Chapter Twelve
Elena woke up to the sun in her eyes as she yawned. She slept peacefully. It had honestly been the sleep she had since she had been brought to this town. Her mind went to images of the night before. She could still feel his touch on her skin. She looked to the empty side of the bed and sighed. Part of her had hoped that she would wake up in his arms but then again Eric didn't seem like the cuddling type.
The sound of someone clearing their throat in the doorway made her look up and she gasped when she saw the tall man standing there. He was the man from Russell's place. The one that was sent back with them. She felt her heart race.
"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you, but I need to make this fast before he notices." Alcide looked back out into the hallway and then at her.
"What?" Her voice shook.
"Everything isn't what it seems, Elena. I am here to help." His voice was just above a whisper.
"I don't understand." She pulled the blanket up higher on her body.
"Just trust me."
"I don't even know you." She swallowed hard.
"I can't explain right now but I'm not the bad guy here."
He sounded so genuine, and confusion raced through her. Who the hell was this guy?
"What the fuck are you doing!" Eric came rushing into the room and grabbed Alcide by the collar. He shoved him against the wall.
"Eric, don't," Elena called out.
"Go ahead, vamp boy. Do it and Russell will be here so fast." Alcide grinned. Eric looked back at Elena.
"He didn't do anything. He just. He um." She began to ramble and then for some reason she lied. "He was looking for the bathroom."
Eric looked back at Alcide. "Does this look like a fucking bathroom to you!"
"Do you mind getting your hands off me?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Don't come in here again." Eric shoved him into the hallway and slammed the door shut.
"Where's that bathroom?"
"Les get one thing straight, mutt." Eric stepped close to him. "She. Is. Mine."
"Where. Is. The. Bathroom?" Alcide mocked his tone.
"You can use the public bathroom downstairs. Now, go." Eric warned.
Alcide fixed his button-down flannel and then whistled as he walked down the hall. Eric looked back at the bedroom door.
Elena began to get dressed quickly and then the door opened. Eric stood there. She pulled her jeans on.
"Did he say something to you?"
"What do you mean?" Her mind began to race, and she tried not to think about what the man said to her. She swallowed hard.
"I need to know if he said anything to you. Did he threaten you?" He looked concerned and it threw her for a loop. How come he didn't know what the man had said? He was always reading her mind. Why was he panicking now?
She shook her head no quickly and he stopped a few feet away from her. "If he says anything to you then you need to tell me right away, understand?"
"Can't you just read my mind like you always do?"
"Wolves fuckup the atmosphere when they are around. We can't hear anything when they are this close. You understand how dangerous that is?"
"Yes." Her mind raced again. Was that man telling the truth? Was he trying to save her? He worked for Russell. What did this all mean? Who was he trying to save her from?
"Elena?" He snapped her out of her thoughts. "He can't be trusted."
"Ok. I understand."
He seemed to relax a bit and she felt a little guilty being dishonest with him. "I um." He ran a hand through his hair. "I had food brought in for you." He turned for the door. "When you are ready it's in the dining hall."
"Eric." She called out and he stopped at the door, but he didn't face her. The air between them was uncomfortable. She wanted to say something about last night. Hell, she would give anything to read his mind at the moment. "Thank you for the um, food."
He nodded his head and then left the room. She let out the breath she had been holding. For the first time since she got to this place, her thoughts were once again her own. It was a sort of freedom. The stress of constantly being listened to was not only incredibly awkward but also made her feel insanely vulnerable.
Eric walked down the hallway. He hated that he couldn't read her mind, but it was also relieving because right now he didn't know if he wanted to hear what she was thinking. He felt awkward after the night they spent together. He had fucked his fair share of humans but there was something different about her. Of course, he knew her bloodline had something to do with it. When he had been with Katherine, he felt insatiable around her. He was obsessed with thoughts of her. Hell, he had even killed his own kind for her. He felt that same pull with Elena though he tried to fight it. It wasn't as intense as it was with Katherine but then again Elena was still human, and her witchy abilities were nonexistent. Not to mention the relationship he had with Katherine was nothing but toxic. She brought out the monster in him, but she was so addicting he didn't care. With Elena it was different. She brought out a protective almost human side of him. One that he fought to keep hidden. He hadn't felt human in centuries, and he wasn't about to start now.
