Hi everyone! Thanks so much for all of the feedback. I am having a blast writing this story, and I hope you guys enjoy reading it. Finally, we have a Bamon interaction!
Enjoy :)
Chapter Four: The Salvatore Witch
Damon looked at the empty bottle bourbon on his desk with a scowl, completely oblivious to the beautiful vampire woman spreading kisses down his neck. They were in the study, waiting for their new witch to arrive.
"You need to relax," Rose chastised, her hands running down the sides of his legs. She straddled his lap, barely clothed. If it had been any other night, Damon would have been more than pleased that his friend was in such a good mood. His little Rosebud had quite the temperament, and although she was also keen to listen to his problems, she wasn't always in the mood to ravish him.
"I am relaxed," said Damon, giving her his signature sideways smirk. Rose dug her hips into him, but Damon didn't even react.
"No, you're a liar," said Rose. She scoffed, annoyed with Damon's lack of interest, and climbed off him. She began to pick up the clothes she had undone in her hurry to find release. "If you don't talk to me I'll send you to Lexi. You know how she loves to help struggling souls."
Damon cringed. Lexi and Rose were, by vampire standards, Salvatores. Rose had been the first to join Damon and Stefan. She had come to them after the whole Katherine debacle with no one else to turn to. Lexi was a newer addition to the family. She had joined only a few years after returning a Ripper-esque Stefan back to London. Stefan swore he owed her his life. Damon found her annoying.
"As much as I love using your ears as my own personal diary, I am perfectly fine at the moment," Damon raised his eyebrows as he looked at the empty glass on the table. "Well, as fine as a man without bourbon can be. In a few minutes my witch will roll up and we'll all be one step closer to pushing off our demise by the Mikaelsons' hands."
At the mention of Mikaelsons, Rose tensed. Elijah Mikaelson had killed her best friend, Trevor, nearly three hundred years ago after he had discovered Trevor was one of the reasons for the doppelganger's escape.
"This witch, do you really think she'll come?" asked Rose. She was just finishing lacing her own corset.
"Enzo seems sure, and I trust Enzo," Damon replied.
He leaned back in his chair, not wanting to reveal the doubt that lingered in his mind. Damon did not know anything about Bonnie Bennet. Lexi had told him about her after she had overheard the girl speaking to none other than the Mikaelson witch. All he knew was that if she was anything like her cousin Emily, her magic would serve them well. He needed it to. There was no time to create a plan B. Stefan had already set their new fate in motion. Damon was just trying to keep his brother's actions from destroying them all.
"I don't like the idea of an outsider coming in," mumbled Rose. She moved towards the window, looking out at the grounds of the estate. It was dark. The sun would be up in only a handful of hours. If they didn't have their witch by then, they were screwed.
"Yes, well, when you can suddenly perform a protection spell strong enough to hold off whatever powers that tiny little witch of Klaus' has, then we can talk about your opinions on getting a new roommate," said Damon, his tone serious despite the natural humor of his diction. He lifted his head towards the window as he heard the sound of hooves clomping on stone. As the sound closer, he listened intently, trying to figure out how many heartbeats were in the carriage He smirked as he realized there were two: one compelled driver and one new witch.
"Looks like Enzo was right," Damon smirked. He got up to open the study door. "Now, if you don't mind excusing yourself, I have lots to discuss with our new roomie."
Bonnie Bennet didn't know what to expect when the carriage driver told her they had arrived at the Salvatore Manor. There were no gargoyles or burning fires from hell or chains dangling from the rafters. The estate looked normal, beautiful even, in a simple way. It was hard to imagine that it was to become Bonnie's new home.
"Miss Bennet, how lovely of you to come," Enzo greeted her the moment she stepped off the carriage. He held out his hand, but Bonnie didn't take it. Enzo smirked. "I see you are as charming as ever."
Bonnie offered him a wry smile. Her heels echoed against the floor as she entered the manor, the walls a mix of dark browns and accented with warm reds. It made her feel like she was in the middle of a fire.
"Built only a few years ago, designed after the Salvatore's original home in Italy. Of course, we have modernized. There are plenty of rooms on the second floor, one of which we have prepared for you. Everything you need will, of course, be provided along with any requests within reason," Enzo said, noticing Bonnie looking around the manor as he led them up the stairs. Bonnie noticed the myriad of servants running around. She knew they must be compelled, but they all looked relatively well off.
