Chapter 6: 'The Devil's Wrath'
"Who is that, nurse?" Doctor Stefan asked Elena when he managed to call her away from her office to the ER.
"Who?" She asked, half lost in her own world, furiously scribbling on her notepad.
"That man!" He pointed an accusing finger at his brother who had been glaring at him ever since he started talking to Elena.
"Oh, him! That's my patient." She replied, a little coyly. "Also, he's sort of my friend."
"Your patient?" Stefan raised one brow in feigned curiosity.
Elena didn't reply and looked down at her hands, a little bit afraid of what his reaction would be.
"What kind of people are you hanging out with, Elena?" Stefan muttered in low judgmental voice.
"He… he's not as rough as he looks, Stefan. He's - he's really not a bad person." She replied, hurriedly in an attempt to remove the calculating frown from her questioner's face.
Stefan bit his lower lip, painfully. Elena barely knew Damon and she was already blatantly defending him. Stefan knew he would lose her if he didn't make a move in the very near future. He looked up from this fearsome realization to find his smug brother smirking by himself in the far side of the room. Damon was looking out of the window, acting oblivious to his brother's questions, but Stefan knew that he was listening in to every single word.
Irritated, Stefan muttered a spell under his breath, making it impossible for his brother to hear any more of their quiet conversation.
"Elena, as a friend and your team head, I would advise you to stay away from the likes of him. He clearly looks like a gangster. You don't want the disciplinary department to take notice of this. It could place your job here in dire jeopardy." Stefan warned, placing his hands on her shoulders in a consoling way.
"But, Doctor, he isn't harming anyone. He just comes here now and then to…" Elena began to defend him again and Stefan inwardly growled.
"Elena," he quickly interrupted. "I think I remember him from somewhere and it's certainly not for a good reason." He shook his head in consternation, his innocent, honest eyes wide and full of concern. "I've noticed he's been visiting you this entire week and honestly, it's genuinely concerning."
"Doctor," Elena began again.
"Stefan," He reminded, gently.
"Yes," She let out a shaky laugh. "Stefan- it's very kind of you to look out for me but trust me, he just looks dangerous. That's just an illusion. He's genuinely a very nice person." She added, her kind eyes smiling up at him.
He knew arguing with her was futile. His devil brother knew how to charm people when he wanted to. It was time to take a serious action, no matter the consequences. He had to show Elena a glimpse of the demon inside Damon's charmed appearance.
Unexpectedly, Stefan took her hand in both of his, cradling her fingers in the warmth of his touch, and her breath all but froze in her lungs. She didn't know why he had this peculiar effect on her. Whenever he was close to her, she felt a supernatural pull.
"Just promise me, you'll be careful." He said softly, gently, sweetly.
She stared at him with her mouth agape for a moment but then recovered. She hurriedly nodded in a trance-like a state.
He gave her the smile that always made her heart beat faster.
"I don't want to sound controlling, Elena," He said kindly.
"I know… it's really fine." She assured him as they walked back to the desk together.
"It's just… you're too innocent. I don't know why but I feel protective of you." He confessed, his eyes shining with honesty. "I hope I'm not freaking you out." He added, quickly, making her chuckle at his heroic hastiness.
"No, no, I know your intentions are pure." She replied, feeling a little shy by his obvious attraction to her.
She could see Emma, her fellow nurse, hovering nearby with envious eyes fixed on her. She winked at Elena. All the nurses of their department had a crush on the green-eyed kind doctor and he was showering his attention on only Elena. The thought made her just a little proud and a little giddy.
"Just so you know, I'll always be here whenever you need help." He said softly, patting her shoulder.
She was about to reply but instead sneezed. She still had not recovered from her terrible cold. She murmured an apology and took out a tissue from her pocket.
"Are you okay?" Stefan asked, sudden concern appearing on his face again.
"Just a seasonal cold, doctor." She replied, awkwardly, making a noncommittal motion with her hand as of to wave away his question. "I'm taking my meds but I guess it will take time." She added, so as not to offend him.
He nodded picking up his files. "I'll see you around then," and he nodded politely and left the office.
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..
"Achoo! Achoo!" Elena took out another tissue, wiping her nose.
Stefan was working right by her side but he seemed indifferent to her pain and discomfort. He was tending to a patient, carefully examining him. "You'll heal in a few days," Stefan said kindly to the old man, murmuring a spell that would slowly fade away the pain.
"Akh," Elena coughed harshly.
That's it, Damon had seen enough. He didn't have the power to remove her sufferings but Stefan did. And he knew Stefan was aware of that. Cade had told him that Stefan's chief could fix her then why hadn't Stefan asked his chief yet.
