The door opened. Elena turned her head and watched her new master walk in. She gasped in disbelief to discover her master is Elijah.
He walked toward her and sat down on the edge of the bed. He reached his hand to touched her cheek but she dodged his touch by looking the other way.
"Do you already hate me?"
She didn't respond. Her hands curved into tight fists, start the process in pain to free them from the tight ropes.
"It's rude to refuse to look at someone in the eyes, Elena."
"You're one to talk. If I recall what those dogs taught me back in camp, it's not nice to kidnap people either."
"Did they teach you that after you were punished for killing a dog?"
"I'm sure my crime is far more forgiving then yours. So don't talk down at me as if you're better than me."
"But I am."
She chuckled humorlessly, her eyes still looking away from his. "An old vampire trapped in a young bitch's body. Tell me, when was the last time you killed a helpless person. Two minutes ago?"
"Let's not judge, Elena."
"You started it. Now tell me, why did you bring me here?"
"I will not answer any questions until you respectively look me in the eyes."
"Is that really necessary? If you think you're such a good man, you should be ashamed to be so comfortable being near a girl you ordered to be kidnapped against her own fucking will."
"You want answer don't you. I can provide them for you until you cooperate with me."
She licked her lips and turned her head back around to meet his eyes. "There. There I did it. You happy?"
"Not yet. I ordered one of my men to bring you here-"
"You mean kidnap, sedate me, hurt me. Yeah he did all that. Did you give him extra with the plan of drugging me?"
"The headache will wear off in an hour. I have some medicine for you, some aspirin will help."
"Fuck your medicine. Take me back, Elijah. Just give it up. I belong to another."
He chuckled. She flinched as his hand touched her arm. "I can be a better master for you, Elena. Don't trust Damon, he cannot be an ally for you, only an enemy."
"You can't brainwash me, Elijah. I've been trained to believe in myself, to prevent myself from getting mad. It's necessary since you bitchy vamps are too stubborn to worry over us who are working and being tortured in a hell hole full of dirt, mud, and fucking dogs who treat us nothing but shit."
"And yet you married one?"
"Leave Mason out of this. He at least has some feelings inside him, unlike you, you're just stone, hard with nothing to feel."
"On the contrary, Elena, I do know how to feel, such a knowledge well-known than you. And my feelings right now for you are nothing but care and love."
"You don't know what love is."
"Neither do you."
"I do. I certainly do. Just not with a vampire of course. I don't see how normal it is to care for a dead guy who's heart continues to beat no matter how much time passes."
"I do care for you, Elena. Maybe not love, that is what I want to develop, however."
She sighed. Angrily she lifted her head quickly from the pillow and slammed it hard on it. "This is insane. I want to be free. Let me be, Elijah! Set me free!"
"And let you escape back to the arms of your dear, darling Salvatore? Come now, Elena, don't make the same mistake Katherine made. You two are distinguishable from the inside of your thinking, and strictly the personality. But there is one thing both of you have something in common: you both fell in love with Damon."
"Katherine." Her tone fell low and calm. "That's what it's all about..Are you obsessed with her, Elijah? I-I'm not her. I will never be and you can never have her because she's dead, Elijah. Dead."
"I know you're not her. But I never had the chance to be with her." His hand smoothed up to her hands. His touch made her skin crawl, but she was helpless in this situation. "And I don't want that chance to slip away from me again. Elena, for now on, you are no longer Damon's, or belong to anyone. You belong to me, and me only."
"I'm married. I have werewolves and a large pack to defend me. When Mason finds out what happened to me, there will be war. Elijah, I doubt the other vampires would be on your side when that happens. Because, wake up, bitch, that big tension is what you fucking vampires have been trying to cool down with the werewolves. Why are you against your own bloodsucking kind for me? I'm not worth the trouble - I don't care if you die or any of you vamps, but I sure as hell care for my life."
"I don't feel the need to worry over any possible war. There is too much to be done before the police barge in for an investigation."
"Like what? A burial?"
"Our wedding."
She shook her head and again tried to fight the tight ropes tied around her wrists. "Are you crazy? Elijah you're asking for the impossible. You can't marry a married woman. Not to mention, I am threatened by you, that's enough concern for Mason to worry over. Werewolves are not kind to vamps, and not slow neither."
"I have a brother who desires a werewolf clan, Elena. I have nothing to fear."
"There is plenty for you to fear. I am one of the most protected humans. You can't touch me."
"No, beautiful. There you're wrong." His hand took hers, folding his fingers to hers. "I have the most important resource this world needs that your dog husband can't offer. That's money. Wealth is what vampires need to turn their heads around."
