Groggily Bonnie woke up stretching her arms above her head and pointing her toes. Despite the heat cooking her inside the covers she was buried beneath, her warm skin broke out into goosebumps. Her nipples hardened and the throbbing pulse between her legs served as a reminder that she had been pounded well. She was still wet, of course. Deliciously moist, tender, and ready for yet another encore but someone seemed to be missing. Damon.

Her eyes fluttered at his empty side of the bed and she wondered where he might be. Bathroom, kitchen, or had he left altogether? Bonnie pouted a little.

The sheets felt amazing against her naked body, but what would feel even better would be Damon's lips, tongue, and fingers. He had been so gentle with her, and despite his sometimes inability to follow instruction or to basically listen in general, he had adhered to everything she said, everything she begged for, everything she demanded.

She sighed softly and rolled to her back. She lightly caressed her stomach, her inner thighs, before boldly cupping her breasts, tweaking her nipples. Pleasure was immediate and zoomed through her, igniting her pussy. She had to touch it. Had to relieve some of the pressure and work the edge off. Though Damon was nowhere to be found, she imagined him watching her through heavy-lidded eyes unable to make up his mind on what he wanted to see her fondle and touch. Well, seeing she had two hands, Bonnie kneaded and pinched her nipple and flicked her clit with the other.

Elsewhere Damon just lifted his foot on the bottom step of the staircase when he heard and smelled what the little witch was up to. His mouth watered and cheeks flushed and in two seconds hovered in the doorway of the master bedroom. He scowled at the duvet that blocked his view of the festivities taking place. As if she sensed he had returned, Bonnie kicked the sheets away.

He had been hard since last night, had difficulty getting his jeans to zip and button when he got dressed, but he managed. Now his cock was straining against his fly making walking slightly painful. That's how swollen he was. Damon toed off his boots, hastily stripped out of his shirt, and removed his pants leaving a trail of clothes behind as he climbed on the bed, and pulled Bonnie toward him.

Her eyes sprang open and she didn't have the chance to squeak because Damon was on her, kissing her, and wrapping her toned legs around his narrow waist. Their lips separated just enough for them to hiss the second Damon sheathed his cock inside Bon's slippery folds. This girl had him speaking Italian from how amazing she felt, suctioning and squeezing him with absolute perfection. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he hadn't even made one single pump yet!

Bonnie arched against him, nipples scraping against his chest. He gave one a teasing lick.

"Damon..." Bonnie wiggled beneath him impatiently.

Blood roared in his ears so loudly he could hardly hear her. Regardless he knew what she wanted. Knew what had her clawing at his back and the sheets. Unfortunately for the little minx he wasn't ready to move yet. If he moved he might come and he couldn't come fast, that was unacceptable. He leaned down and kissed from the base of her throat, over her chin, and slanted his mouth on top of hers. The minute their tongues touched Damon rotated his hips exactly three times and stopped. Bonnie sank her teeth into his bottom lip and drew blood. Her vampire lover jerked at the stinging bite but unleashed his most sinisterly charming smile.

"Stop playing with me."

"Oh but I love to play, Bonnie. Watch and see."

They fucked until the afternoon.

They didn't do much talking afterward. Just snuggled in each other's arms, fingers constantly drawing designs leaving behind invisible road maps on the other's skin. Occasionally they'd kiss, swapping between teasing pecks and long, drawn-out smooches that stirred arousal. Damon cupped her cheek and counted Bonnie's freckles while she lightly scratched at the hair growing around his jaw.

His cock was heavy and hot smashed between their bodies enticing Bonnie to stroke him with sensitive fingertips. Damon groaned as she steadily fondled and massaged the head of his penis. She kept him right on the edge of exploding but never let him get to the best part. Her lips found their new home right at the corner of his jaw where she worked valiantly to mark him. Her naughty little hand was still teasing him now incorporating his shaft into her play.

Their cooling off period never really had a chance. They were simply too hot for each other.