Anger rising I️ side of him, Damon walked to where his brother had sat down to write up files and stood towering in front of his desk.
"Greetings! Creature of hate," Stefan said without looking up.
"You can heal the old filth but you can't heal Elena," Damon hissed in a fearsome whisper.
"Sorry?" Stefan kept writing although his pen paused a fraction of a second in obvious confusion.
"She has been coughing and sneezing the entire time she has been working beside you, can't you see?"
"So?" Stefan shrugged and started writing a new file.
"So, you can fix her," Damon replied, throwing his hands in the air as if it was the most obvious thing to do. If he had the power he would have healed her without a second thought. And he was the Devil!
"Why should I? You're the one who made her sin." Stefan replied still without looking up.
"She put the money back," Damon said, angrily pounding the desk.
"But she sinned. She'll have to suffer." Stefan said firmly, glancing at the angry hands still curled into fists resting on his desk.
"Stefan, your chief can fix her. She doesn't have to suffer in all this…"
Stefan cut him off before he could complete his plea. "Careful, brother, it sounds like you're pleading for me, the "angel", to end her sufferings. I don't think your cult would appreciate that."
Damon glared at him for a while. Stefan finally let out a chuckle, getting from his chair. "Advance warning, she's going to hate you soon." He added, sneering.
"Yeah about that. Warn her all you want, Baby bro. She's still mine. You've lost her." Damon said a little louder than he intended when his brother started walking away from him.
Stefan stopped in his tracks, looking back at Damon. He stepped quickly toward his brother, an amused smile playing on his lips. "You know what your problem is, Damon? You are always in such a hurry. The game has only begun now. You can't take the prize by winning one round. We both have a looong way to go."
"A game? Elena is a game to you?" Damon snarled in disgust. It angered him how his brother was disrespecting his queen.
"She is my soul mate, brother. I 'love' her." He declared. "Can you say that? Can you truly say you genuinely, without a doubt, love her?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
For the first time in a long while, Damon was speechless. Could he say he was in love with Elena? He couldn't because he couldn't love her. He couldn't love at all. The devil was hatred and darkness in himself. Love was for people who believed in goodness and light. He was as far from them as the east is from the west. No, Elena was his soul mate. She belonged to him and that's why he needed her. She was a part of his soul, his peace, his other half. But that was it. She was not his love, nor would she ever be.
"Of course, What am I asking!" Stefan facepalmed himself. "How can the devil love? You're not allowed to fall in love. You'll have to leave your cult for that which means you'll have to give up your powers and you will never do that, will you? The heavens and goodness would never take you and neither would the darkness. You'll be all alone again, just like the time when mother and father locked you in that well to die." Harshly, cruelly, Stefan whispered this threat, reminding Damon the darkest, most vulnerable part of his life. "All alone, Damon, with only conjured, empty wishes to keep you company in the vast wasteland of - rejection!"
Wordlessly, Damon snarled, glaring at his brother.
But before he could say anything, a quizzical voice stopped him.
"Damon?"
When he looked around, Elena was standing behind him, her books in her right hand and her handbag on the other.
"Let's go?" She asked, looking a little uncertain by the tension she could feel between Doctor Stefan and her patient.
She could judge by Doctor Stefan's sour expression that he didn't approve of Damon. She wondered what they were talking before she interrupted them. It looked like they were in a pretty tense discussion.
"You're not busy, right?" She spoke again, curious at the way the two men still stood in terse silence.
"No. No. I just wanted to know some details." Stefan replied, forcing a smile on his face, his eyes still fixed stonily on his brother.
"If you're done… can we…" She trailed off awkwardly, motioning toward the door.
"Yeah, we are done. Let's go." Damon said, turning to her and taking her books from her hand.
"Thank you," She replied, charmed by his thoughtfulness. "See you tomorrow, doctor." She turned to Stefan, waving at him.
He waved back smiling outwardly, burning inwardly. 'Oh, brother! You've no idea what I've planned for you.' He thought. Elena would never want to see his brother again once she witnessed the devil's true face.
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"Then, there is Caroline and Bonnie, my best friends since pre-school and Matt, he is also sort of my ex, but we broke it off ever since…" She trailed off thinking of her parents.
"Your parent's death." He completed, gently.
She nodded, quietly, eyes downcast.
"But anyway, we've all been together since forever. Kind of like unofficial siblings. I've already told you about Aunt Jenna, Uncle Ric and Alice." She laughed. "That's all my family and friends." When she turned to look at him, she found him just staring at her in silence. She waved a hand in front of his face to break his stare and get his full attention. "Damon?"
