The Originals Imagines #Wattys2017

Cash Cow

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You've been out riding fences for so long now.
Oh, you're a hard one,
But I know that you've got your reasons.
These things that are pleasing you will hurt you somehow.
"Desperado" — Linda Ronstadt
"Just a little more... easy there..." Caroline muttered to herself, tongue stuck between her teeth as she concentrated on the razor-sharp barbed wire in front of her.
She narrowed her blue eyes, trying to see the individual wire coils in the darkness. She'd told Katherine that pulling a job on a new moon was trouble, not only from a practical perspective, but also from a witchcraft one.
Finally, she could "feel" the tensile strength of the metal and managed to neatly sever the wire with her magic. She leapt back hastily, in case the recoil of the newly strung barbed wire flew her way, but fortunately Katherine's protection barrier was still in effect.
Caroline blew a sweaty blonde curl off of her forehead, inwardly groaning as she realized that taking care of the fence was barely step one in their plan. Quietly clearing her throat, she mimicked the call of a fan-tailed warbler, the trademark signal she and Katherine used to communicate during their nighttime raids. She remained crouched down in the pasture, counting the seconds until Katherine responded.
With a quiet sigh of relief, she heard the answering call that gave the all-clear. Katherine and their horses were hidden at the bottom of the hill off the main trail so she was keeping watch. If trouble came their way, she'd be able to give Caroline the time she needed to escape.
Slowly she approached the cattle wary but confident. She'd been raised around Longhorns all her life, and while these powerful animals could indeed be aggressive, the trick was to approach them in a calm manner without appearing weak.
She scouted out the imposing beasts, trying to ascertain the best targets. They had learned the hard way not to take the ones with distinctive markings, as the cattle barons would be more likely to remember those as their property. It made for awkward encounters at county auctions if the bidders realized they were buying their own stolen property.
She counted out 20 heads of cattle. Her and Katherine only targeted the richest of cattle barons but the fastest way to get caught was to be greedy and stupid – luckily they were neither of those things. She smoothly approached the first steer, staying within his line of sight so he wouldn't spook.
Not that she ever got kicked. Except for that one time. And the time before that. Okay, and then that other time, but that had completely been Katherine's fault. Seriously, don't try to determine if an animal is a bull while your partner is busy altering the brand on its flank. Caroline quietly murmured the incantation to cast the glamour over the animal's brand.
Weird, she thought as she ran her fingers over it.
She and Katherine had been working this cluster of counties for years now and she'd never run across this peculiar "F" brand.
She watched as her magic wove itself through the mark, bathing it in cleansing white light before transforming into the familiar triangle symbol she and Katherine used to "brand" their unorthodox acquisitions.
Katherine's impatient warbler call indicated she was running behind schedule, so Caroline quickly repeated the process on the remaining cattle she had selected. Standing at the flank of the last animal, she couldn't help but feel a shiver of dread as she watched the last traces of the unusual brand disappear under her glamour spell. Instinct was telling her it was a symbol that she should know and perhaps even fear.
An amused voice broke her concentration, startling her.
"It's the Viking rune fehu. It means wealth and cattle. A bit on the nose, but we aren't known for our subtlety."
A devilishly handsome man appeared on the other side of the steer, gazing at her curiously.
He angled his head to get a better view of her work.
Cocking an inquisitive brow, he carried on in his delicious accent, "The fire symbol, signifying cleansing and renewal. You practice an ancient form of witchcraft for one so young, sweetheart."
Caroline's heart beat a rapid tattoo in her chest. How had this man managed to evade her carefully honed senses and catch her unawares? She narrowed her eyes as she recalled his cocky ramblings. His aura was incredibly powerful, but also disturbingly lifeless.
Vampire.
His arrogant speech about Vikings could mean he was one of the Old Ones Miss Sheila had always warned them about.
Well, shit. She had just been caught red-handed cattle rustling from an Original.
"Nothing to say, sweetheart," the beautiful stranger teased her. "That fire swirling in your lovely blue eyes tells me you recognize what I am, as well as my place at the top of the supernatural hierarchy." Innocent dimples flashed as he introduced himself, "You may call me Klaus."
The way his calculating smirk cut across his face seemed to jar Caroline from her initial shock.
She'd grown up hearing stories about the Originals and she realized her initial error in assuming the man was a vampire. Klaus was a hybrid, which made him possibly the most dangerous being on the planet. And likely the most arrogant.