She followed Enzo to the third floor where there were more rooms. Bonnie could not begin to imagine what they were for.
"This vampire I'm signing with, which Salvatore brother is he?" Bonnie asked, doing her best to keep up with the vampire despite her dress. She might not have as many layers on as an upper-class, but climbing so many stairs while trying not to trip on her long skirts was nothing short of a challenge.
Enzo raised an eyebrow, looking over his shoulder.
"Oh, so you are familiar with the Salvatore brothers?" Enzo asked. Bonnie nodded.
"I know they say Stefan is the fair one. The rational one with a good soul despite some mistakes in his past, and I know Damon is—"
"—the charming, irresistible, much better-looking one."
A man opened a door for them, wearing the smuggest smirk Bonnie had ever seen. He was tall, with dark hair and brilliant blue eyes. Bonnie's first thought was that he looked handsome. Her second was that he looked like an asshole.
"So this the infamous Bonnie Bennet," the man, who Bonnie could only assume was Damon Salvatore. He sat behind his desk, folding his hands in his lap and resting his feet against the wood. Bonnie's immediate dislike for him grew.
Damon Salvatore was infamous around London for being quite the dandy. A socialite, he threw massive parties where unspeakable sins were whispered to happen. Mortal women awed the Salvatore fortune and dreamt about what it would be like to make the supposedly heartless Salvatore brother fall in love with them. Bonnie had no such fantasies. She knew there was murder behind that cocky grin. She just never imagined she would be close enough to see it for herself.
"Where the contract?" Bonnie asked, wanting to get straight to business.
Damon gestured to a simple piece of parchment laid out on the desk at his feet, a quill dipped in ink prepared by its side.
"There's no rush," said Damon, but after the words left his mouth her shrugged. His feet dropped the floor and he brought his hands to the desk. "Well, that's a lie. We have quite a bit of work to get done, but I figured you would want to read the paper before you signed your life away to it. Call me courteous."
Bonnie gave a small snort of disbelief. Hesitantly, she picked up the parchment and looked over the contract. It was much more generous than she imagined it would be. The Salvatores promised to care for her living relatives and grant her living and board under the stipulation that they owned her magic. Her magic would slowly pay off what she owed the Salvatores for caring for her Grams, plus a small added debt of anything she requested during her time at the manor. Once that debt was paid, she would start making a small earning that could be used to buy herself out of her contract. Bonnie already knew it would take years to get to that point, but she was relieved that the Salvatores had at least given her a way out. She had not done a good job at hiding her desperation, and she was afraid that they would have taken advantage of her. Still, there were a few questions she had before she was willing to sign her name.
"Why do you want a witch?" Bonnie asked, daring to look the vampire in the eyes.
Damon looked a little taken aback by the question but quickly recomposed himself to his façade of uncaring.
"They're all the trend in London. A pretty little witch on my arm at parties, a couple of extravagant spells to entertain the guests. Got to keep up with the latest fashions, otherwise people will star accusing me of being as boring as my brother," Damon said.
If Bonnie believed any of what Damon had said to be true, she would have felt much more hesitant to make the agreement. She could tell the Salvatore was hiding something.
"But why now? The Mikaelsons have had their witch for a year now, and other vampire families followed shortly. You, however, just took an interest."
Damon leaned forward, his eyes looking at her suggestively.
"Ever think we were holding out for a beautiful Bennet?" he asked. Bonnie glared at him.
"Enzo said your interests,.." Bonnie stressed the word just as the vampire had the night before. "…Couldn't wait. I think it is only fair I know what those interests are if I am going to be a part of them."
Damon's smirk fell. He looked at her, not flirtatiously, as he had before bur rather as if he was contemplating how much he really wanted to tell her. After a few more seconds, Damon let out a sigh.
"If you must know, my idiot younger brother. The one that you referred to as the fair one, has managed to let his moral compass lead this family in a potential predicament."
Bonnie crossed her arms over her chest.
"What kind of predicament?"
"The kind that could lead with a hoard of Original vampires knocking on our door and ripping out our hearts. The kind that seems to be a staple for the Salvatores," Damon said bitterly. "I could give you ever scrutinising detail to why the Mikaelsons want to kill us this time, but, as you reminded us, this deal is time sensitive, so I am just going to need you to sign over my right to your magic so we can complete a few spells before morning, and then we can go over the logistics of our current predicament."
