"Most books on witchcraft will tell you that witches work naked. This is because most books on witchcraft were written by men." - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
13. Daddy Issues:
Damon had turned her television on to its highest volume option, which meant that as they stood beneath her shower, they could hear the newscaster speaking. And her bonded seemed far more interested in it, than in her current naked state.
"The authorities believe last night's assailant may also be related to the missing campers and park ranger who have yet to be found, as well as 25-year-old Jessica Koenig, reported missing this morning. The sheriff's department says investigations are pending and no further comment will be made. "
At the mention of the name, she felt his hands tense on her waist, guilt flooding her system through their bond. Thea frowned, and reached out to him in concern, placing a hand on his chest, "What's wrong?"
He didn't reply, but averted his gaze away from hers, eyes looking at the floor instead. He was incredibly guilty for some reason, and the regret coming through him was inundating her senses. Raising her voice slightly, she asked again, "Ace, what's wrong?"
He didn't vocalise his answer, but when she raised his eyes to hers, and saw their typical icy colour darkened by guilt and sadness, she understood what had occurred. He'd snapped yesterday, and killed the girl. Closing her eyes, she sighed slowly, before wrapping her arms around his neck, whispering, "It's okay."
"I killed her." He mumbled in response, muscles tensing under her touch, before he pulled away. Glaring at her, he repeated in a louder tone, "I killed her. How is that okay?"
Thea tilted her head, before wondering out loud, "Do you want me to yell at you and be angry?"
"No! I want you to tell me how you really feel, not just comfort and forgive me when I don't deserve it!" He raged in response.
The blood-witch raised a curious brow in reply, saying, "Well I'm not going to do that. It would be incredibly hypocritical of me to berate you for doing something that I've done before. Do I wish you'd talked to me instead of reacting in anger? Yeah, but I was part of your anger, so I get that." Stepping closer to him, she cupped his face in between her palms, rubbing over his cheeks softly, "I'm not going to give you more reasons to hate yourself, or feel more guilty Damon. As much as you hate it when I wallow in self-pity, I hate it when you do it by trying to self-sabotage. And before you get into the spiel of what I deserve, I'm gonna remind you that I'm the only one who gets to decide that, and I decided a long time ago that all I wanted was you."
"I just snapped," he mumbled in regret, voice lowering in sadness and anguish.
"I know," she whispered in reply. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay."
His forehead leaned against hers, his breath stuttering over her face in cold puffs, "I don't deserve you."
"I don't care." She replied, before pulling him into a loving kiss.
—
They'd headed straight to the boarding house and Stefan's bedroom after the 'shower meltdown', as she'd jokingly begun referring to it. Apparently, the younger man had, in his misguided attempt at gathering more information from Isobel, invited John 'Bag-of-Dicks' Gilbert back into Mystic Falls.
The bonded couple was equally enraged, as the man had willingly almost gotten the both of them killed.
"You brought back John Gilbert? That was your big 'Save Thea and Elena' move?" Snapped Damon in anger, as he paced around the room. The blood-witch meanwhile, was leaning against the doorframe, observing the green-eyed vampire with keen eyes. Clearing her throat slightly, she waited until he looked at her before stating, "You do remember that he tried to murder Damon, and I snapped his neck in retaliation, right? I highly doubt he's going to be willing to save my life, at any rate. Elena's, maybe. But definitely not mine."
"I went to go look for Isobel, and I got John instead. He said he can help us, and we're desperate." He explained softly.
Thea rolled her eyes in exasperation, as her bonded exploded, "We're not that desperate Stefan. The man tried to barbecue me!"
"Damon, Bonnie's new witch friend is working with Elijah, so we have to assume that the moonstone was never destroyed . Elena is putting all of her faith into some deal that she made with Elijah to keep everyone safe. I mean, do you trust Elijah? I don't trust him. He's an Original, he can't be trusted. It's not like we can just go up and kill him, because apparently, he can't die!"
"I trust him." Shrugged the witch casually. At Stefan's incredulous look, she explained, "A: he's my uncle, but more importantly, my instincts never lie. He's trustworthy, and he wants Klaus gone as much as the rest of us. Plus if you double-cross him, he is going to kill you, no questions asked."
