Chapter 13
Venom
When I woke up, it was to the sound of talking, a yawn escaping me. I'd fallen asleep on Damon's bed, his shirt hanging off of my shoulder as I slowly sat up, the silky sheets still warm beneath me. I looked around me, finding Damon absent from the room. The only thing different seemed to be the fact that there were no longer bloody clothes on the floor, wood staring back at me.
"Damon?" I called out, rubbing my eyes, my vision slowly focusing.
I found myself looking down at the bed after a moment, a small sheet of parchment catching my eye at the edge of it.
"What's this?"
I looked down at it, tentatively picking it up in my hand. I found Damon's handwriting scrawled out upon the paper in dark cursive letters, every one elegant and structured.
-Kali,
I apologize for not being there when you woke up. Something came up last night and I had to go out of town. I've got Elena with me. Figured I'd warn you before Stefan tried corrupting you. I'll be back tomorrow morning though, so be careful. My blood is still in your system and we know how clumsy you can be.
The Eternal Stud,
Damon-
I sighed as I finished reading over it, placing it back down on the bed. I reached for my phone, picking it up in my hand.
Be careful- Kali
That's what I sent Damon, another yawn escaping me as I pushed myself up out of bed, moving out of the room. I was only in a shirt and boxers, but I didn't care as I made my way down the hallway, my bare feet padding lightly against the floor. It was cold. I stopped at the top of the stairs, my hand gripping the railing.
"Stefan?" I called, taking my time going down the stairs as I tried to shake the sleep from my mind.
"Kali? You're awake," he stated, looking up as he watched me make my way down. "Do you know where Damon took Elena?" he asked, his voice troubled and anxious.
I shook my head.
"I'm afraid not. The only thing that I got was a note telling that something came up last night and he had to go out of town. It said that he had Elena with him and that he'd be back tomorrow though," I told him, making my way into the living room and over to the couch.
I needed a few more minutes to wake up all the way, the warmth of the sun pouring in through the windows warming my skin. I let out a comfortable sigh, closing my eyes for a moment, my ears picking up the sound of footsteps.
"What's that?" Stefan asked warily.
I opened my eyes to look at him, giving him a questionable look.
"What's what?" I asked tiredly.
"Your neck," he nearly growled, reaching over and drawing my hair out of the way. "He bit you, didn't he?" he asked sharply, his eyes narrowing in accusation.
I sighed, pulling his hand away slowly and sitting up. I ran a hand through my hair for a moment.
"There's no reason to start getting angry," I told him, bringing my hand up to touch my neck lightly, my fingers brushing over the shallow wound. "I let him do it."
"You what?" he gaped. "Are you out of your mind?" he hissed.
"Stefan, stop it," I said firmly. "It was my choice. Damon didn't even ask."
The look on his face was skeptical and disbelieving.
"I'm serious, Stefan, give it a rest," I warned. "Your brother's not as bad as you make him out to be."
"Yeah, right," he muttered.
I gave him a tired look, standing from the couch and walking in front of him.
"Look, if you don't believe me, then ask me to tell you the truth," I said, pulling the necklace from my neck and setting it on the table. "Go ahead, compel me to answer," I pushed. "I had that thing on all night, so whatever I did was by my own choice, not Damon's."
He stood there, eyeing me for a moment as he mulled it over in his head.
"I still don't trust him," he said quiet, moving over to the fireplace. "He's dangerous, Kali. I don't want to see you get hurt."
"Stefan," I started, slowly making my way over to him. "Damon won't hurt me," I said gently. "Whether you believe it or not, I can promise you that much."
He looked down at me for a moment.
"What has he done to you?" he breathed out, brows furrowing together.
"Nothing, save for protecting me," I answered. "Believe it or not, Stefan, I actually like your brother."
With that, I made my way back upstairs, taking my necklace with me.
T
Miss me yet?- Damon
I laughed as I looked down at the message, shaking my head.
