Where the dock had been completely impersonal, the view before him was, literally, out of this world. It was as if they had walked out onto the surface of a planet with the most luxurious tropical vegetation he had ever seen. Glossy black paths weaved their way through a world of exquisite flowers and plants of the most diverse shapes and colors. Trees stood at least ten feet tall, with blue, yellow and purple leaves and glossy black trunks, rising towards what looked like a lilac sky with fluffy white clouds. The place was huge! They even had waterfalls that must have been at least twenty feet high.
Among the foliage stood structures that looked like ancient Greek temples, except they had holographic signs above them. The signs were in English, which struck Damon as being odd. In fact, he realized it was very odd that he understood everyone. English couldn't possibly be the universal language, could it?
"OH MY GOD!" Caroline and Bonnie squealed in delight. "This is heaven!"
"Not bad, right?" Zarek asked with a grin, enjoying their surprise.
"It's incredible," Rebekah said with a large smile on her face.
"I'd love to show you around," Zarek said to Rebekah, who smiled up at him shyly.
Damon looked at her as if she'd grown another head. Since when did Rebekah act… all girly-like?
"That would be awesome!" Damon heard Elena say.
When Zarek rolled his eyes in annoyance, Damon couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for him. "Welcome to my world," he murmured. "The world of human teenagers," grinning at Zarek.
The shifter looked at him and grinned. "I feel really, really sorry for you. At least I'm not permanently glued to their side," he said.
"Don't remind me," Damon groaned.
"So, when are we going on tour?" Bonnie asked.
"And when can we go shopping?" Caroline asked.
"Do they have a spa?" Elena added her own question.
The men all just rolled their eyes. "I'm taking you to the hotel and then I'm going to be in the bar, drinking," Zarek said.
"Count me in," Damon agreed.
"Us too," Ric, Tyler and Jeremy chimed in.
"But... we wanna visit," the girls whined. Suddenly, something that look like a small bird started flying towards them at full speed. Elena squealed, as it was headed straight for her, but it changed trajectory and stopped right in front of Zarek's face. And that's when Damon realized it wasn't actually a bird but a tiny person with wings.
"My wife can give your girls the tour," the small being said to Zarek. "The finest tour in all of Cuirmre, specially tailored to ladies who enjoy a spot of shopping. The fee is minimal and we offer a complete package."
Damon watched Zarek who just seemed to stare at the little flying man, who was no larger than his hand. He might have been shocked an hour ago, but – honestly – a fairy tour guide was no longer that much of a surprise.
"How much?" Zarek growled.
"Only 15,000 credits, Lord Dragon," the fairy said, with a lavish bow. "And my wife will bring her sisters along and each of your girls will have a permanent guide for the entire duration of their stay here."
"I don't know if we can afford that," Zarek said, looking for all the world like he was dirt poor. "It is a bit much."
"You know what? I'll drop it to 12,000. I know what it's like. Trust me. I'd rather be y'thlin bait than go shopping with the wife. Whenever we go on holiday, I'd love to be able to just chill out and have a drink with the mates but the wife has to drag me to every damn shop and spa in sight," the little man sighed dramatically.
Zarek just grinned at the fairy, "Fine, you got a deal. Bring your wife and her sisters over and I'll make the payment. But, no flitting away in the middle of the day or leaving them alone," Zarek said with a growl.
Elena, Bonnie, Caroline and even Rebekah, much to Damon's utter shock, squealed in delight. "We've got fairy personal assistants!" Caroline whispered loudly, trying not to appear too much like a country bumpkin, even though she felt like she was a cavewoman by comparison.
Zarek only smiled indulgently. A few minutes later, the same male fairy appeared, with four women in tow. Damon had to admit that they were all exquisitely beautiful, with golden skin, golden hair and eyes the color of blooming heather. Such tiny things, yet so amazingly beautiful. He smiled as one of them landed on his shoulder.
"Hello," she said, her voice soft and extremely erotic. Damon's eyes widened.
"Hi, honey," he said with a smirk. He couldn't help himself. She was just so sweet.
