Songs: Tainted Love - Marilyn Manson (1st half of chapter), Ghostflowers [music video version] - Otep (2nd half)
"It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle, when the sun comes up you better start running." - I have no idea
"Please...I can't..."
Teeth the colour of buttery popcorn hit a dim light, shining visibly. Full, pink lips thin, upper lip almost completely disappearing. "You can't what?" the man questions, light fingers digging into skin that resembles milk chocolate.
The woman begins to moan as crimson stains her legs. "I want...you," she whispers, hungrily. She grabs at his light-brown strands and pulls tightly.
His jaw clenches, breath hitches. He squeezes her leg with more force and brings his lips to her neck, beginning to suck.
Her grasp on his hair tightens.
A deep growl rises from his chest and into his throat, escaping through his now wide mouth. His upper lip twitches, hand reaching for her neck. In seconds it is in his hand and he is squeezing with such a force that her dark eyes begin to widen. Slowly, purposefully, his nose meets hers, chest rising and falling at a rapid pace.
"I love you," he says through a moan.
Just as soon, his face is in her hands and she is kissing him. He responds quickly, lifting her onto the dining table and stepping into the space between her legs. Her nails dig into his cheeks. Another moan escapes his mouth, this one deeper, animalistic. He slams her back to the dark wood and climbs on top of her, straddling her restless body.
Louis clears his throat.
Evios' head turns, eyes filled with fury. At seeing who it is a smile graces his lips, mischievous in nature. He glances down at the caramel-coloured body in his old friend's arms, smile widening. "You brought me a present?" He steps onto the concrete and walks towards Louis, careless about his unbuttoned pants. The blond man's hesitance brings a frown onto Evios' face. "Why is it you interrupt if not to bring me a gift?"
Louis adjusts his hold on the witch before responding. "I will come back if you wish it."
"I do not." He looks at his lover and motions for her to leave with the nod of his head.
Her dark feet touch the cold concrete. She smiles as she looks at Louis, barely glancing at the limp body in his arms as she walks past him, long, thick legs as graceful as ever.
Evios notices Louis' eyes. "You can have her for tonight if it pleases you," he says, knowing that his friend will refuse. Yet, it is a habit he can't rid himself of - the constant offers he gives to this man.
"It does not please me." He sets the witch on the table and pulls her shirt lower, revealing cleavage and the dark veins that stain her skin. "Can you reverse this?"
"As well as I could reverse yours." His light fingers dance across her bare skin, a shock like that of static-electricity being sent through him wherever their skin meets. "I would like to explore her further..." he mumbles, eyes shining with a lust that has gone unsatisfied due to Louis' interruption.
"No."
Evios' dark eyes meet Louis' blue-green ones. "You dare deny me?"
"She will not be yours."
"If I wanted her you would have no choice."
Louis' eyes darken, more so than Evios' natural colour. "She will not be yours," he repeats.
Evios' face contorts in recognition of this tone that he has not heard for over a thousand years. He looks back down at the girl, this time studying her face extensively. Carefully, his skin presses against hers once more, this time in the form of his palm against the darkest spot of her chest. A sudden wave of euphoria shoots into his veins. He inhales sharply and looks back up at Louis.
"Leave us," he commands.
Louis' body twitches as he tries to fight the pull to leave the room. He opens his mouth to refuse yet no words come out. Before he can even think twice, he is leaving. It is okay, a voice in his head reasons, he commanded it. A smaller, much quieter voice is overpowered by the loudness of the other so much that Louis can barely catch what it is saying. You must protect her. Maybe? Is that what it is saying? His eyebrows furrow in confusion.
No, you must protect him, the louder voice says.
Evios barely notices Louis leave, giving it not even a thought. His entire focus is on this creature before him. Slowly, he removes the only thing separating his eyes from being able to take in her figure - something he does, gladly, when allowed the opportunity. His hands roam her bare skin, examining the extent of the black veins coming from the middle of her chest.
The damage is worse than Louis', he concludes after a few seconds.
"Why would he do that?" he whispers, referring to Raulf. He looks at the witch's face. "You are special." But why to the extent that he found the need to lock the power away?
Suddenly, he presses hard against the center of her chest. A green light appears and disappears within just a second. Her eyelids raise. He watches her face, calm as it is, staring mostly into the green of her eyes.
