This is going to have some spoilers people for book seven of the series. It's my opinion of what I could see happening in order to fix what happened at the end of Shadow Souls.
Chest heaving with unneeded air the young vampire whined as he tried to crawl on his belly away from his assailer.
It wasn't fair, he thought, tears streaming salt across his lips. He had been hanging about in the forest, waiting for a human girl to come sauntering in like some proud beautician when the unthinkable happened. The moon was shining and his blood was singing with energy until some human came and practically snapped his arm in two.
A human!
Teeth clenched, his fangs were simply aching to bury themselves in a luscious throats, the vampire cried out when a black boot pressed down hard on his hand; shattering the bones.
"Damn, you're a whiny little brat aren't you." The human clicked his tongue and applied a bit more pressure on the hand before picking up his foot. "Normally I'd be asking how a weakling like you could have survived for what? Fifty years?"
The blue eyed vamp on the ground shuddered, face in the dirt. Definately not the meal he had been expecting to be dining on, his subconcious said silently. "Twenty five, actually."
The man chortled. "No wonder you're so weak, you're just a fledgling. Not that, that gives you an excuse to be so pathetic." Luke's brows furrowed at the insult but instincts were telling him to remain silent. That just because the assaultant was human and labeled as technical prey there was something distinctly sinister about him.
The human was the stronger predator, there was no doubt about that. And if he played his cards right he might actually be able to get out of this embarassing situation alive.
Black boots came into view for a minute as the supposed prey sighed. "For once I suppose I should be grateful that the flash of Power drew so much attention. You might not have come and stronger vampires are harder to persuade."
The boots disappeared.
"You have no idea how badly I want to rip you into tiny little shreds right now, rip your intestines out through your throat and tie them up into a pretty little bow."
Heart pounding soundlessly in a dead chest Luke remained down, fear rising at the disturbing image running through his mind.
"You're lucky that I want your help."
"Help?" Luke whispered before turning into an angry snarl. "Help you? Why the fuck should I help you with anything you sadistic bastard?" He gave a sudden pig like squeal when the human grabbed him by the shoulders and flipped him over. Pain flashed the vampire's eyes in blinding white and he only just heard what the man said.
"Because you'll get a meal out of it."
Once his vision returned Luke gasped at the sight of the male. Even though he considered himself to be a purely heterosexual being, preferring soft skin to hard muscle, the young leech couldn't help but compare this man to every beautiful thing he'd ever encountered.
Silky black hair, slightly flushed skin. Black leather coat and black Armani jeans with liquid black eyes. Feminine eyelashes and a positively gorgeous mouth...
The man crouched over the vampire to sit on his chest, hands wrung tight around the collar of Luke's red polo. "I need you to turn me. Bite me, feed off my blood and give me yours in return." Twisting his head to the side he bore his throat, cartaroid artery pulsing thick under the thin layer of flesh. "And don't try and think you can weedle your way out of feeding me your blood or taking too much of mine, I know the exact amount needed."
Ignoring the pain Luke forced himself to sit up...only to be shoved back down with a boot on his throat. Trying to speak around the restrictions his words came out choked. "Why...why me? Why a vampire?"
Black eyes narrowed and Luke feared the boot would push with enough force to crush his wind pipe. But no pressure was applied. "Because I'm not meant to be human and the vampires I accompany refuse my request." The human reached behind him and blue eyes widened like a frightened colts when a lethally whittled stake was produced. "You'll do as you're told or I'll shove this up your ass."
Leaning closer the human pressed his neck to the vampire's mouth, and with the scent of fresh blood so close he immediately clamped down.
Fuck, the human's blod was phenominal! It was so thick and smooth, and after what seemed like a short second the tip of the stake brushed up against the seat of his pants; a warning to let go. Reluctantly releasing his hold he cleansed his lips as the human ran a hand over the still bleeding marks.
The healthy flush of his skin didn't look all that healthy anymore, instead it was a sickly pale and for the first time Luke saw the gleam of madness stretched in those endless dark orbs.
