speak, the Salvatore offering him a bitter smile before standing up and addressing the crowd of wolves. "Are any of you human? Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition into a vampire" he asked as the group sat in silence, refusing to answer, "doesn't take much," Klaus spoke up, annoyed by their silence, "just a sip. Anyone? A boyfriend, a girlfriend, along for the ride?" The group sat in silence once more, not wanting to give the hybrid what he wanted.
"If he doesn't get it, he will die," Thea stated in exasperation as her patience began to run thin. She knew why they were hesitant, but their friend's life was literally hanging on the line- where was their pack loyalty now? "What about you?" a blonde man spoke up, a small glare on his face as he looked at the young Lockwood. The dark haired wolf stared at him in disbelief, whilst Klaus seethed in anger at the side of her, "I'm one of you, you absolute idiot," she stated in incredulity, how stupid were these wolves?
"Yes, and if any of you so much as look at her the wrong way, I will not hesitate to rip your heart from your body. Understand?" the hybrid seethed, glaring directly at the blonde man in front of him. Thea's heart skipped a beat at his protectiveness, smiling slightly before remembering how much he had hurt her the previous night. His mood swings were confusing her immensely, she was never sure where she stood with him. Sighing, the wolf sat back down on the log, ignoring the small smile the hybrid offered her.
Klaus frowned before turning back to the group in front of him, "wait a minute," he said as his eyes filtered across the wolves. "You," the hybrid said as his eyes stopped in front of a male human. Moving towards him swiftly, the original grabbed a hold of the human's arm, biting into it before throwing him on the floor to Stefan, who pinned him to the floor. "If you don't drink it Ray, I will," the Salvatore growled to the heaving werewolf next to him, veins protruding from his eyes, "problem is, I don't know how to stop."
"No!" the redhead yelled, attempting to run forward to save her boyfriend, only to be grabbed by the neck by Klaus. "It's the new order, sweetheart," the hybrid told the girl "you join us, or you die." The girl scowled at him, a glare set in her eyes "I'd rather die than be a vampire," she spat causing Thea to smirk a little, inspired by her bravery and lack of fear. "Wrong choice," the original muttered as his face began to vamp out.
Biting into his wrist, Klaus forced the girl to drink his blood before he snapped her neck, the redhead falling limp in his arms. "She'll thank me for that later," he chuckled, dropping her to the floor and stepping over her body. As he turned back to face the group of wolves again, his eyes still golden and face vamped out as he licked some of the remaining blood off his fingers, Thea wanted to punch herself for the inappropriate thoughts that flooded her mind at the sight of his carefree smirk.
How was she supposed to carry on hating him, when he was this hot? The wolf was struggling, her heart racing wildly at the sight of her soulmate stood in front of the fearful wolves, power and confidence oozing from his stance. He was the enemy, a monster. She knew that, and she knew it was wrong to still like him after the pain he had caused her and her friends. But the Lockwood could not remove the hybrid from her mind, no matter how hard she tried. Klaus noticed Thea's erratic heartbeat, causing his smirk to broaden as he thought of ways to apologise to the wolf for what he said to her.
"Okay, who's next?"
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Thea glanced around at the group of werewolves from her seat on the log with a sad look on her face. They were all dead, they had Klaus' blood in their system, but none of them wanted to be a vampire. She knew that if she was ever given the choice, she'd choose to stay dead- if it was her time to go, it was her time. Plus, werewolves and vampires were a warring species, neither wanted to be affiliated with the other. "There," Klaus said as he pulled his now healed wrist from the human's mouth.
"Good as new. Now you relax, okay mate? We're gonna need you when the rest of them wake up," he compelled before getting up and walking towards Ray and Thea. "They're dead," Ray breathed out as his body shook, "they're all dead," he muttered sadly, causing the Lockwood to look down in guilt. She didn't agree with a single thing Klaus had done in the past two months, but she knew that underneath all of his scheming and violence was a man who just didn't want to be alone.
"Ah, he's through his transition. He should be feeling better soon," the hybrid said as he examined the undead werewolf who was sat a little too close to his soulmate for his liking. "So this is your master plan? Build an army of hybrid slaves?" Thea questioned with attitude, agitated by the original hybrid's arrogance. "No, not slaves," Klaus denied, a subtle glare in his eyes as he glanced at the wolf, "soldiers, comrades."