"What do you mean, he's your uncle? How can he be your uncle?" Exclaimed the young vampire in shock.
Before she could begin explaining her fucked up family origin story, Damon stepped in, "Long story short, she's a half-vampire/half-witch hybrid, and her bio-dad is Klaus, which makes Elijah her uncle, and the guy who gave her to Montgomery's to care for. He wants her safe, so whatever deal he made, he's going to uphold. Also, I'm still waiting for the part where John Gilbert is the answer."
The younger man shook his head, muttering, "I'm not even going to try and dissect that right now," before continuing, "He knew about the sacrifice, Isobel told him. He said he knew of a way to keep Elena safe."
The blue-eyed man glared, "And Thea? Or are we going to forget that she's also in danger here?"
"Thea's an all-powerful blood-witch. We're gonna do everything we can to keep her safe, but if worst comes to worst, at least I know she can protect herself. Elena's human, she can't do that."
"Seems to me like you're discounting her. You hedging all of your bets on the fact that John can keep Elena safe. Who's to say he won't sell Thea out for her?" Snapped back the older vampire, irritation and anger burning through him.
The witch rolled her eyes slightly at Stefan, grabbing onto her bonded's hand and rubbing over his knuckles soothingly as she said, "I can keep myself safe, you're right. But that doesn't erase the fact that you're willing to make a deal with a man who we know couldn't care any less about our survival. John's already made that more than clear. And I'm not willing to die for Elena, no matter how much you're willing to risk my neck for hers Stefan."
"Tee, you know that's not what I'm doing. I would never…" he took a deep breath, continuing, "I would never make a deal with him, knowing he'd put you in the direct line of fire, but at least he's more trustworthy than Elijah, who we know nothing about!"
"Is he though?" Fired back Damon, raising a single brow in question, "Is he more trustworthy? Because it's the same situation, just reversed. John is Elena's family, so he'll prioritise her over everyone else, and Elijah is Thea's uncle, and he'll do the same. So excuse me if I much prefer the option that ensures my bonded's safety, regardless of whether I know the man or not."
"How is he going to do that anyway?" Questioned the girl, trying to diffuse the oncoming argument. At Stefan's questioning glance, she sighed in exasperation, elaborating, "John. What's his air-tight plan that has you trusting him so eagerly?"
"He's not talking. At least not to me anyway." Admitted the younger man.
Damon groaned in aggravation, "Great work Stefan. Top notch. As if we didn't have enough problems."
"Hey, I'm sorry about Rose." He stated softly.
"Whatever. I knew the woman for five minutes."
"And you cared about her after five minutes. I wonder what that means?"
Damon rolled his eyes, tightening his hold on his bonded's hand and replying, "I didn't care about her. She was in pain, anyone would have tried to help. What I did care about, was Thea, and the fact that she got hurt. So I guess you're right, brother. It means I'm changing, evolving into a man capable of greatness. Better watch your back, because I may just have to go get a hero-hairdo of my own, and steal your thunder." Before turning own his back and pulling Thea out of the room with him, and back into their own.
Looking at her, he asked, "Can we trust him? Elijah?"
The girl nodded emphatically, "Yes. He 100% means me no harm, and if he made a deal with Elena, he'll uphold it." Stepping closer to him, she lowered her gaze to the floor, observing her feet as they shuffled in nervousness, "I know it's naive of me to want to get to know him, but he's all the family I have left Ace. And I remember him. I just… I just don't want to lose anymore family. " Dropping her voice even more, she whispered, "Does that make me stupid?"
"No." His hands cupped her cheeks affectionately, raising her eyes to his as he repeated, "No, it doesn't make you stupid. A little hopeful, maybe. But I think you're allowed that after everything you've been through. And unlike my brother, I've learned to trust your instincts, they haven't been wrong yet. If you believe that he's honest, and that he has your best interests at heart, then I do too. We'll work with him, figure it out as we go."
"Okay." She mumbled, before looking up at him with annoyance, "We're gonna have to go visit Elena and the Gilberts, aren't we? To figure out what the bag of dicks wants?"
Damon chuckled in response, nodding his head, "Yep. Hopefully we won't kill either of them out of frustration or anger."
Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "Don't hold your breath Ace."