Making a thin fist the human drew a knife out of his boots and opened the polo. Blue eyes went round as befuddled excitement coursed through his veins and his eyes tracked the movement of the kinfe as it cut open a small cut on his pectoral.
Shit, it's been a while since someone had drawn blood from him, it felt good, especially whenever the human had to worry the edges with blunt teeth to keep it open and bleeding.
Again, all too soon the moment ended and the human drew away, black eyes alight and blood on his lips. "Well, you've served my purpose."
Before Luke could protest or make a sound the stake was flipped in the air and driven home.
The light of the full moon was a bright beacon as it kept the dog in plain sight of human and vampire alike. The large hell hound was creeping silently as it tracked through the forest of Fell's Church, nose down on the dirt as he picked up the scent of the one he was tracking.
Sage was silent as he listened to the night air, powerful senses going close to overdrive as the French vampire looked for the same being his four legged friend was attempting to sniff out. Talon was already in the air, circling the town for any clues from a bird's view and his mouth tightened in worry.
His petit tyran was missing.
The humans and Stefan were just as worried as he was, though the male Matt and the younger Salvatore brother tried not to show it, instead claiming that the black haired once vampire-turned human was only playing hide and seek in order to get attention. The women were tight lipped, except for the young witch whom had actually started to cry due to stress and fear.
Fear that something had happened to their Damon Salvatore.
Yes, the man could take care of himself. Yes the man was stronger than the average human thanks to the vampiric muscle that had been nourished for five hundred years.
But Sage knew better than anyone else in this group just how close to the border line of insanity Damon really was. As a vampire Damon played the ruthless killer, nothing could touch him body or soul. As a human he still played the part, however the insecurity came with an extra ten pounds of hostility. As the week carried on Sage had watched as Damon slowly tore himself apart, despising the human emotions and the human senses and the human he had become. He had even asked Sage to turn him once again and when the Frenchman had refused, claiming that he was better off as he was, Damon had done the unimaginable and turned to Stefan; only to be pounded into the dirt and told that he had better appreciate the gift he had 'selfishly' stolen from him.
As a vampire Damon had constantly gotten into fights to make himself feel free of all worries, and as a human it certainly hadn't changed. In fact it had only gotten worse. Constantly getting into bar fights with the locals and screaming into the heavens at Shinichi, trying to goad the kitsune into revealing himself for a good brawl.
Whenever that happened they all made sure it was quickly stopped. Strong as he was Damon stood no chance of winning let alone surviving against the fox demon and his sister.
So the fact that it had been two days since Damon had last been seen was drawing tension very high on the small group of fighters.
His attention was drawn from his thoughts when Saber paused midstep and growled low in his throat. The humans frowned as they observed just what it was that the dog was circling.
Kneeling Meredith picked up a red polo between two fingers with a skeptical gaze. She looked from the shirt, to the pants to the shoes and finally to the pile of dust that drifted gently in the wind. Matt twirled the blood colored stake in his hands, testing its weight.
"I wonder who this used to be," Bonnie muttered, fingers curled around Elena's jacket sleeve.
Stefan took the stake from Matt, sniffed it and turned it down for Saber to inspect. "I don't know who the vampire was but...the stake has Damon's scent on it."
Frowning Elena looked between the two vampires. "But why would Damon kill a vampire? I mean I know he's been fighting with people but isn't it a bit extreme to go out and find a vampire to have a brawl with?"
Sage continued on after Saber continued his trek. "Not if he did what I believe he did. Mon stupide ange."
Forest green eyes glanced in his direction and Stefan had the feeling he and the elder vampire were thinking the same thing.
The theory only seemed to grow stronger as Saber found the next clue.
Blood soaked the ground at the base of the tree and a small switch blade shone a dull brown in the moonlight. It rested just outside the outline of a man made in the leaves and dirt.
The girls were putting two and two together, Bonnie shaking her head and mumbling 'no' over and over. Meredith's expression remained neutral where Elena leaned into her significant other's shoulder. Clenching his fist around the stake Matt's gaze hardened.