She snorted disdainfully. Arrogance, she could handle. "Alright, Dimples, you caught me. Temporarily. Enjoy your little victory. Trust me, it'll be short-lived."
Klaus threw back his head laughing, nearly knocking off his cowboy hat.
"What spirit you possess, little witch. Do tell me what you think gives you the right to steal my property?" A low, sexy growl came on the heels of his question as he regarded her with obvious interest. "Or, more importantly, your name?"
Caroline scoffed. "Look, Dimples, I only take from those that can spare it, and right now someone else needs what you can clearly spare. I'll keep my name and my secrets if it's all the same to you. Besides, I'm obviously not the only one with something to hide." She grinned, her blue eyes twinkling as she appraised the mysterious creature before her. "That accent sticks out like a sore thumb around these parts and I haven't heard any chatter about your family in nearby towns. Your movements are far too stiff in those suspiciously new clothes, so I'm guessing you aren't used to wearing such simple fabrics. Probably not for centuries, if you're as old as I think you are."
She nodded in satisfaction as she saw his strong jaw tighten at her assumptions. "You're hiding out from somebody or something. You wouldn't be all the way out here in the panhandle otherwise."
His tone betrayed his growing anger at how her words had unsettled him. "Careful, sweetheart. You should mind that sharp tongue of yours. Out here all alone, you and your partner are at my mercy."
"Since I don't see my partner in your clutches, I'm calling your bluff, Dimples," Caroline retorted, carefully flicking her eyes around the far corners of the pasture to determine her best escape route.
"It's only a matter of time," Klaus said smoothly. "My brother, Elijah, is on her trail as we speak."
Hysterical giggles erupted unexpectedly from Caroline. She could see Klaus' eyebrows knit together in confusion, spurring on her laughter. "I'm sorry — but you sent Elijah after my partner? That stuffed shirt has no idea what he's dealing with. My partner specializes in a distinct disarming technique."
His gray eyes flashed gold in the night, and he sped in front of her, gripping her shoulders tightly. "If she harms my brother, I'll have your head, witch!"
Alarmed by his violent outburst, she stiffened in his steel hold, but her anger at being manhandled caused her to switch to her trusty defense mechanism — sarcasm.
"That pompous windbag will survive. Untangle your spurs, Dimples. He'll just be a bit less clothed than when he started his merry chase. She has found over the years that few assailants continue to give chase if she spells away their clothing."
Klaus released her quickly, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "My brother will be... nude when he returns here?"
"Yup," she agreed smugly. "Hopefully my partner won't judge him too harshly. Poor bastard — it's a bit nippy out tonight."
Before Klaus could respond, they were interrupted by thundering hooves. A stunning blonde appeared astride a beautiful red roan Appaloosa, holding the reins of an equally gorgeous dappled gray.
"Nik! Is it Mikael?" Her haughty tone did little to hide her underlying fear. Her gaze sharpened and she pointed her delicate chin in Caroline's direction. "Who's this simple tart skulking about?"
Klaus seemed to pick up on Caroline's ire and lazily called out, "Calm yourself, sister. I was well on my way to finding out when you rudely interrupted."
Caroline scoffed. "Please. You're no closer to learning more about me than you were when you found me. Give it up, Dimples."
"Charming," Rebekah said dryly, peering down at Caroline. "You are outnumbered, little witch, by two Originals, no less. If you tried to run, our mounts would easily overtake you without us exerting our superior strength."
"Good grief, is arrogance an inherited trait or did one possess enough to infect the rest of you," Caroline wondered aloud.
She studied the horses thoughtfully. While Appaloosas were magnificent examples of horseflesh, they were no match for the Quarter Horses Katherine had waiting on her. Their horses couldn't be outmatched in maneuverability and speed — something a real cattle baron would know. These snooty Originals sacrificed substance for style and Caroline couldn't wait to show them up.
Klaus misread the calculating look on her face and silkily murmured, "Appaloosas are majestic creatures blessed with not only beauty but also nearly endless stamina. Would you care for a demonstration, love?"
Caroline rolled her eyes, commiserating with the affronted look on Rebekah's face.
"Perhaps another time," she said airily.
Wiggling her fingers in his direction in a mocking wave, she concentrated her energies on the 20 head of cattle she had rebranded with her glamour spell and managed to teleport them, along with herself, to the bottom of the hill where Katherine was pacing furiously.
