Chapter Sixty-Nine: Rabbit Heart
Here I am, a rabbit hearted girl, frozen in the headlights
It seems I've made the final sacrifice.
This is a gift, it comes with a price.
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight and turns me to gold in the sunlight
I look around, but I can't find you, if only I could see your face
Instead of rushing towards the skyline. I wish that I could just be brave
I must become a lion hearted girl, ready for a fight
Before I make the final sacrifice
~Florence & the Machine
Damon scanned the tree line. He, Elena and Stefan stood at the edge of the meadow where they had emerged from. Besides the rustling of creatures in the surrounding forest, everything was quiet. Again his sharp eyes took in the scene before him as he began to walk forward.
"This is it," he said without looking back at his brother. He was sure of it. The strange sense of déjà vu he was feeling confirmed it. This was the place that had plagued Nilly's nightmares and that had popped into Shellie's vision.
The wide open field was carpeted with long, yellowing grass. The entire area was encircled with the large pine and oak trees of Virginia, leaves and needles still green in the sunlight. The surrounding forest around them was dark with the great trunks of the tress along with the bushes and undergrowth that littered the Old Wood.
A slight breeze picked up, awakening Damon's sense. The mustiness of the sodden earth, the crisp blades of grass, the warm, dank sting of animal blood flew around him… and something else.
"Are you positive?" Stefan asked a distance behind him. Damon ignored his brother and stood frozen, knee high in the grass. He focused all his power into his hearing, trying to pick up on anything.
"Damon?" Elena called.
"Shh," he hushed them. Still he didn't move. His body tensed up when he heard the crunch of dead leaves in the forest. The sound grew clearer, footsteps; two sets. His head turned in the direction of the noise. "We have company," he hissed to his brother. Immediately Stefan stopped and back tracked to Elena, putting himself between her and the on coming threat.
Damon coiled back, his eyes transfixed on the spot where they would come from.
The meadow was iced over with tension that seemed to coat everything and everyone in it as they waited. The minutes stretched, as the sound grew louder and louder. Suddenly someone came shooting out of the tree line, stumbling forward and sinking into the grass with a thud.
It was a girl. She frantically tore her ragged hair out of her face. When she looked up, Damon was met with a sea of blue and gold. He swore he felt his dead heart explode in his chest. A startled gasp escaped her mouth as she grasped her chest.
The only thing that kept Damon from crossing the distance between them and taking her up in his arms was the looming figure behind her. Christian.
He smirked as he made his way out of the shadows, taking up a spot next to Nilin. Damon watched as he reached down, snaring his hand in her hair, and forced her to stand up. A choke of pain came from Nilin as she tried her best to get to her feet. Damon saw red. With an animalistic growl he lunged for the bastard but was stopped by a strong hand on his chest; Stefan. Stefan managed to push Damon back with a steady force, snapping him out of the searing rage for a moment.
Christian laughed. "Hmm, look at this," he grinned as he walked in front of a glaring Nilin. Her eyes never left his back. "Need your little brother to hold you back now, hmm?" he asked Damon, still chuckling. Damon didn't answer, he kept his deadly glare on the approaching Christian. "You know I really hoped it would just be you and me here so we could finish what we started the other night."
Damon slid a cold smirk on his lips. "You sure that's a good idea? You've given me a very good reason to rip your throat out." The two were only yards away now.
"Oh," Christian perked up. "You mean Nilin?" he questioned, pointing behind him. Nilly's wide eyes snapped between Damon and Christian as she clutched her arms around her small frame. "Well, I don't think you have to worry too much about her."
"What did you do?" Elena suddenly roared. Stefan turned his attention on constraining her from lunging after Christian now. He easily pinned her arms down, holding her next to him. She struggled for a little until she regained her composure. Christian found the whole scene greatly amusing as he bellowed.
Nilin saw that he was getting way to close to them for her liking. She pulled in a deep shuddering breath and tried to slow her heart rate before she spoke up. "Christian, I don't want to be here. Can't we leave?" she asked, trying to put his attention back on her.
It worked. He started to walk towards Nilin again, a smile on his face. "Not just yet," he told her, brushing his pointer finger across her jaw line. Nilin tried to suppress her grimace as he turned away from her again. Nilin could see Elena's face change from confusion to horror. Then she started fighting Stefan again.
"What did you do to her? What did you do to my sister?"
"You see, she became very agreeable once that pesky vervain was removed," he smiled. "A few unnecessary memories erased, some altercations and she's perfect."
