A/N: Shout out to GiraffePanda2 for enjoying this! I APPRECIATE YOU AND YOU ARE AMAZING. Okay. Thank you tho. Hearts galore! ^3^mwah.
AN 2022: Also, if you think I'm going to leave out my original shoutouts while I do my editing of this beast as of 2022? You're wrong. I love anyone who even LOOKED at my work! And I will continue to love those who even open this work! As mentioned, I'm editing as of 2022, so welcome to my 3rd chapter!
Prologue (III of IV)
Mystic Falls ; 1912
Eibhlín rubbed her hands roughly against the bottom of her dress, trying her best to get the blood off her hands so she could attempt to get it off of her face. Her dress was ruined anyway from where Sage had wiped Eibhlín's own blood on the bottom. Anything was better than looking at Stefan, who had the same features as Sage had when she had bit and drank from Eibhlín. Eibhlín's heart continued to beat rapidly, but Eibhlín didn't mind the beating. At least there wasn't any blood pulsating out of her neck after each thump.
"Stefan?!" Eibhlín sucked in a breath through her nose as she willed herself to look behind her. Although she hadn't spoken with Damon for very long, his voice had been burned into her memory, and the voice that was calling out for Stefan was definitely Damon's. Eibhlín looked back to Stefan. Stefan's vampiristic features were subsiding, but it looked like he was trying his hardest to make them go away. Stefan looked behind Eibhlín where Damon's voice was calling from before he looked back down to Eibhlín. Eibhlín couldn't even say anything to him as she only saw a glimpse of his sad, apologetic eyes before he disappeared.
Eibhlín sat on the ground, alone in the woods, blood staining the bottom of her dress and thoughts bombarding her mind. Eibhlín forced her eyes shut, trying to understand even just a speck of the events that had happened that night. The more she thought about the night, the more frustrated she became. Eibhlín wasn't thinking when she let out a scream, trying to get some of her emotions out of her body. She felt like she was buzzing and nothing was helping. Only after the sound had left her mouth, Eibhlín's body tensed up. She had just escaped two creatures and now she was making herself a target for others. Eibhlín quickly crawled up to the tree that she had been held captive on, using the bark to scurry up and stand as flatly as she could against the bark.
"Stefan!" Eibhlín's heart pounded in her ears as Damon's voice called in the night. Eibhlín took in a deep breath, trying to slow her breathing down as much as she could as she looked around the trees cautiously.
Maybe if she stayed quiet, she could sneak back to the clearing. People would surely help a girl…that came from the woods…covered in blood. Fuck, she would be considered the number one suspect of those mysterious murders and she'd be killed. Fuckfuckfuck. Eibhlín was fucked. The more she tried to think of safe escapes, the more those safe escapes turned into prison sentences of their own. The only way Eibhlín would be safe was if she got back home. At least then if her mother or father found out that she had left, she would get beat. Anything would be better than being drunk by some…creature. Eibhlín let out a shaky breath, still feeling sore throughout her body from having to stand still for so long against a tree, even with Stefan's magical blood. Shit. Eibhlín hadn't even thought of what would happen to her. Was she going to turn into whatever it was Stefan and Sage were? She had both been bitten, drank from, and had consumed both Sage and Stefan's blood. Shitshitshit. Eibhlín wasn't thinking as she took a step away from the sanctuary that seemed to be her tree, and suddenly Damon was in view. Eibhlín gasped, backing into her tree once more. Damon's head quickly snapped over towards Eibhlín from the small sound. Damon looked around before turning back to Eibhlín and taking a hesitant step toward her.
"Eibhlín?" Damon questioned gently, his brows furrowing together in confusion as he continued walking over towards Eibhlín. Eibhlín stepped back from the tree and backed up, putting her hands up to tell him to stop where he was.
"Stay away from me." Eibhlín said sternly, almost surprised by how demanding she sounded. Damon continued to approach her, but more slowly as if he was approaching a wild animal. "I-I-I am warning' ya!" Eibhlín sputtered out the warning, looking around and seeing a stick close to where she was and quickly bending down and picking it up, shaking it at Damon. Damon's hands had gone up in defense, but when Eibhlín picked up the stick, she could already see a small spark brighten up his eyes.
"Anything but the stick, Miss Eibhlín." Damon muttered sarcastically out. Eibhlín waved the stick at him as he attempted to take another step closer. Damon let out a scoff, but Eibhlín used the short moment to throw the stick at him, quickly turning to run. As Eibhlín turned, a root of one of the many trees that layered the ground caught the bottom of her shoe, twisting her ankle. Eibhlín hissed at the pain as she began to fall. Before she reached the ground, arms were wrapped around her waist and pulling her up. Eibhlín instinctively began to thrash away from the arms, ignoring the pain that shot up from her newly twisted ankle. "Would you stop, I am not going to hurt you." Damon's voice hissed into Eibhlín's hair as he lifted her from the ground. Eibhlín continued to thrash before accidentally kicking Damon in the shin, making him drop her. Eibhlín fell to the ground, quickly turning and scrambling away from him. Damon let out a sharp huff before he seemed to appear in front of Eibhlín. Eibhlín flinched at the movement as Damon kneeled beside her. "What happened?" Damon asked softly, putting his hands up once more to try and indicate that he wasn't going to hurt Eibhlín. Eibhlín's breath became shallow as she looked up at Damon who was radiating a calm and soothing demeanor.