Not sure yet. Should I be?- Kali
Even though the message I sent him was a joke, I kind of did miss him. Knowing that he wasn't near me was kind of nerve racking because I felt safe when he was around. Without him, I felt vulnerable. There was no place to hide for me, the nightmares taunting, teasing me.
Absolutely ;)- Damon
I rolled my eyes, a small smirk forming on my lips.
Can I still call you a cocky bastard? Or would that be too harsh?- Kali
I encourage it- Damon
I shook my head at his words, a small smile on my face. He was so goofy at times. His personality, one of a kind. There was no one else like him and there never would be.
What are you doing?- Kali
I held my phone in my hand as I walked down the sidewalk, the sky above me turning orange and pink. After getting back to the house, I'd changed, changing out of Damon's pants and into a pair of my own. I'd kept his shirt on though, the fabric soft against my skin. I hadn't even taken the time to write in my journal before leaving again, deciding to talk a walk instead of bringing my bike. I was starting to regret it though as my feet started aching.
Having a drink- Damon
I rose an eyebrow in question. It was still a little bit early in my opinion. Then again, this is Damon we're talking about. Plus, alcohol is apparently supposed to curb the cravings. This made me realize just how much he really craved blood. He should have been fine though from last night, but I guess not.
This early?- Kali
It took him a moment, but he finally responded back.
Yep. Although, I think I'm going to have to cut Elena off soon- Damon
My eyes widened slightly as I read this, exiting out of my messages and pressing call.
"Yes?" came the sound of Damon's voice, his attitude sounding rather chipper at the moment.
"Are you seriously letting her drink?" I asked skeptically, my hand on my hip.
I was kind of annoyed that Damon was letting her do such a thing. Not to mention, she wasn't even old enough to be drinking yet. Not that she needed to, to begin with.
"Why not? After what Stefan managed to do last night, I'm surprised she's not knocking back more than she already has," he told me, his voice being muffled a bit from the noisy background.
"Damon, what are you talking about?" I asked, raising a brow in question.
"I think that's better left until I get home," he told me.
"And why is that?"
"Just trust me, please?" he asked. "It's not exactly something I want to do over the phone. Not with you anyway."
I let out a sigh as he told me this, looking over my shoulder. I felt like something was off, out of place as the wind blew against my back.
"Kali?"
"I'm still here," I answered, shifting uncomfortably as I started walking again.
"What's going on?"
"I-it's nothing. Don't worry about it," I told him, trying to brush it off.
"What's going on?" he asked again, his voice serious.
"I…" I paused for a moment, looking behind me again, an eerie feeling washing over me. "Damon, why exactly did you leave last night?" I asked warily. "What happened and what's the real reason behind why Elena's with you?"
"Stop ignoring my question," he said irritably.
"I'm not," I told him. "I'm asking you for a reason, Damon. Please, I need to know."
"And what's that got to do with my question?" he asked skeptically.
"It determines whether or not I should be worried about something," I answered quietly.
"Logan was staked last night by someone other than me and Elena ran off and crashed her car into someone," he answered. "I'm looking for answers to a little problem of mine right now," he explained.
"You're telling me there's another vampire out there now?" I nearly hissed, feeling a hint of fear spark inside of me.
"I don't think he's in town yet, whoever he is. I didn't exactly get a good look at him before he ran on," he replied.
"Damon, I swear to God-" I was cut off as a hand grabbed my shoulder, a yelp escaping me.
"Kali? Kali, what's going on?" Damon demanded.
"We need to talk."
"Get away from me!" I yelled.
"Kali, what's going on, who is that?" Damon ground out. "Answer me damn it!"
I couldn't answer though, something pricking at the back of my neck. My vision went blurry, my sense of balance fading, my mind fading away as my world slowly went black.
"Damon…" I whispered, my voice pleading as I fell to my knees, the concrete scrapping the skin of my fingers as I caught myself.
Then, everything was gone.