"Damn it, Buttercup!" Katherine's anger failed to mask her panic when she got a good look at Caroline.
She raced to Caroline's side the moment she appeared with the cattle, quickly examining her for injuries. "You know that spell should only be used for moving smaller weights over short distances. Not 20 head of cattle and one scrawny witch!"
"No choice, Kitty," Caroline panted, trying to catch her breath. "It was an emergency. Turns out we accidentally stole from the Originals. Klaus and Rebekah are nipping at my heels. They sent Elijah after you."
Katherine's grim mouth twisted up into a sly smile. "Yes, he was such a handsome little prairie dog. Bit sniffy for my tastes... until I made his clothes disappear." Her warm brown eyes sparkled at the memory. "He yelped like a rabbit caught in a snare. Ran off in embarrassment. Dunno why — from the peek I got, he was hung like a —"
"Kitty! Can we focus, please? Two angry Originals will come barreling down this hill any moment," Caroline said through gritted teeth.
Katherine shrugged her shoulders, winking at Caroline. "What? It kinda reminded me of that time you got kicked when I was leaning over to check if you caught a bull..." She trailed off at her friend's annoyed expression. "Sorry. Will they be on foot?"
Caroline shook her head, still wheezing from the toll the spell had taken on her. "No. They're on Appaloosas," she explained, her tone a bit lighter as she recalled the two Originals' misplaced confidence in their mounts.
"Ha! Take away the supernatural stuff and they're just pampered city folk playing cowboy." She rubbed her hands together, preparing the spell, but stopped short when she noticed Caroline still bent over trying to catch her breath. "I don't have enough juice to teleport the cattle and us back to the church." She yanked Caroline's chin toward her so she could judge her reaction properly. "Can you ride?"
Caroline waved off her friend's concern. "I'll be fine. Hurry up; I can hear hoofbeats."
Taking a deep breath, Katherine closed her eyes in concentration, and suddenly the rust-colored Longhorns shimmered out of sight. When her knees threatened to buckle under her, Caroline managed to get a second wind and catch her friend before she fell.
"Good job, Kitty," she said happily, nervousness bleeding into her voice as the hoofbeats kept getting closer. "Now that the hard part's over, all we need to do is outrun two Originals in a horserace. Easy, right?"
Katherine coughed, grinning. She let Caroline help her back onto her cracked leather saddle, taking care not to graze her horse's hide with a spur.
Caroline moved away when she saw Katherine grip the saddle horn confidently.
"Let's go, Buttercup."
Caroline quickly hooked her boot into the stirrup of her mount, easily settling into the saddle and gripping the reins. As Katherine took off in a powerful gallop, Caroline looked over her shoulder to see Klaus and Rebekah cresting the top of the hill. The self-satisfied smirk on his criminally attractive face irritated her to no end.
She flashed him a mischievous smile that caused his brow to furrow in confusion. She quickly turned around in her saddle, leaned forward and commanded her horse to run with a practiced gesture. Let these Originals see what a Quarter Horse can do.
From the shouts of surprise that echoed through the valley, it was evident that she and Katherine had startled them with their quick getaway.
Chuckling to herself, she pushed her mount harder, wanting to put a safe distance between her and the Originals. The magnificent chestnut barely broke a sweat as it tore through the valley, kicking up dust from the dry prairie landscape. She easily maneuvered it through a small canyon opening, hidden by a clump of juniper trees. She inhaled the warm, sweet scent and immediately felt at peace. She made a mental note to stop back by to collect more branches for tea. It would help them heal faster after those pesky teleportation spells.
She sighed in aggravation. How could they have missed the fact that the newest cattle barons were the Originals? Talk about embarrassing. Miss Sheila would have some choice words for them once they returned from the auction. They normally scouted out marks better than that, but the rumors of the high-quality herd had been too hard to resist. Plus, it had been a long time since they'd tangled with vampires; they'd assumed the nearest nest was in Lubbock County.
Caroline breathed a sigh of relief when the familiar abandoned stone church came into view. It had functioned as their hideout when they were pulling a job, and had served as their sanctuary when they needed an escape. To the untrained eye, it appeared to be missing a roof and was overgrown with honeysuckle and creeper vines. However, they had transformed the inside into a sturdy, almost cozy hideaway with a fire pit and two featherbeds with pillows. She put her chestnut in the makeshift shed they'd built and added more grain to the trough for both horses. Glancing at the cattle pen to make sure the protection spell was in place around their newly acquired herd, she headed inside the church to join Katherine for some much-needed rest before their early start tomorrow.