"Wh-What are ya?" Eibhlín stammered out the question, shutting her eyes tightly as Damon moved the hair from her neck, brushing up against the newly healed skin with a ghostlike touch. Damon let out a sigh before standing up straight and reaching his hand out for Eibhlín to take. Eibhlín blinked up at him cautiously.
"Your worst nightmare." Damon teased with a small smirk. Eibhlín stared up at him, looking at his outstretched hand quizzically. Damon rolled his eyes, opening up and closing his palm for her to hurry up and take his hand. Eibhlín let out an annoyed huff, taking his hand and pulling herself up. Eibhlín let out a sharp hiss of pain from her ankle, holding onto Damon's hand to keep herself steady. "You did that to yourself, killer." Damon recalled with a shrug. Eibhlín glared back up at him as he smirked down at her.
"I told ya ta stay away from me, did I not?" Eibhlín grumbled back, trying to move her newly bloodied dress out of the way for her to see her ankle. Eibhlín let out an annoyed huff, letting go of Damon's hand and placing her foot on the ground in an almost stomp, only stopping herself when the pain shot up from the simple attempt at placing it on the ground. Damon rolled his eyes back at Eibhlín's childish behavior.
"You did not answer my previous question." Damon reminded Eibhlín as she attempted to brush her dress back to its original look before sighing. The dress was ruined anyway…
"Well, ya seem ta have some fancy magic up yer sleeve ta make me answer yer questions if ya were truly curious." Eibhlín growled back, stepping back from Damon and wobbling from her weak ankle. Damon grabbed hold of her arm. Eibhlín winced before she blinked down at his hand which seemed to lighten. Eibhlín pulled her sleeve up to where her mother's wound was, only to see that it had completely healed. Eibhlín chuckled aloud, staring at the now healthy skin. "Ya must dank yer brother fer healin' me wounds me mother gave me." Eibhlín chuckled darkly, looking back up at Damon who tensed at the mention.
"Yes, well, if you would be so kind and tell me where he went, I can relay the message." Damon muttered back, letting go of Eibhlín's arm and looking around the woods. Eibhlín looked around the woods as well, not hearing the commotion of the clearing, nor seeing the lights. "He did not kill you, so I will thank him for that as well…" Damon mumbled, more to himself, but Eibhlín heard him say it. A flash of Stefan's face came and went in Eibhlín's mind. Eibhlín watched as Damon turned to leave her.
"Wait." Eibhlín barely got the word out, not being able to stop herself. Damon had turned away from her but now stood in his spot, seemingly waiting for her to speak. "I-Could-um…" Eibhlín stumbled over words, trying to think quickly, but the night's events caused her brain to be frazzled. Damon turned and stared at her. "St-Stefan was not de one ta…" Eibhlín tried to spit out the thoughts from her head, touching her neck where Sage had bit and drank from her, only to feel the smoothness of her skin. Damon stared back at her, folding his arms back at her with a raised eyebrow. Eibhlín let out an annoyed huff. "I am frazzled, Mister Salvatore." Eibhlín admitted, running a hand through her curly hair the best she could. "And askin' fer help is not somethin' I am used ta doin'..." Eibhlín admitted, feeling the familiar embarrassment burning her ears as she stared at a spot on the ground to keep herself from getting upset with Damon for not being able to read her mind…Or maybe he could. Eibhlín looked back up at him now. Damon stared back at her, expecting her to continue. Eibhlín wanted to go home, but she wanted some type of escort. Stefan had been right. She shouldn't have been without an escort…so what better one to have than a possibly dangerous creature. Damon rolled his eyes.
"Can you walk?" Damon asked, not moving from his spot, now a few feet from Eibhlín. Eibhlín stared back at him a moment before she attempted to walk towards him, nearly doubling over from her twisted ankle. Damon was at her side and kept her upright in a blink. Whatever creatures the Salvatore brothers were, including Sage, were fast. "Well, that answers that." Damon exhaled sarcastically. Eibhlín let out her own, irritated grumble back, trying to lift her dress to see if she could reach her shoe. Damon began to try and help by pulling on the bottom of the dress.
"Yer goin' ta rip it." Eibhlín chastised, smacking Damon's hands from the bottom of her dress. Damon stood up straight, a hand going over his chest and looking offended.
