Warning: This Chapter contains Violence.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Ella's vision played out almost perfectly. Damon stepped out of the shadows, a cold smile on his face. He gave Ella a cursory glance and she knew he'd been looking for injury, before returning his gaze to the one behind her.

"Who are you?" the vampire demanded, his tone dripping in venom. Ella could feel his hatred and she wondered what she had done to deserve such torment.

"Your worst nightmare," Damon growled, his smile widening.

He sprang then, launching himself at Jeremy's killer and tackling him. Ella was frozen, her heart taking off at a sprint again. In that moment when Damon had checked her for injury and then attacked her would be murderer, Ella had felt something from Damon, something she'd never felt from him before…love.

It wasn't passionate love, not the way that Ella loved Jeremy or the way that Damon himself loved Elena, although he tried to hide it. It wasn't even a platonic love, the way Ella loved Caroline or Tyler or Bonnie or Matt. She wasn't really sure how to describe what she'd sensed; it had been so fleeting, quickly consumed by anger.

Damon had been relieved that she wasn't hurt and the he'd felt this overwhelming emotion. Ella had thought she'd explode from the sheer immensity of it. It was a combination of love, possessiveness and an unshakeable need to protect her and keep her alive. It had been something akin to how Ella imagined a parent would feel for their child.

Ella hadn't had time to contemplate what it meant because at that moment the second part of her vision came true. Someone grabbed her from behind in an iron grip, a small laugh sent a chill through Ella's veins. The young Fae screamed in agony when she felt the vampire's fangs penetrate her skin where her neck met her shoulder. The pain burned white home and Ella's vision blurred, her eyes drifting closed.

Someone yelled her name, but Ella was too tired to pay attention. The pain was gone now, it was just a dull throbbing and Ella felt herself growing sleepy. She felt heavy and she knew that most people would be terrified at that point, but she wasn't afraid. She'd be with Jeremy soon, what was there to be afraid of?

Just as Ella was losing the fight for consciousness she heard something that brought her back to reality. A yell of pain penetrated her haze and Ella's eyes flew open. The vampire Damon had been fighting now had him pinned to the leaf strewn floor, a broken branch jammed into Damon's abdomen.

"What is it about this girl?" the vampire whispered close to Damon's ear. "Why are you so ready to die to save her? Do you love her?"

"You wouldn't understand," Damon grunted through his pain.

The vampire shrugged. "No matter, your attempts were in vain. Now you get to watch her die before I kill you."

He pressed down on the branch, causing Damon to convulse in pain and yell out again. Damon's head fell to the side, her eyes locking on Ella's. She could see his lips moving, saying her name soundlessly.

No, Ella thought to herself. She didn't care if she died, but she wouldn't allow Damon to die. Her blood began to boil again, the anger and hate bubbling to the surface, but before she could move to throw off the one who had her captive she was let go.

Spinning on the spot, Ella turned to face the vampire and froze at what she saw. The vampire was a girl, no more than Ella's age, and she was doubled over in pain, blood foaming at her mouth, her eyes dark and filled with agony. As Ella watched on in stunned silence the girl dropped to her knees, clawing at her throat.

"What the-?" the male vampire swore behind Ella.

He rushed forward, dropping into a crouch beside her. The girl clutched his arm for a moment and then she was gone. She fell to the ground, her skin growing greyer by the second. There was a yell of anguish and the vampire rounded on Ella.

"What did you DO?!" he screamed.

"I didn't…" Ella shook her head. "I didn't do…"

"Ella," Damon whispered, his voice pained. He was still pinned to the ground several feet behind her. "Run."

His warning came too late, the vampire had lunged at her, but he didn't reach her. He stopped cold about three feet from her, his eyes wide. Ella was glaring at him, hatred plain of her pretty features.

"No," she said, authority ringing in her voice. "You're not hurting anyone anymore. You killed Jeremy, then you try to kill Damon, you have no idea who you are dealing with."

She had done it, Ella had given in to her hate of this vampire and the power was unbelievable. Ella could feel it coursing through her veins, she knew exactly what she was capable of and it was like nothing she'd ever dreamed of.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Ask your father."

"My father?" Ella frowned. Damon made an unintelligible groan behind her, but Ella ignored him. "What does my father have to do with anything?"

"You'll have to ask him to find out," the vampire laughed. "I'm saying nothing else. You'll just have to kill me, because if you don't I'll murder everyone else that you love."

Ella's lips twitched up in a cold, empty smile. "Don't worry," she told him. "I intend to."

The vampire's eyes widened slightly at the truth in her words. They widened even further, this time in pain, when a hand was thrust through his chest. He looked down at the arm now protruding from his chest then into the cold eyes of the girl who belonged to the arm.

Ella's fingers closed around his heart, digging into the muscle. The vampire gasped and choked in pain as she squeezed it tightly in her hand. She smiled at him again before giving one final tug and ripping his heart from his chest.

His face remained frozen in shock as he crumbled to the floor. Ella stared at the heart in her hand, suddenly realising what she had done. She dropped the heart with a scream, tears welling in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks.

"Oh god," she muttered, running to a nearby bush, she leaned over and threw up.

"Ella," Damon called weakly when she was finished.

Ella had almost forgotten he was there; she whipped around quickly and rushed to his side. Dropping to her knees she grabbed hold of the branch.

"I'm so sorry Damon," she told him.

"S'not your fault," he assured her with a weak smile.

"This is going to hurt," she said then pulled the branch from his stomach and threw it to the side.

"Son of a bitch!" he exclaimed, pulling himself up into sitting position. "Ella, are you all right?"

"No," she whispered, looking down at her blood soaked arm. "He's dead Damon."

"You had no choice Ella. He would have killed you, me too."

"You don't understand," Ella sighed. She could feel the darkness taking over, but she had to make Damon understand. "I'm not…I'm not talking about the vampire Damon."

"Who?"

"Jeremy…he's gone Damon. Jeremy's…dead."

And then the darkness took her.

TBC…