Two days later, they arrived at the cattle auction. After driving their herd into the pens, they found the yard manager, who recognized them as frequent sellers, and pulled their wooden sign bearing the Forbes' name and brand.
Their sign was added to the growing stack of sellers and the girls looked at each other in silent communication before nodding once and heading off in opposite directions. Katherine followed the yard manager, touching his wrist with her delicate fingers and allowing her long brunette curls to brush against his shoulder just so. As he looked into her warm brown eyes with a shy smile, he barely noticed that she appeared to be mumbling something under her breath.
Caroline smiled as she looked away from her friend. It always was such a pleasure to watch Katherine work. She made her way toward the clerk's station, putting on her best smile. Her boots echoed on the wooden plank floor and the clerk seemed flustered as he greeted her. She clutched in her sweaty palm the tiny burlap bag of braided thistle coated in sumac boiled over a sage-smoke fire. As she spoke with the clueless man, she only was forced to squeeze the charm bag twice to get her way. A much more relaxed smile graced her lovely face as she headed toward the corrals to watch the auction begin.
A trouser leg hooked over the corrals, pulling with it a smug hybrid who settled down beside her. Caroline tensed for a moment as she scanned the crowd looking for Katherine to signal her to the potential threat that had appeared. From their vantage point at the top of the corrals, they could survey the entire yard. Ignoring the smoldering Original beside her, her blue eyes frantically searched until they finally landed on her friend, who seemed perfectly at ease standing suspiciously close to a dark-haired man that was most likely Elijah. The lines of her body were relaxed and she was batting her eyelashes up at him in her signature flirtatious manner, so Caroline breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Katherine would signal her if things got out of hand.
"You care for her," Klaus commented beside her. "Your eyes were frightened at first when you realized my brother and I were here, but you calmed after you read your friend's body language. You've known her a long time."
"All our lives," Caroline admitted, squinting at him in the bright sun. He had forgone the hat today, and his dirty blonde locks curled at the ends with just a hint of sweat in the Texas heat.
Trying to figure out his angle, she allowed a bit of truth to color her speech. "We grew up on neighboring cattle ranches until we were twelve."
He raised an eyebrow, surprised by her willingness to speak to him without her signature animosity. "What changed?"
"Comanche raid. Our families died and a neighbor took us in. She cared for us and taught us everything she could."
Caroline winced inwardly as she realized her matter-of-fact tone dipped into something more fragile and raw when she spoke of Miss Sheila's kindness.
Klaus' gray eyes held a hint of unexpected softness as he replied, "She taught you both witchcraft. She must be the one you spoke of when you told me that there was someone who needed the money more than I."
She scowled, angry at herself for revealing so much to him, but his surprisingly gentle tone and the understanding she spotted in his intense gaze somehow made her feel safe to let down her guard.
"It takes a lot of money to keep a homestead going. The drought's plagued us for too many years for her farm to turn a profit. So we found another way to help her survive."
Before she could ask Klaus whether he intended to try to take back his property from them, she noticed that the auction had begun. She proudly watched as the wooden sign bearing the Forbes name and branding mark was displayed and the bidders were gathered around the pen that contained their Longhorns.
Well, technically the Originals' Longhorns.
Klaus leaned toward her and whispered in her ear conspiratorially, "Forgive me if I'm mistaken, sweetheart, but weren't you and your friend the last sellers to arrive? Curious how your lot would be featured first," he drawled in his delicious accent.
Caroline laughed. "It's almost as peculiar as how the 4% commission will be mysteriously waived. Magic has its benefits, Dimples."
"Ah yes, your magic. Tell me love, why did you waste time altering our brand with your magic during your raid last night? It would have been more prudent for you to safely abscond with my property and use your glamour spell later." His gray eyes twinkled merrily as he added: "Of course, it did allow me to encounter an unexpectedly lovely cattle rustler."
She shrugged her shoulders casually. "If you alter the brand on their property and get caught, sometimes you can convince the owner that the cattle escaped from your ranch and you are just there to collect them. Kitty managed to talk this gullible rancher, Matt, into helping her round up 'our' lost cattle. He even offered to help us drive the ones we cherry-picked from his herd back toward our safe house." She tipped him an impish wink. "He was concerned about the safety of two helpless women riding across the dark prairie."