T
"Damon…" he heard her voice whisper over the phone, the strength in her voice going weak as though it were fading due to some unknown force.
"Kali!" he called out, but received no reply, only distortion and the sound of scrapping.
She'd dropped her phone, the sound coming from when it hit the pavement, a faint groan escaping her as well.
"Kali!" he tried again.
He then heard what sounded like someone picking it up, a few muffled words, before someone was breathing into the phone.
"I know what you are," they said eerily, the voice male.
Damon's eyes narrowed as he realized who it was, the voice becoming familiar to his ears.
"Then you know exactly what I'll do to you when I find you, don't you?" he growled dangerously, pushing himself up from the counter.
"On the contrary, I don't think you will," he said smugly.
"What do you want?" Damon grumbled, moving outside of the bar for a little more privacy, the door closing behind him.
"You already know what I want, Damon. I want Kali, simple as that, and now that I have her," he paused for a moment, the sound of rustling meeting Damon's ears along with a faint whimper from Kali in the background. "There's nothing you can do about it."
Damon felt his eyes darken as he stood there, veins popping out below his eyes. His hand gripped the railing by the door, slowly crushing it.
"You have no idea what you're dealing with," Damon said dangerously.
"But I do. That's why it's going to be so much fun," he chuckled. "Especially, when I end you."
Damon bit back another growl, trying to keep himself as calm as possible. He didn't function well when angry, his mind becoming frenzied and wild. It did him little good though as Jason continued to talk, gloating about his little triumph.
"In fact, I can just picture the look on her face when I kill you," he said thoughtfully. "I think it will just tear her to pieces. Don't you?"
"I warning you, you harm one hair on her head, I will personally see to it that you die in the most painful way possible," he replied, every word rolling off of his tongue coated in a deadly venom of malice.
"I look forward to it. Oh, by the way, your friend from last night says hi."
"Jason Hunter, you are a dead man," Damon hissed, before the sound of the call ending hit him. "Damn it!" he hissed, slamming his fist into the metal bar, the metal groaning in protest as he put a noticeable dent in it. "I knew I should have locked her in my room," he growled, running a hand through his hair.
The information that he was looking for would have to wait until later. Right now, he had to get back to Mystic Falls. Then once he was there, he was going to find Jason, and he was going to rip him apart.
"Elena, we have to go," Damon announced, walking back into the bar. "Elena?" he called out.
She was nowhere to been seen, the call she'd taken likely finished long ago. It was then that he turned back to Bree, the little witch behind the bar.
"Where'd she go?" Damon asked, glancing around the room for a moment.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "Never came back in."
Damon gave her a hard look for a moment. He didn't have time for this.
"Damn it," he groaned, moving back outside.
He looked around, calling her name a few times. His eyes caught something on the ground by his car, reaching down and picking it up. The screen was cracked, but he still recognized it as Elena's phone.
"Why is it, the one time that I actually try to do something right, everything has to go to hell?"
T
"Hey, Jeremy, have you seen Kali anywhere today?" Jenna asked curiously.
She found him over at the foosball table, playing fervently with a young girl, both sporting smiles on their faces.
"No, I haven't seen her all day," he answered, looking up from his match for a moment. "Mr. Saltzman might know though," he told her. "They do technically work together."
"Yeah…thanks," Jenna nodded, glancing around the room, said teacher sitting off in the corner with his laptop.
She smiled to herself as she made her way over to him, conversations around her filling the room with chatter.
"Hey there," she greeted, sliding into the both across from him.
"Jenna, so nice to see you," he smiled. "I figured it'd be out bowling," he joked.
"Nope, sorry," she replied, leaning back in her seat. "I was actually wondering if you'd seen Kali around?" she inquired.
Alaric shut his laptop, folding his hands on the table.
"No, I'm sorry, but I haven't seen her today," he admitted. "Is she sick?"
"No…no, I don't think so," Jenna shook her head. "She didn't come home last night and that's not like her," she explained.