Damon nudged the inkpot and quill over to Bonnie with his index finger, shooting a meaningful glance between it and the contract still in her hand.
"I just need to make certain of one thing," Bonnie replied, not moving. "This deal we are making only applies to my magic. I am not obliged to give you anything else in return for my Grams' safety."
Bonnie was not surprised that Damon understood what she was implying immediately. The smirk that reappeared on his face told enough.
"Just magic," he said. He leaned forward, giving her another suggestive look. "Anything else you wanted to give would be for free."
Enzo began to cough, trying to hide a laugh. Bonnie rolled her eyes.
"Believe me," the witch said as she grabbed the quill. "That won't be happening."
Damon shrugged but looked pleased as he watched her sign her name at the end of the paper. When Bonnie was finished, she handed it to him.
It wasn't as hard as she thought, selling her soul. It was shockingly easy knowing that her Grams would be taken care of and that she would have a place to live. What was scary was the satisfaction on the vampire's face as he reviewed her signature.
"Looks like we have a deal, witchy," said Damon. He put the contract down, piercing her with his blue eyes.
"Now what do you know about cloaking spells?
Marcel knocked on the witch's door early in the morning. Davina Claire opened the door, fully dressed, with a smile on her face.
"Marcel!" she said, delighted to see the honorary original vampire. "What are you doing here? Klaus doesn't want anyone to visit me until his doppelganger arrives."
Marcel smiled back at the girl who had become like a daughter to him, grateful that despite everything she still looked at him with those bright, innocent eyes. Lord knew they were no longer as innocent as he wished, but Davina Claire had always been much wiser than people gave her credit for.
Klaus had sent him to investigate a ritual the witches were rumored to be completing. They didn't know what it was, other than it would be happening in a cemetery (always a witch favorite) and that it was supposed to give the witches great power. Marcel didn't expect to walk in on a sacrifice.
Davina was powerful. Very powerful. It both entranced and scared the witches. One witch could not be so gifted while the others floundered with their petty tricks behind her. Her own mother offered her to be sacrificed. Fuel to fire. The loss of one for the benefit of an entire coven. He heard her scream before he saw her.
The witches were leading her through the cemetery. They had her arms bound and a cloth over her mouth, but she fought with every ounce of her being. Marcel felt a connection to the girl immediately. He remembered his own fight as a young boy, and it only took him a matter of seconds to go and rip her captors' heads from their bodies.
Klaus had not been pleased to hear the death count. A war with the witches was never on his agenda, but he had stopped his complaining when he realized what Marcel had unintentionally dropped in his lap. Davina became him, but Marcel stayed her protector. He could not fight everything as he had the witches, but he could fight some things
"Let me worry about Klaus," Marcel said as he gave her a hug. They parted, and she let him into her room. He was pleased to see that she had made use of some the art supplies he had given her. She had done some beautiful sketches, some more morbid than others. He couldn't help but frown as he spotted Kol's face among her work. He wanted to lecture her about the dangers of forming a relationship with one of his least favorite Mikaelson siblings, but he knew she wouldn't listen.
He appraised Davina's face. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she looked thinner than she should.
"How have you been feeling, D?" he asked her.
Davina's smile stayed intact, but Marcel knew her well. Over the past few weeks, she had grown fatigued. She blamed being overworked, but there was more than that. It worried him.
"Alright. A little tired from lack of sleep, but hopefully Klaus' doppelganger remedy that. I must have gone over that spell no less than 500 times. I will be glad to be rid of it." She gestured to a map on her desk, and Marcel could see there was a drop of blood. "One of Klaus' vampires found a relative of the girl in London. He's her Uncle, supposedly? I didn't ask. I've been tracking her all night. She should have docked by now."
Davina plopped down on her bed. By her bedside was a tray of food and tea. She took her teacup and lifted it to her mouth.
"The new tea in the kitchens is good, although I doubt you want to discuss teacups," Davina said. She placed the cup back on its tray.
"Believe it or not, I only came to check on you," Marcel grinned, but the grin fell as Davina began to cough. "Fatigued?"
Davina stopped coughing. She got off the bed and went over to a collection of herbs and placed something in her mouth. Almost instantly she looked better.
"We can figure out my cold after Klaus stops breathing down my neck," said Davina, and Marcel knew she was going to be stubborn.
"Does Kol know about this?" asked Marcel.