—
Damon had begun talking as soon as the brunette had opened the door, "Where's John?"
Letting them in, she replied, "He's not here, he left. I don't know where he went. He just blew in, announced to Jenna that he's my dad, and then took off."
"That's public knowledge now?" He snorted.
"Apparently?"
Thea chuckled mockingly, explaining at the brunette's offended gaze, "You should have told her from the get-go. In fact, you should tell her about everything. How many times are people going to keep getting hurt before you understand that ignorance is deadly? Especially Jenna, who's already gotten hurt by Kat once?"
"It's too dangerous." Retorted Elena.
"And it's even more dangerous for her not to be aware. Also, it's incredibly unfair to her." At Elena's stubborn look, she rolled her eyes and added, "it's your decision, at any rate. But don't become all upset and indignant when it comes back and bites you in the ass, as it's doing now. You dug your own grave, go rest in it in peace."
"He said what he was doing here?" Interrupted Damon, wrapping his arm around his bonded and pulling her into it. She could feel the affection he was sending her way, as well as the calmness. She knew he was trying to diffuse her anger, while holding in his own, but she wasn't angry. Elena wasn't in danger form her right now, she was just annoyed at the human's apparent blindness.
"No." She sighed, "You know, Stefan thinks that he's telling the truth about wanting to help me."
"Here you go again. Prioritising your own safety over Thea's. Some friend you are, huh Elena?" He questioned menacingly, eyes narrowing, their blue becoming glacial.
The brunette took an involuntary step back at his tone, before stuttering, "No, I didn't mean that. I meant the both of us. But I don't believe him anyway."
"Good." He nodded in agreement, eyes still narrowed into thin slits, "Neither do we. But if I even begin to doubt your intentions, if even for a second I suspect that your actions may hurt my bonded, I will intervene, and you won't like it Elena."
The brunette nodded earnestly, and watched as the couple began making their way towards the door. Running after them, she questioned, "What are you going to do?"
"Kill him." Replied the witch.
"Damon…" warned the brunette, choosing unwisely to address the vampire instead of the witch who'd issued the threat to begin with. Thea groaned in aggravation at the slight, and turned to her with a raised brow, "First of all, I'm the one who spoke, so you'll talk to me and leave Damon out of it. Secondly, he's never not wearing his magic little ring, so even if either of us do kill him, he'll come back, more annoying than ever. And finally, it was a joke. We're just going to have a civil conversation with your uncle, and the bane of my goddamn existence, to try and figure out what plan he's got up his sleeve that he's so reluctant to share. Anything else?"
When Elena shook her head, she turned back to her bonded and found him grinning at her, "What?" She questioned with a smile.
"Nothing," Damon shrugged, before pulling her towards his car. Waiting until she'd slid into the passenger seat, he got behind the wheel before adding, "I just love it when you get all feisty like that. Turns me on."
"Get us to the Grill you horndog," retorted Thea with a giggle, before whispering seductively, "if we end the day with zero drama, and no one dies, I may let you nail me on the kitchen counter later tonight."
"You've got yourself a deal, Angel-mine."
—
As they stepped into the Grill, they found John seated at a table with both Jenna and Rick. Heading their way, Elena intercepted them with a pleaded request, "We just need answers. Please don't do anything stupid."
"Ugh, but stupid is way more fun Elena." Retorted the blood-witch in response.
"Please, Thea." She begged, before turning to Damon and emphasising, "Damon, I mean it. All I'm asking is you try to keep it together. Be the better man."
The man rolled his eyes in response, quipping, "Whatever made you think I answer to your requests, unthink it. And quit trying to manipulate me while you're ahead, I'm not Stefan, there's only one girl who can get me to do whatever she wants, and even she doesn't abuse that power." Throwing the offended human a side glance, he added with a smirk, "That's Thea, in case it wasn't clear."
The witch giggled slightly, muffling the sound by placing her hand over her mouth, as she watched Elena's drop open in shock and offence. She knew the human had a crush on Damon. An infatuation of sorts. She didn't know if her blood-bonded was aware of that, and made a mental note to let him know, but she loved it when he constantly reminded her that he barely tolerated her, and only allowed her to live because of his brother. It soothed the possessive monster in her, made her more reassured as to the strength of their relationship.
