Allusions to child abuse and violence against a child. Religious elements due to demons.
Caroline sipped at her Spritz, a sweet burn coating her tongue and throat as she toasted the red-orange glow haloing buildings across the canal. A gorgeous Venetian sunset was certainly one way to usher out the eve of her seventeenth year and herald her eighteenth.
Her peers that still called the tiny Mystic Falls home were likely taking gap years, looking for jobs, or starting college. Not globetrotting. Not being a mere 18 and having set foot on all seven continents. Their tongues couldn't dance with a sometimes clumsy, sometimes eloquent flow of words in dozens of languages. And they didn't have memories that burned like star fire in their minds. From the twinkling yellow of the City of Lights to the vivid green of the hills of Kerala.
Of course her peers also lived without knowing their expiration dates. There was that.
She closed her eyes.
Tipping her glass, the last drops of her cocktail slid down her throat. A swipe of her tongue licked the remnants from her lips and she could feel a weak breeze catch one of her curls.
And then her peace shattered, a jolt like a livewire running down her spine. Her glass slipped from nerveless fingers, though it didn't fall far. A pale arm reached around her and caught it, his presence a static thrum of power at her back.
"Careful, sweetheart," he murmured in her ear, "I do so hate to have my possessions damaged."
Shock rapidly shifted to ire and she whirled around, taking a step back to gain some distance. Her arms crossed as she glowered, eyes taking in a sight she hadn't seen in years. Short blonde curls and bright blue eyes. Curling raspberry red lips, their smirk deepening the dimples in their cheeks.
The Devil was an angel once, it's been said. Rather unfair he kept his stunning appearance when he Fell.
10 Years Ago
Dipping her small hands in the water of a stream, Caroline carefully washed the dirt from them. The cold temperature bit at the flesh of her hand, but she pressed on unflinchingly, meticulously picking out the dirt from under her nails and scrubbing at her skin. When she finished, fingers nearly numb, she pulled her hands from the water, shaking them out and spraying small drops around where she sat.
Hands finally dry Caroline continued to kneel at the bank, picking up each of the stems of yarrow she had just harvested. With surprising dexterity she slowly braided the stems together, interweaving strands of her hair into the forming wreath. It was a strange, macabre ornament.
Yet she didn't hesitate to press it to the brand on her side, the cruelly slashed lines still sluggishly bleeding crimson rivulets. A hiss whistled through her clenched teeth, but she only pulled the bundle away after three deep breaths.
Yellow, green, and splattered red was cradled in her hands and she gently, gently lowered it into the rock lined hole she had dug. Set in its tomb of earth, Caroline placed one last, larger river stone over top to complete the ritual.
And then she waited.
Water in the stream trickled and bubbled. Crisp autumn air nipped at her exposed skin. Somewhere in the distance some birds chirped as a squirrel scurried up the bark of an oak. Her side throbbed, blood warm and sticky.
The water froze and the air went still and stagnant, the forest now silent.
Black smoke crept out from below the river stone, foul smelling as the wreath burned.
"Now, is this not a fascinating occurrence."
Caroline said nothing as the voice rumbled from the earth, the sound seeming to echo all around her. More black tendrils spilled out, twining together in the air, growing darker and thicker until a cloud of smog enveloped her small form.
"Oh?" The voice taunted. "So quiet, little one. Was it bravado and not defiance I tasted?"
Blue eyes, still round in a youthful face, flashed with icy fire as knuckles bleached white in her lap. "I am young, not stupid. I am hardly going to scare you off before you give me what I want."
There was silence for several rapid patters of her hummingbird heart, long enough that Caroline feared she had miscalculated. And then there was a bark of laughter, nearly human if not for the way it shook the world around her.
"Such fire, little one!" Amusement faded to something more derisive. "And such confidence to think I would make a bargain with the likes of you. I do not make Deals with your kind, girl."
Had she been less prepared, such words may have shaken her nerve. Instead her lips only twitched as she attempted to smother a growing smirk.
"Oh, I know. A demon with honor? That's funny!" She grew somber as she continued. "Yeah, I can respect that you don't go after kids. It's probably your lone good quality… one that the rest of your kind don't share." Subconsciously her hand shifted towards her side, where it hovered over the still throbbing wound. And again she was left waiting, hating that she was at this demon's mercy. Knowing it had none.
