Blood For Blood
Astra looked down at the ring that she fiddled with in her hand, spinning it around her right index finger as the blue stone caught the sunlight that came through the window of early morning. She knew that she would get up for the day soon, since Elijah was planning on going in to meet with the warlocks today, but she just couldn't bring herself to crawl out of her bed. She had truly missed the overly expensive piece of furniture.
Letting out a sigh and sliding her old engagement ring into a small hidden place in the headboard of her bed, she let herself relax a moment before she heard Elijah making his way down toward her bedroom. Not caring if he walked in or not, she got herself comfortable once more as the warm sun caressed her bare skin.
"I know that you are awake, Astraea," Elijah said through the thick wooden door, knowing softly as he spoke. "I can hear you moving around."
"Your point?" Astra asked irritably, her voice muffled slightly from the pillow. She heard the door open a moment later, not really caring. She was used to Elijah just making himself at home and throwing caution to the wind these days.
"Come, I want you to join me in meeting with the warlocks today, I'm sure that Luka has come to miss your company," Elijah said, nudging the heel of her foot that was sticking out of the comforter. Opening her eyes again, she looked up to Elijah with a grumpy stare. The elder vampire raised an eyebrow at the look that he was receiving, not giving it much thought.
"When do you leave?"
"At seven, I wish to get there early," Elijah explained, getting a look from the woman lying in the bed. He knew that look far too well.
"That's in two hours! Get out of my room or I swear I'm going to call you Ellie for the rest of the week!" She threatened, watching as Elijah's eyes danced with mirth and amusement. "And you know that I am very serious. Do you remember what happened in 1941-Elijah!" Astra cried out in shock when she suddenly found herself looking at the backs of Elijah's legs, his arm draped over her own so she didn't tip over his shoulder and fall on her head.
"Was that a threat?" Elijah asked casually. Astra scowled at the backs of his legs as she felt the blood beginning to rush to her cheeks from her upside down position. Wrapping an arm around one leg, she threw him off balance easily, rolling out from under him and flipping around to straddle his stomach, looking at the momentary look of bewilderment that came to his face so rarely. It only lasted a moment before Astra found herself on her back, Elijah's finger stroking the side of her neck.
"A promise," She hissed out, feeling her eyes begin to burn and her gums tighten. Letting her teeth lengthen, she saw Elijah watch the change with a curious expression. Her throat clenched from the smell that was coming off his skin, from under his skin, and she wished for nothing more than to tear open the porcelain flesh of his neck and feed.
"Calm yourself, love," Elijah mumbled. He brought them both to their feet effortlessly, dusting off his suit jacket as Astra composed herself. "You're awake now, so I will leave you to get ready."
"Asshole!" Astra called after him as the door closed, turning on heel and heading into her closet to choose an outfit for the day of her very low stash of clothes. At least the rest of their things were going to be arriving in a couple of hours and she would have more to choose from. Selecting a simple pair of knee high black leather boots, black jeans and a simple dark blue blouse, she tossed the outfit on the steps up to her bed and moved to the bathroom to clean up.
After a quick shower, Astra added some styling moose to her hair to keep down the frizz before she moved from the bathroom to get dressed. Pausing a moment as she was doing up her shirt, she looked up toward the head of the bed as a small sliver of thought moved through her mind. Stepping up to where she had hid Damon's ring, she moved over toward the jewellery box that held all her accessories. A simple silver chain was her choice, the ring matching the metal perfectly. It was a long enough chain that the ring would hang down between her breasts and prevent anyone from seeing it.
She had only take up roughly forty-five minutes out of the two hours that she had to kill, leaving her with an hour and fifteen minutes of time to spare so that she could…wander around her home in boredom?
Checking her makeup and hair in the mirror one last time, she quickly left the bedroom in search of a meal. She had very nearly bitten Elijah earlier and that wasn't something that she wanted to get into a regular basis with. He had fed her his blood on occasion from his own wrist when she was injured or devastatingly hungry, but she had never attacked him. Well, when she was a newborn didn't count.
Elijah was waiting for her when she reached the kitchen, a glass of pure blood waiting for her on the island as he finished off his own. Once more dressed in a fashionable—and no doubt expensive—suit, he was reclined back in one of the chairs at the table as he read over some of the emails that he had gotten through the night. The enormous amount of connections that Elijah had with people around the globe was astonishing, but necessary. If he didn't have someone posted at almost every city and wasn't able to track Klaus to a single step, the world may end.
She glared at him.
"How about we start this differently," Elijah offered, glancing up in time to see the death look that he had been receiving moments ago. Rising to his feet, he crossed the distance between them in three simple strides to stop before her.