Reaching the table, the blue-eyed man threw a smile onto his face, exclaiming jovially, "John, buddy, how have you been?"
The man glared at him, before responding through gritted teeth, "I've been all right, Damon. It's good to see you."
They'd all joined in on the memorial candle-lighting event. Which although nice, was a bit of a stupid idea, Thea thought. But whatever allowed them to grieve better, she supposed.
Stepping up to the annoying blonde man, Damon said, "So, John. Rumor has it that you know a lot, and won't say anything."
He turned to the both of them, and shrugged, "How do I know you can be trusted, Damon? Originals can compel vampires. And, according to Stefan, that's why Katherine's still in the tomb, because an Original has compelled her to stay there."
The blood-witch chuckled in response, and he turned to her with a raised brow, "Do you disagree, Ms. Montgomery?"
"Yes. But you already knew that." She retorted, throwing him a glowing smile as she continued, "But the same could be said about you, John. How do we know you can be trusted? As far as I'm aware, you'd rather all of us wind up dead in a ditch somewhere, and as history has shown, are not afraid to try and make that happen yourself. So unlike you, if they were to act in an untoward manner, it would be because their loyalties were compelled, you'd just do it out of the blackness of your little, dead heart." Stepping closer to him, she giggled as she watched him inhale in fear, "But, not to worry, the boys have been ingesting vervain regularly, just incase of such an occurrence."
He swallowed nervously, before regaining his composure, and raising a brow at the vampire, "You guys are drinking vervain?"
The blue-eyed man shrugged nonchalantly, "It's an acquired taste. I don't see that magic little ring on your stitched finger, so if you know something about Klaus, you better start talking, or I will kill you in your sleep." He stopped, throwing a grin at his bonded and added, "better yet, maybe I could have my lovely bonded here snap your neck again, seeing as it didn't stick last time."
"Is that any way to convince me that you and I are on the same side? First, I need to know that I can trust you, Damon, that I can count on you. Then we'll talk."
As he began leaving, Thea's voice made him turn around, "Oh, we won't trust you either way. You're sneaky and underhanded, which makes for a nasty chess player. But word of advice, John. Do try not to piss off a blood-witch who already dislikes you, there are fates far worst than death she could dish out, and I doubt you want to be haunted by your worst nightmares for the remainder of your pitiful life."
He didn't respond, simply spinning on his heels and leaving, and the blood-witch shrugged casually, turning to her bonded and saying, "If he makes one move I don't like, I will curse him, and I don't care what Elena or your brother have to say about it."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, drawing her into his side, and began walking them back to the Grill, replying with a grin, "Works with me, Angel."
They took a seat at the bar, where he proceeded to order the girl a burger. As she raised a questioning brow at him, he retorted, "Don't think it escaped my notice that you haven't had breakfast for the past couple of days. We agreed you'd take better care of yourself Angel, otherwise I'd intervene."
The girl groaned in response, placing her head on his shoulder, "I know, but I honestly wasn't doing it on purpose. When I'm stressed, I forget to eat, you know that."
"Yes, which is why we're gonna sit here until you finish your food. I'm not going to play around with your health, Thea. That's a hard line."
"I'm not going to become sick because I skipped breakfast a couple of times Damon, you know that." She stated in answer, annoyance thrumming through their bond.
"Look," he sighed, grabbing onto her hand, and turning to face her, "Bare with me, okay? You've had more than enough on your plate lately, and you keep getting hurt. Just let me take care of you, okay? This is one of the only ways I know how."
Leaning closer, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek, whispering a quiet, "Love you," against his skin, before sitting back and turning to the bar. "You gonna get us some alcohol? Because I could really do with a drink right about now."
He complied, hand squeezing her thigh softly. As the girl smiled, she looked around the room, before spotting a disgruntled looking Jenna heading their way, accompanied by a familiar-looking woman.
"Jenna, three o'clock. She's got a friend with her who's looking at you like you're dinner, and I don't like it." She mumbled, growling out the latter half of the sentence. His hand tightened around her thigh in response, before he replied, "I thought we'd already established that no one could compare to you."
Leaning closer to him, she whispered in his ear, "You remember that when Andie Starr starts flirting, because I may fling my drink in her face."
