Thanks, as always, for the continued support! I really appreciate the feedback, especially the praise. It gives me the warm fuzzies!
Things are progressing! There are situations to dive into! And Lia wants to lead them all! I'm nearly done with chapter 14 so it should be up in a few hours as well.
If anyone is interested, keep an eye out for DarylDixon'sLover (fanfic /u/ 4689973)! I was asked to do a collab but unfortunately, I'm not well-versed in the Original Universe. They have an excellent idea for a Kol story that sounds like it will be worth the read!
On with the show!
Chapter 13Damon was groggy and disorientated when he came to, the smell of dust and dirt damn-near suffocating. He groaned, starving and sore, as he tried to look around his new room. He panicked before forcefully making himself calm down when he realised he was missing his ring. He fought not to lunge when he heard Stefan before he saw him.
"Where's my ring?"
"You won't be needing it anymore, Damon."
Stefan proceeded to tell him about the history of misbehaving vampires and his plans for Damon's future.
Damon was going to kill him.
"I'm sorry," Stefan was sorry; sorry it had to come to this.
Damon was boiling in his rage as he listened to his brother's steps get further away. He didn't want his apology; he wanted his ring and then he wanted to murder half the inhabitants in this town.
Patience would triumph arrogance. Stefan would lose this round.
*TVDM*
"Sexy suds?" Lia asked, looking down at the flier her blonde friend had handed her. "But I'm not a cheerleader."
"That's not the point," Caroline rolled her eyes as she continued to hand out fliers to those passing by. "You're sexy and therefore qualified to wash cars with me tomorrow. You have to or I'll change the pin code to your pool house."
Lia looked at Caroline with the utmost betrayal. "I suppose I have no choice," the green-eyed mermaid sighed forlornly, turning to an amused Jeremy. "I've been coerced with the most terrorising of threats. I honestly don't know how I'll recover from the trauma."
"Caroline truly is the most intimidating of us all," the youngest Gilbert nodded sagely, wrapping an arm around the small beauty. "I'm not surprised she managed to strongarm the strongest of arms."
"Ha. Ha." The blonde deadpanned. "You're both hilarious. You're getting in on this too, baby Gilbert. Don't think I haven't noticed how well puberty has treated you."
Lia wrapped her own comforting arm around the stupefied Jeremy, her arm resting around his waist as her other hand gently patted his chest. "A strong arm, indeed, brother of circumstance. Ooooooh, speaking of unexpected situations we're not sure we like being in; Stefan's back."
The two mortals looked in the direction that Lia's gaze had snapped towards, their eyes following the vampire as he approached an unhappy Elena.
"Oh, dear," Lia muttered as she listened to the teen angst. "He's apparently gonna explain all at the Grill." Lia rolled her eyes as the trio started to walk away and get ready for their next classes. "Honestly, he's refusing to live as a you-know-what, trying to be a not-you-know-what, and watching him try to lie and fail miserably and know he's failing miserably and watching her believe she has a right to all his business because they've known each other a few weeks… it's all just, ugh," Lia sighed, banging her head against her locker before opening it. "I mean, look at you and me, Care; we knew each other for months before I came clean about my true origins; we got to know each other as we are before revealing our past experiences that made us who we are today. Me and Mimi? He was literally my test subject; exposed to my supernatural side immediately before I took the memory from him. It was his honest reply to my question regarding Tanner that gave him his memories back and, instead of being scared and betrayed, he was curious enough to stick around to get to know me. How can Elena say she really likes Stefan if she's so focussed on the past, she doesn't see who he is now?" Lia turned to Caroline, who was nodding emphatically while Jeremy looked thoughtful as he rifled through his locker.
"They're a mess," Care sighed as she pushed her straight hair over her shoulder. "Stefan obviously hasn't spoken to her in days, but before that, at the party, I asked her a couple of basic questions about him that she couldn't answer. It's like she's more interested in the drama than the man." Caroline scoffed as the trio were on the move again. "It makes me so mad; I mean, I'm not interested in Stefan, I still need to exact my revenge on him for the Falls incident, but the fact that Elena didn't try to get the guy and he's totally interested even when she's snubbing him for his family business? Seriously."
"And on that note," Jeremy rolled his eyes as he hiked his bag higher up his shoulder. "I'll see you at lunch."
Lia quickly kissed his cheek before linking her arm with Care's. "Just you wait," Lia grinned as they walked to their first class. "When your man comes, he will not be able to look at anyone else. He'll see you, breath you, dream you, and you'll be the one with all the power."
