Chapter 25: Malleus Malleficarum

Elena was afraid to go back to sleep, but she was extremely tired as she sat there with Damon. She kept feeling her neck afraid that it had been real, but Damon had even checked it for her and said it was as soft as ever. She soon became curious though and ran to the bathroom to check the rest of her body to make sure it wasn't somewhere hidden. Satisfied her body was mark free she took a deep breath thinking she was going insane. She splashed some water on her face, and when she looked up into the mirror she saw not only herself looking back at her, but him as if he were right behind her.

"Damon!" She called and he kicked the door in.

When he looked around, though, there was nothing there. "What's wrong?"

"I saw him, I swear he was right behind me, I saw him in the mirror."

"Alright, come on." He said taking her hand and took her back out to the living room.

"I'm going insane." She whined as she sat back down on the couch. Damon wrapped his arm around her comfortingly and she pressed her face into his chest. "Don't let me fall asleep."

Meanwhile, Caroline was having a nightmare of her own. She was on her way to meet Matt at the Grille after his shift. She was walking through the alleyway towards the back and stopped as she heard a loud thud. She walked closer, slowly, until she heard Matt scream, then she ran around the corner. Matt was lying beside the dumpster, which had a large dent in it now, and another man was standing over him, killing him.

"No!" She cried getting the stranger's attention. He stood and she looked down to see Matt's lifeless body covered in his own blood. "Matt." She said softly as tears formed and she took a step forward, she wanted to go to him, but the stranger stopped her holding up his hand.

"Ah." He said. "Stay right there." His voice was deep, soothing, and soft like velvet. His long black hair was tied back into a pony tail. His eyes glowed red at first, then seemed to dull into such a dark brown that they were almost black. He stepped forward and she noticed he was barefoot. His long black slacks were wet at the bottom, and his black shirt was too from blood. His shirt was loose and open at the top with a string, it reminded her of Zorro's outfit. "I won't harm you." He promised as he stepped closer.

"Why did you kill him?" She asked still crying.

"Because you love him." He stated. "He'd get in my way."

"Your way of what?"

He was standing right in front of her now. His hand came up to brush against her cheek. "You're so beautiful, Caroline."

She tried to look away, but her eyes wouldn't move from his. His touch burned, but she couldn't move away from it. He was so beautiful. His skin was pale, like a vampire's, and smooth.

"What do you want?"

He just smirked without answering her. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, and she felt the burn. Then she woke up in her bed sweating and panting. She quickly turned her bedside lamp on and the room was clear. Her hand flew to her cheek, it was cold as usual.

Stefan sat down to talk to those of the second generation figuring they would know more than the others.

"You look extremely troubled, Stefan." Milena said without empathy. "More than usual anyway."

"Elena had a nightmare." He stated, his voice low with worry.

"You came here over a bad dream?" She asked.

"It's more than that." He argued. "It wasn't so much the dream as the man she saw in it."

"Who?" Annemarie asked curiously leaning forward in her seat.

"We don't know him." He reached behind himself to pull out the journal he had put in the waist of his pants. "But back in 1864 Johnathan Gilbert saw him too, just not in a dream."

"Alright, I'm listening." MIlena said now intrigued.

Stefan read the journal entry aloud and Serena and the other two girls exchanged looks which got the others' attention. The men seemed clueless.

"Oh boy." Annemarie sighed setting back into her seat. "Not again."

"What?" Sebastian and Nicholas asked together.

"We've seen him too." She answered.

"Marie!" Milena blurted. Apparently, that had been their little secret.

"If it's really him a lot of people – women – are in danger, Milena. We can't stay quiet."

"Who is he?" Stefan asked.

"It sounds like Lilu." Mara said surprising everyone. Serena looked at her mother confused as to how she would know him. They hadn't even known his true name for a long time.

"Mama, how do you know this?"

"Because like you three, he came for me when I was young." She answered. Elijah looked at her with a worried expression on his face, she had never told him. "Then I married your father and he left. But, he came back years later for you girls claiming if he couldn't have me then he'd have one of you. That's why I wanted you married, to save you from Lilu. Not for money as you believed."

"He comes after maidens only?" Stefan asked catching on.

