A few very tiny changes in here that will impact the story later. If I can remember why I made them... and this is why my stories never go to plan... shit, what did I change. Please ignore me and the voices as I curse up a storm and try to remember what word I didn't like and changed. And by changed, I mean cut. Well, maybe replaced. It was important... well, the important thing is that I've started writing this again! ... ... ! What did I change?

Hounds of Hell

Words of Warning

A moment later, Damon led me into the hospital, arm draped protectively over my shoulders. My eyes darted over the faces of everyone we passed; searching for any hint of hostility; any reason to run, but all that filled this place merely went about their tasks. Aside from a handful that must have received a bit of fantastic news, there was only sorrow here.

Blindly, I followed Damon into a tiny room as I studied the other occupants; curiosity driving me to try to grasp some understanding of what fueled their emotions. And then the room moved. My heart instantly raced, flooding my body with adrenaline and my wings shot out vainly. Trapped. There were no windows; no escape. Damon said something, but I couldn't hear him over my frantic gasps.

Thea! Though he practically screamed my name, there was humor in his voice. Near trembling, my eyes shot to his. "It's an elevator. It's suppose to move." He explained mockingly. "It'll carry us to the third floor were the little witchy's waiting." Still, I stared at the floor, waiting for it to collapse. "You may want to hide those," he warned, "We're almost there." Again, I met his icy blue eyes. With effort, I forced my wings to lie flush against my back and stood up straight. He watched me a moment. I started to glare at him, but the wall suddenly changed, startling me as it split down the center and spread open.

You really aren't use to technology, are you? He asked as he gently took my hand and led me out of the moving room.

I slept in caves for most of my life. I admitted. My mother wanted to keep me as far from humans as possible. The bitter humor that passed through his mind at the thought of their first meeting brought a hard smile to my lips. She meant well… just… poor execution. He chuckled.

The further into the hospital we walked, the stronger the scent of antiseptic became. A few people strayed throughout the halls, but no one took any real notice. He stopped outside one of the doors. Alright, time to face the wicked witch. He joked, as he opened to door. Slightly hesitant, I walked into the brightly lit room. A flimsy cloth divided the room in half. An elderly man lay sleeping in a bed on the exposed half; what appeared to be a life support system hooked up to him. Bonnie, I assumed, was in the bed on the far side of the room near; I realized as I started toward her with a sigh of relief, a window. Frustration tinted with fear. I spun to face Damon. He stood just outside the room with a very annoyed look on his face.

"I can't come in." He scowled before I could ask.

"Because I need to speak to Thea alone." Came a kind but firm voice from behind the curtain. Humor passed through his mind. That wasn't really possible. "Thea, would you close the door?" This was a place that Damon couldn't enter. The mere realization of that sent a wave of panic crashing over me and I quickly retreated from the room. He automatically looped an arm around me as I stared into the deceptively serene room. My entire body revolted at the thought of being trapped somewhere he couldn't enter.

If I have to, I'll pull the entire hospital down. He promised, entertaining the thought merely for the fun of it. She may know something important. He pressed. I swallowed hard and looked at him. "Besides, she's Elena's friend, and you saved Elena. She's not going to hurt you." I wasn't sure how sincere his nonchalance was, but it gave me the assurance I needed to enter the room. I hesitated as I closed the door, before forcing myself to cross the room. Still, my hand shook as I reached for the simple fabric. But she smiled as I pushed it aside.

"God, your power's already growing." She murmured more to herself than to me. And it sent a shiver down my spine.

"What power?" I was almost too afraid to ask. She met my eyes like she had forgotten I was there; like I had briefly become a mere object of interest that she was studying.

"You really don't know, do you?" she asked in disbelief. My heart raced as I shook my head. "Just like the werewolves and vampires, familiars' powers were suppressed almost to the point of blocking them completely. But, when a familiar creates the bond that you have with Damon, that power is restored; slowly at first, but there are no known limitations." I wasn't sure how to react. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe, once long ago something terrible and amazing happened, but that wouldn't to me. She had to be wrong. Damon merely contemplated this, but said nothing. I took a small step past the curtains.