The darkness had grown thick as she spoke, blocking nearly all the midday sun. And she hoped it was a good sign when it suddenly started moving. Shifting and writhing and converging before her.
A man (rather what appeared as a man, she reminded herself) crouched before her. His looks were unfairly pretty, all blonde and blue eyed. So, she was almost thankful when inhuman gold bled into his eyes, his pupil an unnatural black, the lines and edges of his face suddenly looking a bit wrong. Too severe, too predatory.
"Andrealphus," his voice rumbled and hissed, its power still sending trembles through her. "A pathetic little cretin."
Caroline couldn't quite hide her shiver, despite the fact his ire wasn't directed at her. And he must have sensed the spike in fear, his predatory attention now fully fixated on her. She watched the abyss of his pupil dilate and felt a dry swallow catch in her throat.
"Caroline Forbes," he intoned slowly, rolling the syllables across his tongue. His pupil was still wide and black and consuming as he stared at her. His power prickled just shy of pain against her skin. "Do you accept the price I will demand? It will be my pleasure to hunt such vermin, but I do not offer my aid for free."
It was almost easy now to meet the demon's gaze, his threat not really a threat at all considering. And she said as much. "I could refuse and be forced to flee, already branded like some kind of animal, and wait for nonexistent mercy from the demon that specifically devours children. Or I could accept and deny such a creature the satisfaction. Perhaps, even gain a stay of execution from the only one of its kind to never take a child's soul."
She did not waver as she spoke, her voice and eyes steady as she looked at the being across from her. When there was a flicker in his expression, she noticed. Though, its meaning escaped her as it faded too quickly. His face settling into something completely impassive.
"Then, we have a bargain, Caroline Forbes. I shall remove the threats you now face, the demon, Andrealphus, and their Summoner, William Forbes. Then, upon the eve of your eighteenth year, when you are a child no longer, I shall exact my price."
He extended his hand to her, a completely ordinary looking hand. And after a split second of hesitation, she took it.
Her screams were swallowed by the darkness. Expectation did not dull the agony that shot up her hand and arm from where they touched. Black, inky shadow crawled up her skin, burrowed into her flesh, marked the evidence of their contract.
When it was over the demon and his darkness were gone. The world once more awash with the noise of the stream and animals. Her side no longer ached and when she tugged up the hem of her shirt she found the skin clean and healed. Not even the hint of a scar could be found. But before she could celebrate the lack of a brand, the back of her neck pulsed. She scrambled to tug her hair out of the way, awkwardly craning her head to look at her reflection in the water.
Impossibly black lines traced an intricate sigil on the nape of her neck. It pulsed once under her touch before going dormant. Appearing as nothing more than a strange tattoo, out of place only in that it was on a child. She scowled, letting her hair fall and cover it, but refused to pay it any more attention as she planned her next steps.
The demon would keep their word after all, but Mystic Falls would never be home again.
Present
Crossing her arms was reflexive and she hated the instantly defensive maneuver. So what she said next was admittedly not very smart.
"You're early," she spat. And she hated the indulgent amusement on his face even more.
How he was still smirking as he spoke. "Don't fret, love. You still have the handful of hours before I collect my dues."
Her fingers twitched. "Then, why are you here?"
If he was honest, which he always was when he wanted to be his most cruel and most tempting, then he would say that he didn't know. It was a whim to appear early, albeit by a mere 24 hours or so. 43.5 if he was feeling generous, 17.5 if he wasn't. What a delight time zones were.
But no matter. He came because he was a bit curious what had become of the defiant little girl with her sharp tongue and blazing eyes. He wouldn't say he was disappointed by what he found either.
A bargain with him should have strained her soul, let alone one made nearly a decade ago. And yet she was still full of light when others would have dimmed. More than her eyes blazed, and he couldn't resist provoking her, wanting to witness the flare of her soul.
"I told you, sweetheart, I do not care to see what belongs to me damaged." He smothered a grin as he watched her aura spark and snap like lightning. "And I despise those who try to rob me, especially in the final hour."
She stilled, but didn't quail. If anything she drew herself up as she regarded him.
"I certainly didn't grow less intelligent as I aged. The cost of attempting the impossible would not be worth it." Her eyes narrowed. "So don't threaten me. I won't run."