Bonnie increased her speed a little more full on jacking him off. Damon's eyes shuttered closed as he gave himself up to pleasure. Bonnie was becoming quite the seductress. That didn't mean Damon didn't lend his assistance. He subtly began to thrust his hips, fucking her hand. Her speed went up another notch and her lips marked a wet trail to his chest where she tongued the flat disks of his nipples. Damon groaned aloud and rolled to his back granting more access to touch him.

He stretched his arms above his head elongating his torso making the serrated muscles along his ribs more defined. He was the embodiment of sex and stunningly primal masculinity. It was turning her on seeing how hard and eager he was for her touch. That eagerness took on a whole new meaning when she cupped his sack. The way he hissed and spread his legs a bit wider, yeah she had Damon right where she wanted him.

Bonnie could tell from the tightening of his expression, the rapid rise and fall of his chest, the veins that protruded and raced along his forearms, the sweat that drenched his hair he was there, right there, ready to cum. Bonnie placed her lips right at his ear and said:

"Blow."

His stomach muscles clenched at the command and his dick twitched as he came all over her hand.

Damon panted like he ran a marathon. His arched back settled against the sheets, and he bent his right leg at the knee. His eyes were still closed, lips curved in a smile. The sex exhausted vampire didn't feel like he had anything left.

He listened as Bonnie got up from the bed to wash her hands. Drowsiness was making its way to his port, but he held it back. He sighed when Bonnie climbed back into bed.

"You…you told that hybrid I've built up an immunity. False. I succumb to you every time."

Bonnie laughed girlishly, her feminine pride preening. She snuggled against Damon, using his chest as a pillow. Immediately she returned to petting him.

"You keep that up and we'll be going again," his voice was gruff and hoarse.

"Maybe I want to."

"Who knew you would turn out to be a fiend."

"Oh, whatever. You know sex wasn't something I've ever gotten or done consistently. I have to make up for lost time."

"On that note I'm happy to help," Damon leaned up as much as he could to smack a kiss on the crown of her head.

A minute or two passed with them touching and squeezing one another affectionately. It was safe to say they were becoming drugs to one another. Hypnotic stimulants.

Until Bonnie asked, "Where were you this morning?"

She felt Damon tense.

This morning…

His journey to wakefulness was not a pleasant one.

Chest heaving, hairline dotted with sweat, Damon stared down at his torso expecting to see blood and a fist-size gaping wound where his heart should be. The sight of unblemished alabaster skin eased some of the anxiety from his brain. While the last vestiges of his nightmare tried to elbow its way to the surface, he tossed the heavy duvet off his nude body and planted his feet on the floor.

The jarring coolness gave him even more relief, and for a moment Damon didn't move as he absorbed air into his lungs, and got himself under control. His dream, he couldn't really remember what it had been about, but he could take a wild guess. Kai, his mother, the heretics, death. With the helix of emotions swirling in his head like a nest of angry bees, Salvatore expected a torrential storm to be occurring just outside of the window to match his mood. It was a calm and especially balmy morning for mid-April.

Turning his head, he saw Bonnie sleeping peacefully beside him. The fear drained away as he watched her. For her and himself he had to keep his shit together.

He kissed her bare shoulder and headed to the shower. While being blasted in the face with scorching hot water, he tried to rationalize away what he was feeling. The attempt proved futile so he quickly dressed, grabbed his keys yet hovered for a moment wondering if he should leave Bonnie a note. Nah, this errand wouldn't take him long.

About twenty minutes later he rolled his car to a stop outside of Dahlia' haunt. Stomach knotting with apprehension he made quick work of darting across the heavily trodden path to the entryway.

Dahlia sat aside the book she had been reading. She sat regally on a padded chair, a formidable queen in her privy chamber; only there were no courtiers, musicians, or jesters entertaining her. She arched one brow as she stared at her uninvited guest in total judgement.

She tried to prevent her lip from curling. Dahlia could tell that Damon and Bonnie had been intimate with one another. She smelled Bonnie's magic all over the bloodsucker. Distasteful, though she wasn't surprised, knew it would only be a matter of time. At least the vampire had the good sense not to gloat, but the fact he was here still offended her anyways.

"What do you want?"