Damon's eyes snapped to Nilin, who was staring at the back of Christian's head. "You son of a—" Damon roared starting towards Christian, too fast for even Stefan to stop him.
Nilin watched in horror. She didn't know what to do so she inhaled a shaky breath of air and before she even realized what she was saying the name left her mouth. "Damon, no!" she cried, outstretching her hand to stop him. Everything froze, Damon stopped in his tracks, and Christian's smirk dropped. All eyes went to her and Nilly released the breath she was holding.
"Well then," Christian growled. "Aren't you the little actress?" Nilin managed to tear her eyes away from Damon to look at the vampire in front of her.
"Like I said, you underestimate me too much," she told him with a dark smirk.
Damon noticed the way Nilin gripped her side with a trembling hand. Dry crusted blood stained her neck and trailed down her ripped flannel shirt to her chest. The bruises on her face were greatly predominant, and every little movement seemed to be painful.
But Damon noticed the fire in her eyes, and what he had been longing for was mere yards away. It took everything in his being to stop himself from snatching Nilin and running right then, never looking back. The determined look that he'd seen on her face before kept his feet still.
"I'll have to remember that for next time," Christian said, making his way to Nilin slowly, as if he was prowling. He circled her, his eyes raving up and down her body. Nilly fought to keep still, stopping her knees from wobbling and her hands from shaking.
"There won't be a next time, Christian. The game's over." Stefan said as he walked to stand next to his brother, Elena keeping a foot behind him.
Christian laughed. "Oh, it's only just begun my friend." He placed his hand on Nilin's hip, pulling her to his side with a smile. All Nilly did was cringe, allowing herself to be pressed against him. "Nilly made her choice, she chooses me."
"Only because you scared her to death and forced her to choose you." Elena said, keeping her voice leveled and clam as if she was reasoning with a child. Her hands gripped the straps of the backpack on her shoulders and she stared at him straightly.
"Force? I wouldn't call my methods forceful," he retorted with a smirk.
Damon snorted. "However you'd like to describe it, it still isn't working. You're not leaving this place with Nilin," he said. "You're not leaving this place at all, if I have it my way." A smirk began to creep on to his face.
"Is that so?" Christian asked. Damon saw his hand creep up Nilin's side. He could hear her already rapid heartbeat speed up. "Or I could just kill her," he said, locking his eyes with Damon.
"And waste all the hard work it took to get her here?" Damon asked. "Why would you do that?"
"Oh there's always another girl not far behind to take her place. My games will always continue." Christian answered, his hand finally resting on Nilin's shoulder. His fingers dug into her skin, the pressure growing. It didn't let up, causing Nilly to let out a whimper of pain. Damon gritted his teeth.
"Sorry to burst you're bubble, bud." Damon said, trying to keep Christian's attention on him. "But it looks like you're out numbered here."
Christian laughed, the sound slightly echoing through the trees. "If you were to add the number of years you all had and doubled it, then maybe you'd be close to my age. I'm not too worried about you three. You've been more of a nuisance than anything, putting a real damper on the fun."
"Well, my brother does tend to brood too much but me on the other hand," Damon smirked. "I'm loads of fun." Christian's eyes seemed to glisten as the grin on his face twisted.
"Let's test that shall we?" Christian asked. Before anyone had the chance to blink Christian had sunk his fangs into the side of Nilin's neck. She cried out in pain, using her fingers to try and pry him off.
Stefan was the quickest to react. Within seconds he had whipped a lethal stake out and sent it flying across the clearing, aimed straight for Christian's exposed chest.
Christian was quicker though and just as the stake was about to bury itself home in his chest, he caught it mid air. His mouth pulled away from Nilin's neck, his hand still wrapped around the stake. "Oh, that would have hurt." he smiled, wiping the blood of the corners on his mouth. "You want her so bad?" he asked, looking at the bleeding girl next to him, he started laughing. "Here, have her."
In one movement he pushed Nilly away from him, throwing her to his side. She rolled in the grass, sharp whimpers of pain leaving her mouth. Then in the next move, Christian lunged for Damon.
Without hesitation, Elena sprinted across the meadow and to her sister's side. She knelt next to the wheezing girl who was struggling to stand. Her hair matted to her grimy bruised face and neck with sweat and blood.
"Oh god, Nil," Elena said helping her to sit up out of grass. Then she was hugging her. Despite the pain, Nilly wrapped her arms around Elena and squeezed her weakly, burying her face in Elena's shoulder. The feeling felt like home, but all too soon Elena was pulling away and urging her to get up. "Come on, Nilly. We have to get you out of here," she said, helping to get her feet under her.