Elena made her way through the dark halls. She followed the scent of food. She was starving even though her mind was racing still. The dining hall consisted of a large table and eight chairs. There was food spread out on it, and more than one person could eat. Eric had gotten a spread of every fast food that a human could like, from pizza to fried chicken and burgers. The room was empty as she took a seat and grabbed a slice of pizza, and some french fries.
She ate quietly until she heard familiar voices coming down the hall.
"He can't be trusted. I want you around her always, understand?" Eric spoke firmly as he entered the room with Damon in tow.
Elena hated that Eric barely looked at her.
"Yeah, yeah I got it." Damon's tone was filled with annoyance.
"Good." Eric glanced at Elena for a moment and then left the room. Great, he was ignoring her now.
"Hey you, ok?" Damon stepped closer to her. He had a worried expression on his face. Thankfully it looked as though he didn't know what had occurred last night. At least Eric didn't kiss and tell.
"I mean considering." She took another bite of food and Damon sat down next to her.
"You know I am not going to let anything bad happen to you, right?" He seemed much more protective than he had been previously. It caught her off guard.
"Well Russell did let me leave, so…"
"That doesn't mean he won't be back. Hell, he has that wolf staying here."
Elena was half tempted to tell him what the wolf had said to her, but she thought twice. She needed to get more information from the wolf himself before she could bring anyone else into the equation.
"It seems par for the course these days." She rolled her eyes. "Any word on where Stefan is?"
"Still on the west coast as far as I know. I'm not worried about him at the moment."
"He's the lesser of two evils, right." She put her pizza slice down. Suddenly her appetite was gone.
"My brother is a lot of things, but evil isn't one of them even when he is without his humanity." His voice was serious.
"I didn't mean it like that." She sighed.
"I hate to admit it though. You're safer here than anywhere else for the time being."
"Am I really though?" Her mind went to Eric. Was she safe from him?
"Eric has put his life in danger not once but twice for you now." He rolled his eyes. "One would even start to think that maybe he does have a heart somewhere in that dark demeanor."
Her mind flashed to images of the night before and she swallowed hard. "I should probably get ready for work." She stood and so did he.
It seemed like Fangtasia was busy every night, unlike other local bars that would see a dip in clientele mid-week. It wasn't like that at Fangtasia, each night seemed busier than the last.
Elena was so caught up in making drinks that she hadn't seen Eric leave his chair. He had barely glanced in her direction all night. Talk about making a girl feel self-conscious!
By the time her break came around, she headed outside for some air. She hated that she allowed herself to feel something for Eric and she hated that she hoped he reciprocated those feelings. I mean who was she kidding, he only cared about himself. It had to be the blood talking.
There was a chill in the air as she stepped out. She rubbed her arms and sighed over this ridiculous outfit she was made to wear. It barely covered anything. The sound of footsteps in the dimly lit alleyway made her stiffen and now she regretted her decision to go outside. She turned quickly and no one was there. She began to laugh nervously at how high-strung she was right now but then a strong pair of hands came up behind her and over her mouth. She let out a muffled scream as her body was yanked backward. She was moved out of the one streetlight and into a dark corner as she continued to yell and kick her legs which were now dangling from the ground.
"Elena, relax. It's me, Alcide." His voice caught her off guard and then she used one of her legs to kick back into his shin. He dropped her now and groaned as she fell to her knees. They scraped on the ground. She spun around to face him.
"What the fuck!" She yelled.
"Can you keep it down? You are going to alert everyone." He leaned over and rubbed his leg.
"You have two seconds to explain yourself!"
"I need to know that I have your trust."
"My trust. I don't even know you. Now tell me what the hell you are doing, or I swear to god I will scream."
"Ok, ok. I get it. I work for an elite organization that goes even deeper than the vampire authority. Think of it as the United Nations. I am here to help you."
Elena crossed her arms over her chest. "The United Nations? Do you expect me to believe that and how exactly are you trying to help me? You work for Russell."
