Mistaken Identity
Elena stared into a very similar pair of chocolate brown eyes. This woman was identical to her in almost every single way. It confused her. None of this made sense. Why was her father dealing with her? Why, if he hated vampires so much, was he involving this woman who was obviously one of them? The grandfather clock in the office ticked loudly as Elena contemplated what to say. Her mouth opened and closed again on several times but nothing came out. The truth was, there were so many plans revolving around her, it was giving her a headache.
"Where are you taking him?" she finally asked, staring at her father and the woman who could be her twin sister.
Grayson Gilbert leaned back in his chair.
"That's none of your concern, dear. All you need to know is that you will be freed from his hold on you. Look, I know I was very harsh earlier. I said some things.. The fact that my daughter was doing inappropriate things with a vampire, the things I was taught to hate, drove me to the brink. I didn't think. I reacted and released my venom on you. But then I took a step back and realised he probably had a hold on you. He probably compelled you so he could worm his way into our very lives. But everything's okay now. Katherine here has him locked up and he'll be killed soon," he explained.
"Look, this is very touching and all but can we get back to our deal?" Katherine spoke up in a bored manner.
Grayson nodded and reached into his desk to hand her a key.
"He's spared for now. I expect you to move far away from here after Damon's line is killed. If any of my men ever sets eyes on you, him or his line again you will be killed in an instant. Are we clear?" he threatened.
Katherine narrowed her eyes at him.
"I don't handle threats very well Mr. Gilbert. We had a deal. I delivered. Don't push your luck here."
Elena kept on looking at the staring competition in front of her. What was her father doing here?!
"Take that key and go, Katherine. I'm not in the mood for playing games. The next time I see you, you WILL be killed."
Katherine gave a chilling chuckle.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," she spat.
Elena didn't understand any of this.
"Why do we look so much alike? Are we related? And why do you two even have a deal? Why would you help a vampire hunter catch one of your kind? Why would a vampire hunter work with its' prey?" she asked.
Both Katherine and Grayson stopped to look at her.
"Katherine has her own reasons for wanting Damon and his line dead," her father answered vaguely.
"I'd love to stay and chat, but I've some business to take care of. Bye now."
Just as Katherine wanted to skip out of the room, the door rushed open and in walked Carol Lockwood, looking very angry and upset. She eyed Katherine up and down, before the vampire made her exit with a smirk on her face.
"So it is true then. Mr. Gilbert, forgive me. But are you insane! No one from the council has ever or will ever work with a vampire. We were born to hate them. We were born to kill them! How could you let this one help you, let alone release her and that thing onto the world!"
It was then that Mrs. Lockwood laid eyes on Elena.
"What is your daughter doing here?"
Grayson sat up.
"It's okay, Carol. Elena knows. You don't have to hide anything."
Mrs. Lockwood looked as if she was about to explode in anger.
"You are ruining this for all of us, Mr. Gilbert. The council has worked for hundreds of years to hunt these things and kill them, while keeping everything a secret from the world around us. And now your daughter KNOWS?! Wait until my husband catches word of this! He will be furious when he learns that you let Katherine Pierce go!"
"Katherine Pierce will not be allowed to go. None of them are. Don't you see? I lied to her. As soon as she sets foot into that cave with the key, she will go down. Nobody is releasing what she wants to release. Nobody!"
Grayson stood up and started pacing.
"I had to make a decision here, Carol. This man. This Damon Salvatore had infiltrated every one of our lives. He knew everything there is to know. For God's sake, he compelled and seduced my daughter! The same girl that is about to marry into your family. It had to stop. When I found out and Katherine Pierce happened to cross my path, out to destroy Mr. Salvatore, I took the chance. She was all too willing to put that monster in a cage and torture him to death. She is serving a purpose here," he explained.
"I hope you know what you're doing here. If this backfires…"
"It won't. I've got more than one plan up my sleeve. No vampire has ever crossed my path and made it out alive. No one. Katherine Pierce and Damon Salvatore won't be the exception."
Elena's already present headache got even worse because of all of this information. It only added to her questions. Her father was a vampire hunter, yes. He hid something, probably vampires, that both Damon and Katherine wanted to release, she got that too. But what was it? And how were she and Katherine related? And why did this Katherine woman want to destroy Damon? What had he done? Did he know about their resemblance? Of course he did! Stupid thought. But why did he pursue her then? Was it because of that resemblance? Oh, she needed a walk.
She got up from her seat and excused herself.
