Sequel to Of the Wing... again. Tweeked a few things, but not much. I don't even know if this chapter was changed at all, but I'm reloading everything just in case. This story has officially restarted... again. I got stuck at the beginning of the third chapter and then got distracted by something shiney *cough* Jack Sparrow *cough* coming soon *cough* maybe *cough*...*cough* yes, I am dieing. Because no one offered me a cough drop. Also, because of the depressingly absent reader cooperation with the side notes, I'm giving up, but am very sad because of it. I don't get the feeling that this story will be very long; maybe 20,000 words. 'Course, I didn't think Of the Wing would reach 40,000 so you never know. Anyways, enjoy. I own only Athena! But if you want to play with her, that's okay, just let me know!

Hounds of Hell

Come What May

The sun shone brilliantly on the meadow, bathing the Earth in a blanket of warmth and comfort. A gentle breeze played among the tall grass; mimicking a joyous game of hide and seek. With a smile, I fancied children lurked in the reeds, hunting and fleeing each other; trying to quiet the excited giggles that lit their innocent faces. From my soft resting spot atop the hill, I watched this imaginary game of chase.

Thea. He didn't say it aloud. Silently, he called me. Because the silence was too perfect; too peaceful to disturb. The way he called my name, the pure tenderness that caressed that one word made my heart flutter. A silly grin pulled at my lips as I turned to see him.

The warmth suddenly turned to ice. The breeze to violent gales. A silent scream tore from my throat as I launched myself at him. But I couldn't reach him. The darkness snaked up his neck. And I couldn't reach him. I tried to shout his name, but I could hear nothing over the howling of the wind. I could only watch in horror as his skin singed and burned and turned to ash. Still, he smiled. He looked at me with those perfect ice blue eyes and he smiled. The smile he showed only me; the one that illustrated just how much I had come to love him; the one that set butterflies on a rampage in my stomach. That was the way he smiled as his skin turned black.

Desperately, I ran to him, utilizing every ounce of strength my muscles possessed; flapping hard against the angry gusts of wing; clawing at the earth; anything. But he just smiled. With a frantic kick, I flung myself at him. But my arms tightened around nothing as the ash danced away in the wind.

Gasping, I shot up; skin slick with sweat; heart pounding.

"Thea?" A groggy mumble. Another surge of adrenaline bombarded my veins as I spun towards him. Without a word, my hands flung to his chest, his stomach; searching madly for any signs of injury. "What's wrong?" he groaned, pushing himself onto his elbows. I brushed the soft strands of ebony from his face and searched for the slightest bit of darkness. He cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Satisfied?" He asked; the word hindered by how I held his jaw. With a sigh, I pressed my forehead against his chest, trying vainly to force the nightmare from my mind; how he merely blew away from me. He embraced me and laid back down, pulling me on top of him.

"If you'd stop getting yourself staked, maybe I wouldn't have dreams like that." I said into his shirt, almost managing to feign annoyance.

"Oh really?" he chuckled. "So it's all my fault? Even though, correct me if I'm wrong, the first time I was saving you, the second time I was saving you, and the third time… yes, I do believe I was saving you, and your own mother who staked me." I puffed out my lips and glared at him, only meeting his eyes for a second before again hiding my face against his chest.

"You cannot escape!" I couldn't help but giggle as he lazily rolled my under him, smothering me with kisses. "Besides," he added nonchalantly, "that wasn't a stake-death. That was a death-by-sunlight-… death." He hesitated a moment to contemplate the makeshift terminology, before adding, "Which is impossible with this." He wiggled the big ring on his finger. I glanced coyly at him before snapping at the blue stone embellished with his family crest. "Hey! No biting." He laughed, pulling his hand away. Forcing him beneath me, I caught my tongue between my teeth as I smiled at him.

"No biting?" I asked deviously, easing my hands up his lean torso as I leaned over him, letting my cheek just trail over his chest. "Not even a little?" I brushed my lips over his collar bone and up his neck. His sharp inhale set fire to my body. With a giggle, I jumped from the bed with a hard flap and raced for the window. Just before I reached it, he trapped me against him, earning a small squeal from me.

"Teasing is evil." He growled. Laughing, I squirmed around to face him, looping my arms around his neck.

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" I asked; every fiber of my being demanding the touch of those lips.

"I think you need to be punished." He said darkly, tangling his hand in my hair, hovering mere inches away.

"Are you going to punish me? Have I been bad?" I breathed, running my fingers through that black velvet that so loved to tickle my skin. Before he could reply, I wrenched his head back and delicately brushed my tongue over his sweet neck. And I relished in how every muscle in his body tensed, but a sharp yank of his hair prevented him from retaliating. With a devilish smirk, I nipped the soft skin. A groan rippled through his chest and his jaw clenched. With the very tip of my tongue, I traced the tiny bite before pulling back and meeting his hungry gaze.

A series of loud knocks echoed through his room. He hesitated a moment to glare at the door before returning his attention to me. Just before he could begin to extract the revenge I so longed for, the knocks continued. With a scowl, he again looked toward the door, a grunt of annoyance sounding in his throat.

"What?" he snapped, making no attempt to hide his impatience.

"Damon, we need to talk." Stephen called.

"Damn right we do." He mumbled, again looking back to me. I bit my lip and smirked. "Well, it can wait… an hour," I trailed my fingertips down his neck, earning another strangled gasp as he snatched my hands hand locked them behind my back. "Or two." He added. I touched my lower lip to his briefly.