Damon got right down to it. "All right so boom, you know all types of shit right? Would you know of any way to, let's say, enhance what a strapping young vampire like myself is working with?"

"Are you asking me if any witch has developed a spell to make vampires even more difficult to kill?"

"Yes."

"If I do have the answer why should I tell you?"

"You should tell me because you know I'm not here for vanity reasons. I'm here to get every advantage necessary to protect your mentee. You're a hard woman, Dahlia but even I'm willing to gamble and say that you've come to care about Bonnie. That you want her to succeed."

"By her own merits."

"And she will. But if she's too worried about protecting me or someone else she cares about she'll leave herself open, vulnerable, and you know that. I don't want to be a burden but her equal, and before your panties get in a twist, I know what you're going to say. That vampires will never be equal to witches. We're beneath you blah, blah, blah. I don't care about being equal or superior to witches as a whole. I care about this witch and I care about her survival. I've gone to hell and back with her and I'd do it again. So will you help me? Help me help my girl."

Dahlia regarded him coolly. Damon could talk a good game, present a sound case but she still didn't trust, like, or fully believe him. Yet she was getting some amusement out of his plea. "I guess you're not interested in being like my nephew."

"Absolutely not."

"Why come to me with this?" the old sorceress rose from the chair. Damon stood a bit taller. "Bonnie is powerful enough to provide any kind of…embellishment to the gifts you already have."

"Anytime Bonnie does something for me it ends up being at a detriment to herself."

"If she hasn't learned to divert the feedback from an incantation then she and I still have a lot of work to do."

"Or maybe I just want to surprise her for once."

Sound rumbled from Dahlia's chest. She stood toe-to-toe with Damon. "I never do anything for anyone without a price," she warned ominously, "And I'm not saying that because I'm agreeing to help you. You are right, vampire. I do know a lot of shit. How much is it worth to you to find out what I know? Think carefully."

Since returning from 1994 Damon had never thought so much in his life. He rarely thought of risks, costs, or collateral damage. Whatever needed to be done, he'd do it. This was no different. This was for Bonnie…

…hopefully he could afford the price.

"I had to pick up some clothes and other personal things from the boardinghouse," he answered. "Since you're not moving in with me, I might as well make myself comfortable here," he glanced at Bonnie who was staring at him with those uncanny irises. Damon grew a little worried that Bonnie might see beyond that small inaccuracy. It was true, he had gone to the boardinghouse but that hadn't been his only stop. He released the breath he held when she resumed lounging against his chest.

"I guess it wouldn't make sense for you to stay there in that big empty house with a brother that might slit your throat in the middle of the night."

Damon snorted.

Two hours later the newly minted couple was showered, dressed, and headed out to get a bite to eat. It hadn't even occurred to either one they were dressed like twins: leather jackets thrown over black shirts that hugged their torsos, gray jeans, and black boots. Damon held Bonnie's hand for the short trek to his Camaro and opened the door for her. She fiddled with the radio, a move that was forbidden and would irritate the shit out of Damon, but he didn't say a word as he cruised down city streets. Besides, he and Bonnie had maybe even adopted the same taste in music after being in the prison world. So whatever she picked he was reassured it wouldn't be some autotune'd-to-death sugary pop song that would grate on his ears.

Bonnie found a station playing hits from the 70s, his favorite decade. As Freddy Mercury sang about fat bottom girls making the world go around, a feeling of fullness, of rightness chiseled its way to Damon's soul. Although a small twinge of guilt smacked him upside the head for his earlier omission.

A threat still loomed on the horizon. Maybe it might manifest in another month, another day, or maybe within the next hour. They had never dealt with vampires who were also witches. Those heretics coupled with Kai's psychosis would irrevocably change the game forever. He, Jo, Alaric, Caroline, and yes his brother couldn't hide behind Bonnie even if she had enough power to raze the earth. She had not created Kai or the heretics so it wasn't on her to deal with them even if she believed she had to. Damon understood the score between them, but he wouldn't leave his baby doll wide open. He had to do his part.

And he would.