"Yes, Queen." He said, a little too fast, assuring her that he was listening.
"Queen?" She looked amused at his choice of words. "That's a fancy word."
He shrugged, "I'm a little old school."
She let out a giggle. "Okay, now tell me about you?"
He bit the inside of his cheek and Elena wondered at the nervous gesture. He didn't seem anxious to talk about himself.
"There is nothing much to know. I grew up in a rough world, my life was filled with darkness and then…"
"Then?"
"Then I met you," He smiled the smile only she managed to bring out.
She giggled again, looking away shyly. They walked down the street together a little while, then they stopped and sat down on a bench that was near the park a street across from the Grill.
"You're really cheesy." She commented.
"It comes out naturally, trust me," He replied, sitting facing her.
"Aha, okay," She said, nodding, an amused expression on her face. "So, what about your family?"
A serious, heartbroken look came over Damon's face. "They died in a serial killer attack," He finally said, eyes downcast. He wasn't lying this time. But when he looked down he didn't want her to see the demons that reflected in his eyes whenever he talked about the two people he despised the most.
"I'm so sorry." He heard her gasp. "That's terrible. I… I shouldn't have asked…" The concern in her doe eyes stirred something deep inside him. Before he knew it, she inched closer and enclosing her arms around him, drawing him to her embrace. He wrapped his hands around her tenderly, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
She felt so soft and warm in his arms that he never wanted to let go. If he had his way, he would have stopped time at the very moment. But even the devil was powerless in front of fate. He never pulled away and decided to let her make the move.
Elena felt the jolt of electricity burn through her from the touch of his skin against her. She had never felt this with anyone else before. Slowly, she pulled away, feeling a little awkward.
"I…"
"Thank you, I really needed that," He said, gratitude visible in his eyes.
She smiled, rising up from the bench. He mirrored her move, ready to continue on himself, away from the moment of sadness he had just experienced. They walked down the road, talking about all sort of other things.
"I wanted to go to Waterville valley this December for skiing but I have so much work. I can't." She talked and talked and he listened quietly, responding now and then. She had a hell long of a wish list and he had plans to make all her dreams come true.
"Why can't you?" He asked.
"I have so much work, there is no way I can take a day off."
"You like snow falls?"
"I love snow falls." She nodded, excitedly. "When I was six, every winter vacation, my parents would take me to Crystal mountain for hiking. Oh, it was just beautiful! We would make snow angels and have snowball fights. I loved every second of it," she sighed contentedly at the happy memory.
"If… If I take you, would you like to go?" Damon asked curiously.
"I told you, I have work…" She said a little upset at the thought.
"Hmm, we can enjoy snow falls here," He replied. "We can ski here and…"
"It barely snows here," She replied, rolling her eyes. "And besides, I don't know how to ski."
"I'll teach you," He said, persuasively.
"You know how to ski?" She asked, impressed by this revelation.
"I know everything." He said proudly, making her smirk.
"Your ego needs its own zip code," She returned, playfully.
"Rightly so," He agreed, unashamed.
"Well, making…" She trailed off when she almost ran into a pole. If he hadn't pulled her to his side at the last minute she could have been injured.
She laughed, embarrassed. "Oh, I didn't see that coming. My bad!"
He smiled, letting go of her hand. "Don't be embarrassed, it takes skill to trip over flat surfaces and run into poles," He joked, making her laugh.
"Okay, Now, I'm embarrassed."
"Don't be! It's cute," He complimented again. "You were saying?" He reminded her of the topic they were discussing.
"I was saying, making plans is futile because it won't snow here," she said, lower lip stuck out in a girlish pout.
"It will," He said with a knowing smile.
"No, it won't." She protested.
"It will. In fact, I think it will snow in a while so we best get you home," He said confidently.
She let out a laugh, "What?"
"I know a thing or two about weather and I'm telling you, it's going to snow." He looked so sure of himself.
"How so?"
He inched closer to her, and she looked at him nervously. He pointed toward the dark clouds, covering the sky.
"What?" She asked, confused.
"Close your eyes," He requested.
"What are you doing?"
"Do you trust me?" He asked, looking deep into her eyes.
"Uhh…" She looked a little uncertain but then she remembered how he helped her just a few moments ago. She could trust him. She nodded, before closing her eyes.
She could feel him, moving behind her, holding their joined hands out toward the sky.
"No peeking," he chuckled. She shivered, either over his warning or his warm breath blowing in her ear and along her neck.
Damon looked up at the sky, chanting a spell to break the clouds in the form of snow. Not every warlock could manipulate weather but he was strong enough to fight nature.
