Deathly Love
DG32173
Sarah: welcome to Chapter 2. Thankfully my muse is finally cooperating on getting chapters out for this old fanfic as I had wanted to see where my muse takes it for years now. Review replies then story. Chapter starts with Elena.
REVIEW REPLIES
Leann Nickerson: thanks for such a complimentary first review on a story I've been struggling with for nearly 5 years. Glad you enjoyed the first chapter so much. Here's more.
Nymous44: glad you enjoyed it. Here's more.
shnicky87: you're the only one to guess there would possibly be side-effects from the spell combined with what Damon was concentrating on. And you're right, there will be side-effects; a few at first, but over time there will be more and more.
Florayezi: glad you enjoyed. Here's the update.
TVD-DELENA1786: yeah, good on my muse indeed. What an interesting plot twist she came up with.
DevonnaDanielle: here, at last, is the update. I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 2
Effects of the Magical Bond
I growl as Damon peers over my shoulder as I'm working on my latest story. It's been a week since whatever he concentrated on during my spell bound his spirit to always be within ten feet of mine and he's not even kept that much distance between us since he accepted the way things turned out, which was after only a few hours of repeatedly trying and failing to get farther from me than ten feet in any direction.
After he accepted that he's bound to me, he decided that rather than keep the ten feet between us that we're allowed, he'd be as close to me as he can get when I'm not in the shower. The only reason he gives me even a semblance of privacy in the shower is because I used my powers as a medium to throw him out the shower that first night when he tried to get in with me.
But, over the past week, we've both noticed other odd things going on within us because of the spell. As I've never had this result of that particular spell and Damon refuses to tell me precisely what he was thinking about during the spell, I've sent a magical message to my spirit mentor briefly explaining what's going on and that both I and the ghost have questions that need answering. I know that for the spirits, time passes differently than it does for mortals or even other ghosts.
Due to this, even though it's been three days since I contacted my mentor, I know it could be up to a month before I get a response, or even longer if I'm really unlucky and she has another medium she's training right now. I don't know if she'll just send me a magical message with a vague response, if she'll contact me in my dreams, or if she'll put in an actual appearance, though I haven't seen her since she said my training was through and I would have to learn what else I can do with my particular brand of being a medium on my own.
I sigh and glare over my shoulder. With every hour that passes, Damon seems to become more and more 'alive' to me, though nobody else can even sense him. I don't know what that's about but I'll ask my mentor when she gets in contact. "Do you mind giving me a little space?" I demand.
"I've already finished your other books; you're good and I want to know what happens next," he replies, amusement lacing his every word.
I scowl. "Well, tough luck, cause I have a hard enough time getting my muse to cooperate without someone looking over my shoulder," I snap.
Before he can respond, we both sense a shift in the ether within the house. "What was that?" Damon demands.
"That was a shift in the ether of the house, which means another ghost or spirit has arrived," I reply. I carefully send out a tendril of my power towards the shift and both Damon and I hear the overjoyed bark echo throughout the entire house followed by the clatter of claws on the wood stairs. I grin. "It's Skylark," I tell Damon.
The ghost of a border collie dashes into the room only to stop suddenly, staring in shock at the ghost beside me. The bark Skylark gives this time before pouncing on Damon is so full of joy, I realize that Damon is the one Skylark has been looking for all of these years, the beloved master he had been searching endlessly for.
"Skylark," Damon gasps in awe, hugging the ghost-dog.
I grin. 'At least something good came from moving here,' I think. The joy radiating off both ghosts at the reunion is enough to make my heart melt a little.
Before Damon and Skylark can really get into their reunion, however, another shift in the ether announces the arrival of yet another ghost or spirit. I frown my confusion and cautiously send out a tendril of my power towards the shift, both Damon and Skylark looking to me for answers of the reason behind this shift. I relax when I encounter the familiar spirit's mind shrouded by a powerful veil. She acknowledges my contact but, as always, doesn't let me in. "It's my mentor. Apparently she decided our questions needed to be answered in person, so to speak," I tell them.
Skylark pants happily and wags his tail. I had known Skylark longer than I had known my mentor, because she didn't come to me until I was sixteen and Skylark had come to me the first time shortly before my fourteenth birthday. Skylark really likes my mentor, almost as much as he likes me.
Suddenly, the air shimmers at the foot of my bed and my mentor appears. Before I can greet her, Damon gasps. "Emily?" he breathes.
"Hello again, Damon," the spirit witch greets.
I frown in confusion. "You two know each other?" I ask.
"Damon and I go back to the months before he became a vampire," Emily replies evenly. "The vampire I told you I had traveled with was his and Stefan's sire."
I file this tidbit away for later consideration. "I know you got my message, Emily, since you're here now. Is there any way to fix this mess we have found ourselves in?" I ask my mentor.
"That would depend entirely on exactly what Damon had been concentrating on when you cast the spell," Emily replies.
I glance at Damon, who grimaces. "He hasn't been very forthcoming with that particular detail in the week since the spell was cast," I point out.