"And how do you plan on doing that?" She asked with a brow raised in question, putting one hand on her hip in a relaxed posture. These moments weren't rare between them and Elijah could get into a very long lecture at times. But this time was different. She had, in absolutely no way, expected for him to suddenly lean to catch her lips in a kiss, his large hands gently rising to hold her face. The shock of the sudden kiss was enough to render her numb for a moment, eyes wide and body stiff.
But only for a moment.
Rising her hand up to run the backs of her long fingers up the middle of his throat and the underside of his chin, she stopped with the tip of her index finger just below his bottom lip and turned her head to allow better access, pressing down on his bottom jaw until he had been forced to part his lips for her. But he pulled back at that moment, a deep longing being pulled up inside Astra that she had hoped she had buried long ago.
"Marry me."
Astra took pause, her brain seeming to stop working completely. That was new.
It took her a moment to realize that this was Elijah's way of holding up their 'deal' from the night before, when she had said that he had to propose to her. He didn't exactly get down on one knee, but he got points for spontaneity. Humming softly in approval, she pulled his lips back down to her own for one last kiss.
"Of course I'll marry you, Lord Elijah," She whispered against his lips. A moment later the loud crack of wood sounded as Astra was pushed harshly into the door frame of the kitchen, the Original's lips moving fast and harsh against her own. She knew that she would get some kind of reaction from him at those words, but she didn't think he would react like that. Wrapping her arms around his neck and effortlessly pulling herself up to wrap her legs around his waist, she let her fingers run through his once neat hair, messing it profusely.
A sudden insistent buzzing drew the two apart, both looking over toward where Elijah had left his cell phone sitting on the table two yards away. "Well, if that doesn't ruin a moment." Astra mumbled, pressing one last kiss to Elijah's forehead before she let her legs drop back to the floor. "Make your call, I need to eat."
Less than an hour later, Astra was pulling out of the driveway in her sleek red Camaro, Elijah sitting in the passenger seat in a heated discussion with Jonas, the warlock that was assisting them. She could hear him clearly through the phone even from where she was sitting, but knew that the discussion was about the doppelgänger and didn't bother to pay it any mind.
"Where are we going to meet him?" She asked finally, looking to Elijah when there was a break in the conversation. They were just entering into Mystic Falls. Listening to the warlock rattle of the address and apartment number through the phone, she let her thoughts drift again as she flawlessly made her way through the streets. The town had changed since she had last visited, but not to the extent that she wasn't able to find her way around. Elijah snapped his phone shut at the end of the conversation, taking a moment to gaze out the tinted windows and at the people that looked at the flashy red car in awe.
"Why exactly did you feel the need to buy a bright red, forty-thousand dollar car?" Elijah asked when a group of male teenagers began to gawk after the car as she passed them and turned on a right to get to Jonas' apartment.
"Just to piss you off," Astra replied easily, glancing at him in the corner of her eye. Chuckling quietly to herself, she pulled into the small parking lot that accompanied the apartment building that they were searching for. Third floor, c5. The two gathered what they needed before slipping from the car fluently, the door automatically locking when Astra's door closed while the keys were removed.
"You are not the first to succeed in such a task," Elijeh replied calmly, holding his arm out to her. Astra caught sight of a group of football players walking past the lot, eyeing both the car and the driver. Astra nearly purred at the familiar possessiveness and looped her arm through his, letting him escort her into the lobby and toward the elevator.
"Once the doppelgänger is found and her safety is assured, you will remain here and finish explaining things to Jonas and Luka. I don't want you to be discovered by them just yet. Even by Elena Gilbert, she will convey all of my cohorts to her little band of merry men," Elijah spoke over the terrible grinding that was heard from the elevator gears above them. To a human there was only the sound of humming from the work above, but they were far from human.
"If I must," Astra agreed reluctantly. She had learned a long time ago that arguing with Elijah about what she will and will not do was a very pointless and tiring pass time. The elevator doors opened before them and Elijah waited for Astra to step through first. Stopping in front of c5 and knocking on the solid wooden door, both could hear when Jonas moving around inside, approaching the door.
"Please, come in," the warlock invited, stepping aside the let them through. Astra stepped in first, her stride hesitant as her foot passed over the threshold. Once she had passed through the entrance safely she let herself relax and move further into the small apartment. Jonas had laid out what he and Elijah would need for the tracking spell that Elijah needed to find Elena.
"Where's Luka?" Astra asked, walking around the smallish space. Picking up one of the thick grimoire's from the bookshelf on the far wall.
"Momentarily occupied elsewhere," Jonas answered, moving toward the table so he could begin the spell. Astra looked over at Elijah, seeing him shake his head. They both knew that Jonas didn't want to work with them, but he was desperate for Elijah's help to save his daughter. The two gentlemen sat across from one another at the table that held Elena's possessions while Astra stood to the side, her back to the sun shining through the window. She could feel the heat on her skin, warming the dark material of her blouse.
