7
The Ball
"Miss Gilbert, please stop moving," Katie, her maid tried to hide her annoyance, but she was obviously failing and Elena couldn't blame her, she was so excited that she was squirming all over the place. She was going to a ball, an actual ball.
She didn't know what to expect at a human-vampire ball, but hopefully it wouldn't be that different from the balls back home. She was wearing her new gold dress that showed off her tiny waist, along with the black silk gloves that were perfect for it.
In her jewelry box she had found a necklace and earrings made of black diamonds that adorned her neck and ears. Katie had done her makeup and had styled her hair in loose waves.
"Am I done, Katie?" she asked, she couldn't wait to get out of this house.
"Yes," Katie said as she took one last look. "You're done."
"Thank you." She lifted up her dress slightly and exited her room, she was surprise when she saw Damon waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. He didn't say anything, he simply stared at her as if he had never seen her before.
"Damon, are you all right?"
That snapped Damon out of his thoughts. "You're late." He offered his arm so that they could walk towards the carriage together. "And you look lovely." He said after a while.
Elena was surprise by the compliment that she could hardly say yes, instead she simply said. "You look nice too." Dashing, might have been a better word, he was wearing a simple tux, but he looked different than other men, more sure of himself.
She looked back at the empty house. "Aren't Lexi and Stefan coming?"
"Nope," he said as she held her by the waist and helped her up into the carriage. "Parties aren't really my brother's scene and he asked Lexi to keep him company."
The Mikaelson home was even more extraordinary than the Salvatore plantation because they were its founders, it reminded Elena of the home of a queen. It seemed like rooms and hallway never seemed to end it was like a beautiful, ornamented dream that was filled with paintings, little pillows, and several books. There was already a large buffet table filled with food and desserts and an open bar for the gentlemen.
There were several guests already and Rebekah, Klaus, and Elijah were greeting their guests.
"Mr. Salvatore, Miss Gilbert we are so pleased that you could join us." Elijah greeted them warmly and Elena was flattered that he could remember her name.
"Thank you for inviting us." Elena said shyly.
"At least this one has manners," Klaus said. "Unlike you Bekah."
"Oh shut up, Nik!" the blond snapped before she turned to Elena. "I'm Rebekah."
They exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes until Damon whispered in her ear. "Go find your friends." She looked at him, wondering if he was joking but he simply winked.
Elena gave him a grateful smile as she picked up her skirts in search of her friends. Perhaps Damon wasn't so bad after all.
Elena felt relief when she saw Caroline and Katherine sitting in a couch for two. Katherine was dressed in a purple silk dress with her elegant curls and a little feather in her hair, while Caroline was wearing a beautiful green sapphire dress with a little headband in her golden hair.
"Elena," she squealed. "You look so beautiful!"
"You too," she looked at Katherine who she saw was wincing with every move. "Are you ok Kat?"
"Oh, don't mind her," Caroline gave a little giggle. "She's just sore and moody, but it's her fault she keeps making Elijah angry when he is so much easier to please than Klaus."
Katherine gave her a dirty glare.
Elena looked confused, because Caroline explained. "Katherine has been making Elijah angry all week when she knows he's been stressed and she was refusing to wear a corset and that finally made Elijah snap, I keep warning her, but she doesn't listen, it's like she enjoys being spanked."
"He didn't have to paddle me so hard!" Katherine fumed. "I won't be able to sit down for a week."
Elena had a hard time imagining the stiff, polite Elijah with the sassy and flighty Katherine, but if someone could control Katherine it would probably be Elijah.
"Oh, please." Katherine replied hotly. "I can't be the only one getting spanked, Caroline has Klaus wrapped around her little finger, but what about you, Elena?"
Elena blushed. "Only once, the first night when I refuse to sleep with him and I slapped him. But only once."
"Lucky." Muttered Katherine.
"Oh, good." Caroline said. "We're moving on to our first nights."
"You want to talk about it," Elena asked as she looked around. "Here with vampires with super hearing."
"All right," Caroline relented. "Some other time just us girls, do you like my little headband? Klaus brought it from me from France."
"Another brandy gentleman?" Klaus offered towards his friends at the bar. "I know my brother sure needs one after dealing with his little vixen of a slave."
"At least I'm not bossed by mine." He said coolly. "At least I can have the upper hand on Katherine."
Klaus became a crimson shade and threw an angry look at Elijah.
"Big brothers can be pain, can't they?" Damon gave a slight smirk to Klaus as he approached him.
Klaus snorted in response. "Speaking of brothers where is yours?"
"At home being boring."
"Figures." He looked back to where the girls were chatting. Damon couldn't help but noticed that Elena's cheeks were flushed from happiness. Damon had never seen her so happy, it suited her. "Your slave is rather pretty, though I prefer blonds, how is she in the bedroom?"
"Hard to tell." Damon frowned. "We've only done it once."
Klaus eyes widened in mock surprise. "Damon Salvatore nice to a lady? Any reason why you haven't forced her into your bed?"
"Because she bursts into tears every time I get near her." Damon snapped.
"Now no need to get so impatient, just be your lovely, charming self."
"What about you and Caroline?" he arched an eyebrow. "Or is she just a pit stop like all the others."
Klaus took a sip of his drink. "Hard to say, though she certainly knows how to play her cards well."
"Oh, the dancing is starting!" there was an large amount of giggling as the orchestra started playing the jolly music and Elena suddenly found herself alone as Caroline and Katherine were taken by the respective partners.
Elena started tapping her foot to the rhythm, oh how she wished that somebody would ask her to dance. Damon noticed the little motion that she was doing with her feet. He gave an exaggerated bow. "Miss Gilbert."
Elena happily grabbed his hand, forgetting everything. She was glad that even though she was surrounded by vampires the dances were the same, they did some waltzes and then some fast little dances.
"This party is amazing," Elena echoed as Damon wrapped an arm around her waist, one of his hands was entwined with her's.
"It's funny."
"What's funny?"
"That you have any other emotions other than pouting and feeling sorry for yourself." He said.
"Well, you weren't much of a gentleman." She huffed.
"And you playing in the dirt doesn't make you a lady."
"I wasn't playing I was-"Damon cut her off by planting a quick kiss on her lips.
Elena blushed. "Why did."
"To make you quiet."
Elena was disappointed when the ball ended at midnight and after a series of quick goodbyes they found their way back to the carriage and on their way home. It had been such a fun evening with dancing and champagne and friends, Elena wished that there would be another soon.
Damon noticed this on the way home. "There will be other balls, Elena." There was a light sarcasm in his tone. "The season is just starting."
"I know." She lied as she looked around the streets, she frowned when she looked down an alley, and it looks so dark and forbidding unlike the others. "Damon, what is that? Where does that lead to?"
There was an iron grip on her wrist at once. "Elena, listen to me because I will only tell you once, you must never go in there."
"I won't," she squirmed. "Damon, you're hurting me."
Damon released his grip. "That place is dangerous, and it's no place that a young lady should go."
-End of Chapter Seven-