And my body froze. I couldn't move. Frozen. Empty. Gone. Something was gone. Silence. Complete and absolute. My heart pounded wildly in my chest. Silently, I screamed for him, but there was nothing. A series of enraged thuds came from the door. Bonnie cast a quick, impatient glance at it and they stopped. What did she do? I couldn't hear him. Part of my being had suddenly been ripped away.

"It's alright," she assured me, "It isn't permanent. Just so we can talk." The room. The curtain. If I could get past the curtain, I could hear him again, but I couldn't move. My wings were locked against my back. "Listen to me; you need to need what I have to tell you without him influencing anything." She begged me to understand. I looked at her carefully, searching for any hint of deception. "You saved Elena. I owe you. Let me repay you by telling what I learned in that coma before it's too late." I still wanted to run, but the urgency in her voice… somehow, I knew I could believe her.

The instant I agreed, the shroud around my limbs vanished. I stared at my trembling hand and moved the fingers experimentally, pleased to see them obey my every command, before approaching her bed and sitting in the chair she motioned towards.

"What happened to Damon?" I asked, noting the silence from outside the room.

"I told him that if he drew attention to us, I'd kill you." She answered jokingly. "I won't." She assured me immediately before the absolute panic could overwhelm me. I don't know why, but I believed her.

"Last time," I started, voice only shaking slightly. "What happened?" She gave a hard smile and leaned back.

"Yeah, that was, and I'm a little foggy on just how distant, your ancestor. She felt your link with Damon and, when the three of us connected, entered me to send a message."

"The scripture?" she shook her head.

"That was just part of the Mayan curse. Whenever she enters a witch, she is forced to give that warning. What she showed me, what she wanted me to tell you… Thea… things are going to get really bad really fast if you don't act now." The sympathy in her voice set my hair on end. "It's still early. I should be able to break the link." Before she'd finished, I was on my feet, wings flared. "Thea, wait; just hear me out." I had no choice, my limbs had frozen again. All I could do was glare at her while my rapid breaths shook my body. It wasn't fear that made me tremble; it was rage. She wouldn't dare! Would she? Without my permission, would she tear me from him? I wouldn't let her.

"Thea, listen to me!" she pleaded, "It has to be your choice; I can't force you to do anything." While her assurance calmed me slightly, I still found myself straining against my immobilized limbs. "Five minutes. Just give me five minutes to explain." Regardless how I wanted to shove her words back down her throat, the prospect of gaining some bit of clarity; some touch of truth… Albeit reluctantly, I sat back down; once more free from her restraints.

I tried to remember my first impression of her; how certain I was of her unwavering need to protect those around her from evil. What if, during her vision from my ancestor, she had learned something that classified me as evil? Surely she wouldn't have gone through the trouble to deceive me. If she could stop my body, then she could easily kill me. If she wanted Damon or me dead, I was suddenly certain she would have done so immediately. Just how powerful was she? I gave a sharp sigh to convey my agreement. Again, she gave me a sad smile.

"I don't know how much you've been told, or what you were able to make out of the scripture, so I'll start from the beginning, as far as Evelyn knows, at least. She crossed the Atlantic long before Columbus; with the Vikings. She was fleeing a man named Lukas, a vampire, but he followed her. And he wasn't alone. By the time the English discovered America, vampires were numerous. With the help of a familiar, werewolves were created by a native tribe in an attempt to fight back, but the wolves grew power hungry and became just as dangerous.

"When the Mayans saw Evelyn, they believed her to be a god. They prayed to her and gave her offerings, and they captured her, believing she would protect their village. Though she despised captivity, she used her powers to help them; to make their crops flourish and bring rain or sun. But the vampire, Lukas found her and massacred the village. When familiars were first created, vampires also came into existence; like a shadow. When a vampire has a familiar, their powers balance each other out. They magnify each other… but vampires can control the link; they can manipulate it, leaving the familiar crippled.

