Bound and Broken
Mystic Falls, Virginia, 1864
Astra watched where Katherine was speaking with Damon from beside Stefan, her arm looped through the younger brother's. She watched the younger vampire carefully, knowing that she was trying very hard to capture Damon's interest. What frightened the blonde the most was that it seemed to actually be working. Damon had been spending less and less time with Astra, often disappearing at random for hours at a time. She glared at the brunet until she could see her look up to her from the corner of her eye, her fake smile vanishing momentarily.
Oh, she knew very well that she struck deep fear within the other woman, taking full advantage of it whenever she were to catch Katherine along or with Damon. She was still careful not to allow her fiancé discover who and what she truly was, Katarina doing much the same. At least the girl had that much brains in her head. She was still shocked that she had out and out revealed herself as a vampire with threatening fangs and all on the first night of their meeting.
She couldn't deny that she was drawing away from Damon as well, she had never been keen on lying. However, it was the truth. She had been standing to the sidelines for quite some time, trying to keep herself protected. She could easily rip Katherine limb from limb, but she knew that that would simply get her in trouble. Not only would she be taking the pleasure away from both Elijah and Klaus, but from Stefan as well.
She let out a sigh, hating the complications that had come into her life. Truly, she just wished that she could live through as a normal human. Get married, settle down, have children, grow old, die. It was a very easy role to fall into. Alas, that was never meant to be for her. She had to fall in love with a vampire and die, only to be reborn into a completely different species.
She was also dreading the moment that one of the brothers caught wind of Katherine's location, for they would come flocking. Klaus wasn't as much of her concern, she had never truly been close to the man and didn't have too much worry that he would cause her problems. He knew that she was in close relations wish Elijah, or at least had been, and might take that as a reason to harm her, but she didn't see much reason behind that. He wouldn't truly wish to waste his time. Elijah, however, would not be so easy to deal with. If he found out that she was there he would take his chance and snatch her up all over again. At least with Klaus he would be removing a thorn that had grown in her side, Elijah would be ripping one out and sticking another in.
"I hate this drama," Astra mumbled to herself before she stepped out of the room that she had been in, her heels tapping the floor and gaining the attention of the other three occupants in the room. Damon smiled as soon as he saw her, Stefan doing the same. Katherine, however, took that moment to glare at her with death in her eyes.
"Astra, I was beginning to wonder where you had disappeared to," Damon said as he moved to stand at the base of the stairs that she was descending.
"I apologize, I was side-tracked. What have I missed?" She asked casually, looking over to the other two as Damon took her hand to escort her across the floor.
"We were just discussing the upcoming ball," Damon explained before he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Stefan finally had the courage to ask to escort Katherine." Astra smiled in fake happiness, hiding away her true worry for her friend. She didn't want Stefan to get himself mixed up with Katherine, but it wasn't as though she could simply tell him to stay away from her. She had vowed to herself that she would never use compulsion on those that she loved.
"Have you had the chance to find a dress, Katherine?" Astra asked the other woman, seeing the suspicion in her eyes. "I know a wonderful seamstress, I'm sure that she would love to help you with a dress. I could place a word in for you and have her work yours before any other," Astra whispered in a fake type of girl talk. Damon and Stefan seemed pleased that they were getting along, enveloping Astra with dread.
"That would be wonderful, actually," Katherine smiled back.
"Wonderful, we should have a girl's day sometime soon. We really should get to know one another." Katherine seemed to pale when the elder said this, and Astra knew exactly why. She wouldn't deny wanting to teach the younger vampire a lesson in respecting her elders. She was actually intending to do just that as soon as they were alone and she didn't need to worry about getting caught by one of the brothers. Inviting Katherine to her home for a 'girl's day' was a perfect thing to do.
"I look forward to it," Katherine said softly, squeezing Stefan's arm.
Astra held the brown eyes of the woman that was to be the death of her, her violet eyes intense against the light in the room. Katherine continually looked away from her eyes out of nervousness, looking past her or over to Damon briefly before returning her focus on the Roman. Astra smiled innocently, taking pride in the nervousness that was practically oozing from Katarina's pores.
"Excellent. Stefan, may I steal her away from you for a moment so that we may make arrangements?" Astra asked, smiling to the younger brothers. Stefan smiled and nodded, not even knowing that fear that was gripping the young female at his side. "Come now, Katherine, let's talk."
Pompeii, Roman Empire, 78 A.D.
The warm tea that her handmaiden had given her calmed Astraea greatly, allowing her to think clearly on what Elijah had told her earlier that day. She head was still spinning at the truth that he had told her. She had known that he wasn't human, someone that could take on the appearance that he did when he bit her could not have a human soul in them. She had already known, but it was still so hard to hear him actually say it aloud; to hear him admit it.
Was his family there in Rome as well?
She kept thinking back to the events of the night when he had bitten her, not only the way that he had changed but how he had fed her his blood. He had not said another word as he was escorting her home, clearly understanding that she didn't want to hear anymore, and so she knew no more than what he had told her.
How was one changed into a demon like him?