He turned his head, nudging their noses, before pressing a quick kiss onto her lips and whispering, "Deal."
Right on cue, Jenna came up to them, and sending Thea an apologetic glance, stated, "So, my friend wants to meet you. Damon Salvatore, this is…"
"I know you. The news lady." He interrupted in an uninterested tone.
The woman shot him a shining smile, extending her hand and saying, "Yeah, Andie Starr. Nice to meet you."
He ignored her request for a handshake, opting to take a sip of his drink instead. Noticing that, she continued, undeterred, "Can I buy you a drink, Damon?" Thea shot Jenna an angry look, to which the woman responded by rolling her eyes and shrugging, as though to say, I told her but she didn't listen.
Damon raised a brow at the woman, before pulling Thea into his arms, placing a loving kiss on her cheek. She watched as Andie's eyes narrowed in slight irritation and jealousy, and he said, "My glass is all full, Andie. Thank you."
The woman left them, a little embarrassed, and Jenna followed, though stating approvingly right before, "Good on you. Doubt you'd need anyone else when you've got Thea here."
The girl looked up at him, smiling wide as she said, "You totally blew her off."
"Why wouldn't I? I've got all I could ever want or need right here." He replied, kissing her hand softly.
"Do you ever wish you could get with someone else? Someone older, more experienced maybe?" She questioned softly, staring at him.
He shot her an incredulous look, retorting, "No, never. Since the moment I saw you, you were all I wanted. And once I got to know you, I realised you're the only person for me. And that's never going to change." Leaning closer to her, his lips formed into a smug grin, before he whispered, "Besides, you're a goddamn fantasy. And I've got about 160 years of experience and things to show you."
"Who said you've seen all I have to offer Ace? Maybe I've been holding out on you." She murmured in reply, watching with pleasure as his pupils dilated and a deep wave of desire crashed into her.
"Huh, then I guess we have the rest of eternity to explore it, then."
Thea giggled loudly, before pressing her lips to his in a kiss that was meant to be short and sweet, but like all of their other kisses, the instant their lips touched, a fire was lit within them, and he pulled her into him deeper, pushing his tongue into her mouth, tracing it's contours and swallowing her soft moans. Pulling away, he watched as the slight fog he'd induced left her eyes, before mumbling, "I fucking adore you, Thea Montgomery. Don't you ever doubt that."
"Love you too Ace." She whispered, leaning her forehead against his, and trying to catch her breath.
Their moment, however, was interrupted by the annoying human brunette, who'd come running to them, stating, "Stefan called. There's something you both need to know."
—
She was pacing around the Grill's tiny bathroom, hands tugging at her hair in anger and worry. For fuck's sake, they should have told her, they should have told the both of them.
Now Caroline had been kidnapped, and she would have to kill a pack of werewolves. Turning to Elena, she watched as the human took a step back fearfully, and knew her eyes had begun glowing. Ignoring her, she growled out, "Why the fuck are we just finding out about this now?"
Elena swallowed fearfully, before stuttering out, "Stefan was worried that you—"
"That I'll what? Kill him and the entire pack, because that's exactly what I'm going to do." She interrupted angrily, glaring at the girl.
"No, look Thea, it's Tyler. Do whatever you need to do to get Caroline back but just leave Tyler out of it, okay?"
"Why? I don't give a shit about Tyler. The minute he orchestrated Caroline's kidnapping, the minute he began woking with motherfucking Jules and her pack, he became an enemy. So no, I won't guarantee his safety, nor will I be kind to him. He gets in my way, I will rip his heart out like the rest of them."
"He's a werewolf, one who helped Blondie get kidnapped. He needs to die Elena." Muttered Damon, stepping between the girls.
The brunette laid her hand on his arm gently, ignoring the loud growl that involuntarily came out of Thea's throat at the sight. "Damon please, okay? Too many people are dead."
The blue-eyed vampire stepped back, shrugging her hand off his arm angrily, saying, "You need to stop doing that."
"Doing what?" Asked Elena, widening her doe-eyes questioningly.