"I know what it looks like." He looked around nervously. "I've been undercover for a while now. There is so much that you don't know and there isn't a lot of time."
"You still haven't said anything worth a dime."
"Listen the world is soon to get the shock of their lives when we all come out of the closet so to speak but there are others who have ulterior motives such as Russell. He isn't looking to bring forward peace, Elena. He is working towards destroying it and all humans."
"This sounds like the plot of some B-rated movie." She rolled her eyes.
"Elena, listen to me. Why do you think Russell just let you go? It wasn't out of the kindness of his heart. He has plans regarding you. Your blood could bring on the end of times as we know it."
"You know what, I don't want to hear anymore. I think you are crazy, and you are trying to scare me." She turned from him, and he grabbed her arm.
"He is trying to get you to make Eric vulnerable. He won't take him on full power like this. He wants him gone and then he will take you back."
"I get it, Russell is crazy, I know. I was there." She yanked her arm back.
"He has your blood Elena, and he is using it as we speak to build something dangerous. I need to keep you safe and when the time comes, and it will. I need you to come with me."
"You're insane if you think I am going anywhere with you." She backed up from him. "Stay away from me." She quickly made her way back inside and within seconds Eric was in front of her. He looked down at her scraped-up knees that were bleeding slightly.
"Who did this?" His voice was angry and booming.
"It's nothing. I tripped." She lied. Part of her wanted to tell him about what Alcide said but for now, she kept it to herself.
"You're bleeding. Come with me." It was more of demand than anything else as he grabbed her hand and led her across the club. He was walking so fast that she nearly fell. He pulled her into his office. "Sit." He pushed her into the chair.
"It's fine. Just a scrape." She huffed. Before she could react, he was pricking his own finger and rubbing it against her wound. Both knees began to heal immediately. The gentle pressure he used caught her off guard. It was as if he was handling something precious.
He knelt in front of her. His fingers still rubbing her knees. "You need to be more careful." He went to stand, and she touched his hand. He yanked it back and walked over to his desk. "You should get back out there." The cold and distant mask was back.
"Did I do something wrong?" She hated that they went from having an amazing night back to this.
"It's a busy night. You need to go back out there." He refused to look at her.
She stood now. "You really are an asshole; you know that right?"
"I never said I wasn't."
"So, is that it? I was just a conquest for you and now that you had me you are tossing me aside like a whore!" He didn't look up. "Fuck you, Eric Northman!" She slammed the door behind her as she stormed over to the bar.
"Hey, is everything ok?" Damon walked over and she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, just perfect!"
Meanwhile states away Russell groaned with annoyance as he looked at the remains of the third test subject. It was another vampire and all that was left was now currently on the floors in a heap of red goo.
"They are just not strong enough to carry her blood." The man in the lab coat scratched his head. "Should we try a wolf now?"
"We're gonna have to." Russell threw his hands up in frustration. Moments later one of his men came walking into the room. "I told you not to bother me when I'm working!"
"I'm sorry it's just that I have news." The young vampire cowered in front of him.
"Fine. Spit it out."
"We've located the specimen you wanted."
Russell perked up. "Go on." He walked over and smiled.
"Claude and Travis are taking him into custody as we speak."
"And the heart? Did he, have it?"
"Yes sir."
"Perfect." Russell grinned.
"Shall we continue with the wolf?"
"No, I have something so much better," Russell smirked and then he walked across the room. There was a coffin in the corner, and he opened it slowly. He leaned down and touched one of the stitch marks on the attached arm. A huge smile covered his face as he brushed past long dark hair. The body of Katherine Pierce lay there, pieces stitched together. Her chest opened and hollow, all it needed now was her heart.
Elena wiped down the bar as the last customer left. Pam had already taken off and Damon was standing across the club playing a game of pool by himself. Alcide had headed to his room and Eric still hadn't come out of his office. She was beyond frustrated with him.
"You're going to wear a hole in that counter." Damon snapped her out of her thoughts. "How good are you at pool?"
"I'm tired. I'm not used to these vampire hours." She rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on, one game," Damon smirked. "Please." He smiled bigger.
"Fine but I'm drinking." She poured herself a shot of bourbon and shivered as it went down.