He had said that it was his blood that had healed her, but what else did it do? There was apparently more to the process, but she was highly unnerved at the thought of his blood having been in her veins with the ability to any further change to her. The taste had been so strangely peculiar, maybe even—dare she admit it—pleasant. After having tasted her own blood on her tongue for so long it was strange to take another's. Was it just hers that tasted so bitter and unpleasant because she was dying or was it that Elijah's tasted so pleasant before of was inhuman?
"You should not think on it all so much."
Astraea jumped at the sound of his voice to the left of her, her hand shooting to her heart. She stood up in the process of turning to face him, seeing his standing next to her fireplace with a solemn look on his face. He seemed to be anticipating getting asked to leave and was glowering over the thought. Astraea sighed to herself and sat back down on the cushioned chair she had near her window, the curtains drawn open.
"I have not forgiven you, Elijah, nor have I invited you into my home or my chambers," She ground out before turning completely away from him to look out the window. She did not trust him, but she doubted that he would go so far to bed for her forgiveness just to bite her while her back was turned to him.
"I know this, and I admit that it upsets me," Elijah said softly, not moving from the opposite side of the room. "I know that it will take time but I hope that someday we may be friends again," Elijah said carefully. Astraea felt her heart clench at the wording he had used, looking down at the tea on the small table beside her.
"I may not be around long enough for that to happen," She answered back carefully. She didn't looked over to him as she spoke, knowing that seeing his familiar face, the face of her friend, would cause her to break down. "I am dying, Elijah, you know this, as well. This illness of mine is getting worse, I fear I won't make it into the next season."
She hadn't even heard him move from where he had been standing before she felt one of his hands land on the bare skin of her back, her dress revealing most of her back to the open air. She was frozen in place at the feel of his cool hand against her flesh, unable to react. She was shocked further at the feel of him resting his forehead against her shoulder blade, over her heart.
"I could help you, Astraea, I could take the pain away," He whispered softly, his breath ghosting over her skin. She held back a hitch of breath at the appealing offer, wishing that she could just accept it without fear or consequence. But what if something happened when his blood was in her system, perhaps killed her instead of healing her, she would never be able to accept herself.
"I cannot," She gasped out, her hands clenching in her lap. Elijah's arm wove around her waist and pulled her closer to his form, the entire side of his face laid against her back by then. His cheek was warm compared to the chill of his hand, the evening air having cooled his skin.
"I beg you, Astraea, I do not want you to die," He chocked out, his voice sounding weak. "I cannot lose you when I know that there is a chance I may save you!" Astraea lifted one of her hands to gently place it overtop of where his was gripping her side, his forearm braced over her stomach to keep her in his hold.
"Elijah," She began softly. This was a side of him she had never seen, apparently there were many. She had seen his demon, his sincere and his neutral side. She was unsure of which one she could place her trust in, it was frightening. "You need to let me go."
"I refuse," Elijah growled out, his arm tightening around her. She was flush against his chest by then, his fingers digging into the material of her dress and the skin beneath. "I refuse. I will not allow it. I forbid it!" Astraea felt tears prick her eyes as her hand clutched at his, the pain that he was causing from the strong hold that he had on her completely forgotten. She merely wanted to calm him down, reassure him in some way.
"I will be at peace, Elijah. You mustn't play with the fate that the gods had laid out for us," She whispered, the tips of her fingers sliding along his hand, between his knuckles and along the tendons that were showing though the back of his hand, doing her best to soothe him in hopes of getting him to relax his hold some.
"What god would take the life of an innocent woman before her time?" He demanded back, but his hand did relax some when he realized just how tightly he was clutching her. She was still human and more easily susceptible to pain that his kind. "Please, Astraea, do not leave me as well." Astraea closed her eyes and took a breath, tears leaking over and beginning to trail down her cheeks. She didn't know what to do anymore.
I hope you all liked the update, I had wished to get it out last night after the show but I was doing homework. Ugh, school. Ugh, Katherine.
Anyway, to keep up with the tradition that I have begun, I will show a preview for the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy it and review!
Chapter 14 – The Pure and the Tainted
"That wasn't very nice," She finally whispered.
"You're getting better at controlling yourself."
"I can control myself just fine," She snapped back, releasing his shirt and take a step back to disengage herself from his hold. "Around anyone but you, that is. You know that I've always had trouble with resisting your blood."
"All the more reason for you to learn to," Elijah explained, moving to step closer to her. She glared at him as she backed away, her hand rising to wipe off the remainder of his blood from her mouth. Elijah appeared before her within the next instant, pressing a calming kiss to her forehead. "I apologize. It was your best interests that I had in mind."
She just looked down at the buttons of his shirt as he spoke. "That doesn't make me feel any better, Elijah. I feel used."
"I would never use you, Astraea," He whispered back, wrapping his arms around her shoulders to pull her against him a second time. "You are all that I have left, you deserve all that I can give." She blinked in wonder at his words, unsure of how to take them. There could be many meanings behind what he was saying, it was hard to interpret which one was the true one.