Chapter 38

Elena started to panic when she seen the tension in Damon's shoulders, if he was worried then this vampire that he pissed off had to be strong especially to get inside his head.

"What are we going to do?" Elena asked looking up at Damon whose arms were tightly secured around her.

"Stefan's going to take you back to your Aunt Judith's house, it would be safer there than the Boarding House since my scent is there" Damon said his eye's averted from hers. Stefan nodded, wanting Elena to be safe but he was planning on coming back after to help Damon.

Elena almost laughed as she comprehended his words, if he thought she would just go hide while someone tried to kill him he must have lost his mind, "I'm not leaving you" she said looking straight into his eyes even though he wouldn't look back at her.

He closed his eyes and sighed then finally he opened his eyes and looked into hers, his black eyes clouded with pain, "Elena, you have to go with Stefan now, whoever this is, is getting closer, I'm not going to let you get hurt for something I did"

Elena was glad Damon's arms were around her, if they weren't she was sure she would have fainted as she understood his words, "You don't think you'll survive" her voice cracked, she didn't need an answer, she could tell by the defeated look in his eyes.

"Whoever it is, is older that means there stronger too, you have to go, now" his lips pressed down to hers, he wasn't great with good-byes especially ones he didn't want to make so he didn't say it.

"I love you" he said into her hair as his arms drew back from around her waist, he took a step back as Stefan came to guide Elena away.

Elena felt her tears slip down her face, she wasn't going to reply to him because she wasn't ready for this, she had only just found Damon, her life hadn't started until he turned up and now she was about to lose him, she shook her head, moving away from Stefan, "Damon, please, I want to stay"

Damon couldn't take anymore of this, he didn't want to see her cry, especially not when this could be the last time he could see her.

The forest clearing went quiet as all three of their minds went blank, their eyes closing as they fell to the ground, unconscious.

…

Elena eyes fluttered open, but she felt like she was still asleep, her mind jumbled with thoughts. She looked around, she was still in the forest, but it was dark now, and she was feeling weak, her back was pressed up against a tree, her hands tied behind her back.

Her eyes searched for Damon, finding his body in the same position as hers, halfway across the clearing, his dark hair hanging over his face as his head hung low, still unconscious. Stefan was at the tree next to her, his eyes starting to open, he looked around dazed, his neck covered in blood, his own blood… Elena couldn't reach up to her neck but she didn't have to she knew she would find cuts identical to the ones on Stefan's.

His gaze met hers; panic filled his eyes, as he tried to get out of the ropes that tied his arms, but they wouldn't move.

Elena tugged as much as she could with the ropes, but even that made her exhausted, her eyes scanned the forest for the person who did this to them, the person who had invaded their minds and knocked them out so they could torture them.

Even being able to see in the dark she couldn't see anyone else, her eyes rested on Damon, his body was against a tree too, but now that she concentrated on him she could see his hands weren't tied. Her breath caught in her throat, if the person who did this to him didn't tie his hands maybe they expected him not to wake up… maybe he wasn't unconscious maybe he was already dead…

She looked over to Stefan, who was looking in the same direction as her, thinking the same thing.

Before Elena had a chance to break down and cry, the leaves of the trees started violently shaking, causing birds to fly from them, cawing angrily.

A dark figure emerged from the branch of a nearby oak tree, jumping down to reveal a woman with black hair that fell just past her shoulders, her eyes were brown but changed to red as she looked at Elena.

"Look who's awake" she said laughing maliciously as she walked over to Elena and Stefan.

Elena wanted to spit at her feet but she had to stop herself, it wouldn't be safe to make her angry.

"Who are you?" Stefan asked not recognising her.

"Lucrezia" she said proudly, ignoring Elena's glare.

Stefan nodded slowly but he still couldn't remember anyone with that name.

"You wouldn't know me, neither would your brother" she said nodding towards Damon's limp body.

Stefan looked confused, if Damon didn't know her why was she angry at him?

"I'm not angry at Damon" she said reading Stefan's thoughts, "I've been waiting for centuries for this day, I had to spend every day drinking human blood for this, to be strong enough for revenge"

Stefan's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand, "You said you weren't angry at Damon, so why do you want revenge?"

"Centuries ago, I was engaged to be married to my first love, Alonzo, we were so happy together and one night he told me about his secret" her voice was dreamy as she thought about the past, "so I agreed to become a vampire with him, because I loved him, then he was stolen from me the day before our wedding" her eyes narrowed, her voice filled with spite, "He said he'd be with me forever, but it was all just empty promises, and then I heard the person who had stolen him from me had killed him! That was the day I vowed I would avenge his death, and today I will"

Stefan and Elena looked at each other, questioning her sanity, "Who stole him from you?" Stefan asked bringing Lucrezia out of her daydream.

"Her" she shouted pointing at Elena accusingly, her other hand clenched into a fist.

Elena mouth dropped, Stefan looked stunned, "That's not possible you said it happened centuries ago"

"Yes, it did, she came into my life and seduced my finance, taking him and my pride with her, and look who gets the last laugh now Katherine" she spat her words a twisted smile on her lips.

"I'm not Katherine" Elena finally managed to speak, blinking in shock.

Lucrezia laughed bitterly, "Is that the best excuse you can come up with, I expected more from you"

"She's not Katherine, her names Elena" Stefan assured her.

"I should have known you would defend her, after all these years of her using you and you're brother, it makes me sick" she shook her head, her eyes a deep red, "At least you finally chose a brother, I could only taste you in Damon's blood" she said to Elena smiling at Elena's disgust.

"What did you do to him?" she demanded looking over to Damon's unmoving body.

"He's fine, he just won't be waking up until the vervain wears off" she took a step closer to Elena, bending down to whisper in her ear, "Then I get to keep him, it's only fair saying as you stole my partner, I reckon he'll be fun to play with, he tastes good as well" she laughed menacingly, Elena felt sick at the thought of Lucrezia drinking from Damon.

Lucrezia moved closer to Stefan, "I'm going to have to dispose of you two though, maybe if you started drinking human blood I could use you too Stefan but you're more of an animal lover, so I'm going to have to kill you just so you don't ruin my fun with Damon."

"Please, it's me your angry at, not them just let them go and kill me" Elena begged, trying to fray the ropes with her nails as tears stained her face.

"I intend on killing you" she smiled, "and Stefan, and then Damon will be with me, if I don't get bored with him and decide to kill him as well that is" her laugh echoed through the forest causing a deadly silence to invade the air.

Sorry for the cliff hanger :] please review xx