"It's important." Stephen replied seriously. Damon screwed up his face contemplating the horrible things he suddenly wanted to do to his brother, but forced himself to release me. With a giggle, I caught his wrist and quickly shook his hair until it was in a state of perfect upheaval.

"Hey, what," he started before chuckling at my plan. Grinning madly, I ruffled my feathers, snatched a few loose ones, and planted them amidst the black satin. He playfully pushed me away as he made his way across the room. I managed to get just one more in before his hand grasped the knob. Still smirking, he cracked the door and peered out at his brother. A bit of down innocently floated between them, and he couldn't quite choke back the laughter.

"What," he chortled, "What grand news do you have for us?" I couldn't see the serious look on Stephen's face, but, at that moment it probably would have only fueled my humor. Until, of course, he answered Damon's question.

"She's awake." And the humor was gone. Like a switch had been flicked. And the light bulb smashed with a sledgehammer, the socket drowned in cement, and burn the entire house burned down, just for good measure. "She's asking for you." Burry the ashes deep underground. "Both of you." And desolate whatever was unfortunate enough to grow there. The fire. I couldn't free my mind of it. How it burned through our bodies.

Thea. My attention darted back to Damon. I swallowed hard, but met his eyes. Without saying a word, he looked back to Stephen and gave him a sharp nod before closing the door. Well, that certainly killed the mood. Damon chuckled. My body automatically moved into his awaiting arms. While I had no reservations about Bonnie as a person, what she was terrified me. I knew nothing of witches and what they were capable of other than the brief period between a shy greeting and an agonizing ending. Doesn't get much better. Damon commented, mostly jokingly. It was the part that wasn't joking that scared me.

Within twenty minutes, we were walking through the front door. The sun was dancing just above the horizon. I eased my wings through the slits and readied to take off. Something beeped loudly, earning a small start from me. Damon stifled a laugh as he jingled something in his hands. I started at the metal sticks uncertainly.

"What's that?" I finally asked. He bit his lips together, but his eyes hid nothing.

"Really?" I glared at him. He nodded and averted his gaze momentarily. "They're keys." He finally explained. "To a car." He added. Excitement surged through me. A car? I was actually going to ride in a car? He chuckled as he led to another part of the manor.

"If you're good, I might even teach you to drive." He mocked, opening a door for me.

"What if I want to be bad?" I teased as I passed him. A flurry of images passed through his mind that left me blushing. He clenched his jaw to ward off the thoughts as he led me to a large vehicle and opened the door. I climbed onto the cushioned seat and studied the levers and buttons and vents.

"Seat belt." He pointed to a strap behind the seat. "Not going to need one with me driving, but if someone else it driving you, use it." I nodded impatiently; eager to go; not to get to the hospital, but to actually experience a car ride. Again, he laughed softly. I was too excited to pout or glare.

I watched in utter fascination as he sat behind the big wheel and pushed the key into the small slit. He turned it, and something suddenly roared around me. Instantly, my heart began to race as terror flooded my veins and my wings flared. I waited for it to stop, but it seemed only to get louder. I tried vainly to push myself away from the raging thing, but there was no refuge.

Finally, Damon released the laugh that had been seething with him. Unsure, I glanced at him before returning my attention to the angry thing.

"It's just the engine." He assured me, eyes glowing. I met his gaze hesitantly, gripping the door tightly. He retrieved something from a pocket on the roof, pressed a button, and the entire garage door rolled up. I watched in awe as it collected at the ceiling. And we moved. I startled violently and pressed myself against the seat. Something warm touched my hand. I couldn't help but jump. Damon was obviously exerting a ridiculous amount of effort to not laugh at me again. I gave another quick, uncertain glance toward the engine before sending him a lethal glare. He bit his lips and pouted. I couldn't get the image of a lost puppy from my mind as he pulled away from the house.

As we drove, he explained a few remedial things about cars, but I found I couldn't concentrate on what he was saying as the forest flew by us. It wasn't natural. Something about it was just wrong. Trapped in a metal cage as it sped over the street. It set my hair on end and made my heart race.

We're here. Instantly, every concern I had about the car vanished. He pulled into the parking lot of a big, cozy looking building nestled in brush and ivy. My wings tensed. There were people in there. If they saw me, if they knew… maybe I could just fly to the roof and talk to Bonnie there. Oh relax; no one's going to find out. Damon dismissed, opening his door. I looked suspiciously at the lever before pulling it. The door instantly popped and swung out. Humor. He was trying not to laugh at me again and blood rushed to my cheeks. Saw the very first car. He remembered watching in mild amazement as it made its way down the street. Now that was a trip. I saw from his memories the car and was astounded at seeing with such clarity the vintage vehicles. I take offense to that. He almost pouted, earning a chuckle from me.

"Come on." He murmured, reaching for my hand. My heart sent a wave of warmth through my chest as I met his icy eyes. The way he smiled at me; instantly the fear dissipated. I simply couldn't be afraid when he looked at me like that.

I love you. I whispered. His smile grew and he wrapped me in his arms. No words passed through his mind; just feelings; emotion so raw it took my breath away. And he kissed me. Just one, single, innocent, earth-shattering kiss and what lay ahead seemed like nothing. With him, I knew I could face anything.