Precious, tiny, glistening, mystical snowflakes descended from the gauzy grayed sky onto them both. She snapped opened her eyes, surprised when she felt the first snowflake.
"Oh, dear, God!" She said, her lips forming into a grin. "How did you know?" she curiously turned to look at him.
He shrugged, not wanting to ruin the moment by lying.
"It's snowing in the Fells." She said excitedly, looking around. "Ohh, my," Her happy face glowed, and she blinked dewy eyes, causing glistening drops to glide down her cheeks.
"You're happy?" He asked, adoring the smile he brought on her face.
"Happy? I'm ecstatic." She replied, spreading her arms, enjoying the snow fall.
"No, no, you're already sick, now let's get you home," He said, his tone filled with concern for her.
"Just a few minutes," She pleases as she looked around in an awe-stricken trance, watching the snow tumbling from sky to earth like promises in a fairy tale. It all looked so magical.
He looked at her, enjoying the transparent emotions on her face, emotions that he managed to bring out, happiness that only he could give her.
"It's so beautiful," she said, looking up into the sky.
"I can't agree more." he breathed in all sincerity, his adoring gaze drinking in the beauty of her tender, limpid eyes.
When she looked at him, she found him looking at her, the same yearning in his eyes, as if he'd been waiting for her for a thousand years.
When his gaze dropped to her lips, she found herself longingly looking at his. Slowly, she leaned closer. He mimicked her, moving closer. Just a few moments away, he could feel the bliss of his soul mate's lips on his. But just before their lips could touch, her phone chimed loudly, breaking their daze.
"Saved by the bell," He said, a bit annoyed.
"Ooh," She stepped a few steps back, coyly, taking out her phone. "Aunt Jenna," She said before she answered. "Yes, I'm on my way… No, I'm not alone, I'm with Damon—Damon who? A friend, Jenna. Okay, I will be home in twenty minutes, yes, I'll take care, bye Jenna," She hung up, looking at him nervously.
"Jenna is worried, we should go," She said, biting her lip.
"Okay," He said, gesturing her to lead the way.
"So, my Queen, about the date?"
"What date?" She teased.
"Elena!" He narrowed his eyes playfully.
"I never agreed. I just said I'll think about it," She countered with a knowing smile.
"Come on, my Queen, give the poor guy a chance," He pouted.
She chuckled, looking at him, "We'll see," she laughed.
"Do I have a chance?" He asked.
"Yes," she replied pompously.
"Yes!" He cheered, making her laugh.
They walked together, talking, making plans. He told her excitedly what he had in mind for their day out. He held her hand when she nearly slipped on the slippery roads.
She shook her head, laughing at her own clumsiness. Up till now, he had saved her from a lot of terrible accidents. She thanked him for that. She asked him if he'd taken the role of her guardian angel.
"Sort off," He replied, smirking as if hiding something.
They were just a street away from her house when a car full of teenage boys passed them, shouting, hooting at her. One of the boys leaned out of the window and threw champagne on Elena, laughing.
"What the fuck?" Damon snarled, looking furiously at the diminutive creatures.
"Need a ride, babe." The one in the front seat offered, slowing down the car.
"Ditch the loser and hope in with us, I'm sure you'll enjoy our company more," Another one of the boys said sarcastically.
"Why you…" Damon moved forward to teach them a lesson for disrespecting his queen but she stopped him. "Ignore them," she pleaded.
"Come on, hot stuff, you don't know what you're missing," A blonde boy shouted out the open window.
That's it. Damon felt the last piece of patience slip from his soul.
"You waste of space! How dare you disrespect my queen?" He growled, striding toward them.
"No. No. Damon, don't!" Elena tried to stop him but he glared at her as if asking her to back off. For a moment, she could've sworn she saw his eyes gleam blood red before turning the usual icy blue. Maybe it was all in her head.
"Did you say something?" The blonde boy stopped the car, looking at them smartly.
"Yes, I did," Damon said flatly.
"Damon, please, let's go, it's okay." Elena pleaded, tugging his arm.
"No, it's not." He hissed.
"Ooh, feisty one, huh, come on boys, let's teach him a lesson, let's show him what are the consequences to mess with our gang," The one who threw wine on Elena growled as he jumped out of the car.
His gang members followed in eager succession.
"No. No. Please," Elena tried to intervene.
"Stay back, Elena," Damon said, serious, composed, not a hint of humor in his face.
His eyes flashed as he looked back at the filthy creatures, his knuckles balled into fists, his jaw clenched so hard she thought he teeth would shatter.
Two of the boys launched on him, but before they could punch him, he held them by their throats and pushed them back with full force.
