Hey readers :) Sorry for the long wait-but I wrote a long chapter at least ;)
Thanks to my beta, Cdaye8184 for helping me out :'D Check out her stories! xx
"Mr. Mikaelson," Stefan smiled politely and shook Kol's hands. "Always great to have you here. Did the last human satisfy you?"
"Not really. I killed her after three days," Kol smirked, patting Stefan on the shoulder. "It's good to see you chose to be on the best side of this, Stefan. I'm sure Klaus will reward those who follow him." He paused and sipped on the blood he was drinking.
"I'm sure," Stefan smirked back. "Are your siblings here?"
"My only concern's Rebekah. You know Elijah and Finn don't really join me." He smirked. "Besides, we are not exactly compatible."
"I'm sorry." Stefan offered, just to remain on the Original's good side.
"Don't be. They don't appreciate vampirism. I hate to say that I'm related to them." He muttered the last bit but it didn't slip past Stefan's ears, not that he pushed it much further anyway.
"I can understand. A human made my brother weak as well."
"I know," Kol said, "It's always a shame, seeing our kind falling for them." He sipped the blood once again. "Speaking of, I hear that there is the Petrova doppelgänger around. Let's just say I'm interested in meeting her. Can you send her to me?"
Stefan gritted his teeth. He didn't like giving Elena to other vampires, she was his leverage. And she was his. But he knew better than to say no to an original, who, after all, had more authority than him.
"The girl belongs to me," Stefan replied. "It is definitely not a problem."
"I see. Go and bring her then," Kol turned away and poured himself a drink.
"Of course." Stefan gritted his teeth, not liking the idea at all.
"I thought I told you to make her presentable," Stefan growled at Tara, barging in the room without knocking. Tara was still brushing Elena's tangled hair.
"We're not done yet, Stefan," Tara said firmly.
"And who gave you the permission to call me Stefan?" Stefan barked and in a second, he was in front of Tara, grabbing her face with rough hands.
"You know you can't touch me, Stefan," Tara said again, challenging him. "It's in the contract. No vampire is to touch me."
But she had barely finished the words. Stefan had her pinned to the wall, her head crashing painfully. "Listen up, bitch. I don't give a fuck about the contract. I practically own this place now, and I won't tolerate any disobedience."
"Let her go! You're hurting her!" Another tiny voice joined in, and Stefan turned his attention to Elena.
"I think you better shut up now, princess. I still need to set things right with you," He threatened, "Don't make it harder to yourself, because you wouldn't like it."
He let Tara go and stalked towards Elena. "Someone special wants to see you, and you have to be presentable." He eyed her with disgust, and then barked, "Tara, leave us. Now."
Tara threw an apologetic look at Elena, and the latter nodded. She knew that Tara couldn't do anything about it nor did she expect her to.
Stefan took the brush Tara had been using and started to brush her hair, smoothing it with his hand and twisting the small waves at the tips. His green eyes locked with hers in the mirror as he clipped a butterfly pin on her head.
"Take off your dress," He ordered her, and without any hesitation, Elena took off her grey, dirty dress and waited as she stood vulnerable in front of him, with just her lingerie. To her surprise, however, he didn't make any comments or did anything to make her uncomfortable. Instead, he took out a gold and red knee-length dress and dressed her.
"Humans have to look beautiful tonight, Elena," He said, reaching out to caress her cheek with his cold fingers. He placed a kiss on her temple and put a finger under her chin. His touch sent shivers throughout her body but not in a good way. He only acted nice and sweet when he had something extremely evil planned. She feared Stefan, there was no doubt about that but it was too the point now where she couldn't even predict his motives. He was too clever.
"Now, let me explain some things to you about tonight." He took her hand and guided her to the bed, where he sat her on his lap, making sure that she is facing him. He twirled his finger around a little curl, tugging at it slightly. "Tell me, Elena. What's going to happen tonight?"
"There will be a dinner," She said in monotone. "I will do what the vampires ask me to do, no questions and no hesitations." Tara had rehearsed Elena properly. She was not afraid of answering.