"That's what Lukas did to Evelyn. He forced a link and used her power to become invincible. Stakes, fire, light; they tried everything. Finally the Mayans used an ancient ritual and sacrificed her. It put a curse on all vampires and werewolves, preventing vampires from walking in the sunlight and stripping wolves of their control."

"I don't understand. If familiars are supposed to be powerful, why didn't she just kill him herself?" I asked. She sighed slowly before meeting my eyes.

"She loved him." She answered simply. "She fell in love with him as a human. Lucas was taken by a coven. They wanted to use him to control Evelyn. What they did to him… it drove him mad. It nearly cost her life to save him; but it was too late, his mind was already lost. He began to thirst for power. 'To protect her.' While she was still recovering, he sought them out and became one of them. It broke her heart, but she couldn't leave him. Becoming a vampire wasn't enough; it was never enough. He started looking for ways to become even stronger. When he discovered the lure between familiars and vampires, she realized what was happening; what he had become, and she fled." I was speechless.

"Power corrupts, Thea. Once someone has a taste of it, they will always want more. If that happened, if Damon realized the potential between your link, would you be able to do it? Could you kill him? Could you live with the blood of everyone he hurts on your hands?" She let the silence fill the room, waiting for me to find my own answers. But this was Damon; not some deranged madman who had had the sanity torn from them by a coven of vampires. "Maybe not now, maybe not for a hundred years, but, eventually, he will want it." Shocked, I met her gaze.

"A hundred years? How is that possible?" I could only manage a whisper.

"As long as you are linked with him, you share his immortality; but his immortality gives him power over you." I was shaking; staring wide eyes at nothing. But it was Damon; my Damon. He wouldn't; I was sure he wouldn't… right? But how? How certain could anyone be about another person; about themselves, even? There was no way I could be certain what might happen a hundred years from now. Hell, I didn't know what ten minutes would bright. But it was Damon…

"Once he fully utilizes the link; there will be no way to stop him… unless you do it yourself." Myself? I couldn't even think about it. These hand piercing his heart. Looking into those ice blue eyes as the darkness stole over him. It felt like I was falling.

"Think about it, but you must decide quickly. The longer you are linked, the harder it will be to break, and if he starts to use it, it will be impossible." Horrified, I met her gaze; searching desperately for something, but what I saw turned my blood to ice. Honesty. Sympathy. Sorrow. She was speaking from the bottom of her heart. Without the slightest doubt; the most minute hesitation.

"I'll put a barrier up, so he won't be able to hear this memory, or anything you think regarding it. If you want to tell him about this, it'll be your choice and your choice alone, but remember, if he learns of your potential, you'll only be tempting him. And it'll corrupt him that much faster."

Like a switch had been flicked, I fled. Every fiber of my being racing from her bed; from her words; from the truth. I nearly broke the door from its hinges as I threw myself against it. Instantly Damon was there; calling me; questions; but all I could see was myself driving a stake through his heart. The betrayal that would enter those concerned eyes. No; please don't look at me like that.

"Like what? What happened?" I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I was poison. To him, I was poison. If he knew; if he ever learned what he could have, the possibilities would poison him and draw him closer and closer to madness until… "Poison? Thea, your thoughts are all muddled, I can't understand you." I had to go. I had to think. Run. I needed to run.

Without a word, I flung myself from him and tore down the corridor. Part of me heard him call my name. Just as he was about to follow me, Bonnie called him. He started to ignore her, but a stern demand followed by a reassurance that I would be fine convinced him to enter her room. I silently thanked her for that as my body raced through the building, somehow knowing which way to go, which door would reveal the stairs. I sprinted up the two stories and threw myself into the door to the rooftop. As fast as I could, I raced across the poorly tiled roof and jumped.