Caroline sighed dreamily. "God, that sounds too good to be true."
"No, what's too good to be true is him being all that plus an accent," Lia laughed as they walked through the door just as the bell rang.
*TVDM*
"Eureka!" Enzo launched himself from the lounge and spun Lia around as soon as she walked through the door that afternoon. "I believe I've found our winner, songbird!"
Lia laughed as she was set on the ground and dragged over to the coffee table where Emily's spell book lay open, her eyes quickly reading the Latin scrawled across the page.
"I obviously don't know what the spell says, but luckily little Miss Bennett was an artist in her time," Enzo chuckled as he pointed at the drawing of the amulet. "The page also mentions having to 'save them all,' if she wanted to save 'the one' she'd been requested to help."
"It's a counter spell for this one," Lia said as she pointed to the page before it. "A sealing spell." Lia frowned as she looked unseeingly at the wall across from her. "Emily obviously knew how to seal and unseal, however, the fact that she created the key means that, whatever she sealed this time, was something that someone commissioned her to do and didn't have any magic themselves." Lia held the amulet in front of her as she pondered. "She made it so that a non-magical could open or enter whatever it is. The question is; was it specifically made for Damon? If so, 'save them all?' That couldn't mean…"
Lia balked as she thought about it. It made awful sense. She needed to see it for herself.
"Lorenzo St. John," she said absently, lost in her head. "If I'm correct in my deduction, the fire of Fell's Church never consumed any vampires."
Enzo's eyes widened as he understood her meaning.
"Damon's come back for Katherine."
"A celestial event, the comet, powered the talisman because he couldn't power it himself. No doubt he made a deal of some kind with the Bennett witch; save Katherine for something in return. Emily's grimoire states that she couldn't simply 'save one,' and Jonathon Gilbert's journal mentions vampires in the church supposedly going out in a blaze of glory. I bet you, somewhere in the area of the old church, we'll find a bunch of desiccated vampires."
"The new vampire in town probably knows all this, too," Enzo murmured as he looked at the amulet in his little angel's hand. "She's probably got someone in that tomb."
"I think it's time we visit the town's latest arrival," Lia narrowed her eyes, clenching the amulet in her fist. "I want confirmation."
"I'll text Jeremy, nab the compass from him," Enzo nodded, standing up and pulling Lia with him. She blinked, cocking her head to the side in befuddlement.
"You have Jeremy's number?"
"Oh course!" Enzo almost sounded offended. "We game together."
"Huh," Lia acknowledged before shaking her head and pulling on her jacket. "Let's go."
*TVDM*
Elena was just putting her shoes on when someone knocked at the door. She frowned briefly before opening the door wide, ignoring Jeremy's calls that he'd get it.
Lia's smile immediately dimmed to something vaguely polite while Enzo took a step closer to his sister. Elena offered a weak smile, still incredibly intimidated by the sibling duo; she'd never had anyone not like her before. It was definitely an experience she didn't enjoy.
"Lia, Mr. Athánatos, nice to see you."
"Elena," Lia smiled some more while Enzo nodded at her. "Jeremy is expecting us."
Just then her brother came stumbling down the stairs. He grinned at the visitors and Lia immediately beamed back.
"Hey guys, come on in," he grinned cheekily at Enzo as the vampire took his first step over the threshold with a smirk of his own.
"Why, thank you, Mr Gilbert," he replied gallantly, brushing past Elena as he followed Lia and Jeremy up the stairs. Elena watched them until they turned the corner at the top of the stairs before shaking herself off. She had to get to the Grill to finally get her answers.
Jeremy closed the door behind them and was immediately jumped by an excited Lia. She hugged him tightly.
"Mimi! It's been too long," the mermaid sighed, pouting when he chuckled and patted her head.
"Yes, yes, far too long," he rolled his eyes, dragging her to the bed to sit in front of Enzo who had dropped into his computer chair. "Now, what's this about the compass."
Enzo quickly explained. "There's a new vamp in town and we want to find it."
"Do you need my help?" Jeremy asked, frowning at the vampire as he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his newly-acquired mermaid tear pendant slipping out of his shirt, dangling around his neck for all to see.
"Definitely not," Lia shook her head vigorously. "Not while this vampire is an unknown. We don't know why she's here; we only have a theory we want to confirm. Until we know she means no harm, we're gonna keep her as far away from you and Care as we can."
Jeremy nodded his acceptance, knowing, like Caroline, that he wasn't a match for the supernatural.