"You're thinking really hard over there, Salvatore," Bonnie laid back against the headrest. "What's on your mind?"

"I was thinking...I may have to leave for a little while."

Bonnie sat up in alarm. "What do you mean you have to leave? Where are you going?"

Damon grabbed her knee to calm her down. "It'll just be for a couple of days, a week at the most, maybe not even that long."

"But what's going on that you suddenly have to leave?"

"An...idea came to me and I want to check it out," he hedged. He could tell her that much.

"I wish you would stop being vague and just tell me. Are you doing this because I didn't confide in you about seeking out Klaus?"

Damon winced, "No. I have my petty ways but I'd like to think I've matured a little. Just know whatever I'm about to get into its going to benefit the both of us. Do you have enough trust in me to accept that?"

Bonnie nibbled the inside of her cheek. The idea of Damon leaving for even a day unnerved her and for a second she was annoyed with herself. They were both fiercely independent people so the last thing Bonnie wanted to do was become someone who slipped into a temporary state of paralysis simply because their significant other wasn't around.

However...the air felt so ripe with tension. It would be her luck that the second Damon left trouble arrived. She would deal with it. As she had always done. But she didn't feel a hundred percent comfortable about it either.

"I'll accept it if you're not about to do something crazy…Damon?"

"I'll be fine."

"That does not make me feel any better."

"I'm sorry but that's all I can give you right now."

"That's not good enough. What if something happens to you? How would I know if you won't tell me where you're going and what you'll be getting into?"

Ugh, this was turning out to be harder to keep from her than he thought. It had been so easy to keep his ex in the dark while he made deals with the devil or his acolytes. His natural inclination to talk to Bonnie about things reared its head, but he had to keep his mouth shut. If he had any hope of things working out. So he shut down.

Bonnie waited, waited, and waited some more. She began to think the worst. "If whatever you're about to get yourself involved in leads to you coming back to me dead, hurt, or in pieces, I'm breaking up with you."

Damon let out a breathy laugh. "Then I'll make sure I do none of the above. You've taken risks, Bonnie for others. It's my turn."

"Right," she deadpanned.

"While I'm gone will you have Caroline stay with you or you stay with her? She might have the personality of a fashionable wet mop but she can brawl when she needs to." Damon cracked a smile.

" I'll give her a call. We could use a girl's night. We haven't spent any time together and I mean before you and I were stuck in 1994. God, I can't even remember the last time we hung out as friends. We're pretty much strangers to each other now."

"So it won't be awkward then," Damon teased. "Do you feel like if you really needed them would your friends have your back?"

Bonnie looked at the passing scenery. She worked overtime never to believe the worst about her friends, but there were certain truths she couldn't escape. If push came to shove who could she really count on the most? The answer used to be unequivocal but that wasn't the case anymore. Dynamics often changed through and with time. Distance didn't always make the heart fonder, but it could make forgetting easier. Forgetting why they had become friends in the first place.

"I want to say yes," she began quietly. "We've gone through so much together, have experiences no one outside of the group would understand, but should that be the glue holding us together? I feel like that's all we have anymore. Battle stories and battle scars."

"You know I'm never going to endorse any of the people we associate with, but in a twisted way I guess they're better than having nothing. In my entire hundred and eighty years I've never had a close friend. I refuse to say best." He shuddered like he just swallowed something rancid.

Bonnie chuckled softy, "So you don't consider Alaric your bestie?"

"I only truly acknowledge our bromance when it's convenient."

"He's gonna be so heartbroken."

"He's replaced me anyways. You know me. I never let myself get close to anyone. People let you down. They fuck you over. I'm the worst offender."

"You've gotten a little better."

"Maybe." Damon wasn't sold he had changed his spots all that much.

They finally reached their destination, climbing out of the car, and joining hands. Bonnie smiled up at him when he kissed her knuckles and ushered her inside the bar that was decently packed. People gave them something of a wide berth innately or perhaps they were pushed aside by a force invisible to the naked eye. Whatever it was, they saw Bonnie and Damon coming and got out of the way.