"Listen, your future husband doesn't know about this. I trust that you will not inform him," her father pressed. "If you want to keep your reputation, your place in society and your place in this family, Damon Salvatore and the concept of vampires are to be banished from your every memory. I'm giving you a second chance here, young lady. Don't ruin it."
Elena nodded quietly, before exiting her father's office.
She went straight into the garden and sat down at one of the large ponds. She was in over her head here. If she did as her father had told her to; forgetting about everything and marrying Master Lockwood, then her life would be simple again. There would be nothing for her to worry about. She would have money, a husband, a family and her only job would be to look presentable next to Master Lockwood. She would have Caroline as a friend and they could talk about how unhappy they were in their marriages.
But then she would have to let Damon go. She would have to live with the fact that she hadn't done anything and because of that, he would die. Could she do that? She would never forget the way he looked when Katherine had thrown him onto the ground with that vervain arrow. How she had rushed off with him and had left Elena with nothing but a father who had dragged her back into the carriage to take them home.
"I was hoping to find you here," a voice behind her said.
She looked up to find her future husband smiling down at her. His right eye was still a bit purple from running himself into that doorknob like Damon had instructed him to do. It almost made Elena chuckle to see it.
"Would you mind if I sat down with you?" he asked.
Elena shrugged and he seemed to take that as a 'yes'.
"So are you excited about the wedding? It's almost due," he began to make small talk.
Elena gave him a fake smile, indicating that she was.
"I want you to know that everything is taken care of. You don't have to worry about a thing. Your life with me will be perfect. I'll take good care of you."
She wanted to believe him. She really did. He was the 'easy' choice here. If she chose to rescue Damon, her life would change beyond recognition. She would forever be on the run.
"Can I kiss you?" Master Lockwood asked next to her.
A kiss. There were so many different types of kisses. Damon had taught her that. When he kissed her, her whole world seemed to stop. When Master Lockwood would kiss her again… She shuddered at the thought. But she had no other option here. She nodded.
When his lips touched hers, it was exactly like the last time.
Awful.
But Master Mason seemed to be quite into it. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and his hands began to probe around. It was beginning to make Elena feeling a bit uncomfortable. He touched her ribcage, the back of her thighs and the underside of her bosom. She didn't want this. Her body didn't belong to him.
"Master Lockwood," she began to protest.
Either he didn't hear her or he didn't want to hear her, for he continued his quest of her body. When his rough, big hands cupped her breasts, she pushed him off of her.
"Sorry, Master Lockwood. But I can't just yet. It's too soon. I want to wait until the wedding night," she told him.
He looked disappointed, but he relented. For now..
"Is my mother inside of the house with your father right now?" he carried on conversation.
"I believe so. Yes."
"Good. I want to talk to her. I heard a bit of a commotion on our old grounds a few hours ago. We need to check it out. It could be some outlaws wanting to hide. It's happened before."
Elena frowned.
"You have other grounds besides the Lockwood manor?"
"Yes. An old slave prison. It's underground in the woods so it's the perfect hiding spot for people that don't want to be found. I've already talked to my family about demolishing it completely. It only causes problems like this. It needs to go."
The wheels in Elena's head began to turn. A perfect hiding spot. Mason had heard a commotion at around the same time spot during which Katherine had disappeared with Damon. There were prison cells down there. She could easily have locked him up down there. It made sense. Her father had wanted to keep an eye on her torturing Damon. The prison cells were located on Lockwood grounds. Her father was friends with the Lockwood's.
"Where is this slave prison?" she asked.
Master Lockwood raised an eyebrow.
"Why? You're not planning on taking a walk down there anytime soon, are you?"
"Of course not. Especially if some filthy outlaw is hiding down there. But I'm curious about your family. About the history of the Lockwood's. I want to know about your land," Elena lied.
"Well, it's close to the quarry, if you know where that is. It's about half a mile north of it. There's a staircase that leads down. But like I said, I would really advise you not to go there. You never know what kind of filth lingers below."
Master Lockwood made a face as he said this.
"Don't worry. I won't go there. I was just curious. Anyway, your mother is inside if you want to find her."
Elena watched as he got to his feet, kissed her hand and made it inside. She remained calm for about ten seconds, until he was completely out of sight. She almost jumped to her feet and quickly dashed inside towards her bedroom to change into something that would allow her to walk the woods a little easier. She decided on a simple blue dress with light fabric. She then hurried down the stairs and out the door before anyone could notice what she was up to.