"My name's Ji'lalia," she said with a small smile.
"You have a lovely name. I'm Damon," he said.
"Aren't you the charmer? Please tell me I get you," she said with a grin and Damon laughed.
"Sorry love, but you're here for the girls," he said with a wink.
"Too bad," she said with a small pout as she rose into the air, her wings beating so fast that it was hard even for him to see them move. She moved in front of him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. At least that's what he thought it was. "If you ever need anything, you just ask for Ji'lalia and I'll take care of you, gorgeous," she said with a small wink.
"I'll be sure to do that," Damon replied. He looked at Stefan who was grinning from ear to ear. Apparently, he'd had a similar encounter with one of Ji'lalia's sisters, since there was a fairy fluttering in front of his face. They looked at each other, grinning like two morons. Who knew it could be so exhilarating to have two fairies flirt with them.
"I'm Rhi'lanel," the male fairy said to Zarek. "This is Lia'dra, my wife and her sisters, Ji'lalia, Ghi'na and Dhi'randa. We've been living on Cuirmre for the past century and their favorite pastime is shopping. Trust me, my bank account can feel it," he said in a conspiratorial whisper to Zarek. "So, don't worry, you're ladies will have the time of their life."
"Will they be safe on their own, with no protection," Damon asked, slightly worried considering the warnings Syn had given them regarding the arena.
"Oh, no need to worry Sir Vampire," Rhi'lanel assured him. "Protection is included in the price and since I gather the ladies haven't been here before, I'll make sure my best guard is assigned to them." The little fairy turned around and whistled, followed by a bellow of "Tarok, you're on the job."
Damon cocked an eyebrow. "My name's Damon and how can a…" he trailed off. He was going to ask how a fairy could provide protection against anything larger than a flea but decided shutting up was probably a better idea when he saw what approached them. Tarok was certainly not a fairy. Damon looked up and up.
"You called boss?" the ten foot, highly-muscled giant asked the fairy. Damon bit his lip hard in an effort not to laugh at the ridiculous sight of this giant calling the fair boss.
"You're on protection detail for these lovely ladies," the fairy said.
"Ladies," he said with a bow. The girls giggled. "I'm Tarok. And who do I have the pleasure of looking after?"
"I'm Rebekah and this is Caroline, Bonnie and Elena," Rebekah said with a small curtsey. Damon stared. It was as if someone had taken over Rebekah's body and the evil vampire had simply disintegrated.
"My lady, you honor me. It will be my absolute pleasure to ensure the safety of such lovely ladies," he said with a soft voice and a smile. All the girls giggled again.
"Trust us, it will totally be our pleasure to have you with us," Caroline gushed and the other girls nodded emphatically in agreement. Tyler, Jeremy and, surprisingly, Zarek just glared.
"A pleasure doing business with you, Lord Dragon," Rhi'lanel said. "This is my contact information, in case you require any other services," he continued, as he touched his tiny bracelet to Zarek's. Transferring information, Damon assumed. In seconds, he had disappeared.
"Will you be attending the opening ceremony for the Blood Games?" Tarok asked.
"Oh, yes, we definitely will be. We're actually meeting Syn in the hotel bar at 4:30," Rebekah said.
"Syn?" Tarok asked. "The Lady Syn Ana'Xaos of the House of Ceannsaich o Cogadh?"
"Yes, that's her," Rebekah replied. The four fairies, who were sitting on the girls' shoulders, started to flutter about anxiously. "Is something wrong?" Rebekah asked.
"Wrong? Is something wrong? What's right?" Lia'dra asked in a panic. "Rhi'lanel didn't whisper a word about this. I'm going to kill that fairy," she hissed, much to the dismay of their whole group.
"Tarok, what's going on?" Damon quietly asked the giant, curious as to what would cause the sudden panic in the fairies.
"You'll have to forgive the girls. It's just that they had no idea you were with Latha Ana'Xaos, and they feel a little unprepared," Tarok explained, his voice barely above a murmur.