Bonnie's shoulder collided with someone's chest. She whipped around to apologize but the words dried up when she saw who it was. She brightened and smiled instantly.

Hayden.

His hazel-green soul catches made her pulse pound for a moment or two as they stood there taking each other in. Their brief time together had given Bonnie some good memories, and she could confess to missing him. Unfortunately that might not be enough to stop him from potentially cursing her out for ghosting him. She had given Hayden the Jamie treatment which in this case hadn't been intentional just circumstantial. Bonnie thought back to the last time they saw each other at the bed and breakfast. She'd been happy and carefree that day but those feelings took a slight detour when Damon showed up with the ascendant. For the rest of the day she'd been distracted and when Hayden left, their goodbye had been stilted. Had he sensed that would be their last time seeing each other?

Vaguely she became aware she had dropped Damon's hand. The immortal was not happy about that. He narrowed his eyes at recognizing who had captured his girlfriend's attention.

"Bonnie," Hayden finally said and pulled her in for a hug that ended a second later. He looked bewildered. "Wow you're warm. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. How about you?"

Hayden eyed her doubtfully. "Umm…I got few complaints. You were on my mind the other day. I've been meaning to call to see how you've been, but I also kept forgetting. This semester has been brutal."

"I can imagine and I understand how that goes. You look good."

"You're stunning as always," Hayden scrutinized her odd colored irises. "Did you get contacts?"

That was the easier explanation to use than trying to divulge the truth of which he could never know. "Yeah. Like 'em?"

Hayden's intense stare slowly churned up feelings of self-consciousness. "Your eyes could be deformed and they'd still be beautiful. Yeah, I like them. They work for you. Look, I know it's been a while since we've seen or spoken, but now that I'm seeing you in the flesh I'm wondering if you have any plans for the summer?"

"Yeah she does." Damon slung an arm over Bonnie's shoulders and extended a hand towards the guy trying to make a move on his girl. "Damon Salvatore…Bonnie's boyfriend. You are?"

Hayden shook the proffered hand with a rueful shake of his head. "Hayden Westbrook," he looked at Bonnie. "So that's why I hadn't heard from you."

"Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize. When you find the one you find the one. You two make a nice looking couple."

Damon glanced down at the witch blushing beneath his arm, "We do don't we?"

"Bonnie, she's…she's an awesome girl. Treat her right."

"Believe me I will."

"Well, let me mosey on before this gets even more awkward. Bon, it was good to see you. Damon," Hayden merely tipped his head and got lost in the crowd.

Bonnie turned and carried on with finding a table with Damon fast on her heels.

"As much as I would like to crack jokes and insult him, I gotta say he does seem like a cool dude."

"He is. He treated me well when we were…talking."

"You can say it, Bon. Fucking. Although admitting that leaves a foul taste in my mouth."

"Yeah, see this is why I rather leave the 'sex with exes' talk on the cutting room floor," said Bonnie. "It just makes things weird and awkward, and considering how well I know your ex enough said. Now, what are we eating?"

They found a quiet little table away from the hubbub, menus already laid out. Bonnie shrugged out of her jacket. Damon did the same. A trio of college freshman seated one table over giggled and blushed at the sight of his arms.

Midway through their lunch, Bonnie got a text message from Alaric that she showed to Damon. A surge of adrenaline went through them both.

"Have high hopes for tonight?" Damon signaled for their server. He wanted a refill.

"Not really. But I am curious about to see what they plan to bring to the table, and if it'll be worth a damn thing. I hope it won't take too long because I'm meeting Dahlia tonight."

Damon was proud he was able to keep his resting bitch face intact. "Is there an end date to your training with her?"

Bonnie slurped her ginger ale. "Not that I know of. When she feels I know enough and can execute spells without getting winded or nearly dying is probably when she'll give me a certificate of completion."

"Do you feel you've learned enough to kill Kai?"

A faraway look came into her eyes. Her right hand began to swirl the air stirring up particles unseen to the naked eye. Damon saw quick bursts of light or maybe energy which he stared between it and Bonnie warily.