Slowly, she focusses on him.
"What is your name?" he questions.
She remains silent, almost in a daze.
His hand smacks against her chest again. Her eyes widen. With the speed of a frightened man she sits up and puts the table between her and this strange person. "Who are you?"
"Evios," he replies, smoothly.
"Why am I here? What do you want?"
He smiles, confident due to having a thousand years of charming women into submission under his belt. "You are here because Louis brought you..." He stretches his arms outward, elbows bent and hands facing the ceiling. "And I want nothing...except to figure out who you are."
"Why should I tell you anything?" She swallows, bringing her hand to her chest. Quickly, she looks down at her bare body and then back up at the man. Fuck. Her eyebrows furrow. "What did you do to me?" Before he can answer she continues, "I don't know who you are, I don't know where I am..."
He steps away from the table and folds his hands together. "You are on the Other Side. And that mark on your chest is from a different man...If I could rid you of it, I would..." He pauses, smile becoming gentle. "And you need not tell me anything. I will not force you to do something that you wish not to do. That, I promise you."
Again, she swallows.
"Let us get you clothes, shall we?"
What have you done? Quick feet pace around the room, heavy like a child having a tantrum.
"Open the door..." Kol says through a clenched jaw, staring down at the floor. His fists shake to the point that one would wonder if his knuckles would explode from his skin. "I know this is your doing, witch. Now, open the door!"
Bang!
Bang!
"Open the door!" he demands, fists slamming against the hard metal.
"Be quiet now," Raulf says.
Kol takes a step away from the door, eyes narrowing as it begins to move. His body tenses.
As soon as the stranger takes a step into the room he is in Kol's grasp. The Original raises him up, veins darkening around his eyes. "Let's cut the pleasantries, shall we?" He throws him against a wall with all of his strength.
With the speed of a vampire his age he runs for the exit, rebounding and falling to the ground just as quick. Growling, he faces the man who, somehow, has managed to climb to his feet.
"You should not be so rough, vampire, it will only make your pain worse."
Kol's frown deepens. "You will be the one who suffers," he threatens.
The door slams shut.
"We shall see about that."
Kol refuses to take his eyes off this man. If there is anything that he has learned in the past few days it is that he must not underestimate anyone, even the ones weaker than himself; though, such a fact bothers him more than anything else he knows.
"Now..." Raulf smiles. "Are you going to play nice or am I going to have to teach you a lesson?"
The Original's head tilts to the side, feigning consideration of the man's offer. Then he quickly shakes his head. "I don't enjoy games..." He shrugs. "The last one I played got me killed...so you can see, I'm a little skeptical of their outcomes." He shakes his hand at the man. "And I never enjoyed lessons...they were always so formal." He smiles, mockingly.
Raulf's fingers spread straight out, the palm of his hand moving to face Kol. Quickly, his fingers bend into a fist.
Kol falls to his knees, grabbing at his head, trying anything to stop the pressure. His mouth widens as if preparing to scream; that is one thing, however, that he will not allow. He will not be the one who screams this time. One foot touches the concrete as he wills himself to stand.
Raulf opens his fist and pushes towards Kol's direction. The vampire flies into the air, back hitting the door with a loud bang.
"You should not have stayed on the other side of the Veil for so long. My Leeches almost devoured your soul," he says, smiling. His tongue lubricates his lips, leaving a shiny finish. "Better for me, I suppose; though, I must admit that I would have enjoyed draining you myself."
Slowly, Kol stammers to his feet, wiping blood from his nose with the back of his hand. "What exactly do you plan to do?" he questions, eyes narrowed.
Raulf's smile widens. "I want to see you suffer," he says, simply.
Bonnie watches Evios carefully as he searches through the drawers of a dark armoire. "If you aren't the one who did this to me," she says, fingering the protruding veins from her chest. "Then who did?"
"Louis never remembered either," he mumbles, pulling a black tank top from the drawer. "But it didn't take him long to figure it out." He sets the shirt down to his left, just above a white t-shirt, and begins to search through another drawer.
Bonnie's eyebrows furrow as she tries to decipher his meaning.
"Raulf did the same thing as he did to you to Louis," he says, answering her unspoken question.
Louis. She frowns as she mentally matches the face to the name.