"Good girl," He smiled, clearly pleased with her. "And if I ask you to offer a drink, you will offer your hand to the other vampires, but you will give me your neck. Do you understand, Elena?"
"Yes, I do, sir." She nodded without emotion or expression. It was nothing more than words.
"Then I will escort you to the room. Like I said, there is someone waiting for you." He smirked at her and placed a kiss on her cheek, his lips lingering there for a few seconds. "You look really beautiful tonight, Elena. Don't screw this up. I won't hurt you if you don't disappoint me."
His words were gentle, but the effect of it was lethal. She was constantly reminded that she was a slave. He had dressed her, for hell's sake. He had brushed her hair and made sure she looked 'presentable'. He treated her like a plastic doll that he could play with whenever he wanted. She had no control any more. She had nothing. He grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip and a few minutes later they were in another room. Stefan knocked twice and kept his gaze on her.
A few minutes later, a tall man with dark hair and eyes opened the door. He appeared to be no more than twenty-two years old, but Elena knew better. She couldn't trust what she sees in a place like this.
"Ah," He spoke in a slight British accent, smiling at Elena. "You're here. Stefan, I need a few moments with the lady. Please leave us."
"Of course," Stefan said through clenched teeth, holding Elena's arms so hard that his nails were practically digging under her skin.
With a whoosh, Stefan left and Elena was left alone standing in front of Kol who was looking at her with curiosity and amusement written all over his handsome face. He smirked. "Get inside, girl."
She moved hesitantly, feeling scared and confused, but she crossed her arms and observed the room. It was a beautiful room, if you could even call it that. It was more like a penthouse since it was huge. There was a table with four chairs and a kitchen, a large bathroom, and two bedrooms.
Elena stood still before him when he turned his gaze on her. He sensed her fear and smiled. "You're wise to fear me…but right now, you don't have to."
He motioned for her to sit down on the couch, and he joined her. "What's your name, love?"
"Elena Gilbert," She replied shakily.
"Well, Elena, my name's Kol Mikaelson," He gave her his hand, expecting her to shake it. She did after several seconds.
"You're probably wondering why I brought you here," Kol smirked, standing up and pouring what it seemed like coffee. Coffee!She hadn't tasted it in way too long. He saw her looking at the cup and smirked. "Do you want some coffee?"
"No," She said quickly, too quickly. She wished she hadn't replied as fast, she actually did want coffee. It was something normal for a change.
"Are you sure, Elena? I won't bite."
She looked down and nodded her head. She was thirsty, so thirsty. And hungry. Most of all, she felt weak and exhausted. The last time she had eaten were leftovers who didn't fill her up that much.
He smirked and handed her the cup.
"Thank you," She said softly, afraid to look at him. Kol stared at her, studying her. He was surprised by her existence, but mostly her beauty. His eyes locked on her body, scanning it, and he frowned.
"What happened there?" Kol asked, taking a few steps towards her, his eyes locking with the purple bruises on her body.
"Nothing," She replied, trying to cover her bruises, feeling uncomfortable under his blatant gaze.
"Were you a bad girl, Elena?" He said amused, his mouth tugging upwards.
"No," She choked out.
He sighed, reaching forward to grasp her chin. "Tell me, Elena. What do you know about Katerina Petrova? Or, Katherine Pierce as you might know her?"
"I just know that I look like her," Elena answered without hesitation. "She is Damon's ex-girlfriend, and Klaus wants to hurt me because I look like her. I used to have dreams about Klaus burning me alive. Damon said that he wants me because I'm the key to make more hybrids…He said that if he doesn't use me, Klaus will be alone for eternity."
"Of course," Kol spat. "Klaus sacrificed Katherine, and now he's going to use you."
"And you didn't know this?" Elena asked quietly.
"When I heard that the Petrova doppelgänger is around, I knew that there would be some kind of connection," He replied coldly. "Now, I need you to listen to me, Elena. From now onwards, you will do as I say."
"Stefan…" She began, knowing full well what would happen if she disobeyed him again.