Stefan glanced at him in confusion, listening in on the conversation, "for what war, might I ask?" the vampire questioned as he leant against the tree besides Thea. "Oh, you don't arm yourself after a war has been declared, Stefan," the hybrid started with an amused smile, "you build your army so big that no one ever dares to pick a fight," he finished, a confident smirk on his handsome face. Though she despised his arrogance and complete disregard for others' life, Thea couldn't deny that his dominating confidence and powerful smirk left her weak at the knees.
"What makes you so sure they'll be so loyal? I mean, you're a bit of an ass," the dark haired wolf mused as she tried to calm her racing heart. The hybrid turned to her, an amused smirk still plastered on his face, "well love, it's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team. That's something you'll both learn when you take those horribly depressive chips off of your shoulders," he said whilst pointing between Stefan and the Lockwood wolf.
Thea rolled her eyes at the hybrid before moving her sight towards the newly turned hybrid beside her, seeing blood pouring from his eyes. "Uh? Klaus?" she muttered in confusion, that wasn't supposed to happen, was it? "That's why you're keeping me around? To witness my attitude adjustment?" Stefan asked, laughing bitterly as he glared at the original who took a seat on the other side of Ray.
"You'll know why I'm keeping you around when I've decided that I want you to know," the hybrid muttered as he grabbed a hold of Ray's face, forcing the wolf to look at him. "Something's wrong," he said as he released the wolf's face, standing from the log and placing his hands on his hip in puzzlement. "That shouldn't be happening, should it?" Stefan asked as he stepped forward to take a closer look, a small growl emitting as he saw the blood.
"Well obviously," Thea muttered, rolling her eyes at Stefan's comment, moving away from the wolf slightly so he couldn't hurt her. "You said it was gonna feel better," Ray whimpered as he began to rock slightly on the log, "why doesn't it feel better?" he asked as he peered up at Klaus, blood still running from his blood shot eyes. Stefan snorted lightly, "some master race," he muttered under his breath with his eyebrows raised.
"Lose the attitude," the blonde original spat as he glared harshly at the Salvatore vampire. Another gasp sounded from near the campfire as the redhead woman awoke, glancing around the camp startled. "Derek, come feed your girlfriend," Klaus called, the compelled human rushing towards the girl on the floor, unable to disobey.
Just as Derek held out his arm, a vicious roar emitted from Ray's throat making Thea's head snap towards him in surprise, and slight fear. Before she had a chance to move, Ray moved towards her, pushing her back off of the log before he sped away, jumping over some large boulders. "Go get him," Klaus ordered Stefan fiercely as he made his way towards the young Lockwood, helping her to her feet.
Stefan nodded, sparing a glance at the injured wolf in concern, before speeding after the rabid hybrid. "Are you okay?" the original asked, worry laced within his tone as he watched his soulmate clutch her head in pain. Pulling her hand away from the back of her head, Thea noticed blood covering her hand causing her to look up at the hybrid in concern. Klaus smiled at her sadly before biting into his wrist and offering it to the young wolf, only for her to shake her head in denial as she moved to sit back down on the bench away from him.
"It's fine. I'm a werewolf, I'll heal," she muttered, wincing slightly as the pain in her head began to get worse. "Will you stop being so stubborn and just let me heal you?" the hybrid said to her, staring at her in disbelief. Her stubbornness was literally about to get her killed, and rather than allowing him to heal her, she chose to continue to ignore him- still hurt over their argument last night.
Thea rolled her eyes, "why do you even care?" she questioned him, a glare in her eyes as she stared at the hybrid. Klaus' face dropped as he stared at her blankly, not knowing what to say. Her question had taken him aback. Why did he care? He was the immortal hybrid, he didn't care for anyone. He could let her sit in pain as a result of her own stubbornness if he wanted to, it was her own doing after all.
But the truth is, he didn't want to, he wanted to help her. Because he cared. He cared for the young Lockwood wolf so much that it terrified him. "Because I do care Thea," Klaus said, his voice small but filled with raw honesty as he admitted his true feelings, "I care about you, little wolf," he uttered causing Thea's head to snap towards him in disbelief.