"I suggest you make friends with him, my love. He would defend you until his death, I assure you."
Bonnie scoffs. "Like you would, I'm sure."
Evios laughs as he turns to face her, a pair of shorts and a tank top in hand. "I would not," he confesses. "I find life very precious." He lays the clothes in her arms.
"And yet here you are, dead like me," she mumbles.
His eyes widen with surprise. Another laugh escapes him, this one louder than the last. "Yes, you are correct about that." He sits on his bed, watching her as she moves the clothes in her hands.
"Do you mind?" she says, annoyed with his presence.
"Mind what, my love?"
"I don't want to change with you in front of me."
"But I have already seen you naked from the front and the back. It would make no difference."
Her jaw clenches. Sure, he is right. Still, even the thought of changing in front of a stranger is enough to bother her. To save her pride she steps away from him, trying to get as far away as possible. She slides her legs into the shorts, all the while keeping her guard up and watching the man who watches her. Once she is done she folds her arms across her chest. "I'm not staying," she says, defiantly.
"I would not stop you," he says, tone betraying no hint of dishonesty.
Her eyes narrow in suspicion.
"I think, however," he continues. "That you would be much safer with me than with the man who hurt you." He smiles. "But that is your decision to make."
Is that a threat? His smile unnerves her, making whatever honest thing he says sound sketchy at best. "I'll take my chances," she says.
His hand motions her towards the door. "I'll see you later...a couple of minutes from now, perhaps."
No, she thinks as she walks out the door, I'm leaving and I'm going to find Grams and-
It isn't very long before she literally runs into Louis, who's face loses all of its concern as he stares into her eyes. "He did not touch you, did he?" he questions, looking her up and down. His lips tighten in displeasure at the sight of Evios' clothes on her body; it is enough of a hint as to what most likely happened between them.
She frowns in response and tries to push past him. He walks beside her as she tries to get away.
"Where are you going?"
"Away from you."
"But I cannot protect you if-"
"I don't need your help."
"You are powerful," he admits. "But right now you are weaker than me. Your powers are locked away. If you were to step outside...the Leeches..." He frowns at the thought. "You cannot leave."
Her eyes stay forward, determination set. The only thing that bothers her is what he said about her powers being 'locked away'. For the past couple of minutes she has felt nothing, no magic flowing through her veins. She can't feel anything. On a normal day, she would be able to almost taste her own magic on her tongue but, now, she tastes nothing.
There is no taste.
It disturbs her more than anything else ever could.
"You cannot leave," Louis repeats, grabbing her arm.
She glares up at him, still defiant. "If you really want what's best for me then you will let me go."
"You would not be safe," he assures her.
"I have people that will help me...family that would-"
Louis shakes his head. "Your family cannot help you now."
Her arm goes limp in his hand. "What did you just say?" she asks, eyes narrowing.
He swallows, knowing that the news will upset her. "They were only going to cause you harm...I had to protect you."
"Oh my God." She pulls her arm from his grasp. "You..." She shakes her head in disbelief. "No...you couldn't have...you-"
"I had to," he repeats. "I have to protect Evios...I have to protect you."
"You killed my Grams," she yells, fist slamming into his cheek.
Louis stumbles.
Bonnie runs.
A tall, pale woman goes to her knees, bowing before the Goddess in front of her.
"Lia, she is not with you, why?" a woman resembling Cleopatra questions, looking down at the fiery coloured top of this woman's head.
Glowing, red eyes meet calm, dark ones. "She was gone before we got there."
The dark-skinned woman folds one slim leg under another, making herself comfortable in a chair made of stone. "Evios has taken her then?" she says, lips spreading in amusement.
"I do not know, my Goddess. But I promise to bring her back to you."
The woman frowns, somehow still looking beautiful. "If it were so easy then I would have destroyed him long ago." Her long, elegant fingers tap against stone as she looks down at Lia. "All we can do now is wait."
"But what about..." She swallows, hand fingering her collarbone. "The Creator?" What if he-"
"My blood does not fear The Creator," she says, voice filled with venom. "My blood killed him once. It will kill him again."
"But Qetsiyah-"
The ancient witch's eyes widen in rage. "I am your Goddess. You will address me as such, you filthy child," she says, rising to her feet.
Lia's eyes widen as her throat tightens. She opens her mouth to breathe but no air enters. Within twenty seconds she is shaking, fiery eyes filling with liquid.