Nilly managed it though, feeling each aching muscle and damaged bone. But when she stood and looked across the field, she wished she never rose to her feet. Her body swayed as a scream built in her throat, but Elena was there to catch her, keeping her upright. But once Elena saw the scene in front of them, she was quickly holding on to Nilly for support.
Christian, Damon and Stefan were locked in a fight. The two brothers slowly circled Christian, who watched the both of them with an electrifying smile on his face. Stefan made the first move and leapt at him. Christian easily sent Stefan flying backwards with a square punch to chest. He sailed into the trunk of an old oak tree and slid down the bark, crumbling on the ground.
Elena went to take a step in his direction, calling for him but Nilin tried to keep her place. She didn't let Elena move any closer to the seething vampires. She still remembered her and Stefan's promise; keep Elena safe. And that's what Nilin was going to do even though her body protested and her own fears wanted her to jump in there.
"He's not moving. Nilin, why isn't he getting up?" Elena frantically asked. She attempted to get closer, but Nilin clamped down on her arm.
"Elena, he's fine," she said. "Look, look," Nilin nodded in Stefan's direction. His eyes had open and he was able to get back on his feet. Both Nilin and Elena released a breath of relief.
Damon had managed to land a blow, but so had Christian. It was too evenly matched. Both vampires continued to dive for one another. One would swing the other would duck, one would kick the other would block. This dance went on as Nilin clutched to Elena, not knowing what to do or what to say. She watched in horror and amazement as Damon kept his focus, his eyes capturing every muscle twitch of his opponent.
Christian's closed fits narrowly missed Damon's jaw and Nilly inhaled sharply. Then all in one sweet horrible moment, Damon's eyes met Nilin's. Her heart ached in her chest, accompanied by that familiar shock that ran up her spine. The moment came to a sudden halt as Damon went flying through the air. He landed with a stomach turning crack, right next to Stefan. Stefan, who had now made it to his feet, looked down at his brother quickly and helped him to stand back up. Both faced the hysterical laughter of Christian.
Nilin had to let go of Elena. She couldn't hold on to the struggling girl any longer. She attempted to go after her, but greatly underestimated her injuries and ended up stumbling. Christian whipped his head around to glare at two girls, a sick smile on his face. Elena stopped in her tracks back tracking to Nilly. Nilly had stopped too and sunk to her knees in the grass, her legs unable to hold her anymore.
"I'm glad we could supply you with comical relief," Damon sneered, moving his shoulders in circles to relieve the pain. He could feel his body begin to heal itself already. His shoulder popped back into place, bones sliding against one another and leaving him with only the stiff soreness. He glanced to his side where his brother stood. Stefan looked as if he was nursing his injured left arm, keeping it close to his side.
"Oh, you two are quite funny," Christian joked, snapping Damon's attention back to him. "Don't you understand that if I truly wanted to, I could have killed all of you already?"
"Then why haven't you?" Stefan asked, keeping his eyes on Christian. "If it's that easy, I mean. Why don't you just do it already?"
"I love mind games," Christian smiled sadistically, his eyes sparkling. "I let you think there was a chance for you to win in the end, just because the reaction is so much better when you lose."
"And you call me a cocky bastard," Damon retorted, getting an eye roll from Stefan.
"There's a big difference between being cocky and being knowledgeable." Christian informed him with an all knowing smiled. Damon laughed.
"Oh is there?" he asked lightly, though the tension was smothering. Christian took a few steps towards them, hands behind his back, and then he stopped.
"Of course there is," Christian answered. "For example," he smiled. "I know someone's time has finally run out."
Before the words could sink in, Christian materialized one of the sharpened stake from out of nowhere. But he didn't charge forward, like Nilly thought he was going to. Instead he turned and went straight for Elena, who stood a few feet from Nilin.
As Christian lunged for Elena, Damon and Stefan simultaneously dove for him. Nilly found herself on her feet without even thinking and in one movement she outstretched her arms, pushing Elena to the ground. She had just enough time to turn to face Christian before she felt the piercing pain in her chest. She was faintly aware of someone yelling her name, but she was too focused on the silver gleam in Christian's eyes and he buried the stake deeper into the pit of Nilin's stomach.
Author's Notes:
Yeah, I really just left it on a cliffhanger. Sorry! Haha, anyway there are only THREE more chapters left of Between Two Lungs! Can you believe it!? Because I can't. Thank you all so much, and keep an eye out for next weeks update. I want to know what you think it going to happen, be sure to review! Let me know! Thanks guys!
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