Emily meets Damon's eyes and I get the distinct sensation that they are having a conversation that I'm completely excluded from. It's over in only a couple minutes but it still feels wrong that Damon would confide in Emily when I'm the one affected by the spell.
Emily sighs. "Given what Damon has told me, this is one spell with no known loophole," she says.
I grimace. "What about these side-effects I mentioned in my message?" I ask.
One of the side-effects of the spell, the most annoying, is that when I fall asleep, Damon is 'forced into a sleep state and we share some pretty erotic dreams that leave both of us pretty damn uncomfortable in the morning. Damon has repeatedly offered to take care of the problem we're left with after the dreams, but I keep refusing. We've only known each other a week. I had known Matt my whole life and I never gave into him sexually when we were together. I'm not about to change my status as a virgin with a ghost I've only known a week.
"There are a few spells you can try to attempt to lessen the severity of the more problematic side-effects, but most of them you'll have to find a way to live with," Emily says. Be warned, though, given what Damon confided in me, there will likely be more side-effects cropping up than just the ones you told me about as time passes."
Both Damon and I grimace at this news. More side-effects? "Why are these side-effects occurring? And why will more appear?" I ask.
"Because Damon's wish while you cast the spell, Elena basically tied your spirits together in a way very similar to what happens when two vampires mark each other as eternal mates," Emily replies.
If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd never have believed Damon could become any paler. But his reaction actually drains all color from his skin and for the first time in my life, I actually see a ghost turn translucent to me.
"Are you saying she's now my eternal mate?" Damon asks raggedly, slowly turning 'solid' once more.
"In some ways, yes, but in other ways, no," Emily replies.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Damon asks.
"With eternal mates as you know, Damon, both parties must be willing to be bound together for eternity for it to be a successful mating. What happened here didn't need that requirement. In fact, neither of you had to want such a binding. But what you concentrated on while Elena cast the spell to give you your greatest desire at the time forced a very similar binding on both of you for the rest of eternity.
"Unlike with an eternal mate bond, despite you being the 'older vampire' in this case, Damon, the way you worded your thoughts as Elena cast the spell put Elena in the role of 'leader' in this pairing and you as the 'follower', whether you like it or not. Also unlike eternal mates, who can be in separate places for extended periods of time, you can never again be more than ten feet from Elena's spirit, Damon.
"But like eternally mated vampires, you will both develop some new powers overtime that would be similar to those unique to a mated pair of vampires, despite Elena not being a vampire. Also similar to eternally mated vampires, you will both be driven to defend your bond from outsiders. Another similarity to eternally mated vampires is that the bond-breaker curse will affect any supernatural trying to interfere in the bond or do anything to one of you the pair of you don't approve of."
I cast an annoyed look at Damon. So whatever he was thinking of while I cast my spell trapped me in a pseudo eternal mates bond with him despite not having my permission? Great, just great. Due to my work as a medium, I have long ago learned the bare bones of what it means for vampires to be eternally mated. Now it seems I'm about to find out all the details first-hand, whether I want to or not. At least I'm the leader in this pairing. If Damon had been the leader, I doubt I'd be able to hold out against his will. Instead, he has to hold out against my will and wishes.
"Do either of you have any other questions?" Emily asks.
Damon and I exchange a look and shake our heads simultaneously. "Nothing at this time," I reply for both of us.
"Then I will teach you the spells that may lessen the intensity of the more problematic side-effects you two are experiencing," Emily says. It doesn't take very long for me to learn the spells and cast them. "Well, Elena, you know how to contact me if ever either of you think of any more questions. I had deemed this a serious enough situation to take a little time off training another medium and I need to return to him before he gets into mischief. Take care, you two,' she says.
With another shift of the ether, Emily disappears back to wherever she had been. As soon as she is gone, both Damon and Skylark crowd me on the bed. I roll my eyes. Since Skylark has found his master, I get the feeling he's not going to leave again, at least not for a while. "Do you both have to crowd me this way?" I complain.
Damon twists a lock of my hair around his fingers, a move I repeatedly try to dissuade him from doing to no avail. "I'm bored, Elena. All you've done all day except Emily's visit was work on your next book. I've already finished the other three books and there's nothing to do in here. Can't you at least move to the library where I have access to more books?" he wheedles.
I sigh but have to admit there's not a lot Damon can do in here when he's stuck within ten feet of me at all times. "Fine," I mutter, noting my laptop is fully charged. I unplug my laptop and climb off the bed. I head downstairs to the library and take up position at the desk I had moved close to the shelves so Damon could reach most of them while I work.
Damon busies himself with finding books to read while Skylark takes up position in the cubbyhole under the desk at my feet. I dive back into my story, having recently gotten a sudden streak of inspiration that will move my series in a way that was totally unexpected before I came to live here in what will probably always be called the Salvatore Boarding House.
Ella Jane, at the start of this book, had decided to move out of the haunted house she had been living in and had inadvertently ended up in another haunted house, this one haunted by the ghost of a vampire. My heroine's life tends to follow my life rather closely, with a few notable changes. Ella Jane and the vampire ghost, who I called Darien, had ended up in a situation similar to what Damon and I had ended up in within the first couple of chapters.