"No," Davina said. "And we are going to keep it that way."
"D-" Marcel started. He grabbed her hands. "You've had vampire blood in your system, if that isn't helping you then something is wrong."
Davina squeezed his hand. She was already looking better. He wondered how many times she that herb a day, what the consequences of it might be.
"I told you, it's fatigue. Witches in my coven would get it after doing strenuous magic. If I bring it up, Klaus will only find a way to use it against me or decide I'm not worth protecting anymore. Once the Hybrid curse is broken, I can rest and I'll be back to normal," Davina explained. Marcel looked in her eyes and could tell she was saying the truth, but it still made him uneasy.
"You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you," said Marcel. "I promised that they day I met you, and I don't intend to break it now."
Davina smiled. She really was just a young girl. A young girl who could have stayed out of all of this darkness but was thrust into it by her own flesh and blood.
"Klaus is just wound up, he'll calm down once this all is over," Marcel said, trying to believe the words himself. "Despite what people say, I know he isn't evil."
Davina let go of his hands and sat back down. She took another sip of tea.
"Evil takes many forms," Davina said. "Some told me Kol was evil. I saw he wasn't. I know Klaus saved you just as you saved me, but that doesn't mean I will ever remotely like him."
Marcel chuckled. He was about to respond when a fierce yell shook the house.
"DAVINA!"
Elijah was growing rather tired of family meetings.
He and Rebekah stood behind their brother as he faced Davina and Marcel in the parlor, his body trembling with rage. The little witch stood tall, but even she showed a hint of worry as the Hybrid yelled. Marcel stood behind her, looking as though he was struggling to hold himself back.
"Where is she?" Klaus hissed. He stormed about the room, knocking down books and side tables as his family watch. "You said she would be there. I sent my men, and somehow she is gone before she even steps off the boat. And now you, the most powerful witch money can buy, are telling me you can't find her?"
He finished by yelling directly in Davina's face, mere centimeters away from her.
Davina looked up at him, expressionless.
"I tracked her. She was here. Whoever took he used a cloaking spell. A witch's cloaking spell, done correctly is near impossible to break. I'm going to need time."
Klaus let out a dry laugh and raised his hands in the air.
"Time? I have waited seven hundred years. I refuse to wait any longer."
The hybrid raised his hand, about to strike the girl. Marcel and Rebekah made to move, and Elijah joined them, knowing what his brother's anger could do. They were an aggressive lot by nature, but their hurry to come to the witch's aid was in vain.
Davina raised her hand, and Klaus fell to his knees and gripped his head. Davina glared down at him, loathing rolling off of her like waves.
"You may own my magic, but you have no right to my body," Davina said, her voice unwavering. Klaus glared back at her under the force of her magic but seemed to realize her words were true. The anger in his gaze calmed, and for a second Elijah saw the brother he respected: the one who recognized the value in other human beings.
Davina stopped her magic, and Klaus got on his knees. He took a deep breath.
"What happened to the doppelganger?" Klaus said, his voice carefully controlled, but Elijah could tell he was going to snap. He stepped forward. He was only glad Kol had been sent to the docks to look for Elena, as he doubted his brother would be able to look over Klaus' faux pas.
"If a witch is involved, then someone else must know of the doppelganger's existence," Elijah said, his voice far calmer than anyone else's' had been since Klaus had called them together. "My guess, seeing as the witches of London want nothing to do with our kind and our quarrels, is that a vampire is involved. To act rashly would be to fail, but fortunately we already have a plan in place to bring forth any vampire well-off enough to buy themselves some magic."
Elijah looked over at Rebekah, who came forward in understanding.
"All the vampire families have been invited and reminded how unwise it is for them to not make an appearance. Naturally, those with witches will want to show off their prize. Anyone with a witch will immediately be suspect. Any family who doesn't show up, also suspect. We can weed them out," Rebekah explained. She smirked, crossing her gloved arms over her chest with smug satisfaction. "And you were complaining about the uselessness of my little party."
Klaus looked thoughtful, though still perturbed. He turned to smirk back at his sister.
"Looks like your excuse for an annual night of fairytale dresses and ambiance will be paying off sister," He said. In a second his teasing voice was gone, and he was yelling once more. "I want everyone on the lookout. Spare no corner of London."
Klaus turned back to Elijah, and Elijah could sense he was in for a long few days and many headaches.