"I thought I was just a weakness to you?" the wolf spat as she jumped up from the log, walking towards the hybrid with a fiery glare set in her eyes. "What was it you told me last night after I poured my heart out to you?" she questioned him as she stopped right in front of him, a sarcastic smile on her face, "oh, that's right. 'I don't want a weakness'," she imitated him with a British accent, causing the hybrid to glare at her just as harshly.
There he was, opening up and admitting to his feelings- which was by no means easy for him, and all the dark haired beauty could do was mock him. He was infuriated. "So tell me Nik, what's changed?" Thea asked him, a confused look in her eyes as she tilted her head to the side, her molten chocolate eyes locked onto his icy blue. "Do you know what? You're right. I don't know what I was thinking," Klaus said back, a mocking smile on his face as he glared at the young wolf deeply.
Thea stepped closer to him, so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. "No. You don't get to do that, not again," she said firmly, shaking her head with a scolding look on her face, "stop being such a coward and tell me how you really feel. You stupid son of a bit-" the wolf hissed before she was cut off by an infuriated hybrid, his lips pressed firmly against hers in a heated passion.
Shocked, Thea stood still unaware of what was happening. As the hybrid bit her lip accidently, the wolf snapped back into reality, pulling his body flush against hers as her arms looped around his neck, kissing him back with just as much ferocity. The two soulmates let all their anger and frustration melt into the kiss as they held each other tightly, neither one wanting to let the other go.
Their lips, their souls, their beings were all perfectly entwined and Thea found herself wanting to succumb to every desire, every feeling she had ever felt for the immortal hybrid. But, before their kiss could get any deeper Klaus pulled away from the wolf, resting his forehead against hers as they both panted heavily. "I care about you Thea, and it terrifies me," he said quietly as he stared into her wild eyes, nothing but honesty in his voice.
Thea was shocked, still overwhelmed from the mind-numbing kiss they had just shared. Before she had chance to reply however, the two heard a slow clapping, causing the two to jump a part, remembering they had an audience. "That was quite the show," the redheaded wolf spoke up teasingly after she had finished feeding from her boyfriend. Both the soulmates eyes snapped towards her, "shut up," they both demanded, fiery glares set in both of their eyes causing the wolf to cower in fear.
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"Where did he go?" the hybrid demanded as he and Thea found Stefan on top of a cliff, no Ray in sight.. "He uh- he got away. Forget him, let's go," the Salvatore said as he shoved passed him, causing confusion to stir within the Lockwood wolf. What was he trying to hide? she thought as she watched after the vampire. "A fatal werewolf bite," Klaus smirked as he grabbed a hold of Stefan's arm as he tried to get passed. Thea gasped, her face dropping in fear as she noticed the nasty bite on her friends arm.
"Yeah, I'm gonna need your blood to heal me," the younger vampire said, smiling at the wolf as he noticed her concern, ensuring her that he would be okay. Noticing the way the two friends glanced at each other, Klaus couldn't contain the mild jealousy that swarmed within him as he turned towards the Salvatore vampire with a clenched jaw. "Well, I'll tell you what. You find Ray, and then I'll heal you," he said with an amused smirk on his face, causing the wolf to stare at him in disbelief and anger.
"You can't be serious. Nik, please," Thea pleaded, throwing her arms up in exasperation as Stefan scoffed bitterly. Ignoring her, Klaus turned and walked back towards the camp, the dark haired teen staring after him in disbelief. "It's okay T," Stefan said to the young wolf, smiling at her weakly. Thea scoffed at him in response, "no it's not Stefan, he's being a dick. Come on, let's go find that runaway hybrid," she muttered as she walked passed him, in the opposite direction to her soulmate.
The young Lockwood didn't expect Klaus to instantly have a change of behaviour after the kiss they had shared, she wasn't delusional. But she had hoped he'd at least treat her a little differently, showing her that he did actually care about her instead of viewing her as the enemy still. His mood swings were giving her whiplash, and she didn't know how much longer she could keep up with him.