Six pairs of eyes watch, betraying no emotion as they stare, unflinchingly. Their right hands hold the hilt of their swords tightly, prepared for any conflict against their Goddess.
Qetsiyah blinks.
Lia inhales loudly, hand pressed against her heart as she gasps for more air.
The ancient witch steps past Lia with no acknowledgement of her presence, gliding gracefully across the golden floor with her brown, knee-length gladiator sandals. Her guards follow; only one glances back at the gasping woman.
Red eyes meet blue ones.
The long-haired man looks away, face like stone: emotionless and cold.
Lia still trembles, trying to regain her composure. "I'm sorry, my Goddess, it will not happen again," she promises to Qetsiyah's retreating figure. The witch doesn't even flinch as the words reach her ears, nor does she acknowledge that they are spoken; she only continues to walk without delay. The sight of this bothers Lia, hurts her more than anything else ever could.
She has failed her master, her Goddess. This woman is the reason that she is even alive after death. She owes everything to her.
Lia stands, now filled with determination. I will bring her to you, she thinks, watching Qetsiyah's back as she disappears behind six men. I swear it on my life.
Hot, red lines pour from Kol's shoulder. "I am going to kill you," he threatens, tone vicious and unforgiving.
"Try," Raulf responds, smiling. His blade slices through skin, over and over. He waits for it to heal before he cuts again, slicing until he reaches bone.
His fingers stab into the wound then separate, allowing him to see a rib. Quickly, without second thought, he takes one rib into his hand and begins to pull.
Kol's jaw clenches. He will not scream. He will not scream.
He will not scream.
A pained growl escapes him when the broken, jagged bone stabs through his throat, stopping only at his spine.
Raulf's eyes shine in the light as he watches blood pour from the vampire standing before him. With the flick of his finger the same vampire falls to his knees, wrapping his hands around his throat to try to stop the bleeding.
It doesn't help.
Kol falls to his hands, blood beginning to pour from his mouth. He spits in an attempt to clear his mouth of the liquid.
Nothing helps.
The wound takes seventeen seconds to heal, ten seconds longer than he is used to. Filled with rage, his chest rises and falls. He closes his eyes, trying to regain composure. He has to be rational if he wants to escape; though, truthfully, keeping rationality above his anger is almost impossible at this point. "I am not going to die again," he whispers.
Raulf's head tilts to the side, blade gleaming in the light, dripping fresh crimson. "What was that, vampire?"
Slowly, Kol looks up at the warlock, face calm and composed. "I am not going to die again," he repeats.
Raulf smiles. "No, you will not die again. I would not allow such a thing..." He shakes his head. "Did you not understand when I said that I want you to suffer?" His smile widens. Slowly, he says, "I want you to suffer for eternity, my friend."
No, Kol thinks, stubbornly. I am an Original. I am supposed to be stronger than anyone. He smiles suddenly, the image of the man before him morphing into that of a lion's prey.
Kol is a lion.
This mere warlock is just a gazelle.
However, this game must be played correctly, regardless, because the gazelle has the upper hand. Yes, the lion will win in the end but the game still must be played if he ever hopes to accomplish his mission. It is just a matter of time; patience.
"Well, there is one thing that we have in common, mate."
"What would that be?" Raulf asks, amused. "Surely the love of blood."
"That, too." He stands. "But there is one thing I love more...one thing you seem to love just as much..." His smile is small, inviting, mischievous. "I want revenge on a witch who is much more powerful than me...you want power and I can get it for you."
"Oh? Who would this witch be?"
"Bonnie Bennett."
Raulf laughs before freezing Kol in his position. He walks towards him, eyes shining brighter. "How would you propose helping me when I already have her in my grasp?" His laugh turns into a light chuckle as he studies the Original.
Kol tries to keep his face calm and unrevealing as to his true thought: fear. If this man could best Bonnie Bennett, of all people, what would he do to Kol? He forces himself not to swallow.
"No answer?"
Kol's spine arches backward until his head reaches his feet. He falls to the ground, unconscious.
Raulf steps over the body and out the door, keeping in mind that he should interrogate him later, torture the answer out of him if he must, as to how the man knows Bonnie. For now, he is in the mood for sharing a bed with one of Evios' lovers.