"I don't want to simply kill Kai because there's a slim chance he could come back, could be resurrected with the right spell. I don't want to entomb him like Qetsiyah did to Silas. No. I need to strip him down to nothing and feed his ashes to the hottest fucking fire that can be conjured. I want. His. Soul. Razed. I want him dead so badly that if I had a dick it'd be hard."

Well, hearing Bonnie talk like that was certainly making Damon's prick lengthen. His hand came down on hers knocking Bonnie out of her daydream.

"Bathroom." He said and hauled her out of her seat.

Night had fallen and the forecast called for a late thunderstorm. If you breathed hard enough you could smell it. Inclement weather aside, a contingency had joined together. Nothing that rivaled the Geneva Convention, but in terms of magical and supernatural gifts they were a fraternity unto themselves.

Conversations were immediately nixed in mid-sentence. Jo Laughlin ceased pacing around her living room. She and her guests could feel a daunting presence rolling in like an approaching train and you're stuck on the tracks. Everyone reacted instinctively, adjusting their posture, trading looks, preparing themselves for what was coming. Eyes widened for a moment as a ripple of electric fear made the hairs on their bodies rise, rise, and rise some more.

Alaric looked around wondering what was going on. He was already on edge because the higher ranking members of different factions of the Gemini coven where here. Including Jo's mean looking father who hadn't stopped scowling at him from the time he picked the man up from the airport.

The coven members could hear heels tapping on the concrete pathway. It was her, then. It had to be. However that ominous feeling they were about to be pulverized hadn't diminished.

It grew quiet so quiet no one moved a muscle lest they made a noise.

After seconds spent in aching anticipation, knuckled rapped on the front door.

Jo answered and was taken aback by what she saw. She gaped like an idiot at the swirling pools of golden-orange beaming from sockets that used to contain pea-green orbs. Alaric had informed her of Bonnie's change yet seeing it for herself, she was nonplussed. Jo cleared her throat and plastered what she hoped was a convincing smile on her face. Next to the witch was a smirking Damon Salvatore. How was he not cowering as he stood beside Bonnie? Didn't he feel what they were all feeling?

"Y-you guys made it," Jo stuttered. "Please, come in," she granted the invitation into her abode though she wasn't entirely comfortable with giving Damon full access to her house. Alaric promised Damon would behave himself, and that his days of playing games with humans were over. Despite the assurances, a witch never let her guard fully down with a vampire.

Her guard was doubly reinforced as Bonnie crossed the threshold.

The others craned their necks taking in, observing the newcomers. A few gasped once glimpsing Bonnie's appearance, some lips curled at Damon's presence, many others stared with frank curiosity.

"Once again my lovely presence has livened things up," Damon quipped.

"Yeah, I don't think it's you that has everyone on edge," Alaric burst the vampire's bubble though he found it inexplicably hard not to ogle Bonnie either. It was only two nights ago he saw the physical effects of what training with an older witch had caused. Regardless, it made it no less shocking to get a second look.

Bonnie met and held the gazes of those who didn't buckle under her perusal. There were seven of them. Three women and four men ranging in age from mid-forties to possibly early sixties, and each emanated a self-contained power that was odd and cold to Bonnie. A chilling thought swept through her. Each person standing here magically devoured their twin in order to be leader of their coven. She wondered if any had been ruthless like Kai but learned how to disguise it.

Jo called the meeting into session. "Now that everyone is here, we can get started. First introductions…who wants to start?"

No one jumped in so Damon took it upon himself to be the ice breaker. "Hi, I'm Damon Salvatore," he waited for the room to say 'Hello, Damon' as if this were an AA meeting, but they didn't. He continued, "I'm a Gemini as well, astrologically speaking. I love bourbon, long drives in my Camaro, and getting even with those who double cross me," he presented his winning, cinematic smile.

"Idiot," Alaric chastised under his breath whereas Bonnie smothered a laugh.

And so it went with everyone stating their name and the state or region they represented. Finally it came to Jo's father.

A tall man with salt and pepper hair and the grimacing façade of Clint Eastwood got to his feet. Damon remembered that bastard from his trip to Oregon. They unfortunately shared the same philosophy of kill first and ask questions when everyone's dead.

