"You're in love with her, aren't you?" I ask Damon as we watch Elena leave the Mystic Grille. It's been about twenty-four hours since my last death. He doesn't respond to me and I lean back in my chair with a sigh.
"Isn't she with your brother?" I follow up and then sign again. "You could do so much better Damon. Both of you could do so much better. However, the last time I had to deal with a young lady switching between brothers I just got rid of her. My brothers thanked me later." I remark and pick up my drink.
"You could always make her jealous and see what happens." I offer and he looks back at me.
"How would we do that?" He asks.
"Happy to see that you remember my presence. It's simple, make it appear as if you are happy with someone else and if she truly has feelings for you, she will come running back to you." I state and take a sip from my drink.
"I don't exactly know anyone who'd help me with that scheme, Emerald," He responds and I laugh.
"Would I offer up a scheme that I wouldn't be willing to participate in?" I counter and he stares at me for a moment.
"What about Klaus?" He asks and I roll my eyes.
"I don't live my life based upon what may or may not upset Niklaus Mikaelson. He has no hold over me anymore. He hasn't in quite a few years." I respond with a smirk.
I find myself over at the boarding house with Damon getting progressively drunker and drunker with him. He stares at me for a long moment before kissing me. For a second I tense before allowing myself to let go. We carry on like this until we hear the door open.
"Oh Elena, we didn't see you there," Damon says and I look behind me.
"Yes, we will get out of your way," I say and stand up. Before I can react Damon swings me over his shoulder and heads for the stairs. I can't help but let out a loud laugh as he drops me onto his bed.
I lay under the sheets, covered to my neck when there's a knock on the door.
"I know you're in there Damon." Stefan's voice says from beyond the door and I cover my face.
"What do you want Stefan?" He responds as he pulls on pants. I bite hard on my lip to keep from laughing out loud, knowing exactly who this is about. Damon pulls open the door and I roll my eyes.
"A gentleman as always, Damon." I remark as I pull the sheet tighter and I watch Stefan glance over Damon's shoulder at me and I wave.
"Elena said that, uh, the two of you were being loud." He says and looks away from me.
"She could have left," Damon responds. "It's not like we knew exactly how loud we were being." He responds and I shrug.
"Just the next time you have a guest please try to keep it down," Stefan says before walking away and I burst into laughter. I spring up from the bed and get dressed.
"I guess that I must be going." I say and pull my dark hair into a ponytail. Damon walks down the stairs with me and follows me to the door. I pause for a moment, and then kiss his cheek before walking out the door.
I shove my hands into the pockets on my coat and walk down the sidewalk. After a few paces I start coughing again, hard. Something sharp rises up my throat. I stop on the sidewalk and pull the object from my mouth. I grimace as I look at the blood coated glass and my coughing becomes more violent. I collapse in a heap on the sidewalk and hear footsteps running towards me. Blood pours from my mouth with every hack.
"Jesus Emerald." Damon says as he gathers me in his arms. He carries me back to the boarding house as blood dribbles onto my shirt. He lays me on the couch and puts my head in his lap. I make a few choked gurgles as my heartbeat slows finally before going black.
My eyes fly open and this time I don't lurch forward. The anger washes over me and I sit up slowly. I look down at the dark stains on my shirt and almost scream.
"I cannot afford to keep purchasing new clothes." I mutter mostly to myself as Damon looks at me for a moment.
"So you're okay then?" He asks sounding concerned.
"I'm perfectly fine. My throat is a little sore from the glass but I'll continue to live." I respond quietly.
"I need to borrow a few things, Damon. I've had enough of this curse." I say and stand up.
"Whatever you need." He says and stands with me.
"I'll need a bowl and water. Preferably purified if you have it. You don't happen to have any quartz on you, do you?" I ask and he shakes his head no.
"Where did you put my bag?" I ask and he grabs it and hands it to me. I dig for a moment before I pull a small crystal from my bag.
"I might not be able to find the person doing this, but I should be able to put a stop to the deaths. They are getting rather boring." I mutter mostly to myself and head into the kitchen. Damon hands me the bowls and the water.
"Do you need me to go?" He asks and I shake my head.
"You're more than welcome to stay." I respond as I pull the small dagger from my bag. I fill the bowl with the water and drop the crystal into the water. I swirl the water three times with the tip of the dagger. I whisper the spell in the ancient language mother taught me before bringing the blade to my hand. I make one long cut along my palm and let the blood drip into the bowl. After a moment, the water begins to glow violently and then the light fades. At the bottom of the bowl lays the once clear crystal, now a deep blood red.
I pluck from the bottom of the bowl and hold it in my hand. Damon stares at me in shock for a moment as I fashion the crystal into a necklace.
"I would say it was a simple protection spell but I'd be lying. It's a little more complex when I use my blood in the spell." I remark as I put the necklace on.
"But it should stop the dying. Don't let me lose the necklace." I say warningly as Elena enters the kitchen. She glances as the blood on my shirt.
"Hello Elena." I say pleasantly and she stares at me for a moment.
"But once again I really ought to be going. My brothers will launch a search party soon enough." I say as I step from the kitchen.
"Damon you know where to find me." I say casually as I walk past.
When I get home, August takes one look at my bloodstained shirt and sighs.
"You need to stop wearing white." He says and I shrug before holding up the necklace.
"Shouldn't be an issue for a while now." I say as I pass by him.
"Niklaus came looking for you." Fletcher announces as he emerges from the kitchen glass in hand.
"Is that supposed to make me care? I think I made myself very clear about how I feel when it comes to Niklaus." I say and head for the stairs.
"I'm going to change." I announce to no one in particular and climb the stairs.