She looked beautiful that night.
Granted, she looked beautiful every night but especially now; now, as she made her way into their home with the Salvatore brothers on each arm. He instantly felt a rush of blood to his face, though he was sure that no one had noticed. He was perhaps the most subdued out of his siblings so no one took particular interest in him anyway. That, however, did have its advantages. Cupping a glass of golden liquid, he brought the rim to his lips before allowing himself another look in the young woman's direction.
Elijah suddenly wondered where she had acquired the magnificent piece of garment she wore. It was absolutely exquisite to say the least. Feeling more blood rush to his cheeks, he started to admire her from the ground up. The dress clung to her bodice in all the right ways, its tope coloured design shimmering with tiny rhinestones. Her hair hung just beneath her collar bone in loose ringlets, and black gloves extended to her elbows, highlighting the femininity of her delicate hands. Elijah saved her face for last, knowing that he was likely going to forget reason as soon as he saw it. Preparing himself, he took another sip of the champagne in his hand and peeked over the glass once more.
There she was. He could smell her from here – the wondrously floral scent that emanated from her skin. It was like roses and citrus mixed together as one. Elijah started with her lips first. They were slightly parted, though she pressed them together only to split them again. He could sense their blood swirling beneath its plump skin, and suddenly, he wondered what they would feel like upon his own.
Ah, Elijah, he thought to himself.
You walk uncharted territory.
Surely he was being stupid. Hadn't he learned his lesson by now? A vampire's greatest weakness is his love; particularly for a mortal. He had messed up with Tatia and again with Katherine, but he would do right by Elena. If anything, she deserved a life away from this. She deserved to live a normal, human life, where the greatest conundrum during her highschool years would be finding a prom dress. If he could give her anything, it should be that. A life away from him.
But, what if she would never accept that? It was quite plausible that she would never be satisfied with a "normal" life; that she was too involved in matters of the supernatural to ever move on beyond it. If that was the case, why shouldn't he befriend her? The Salvatore brothers were too absorbed in their own desires to recognize that their actions affected her. It was a constant push/pull dynamic between the three. With Elijah, Elena would never have to suffer that again! He would make sure she was happy. He would be able to give her the world. Theycould go anywhere… Paris, Rome, England…
"I'm going to talk to her, Damon."
The voice of an angel brought him back to reality. His head, so attuned to that particular voice, swung back around to the woman with the two devils at her sides. Elijah couldn't help but cast one more longing look at her face, bringing himself to gaze into her eyes.
What he saw there worried him. She almost looked… unhappy. Her unusually luminous eyes were clouded with what seemed like preoccupation. Underneath the thick fringe of dark lashes, her chocolate irises nervously darted around the room, as if expecting a confrontation. She didn't seem to notice him staring at her, though when he met the gazes of the brothers on her arms, his own was met with their watchful expressions. Taking the glass away from his mouth, he immediately pushed his way through the crowd. He didn't know what, but something was wrong and he was going to get to the bottom of it.
Elijah spotted Kol and Rebekah lounging by the grand staircase, the pictures of ease with the usual drinks in hand. It had always made him uncomfortable to see how well the two got along. Kol set an atrocious precedence for their little sister as he was probably the most immoral of them all, and Elijah secretly hated the influence that he placed upon Rebekah. Rebekah was hardly composed in general; her eternal hatred and bitterness towards humanity kept hidden by only the thin layer of immortal entitlement that she loved to flaunt around. Kol merely brought about the worst in her. Well, the worst in anyone.
"Lost, brother?"
Elijah nearly growled in response Kol's words, which seemed to drip with contemptible mockery. How arrogant one could be.
"Hello, Kol. Do I seem it?" He allowed himself a polite smile to Rebekah, who returned the gesture with one of her own.
"We were just talking about you." She crossed her arms out of habit, as she always did when feeling particularly threatened.
A smirk lay plastered onto Kol's sculptured face, and he shrugged carelessly, as if to say that his brother's affairs mattered nothing to him.
"Oh? What about?" Elijah neatly folded his hands in front of him, absentmindedly toying with the silver ring on his right hand.
Rebekah tilted her chin up before she spoke. "We just found it interesting how even though this mansion is filled with masses of beautiful women who, I might add, are at your disposal, you seem not to take notice of any… except for one."
Kol's sinister gaze absolutely sparkled with excitement at the turn of the conversation. If there anything Kol loved, it was his love for conflict. As Elijah struggled not to panic he could practically feel the waves of satisfaction rolling off of his thoughtless frame.
He took a moment to compose himself, lifting the corners of his mouth into an apologetic grimace. "I beg your pardon?"
Rebekah hissed under her breath; an indication of impatience. "Do you take me for a fool? From the moment Elena walked in you have noticed little else.
Ah. So he had been watched.
Kol suddenly interrupted the conversation. "She does look rather tasty, though, doesn't she, brother? Her blood is so incredibly tempting... I can almost imagine its flavor."
As Elijah's head snapped in the direction of his younger sibling, Kol abruptly uttered a chuckle, following soon after with a devious wink.
Calm down, Elijah.
Taking less than a moment, he breathed deeply, admiring the scent of the same woman once more. "You really think that to be smart? Do not forget that she is needed alive, Kol. I'd hate to see Klaus upset with you for ending her life, especially one as valuable as hers. I don't think his hybrids would be particularly happy with you either. She is naught but a tool, brother, so leave her be."
Kol's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits while he spoke, and Elijah felt certain that Elena was safe once more… for now. His insides twisted at the thought of calling that radiant being a tool, but it needed to be done. She needed to be safe. Downing the last of his champagne, Elijah raised an eyebrow and felt his mouth widen into a grin, purposely exposing the two rows of his white and menacing teeth.
At once, the orchestra began, interrupting the two. It was the first dance of the night and the air was suddenly illuminated with energy. People scrambled to find partners, Rebekah included. She glared once at Kol and then joined the mass of dancers that formed in the center of the room. Kol took no further notice of his brother beside him, and so Elijah shuffled to another corner of the room, sinking himself into an empty chair beside the buffet tables. Almost everyone was participating in the waltz. He recognized several acquaintances among the crowd. Rebekah seemed to be enjoying her date, whoever it was. He could sense how utterly absorbed he was in her beauty, as everyone else was. Vampires were naturally attractive; it made hunting their prey all the more easier.
He felt the rhythm of the music sink into his skin. It was lovely, taking on a melancholy key that he could have easily been able to imitate on their piano. Elijah found himself relaxing into the depths of the wooden chair he sat in, watching the crowd with a decent level of interest. Crossing one leg over another, he eyed the couples surreptitiously. Elena was on Damon's arm of course; he had expected nothing less. With Stefan's humanity lost it was only logical to conclude that Damon was waiting for his chance to be with her. If Elijah wasn't so sure of his dedication to the young woman, Damon would have already been dead by now.
The dancers switched partners several times over the course of the song, and Elijah noticed with interest that Klaus was with Caroline. In fact, he even recognized her dress; the same one that was remade from the 1800's. In all fairness, she did look beautiful. Of course, the look on her face was a different story but he knew that if Klaus had his way with her she'd be his within a matter of weeks. Elijah almost laughed at the incredibility of the prospect, but the circumstances kept him silent.
Besides, he had more important things to worry about than Klaus' love life.