"Not necessarily virgins, just unmarried women. Although, he's been known to make exceptions."

"Why did you let me think that?" Serena asked her mother upset with herself that she thought so badly of her mother for so long.

"The truth was too dark and disturbing. I didn't want you to live in fear of him as I did."

"So what is he exactly?" Stefan asked.

"Christanity calls him an Incubus." Serena answered.

Stefan knew the term, who didn't? He didn't want to believe it though, because he never actually believed they existed. He should've though, considering he himself was a creature that wasn't supposed to exist. "What does he want?"

"You have to ask?" Nathaniel asked budding in as he walked into the room.

"Nathaniel." Serena barked restraining her cousin. "Have you ever read the Malleus Maleficarum written by Heinrich Kramer in 1486, Stefan?"

"Yes actually."

"Do you remember the name Asmodeus?"

He shook his head not recalling.

"Asmodeus is one of the seven princes of Hell."Nathaniel explained budding in again, which he got a dirty look for but he ignored her. "There is one for every deadly sin and he is the prince of lust."

"I don't understand."

"Asmodeus bore two children with an unknown mother – some say it was Lilith, some a human, and some say they're just parts of himself - twins, a boy and a girl – Lilu and Lilitu." Serena explained.

"You know them as the Incubus and the Succubus." Nathaniel added.

"And now he's after Elena so he can bed her." Stefan sank into the chair knowing exactly what the Incubus wanted. He wiped his face frustrated.

"We don't know that yet. He seduces many women when he comes into an area, he makes them fall so madly in love with him that they fight each other for his affection. When he's had his fun he chooses only one of them and kills the rest making himself stronger."

"Or they kill each other for the sake of competition." Nathaniel added.

That explained why only one girl was missing that summer, why her body was never found, while all the other girls like poor Miranda Forbes was found dead.

By the time the sun came up Elena was so exhausted that she could barely keep her eyes open. She stared out the window watching the sunrise. Stefan hadn't returned yet, and Damon was getting antsy. He was thirsty and hadn't brought any blood with him figuring he wouldn't be gone this long.

"Alright, that's it." He said coming back into the living room. "You're coming with me." He said trying to pick her up.

"NO, Damon." She argued pushing him away. "I'm not leaving Jeremy. He could be in danger too."

"Well, he's obviously not having nightmares, so I think he's safe."

"Damon."

Giving up he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Stefan's number. When he heard the click meaning Stefan had picked up he said, "What the hell is taking so long?"

"Things just got complicated."

"Like they weren't before." Damon said unimpressed. "Would you hurry up? I'm dying of thirst over here and Elena is nearly passed out."

"Don't let her fall asleep, Damon, I mean it."

"Since when is sleeping dangerous?"

"Since that's how he draws her in."

"Who?"

"I'll explain when I get there, just don't let her out of your sight." Stefan said then hung up in a hurry as he was standing outside the house. Meanwhile Eli and Noah were walking towards him after being out all night. "Well?" Stefan asked.

"If anything evil steps foot in this town we'll know it." Eli said.

"If only we could keep him out of their heads." Noah added as he walked past Stefan into the house.

"He can't harm her in a dream." Nathaniel promised patting Stefan on the back for reassurance.

"When will he come forher?" Stefan asked.

"It's hard to say. A couple days, three at the most. I can tell you this: the dreams will only get worse."

"How do you mean?"

"Through them is how he courts the women. It's how he gets them to let him in, to trust him."

"I thought Incubus' just crept up on you and took you while you were sleeping without permission." Stefan said.

"Well, he could, but honestly I think he does it for his old man." Nathaniel guessed, meaning Asmodeus. "The princes of Hell are known for wanting things from people, sacrifice and offerings to keep them at bay. I think giving into his children willingly, giving into the lust is the offering."

"What if they don't?"

"If Elena is truly the one he wants, and she won't give in to him, then the only way is as Mara said" Stefan turned his head to face him intrigued. "get married."

Caroline didn't know who else to run to so she showed up at Elena's house. Now they were sitting up in her room without Damon to have some girl talk.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked freaking out. "How is it we're having the same dream?"