"Dogs are more - "
"They are able to be defeated. If you're determined that you're well looked after, I can present you the evidence that you're wrong, perhaps the head of your husband. It's not that hard to kill one dog when you have two vampires present."
"I know someone will find me. I won't be trapped in here for long."
"No, there you're wrong again. What you're going to do is stay here until Damon pushes me to have you back. I will return you to him so I can privately arrange a settlement for us to be married. The others in the Witch Council have agreed to use you as a replacement to Katherine's position. Katherine brought a powerful political connection with the werewolves and the humans. She was the one that got you in those bloody camps. If she was never Damon's whore, you would be slaughtered before you were born. The life of humans back then were violated by the uncontrollable society of vampires; there were just no effective rules to control them, that was, of course, until Katherine sacrificed her humanity and changed to be like me, to be an eternal creature, and made a big impact worldwide."
"And why would I do that?"
"Because if you don't, I will arrange a good deal with one of my men for a very convenient assassination."
"You can't touch my family. They're protected."
"I was not referring to your family, I assure you, I will not risk to bother them. I was referring to, however, your master who's probably discussing matters with the police."
Her heart raised of hearing this. She fought harder, twisting her wrist to break free. Her eyes watered from the pain, but she sucked in her breath, refusing to drop her strength to stay strong.
"..Damon will not die. You will not kill him."
"He can. And I will. I've been wanting to kill him for a long time, Elena. And you gave me a even more good reason to have him gone from this world quicker."
"I won't let you."
"You're human, Elena. What can you do to stop a vampire like me? You're not strong as I am, nor have the freedom to do anything by your wishes."
"..I'll hate you forever if you do."
He smiled and brushed the top of her hand with the tip of his thumb. "You do care for him? That proves me right, you're making the mistake as Katherine did."
"It's not a mistake, Elijah. You are the mistake. Maybe Katherine made a good choice in her life, even though she was killed, she went through a short life with someone she loved. And guess what, you weren't that man, the man she loved."
She breathed heavily but quietly through her nose as he turned furious at what she said. Her teeth gritted tightly as he tightened his grip on her hand.
"I am not a patient man, Elena. Will you accept my proposal or will you just stand back and watch Damon to die?"
"I need time to think. Leave me alone."
"The police will arrive pretty sooner than you think, Elena. You've only been here for an hour. Damon probably returned to his home by now to discover your absence."
"You could have stopped by at the house then, instead of going through all this risk."
Elijah released her hand and slapped her across the face. "Give me an answer."
"Ow!"
He slapped her again and again. Her cheek burned, a sizzling pain marked on her skin that's now pink. She blinked that made tears to release from her eyes.
"Answer me. That's all I want."
"..That hurt."
"I'll slap you again until you give me an answer."
"Go to hell!"
She received another slap on the cheek. But it didn't end from there, he took both her cheeks, his fingers pressed deeply to her skin, the tip of his thumb pressed hard on the edge of her jaw line. She tried to look away, but he held her head in place.
"Listen to me. I don't like to wait on answers and certainly dislike people talking back at me. I am very positive those filthy dogs taught you this: once you talk back, you'll never see the light of day for a couple of hours. That is one valuable lesson you must remember because this is the same treatment I will not be afraid to give to you no matter how hard it is."
A painful silence overpowered to use her voice. Her pooled eyes bore into his dangerous ones. He smirked and leaned his face closer to hers.
"I take that you understand me."
She was quiet..the room was quiet.
The barbarity in the camps of what she's known all her life for once seems more sweeter to be in then being locked up with a dangerous vampire in the same room. Everything has been a fear. The vampires. The money. The time she has left to be young and vibrant. And Elijah. Life has been too cruel like this. A game that cannot be beaten and destined her life to end before she cross the finish line. The only thing to be blessed is to use the little time to survive, then helplessly surrender to the strong authority her enemies have successfully succeeded to mark her in pain, to feel hurt, to hate.
"You will marry me and be my wife. After the wedding is finalized and your Damon unable to reach you, I will turn you myself, so you can live forever and time won't be able to catch up with you. Do we have a agreement, Elena?"
The power of silence did not release the control of her voice. She was not able to get herself to even respond with a shake of her head. Elijah was ready to slap her again. But before his palm touched the skin of her pink cheek, the sound of her lips parting stopped him.
"We have an agreement, you-son-a-bitch. If you leave Damon alone and my family, I'll marry you. I'll marry you, you bastard. You..You filthy bastard."