"Hmm… Do you know of anyone she might have been with?" he asked curiously.
"No, I…" she paused for a moment before continuing. "Damon Salvatore," she answered.
"Salvatore?" he inquired, the image of one of his students running through his mind.
"Yeah, he's Stefan's older brother. They've been hanging out a lot lately, but she's always come back home."
"Well, maybe-" he started, only to be cut out by Jenna's defense.
"No," she said firmly, shaking her head. "She…" she bit her lip. "She's not that kind of person," she told him, catching his eyes with hers.
She knew that Kali wasn't the type of person to go sleeping around with someone. Especially, not after the stuff that went down with her and Jason. She kept herself distanced for that exact reason.
"You're sure?" Alaric inquired.
"Yes," Jenna nodded. "I'm sure."
"I believe you then," he sighed, glancing down at the papers in front of him.
He'd been doing a bit of research on the town, looking back into some of the so called animal attacks that had happened. There were vampires in this town and he'd proved that last night when he'd staked Logan Fell. He merely hoped that Kali wouldn't be added to that list of animal attacks. She seemed like a nice person, so he'd hate to see something happen to her.
"I've even tried calling her, but she won't answer. It's just not like her," she finished, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.
"I'm sure she's fine," Alaric told her, trying to reassure her.
"You're right," Jenna sighed. "It's probably nothing."
"Why don't I get you a drink?" Alaric offered.
T
Damon walked for a few minutes, Elena's phone tucked away inside of his pocket. He found himself by a small fuel containment area, the smell of gasoline filling his nose. He came to a stop as he spotted Elena up on one of the ladders, a fearful look on her face.
"Damon, no," she cried, his brows furrowing together in confusion.
He was about to say something when a metal bat came down on the back of his legs, crushing the bone and sending him to the ground. He let out a cry of pain as he was struck again, the bone shifting painfully. He grunted as it came down a few more times.
"What the hell?" he groaned, wincing.
The man that had attacked him quickly disappeared, coming back, before pouring gasoline on him.
"No!" he heard Elena cry out, running toward him.
He coughed as some of the gasoline got into his mouth, his body curling inward.
"Stop it!" Elena cried, only to be stopped when the man turned around, baring his fangs at her and snarling.
Of all the times to be attacked, it had to be that moment.
"I don't have time for this," Damon groaned, trying to sit up, only to be kicked harshly in the face.
He could have sworn that he felt his nose break.
"Who are you?" Damon choked out roughly, looking up at him, a glare set on his face.
He didn't like being randomly attacked by people.
"That's perfect," he said spitefully, shaking his head. "You have no idea."
"What are you talking about? What did he do?" Elena exclaimed, standing at a safe distance.
"He killed my girlfriend."
He started dumping more gasoline on top of Damon, soaking his clothes and hair as he tried to get up.
"What did she do to you, huh? What did she do to you?" he hissed angrily.
"Nothing," Damon breathed out weakly, his eyes closed.
The man threw the container down on the ground, strutting back over to him.
"I don't understand. I don't understand!" Elena cried out in confusion, desperate to know why this was happening.
"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan, and Damon killed her. Got it?" he cried out, trying to keep his emotions under control.
Damon spit some gasoline from his mouth out onto the ground, managing to push himself up a bit. It only ended in him getting kicked in the side of the face, sending him back to the ground with a grunt, coughing a few times. A kick like that would have knocked a normal persons teeth straight out.
"Damn that hurts…"
"Lexi? Lexi was your girlfriend?" Elena asked, her brows furrowing together. "She told me about you. She said that you were human," she breathed out.
Damon could only lay there as she spoke, his fingers curling into the ground. He should have seen this coming, but he hadn't thought about it at the time. He'd only been trying to get the Counsel off of their backs, keeping them safe from suspicion. He hadn't even taken it into consideration that he'd have a vengeful boyfriend on his hands trying to kill him. His mind then went to Kali for a moment, Jason's voice popping into his head. That was another 'boyfriend' that he had to deal with, but instead of being an ex-boyfriend, Jason would be extinct.