Elena shook her head. "I said we saw the same man." She corrected. "I didn't see him kill Matt. What I saw was you and Bonnie arguing."

"About what?"

"Him."

"I actually wanted him?" Caroline said, it gave her the chills. "Although, I have to admit he is pretty hot." Caroline muttered, then once she realized what she said she put her hand over her mouth. "No, I didn't mean that."

"Yes, you did." Elena said. "We both think it, because he wants us to think that. I just don't understand why." They heard a knock on the door and Elena thought it was Damon. She rolled her eyes saying, "Not now Damon."

But the door opened and it was Stefan. "Sorry to interrupt." He said.

"Stefan." She got up from her bed and hugged him. "Finally."

"We secured the town." He said. "If he comes we'll know." Then he noticed Caroline. "You had the nightmare too?"

"Well, not the same one, but he was in it."

"Did they know anything?" Damon asked from the doorway.

"You might want to sit." Stefan told her pushing her to the bed.

"Just tell me."

"Do you know what an Incubus is?"

"You're kidding." Damon said. "I thought that was just some horror story."

"We thought the same thing about vampires once upon a time too." Elena said. Damon had to give her that one.

"What is it?" Caroline asked.

"An Incubus is the male version." Damon said. "They…" He paused trying to think of a way to put it lightly.

"What?"

"You don't want to know." He sighed realizing there was no light way to put it.

Elena looked to Stefan waiting for an explanation, but he couldn't bring himself to say it either. "Here." He said handing her a book, the Malleus Maleficarm. "Read section one."

Serena woke Alec up to give him the bad news. "Morning, lover." She said trying to hide her emotions and pretend to be happy since they were supposed to be getting married today.

He didn't fall for it though. "What's wrong?"

She sighed. "We can't get married, yet."

"Why not?" He asked thinking she were joking, so he played along.

"Because someone's coming and…"

His face went white and sullen. She wasn't joking. "And what?"

"You're going to hate me for this."

He sat on the edge of the bed taking her hand. "Serena, you're scaring me."

"I promise I will marry you, just not yet."

"That's not good enough." He pressed, harder than he'd meant to so he softened his voice. "I want a reason. Who's coming?"

"His name is Lilu, and he's – "

"Another man?" The sternness came back into his voice from jealousy. "You said there hasn't been another man since – "

"I didn't lie!" She yelled standing from the bed. "He came before you, way before you."

He wanted to smack himself for jumping to such a conclusion so quickly. He stood up putting his forehead to hers, whispering, "Serena, I'm sorry, I trust you, I do, I just don't understand."

"Lilu's a demon." She said turning away from him. "He – he came to me when I was a teenager, back when I was living with my grandparents."

"A demon?"

She nodded. "He chose me."

"Chose you for what?"

"It doesn't matter." She said wiping her teary eyes. "What matters is that he's coming back and I am the only one who can protect Elena from him. You cannot tell anyone about this, especially my mother. She'll die if she knows I'm having anything to do with him."

"I promise."

She began to cry feeling ashamed and guilty. "Luke was the only thing keeping him away from me. Now that he's gone, Lilu will want me while I'm unwed."

"Then why aren't we getting married?" He asked not understanding her logic. "You don't want him right?"

"Of course I don't! But I can't let him get to Elena. He obviously doesn't know I'm here or else I would've had the dream too. So maybe if he sees me I can draw his attention away from Elena."

"You're going to be bait?"

"I have to protect her from herself. She will fall in love with him as I did, as every woman does, and even if she does reject him she can't win. Rejecting him will only make him angry and he'll take her by force if he has to."

"Did he have you?" He asked curiously, more out of concern than anything. Also jealousy, though he tried to hide it.

She shook her head. "I married Luke before he got the chance."

He sighed thanking God for that, but that didn't mean it couldn't still happen. "I can't change your mind, can I?"

"No."

"Will you give into him? If it were the only way to save Elena would you give yourself to him?"

She looked at him. "I honestly don't know." She whimpered and he hugged her to comfort her. She was afraid, he'd never seen her so afraid of someone in her life, not even Luke or Klaus. She could stand up to them, she had control of herself. So it was fear of herself more than fear of him. Her mother had saved her last time, she wasn't entirely sure she could save herself.