While he was busy, the other two attacked him from the back, throwing him toward the cold slippery road. He staggered back but regained his balance quickly. He threw a rapid series of violent punches, drawing out blood, breaking bones.
Elena screamed, asking him to stop but he didn't listen.
He then turned to the former two and grabbed the blonde one by his hair, throwing him at the car with full force.
"Please," His friend pleaded nervously, trying to move away. "Don't hurt me," he begged.
"You're the one who threw wine on her, didn't you?" Damon snapped, moving closer like a lion to his prey.
"I—"
Damon grabbed a handful of his hair, dragging him toward Elena, throwing him at her feet.
"Apologize!" He ordered, dangerously.
Elena hissed, backing away. She could see all of them were badly injured and bleeding, including the one at her feet.
Damon sprinted forward, holding his captive's arm and twisting it in an unnatural position. "I said, apologize!"
"I… I'm soo sorry, Elena. Please, tell him to let us go, please…" The boy pleaded, repeatedly.
She snapped from her trance, looking at him with a horrified expression. "Oh my God! Damon, let them go, now!" She ordered angrily.
As soon as the words escaped her lips, he let go of the boy and threw him toward the car. "I'm only letting you lot go because of her or I had a mind of tearing your bodies and feeding your spleen to you. Now go before I change my mind," He growled.
The teen gang moaned and groaned but managed to run away, leaving their car. When he turned back to Elena, she looked terrified of him.
"Elena—"
"What the hell was that?" She said furiously.
"They disrespected you," Damon answered.
"You're an animal. You beat them ruthlessly for such a little…"
"It wasn't a little thing, they disrespected you. I will never tolerate that." He didn't feel ashamed of what he did. Frankly, if it wasn't for her, he would have killed them. The devil never took mercy on filth like the likes of them.
"What is wrong with you? You can't just hurt people like that... this is wrong and illegal. We could have just ignored them. This all didn't need to happen. Violence isn't answer to everything. Just because you have a crush on me you didn't need to…"
"I do not have a crush on you. Don't compare what I feel for you to your stupid teen terms." He replied just as furiously. He didn't understand her sympathy for the men that tried to harm her.
"Feelings? You didn't even know my name three days ago!" She hissed back at him.
"E-L-E-N-A! I know your name! Is that it?"
"Stefan is right. I shouldn't hang out with you. You're crazy, obsessive and an animal." She said, taking a few steps back.
"What?" He hesitated and seemed a little hurt.
"You can't be changed. You've grown like this. I was so stupid to think that…" She trailed off. As much as she was charmed by his bad boy antics, deep in her heart maybe she thought she could change him and make him a better person. Just a few moments ago, she thought she saw the good in him. She thought that if he could work on a construction site one day for her, maybe she could influence him to leave street fighting and illegal activities once and for all but she was wrong. So damn wrong. Violence was in his nature. She couldn't risk her reputation for a guy she barely knew. Thank the lord she saw his true face in time.
"Listen, Elena…"
"No! Stay away from me," She warned. "I don't want to talk to you, I don't want to hang out with you, I don't even want to look at you." She had seen a hint of obsessiveness in his voice for her. She didn't know why it scared her. It was better if she finished everything now.
"Elena, please," Damon pleaded.
"Goodbye, Damon," She said turning, walking away.
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..
Stefan was sitting in his office, working on his files when the door burst open. His brother entered along with four teenage badly injured boys.
"Sit there," Damon ordered them.
They all duly complied as if magically forced.
"You sent them, didn't you?" Damon growled at his brother.
Stefan smirked.
Just a few moments ago, he had committed his second sin. He had compelled the human boys to mess with Elena in order to provoke Damon. He wanted to show a little glimpse of Damon's true nature to Elena. He knew a girl like her would never approve of violence. She was a part of his own angelic soul. Of course, she was goodness. She would frown upon everything bad.
Now, Damon's reputation in Elena's eyes was ruined.
"I did!" Stefan accepted honestly.
"So, you're going to play dirty huh? I never thought you had it in you." Damon looked a little surprised.
"I told you, I can sin now. It's for the greater good." Stefan replied calmly. "Although my sins are numbered, be assured I'll fight for her and I'll win."
"Hmm." Damon bit his cheek until he could taste blood. "You're on."
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She didn't know why she couldn't sleep tonight. She tossed and turned in bed but sleep cruelly eluded her. The familiar feeling of someone running their hands through her hair wasn't there tonight. Her mind was stuck on the fight she witnessed a few hours ago. It played over and over in the back of her mind, haunting and worrying her.