"I was," the man said weakly, his voice full of pain.
Silence fell upon them for a few moments, Damon grunting as he tried to gather the strength to pull himself up. Matches were pulled out.
"Lexi turned you?" Elena asked, halting the man's actions for a brief moment.
He turned to look at her, his hand curling tightly around the pack of matches in his hand.
"If you wanna be with someone forever, you have to live forever," he told her, his eyes turning back to Damon, before kicking him once more.
Damon was sure that this would be it. He'd finally been caught. He'd pushed his luck for so many years, pushing things farther and farther, and now he was going to pay for it. He actually felt himself regretting some of the things that he'd done. Even though he didn't deserve it, he felt himself wishing for a second chance.
Elena stood there for a moment, the expression on her face turning to one of grief. No matter how cruel, how evil Damon could be at times, she knew that he didn't deserve this. Kali didn't either. Regardless of how Kali tried to hide her emotions, Elena could see that she was slowing falling for him, falling for this person whom Elena had originally thought to be a wolf in sheep's clothing. Kali wouldn't be able to handle losing someone else. She was actually happy again. Elena didn't want to see that disappear, see her smile fade away forever this time.
"She loved you," she choked out. "She said that when it's real, you can't walk away," she told him.
He turned toward her then, an angry look on his face.
"Well, that's a not choice you're gonna have to make," he told her firmly, turning back around to face Damon.
She watched as he tore a match from the pack, making to strike it against the back.
"Don't," she choked out. "Don't. Please, don't hurt him," she cried, Kali's chance at happiness ready to disappear. "Please?"
Damon let out a faint whimper as he tried to push himself off of the ground, his hand slipping from the gasoline. The match was lit, the sound of the flame coming to life and sealing his fate. He would burn tonight before ever getting the chance to test the emotions he'd come to hold close within the last couple months.
"I'm doing you a favor," he said stiffly, raising his hand over Damon, intent on dropping the match upon him and watching him go up in flames.
Elena felt her body shake as she took a step forward. She couldn't let Damon die like this.
"Lexi loved you and she was good, and that means you're good too," she told him, her eyes welling up with tears.
He turned to her, his hand pulling back hesitantly.
"Be better than him."
He stood there, his mouth twitching, hand curling tightly at his side.
"Don't do this, I'm begging you," she cried. "Please," she begged.
He looked back over at Damon, inhaling sharply as he felt the veins in his face creeping upward, face contorting. He reached down, pulling Damon up roughly by the front of his shirt. They both grunted, staring each other in the eyes. Damon's was weak, the look on his face relaying helplessness. He'd practically given up at this point. It was something practically unbearable for him, a feeling that scared him, but he couldn't fight back. He was then thrown across the wide road, his back colliding with the garage door of a building, sending him onto his face as he bounced off. He couldn't move.
"Damon," Elena whimpered, watching as the man slowly turned to face her. "Thank you," she whispered.
"It wasn't for you," he breathed out, shaking his head.
Then, the next thing they knew, he was gone.
T
Going out on a limb, Alaric excused himself for a bit, leaving Jenna sitting at the table with her drink. He pulled his phone from his pocket, going to his contacts until he found Kali's name. They'd exchanged numbers the day that he'd given her a ride home. They'd agreed that it'd make it easier if he had any questions about the school he'd be able to ask. Now, he realized just how important it had become.
"I hope I'm wrong," he prayed, dialing the number and pressing the phone to his ear.
He listened as it rang a few times. He heard noise after about the fifth ring, remaining silent.
"Finally decide to call back, Damon?" a man asked. "I told you, she's mine now," he narrowed.
"Who is this?" Alaric asked curtly.
"Damon…" he heard Kali whimper in the background, her voice nearly inaudibly.
"Where is she?" Alaric asked stiffly, his hand curling at his side.
"And who are you, exactly?" the man inquired.