"I'm Roy Parker," his attention came to rest on Bonnie. "You're the granddaughter of Sheila Bennett. She was a good woman."

"She was."

"I'm sorry you were locked away with my son and that nothing was done about it sooner," Roy's voice was gruff.

Damon sucked his teeth. What brought on this change of heart? His memory wasn't faulty. Like Alaric, Roy had been reluctant, downright refused to help him travel back to 1994 to save Bonnie. So damn scared to face his son. Now he was sorry? Damon smelled bullshit. They knew they needed Bonnie's help. She knew they needed her help essentially putting the ball in her court.

"Yeah, I'm sure you were torn up to pieces about it. Better me who was the one who suffered and was tortured than the rest of you."

People began squirming. Roy had the good sense to look ashamed. "Like I said, I'm sorry about that."

"Mm-hmm," Bonnie murmured dismissively.

Alaric took the floor then ushering to the most important order of business. "All right…We all know why everyone is here. Kai. He poses a threat."

"And not just him," Jo tacked on.

"I made copies of all the information I could find about the heretics," Alaric unearthed a stack of documents.

"We know about the heretics," one of the coven leaders informed.

"I'll take one of those," Damon plucked a file out of Alaric's hand and speedily read through the information. "Wait, there're six listed here, but there were only five in the 1903 prison world."

"There is a sixth heretic," Dylan, one of the women who introduced herself, confirmed. "He escaped. How? It's always been unclear."

"How do you know he escaped?" Bonnie asked.

"He's been spotted a few times but ultimately he's laid low. He's the least problematic one out of the bunch. The ones we need be concerned with the most are Malcolm, Valerie, and Mary-Louise."

"Why?"

"Malcolm is slated to be the most powerful of the bunch. Valerie is the most vindictive, and Mary-Louise can be emotionally volatile which has led to a lot of bloodshed. She sometimes exhibits the characteristics of a ripper, but manages to pull herself back from the edge."

"Hmm," Bonnie murmured. "The last heretic?"

"Beau. He's mute and fiercely loyal."

Bonnie filed that away. "Do you know the name of the heretic who escaped?"

Roy nodded, "Oscar Yamamoto."

Hearing that name caught Damon's attention. He didn't know why, but he felt he'd heard it before.

Another leader came forward. Tall and wiry built, he wore a custom made Kelly green suit that did him no favors. His name was Cyril. "How can we know for sure that Kai will find the means to escape? Yes, you may have been having dreams about him but dreams are always subjective. What if the threat isn't Kai at all but something else and it's merely taken on his form?"

"Well, I for one don't want to find something out the hard way. Nothing stays buried forever. That's fact."

"And we can't discount the fact that he knows about the headstone that contains her ancestor's blood," Jo nodded toward Bonnie. "Kai has been a problem since he was born but we never dealt with him the way we should have."

"How long has he been in 1903 again?" the oldest of the coven leaders spoke up. She was seated in a chair, hand gripping the intricately carved handle of her cane. Her eyes were a startling gray, the skin around them droopy, but there was an elemental beauty about her. A sage calmness that piqued Bonnie's interest.

She replied, "For about two months."

"Your ancestor's headstone…where's that located?"

"A tiny island off the coast of Nova Scotia."

The old woman whose name was Maude looked at Damon. "How long would it take your kind to run there and back?"

A crease formed between Damon's brows. He hated questions like if a train leaves the station at 10:55 traveling at sixty miles an hour and another departs at 11:35 traveling at seventy-five miles an hour at what time would both reach X station. He wasn't a mathematician or scientist, and it wasn't like he ever clocked his speed or even got the bright idea to run across an entire state. But he had calculated how long it would take Bonnie to reach Mystic Falls driving from Indiana during that botched rescue mission.

Running through snow would hamper a vampire's speed but only marginally. It would be the difference between seconds and not minutes.

"It would take maybe a week or so roundtrip."

"So why haven't they made an appearance?" Cyril asked.