Damon shouldn't have hurt those boys. Yes, they were stupid and it was wrong of them to treat her like that but it wasn't worth the ruthless beating he gave them. And then the nerve of him to declare that he had feelings for her. They hardly knew each other. She shivered remembering the mad obsessiveness in his voice. It wasn't normal.
She sat up, jumping off her bed. She walked to her closet to take out her parent's photo album. Whenever she was worried, she always turned to them. As she reached to take out the booklet, something fell on the floor. She recognized it. She bent down and picked up the leather jacket. It was Damon's jacket.
She didn't know why but she wore it, breathing in his sweet scent. She felt a sense of unknowing peace. Why? Why did his presence calm her nerves? She shouldn't even think about him. He was a bad boy. He was the forbidden territory. She was a good girl. She shouldn't have anything to do with men like him.
"I know you and mom would never approve of him," She said quietly, looking down at her parent's picture.
"You and mom despised violence and he's…" She stopped for a moment then chose her words carefully, "It's not like he's a bad guy. He can be kind and civil and when he wants to be but he's so emotional, he beat up those boys for such a small thing. I mean we could've ignored them, I always do, he didn't have to break their bones. What if they hurt him? What if they called the cops? What if he gets arrested now?" She walked back to her bed, holding the album.
"And the way he looks at me, it's like he would eat me up," She said making a face. "He's not a good person, mom. He fights illegal street fights for money. But you know, he did something good for me today. He worked at a construction site for me, I… you know for a minute I thought maybe I can change him, you know, make him a better person. He seems so lost, I just wanted to help him," She paused.
She traced her father's picture with the pad of her fingers. "Am I giving up to soon? He likes me a lot. He respects me. My opinion matters to him, I can see that - do you think I can make him a better person?"
As she thought this, her eyes fell on the stack of cash he had given her today. He barely knew her but he helped her immediately when she told him how in dire need she was of some money. It was wrong of her to give up on him just so soon. He wasn't all bad. He was redeemable. He was just lost. She could guide him to light, right? To goodness?
She could show him how to live an honorable and respectful life.
"I guess I know my answer," She said in a low voice. "But how will I find him? I told him to go away, I don't even know where he lives?"
She wrapped her arms around herself, liking the feel of his jacket against her skin. She prayed he would come tomorrow to her office. She smiled imagining seeing him pouting with another injury and asking her to fix him up again.
"Queen!" She murmured as she fell on bed, still wearing the jacket, suddenly feeling comfortable again. "I'm a Queen."
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..
"What are you doing in the lair?" Klaus asked. "Aren't you supposed to be with the Petrova girl?"
Damon had conjured her form into thin air, looking interestingly at her.
"We had a fight. She is mad at me because I beat up some boys who were annoying us," He answered, listlessly "I thought I should give her some distance," he lied.
"Ohh, fine." Klaus said, cringing at the thought of a human having so much control over his friend's emotions. "So what happened?"
"Stefan tricked me," Damon snorted.
"The angel tricked the devil, oh dear Satan, what has the world come to?" Klaus fell on the chair, in mocking dramatics.
"Don't worry, he can't win. I have sent my minions to find out his weakness. He keeps saying he's working for the greater good. He obviously has an agenda with my Queen, I need to find that," Damon said, lost in a thought as he watched illusion Elena wear his jacket.
"Elena will fall for me, Stefan can never win her," He said more to himself than Klaus.
"You know, mate, I don't see the meaning of waiting around here for her verdict. Why don't we bring her, lock her here in the palace? She will make a fuss but in the end, she'll have to surrender when she finds no way out," Klaus said, already thinking of how he would feed on the Queen's sufferings. Besides, to him, Elena was just a diminutive human, with no purpose other than to keep his friend entertained. Mates gave you peace and carnal pleasure. To him, a mate was one's property. Who even cared what they felt as long as they were bound to you. "Cade has given you a free hand, we don't need her to be willing, we could force her to accept you," Klaus offered.
"I will do no such thing, I want her to love me and love doesn't work that way," Damon replied, frowning even at the thought. The thought of having her all to himself was appealing but not at the cost of her hating him. He wouldn't be able to stand that. He already felt horrible because he had displeased her tonight. He had punished himself for that. He decided to stay away from the peace she gave him. "And she has a life outside of me, I can't disturb that," Damon added firmly.
"Since when do you, the devil, care what she wants?" Klaus narrowed his eyes. "She's just a human girl, she doesn't have any say…"
"She does have a say, Klaus. She is my Queen, Queen of the king of all evil. And don't refer to her as 'just a human girl'. She is a blessing to me, respect her as such!" He said in a cold tone.
"I see you're a love-struck fool."