"A friend," Alaric answered loosely.
"Well, friend, regrettably, Kali can't come to the phone right now," he replied.
Again, Alaric could hear Kali call out for Damon, his mouth twitching slightly. She sounded weak, as though in pain, voice pleading.
"I'm sorry, but Damon's not here right now," Alaric heard him say, his voice taunting.
"If you hurt her, I will end up," Alaric promised.
"Bye bye. Tell Damon to take his time."
Alaric pulled his phone back as the line went dead, staring down at the screen. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he had a feeling that there was far more to this than what lay on the surface.
T
Damon walked back into the bar, his face calm. He'd made Elena wait in the car while he came in to retrieve his jacket, his second reason being Bree. He'd figured out that she'd been the one to set him up and he wasn't too thrilled about it. Even more so because it had cost him valuable time in returning to Mystic Falls.
She had just finished a shot when she'd turned around, Damon stand there in front of her.
"We were just leaving. I wanted to say good bye."
There was no emotion in his voice as he spoke, sending a spark of fear and uncertainty through her. She hadn't even expected to see him again, thinking that Lexi's boyfriend would have killed him, that he'd be laying in a pile of ashes somewhere.
"Good to see you again, Damon," she nodded faintly, body stiff as she tried to hide the fear.
"No kiss?" Damon questioned, raising an eyebrow.
There was no humor in it what so ever.
"I'm full of vervain," she imparted. "I put it in everything I drink."
"And you're telling me this. Why?" he asked skeptically as though it made no difference.
"Lexi was my friend," she replied, voice sad. "How could you?"
She then went to turn around, only to have Damon in front of her, a gasp escaping from her lips. The look on his face was deadly calm, his eyes staring at her intently. She freaked out, taking a step back, only to have him move closer.
"The tomb can be opened," she blurted out in an attempt to save her live.
He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head.
"You're lying," he accused, his tempter flaring slightly, but still going unnoticeable.
"Emily's Grimoire, her spell book," she rattled off, slowly moving backward as Damon continued closer, the look on his face that of a predator.
He was dangerous and livid, a bad combination.
"If you know how she closed the tomb, the reversal process will be in her book," she told him. "You can open that tomb."
"Where is this book?" Damon asked, taking another step closer.
"I-I…I…" she stammered, Damon's face mere inches from hers.
"You have no idea," he said slowly, his voice raising in strength.
"I am telling you the truth," she spoke a bit more calmly, her lip quivering.
"And I believe you," he cooed, gently running his hand over the side of her face, caressing her skin. "My dear, sweet Bree."
She stared at him, her breath caught in her throat.
"That's why I'm almost sorry," he finished, his lips pulling back into a tight line as he thrust his hand into her chest, a gasp escaping her as her eyes went wide.
They stood there for a moment, eyes connected as his fingers curled around her beating heart. Then, with a tug, she faded. He'd pulled her beating heart straight from her chest, watching as the light died out in her eyes, body slowly crumpling to the floor at his feet.
He slowly stepped over her body, his anger dissipating as he washed his hand in the sink. After he was done, he left, his leather jacket draped over his shoulder. It was just another piece of his past that disappeared into the void of time, leaving him walking through broken memories.
Okay everyone, that was chapter 13. I REALLY hope that everyone liked it? Also, I want to thank everyone that REVIEWED for the last chapter. HOPEFULLY, that will continue. ALSO, just to let everyone know, CHAPTER 14 is typed and FINISHED. I'm going to wait to put it up though until I get a few REVIEWS and FEEDBACK.
IMPORTANT:
REMEMBER PEOPLE you DON'T need an ACCOUNT to REVIEW. Even if it's a small REVEIW, it's still helpful.
REMEMBER IDEAS are ALWAYS WELCOMED. So, if anyone has any ideas for the next chapter, I'd love to hear them.
How should Damon handle Jason? What do you think he'll do when he finds Kali? What do YOU want to see happen?