Thump
Thump
Thump
Rain drops slap Bonnie's face, puddles exploding beneath her feet.
"Stop running!"
"You can't outrun a vampire but when it comes to a human...witch...warlock, whatever it is...you better be able to run for you life. If there is a chance that you could die then you run."
The words repeat over and over in Bonnie's head. You run. You run.
If there is a chance that you could die then you run.
"You're not a god, Judgey. You can die just like the rest of us."
Her chest rises and falls, breath staining the air. She pushes herself harder; faster, she must be faster than him.
Bonnie scoffs. "I can kill him, Damon."
"Maybe." Damon shrugs, steering wheel sliding beneath his hands. "But if you can't then you run, understand?"
She lets her head raise from the window. Slowly, she looks at him. He meets her eyes.
"If there is a chance that you could die then run."
"I heard you the first time," she mumbles, focusing on the window in front of her.
This is not Silas, Bonnie knows. Damon's advice, however, applies very much so in this situation.
Bonnie has no powers.
She is weak, human like in terms of strength. All she has against this man behind her is her speed; it is her only friend right now. She will befriend it with her heart and soul. She will get away.
She feels finger tips slap against her back.
She makes an abrupt left.
Louis slips on the wet concrete and crashes to his side. He wastes no time in getting to his feet and resuming the chase.
"Stop!" he demands. "I don't want to hurt you!"
Trees, she thinks, studying the forest that rests only about a mile away. Just a mile. I can do this.
A black fog surrounds her. She refuses to stop. If she just keeps running straight then she will make it. The forest is in front of her.
She can make it.
Screw sight.
The more she breathes in the slower she becomes. Her eyelids begin to flutter, wanting to drop. She holds her breath.
Arms wrap around her chest. Her legs fly up from the momentum.
"Let go of me!" she shouts.
Louis presses his forehead to her dark, wavy hair as the black fog begins to fly into her mouth. A soundless scream escapes her throat.
She becomes limp in his arms. The fog fades to non-existence.
Louis' heart begins to slow to its regular pace though his breath is still loud, heavy. He holds the witch's chin up with his hand, holding her body with his free arm. He breathes out loudly, blowing her wavy strands to the sides.
"I was just trying to protect you," he whispers, pressing his cheek against hers as her head falls back onto his shoulder. "You should not have run..."
He falls to his knees, cradling her body in his lap. Slowly, water begins to form in his eyes, mixing with the rain as it rolls down his face. His back bends as he leans down to her, surrounding her unmoving body in his arms. He turns his head to kiss her cheek. "I am sorry I had to do this," he whispers against her skin.
Author's Note: Marilyn Manson is basically my go to for songs for this story :P I love it. There will be some scenes back in Mystic Falls next chapter. I just wanted to focus on the Other Side for this one. Oh! And I'm beginning to sense something between two characters...some sexual scenario that should be coming up, maybe next chapter, maybe five from now. They may or may not have had a scene together already. What I can say is that it is going to be dark and...my lord O.O I'm imagining it already...Getting a little steamy in here.
Mrs. Anitra - Stefan is immune to nothing at this point ahaha. His hallucinations are going to drive him to a point beyond madness, itself. It's going to be so fun to write ehehe B) As well, with Katherine...it should be kept in mind that she has NO idea that Stefan is a doppelganger...she will be completely caught off guard when...IF...she finds out.
Guest - Damon and Silas are in Mystic Falls, Stefan is at the bottom of a lake. I didn't want to say "Katherine looked at someone who she thought was Stefan but little did she know...IT WAS SILAS!" :P So, I've just been hinting at it. As for Evios, now you know who he is ;) kind of. "Will Bonnie be resurrected by the gang or Louis?" Well...I have no idea what the answer to that will be. Even if I want something to happen in this story...if my characters don't MAKE it happen then it won't happen. You know what I mean? I let the characters take me wherever they want to. Basically, I just drop characters in a plot and see how they handle it...the ending is something I only vaguely know right now ahaha. So, in short, I have no idea if she will be resurrected or not.
I have a question for you readers! Recently, I've been wanting to write longer chapters but I'm not sure if you would be interested or not. Personally, I have a short attention span sooo I prefer shorter chapters that just get to the point. What do you readers think? Longer or is this fine the way it is?