"We also got this," Lia pulled a jewellery box from her jacket pocket, too big for a ring but not big enough for a bracelet. "We know it's a bit girly, but the more hidden the better. It's coated in vervain."
Opening the box revealed a simple earring and a toe ring.
"Smart," Jeremy nodded, smiling at Lia. "Thanks."
Standing up, he rifled through his side drawer before chucking the compass at Enzo. "Keep me posted, yeah?"
"Course, mate," Enzo nodded, tucking the device into his jeans as he stood. "I'll catch you up over COD."
Parting with a manly fist bump, Lia hugging her human once more, the pair departed, jumping back in Enzo's truck and heading into town. Lia watched the compass spin as Enzo headed for the most populated areas.
"We have a potential winner!" Lia beamed, looking up to see a motel not far from them. Enzo immediately pulled up. The pair followed the compass until it came to a particular room. Lia knocked a happy little tune before taking a step back, wearing a smile that revealed too many teeth.
A few seconds later, the small girl Lia had been seeing around opened the door, looking between the two suspiciously.
"Who are you?" Annabelle Zhu demanded, her gaze settling on the vampire.
"My name is Kaliope and this is my brother Lorenzo. We're here to ask you a few questions about the vampires of 1864," Lia chirped, bouncing on her toes.
Anna immediately grabbed the front of her dress, intending to reef her inside and slam her against the wall, but her wrist was broken before she could do anything more than grab the woman's clothing.
Lia shoved the vampire inside, slamming her against the wall as Enzo ran straight for the newborn that was staying well away from the sun, snapping his neck and throwing him in the bathroom.
"Now, I don't appreciate being grabbed. Let's try this again; I'd like to ask you a few questions."
Anna was panicking more than she had in the last 150 years. She was so close! Her mother was days away from being with her again. She had to play nice or she'd never see her again.
"Fine! What do you want to know?" Anna snarled as she grabbed the hand holding her with both of hers, trying to move it away from her. Her fear escalated as she couldn't even budge it.
"Excellent!" Lia cheered before reaching into her top and pulling out the talisman. "Do you recognise this?"
Anna balked before she replied faintly. "That was Katherine's."
"Emily's, we believe, judging from the magical signature," Enzo threw out there, bending over the mini fridge in the kitchenette and grabbing a bag of blood.
"So, it's true? The vampires are still alive?" Lia asked, her head cocked and her eyes sparkling with delight in the knowledge that her theory was correct.
"Yes, they're trapped in the tomb under the church," Anna admitted through gritted teeth.
"Who are you here for?" Lia asked curiously.
Anna kept her mouth closed and her jaw tight. She didn't want to tell these people her weakness, didn't want them to see her mother as potential blackmail.
Lia frowned before smiling, looking Anna dead in the eye. Her green eyes flashed as she asked the question again.
"My mother, Pearl," Anna's eyes widened in horror as she confessed, confused and alarmed as to how she'd been compelled.
Lia grinned a Cheshire smile at Enzo who smirked excitedly.
"Is Katherine in there?" Lia asked, holding her breath in anticipation.
"No."
Lia immediately deflated, a pout pushing her lips out.
"Do you know what Damon wants, then?" Enzo asked, a frown on his own features.
"As if I'd tell you anything," Anne spat through gritted teeth, trying again to escape the stronghold.
"Hey! Don't talk to my Loren like that!" Lia asked, slamming Anna into the wall again. Her scrambling was getting very annoying. "Do you know what Damon wants with the tomb vampires?"
"Emily made the deal with Damon to save the vampires," Anna growled. "I don't want anything to go wrong, I have to get my mother out of there. Damon believes Katherine is in the tomb and I'm not going to crush that dream by telling him she's been free all along. I want Damon to open the tomb just in case he's the only one that can."
"Just like witches, that is," Enzo nodded sagely, stepping out of the bathroom after having snapped Ben's neck again. "They like their fine print."
"Well, you've been incredibly helpful," Lia started to smile before she frowned, a sheepish grimace coating her features. "Gosh, I haven't even asked your name."
"Anna," the female vampire replied calmly, hiding her relief. It looked as though she would live through this encounter.
"Well, Anna, thank you for your time today," Lia's eyes flashed ominously. "You will leave Jeremy Gilbert and Caroline Forbes alone, and you will text me to keep me up to date on any developments you or Damon make and delete your messages afterward, immediately forgetting you sent them."
Lia quickly compelled the male vampire the same way before her and Enzo left.
"Thoughts?" Lia asked as they made their way back home.
