I was sat in the Salvatore house listening to Stefan's latest reports on the town. He and his brother Damon were vampires but they weren't the only supernatural creatures that lived in Mystic Falls. There was a pack of were wolves that frequented the town on their trips, causing death and destruction as they went. Thankfully there were only a few permanent ones living in the town.
Stefan and Damon had taken it upon themselves to clean up the mess left behind by these beasts, it was often hard work but it meant that they could keep their identities hidden to the residents. Dead bodies lying around would only arouse suspicion. Stefan was telling me how there was only one dead body left in the past week which was good news. He had hardly stopped as Damon had decided that he wasn't going to help anymore.
After I had chosen Stefan over Damon he had been slightly more wild than usual. He had always been a dark character but it seemed that the recent events had sent him to the edge. Stefan had done all he could to help his brother but to no avail. He was too far gone.
I had yet to give up hope though. I knew that I had made the right decision in picking Stefan but my heart still ached to see Damon at such a low point in life. I wanted to help him but I wasn't sure how. On cue I heard the door bang shut as Damon entered.
Stefan fell into an immediate silence and switched his gaze from me to his brother, watching warily. Damon didn't enter the room but leant in the door way instead, a sardonic smile on his face.
I looked him up and down, checking for any signs that he had been feeding. It wasn't hard to tell when his shirt was spattered with blood. I supressed a shiver at the manic look in his eyes and tried to focus on something else instead.
Stefan picked up his phone as it began to buzz, his eyes never leaving Damon's. He listened in silence to whoever was speaking. 'I'm on my way' he said, standing up before shoving his phone back in his pocket.
I shot him a pleading look, he couldn't leave me with Damon the mood he was in. Stefan got the hint and turned to Damon. 'We've got a dead body just south of here' he told his brother 'you can come and help.'
'I thought I should stay and look after Elena' he said silkily, his eyes flicking lazily up and down my body.
'No, you are coming to help and that's the end of that' Stefan said, in a tone that allowed no argument. Damon glowered at him darkly and I held my breath thinking he was going to attack. For an instant his eyes flickered bright red but a second later it was gone and a smile formed on his lips.
'Lead the way brother' he said compliantly, gesturing towards the door. Stefan didn't need telling twice and walked out of the house. Damon turned and gave me a wink that sent chills down my spine before he followed Stefan out. I let out the shaky breath that I had been holding as a knot of fear formed in my stomach. I had seen the look in his eyes and wondered what he was up to. Whatever it was it couldn't be good.
I sat in the empty house wondering what to do until Stefan returned, hopefully without Damon in tow. I had already told Aunt Jenna that I was spending the night at Stefan's so there was no point going home. I got my phone out and scrolled through my notifications. I plugged in my headphones and closed my eyes to try and relax. The tension I was feeling slowly dissappeared until I felt slightly calmer.
I almost had a heart attack when I opened my eyes to see a dark figure silhouetted against the bright, roaring fire. 'Damon, you terrified me' I gasped, trying to slow my racing pulse. I took out my earphones and stood up slowly, sensing something was wrong. Damon stood like a statue, watching me with hungry eyes.
'Where's Stefan?' I asked casually, they had only been gone about 20 minutes and even I knew that it took longer than that to dispose of a dead body. 'He told me to come back and check on you. He said that he could handle everything.' He replied, his mouth barely moving.
He was lying.
Stefan would never send Damon back. I nodded my head at him as I tried to hide my panic. What had happened? He was still watching me with chilling intensity.
'I'd best go home' I said, slowly edging towards the door.
'You told your Aunt that you were sleeping over here tonight.' he replied. I knew I had to act normal or he would know that something was up.
'I just texted her saying that I would be home. I didn't know how long you and Stefan were going to be so there was no point in staying.' I lied swiftly, praying that it was believable.
He cocked his head to the side and clicked his tongue at me. 'You're lying. Don't you want to spend time with me?' he asked. I swore silently to myself. I had to be careful now. Damon was unpredictable and you never knew what he was going to do.
'Of course but I'm really tired. I'll just go home' I said turning to leave. Before I could take a step Damon was in front of me blocking my exit.
I froze. Damon placed a hand on my cheek, his gaze softening. 'I always loved you Elena. Since the first moment I laid eyes on you.' His fingers trailed lightly down my face before he clenched his hand into a fist.
'Stefan ruins everything. He stole you away from me' he muttered angrily, his gaze hardening once again. I was never yours, I almost blurted out before stopping myself. A wrong word could put me in serious danger.
'Why did you have to choose him?' Damon asked mournfully. I knew that if I wanted to get out of this alive I would have to play along.
'I made a mistake. I was denying my feelings for you but it's you I love' I said, knowing that was what he wanted to hear. He watched me carefully, looking for any sign that I was lying. After a few terrifying seconds a twisted grin formed on his face.
'I knew it' he whispered gleefully 'Stefan was never good enough for you'. I kept my face rigid, not wanting to give away my real feelings.