"Unprepared?"
"If they had known they would be in the company of the legendary Latha Ana'Xaos, they would have… you know… done that thing women do and gotten all fancy and stuff," the giant whispered, making Damon grin.
Zarek was simply looking at the fairies as if they'd completely lost the plot. "Lord Dragon, I hope that idiot husband of mine waived the fee," Lia'dra said as she fluttered to Zarek.
"My lady, your husband and I came to a satisfactory arrangement," Zarek said courteously.
"He didn't, did he? That moronic cretin," she humphed. "You will be refunded in full. I will not take a penny from Latha Ana'Xaos!"
"Why not?" Ric spoke up for the first time since they had arrived, surprising Damon. He usually couldn't get Teach to shut up for five seconds.
The fairy seemed to grow in size as she huffed and puffed, seemingly quite annoyed. "How can you ask such a thing?" she practically screeched. "How can I take money from Latha Ana'Xaos who has fought for the better part of five millennia against the Krag so that those like me and everyone you see around you can walk free and live the lives we choose? I will accept no payment from the Lady Syn who risked her life to save our people from certain annihilation!" she finished.
Everyone was too dumbstruck to say anything, except for Rebekah, much to Damon's surprise, who was smiling softly. What the hell was going on? Who was Syn? Or maybe the better question was, what did she do? It certainly didn't seem like she lazed around all day being a goddess. Then again, he didn't know any goddesses so he had no idea what they'd be doing all day anyway. He looked at Stefan questioningly, but they both shrugged at each other.
"My lady Lia'dra," Zarek began but was quickly interrupted.
"And you," she said pointing at him. " You must be Zarek, Dragon Lord and bond of Latha Ana'Xaos."
"Yes, I am, but…" he tried again.
"Right, my husband is dead. He's going to be spit-roasted for dinner," she said, tapping her little foot in the air. The sight was quite hilarious. "And, please, my lord, call me Lia."
"Only if you call me Zarek," he said and put a hand up when she was about to launch into a fresh tirade. "Please, the my lord crap gets old. And Latha Ana'Xaos would be furious if she learned you refused her money. She would see it as a lack of respect," Zarek tried to explain.
"But, how? Because I cannot expect payment from one who has done so much for us?"
"Lia," he said patiently, "Syn does what she does so that we all may enjoy a life of freedom and happiness, so that every creature, large or small, can choose their own path. She doesn't do it for glory. So, how do you think she would feel if she found out that the very people's lives she saved were her slaves?"
"But, we are not her slaves! We aren't being forced to do anything. This is our choice," Lia said, though her voice was less confident.
"My lady Lia, you would be working for free. While you aren't being forced, it is still a form of slavery and that is something that Latha Ana'Xaos does not condone. Would you want to damage her reputation?"
"Oh, by the stars, NO! I didn't realize…" the fairy trailed off. "But…"
"If you truly wish to show your appreciation, then just thank her and treat her like any other being. Trust me, Lia, it's what would make her happy," Zarek said and Damon could see the sincerity in his eyes.
"Are you sure?" the fairy asked.
"There is no greater gift you can give her," Zarek nodded.
"And that is why any male or female of any species in the ATP Army would gladly lay down our lives for the Lady Syn," Tarok whispered to Damon, who looked up at him curiously.
"ATP?" he asked.
"Alliance of Tuathan Planets," Zarek said. "And you are right, my friend, we would all gladly die for her," he said to the giant. "You served?"
"With pride," Tarok said, standing taller. "And I still do. This is just a temporary job while on leave. I have a few months of downtime but I go insane if I just sit still," the giant said with a shrug.
Stefan and Ric had inched towards Damon during the conversation and were glaring at him. "What haven't you told us?" Ric hissed.
"Hey! Don't look at me. I have no idea what the fuck is going on!" he hissed back. Syn was some intergalactic legend? She fought in an army? There was a fucking war to fight in? Hell, how the fuck should he know? He hadn't even known there were aliens and pleasure satellites an hour ago, let alone a fricking alliance of planets.