"So how exactly does this spell work?" Elijah asked easily, lacing his fingers before him as he held Jonas' stare calmly. Jonas picked up a knife that sat on his side of the table, before he held his hand out toward Elijah.
"Give me your hand."
Astra watched Elijah's face as he offered Jonas his hand, palm up. The warlock used the knife to cut a clean life across the center of Elijah's palm, the sound of his flesh tearing filled the room. Astra could see when Elijah showed the slight amount of discomfort, but he still hid it well. Just because he was powerful didn't mean that he didn't feel pain.
"Place it here," Jonas instructed, motioning to the picture that was on the table between them of Elena in a cheer uniform. Astra watched as Elijah turned his hand palm down, blood falling down onto to glass that covered the picture, before he placed it over the picture, marring it with blood. "Now, take my hand." Linking his free hand with Jonas' offered one, Elijah looked up and waited for the next command. "Close your eyes, relax your mind and look for her."
Elijah did as bid and closed his eyes, leaving faith in Astra and Jonas that nothing would happen. The warlock closed his eyes as well, bowing his head, and began to recite in Latin. Astra understood the words that he was saying, having both learned the language long ago and hearing about the spell a while back. But people didn't use such a type of tracking anymore, they usually used crystal scrying.
Soon, Jonas went quiet and looked up to Elijah. The Original was still, his mind still searching as he sat with his eyes closed, still completely composed in a calm state. Astra stepped forward, away from the window, until she was standing right in front of the table, looking to Elijah expectedly. When he finally opened his eyes, there was nothing in his expression that gave up what he may or may not have seen.
"You saw her, didn't you?"
The slight smile that quirked his lips told Astra all that she needed to know. "I know exactly where she is."
Astra didn't enjoy handing her keys over to Elijah, not because she didn't trust him with her baby, but because she knew that that meant she wasn't going with him. She was to remain with Jonas had help sort out the werewolf problem that was taking over mystic falls. He didn't linger long and had soon left the ancient vampire with the warlock. She wasn't alone with him long before the lock turned in the door and Luka stepped through.
"Astra," He said with a smile, walking over to greet her with a hug. Against the odds, they had become friends after Elijah recruited them. Neither were as bored as they would have been while the other was there.
"Hey, Luka, how's highschool?"
"Be lucky you never had to go," Luka answered with pure honesty in his tone. "But today was actually pretty…riveting." Astra gave him an odd look, but Luka didn't pay it any mind and went about getting out his homework from school. Shrugging of his odd terms, she walked over to where Jonas was reading from one of the many grimoire's, falling to sit on the couch.
"So, what do you know about the werewolv-" Astra stopped cold when she heard Luka gasp slightly, almost in shock or pain. Looking over to him, Jonas did the same. They wore identical looks of concern for him, wondering what was wrong. But Luka looked confused as well and Astra could have sworn she saw worry on his features.
"What's wrong?" Jonas asked, glancing over to Astra.
"Nothing," He replied tersely, but Astra didn't buy it. Jonas seemed reluctant to return to his work, but did so slowly, leaving Astra to sit quietly as she watched Luka's moves carefully. When Luka began to look like he was struggling to breathe Astra ran to his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to let him rest on her.
"What is going on?" Jonas demanded from his son, standing across the table from him just as he and Elijah had been doing less than an hour before. He looked like he was going to try and deny that anything was wrong, but Astra shook her head no when he looked over to her, telling him silently not to lie again.
"It Bonnie Bennett," He finally answered, leaning more heavily against Astra. "She's channelling me."
"Why would you let her do that?" Jonas demanded angrily, standing at his full height.
"You told me to bond with her so I bonded!" Luka yelled back, before he cried out in pain, taking Astra's hand in a death grip as he fought with the pain in his body. A stream of blood was beginning to leak from his nose as the power that was being stolen from him. Astra hissed angrily at the pain that he was being put through, dragging him from the chair he was working on and lying him out on the floor.
"Luka!" Jonas ran to his son, standing on the opposite side of Astra. "Help me!" He yelled, looking up to the vampire.
Astra took hold of Luka's head gently in both hands, closing her eyes and concentrating. Pushing herself inside the mind of a trained warlock was dangerous, especially when said warlock was trying to get rid of another entity already. But as soon as she had reached his mind she was able to push the Bennett witches power from him, breaking the connection that she had. It was enough to give the witch a pounding headache at least.
I decided to be generous since it's been so long since I've updated this story and have given you two chapters! I do hope to hear what you all think of this story, it's slightly discouraging not to hear from you all. (Even though I'm positive that there aren't many people that actually read the bottom note from the author! For those of you who do, you are lovely people and will go far!)