Master Lockwood had said it was about half a mile north of the quarry. So she would walk there first. Then she would take it from there. She knew that what she was doing now would ruin her. She had made a decision. It would probably cost her greatly. But she couldn't let Damon die.
When she walked passed the quarry, a smile crossed her face. It was where she had met Damon; where she had done some unspeakable things with him... Where she had lost her virginity. She would never regret it. Not in a million years. If society said it was wrong; if society wanted to dictate her life, she would have no place in society.
She kept walking north until she was sure she had passed half a mile since the quarry. It should be here somewhere. She kicked with her feet, probed and prodded for an entrance down. But no such luck. How could anyone ever find the place? If it was below the ground.. But then again, outlaws found it easily. She could do this.
It was getting dark. The sun was setting behind the trees, and soon she would be surrounded by the shadows of the night. Chills broke out on her skin as the temperature began to drop.
"Damon?" she called out.
Maybe he would hear her. He had vampire hearing. But then again, if he was unconscious, this would be a moot point. Still, she tried again.
"Damon!"
She could hear some moaning behind her. It sounded petrifying. She whirled around, but nothing was there. Only darkness and trees. The wind howled all around her, making the scenery even scarier.
"Damon!" she screeched in a panic.
"Elena?"
It sounded very distant. It also sounded like someone was in pain.
"Damon! Keep yelling. Let me follow the sound of your voice!" she called out as loud as she could.
"Elena, I'm down here," he moaned.
She walked a few more steps, before she could see it; an open spot, with some barely there ruins. Behind the ruins was a hole in the ground with a staircase that indeed led down, just like Mason had told her. She had found it. She had found Damon.
She quickly ran downstairs and was met by a cold, dank and dark place. There where wall to wall prison cells. Luckily, they were empty save for one. The sight of him left her gasping for breath. Katherine had really done a number on him. Damon was in the back cell, hung from the ceiling with a rope tied around his wrists, his arms high in the air. He was strapped so tight and high that his feet barely touched the ground. It looked excruciatingly painful. He was pale and tortured to the point of exhaustion.
"O my god, Damon," she whispered.
Damon looked up and his eyes lit up a bit as they focused on hers.
"What did she do to you?"
Damon gave a grim smile.
"Katherine is hardcore. She knows how to torture. There's vervain on the ropes, which is keeping me weak. And my arms feel as if they are being pulled from their sockets. Other than that, I think she went easy on me," he tried to joke.
"Who is this Katherine? Why does she want to kill you? Why does she look like me?" Elena questioned him.
"Long story, Elena. And I kind of want to get out of here first, before she comes back."
Elena nodded at his answer. She opened his cell door, which wasn't locked fortunately, and untied the rope at the back of the cell, which was holding Damon up. He fell to the floor in a heap.
"Damon!"
Elena rushed to his side and tried to hoist him up.
"We need to get out of here," she whispered to him.
She helped him struggle to his feet. He was so weakened and wobbly, but still he tried not to rest all of his weight on her.
"Come on. Let's go."
Damon stopped for a moment and looked at her intensely, making her swallow at his penetrating eyes.
"Why did you come back for me?" he wanted to know.
Elena gazed back at him, still trying to find the answer to that question herself. Why was she risking her entire life to save him; a vampire. Why was she choosing this dangerous man over the safety of her own warm home? Finally, it hit her.
"Because I love you," she breathed.
Damon's eyes widened at her confession, making her wonder if she had made a mistake by telling him. She had put so much faith in this vampire. He could still double cross her. He could still not be what she thought he was. But then his face broke out into a grin.
He wanted to say something, but was cut off. He looked around with a frown.
"What's wrong?" Elena questioned.
Damon's eyes narrowed.
"Someone's down here."
Before either of them could react to this, a gunshot resonated from the walls and Damon suddenly slumped to the ground with a howl.
"Damon!" Elena screamed.
She didn't think about the danger looming in front of her. She immediately got down to help him. It turned out to be a fatal mistake. A piercing pain spread across her entire upper body as she was impaled with something from behind.
"I knew you would betray us, Katherine!" a female voice hissed in her ear.
"I'm not..," Elena wanted to explain.
She never got the chance. The thing that was piercing her from behind was suddenly pushed further and hit her heart…
A/N: Yikes, that was scary! I know I have you buried underneath all of this plot, where at first it was just an erotic story. But it's quickly turning into an erotic thriller :P Before you kill me for writing that cliffy. If you all remember a little something from last chapter, you'll know that Elena won't be lost to us… Also, the eroticism is coming back. Look out for some smut in the future chapters!
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