"Oh, angel," Enzo sighed. "I'm going to let Damon open the tomb."
Lia grinned knowingly. "Ready and waiting with the salt for his gaping wounds, I assume?"
Enzo simply grinned.
"Hey, wanna go to the Grill? I'm feeling a victory shake is on the menu," Lia grinned. "Plus, Stefan and Elena are supposed to be on a date."
"Sounds like fun."
*TVDM*
While Lia and Anna were having their lovely conversation, Elena was playing pool with Matt while waiting for Stefan. Elena had entered the Grill tonight of the mindset that her and Stefan could start over, from step one, and get to know each other properly. Her patience and resolution had started to go down the drain every minute Stefan was late. Now she just wanted answers and she was sick of being denied.
When he did finally arrive with the excuse it was something to do with his uncle that was unavoidable, Elena was once again blocked as Stefan didn't tell her what that 'unavoidable' something was.
Enzo and Lia strolled into the bar, immediately catching sight of the angst-ridden couple. Enzo pulled a chair out for her before heading for the counter to order their drinks.
"What is so awful that you're afraid to tell me?" Elena damn-near whined.
Lia rolled her eyes.
Before Stefan could respond or defend himself, a voice spoke up from behind her.
"I know you. God, how is it possible?"
Even Enzo turned as he was giving the bar tender his order to see who was speaking to the teenaged vampire. The elderly man was looking at Stefan like he'd seen a ghost. It was all Enzo could do to hold in his cackle. Lia, on the other hand, couldn't stop giggling as she leaned forward to get a better look.
"I'm sorry?" Stefan looked just as confused as Elena.
"How can it be? You haven't aged a day."
Stefan hid his panic well while Elena looked like she wanted to know everything.
"I'm sorry, excuse me," Stefan nodded at the man before turning to Elena. "Can I take you home? And we-we can talk about it?"
"Wait, what was that back there?" Elena asked, raising an eyebrow and throwing her thumb in the direction of the old man.
"I-I don't know. Um, nothing," Stefan stuttered, shrugging slightly in his harried state. He genuinely did not expect that, not believing anyone would recognise him. He was a fool; it hadn't been that long ago since he'd passed through, of course, there were still people alive that grew up during that time.
"Right, nothing, OK, um…" Elena thinned her lips in a parody of a smile, thoroughly sick of being dodged. "I gotta go, Stefan." She rolled her eyes slightly as she stalked toward the exit.
"You now disgust me, Elena Gilbert."
A cold chill slid down Elena's spine as she came to a stop, looking to her left. Lia and Enzo were sipping their respective drinks, not even bothering to look at her.
"E-Excuse me?" Elena questioned, as always, intimidated and offended by the beautiful woman.
"We heard," Enzo huffed and rolled his eyes, letting his head loll to the side to give the teen an unimpressed look. "What did you expect the poor boy was gonna say when he looked just as confused as you did? What did you want him to say?"
"'You haven't aged a day,' that was what the old man said, no?" Lia confirmed lightly. "Did you want him to admit to being immortal or something? Honestly," Lia sighed as she stirred her straw through her caramel shake. "You truly are the worst sort of human."
Elena's mouth dropped in shock. The worst…?
"That's not fair, you don't even know me!" Elena exclaimed, turning to face the duo properly.
"Oh, I know enough, believe me," Lia's rolling accent scoffed. "I know that you wield your kindness like a blade, that you're really as manipulative as they come. Just look at those around you. Your brother feels like he's had to suffer in silence around you because you brush his feelings under the rug, your aunt feels like a failure because you refuse to let her be a guardian and instead treat her like a house guest, your supposed boyfriend feels pressured to bare his soul to you in order for you to give him the time of day, your ex is still pining because you told him you needed time and refuse to loosen your hold on his leash and Caroline constantly feels like second best around you because you refuse to treat her like an equal, the same as Bonnie. Though, I should point out, Bonnie believes she's the one that put you on that pedestal you sit on and would do anything for you because you've put a lot more effort into her friendship. I won't deny that you can be a nice person, Elena. But you are just as selfish."
That said, Lia turned back to her shake, an obvious dismissal. Enzo smirked as he stared at the brunette, sipping his whiskey.
"Everything OK?"
Elena didn't spare the newly-arrived Stefan a glance as she stormed out of the Grill like hounds were nipping at her heels. He stared longingly after her before turning his disappointed frown toward the pair in front of him.
"That was cruel and uncalled for," Stefan chided, his gaze focussed on Lia even as Enzo laughed.