"Bring the bottle."
She grabbed it and smirked as she sipped right out of it. "You know I have been known to play a mean game of pool."
"Oh really. Now, this I have to see." He took the bottle from her and drank from it. "Ok then smarty pants, you break." He began to line up the balls.
"Oh and no cheating. That vampy stuff is off limits."
"Cross my heart." He grinned as she took a stick off the wall and chalked it up.
"Oh look at you being all professional."
She rolled her eyes and leaned over the table as she lined up her shot. She hit the cue and two balls flew into the pocket. One solid and one striped. "Solids" She smirked proudly as she walked around the table.
Damon watched with amazement as she sunk two more balls. She wasn't kidding, she was good. On her third shot, he coughed just as she made her shot. She missed.
"Hey, no fair. You cheated!" She huffed playfully.
"What? I had a tickle in my throat." He smirked as he walked around the table and lined up his shot. She took another swig of the bottle.
"I'm gonna have to keep my eye on you." She laughed.
"You promise?" He winked and she swallowed hard. Was Damon flirting with her? He made landed the shot and smiled big. "Well, will you look at that?" He walked around the table and lined up another shot.
Thirty minutes later and she was actually having fun. Something she hadn't had in a long time. Damon was really easy to be around not to mention he was incredibly good-looking. They finished off half a bottle between them as she went to sink in the last ball.
"Eight ball, corner pocket." She smirked as she lined up her shot. He began to clear his throat and cough. "Oh, I am ready for you this time buddy." She laughed as she hit the ball and it went in. "Woo Hoo!" She jumped up and down as she did a victory dance.
"Oh, whatever. I clearly let you win." He rolled his eyes playfully.
"Are you kidding me? I totally kicked your ass. Not such a tough vampire now, huh?" She laughed.
"You know you talk a lot of smack for a weak little human." He took a long sip out of the bottle.
"Weak human!" She huffed and then laughed. "I will show you weak." She got into a fighting stance and now he laughed.
"Oh my god, you are not seriously trying to fight me?"
"What? You're scared that weak little ole me will kick your butt?" She moved back and forth as she punched in the air. He began to laugh loudly. "Put up your dukes."
"My dukes? What are you like a hundred years old?" He laughed.
"No, but you are." She laughed as well.
"Oh, low blow Elena. I'm three hundred thank you very much."
"Ew, so gross. You could be like my great, great, great, great grandpa."
"Oh, is that how it's going to be?" He laughed and then he was right in front of her as the wind kicked her hair up a little. "Could your grandpa do that?"
Suddenly the air around them changed as he stood in front of her. He reached out and brushed a piece of her hair back that was sticking upwards. His eyes softened as his hand lingered but then a loud throat was cleared across the room. They both looked as Eric stood there. Elena swallowed hard.
"It's um, late. I should head to bed." She felt awkward now, not only because of Eric but she was also sure that Damon was going to kiss her and she kind of wanted him too. Talk about confusion. She left the room as Damon placed the sticks back on the wall.
"What are you doing?" Eric's tone was harsh.
"Cleaning up after myself." Damon shrugged his shoulders and then Eric was in front of him.
"Don't play dumb with me. She is off limits." Eric warned.
"I won't let you hurt her." Damon stood up taller.
Eric chuckled and then turned from him. "Your games are pointless. She is part of me now, whether you like it or not."
Elena got to Eric's bedroom and stared at the bed. Why did he even keep her around if he was going to treat her this way? She walked over to the chair across the room and sat in it.
An hour later before the sun rose, Eric stepped into his bedroom. The bed was empty and then he saw her curled up in the chair across the room. She was fast asleep. He hated how out of control and conflicted he felt. When he had watched her with Damon it sparked rage-filled jealousy inside him that he hadn't felt since Katherine. He didn't know what to do with that.
She made a slight noise as she continued to sleep. He couldn't help himself as he lifted her up and carried her to the bed. His movements were so gentle it looked like he was carrying a baby. He placed her down and pulled the blankets over her body. As he got up her hand grabbed onto his wrist. He turned and looked at her.
"Please don't go, Eric."