"It looks like we have a party to plan."
It had been a trying few weeks for Elena Gilbert. Between the death of her parents, the long voyage to London, and the constant reminders that an evil vampire wished to sacrifice her for some ancient ritual, Elena could use a moment to breathe. Unfortunately, the Salvatores seemed unwilling to give her one.
"Drink more," said Bonnie, a pretty girl who had been running around since the moment Elena entered the Salvatore manor, asking for different herbs and books to be brought to her by the staff. She was a witch, according to the older Salvatore brother. "It will help make it hard for anyone to try and find your location through a body jumping spell."
Elena did not know what kind of spell that was, but she drank the drink quickly. She sat on a loveseat next to Stefan. She wished the boy would leave her alone. He had been trailing her like a lost puppy since he met her back in Virginia.
Stefan found Elena two weeks after her parents had died. He explained to her everything he knew about Klaus, about the doppelganger line, about what her fate would be if she wasn't careful.
She had already known. She had known since she had boarded the boat to the colonies.
It was only after her Uncle John had left did Stefan and Elena hear rumor of someone bringing the news of her to Klaus. She thought hiding was a stupid idea.
"I can fight him," Elena said, looking at the faces of the people in the room. Behind Bonnie were two women, one blonde and one brunette. They looked older. Next to them was Damon, Stefan's eldest who she found most distasteful, and an equally distasteful man she had heard one of the servants refer to as Enzo. "I'm trained. You guys don't need to get involved in my mess."
Damon let out a snort.
"Right, did we fail to mention the fact that this is an Original vampire? What are you, twelve? You wouldn't last a second," the older brother laughed. Elena narrowed her eyes. Damon was more annoying than his sibling.
"What my brother means is," Stefan quickly jumped in, and Elena didn't miss the lovesick way he looked at her. "We have been involved in this affair for the last hundred years. We don't want to see Klaus succeed, and us helping you is as much a service to us as it is you."
Damon made a gagging sound. Elena looked at Bonnie. So far, she was the only person she trusted.
"What's the plan here?" Elena asked her. "Surely it isn't just to keep me locked here forever."
"Don't ask me," said Bonnie, raising her hands in the air. "I'm just the magic girl. All I've been told is to keep you hidden."
"Don't worry your pretty little witchy and doppelganger heads," said Damon. He sent a pointed look towards his brother. "Once Bonnie can figure out a way to move you discretely out of London and we can find someone stupid enough to take you who is not related to me by blood, then you are free to go odd and live your life and be found by Klaus on your own time."
Elena glared at him, but she couldn't find an argument. If what he said was true, he wanted to be as rid of her as she wanted to be rid of them.
"I want my brother," she said, after a moments pause. "Jeremy Gilbert. He's staying with Alaric Saltzman. If Klaus learns my name and that he's here he will kill him."
Damon shook his head, the two vampire women shot each other a glance. Enzo looked bored.
"Do you think this is some type of inn?" Damon scoffed. "Absolutely not."
Elena was going to threaten to walk out then and there, but Bonnie spoke before she could say anything.
"Let the price of his safety be added to my debt," said Bonnie, getting up. She looked at the vampire, and Elena wondered if there was something there, but dismissed it.
Damon glared at her. Bonnie glared back. After a moment of silence, he caved.
"Fine," Damon said. He waved a hand.
Elena gave Bonnie a curious look.
"Debt?" she asked. She looked at the girl's fine clothes and at Damon and realization dawned on her.
"Oh," she said. "I didn't realize you were…"
Bonnie shook her head.
"Only magic," she clarified, and Elena was ashamed that she released a breath of relief.
"Any other demands?" grumbled Damon, unfazed by Elena's false judgment.
Elena shot him a glare. There was a sound of a loud knock, and everyone stood still. Damon groaned.
"Don't move," he said, waving a finger at her. He walked out of the room, Stefan following him. They came back a few minutes later, a small envelope in their hands.
Damon presented it to Bonnie. Elena got up to read over the girl's shoulder.
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO A NIGHT OF DANCING AND ENTERTAINMENT
THE MIKAELSON BALL BEGINS AT 8:00 PM FRIDAY NIGHT
DATES ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED
REFRESHMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED
Damon scowled.
"Speak of the devil and he invites you over for drinks."
Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think. I am open to all and any suggestions. Also, let me know if there are any other stories you would like to see from me. :)