"No, Stefan, what's cruel is you not stopping Damon sooner when you realised he was abusing a girl. What's uncalled for is you putting Damon first, even though he's such a terrible being. What's sickening," Lia's eyes glowed as she somehow managed to look down on the standing vampire. "Is the fact that you think you're the 'good guy' here. Newsflash, Ripper, you're not."
Stefan flinched as if slapped, turning on his heel and hurrying through the door just like Elena did.
"Well said, angel," Enzo raised his glass in toast before finishing it. Lia just sighed as she drained the last of her creamy beverage.
"They deserve each other," she muttered as she pushed her empty glass into the middle of the table. "They're so far up their own asses, believing themselves the epitome of overcoming hurdles and being good that they don't see their own flaws. It's so annoying. I hope they're miserable in love together."
"I'll drink to that," Enzo cackled gleefully as he called a waitress for a second round.
It wasn't long after that they left, but not before hearing the conversation between Logan and Liz regarding the Gilbert watch.
"To the Gilbert's it is," Enzo sighed as they drove off.
*TVDM*
Jeremy opened the door to reveal a broody Salvatore vampire. After hearing about his desire to cook a meal for his sister, he let the guy in, giving him free range in the kitchen as he ran to tell Elena that she should head down and get something to eat. Another knock at the door distracted the younger Gilbert as his sister spotted Stefan. He rolled his eyes at the couple before opening the door once more, his eyes widening at the sight of his supernatural neighbours. He stepped out and closed the door behind him.
"Elena and her boyfriend are in the kitchen," Jeremy explained, his lips pulling into a half smile at the synchronised eye-roll of the faux siblings.
"Ugh, I've had enough of that particular pair to last me the rest of the week, thank you," Lia sighed as Enzo handed over the compass. "We just overheard a particular news reporter and sheriff discussing a father-to-son tradition so we thought it best to give this back to you."
"Ah," Jeremy nodded, throwing the device up and snatching it out of the air. "Gotcha."
"I'll talk to you in a few," Enzo clapped him on the back as he went back to the truck, leaving Lia to hug the human one last time and remind him to bring his swimmers to her house tomorrow so that Care can pick them up for the fundraiser. Jeremy groaned but nodded his agreement.
Jogging back upstairs, Jeremy threw the compass in his drawer and dropped into his computer chair, throwing his headset on and picking up his controller. He was ready by the time Enzo logged in.
The night progressed smoothly for Stelena, after a little blood hiccup, of course. Jeremy and Enzo enjoyed their night, too, with the pair coming out on top whenever they were on the same team. Caroline and Lia talked on the phone near all night; Lia taking Care's suggestion and painting her black nails a nice dark blue that shimmered when it caught the light to match her halter one piece swimsuit, and Bonnie spent the night with her Grams, learning more about their history and some basic spells that taught her how to get used to using magic.
Tina, however, was not having a good night.
Tina flinched as she caught sight of Damon's reflection, only to turn around and find no one behind her. She shook her head, both terrified and frustrated by her apparent trauma regarding her ex. She scoffed as she turned off her light, settling down for the night. She closed her eyes and fought not to think about Damon.
"Caw!"
Tina gasped as she bolted upright, looking toward her closed window. A huge crow was staring at her, sitting in the tree just outside her room. She rolled over and shoved her pillow over her head, blocking it out. It cawed once more before she finally drifted to sleep, dreaming of a dark hall and a cell door, a dirty floor and a sickly Damon.
Then she felt it; she ached, she starved, she raged, she feared.
"Help me."
Tina screamed.
*TVDM*
Stefan looked at Damon, the wily brother, with a deep-set frown. He really did regret that he had to lock him away like a bad dog. He turned to leave when a scratchy voice stopped him.
"I bet you're feeling pretty good about yourself, aren't you?"
Stefan listened and internally sighed at his brother's poor attempts at manipulation, choosing to ignore it and leave, heading back upstairs to get ready for the car wash.
Damon listened to him leave, his rage put on the backburner as his determination shone through. He'd easily made contact with Tina last night; something that he'd had to wait to attempt. He knew the vervain in her system would protect her from his influence and he was only strong enough for a few more tries. He'd had to bide his time and he had with great success.
Today.
Today he would be free.
He vaguely wondered what his little Snow was up to, whether she'd noticed his absence. He internally scoffed at himself.
He didn't care.
He wanted Katherine. And then he wanted this town to burn.