"Stefan has less authority than me, Miss Gilbert, and so do you. When I tell you to do something you will obey me without hesitation." He raised his voice at her, but remained seated next to her, waiting for her reaction. She didn't move.
"Yes, sir," Elena said, trembling again. She knew that Kol was an original, like Klaus. He could easily hurt her.
"I can't let Klaus go through with his plans." Kol told her.
What? Did she miss something here?
"Excuse me?" She asked.
"Don't ask any questions," Kol warned, grabbing her chin forcefully. He was mad, that was not good at all.
"I'm sorry-"
"Shut up and let me talk," Kol snapped, and Elena flinched but turned to face him.
"I am not doing this for your benefit, believe me. But I'm not going to let Klaus make you his hybrid machine. I will get you through this, but you need to cooperate. And I don't want you to ask any questions. Let's just say that this is a form of alliance."
Elena blinked. He could get her through this? How? Did he know how to kill Klaus? Did he know what was wrong with Damon? "And what do you want me to do?" She asked hopefully.
"Right now, I want you to act like nothing happened. Go back to Stefan, and act normal. Do what he asks of you, and let me take care of this. I will ask for you when I figured out some things. I believe that your boyfriend is acting strange, no?" He raised his eyebrow at her and smirked, as if already knowing the answer.
How did he know about that? She hadn't mentioned anything. She nodded.
"Let me tell you something, Elena. I am not keen on vampire-human relationships. I've been there and done that, and it didn't end up well for anyone. But I am concerned about Damon and his sudden change in demeanour I will help you." He stood up and offered her his hand. "Now go, and good luck for tonight." He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively, and in a minute, she found herself outside, more confused than ever.
She had barely walked through the door when she found Stefan on the bed, drinking. His eyes raised to meet hers.
"What did Kol want?" He asked her with venom in his voice.
"Nothing. He just wanted to get to know me that's all,"Elena said, trying to be cool and collected as she walked past the mirror, smoothing her hair and wearing a pair of silver earrings, trying to avoid his eyes.
In a minute, he flashed in front of her, his body pinning hers. His hands reached to grip her upper arms so tightly that they started to turn pink. "Don't lie to me, you little bitch. You'll be sorry," Stefan barked, his hands wrapping around her neck, "Tell me, what did he want?"
"I told you, Sir. He just wanted to know about me. The basic stuff. He knows I'm the doppelgänger," She struggled against him. "That's it, I swear."
"Hmm," Stefan let her neck go and she breathed in air, her hands gently rubbing the area where his supernatural strength left its imprints. "It would be wise of you not to lie to me," He said next to her ear, placing a kiss on her earlobe. "Because I can ruin your pretty little face in a heartbeat if you challenge me, Elena. Don't even believe I won't."His hands ran down her body and rested on her hips. "Keep that in mind."
He stepped away from her, leaving her pinned to the wall. "Get ready. The ceremony starts in thirty minutes." She was shaken up from lying to Stefan but she trusted Kol more than Stefan, if only a little because she couldn't trust anybody here.
The vampires were all seated around long tables, laughing and smirking and undressing the human girls with their eyes. Elena's stomach churned, and Tara sensed her discomfort.
"Don't show them that you're afraid," She whispered in her ear. "Be confident. Think of this as a job, okay?"
Elena nodded, trying to swallow back her tears. She was given jars of blood to place on the table-Stefan's table, of all. She walked slowly in her six inch heels which were already hurting her so much.
She heard comments from every vampire as she poured blood in their glasses. She felt every pair of eyes on her, and she hurriedly did her job, hoping that she won't get called on by anyone. She wasn't so lucky.
"Hey, sweet cheeks," One of them said disgustingly. "Give me your wrist, dear."
Elena knew what he meant. He wanted to taste her blood. Tara had explained the procedure. On these nights, the vampires shared everything. Every human they owned.