He moved before she could process even a blur, his fingers tangled in her hair, his palm hot and solid just above where his mark sat. Foreign sensation set her nerves twitching with pleasure-pain, her brain unable to make sense of what had been dormant for 10 years. His lips were at her ear as he whispered.
"Oh, Caroline. That wasn't a threat, that was a statement of a fact. You will know if I threaten you."
His hand loosened from her curls, trailing the faintest of touches across his mark where it still burned, as he released her. An expression of dark satisfaction crossed his face when she couldn't prevent a reactionary shiver.
"I'll see you tomorrow, love. Have a good night."
And then he was gone before she could regain her composure or snap any of the retorts brewing in her mind. There was adrenaline still singing in her veins and a hint of arousal to her ire and dismay. Though she wasn't going to waste her time feeling ashamed. It wasn't her fault his form was absurdly and unfairly attractive.
Morning came quicker than Caroline would have liked, her sleep less restful too. So, to say she was irked when a knock sounded on her door at - her eyes squinted at the hotel alarm clock - 8:00 AM, was a bit of an understatement. She grumbled, nestling deeper into her sheets as she tugged a pillow over her head.
A familiar laugh reached her ears. "I know you are awake, Caroline."
Perhaps she should have thought about her actions rather than just reacting, but she didn't. She was furious and that energy had her flinging her covers off and storming toward the door.
"Why are you here?" She asked, her anger turned cold and quiet in the moment between gripping the knob and jerking the door open.
He eyed her, a taunting mien fading into something more contemplative.
"To celebrate, Caroline. Happy Birthday."
She shook her head. "No. No, I refuse. You'll have my soul tonight. Hell, you can take it right now if you so choose, but you will not make a mockery of my last hours."
Again his expression shifted, though she still couldn't read it nor did she try to.
"A mockery?" He echoed. "Do you really think that low of me?"
Her soul was near overwhelmingly bright, and she hissed out a sharp "yes" with no hesitation. And he watched the maelstrom of her being churn around her and wondered at his own reaction.
From anyone else such disrespect would be met with his fury. He would have capitalized on her words and ripped her soul from her right where she stood. And yet he had no desire to do so. In fact, he was impressed rather than angered by her continued defiance.
She waited, her fingers tight on the now warm metal of the knob, expecting to feel unfathomable pain as he devoured what he was owed. Instead he cocked his head, his tone frighteningly calm and nearly conversational in its levity.
"Supposing I am so inclined to-how did you phrase it? Mock you-how would you, a mere human, hope to stop me?"
Her smile was equal parts bitter and resolved. "I would leave you no life to mock, only a soul to catch. An ability surely not beyond one such as you."
It was then he decided he would not harm this brave, foolish human. This young woman who would so recklessly imperil her soul all for a modicum of control. Once he had been the Light-Bringer, and he may no longer call himself such anymore, but it would not be him to snuff out her light.
It seemed idiotic to think, but Caroline thought she saw something in the demon's face soften. Her mistake. A split second later his hand was on her neck.
She stiffened as she felt his power flex under her skin, bracing for something that never came. It was a warning, she realized, as she stared at the demon regarding her with an odd solemnity.
"I do not allow humans control in my Bargains, Caroline. Nor would any self-respecting demon. And had I accepted what your spite so damningly offered to me, your soul would have been the least of your concerns." To her surprise, his hand moved away again, and he even took a step back to allow her some breathing room. "You are very fortunate I have no interest in playing such games with you."
Caroline's lips pursed. "You're not going to leave me alone today, are you?" She finally asked.
"In an hour, I will return to escort you to breakfast. Should there come a point today that you honestly feel I am tormenting you or making your day worse I shall leave. And I shall not return for a year to the day. Deal?"
She couldn't prevent the way her eyes noticeably widened, all but bulging out of their sockets in her shock. Because what? He was going to give her more time on her say-so?! What happened to 'I do not allow humans control in my Bargains, Caroline'?
His chuckle disrupted her careening thoughts. "Do you accept, Caroline Forbes?" There was his stupid, ordinary looking, utterly damning hand extended before her for the second time in her life.
It troubled her that she couldn't see a downside to his deal, surely that meant there was a trick. But if he was going to show up anyway, then she wanted the out. Reluctantly, she took his hand, his power thankfully only a warm wave up her arm rather than anything painful.
He smiled, twisted their grasped hands around so he could kiss her knuckles. "I'll see you in an hour, love."