"I am not in love with her. I can't love. But she's my mate and as that, I respect her," He said, his voice void of all emotions.
"You have deceived so many souls, Devil, that now you can deceive yourself too," Klaus let out a chuckle. "Focus on the mission, Cade won't wait forever. He helped you save your mate. You had better give him what you promised, by hook or crook, to return the favor or else the consequences would be terrible."
..
..
Two days later
She was worried. Damon still hadn't shown up once. She felt guilty now that maybe she was too harsh on him. In a way, he tried to save her, protect her honor, but she freaked out.
In a hidden corner of her heart, she missed him. She missed his presence. She missed the mysteriously calm affect he had on her. She missed his care, his concern.
"Elena?" Stefan popped her thought bubble, turning his attention to her.
"Yes, doctor," she blinked, confused for a moment.
"Can you give me that file?" He asked as he scribbled on his pad. She gave the file he needed and sat back on her chair. "You seem lost, everything okay?" He asked curiously.
"Yes, doctor… just a little friend issue." She said, running her fingers through her hair.
"Not that gangster-," he started to say.
"No, not him, I… we didn't even meet after that day," she said indifferently, hiding her sadness.
He tried hard to fight a smile but somehow a look of glee surfaced his face. "I am glad, you're keeping your distance from him. As much as I knew Grayson and Miranda, I know they would've wanted you to stay away from him," He said, softly.
She nodded, a bit uncomfortable with his statement, and quickly getting back to her work.
He looked at her thoughtfully. He wanted to mark his impression on her before he asked her out. He knew he had charmed her and she would never refuse him if he asked her out. There was a winter gala coming up and he had planned to be her date. It was just a matter of time.
"Elena, can I ask you a favor?"
"Anything, Stefan." She said, smiling.
"Would you mind doing some over time today? I have lots of work and I could use a little help." He was just making an excuse to spend time with her.
"Sure, doctor." Innocently she stepped right into his plan.
..
..
Damon was furious beyond any measure. He had just gone to do an errand for Cade and when he returned he found Elena in Stefan's office. To top it off, Stefan had cast a spell which countered his magic and restricted him to the point of prohibiting him to see what was going on in there. He was in a corporate office, influencing the corrupt official to sign some illegal documents. He needed more power and for that, he needed to feed.
"Damon! Damon!" He heard Klaus shout as he burst through the office doors. The guards didn't stop him so Damon deduced that he must have compelled them to let him in.
"Go on, sign it, you'll be rewarded for it, you can buy the new luxury car," He kept murmuring in the man's ear. "What happened, Klaus?"
"Queen… she…"
"What happened to Elena? She okay?" He demanded, leaving the confused man in a trance-like state.
"Yes, she's fine. She went downtown to the fight club looking for you," Klaus informed Damon proudly.
"Fight club?" Damon looked confused.
"You told her you're a street fighter at the downtown fight club." Klaus reminded him.
"Oh! Oh- fuck!" Damon groaned, realization striking him as he facepalmed. "That place is dangerous for her, they're all sort of people, why the hell would she go there? Ugh" He growled as he waved a hand in front of the man, making him forget all that happened in his office.
"I'm going down there, you make this idiot sign the file," Damon said as he picked up his jacket.
"Where are you going?" Klaus asked curiously, already suspecting the answer.
"Fight club," Damon called back.
"Mate, by foot?"
"Oh, right," Damon nodded as he clicked his fingers and disappeared in thin air.
..
..
He appeared in the fight club and chanted a spell to manipulate human minds into thinking he was a regular fighter in the club. He then picked a room and waited for Elena to arrive.
Just in a short while, he could hear her voice. He conjured her form in thin air, sighing at the sight of her. "Excuse me, do you know where Damon Salvatore is?" She asked a bulky guy at the door.
"Yeah, he's in that room getting ready for a fight. Who are you, beautiful?"
"I… never mind," She said nervously as she walked past him and into the room. Damon clicked his fingers, vanishing her illusion form.
"Damon?" She whispered, taking a deep breath at the sight of him.
Oh, how he missed talking to her.
"Miss Elena?" He turned around, faking a surprised look.
"You… where had you been?" She asked as she moved closer toward him, a worried look on her face.
"I have been around." He said, truthfully. He had never left her, honestly. He had been in his invisible state, looking out for her. Just last night, he had annoyed her while she was doing her assignment when he kept tucking her hair out that she had put behind her ear. He had lulled her to sleep when she had a nightmare again. He was always there.
"You never came to the hospital again," She complained.
"I thought you never wanted to see me," He said with a knowing smirk.
"I said that because I was angry," She replied, furious at his light behavior. Didn't he miss her? Because she sure missed him.