She gave him her wrist without any hesitation, and looked away from him, not wanting to see him ripping her skin. The other vampires started to laugh at this, but she acted cool and collected as his teeth ripped into her harshly. She flinched at the sudden pain but only a little, not giving the strange vampire the satisfaction of making her feel fear and pain. She concealed it to the best of her ability.
"Nice choice, Stefan," The vampire said. "You know how to choose."
Hating to be treated as a property, Elena went next to Tara and started to serve the food. There was chicken, meat, pasta…Everything a starving human slave could dream about. All was going well: The disgusting leeches were drinking, laughing and tormenting the young human girls. There was entertainment, dancing and singing.
Then all stopped, and a vampire bowed down. For a moment, Elena remained standing, and Tara nudged her elbow. "Kneel down, now."
She did so hearing Tara's insistence, and whispered, "What's going on?"
"Klaus is here. Shh, this is a sacred moment for the leeches." Tara placed her finger to her lips as she watched Elena kneel along side of her.
Klaus. After months of hearing about him, she was finally going to meet him. A few minutes later, a man dressed in a black and grey suit walked through the door like some kind of Greek god. He greeted everyone and smirked. He was handsome, like the rest of them, of course. He had blonde hair and green eyes, and if he wasn't a century old monster, he would've made women swoon at his accent when he started to speak. He was English, like Kol, obviously.
Stefan stood up and greeted him, to which Elena scoffed. Of course, Stefan was his pet-slave as well. Klaus controlled everyone. Her stomach churned when Klaus brushed against her deliberately and let a finger touch one of her waves. It disgusted her.
He moved until he was standing in front of everybody.
"Ladies and gentlemen," He smirked. "Welcome to yet another event. We all know how important this is to us. On these nights, we forget our positions, our belongings. We share everything like vampires are supposed to do. We are united, and we should stay this way because we are superior. We own this world," He raised his glass of blood and everyone did the same, sipping a few drops.
Elena was about to throw up.
"As you know, my brothers are not keen on this…human ownership thing. So, in order to keep peace between every vampire on this earth, tonight we liberate a few humans. Tonight I decided to let five go."
Klaus walked through the line of human girls and they closed their eyes, hoping that they will be the ones to get chosen. He put his hands on a young redhead, a little boy, and three other girls.
Elena saw two vampires rising.
"Elijah and Finn," Tara explained. "The ones chosen are going to be taken to them."
"What happens then?" She whispered.
"They compel them and let them go. Or, in some cases, keep them as…servants. It depends, but I guarantee you, their conditions are better than ours." Tara explained.
"What about the other one? I spoke to him earlier. He's Kol right?" She asked.
"Oh. Kol is the younger brother. He owns human slaves, and he's definitely not good."
Elena swallowed thickly. He didn't give her that impression earlier.
The music started again, and this time, the food was served. There was everything: pasta, chicken, meat, fish…all foods that a starving human slave would imagine. Wine and fruit was served in large quantities. Elena noticed Klaus's and Stefan's gazes on her the entire night. Klaus was even looking at her with a challenging look.
What confused Elena was that Damon wasn't there-He was nowhere to be seen.
At about one in the morning, Elena was feeling pretty exhausted. Her stilettos were cutting through her skin and most of all, she was cold. She was serving some red wine on a table when she turned around and bumped into someone's hard chest. The glasses fell on the tray she was holding, but the contents were on the vampire's chest in an instant. His eyes burnt to her and in a brief second, the tray with the shattered glasses was placed on the table. She found herself being held from her underarm and practically blurred through the door.
"I'm sorry, sir, it was an accident!" Elena sobbed when he took her in an abandoned area and slapped her hard on the face.
"An accident, huh? Your hate for vampires is practically radiating off your body. But don't worry, because my hate for humans is just the same," He said, tangling his hand in her hair and yanking it, hard. His other hand went to his belt and Elena froze in horror. No, she couldn't go through this, not again.
To her surprise, however, he didn't do what she thought he'd do. Instead, he grabbed it and gave her three hard whips on her back. Elena cried out in pain and tried to wiggle free out of his grasp, but it was all for nothing. She was aware that her back was probably bleeding as the leather dug into her skin. She felt broken and everything hurt-even her vision was starting to blur.