His own narrowed at her, as he grabbed onto Thea and pulled her into his arms, face against his chest. He could feel the panic and anger racing through her, and knew listening to his steady heartbeat would calm her down, take her off the edge. Glaring at the brunette, he continued, "Assuming that I'll play the good guy because it's you who's asking, when you know your opinion does't mean shit to me."
His gaze lowered to the girl snuggled into him, and his voice floated through her head, you alright, Angel?
Thea shook hers in response, No. Care's been kidnapped by a band of wannabe werewolf bandits who now I'm gonna have to kill, and Elena has a crush on you. So no, I'm not alright.
She doesn't have a crush on me baby, she just think she can manipulate me.
I looked into her head Ace. She's develop[ping feelings for you, and the more I think about it, the more I want to snap her neck.
She could feel his chest shaking under her cheek, and he pulled away and grinned, "I love it when you get all possessive like that. But now, we've got a blondie to rescue, and a bunch of dogs to exterminate."
She pulled away, nodding, before the door opened, and the one person she did not want to see stepping into the already crowded bathroom.
"What do you want, John?" Growled the girl menacingly, glaring at him.
The man ignored her, turning to his daughter and asking, "What's going on?"
"Nothing." Replied Elena.
"Doesn't look like nothing."
"Well you know what, John? Trust works both ways. Now get out." Stated Damon, as he began pulling Thea towards the door.
"Look, we don't have time for this. We need to get Caroline back." Interjected Elena, walking after the couple.
"We don't need to do anything. You've done so much more than enough. Ace and I will handle it." Turning back to the man, she raised her brows, "You want a job? Fine, here's your first mission. Ground your fucking daughter, before her actions end up taking another innocent person's life. And maybe teach her the benefit of 'don't get in-between a bonded pair', while you're at it."
She tightened her hold on Damon, dragging him outside. They needed to find Caroline, now, before she lost whatever little of her sanity she still had left.
She wasn't going to lose another sister. No way in fucking hell.
—
They planned it out with Stefan. He would try and negotiate somewhat peacefully, which Thea thought was completely idiotic and they should just rip their hearts out, but he'd disagreed, so Damon and her were only to intervene when the peaceful attempt inevitably failed.
Currently, they were waiting and obsess ing as Stefan attempted to negotiate like an untrained FBI agent. When everything reached somewhat of a standstill, the blood-witch elbowed her bonded and whispered, "Intervene now, before I take over and kill them all."
She knew her eyes were glowing, could feel the crimson smoke wafting through her fingers, and the electricity flowing through her veins. His hand wrapped around hers, tightening its hold as he replied, "Calm down Thea, before you overload yourself again. Just let me try, okay?"
She nodded, closing her eyes tightly, trying to calm herself down. He pressed a quick kiss to his hand, before he let go and sped to the group, saying, "My brother the peacemaker. Since Stefan got here before me I'm gonna let him try it his way before I resort to my way, which is a little bloodier. So give us Caroline."
Jules remained steadfast though, replying, "Let go of Tyler."
"Give us Caroline. Without a full moon it's not an even fight and you know it. We will take you."
"I'm not so sure about that, tough guy." She retorted, before whistling loudly. The remainder of her pack appeared from the shrubbery, and as they all stared at her boys menacingly, Thea closed her eyes, and sent a powerful shockwave of crimson their way. As they all toppled like dominoes, she stepped out her hiding spot, eyes glowing, and powers slipping through her hands like silken ribbons.
Jules' eyes widened at the sight, before she took a step back in fear. The blood-witch kept walking in her direction, and as she saw some of the men standing up, she raised a single brow, before saying, "If you'd like your hearts to remain in your chests, I'd recommend not moving."
While most of them heeded her warning, a couple began charging at her angrily. Rolling her eyes, she clenched both of her fists suddenly, and their hearts came flying at her feet. As the rest screamed in fear, and Jules growled angrily, she simply tilted her head, before asking again, "Now that I've proven how much stronger than all of you I am, I'd recommend handing Caroline over, before I decide to kill all of you and just take her myself. "
"Give us Tyler first." Replied the woman, straightening her shoulders in a feigned bid for confidence. Thea rolled her eyes, before looking behind her at the boy himself, "You heard her. Go. Get over there. Let's get this whole mess you dragged us into over with."
As he reached them, one of them men stepped up and asked, "Which one of you killed Mason?"