"Oh, Lia, if you really want to make Latha Ana'Xaos happy, make sure these ladies have a great time," he heard Zarek say with a grin to the fairy, who perked up, glad she could actually do something.
"Right, we have to get you all settled in, if we're going to be on time to meet Latha Ana'Xaos," Lia said as she transformed from sweet fairy to General, giving everyone orders.
It couldn't have been more than ten minutes before they had all been shown to their rooms. Of those, five minutes they had spent gaping at the lobby of the hotel, with its floating platforms, overhead aquarium with the strangest fish Damon had ever seen and floors that he would have thought were marble had they been home but these were a deep red with gold and silver streaks that actually seemed to move through the rock. Nope, definitely not marble.
Elena had actually squealed at one point, jumping to the side, when one of the golden things had slithered away from under her foot. Zarek had burst out laughing. Elena's glare only made him laugh harder. "I'm sorry," he gasped, "it's just that it's the first time I've seen anyone freaked out by Fad'na rock."
"Very funny. But maybe you could explain what it is, before you pass out from laughing so hard," Elena said, clearly irritated.
Zarek only laughed harder. "Lia, please," he gasped, obviously begging the fairy for help. Since she had covered her mouth as well, she was probably enjoying the moment as well.
If he were honest, Damon wasn't far from laughing himself, not just at Elena's reaction – because, come on, let's be serious, this was an upscale place and they wouldn't have things that bite in the floors – but at how annoyed she was that everyone was having a laugh. He glanced at Stefan and they shared a grin.
It actually felt good, Damon thought. Ever since Syn had removed the compulsion and given him the power to control the bloodlust the day before, he and Stefan had been getting along really well and he was glad. It hadn't taken him long to fall back into the same pattern they had had as humans, when they looked at each other all the time, communicating silently as only brothers could. Syn had given him his brother back.
"Well, Fad'na rock is unique and quite expensive as it can only be found on one planet, which is on the border of Krag territory. It has a shifting magnetic field so that if you place any form of metal on it, it will move towards the position where the magnetic field has moved. What you see on the floor is basically liquid rhald, a type of metal that doesn't solidify, that has been poured on top of the rock and then covered with an energy field. Essentially, we are walking on the energy field, but you can't tell because it is only a few microns above the rock. That's how you get the pretty designs," Lia finished her lecture.
"That's fascinating," Ric said and everyone nodded as they were all intently studying the floor. Zarek had disappeared in the meantime to what Damon presumed was the front desk, though it didn't look like any front desk he had ever seen. It was a ten foot wide holographic screen, which was manned by three very human-looking women. In no time at all, Zarek was back, holding a small ball of blue light in his hand.
"Okay, so who's staying with who?" he asked.
"I'm with Bonnie," Caroline said quickly, which made Elena frown.
"Okay, come here, then," Zarek replied. "Hold out your left wrists." When they complied, he touched the ball of light to their bracelets. "You've got room 45098. But don't worry, you don't have to remember the number. Just swipe your bracelet along the black pad on the platform that's waiting behind you and you'll be taken directly to your room," he explained.
The girls nodded and turned around, jumping on the platform Zarek had referred to, which looked a bit like a small floating stage, complete with neon lights. And it hovered just above the floor. When Caroline swiped her bracelet, a guard came up around the whole platform, stopping exactly at the same height as Caroline's waist. Then, the damn thing took off. Gently, yes. But no one had expected it to fly!
They had continued to pair off. Jeremy with Tyler, seeing as their girlfriends had abandoned them, Ric and Stefan, Rebekah with Elena, even though Zarek had proposed otherwise to Rebekah but she had declined. She didn't know him well enough, yet, she had said with that mysterious smile women use to drive men insane as they spend days wondering what the hell it means.
"I guess that leaves me with you," Damon said, though he was rather disappointed. He had hoped Syn would want them to share a room. But, she was probably staying in the royal suite or some other crap like that with her family. He tried not to show his irritation show.
"Actually, no. This is your room and this is mine. So, see you down here in five for a drink?"