Stefan stared after her in worry and confusion, "you're not coming. Go back with Klaus," he demanded as he trailed behind her. Thea giggled lightly, "careful Steffie, your humanity is showing. Plus, we'll find him faster this way," she taunted, causing Stefan to roll his eyes but follow her nonetheless. As the two were walking, they noticed Ray about to attack someone, before he could however, Stefan rushed towards him, ripping his heart from his chest.
"Damon?!" Thea questioned in incredulity as she noticed the raven haired vampire stood in front of her. Damon smiled at her, "fancy meeting you here," he smirked mockingly causing Stefan to glare at him as Thea ran over to her best friend, hugging him tightly. "What part of 'don't follow us anymore' got lost in translation, Damon?" the younger Salvatore asked his brother as he stared at him in frustration.
"Might want to take it up with your girlfriend. You don't want her chasing you, I'd stop with the late night phone calls," Damon retorted, a sarcastic smirk on his face. "I didn't call her," Stefan muttered as he looked towards the ground, Thea looking at him in deep sympathy. "Sure you did. She's not gonna give up on you. Either of you," Damon said firmly as he glanced between the two teens in front of you, causing Thea to look down in guilt.
"She has to. Because I'm never coming back," Stefan replied before bending down to pick up Ray's dead body, "why don't you get her home? See if you could keep her there this time," he snapped as he grabbed a hold of Thea's arm, pulling her along gently. Turning her head to look over her shoulder, Thea smiled at her best friend sadly offering him a small wave as both she and Stefan left the clearing.
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After making it back to the camp, Thea and Stefan had found all of the pack member's dead on the floor with Klaus sat on a log, a beer bottle in his hand and a sad frown etched upon his face. "They went rabid," the hybrid stated as Stefan dropped Ray's body to the ground. "Some of them I killed, the others just bled out," he spoke quietly with a distant look in his eyes. The hybrid stood up, walking closer towards the two teens slowly, "in the end, they're all dead."
Thea flinched as Klaus yelled and threw the beer bottle at a nearby tree, the pain in her head from before coming back, only this time much worse. "I did everything I was told," he continued to yell in blind rage, "I should be able to turn them," he said darkly as he stared at the wolf and vampire. "I broke the curse. I killed a werewolf. I killed a vampire. I killed the doppelganger," he muttered causing Stefan and Thea to look at the hybrid with wide-eyes, panic washing over their faces as they began to realise why the original could not create more hybrids.
Elena wasn't dead. "You look like hell," Klaus commented to Stefan, sparing the young wolf a concerned glance as he noticed the pain etched on her face. "Last I checked, I'm dying," Stefan remarked, "and you don't want to heal me," he said as he held out his arm, the werewolf bite looking infinitely worse causing Thea to wince. The hybrid's gaze moved towards Ray, "I had to take him out. I didn't have a choice," the green-eyed vampire explained, "I failed you. I'm sorry," he insisted as Klaus shook his head, nothing but sadness on his handsome face. "It should have worked," he said dejectedly as he bent down to pick up an empty beer bottle, biting his wrist the hybrid let his blood drip into the bottle before handing it over to Stefan. Thea sighed in relief, thankful that her soulmate wasn't going to let her friend die, "bottoms up, we're leaving," Klaus stated as he made a move towards Thea.
Smiling at the blonde original in gratitude, the young wolf mouthed a small thank you causing the hybrid to smile back at her. Before he had a chance to reply however, Thea's eyes glazed over as she fell unconscious. "I've got you love, I've got you," Klaus muttered in concern as he rushed towards the Lockwood, catching her before she could hit the floor. Biting into his wrist once again, the hybrid placed it against Thea's mouth, smiling slightly as he could feel her swallowing it.
Carrying her in his arms, the hybrid began to walk back towards the car, Stefan trailing behind them slowly as he watched. It was obvious to him that the hybrid cared for his friend. The way he talked to her, cared for her, allowed her to speak to him with an attitude that would get others killed proved it. Stefan smiled slightly, Thea deserved someone to care for her- she was always doing everything she could for others, she needed someone to do the same for her. He only wished it was someone other than the man that had sacrificed his girlfriend on an altar of fire.
. . .
FIRE AND ICE
ˏˋ⋆ SIDE A ⋆ˊˎ
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