The girl chuckled, tilting her head menacingly, before raising a mocking hand, "Uh, hi. That'd be me. Why, you gonna hurt me, big man?"
His eyes narrowed at her, before he ordered, "Boys, make sure that she suffers."
She could feel Damon's worry and concern, and heard him mumbling to Stefan behind her, as she raised her hands at them, "Don't interfere. I've never been scared of dogs." She turned back to the leader, and mocked, "Go for it. I'm a defenceless eighteen year old, pretty sure you could rip me apart, Alpha-man. Let me warn you though, my patience is at an all time low, so you're risking your own heart right now."
He ignored her, and as she got tackled, she began giggling maniacally, feeling her powers erupt out of her in bloody waves. It was pure chaos and carnage, she'd managed to influence a large majority of the pack, allowing them to attack their own brethren instead of her, while a couple of them laid on the ground, scattered in pieces.
She stood in the middle, observing as the violent storm she'd created swept over all of them. She could feel blood leaking from her nose, and ears, but she simply tilted her head, looking at Jules and the Alpha with raised brows, allowing her magic to infiltrate her voice and carry it over to them, "Either of you curious as to what a werewolf looks like when he's digging his own heart out? Cause I am." When she saw their horrified looks, she continued, "Call them off, give me Caroline, or I swear to god I will make it happen. Let's see how much of a pack you have left when they all kill themselves."
The woman nodded at her partner, and he disappeared back into the woods. She turned back to the witch a pleaded, "let them go. He's going to bring her here."
"I'll see her first, and then I'll think about it. Make him hurry."
That was the moment she saw a familiar blonde head being led through the woods, towards them. She could see Care's eyes widen with horror and fear at the scene, and she felt a pang of embarrassment and pain strike her. She'd done that. She'd scared Caroline. And now, she was probably going to lose her best friend, because no one wants to associate with a monster, and that was exactly what she was.
She allowed her powers to drop, whatever werewolves remained straightened up, and began looking around them in fear. Thea staggered back, needles filling her head, and blood leaking out of every orifice. Strong arms caught her, before she felt herself being lifted into the air. She could feel Damon's worry crash into her, and she nuzzled into his neck, whispering, "I'm okay. Just a headache."
"Feels like more than a headache Angel." He replied in a low tone, tightening his hold onto her. She tried shrugging, but the movement caused more pain than necessary, so she settled for pressing a small kiss onto his skin. As the werewolves began retreating in shame, a dark-skinned man walked through the greenery towards them, looking around in wonder, "Elijah made a promise to Elena. I'm here to see it's upheld, but clearly my interference was not needed. " Turning to the wolves, he commanded, "You need to go. Get out of here. Now. And when your friends awaken, give them a message: They need to get the hell out of this town."
He then headed in the injured witch's direction, smiling as Damon tensed, "It's alright. Elijah had warned me that no harm was to come to either of you, I simply want to check on her health. Overuse of powers as unstable as hers can be deadly." Walking up to them, he raised his hand over her forehead, before looking at the blue-eyed vampire respectfully, "may I?"
At his nod, she felt his warm hand on her forehead, and magic flowing through her skin. "You've managed to give yourself a minor brain bruise, but some sleep should fix you up, and perhaps some blood from your bonded." At her questioning glance, he chuckled amicably, "The magic flowing through your bond is intense. It would take a highly untrained witch to not notice it."
"Thank you. And tell uncle E thank you as well please." She whispered slowly, before coughing.
"Of course." And with that, he turned on his heels and left. Damon looked down at her with pained eyes, before he said lovingly, "Let's take you home, yeah? Maybe wash the blood off your face?"
"Okay." She mumbled in reply, sending a flood of love and appreciation his way through their bond. Huddling deeper into his arms, she closed her eyes as he began speeding to his car.
—
He'd placed her into his bed softly, pulling her shoes and pants off, tucking her in. His hands were cupping her cheeks softly, and as she looked at him, she felt her lip begin to quiver.
"What's wrong?" He questioned in a concerned tone, wiping his thumb under her eye, catching the tear before it could flow down her cheek.
"I was a monster," she whispered, breath heaving slightly, "I would have killed them all without second thought."