I had just come to the part where Ella Jane had contacted her mentor for help when I had been interrupted earlier. Cracking my knuckles and my neck, I dive back in.
One thing I am grateful to Damon for is he never lets me forget a meal, which is what usually happens when I get engrossed in my writing. A few hours later, I feel a tug on my hair and find Damon saying, "C'mon, Elena, dinnertime," in my ear. I glance at the clock and see it's nearly seven at night and that my laptop definitely needs recharging.
"How is it the ghost has a better sense of time than the living?" I ask rhetorically as I power down my laptop.
"No clue," Damon says with a shrug.
"That was a rhetorical question, Damon," I point out.
"Don't care," he says with a smirk.
I sigh and head into the kitchen to fix some leftover egg fried rice and a glass of sweet tea. Damon follows, carrying a small stack of books. I raise an eyebrow at the books. "What are those for?" I ask.
"In case you decide to coop us up in the bedroom again tomorrow. I don't want to get bored again," he retorts. I roll my eyes but don't comment. I decide not to mention that I plan on going into town tomorrow to pick up groceries and run a few errands. He'll find out tomorrow.
Later, after my nightly routine is complete and I've written in my journal, I decide to call it an early evening. I'd rather get my errands done in the morning when the stores are less likely to be crowded. As a medium, crowds of the living just aren't my scene. Besides, in a crowd, there's a greater chance of someone walking through Damon before he can get out of the way.
I set my journal on the nightstand and turn out the light. Not long after I get comfortable on the bed, or as comfortable as I can get when sharing it with two ghosts, I fall asleep and am pulled into another erotic dream involving Damon.
I'm running through the halls of my old high school, knowing he's behind me, steadily closing in. I'm not afraid, however. This is just one of many games we play. He's a vampire, after all. It excites him to 'hunt' me down and then 'punish' me. As a medium, I can cast spells to speed myself up to make the chase last longer, but he's always faster and inevitably catches me in the end.
I turn a corner, the dim security lights barely lighting my path. Ahead I see the glowing exit sign and mutter a spell to give a slight increase to my speed. Maybe I can win this time!
But, no, he wraps his arms around me from behind with a low chuckle. "You can't escape me, Elena," he purrs in my ear before spinning me around and capturing my lips in a brutal kiss.
I give in. He won again, as always. His reward is to do as he wishes to me, at least sexually. I'm shoved roughly against a nearby locker as he lifts me in his arms. Within moments, he has our jeans unfastened and my panties shoved to the side so he can prepare my core for his girth. It doesn't take him long to have me prepped.
He nips at the juncture where my left shoulder meets my neck, his fangs brushing the pulse point there. In response, I tilt my head slightly the the right to give him better access. He growls his pleasure as he lines his dick up with my core and plunges in while sinking his fangs into my neck at his favorite place to feed from a mortal.
I gasp my pleasure, which quickly turns into a purr of sexual ecstasy, when he begins pumping into me and hitting a particularly sensitive spot almost immediately. He's grown to be able to play my body like a virtuoso plays his chosen instrument in so short a time. We've only been together like this a short time yet it somehow feels as if I've known him my whole life.
I had even faced the side-effects of bringing a ghost to life to be with him …
With a gasp, I jerk awake, my body aching for a release that is not to come. Birds are chirping in the predawn light outside my eastern facing windows. I flop back in the bed with a groan, knowing I'm not going to get back to sleep, not with the way that dream ended. In the week since these erotic dreams have started, that is the first time my dream self had thoughts about the Damon in the dream formerly being a ghost.
When I first discovered the potential side-effects of bringing a ghost to life, I had sworn to myself that only the most extreme set of circumstances would ever make me willing to face them. But my dream self had willingly faced them for Damon. Was that a prophecy? I occasionally have prophetic dreams, since a medium is another kind of witch. Unfortunately, dreams are the only place where my prophecies appear and it's difficult to tell if it's a regular dream or a prophecy.
I sigh. I have too little to go on right now. There's no way to know for sure one way or the other. Not until the potential prophecy gets closer to passing.
"Couldn't you have at least let us finish the dream?" Damon grumbles beside me, his face buried in the pillow next to mine and his words slightly muffled.
"Can't control when my body chooses to wake up," I tell him, not daring to mention the possible prophetic nature of the dream. "C'mon, we're getting up. I need breakfast."
Grumbling to himself about missing out on the finale of the dream, Damon reluctantly gets up and follows me to the kitchen.
Sarah: and that's it for Chapter 2. I had most of it already written up in a notebook for several weeks now, but I only just got around to copying it onto the document I saved this chapter in. Anyways, let me know what you think and what you'd like to see happen next. Do you guys want to see parts of the magical bond they're in play out more prominently or just as a vague thing overshadowing what goes on? Do you want to see Elena boss Damon around and the bond force him to obey? Let me know in a review and I'll take it into consideration.