Then, she felt him move off her, and when Elena opened her eyes, she saw Kol holding him by his throat, pinning the vampire to the wall. She gasped in surprise and fear when she saw the stake in the vampire's heart, but she could barely keep her eyes open. She slid against the wall and let the darkness overwhelm her.
"Elena, wake up," She heard a soft voice gently waking her up, but everything was distant and buzzing. With supreme effort, she opened her eyes, only to see Kol sitting on the bed next to her. He looked genuinely worried. Elena's eyes scanned around the room and she snuggled in the soft pillow. God, this bed was soft and comfortable. She felt…bad, but comfortable. She looked at herself only to see her wearing a soft, white cotton robe. Who'd changed her?
"How are you feeling?" He asked her gently.
"I hurt all over," Elena mumbled. "What happened?"
"He beat you up pretty hard. You could barely talk to me, and then you collapsed," Kol said, turning to grab a warm wash cloth. "I picked you up and brought you here."
"How long have I been out?" She asked, looking around, taking in her surroundings.
"Thirty minutes." Kol looked at her and swallowed, hard.
"Did you undress me?" She asked, gulping hoping he'd say no.
"You were bleeding. I had to." He said quickly. "I need to tend your wounds, Elena. You were bleeding when I brought you here. I didn't know if you'd want blood or not, so I just wiped the blood off."
"Okay," She said after some hesitation. So this vampire didn't want to hurt her. Interesting. "No blood, please."
He nodded. "I need you to take off your robe, Elena."
Her heart started to beat faster.
"Don't worry, Elena. I can control myself. I won't hurt you."
Swallowing thickly, she took off the white robe and placed it next to her, and tried to dig under the covers as much as possible. Her face had turned red with humiliation, as she stood there with only her underwear.
He placed the warm cloth on her back, and Elena immediately felt soothed. Then, he took out some kind of lotion and rubbed it on her wounds.
"Thank you," Elena said softly. "Why did you save me?"
He shrugged. "I don't want you dead, Elena." He answered, without answering at all.
"Whatever your reason is…I'm glad you came to my aid." She gave him a soft smile. "I already feel better."
"Good," He stopped rubbing the lotion and sat beside her. "I think I know what happened to Damon, Elena."
"What? How?" Elena stood up immediately, wincing slightly.
"I need you to tell me one thing, though. What happened? What were the symptoms?" Kol asked.
"He was acting normally until he got sick-really sick. Then he passed out on me and he woke up to be this different person. He…brought me here."
"Have you seen him here?" Kol raised his eyebrow, still gently rubbing the lotion into Elena's back.
"Yes." She nodded slowly wondering where he was going with this.
"What was his reaction?"
"I don't know, Kol. At first he was acting like he was in pain, that he needed my help. Then he had this sudden change of demeanour and attacked me…"
"Of course," Kol spat. "Of course."
"What? Do you know anything, Kol?" Elena pleaded.
"Try and think, Elena. His sudden change of demeanour. The way he woke up and he was a different person. The sickness. Does it remind you of something?"
Elena furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, but then realization hit her. "Possession," She cried out. "It has to be possession. Stefan was acting differently with Damon, as well!" She gasped. "Oh my God, Kol. I think it's Klaus. He's possessing Damon!"
That's why I didn't see him tonight, she thought. Of course, because the real Klaus was there, then Damon obviously had to be somewhere else. But where?
"I think I know where," Kol said, and Elena was unaware that she said her thoughts out loud.
"Kol, please…Help me find him. Where is he?" She pleaded desperately.
"Not now, Elena. We have to plan this. If any of us get caught, Klaus will kill Damon. You're going to have to trust me." He looked at her and locked eye contact with the brunette. And in his eyes she saw something genuine. Something that made her believe he was actually going to help her, she knew he would at that moment.
Why do you think Kol is helping Elena? Please review and tell me what you think. Just for your information, I love Elena and Kol together, though they only had two scenes.