"The heretics, their level of desiccation they were in…Kai being their only source it would take a while for him to replenish all of them. And who knows how long it took him to remember about the headstone and the coordinates to get there, therefore convincing the heretics he knew of a way out, and them setting off."

"The fact of the matter is we're out of time," Bonnie stated. "What have you guys come up with?"

"We thought, with your help since it took a Bennett to create the prison world, it would take one to destroy it. I was thinking we could transfer the heretics into the 1994 prison world, and then destroy the 1903 one with Kai still in it."

"He's connected to both. And he can't die in either one," Bonnie reminded.

"We can strip him of his powers," spoke another coven leader.

Alaric waited for a more elaborate explanation but that was all they got. So that was it? Strip Kai of his powers, kill him for good, and swap out the heretics? Call it the realist in him but he didn't see that going well at all.

"Is that…it?" Bonnie glanced around.

"Come on, you people. Kai's power is abnormal even by our standards," Cyril sniffed. "He devoured the wrong twin," he tried to sneak an accusatory glare at Jo but it didn't go unnoticed. "It's going to take a bit more than that."

"All right so what's your grand idea since you have an objection to everything?" Dylan propped a hand on her hip.

Cyril nervously adjusted his tie. He cleared his throat and pushed aside his worries that many looked down on him because his twin had been sickly, so devouring Anita had been seen more as a mercy than an honest fight for leadership.

"The answer is simple. Wait for the little bastard to return and when he does drive a knife or bullet through his heart. It's beneath us to treat this kid like he's some sort of, I don't know, demon king. The worst of the worst. He's no more an abomination to me than a vampire. We're giving him far too much credit."

As he made his spiel Bonnie couldn't help but think Dahlia wouldn't be impressed with this lot.

Maude spoke up, "He's a risk whether you want to admit it or not, Cy. If you think you're safe because you're head of the New England clan, think again. We strip him of his powers like Jo said and then someone delivers the killing blow."

"So who's going to get close enough to him to do it?"

No one volunteered.

Cy grinned cynically. "Just as I thought."

"I didn't hear you volunteering," someone pointed out.

"If anyone should do it, it should be you, Roy. He's your son. Or would you rather leave it up to your pregnant daughter?"

"Hey!" Alaric snapped.

"Now, you wait a second..." Roy geared up to defend himself.

"It's astounding how much power is in this room but it's buried beneath so much cowardice," Bonnie claimed. That shut everyone up. She moved around the room making spines go straight. "If you can't see the glaring holes in your plan then I literally can't help you because you'll all be dead before you even have the chance to strike. Stop thinking like the hero and think like the villain. Yeah, I've had a coven try to strip me of my powers and you want to know what happened to them? They're dead. They had to be connected in order to be strong enough to cleanse me. What do you think Kai is going to do? Stand there and let you take him out? No. He'll bind himself with all of you so that whatever happens to him, will happen to everyone. It's what I would do," Bonnie let her words sink before nodding to Damon she was ready to go. "When you have an idea that's better than destroying the prison world…call me."

Jaws dropped in incredulity that she first insulted them by calling them cowards and then by leaving.

"So that's it? That's all we get from you?" griped Cy.

"Bonnie…" Alaric unfolded his arms.

"No, she's right," Roy stepped forward. "We can't go into this hurling magic at Kai. We need to make ourselves impenetrable. He's a siphoner. Anything we throw at him he can absorb and use it. We can't afford to make the same mistakes twi-"

BOOM!

The front door was blown off its hinges. Smoke billowed in the house, climbing to the ceiling and creeping along the floor. People screamed, coughed, people cursed, people dove for cover.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"Get down!" Alaric bellowed and dove for Jo who was standing too close to the window that shattered a second later.

Something metal rolled across the floor. Eyes widened.

Damon swooped Bonnie up in his arms preparing to jet but he wasn't fast enough.

The canister on the floor exploded releasing heat and shrapnel that flew like deadly icicles in every which direction. Several projectiles caught Damon in the arm, back, his calf. Fire came next. And fire, when there was a lot of oxygen in the room consumed everything.