"Why did you miss me?" It was like he read her thoughts.
She looked up into his eyes, her cheeks red.
He moved closer and she stepped back. Suddenly, she realized he was shirtless. The sweat glistened on his toned, athletic body and made him appear like the most delicious man she had ever laid eyes on. Even though Elena tried to not ogle him too noticeably, she couldn't ́ help herself but eyeing him carefully. She watched a single bead of sweat making its way down his forehead to his chest and further down his abs until was gone from her sight.
Her eyes stopped on a fairly bad bruise. "Oh, you're hurt again," She said, looking at his shoulder. "Do you have first aid box?" She asked in her nurse voice.
He had no idea if they did but he wanted her to come closer to him, feel her warmth, so he clicked his finger and it magically appeared on the back shelf.
"There," He pointed.
"Sit here," She ordered. "I'll fix you up."
She went to the shelf and picked up the kit She walked back to him, every step graceful. She pushed him slightly onto the seat before she turned to set up her tools. She cleaned his wound and took out an ointment. She leaned closer to him, her long hair falling on his face, intoxicating him with their fragrance.
"If you were hurt, why didn't you come to me to fix you up?" She asked as she layered a bandage over his shoulder.
"Because you said you don't want to ever see me."
"I didn't mean it, okay. I was rightfully angry, you shouldn't have done what you did, it was wrong. But I don't know why I was worried about you, I thought you fell under the bus or something, you…"
"You care about me." He said pleasantly surprised.
She looked a little shy but she nodded. "Yes, and I didn't know where you lived. You shouldn't have just disappeared like that," she scolded.
"I went away because you asked me to," He reminded her.
"I didn't mean it okay."
"Then what do you want?" He asked.
"Look, I want to clear this misunderstanding. I understand that you were trying to protect me that day but you shouldn't have beat them like that. You broke their bones. They could have filed a case against you, and you could have gone to jail for that. Also, this is not how civil people live. You can't just go on hurting people. It's wrong and if you have a bit of respect for me you'll promise you won't let your temper get the worst of you?" She asked, softly, all the while holding his hand.
"I'll try," the words slipped out before he could control them.
"And I'm sorry for the mean things I said to you that day," She said sincerely. "If there is anything I can do to make up…"
"I want a kiss—on the lips and a date," He didn't even let her finish her apology.
She swallowed a lump in her throat. "A kiss and a date?"
"Well, many dates and many kisses but let's start somewhere," He said, mischievously.
She stood up, putting the first aid box on the shelf. When she turned back to him, she found him standing close to her, too close. Nervous, she tried to move past him but he placed his hands on either side of her on the wall, making it impossible for her to leave.
She looked up, nervously.
"I need an answer, Queen."
She bit her lip. "You really think this will work, there is no future, you break bones, I fix them, we're literally polar opposites."
"It's destiny." He replied, wiggling his brows. "You and I—match made in heaven," Or Hell, he said to himself.
She let out a nervous sigh, and then finally nodded. "Okay, then, let's try this."
"Hmm. Now, what about my kiss." He asked, his gaze fixed on her lips.
Casting her gaze down for a moment before facing his, she drew in a deep breath. His expression was nothing less than entirely inviting, and with every shred of courage she had left, she moved closer to him, letting her body press lightly against his. She brushed her lips against his, lightning zinged through him, and he held her in his arms. Carefully, he took her mouth with passion, playing with her lips, teasing her with tiny licks of his tongue until her hands came up and tangled in his hair, urging him to come closer.
He had never felt something like that before. Sure, he had slept with sirens for carnal pleasure but this kiss surpassed everything that he had ever experienced or conjured in his wildest dreams. Gently their lips danced over each other. She opened her mouth, and his tongue swooped inside. As the kiss deepened, the sunset and the evening stars started to show themselves, and the world was for once right, even in the most wrong ways, everything made sense.
This was want and need. He wanted her for eternity and needed her to breath. Maybe this was love. Or maybe it was only a dangerous obsession. Whatever it was, it was moving like a runaway train and there was no stopping it, for now, the Devil was addicted.
**Beta credits to JessicaRae for being such amazing beta. As usual, you've done such great job. Thank you so much!
***Thank you all for your support, your kind reviews and your encouraging words.
I really hope you like this chapter because there is going to be a major turn of events after this. Do give me your kind feedback. I'll be eagerly waiting for your thoughts on this. Do you think the devil can fall in love? Or is he already in love?
**Scarlett2112 has the most brilliant story 'Eyes without a face' up. It's a page-turner and a must read! If you're not reading it yet, do check it out!
Have a safe week. Xoxo