Klaus threw back his head in laughter. "I pity the man that mistakes you and your friend as helpless."
He grew quiet as the auction drew their attention once more, where it appeared that Elijah had made a startlingly high bid on the entire herd in the Forbes' lot.
At her incredulous expression, he smirked and explained, "I instructed my brother to spare no expense buying from the Forbes women since I heard they always seem to have the best cattle."
Caroline didn't know what came over her. One moment she was readying a sarcastic jab at Klaus, and the next she had grabbed him by his damp curls and thrust her tongue into his mouth, kissing him until they were both breathless.
He pulled away from her, panting slightly as he searched her blue eyes, looking for some unknown sign. Whatever her body revealed to him remained a mystery to her, but he seemed pleased with its answer. He looped his arms around her waist and flashed them both off of the top of the corrals. They appeared at the door to the small clerk's station, where the clueless man was temporarily frightened by their sudden presence before Klaus easily compelled him to close up early, the slight edge to his accented voice the only clue to his impatience.
Caroline grabbed Klaus by his shoulders and pushed him into the rocking chair made out of old wooden barrels. She reveled in his heated gaze as she pulled off her boots and flicked open her belt, allowing the '45 in its leather holster to hit the floor with a heavy thud. His breathing became labored as he watched her small fingers tease each button out of its hole until her dust-covered trousers puddled at her feet.
Just as she started toward him with a devilish smile, his husky voice commanded, "With your boots on, love. And don't forget the spurs."
Ivory skin flushing at the erotic images his demand conjured, she faced away from him, slowly bending at the waist to tug back on the worn leather boots. He grumbled under his breath at her teasing display, but his gray eyes darkened with lust as her spurs jangled. Her blue eyes lit up as she tugged her leather belt free from her holster and gun, snapping the thick rawhide between her hands.
"You strike me as the competitive type. I bet you're still angry I beat you in our little horse race. Have you been practicing ever since I got away?"
Klaus nodded slowly, his eyes gleaming. His dark trousers were suddenly several sizes too tight, and Caroline felt her blood boil at the sight of his pent-up desire. Cocking her head to the side, she licked her lips as she wrapped her belt around his wrists, holding them above his head. She grinned as she sank into his welcoming lap.
"Show me how you ride, Dimples."
With one hand, she slid her fingers to the buttons at his trembling crotch, quickly pulling them open to wrap her hand around his straining girth. Pumping him a few times, she relished in the helpless groans he made. She parted her thighs, easily slipping his leaking tip inside her core. She tightened her legs around him, crossing her boots behind the chair.
With a sigh of satisfaction, Klaus leveraged the crude rocking motion of the chair to allow his iron flesh to move deeper than Caroline expected, earning a strangled moan. They moved in perfect harmony as the chair creaked against the wooden planks of the floor. His talented hips swiveled into her with powerful thrusts, making her cry out in pleasure.
He moved his head forward, fangs unsheathed as he dipped a sharpened point into the laces of her white work shirt, easily slicing through the rough cotton ends. As her breasts tumbled free, he licked a wet, sensual stripe across each one, pausing to suck her pink nipples until they were hard, nearly painful little points. As he felt her warm wet core clamp down on his cock, he watched her blue eyes glaze over as her orgasm left her a trembling mess.
Her pulsing center triggered his own finish and he pumped his hips eagerly until he was spent. With a rumble deep in his chest, he used his hybrid strength to easily break the leather belt around his wrists, tossing her legs to his shoulders as he brought her dripping folds to his greedy mouth. Gold flashed in his lusty gaze as he nipped and sucked as though possessed with an unquenchable thirst.
Caroline tightened her legs around Klaus, the sharp metal of her spurs slicing shallow cuts into his shoulders, causing blood to well sluggishly and stain his woolen shirt. The scent of his blood and the sweet sounds of her breathy moans caused another wave of ecstasy to overtake him, and he came with a grunt, liberally marking her back.
With a lazy grin, she watched the hybrid move helplessly beneath her, and she eased her bare legs from his shoulders, spreading them wide as she resettled on his soaked lap. Swiping a palm across her lower back, she brought her sticky fingertips to her tongue.
After a few delicate licks, she observed his hooded gaze and said, "Now, let me show you how I ride, Dimples."