'Where is Stefan anyway?' I asked casually, I had to know what had happened. Damon's eyes narrowed suspiciously at me.
'Why? You do love me don't you?' he asked quickly.
I made soothing noises and rubbed his arm comfortingly. 'Of course I love you, didn't I already tell you that?' I replied lightly, my heart thrumming in my chest. I didn't know how much longer I could keep this up for.
Damon relaxed and his eyes filled with relief. 'I just don't want him interrupting us' I told him carefully. Damon turned his back to me and poured himself a whisky from the stand. 'You don't have to worry about that' he said, taking a gulp of his drink. 'I snapped his neck and chained him up. I also took away his sunlight ring.' He smiled smugly, pleased with his actions. 'I dosed him with vervain so he's not going anywhere soon.'
'Good' I said, plastering a smile on my face but inside I was breaking down. The sun would come up in in just over 8 hours and Stefan would be burned alive without his ring to protect him.
'Can I have a drink' I asked, gesturing to the whiskey bottle. As Damon turned to pour me a glass I pulled the stake silently out of the hidden pocket in my coat. Stefan had given it to me in case of emergencies. Right now I was very glad he had.
Before Damon could turn back around, I stabbed the stake as hard as I could into his back, hoping that he couldn't reach behind him and pull it out. Damon let out a low cry as the stake drove into him. He fell to his knees as I stumbled away from him.
'Elena…' he growled, his voice filled with pain. I didn't stay long enough to listen to what he had to say but barrelled towards the door and out of the house.
In the darkness I ran blindly, running where my feet carried me. I prayed that Damon wouldn't come after me, maybe the stake had done the job. My hopes were dashed when I heard him calling for me.
I let out a sob as I continued to race through the night. Damon was going to be very angry with me. I couldn't let him catch up with me. I soon found myself on the border of the forest. I stopped, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I really didn't want to go in there but it seemed I had no choice.
'Elena, where are you?' he called in a pleasant voice, trying to lure me in. I wasn't fooled and began running again, maybe I would lose him in the woods.
Branches whipped at my face as I ran headlong past the looming trees. When I could run no longer I stopped and stood as silently as I could behind a tree, listening for any sign of Damon.
After a few moments I heard nothing and let out a shaky sigh. I froze when I saw a pair of bright yellow eyes watching me. Those were not Damon's eyes. We both stood for a moment, neither moving, just watching.
It must be one of the werewolves, I thought. It won't attack me… will it? The wolf let out a menacing snarl and in that moment I knew that this wasn't going to end well. In a last ditch attempt to get away I ran back the way I had come, dodging in and out of the tree's. I was no match for a wolf though.
I had hardly taken a few steps when I the wolf pounced, landing heavily on my back and driving me to the ground. A whoosh of air escaped my lips as I was crushed beneath the wolf's weight. I screamed as it shoved its head against me, forcing me onto my back. It's claws dug deep into my skin, causing me to groan in pain.
I stared up into the eyes of the hungry wolf as tears slid down my face. 'Please…please..' I whispered desperately. The wolf paid no attention to my pleas but let out a blood curdling howl of victory before his jaws closed around my arm. My screams echoed through the forest as the wolf's teeth sliced through skin and bone.
The wolf pulled himself back, blood dripping from his mouth, shining eyes reflecting the moonlight. My vision blurred as the pain ripped through my body, I felt weak and helpless. The wolf licked his lips savagely before lunging for my throat.
He let out a whine as he was thrown away from me, his teeth still managing to graze my throat. The wolf fought viciously but it was no match for Damon who was strong from his numerous feeds. I saw them fighting as if in a dream except the pain in body was very real.
The wolf eventually fled but not before Damon had managed to break its leg with a loud snap. Once the wolf had dissappeared into the trees Damon was immediately by my side. I tried to speak but all I managed was a gurgle as blood filled my mouth.
Damon stroked my head soothingly and assessed the damage. My left arm was mangled, my body ripped from the wolf's claws and my throat was a bloody mess. He looked at me sadly. 'You're so weak as a human' he told me 'but I can change that.' I was losing blood fast and my head felt light.
His words at first didn't register in my scrambled brain until he raised his arm and bit into his wrist. I shook my head feebly at him. Let me die I thought, I don't want this. Damon ignored my refusal and pulled me into his arms.
He stroked my hair as I cried in pain. He pressed his wrist against my mouth and I had no strength left to fight him. I could only stare up as the blood flowed down my throat. Once his wrist had healed he stroked my face tenderly.
The blood did nothing to help the pain of my wounds, I was to seriously injured for that. Even vampire blood had limitations. The world around me began to fade and Damon's face began to blur in front of me.
'I love you Elena and we will be together forever' he promised solemnly before he snapped my neck in one swift movement.
In the darkness Damon pulled my lifeless body closer to him and rested his head on my mine. 'Forever' he said softly, cradling me in his arms like a child as the moon shone brightly in the sky.