"Baby…" he murmured, drawing her into his arms securely, "You did what you had to. They would have killed us, killed you. Never feel bad for protecting yourself and those you love by any means necessary."
"The way Caroline looked at me. Like I was a monster, something out of her nightmares." A muffled sob came out her lips, and she dug her face even deeper into his shoulder, "I lost my best friend, because she's never going to see me as anything else now."
"No!" Came a loud scream from the door. Thea tensed in Damon's arms, fear coursing through her system, as she heard Caroline's footsteps run closer. Her bonded placed a soft kiss no her shoulder, whispering, "it's gonna be alright Angel," before pulling away. Standing up, he looked at the blonde vampire and said, "She gave herself a brain bruise using her powers, so go easy on her. I'll be outside, and if I hear her even being to get upset—"
"I'm not going to upset her Damon!" Screeched the blonde indignantly, before pointing towards the door, "Get out."
He complied, and as the cheerleader took his previous seat, Thea closed her eyes tightly, awaiting the judgement and anger. Instead, she felt Caroline's arms wrap around her, and her shoulders shake with sobs. "I don't hate you. You saved my life. You hurt yourself, to save me."
"But I saw your face, when you came out of the RV, I saw your face and you looked horrified." She mumbled in response, shaking her head slowly.
"I was surprised, and horrified. But not at you Tee, never at you. I was scared, because you had blood flowing down your face, and you looked so pale, but I wasn't scared of you."
"You don't hate me?" Whispered the blood-witch pitifully, opening her eyes and looking at her sister, who was shaking her head emphatically, tears flowing form her eyes, "No! Never. You're my sister Tee. And you almost died to save my life. How could I hate you?"
Thea chuckled wetly, before wrapping her arms around Caroline tightly, beginning to sob. The blonde reciprocated the action, crying loudly as well. "I was so scared for you. So so scared. And all I could think was that I couldn't lose you, no matter what."
"I know," Care nodded into her shoulder, "I was so scared, and I didn't know what was happening, or how Tyler could do this to me. But I knew, I know you would help, and would come and save me. I just knew it."
"Of course," she mumbled in reply, chuckling as she pulled away, raising her hands to tenderly wipe her best friend's tears. Holding onto her cheeks, she said, "I'll always save you. It's kinda my job, bear."
"Mine too. And raiding your closet, that's also one of my jobs." Joked the blonde with a giggle. Leaning closer, she pressed a quick kiss to the witch's forehead, before standing up. "I'm gonna go let your boyfriend in, he's stress pacing right now, then I'm gonna go home. But I'm coming over tomorrow, along with Bonnie, and we're having a trinity exclusive day."
"Trinity?" Questioned the witch with a laugh. At her words, the blonde giggled, opening the door and saying, "Yep, it sound better than just triangle, and we are the three most powerful best friends on the history of the planet."
Damon walked in, raising his brow at his laughing bonded, before stepping aside to let Caroline out, whispering a grateful, "thanks," as he headed in.
Closing the door, he turned back to Thea, and tilted his head with a small smile, "See? No one hates you, or thinks you're a monster."
The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes good-naturedly, before replying, "yes, yes. I get it, you were right. Don't gloat Ace, it's unbecoming of a man your age."
He laughed, going in to the bathroom and coming out holding a washcloth. Taking his place in bed beside her, he gently began cleaning her face, the once white cloth turning a slight pink from all the blood she'd been covered in. Looking at it in disgust, the girl groaned, "God that looks gross. I feel gross. I want to shower, but my entire body feels like its made of noodles right now."
"Do you want me to draw you bath?" He questioned softly, eyebrows scrunching in concern. Sending her love to him, she smiled before shaking her head and yawning, "no, I just want to sleep. My head hurts."
Damon nodded, before drawing her into him, angling her mouth to his neck, "Elijah's witch said my blood would help with the healing, so go for it."
Thea giggled slightly, biting in to her tongue, before mumbling the ever familiar spell, and laying her lips over the newly-created wound, pulling his life's essence into her, tightening her hold on him when she heard him groan in pleasure. Pulling away, she kissed the skin lovingly, before laying her head into it and closing her eyes. Right before she fell asleep, she felt his lips coast over her forehead, and he mumbled a soft, "I love you,"