"Damn straight," Damon said with a smile. Once he got on his own platform and rose above the aquarium ceiling, he saw that the structure didn't have any hallways. It was and octagonal structure that was hollow all the way to the top and the doors were in the walls so that if some poor schmuck was drunk and opened the door accidentally, they'd take one hell of a flying leap. His platform rose to his room and it docked, the door sliding open silently.
He sighed. Well, at least he didn't have to share with Zarek. Maybe he could convince Syn to spend a night with him. As soon as he entered the room, the lights started coming on and he looked around, seriously impressed. It was damn huge. Almost the same size as one floor of the boarding house. The bed alone was as big as his room and was covered in black and red satin sheets. It was clear that they had guests of varying sizes.
The floor seemed to be the same Fad'na rock as in the lobby, except that this one was black instead of red. The windows, which covered two walls from floor to ceiling, looked out onto the tropical paradise of Cuirmre.
He threw his bag down next to what he thought were cupboards and threw himself on the bed. He almost squealed in a very un-vampire-like way when the bed started to shift underneath him. What the hell? He decided keeping still was a good idea and that's when he realized the area he was lying on was molding itself to the shape of his body. Damn, he needed to get one of these! It was fucking amazing!
At that moment he heard a voice. "Sir, this is the porter. May I enter?"
"Yes, of course," he said as he jumped up. A man walked in, pushing a cart that hovered above the floor, which held a large case. He quickly unloaded it and bowed to Damon before turning to leave.
"One moment," Damon called out. He didn't know what had been delivered but he always tipped.
"Yes, Sir?" the porter enquired. Damon extended his wrist, showing him the bracelet.
"It's my first time here. How can I give you a tip?" Damon asked, realizing he had no idea how to actually transfer credits in a situation like this.
The porter smiled. "That's very kind of you, Sir, but it's already been taken care of," he said as he bowed and left the room. Damon shrugged and jumped back on the bed. He checked the time and saw he had about two minutes before he had to meet Zarek downstairs.
Then he heard the door slide open again and he looked up. He grinned when he saw Syn walk in.
"This place is amazing," he said by way of greeting.
"I'm glad you like it," she said with a smile. Damon couldn't hold back anymore so he jumped off the bed and sped towards her at full vampire speed, gathering her in his arms and swinging her around.
She threw her head back and laughed. When he came to a stop, he let her slide down his body and they both moaned at the contact. She wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss but when he went to deepen it, she pulled back.
"No way," she said putting a hand up. "If we start that, I'm never going to be ready for the damn ceremony on time." He pouted. Syn simply couldn't resist that pout and gave him another kiss. "Go on, of you go. Zarek's downstairs in the bar, waiting for you. I have to get ready."
That's when it clicked in Damon's head. "You're staying here?" he asked.
"Yes, of course," she replied. "Where else would I stay?" she asked in obvious surprise.
"I don't know. I guess I didn't think you'd want to stay with me," Damon replied, his damned insecurity surfacing again. Fuck, he was going to embarrass himself in front of her.
"Damon, trust me, there's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here, with you. And just in case you didn't get it through that thick head of yours, of course I damned well want to stay with you, stupid," she said, poking her tongue out at him.
He laughed. He couldn't help it. She was so different. So free, so happy and she made him feel so warm inside. "Sweetheart, if you ever want to leave this room again, I suggest you keep your tongue in your mouth," he said with a lewd grin as he stalked towards her.
"Shit, Damon, shut up. Seriously," she groaned as she backed away from him. "The last thing I need is Dad popping and seeing your naked ass because I'm late for the ceremony." That stopped him in his tracks.
"Fuck! Nope, definitely not how I want to meet Lucifer the first time. I'll be downstairs with Zarek," he said quickly and sped towards the door, running his bracelet across the reader.
"Chicken!" he heard her call out. When the doors opened, he turned towards her and backed out of the room, his arms going and he clucked, doing his best impersonation of a chicken. The sound of her laughter was music to his ears.