The went on for another twenty minutes, following the dog and listening to the whispers of the moon and the mutters of the forest when they ran onto the next body.
This time it was an actual body, clothes hugging the muscled form of a bloodless vampire. The dead vamp's eyes were wide open, mouth gaping in pain and a gaping hole was seared into the side of his neck, a testimony that something starving had tred upon him.
Two feet up ahead, another vampire. Broken arm, broken neck. Drained of every last bit of blood.
Five feet ahead. Two dead vampires. The bite wounds cleaner than the others, less animalistic but harsher battle wounds. Torn scalp, twisted leg and a cut off arm.
Ten feet. Three vampires. Once more drained but with no other wounds and no messy bites.
"Where are all these vampires coming from?" Bonnie mumbled her face green at the sight of all this death.
"Do you have to ask Bonnie?" Meredith stated, shoulders squared, seemingly unharmed by the corpses. "Remeber how Elena's revival had that blast of Power, it drew hundreds of supernaturals here."
The redhead's mouth was in a small circle as they walked further along. "Oh."
Twelve feet. One vampire. One werewolf.
Twenty feet. Three vampires. Four werewolves.
Five feet. Five vampires with wounds looking as if they belonged to a wolf's fanged maw and a birds sharp claws.
Two feet. A large clearing, the same one where they fought Klaus and regained Elena.
It wasn't as empty as it was when they left it they all noted. There were dead bodies everywhere, vampire and werewolf alike. At least twenty of them.
And in the circle of them all, sitting in the same spot in which Elena had come to in a flash of lightning was a black clad young man with silky straight black hair.
"Damon..." Elena started to speak her eyes distorted with anquish, "What have you do-"
She was interuppted by the very one they had been searching for. "Shinichi is strong. Stronger than anyone here, at least on their own. I wasn't much use as a human. What could I do besides sit and yell at him and wait for either death or another Malach?"
The others remained silent, Matt being the only one who jumped when Talon came swooping down from the air to land on Sage's shoulder.
The silence was broken when Meredith ground out, "There were still things you could've done. In case you hadn't noticed most of us here are humans and we handle things pretty well." Damon refused to turn and Stefan had to turn away from the sight, his insides burning in agony. "You didn't have to kill so many people."
A chuckle. And then a laugh. And than so much cackling that even Meredith had to take a couple steps back from. "I didn't. I didn't kill people." In a swift move Damon was on his feet and facing them, blood soaking his face from the mouth down, black eyes wild with insanity. "You all make it pretty damn clear that vampires and werewolves aren't people, aren't nearly important as humans and for some...odd and absolutely confounding reason I couldn't find it in myself to kill humans because it would make you all upset...But I knew that if I killed a few non humans it wouldn't really matter to you guys." The vampire shrugged, mouth curved in his dangerous cobra grin. "Besides, by drinking their blood I managed to get all my strength back in a matter of a few days."
"Damon..." Bonnie couldn't seem to finish her statement, instead she took a few steps back in retreat, tears streaming down her face.
Elena finished it for her. "Why did you do this Damon? This isn't you. You don't kill like this anymore!"
The male somehow managed to snarl wolfishly while still grinning that dastardly leer. "This isn't me? Being a vampire isn't me? Killing isn't me? If its not me than what is Elena?" A dark flash of something flickered in his eyes when she flinched. "This is exactly who I am. I'm not a human, I can't be a human, Stefan plays the part better. And I didn't kill all these guys recklessly, I killed them so that I could get strong enough to take on Shinichi." Finally the grin disappeared only to be replaced with a grimace and furrowed brows. "Fighting is all I'm good for and I couldn't do shit of that when I was a weak mortal!"
Sage shook his head. "What's happened to you mon tyran? This isn't the companion I remember having."
Facial muscles twitched and Damon shook his head, the cobra smile returning. Suddenly they weren't faced with the frightening imposter but the old Damon, the shell. The mask. "I don't know what you're talking about old friend. But if you don't mind me, I have a fox to go hunt."
And with a blur of motion and blackness they all watched as a black crow flew up and out of the woods.