Klaus refused to stop pacing left and right as his mind worked desperately to process the latest news.
He was now....a vampire.
He had killed his sister.
He had killed her.
After he killed the man, the butler had carried the corpse out of the room, squeaking sounds following their movement.
Klaus tried to tell himself he didn't enjoy it.
Tried to convince himself he hadn't actually thrown himself at the poor man to feed on him.
Tried to convince himself the taste wasn't more delicious and exquisite than the finest wine he and Marcelline had ever drank.
He tried to wipe off the blood stains on his mouth, but to no avail.
His hands were still shaking. Marcelline's face kept flashing in his mind, her purple hair, her apple-shaped face, the way she used to laugh at his terrible jokes.
His knees buckled. He dropped to the floor, hands clutching his head as sobs tore from his chest.
"Marcelline.....Marcelline..." Her name came out like a broken prayer. His little sister. The only family he had left after their parents were slaughtered by vampires ten years ago.
They had survived together, two orphans against the world.
And now he had....
"Oh, for fuck's sake," The woman muttered, rolling her eyes. "Not the melodrama. Get over it already, okay? Accept you did it, and let's move the fuck on."
Klaus's head snapped up, rage exploding in his chest and blocking his grief. "Melodrama?! I killed my sister, you cold-hearted bitch!"
"There's that fire." She smirked, examining her nails. "Much better than the pathetic sobbing. And my name is Delilah. Stop calling me bitch." The woman said, reaching out to grab his shoulder.
Klaus slapped it away, his chest heaving.
"You did this to me!"
"Don't blame my poor Delilah." Frankenstein cooed, moving to rest his hand on the woman's head. She scoffed and took a step to the left, completely evading his touch.
Then, her crimson eyes narrowed. "No, I didn't." Her voice was flat and matter-of-fact. "My brother found you after the deed was done. Hell, you had killed your sister already."
Klaus scrambled to his feet, backing toward the door. "Lies. I'm not staying here. I don't want this. I don't want any of this. You're all liars. Just leave me alone. I'm going home."
"No can do!" Frankenstein's sing-song voice rang out. He was suddenly blocking the doorway, his face twisted in a grin. "See, we need to put you in check immediately. We don't often come across Rippers, and you lot especially are the worst of our kind."
"Rippers?" Klaus's voice cracked.
"Of the four sub-groups of vampires, rippers are considered the most dangerous," Delilah said, her tone almost robotic. "Because of their intense episodes of blood lust, and their explosive and almost primal energy. That's what you are now. It's the only way to explain the violent way in which you killed your sister."
Klaus's breathing quickened, panic rising in his throat. The word felt like a brand burning into his skin. A monster. That's what they were calling him.
Not just a vampire, but the worst possible type.
"I'm going home," he repeated weakly.
The smile dropped from Frankenstein's face, and his eyes suddenly became cold, more like the eyes of a predator.
"Don't make me knock you out again." His voice was quiet now but the threat in it was loud enough. "You may be one of us now, a Ripper, even, but I've lived long enough to overpower you on the spot. So what's it going to be?"
Klaus swallowed hard, his hands trembling.
Delilah stepped forward, her expression softening just slightly. "You should be smart about this. And besides, we need answers."
"Answers?"
"We need to know what exactly happened to you," she continued. "And how you survived an ordeal a lot of humans don't. Why are you so special? How come nothing was reported?"
Klaus blinked. "Wait...you guys....report when you turn someone?"
"Try to keep up, dumbass," Delilah said, already walking toward the door. "We may no longer be ordinary humans, we may be more powerful and primal, but we're not completely animals. There are protocols, rules that must be abided by at all times." She paused for dramatic effect.
"And someone out there just broke one of our core rules."
"Indeed!" Frankenstein chortled, clapping his fingers together. "Now, let's go moving."
"Where are we going?" Klaus's stomach dropped.
Frankenstein's grin returned. "To see our father, of course."
Their father?
Another vampire?
Oh hell no.
"No." Klaus backed up again. "No, I am not—"
"Don't piss me off." Delilah's eyes flashed. "I'm being nice right now, and it's taking all my willpower not to rip your ribcage open and show you what your heart looks like beating in my hand. So kindly follow me."
Her tone made Klaus's protest die in his throat, and he nodded, fear pooling in his gut. Besides, better to stay alive long enough to figure a way to kill these lying bastards and avenge his poor sister.
"Okay." Klaus forced out, his nostrils flaring in disgust at Frankenstein's giddy expression.
Bastard.
"That's splendid! Shall we?!"