*TVDM*
The carwash was a success and a disaster. Caroline snapped Bonnie out of her witchy rage-mode when she set a car alight, Jeremy watched on with exasperation as his sister listened to a man proclaim Stefan to be the spitting image of a Stefan from 1953. He was both surprised and not that she took that as a dramatic movie moment and went to approach Logan and Jenna. He knew it was true; Stefan was a vampire and he'd been around a while, but honestly, what normal teenaged girl immediately suspected there to be something odd at work? Especially when anyone else would simply roll their eyes and think that it was a family tradition to name brothers after their ancestors and think that genetics must run strong in their bloodline. The younger Gilbert watched on with a sad kind of resignation as his sister tried to manipulate the Salvatore, digging while 'trying to get to know him.'
Lia, on the other hand, was debating with herself. Tina had been acting strange all day, looking over her shoulder and whispering to herself to shut up. Lia normally wouldn't concern herself, however, Zach was at the boarding house and she didn't really want him to die.
She sighed as she stood, her decision made as she watched Tina fall into a near-trance-like state and walk off. She sped ahead, texting Mimi, Care and Loren to let them know what was happening.
Knowing that Tina was a good hour away still, Lia crept into the house and found Zach.
"Hey stranger."
Zach flinched and spun faster than Lia thought possible. He gaped at her before smiling.
"It's been a while, Lia. How are you?"
"Good!" she chirped as she hugged the man who had welcomed her into his home. She sighed, squeezing once more before pulling back mournfully. "It's not safe for you here, Mr Zach. You need to leave."
"What?"
She repeated her words, eyes flashing with an otherworldly light to make the message sink in. Immediately, Zach Salvatore started packing, his mind focussing on the one person he'd wanted to visit for years and years, just to at least see how she was doing.
His daughter.
He had more than enough in his savings, and nothing stopping him now that the Salvatore brothers were in town. Why did he stay, anyway? He could have left long ago, forgotten the town that had been a horror story to all his predecessors and made a life for himself.
Determination filled him as he zipped his last suitcase, snatching it up and loading his car. He turned, hugging Lia once more before driving off and not looking back.
Zach Salvatore drove away from Mystic Falls with no intentions of ever returning.
"Now," Lia sighed, her hands on her hips as she looked around. "I suppose I'll go take a peek, shall I?"
She skipped down the stairs, humming to herself as she danced up to the door she could smeel Damon behind. She came to a stop with a slight giggle as she looked through the bars, seeing a pitiful Damon lying against the wall.
"Oh, Damon," Lia sighed, she clucked her tongue as blue eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her. "You've looked better."
"And you're as stunning as always," he croaked, attempting to give her a smirk. "Don't suppose you want to let me out?"
Lia ignored him. "I've sent Zach away. He doesn't deserve to be killed by you."
"What a shame," Damon grumbled as he slowly climbed to his feet. "I owe him a neck snapping for growing vervain."
Lia rolled her eyes. "Your dinner will be here soon, as I'm sure you know. I don't know where Stefan put your ring, but I do know where a certain talisman is." Lia's smile was all teeth, her eyes illuminated with an unnatural glow as she held up the pendant. Damon immediately tried to grab it, earning him a crushed hand before he even made contact.
Lia clicked her tongue at him. "I'm not handing this over because I have a friend that wants someone from the tomb as well. You need to get out of here, get your ring back and then meet us at the tomb on the next full moon."
"If anything-"
Damon was slammed against the wall, his ribs cracking and his feet off the ground in an instant. He weakly tried to pull the ridiculously strong girl off him to no avail.
"Damon," Lia said calmly as she looked up at him innocently. "If you try to threaten me, it will not end well for you. You are playing my game, now. You don't get to make demands. You simply obey. Now, will I see you at the tomb on the next full moon?"
"Yes," the vampire grunted painfully through gritted teeth, blood trickling from the side of his mouth.
Lia was back on the other side of the locked cell door before he crumpled to the ground.
"Excellent. Well, I have to go! See you next week!"
With that, the unknown supernatural entity skipped away.
Damon was infuriated. He had been waiting for this day for his entire vampire life and it was now in the hands of someone else. He was also nervous; he'd already seen her speed, but to know she was that strong as well? He decided he'd live longer if he played by her rules. It was better to not anger the beautiful being that could ball him up like a scrap bit of paper.
More than any of that, though, he was horny.
God damn it, but Kaliope Athánatos was a spectacular creature who was even more radiant when she meant business.
A shudder wracked his weak form before he froze, hearing the front door creak open and footsteps hesitantly make their way to him.
He smirked. Dinner time, indeed.