"Oh, I apologize, Evie, I did not realize that it was to be salvageable." Damon sassed back, gesturing towards the bottom of the dress, where even in the barely moonlit woods, the red bloodstains were visible. Eibhlín scoffed back, still attempting to grab the crinoline skirt attached to the inside of the dress. The nickname was even more foreign in her ears than Evelyn was, but Eibhlín was only focused on her dress. Damon rolled his eyes again, once more grabbing at Eibhlín's dress to help.
"What are ya tryin' ta do?" Eibhlín snapped the question back at him, swatting his hands away from the bottom of her dress. Sure, she had her nighttime undergarments on under the dress, but having a man continuously grab at her dress…
"Well, if you would simply hold still for more than two seconds so that I may help…" Damon snarled back as Eibhlín refused to stand still for him to get even remotely handsy with her. Damon's brows furrowed together, glaring back at Eibhlín. "For the love of God, if you do not hold still, I will snap your neck." Damon threatened lowly, making Eibhlín stare back at him with wide eyes. Damon used Eibhlín's shock from his threat to finally grab hold of a part of the dress and rip the fabric.
"Would ya at least tell me what ya are doin'?!" Eibhlín demanded, nearly stamping her foot, but stopping herself once more. Damon once again used Eibhlín's mannerisms against her, quickly grabbing her and throwing her up onto his shoulder effortlessly. Eibhlín let out a yelp at the action, hearing and feeling the crinoline skirt ripped and pulled out and thrown away from her dress. Eibhlín felt her cheeks burn as he began to wiggle to try to get out of Damon's arms. "Lig dom imeacht, níor caitheadh liom a leithéid riamh i mo shaol," Eibhlín began to spit the Irish out at Damon as he set her down.
"Are you always such a stubborn jackass?" Damon reprimanded, looking over at the discarded hooped skirt that had previously made Eibhlín's dress poof out. Eibhlín glared back at Damon, thankful to be back on the ground, but irritated at Damon's words.
"And what did dat accomplish?" Eibhlín wondered aloud sarcastically, gesturing towards the discarded skirt with bits of torn purple fabric from her dress. Damon didn't answer, instead opting to pick Eibhlín back up. Eibhlín gasped at how quickly Damon moved.
"The sooner you are safe in a house, the sooner you shall not be my problem anymore." Damon explained, looking at Eibhlín as he spoke. "And unless you had wished for anyone, if we should pass anyone, to have seen up your dress, that Godforsaken petticoat had to go." Damon continued, gesturing towards the lump of fabric. Eibhlín didn't like it. Eibhlín didn't like how close she was to this man, being carried as if she was a bride, and she especially didn't like that his reasons to have ripped the skirt away made sense. Her mother would have Eibhlín's head if she knew Eibhlín had even thought about consummating a rhetorical wedding to Damon Salvatore in the woods. Eibhlín was thankful for the moonlight that dispersed throughout the woods. It helped hide her cheeks, and Eibhlín was not about to explain to this man what had made her blush so heavily. "Now, princess, would you tell me where you live so I can take you there and truly, and I mean, truly never meet your insufferable self again?" Damon pondered, turning and spinning the two quickly. Eibhlín had to wrap her arm around his neck to keep herself more stable, getting closer to the man and feeling her cheeks begin to burn. Eibhlín avoided his gaze as she looked around, trying to get her bearings of where she was.
"Where are we? Do ya know where de Lockwood's live?" Eibhlín questioned, still feeling disoriented from…everything. Damon simply nodded, beginning to walk in a certain direction. "Well, it is just south of dem." Eibhlín continued, making Damon stop walking. Damon turned the two around again before letting out an irritated puff and walking the same way he had previously started. "Ya know, ya never actually answered me of where we were." Eibhlín berated, making Damon roll his eyes dramatically back at her.
"I do not know the exact location, but I have a general idea." Damon huffed back, continuing to walk with Eibhlín in his arms. Eibhlín would have stopped her pestering, but what was a little more cheating of death to her already? If Damon had wanted her dead, she would have been. He threatened it himself; he could snap her neck. "Forgive me, my queen, it has been a while since I have been in Mystic Falls, and even then, I did not venture too far from my family's estate." Damon griped back, irritation coming off of him in waves.
"Join de club, Mister Salvatore." Eibhlín grumbled back. Eibhlín felt Damon glance down at her. "I knew about de clearin', but I had no idea how ta get ta it…And even now, I am still a little discombobulated." Eibhlín explained truthfully, looking around the woods as Damon continued to walk with Eibhlín in his arms.
"My brother was right to be so worried about a sheltered child like yourself." Damon taunted, despite the playfulness dying in his eyes. Eibhlín scoffed at his words.
"Did ya not just say dat ya stayed in yer family's estate?" Eibhlín snapped, irritated by the accusation of being a sheltered child. She had moved across an ocean, moved around different states to hide from her father's past, and now had survived being attacked and drank from and lived to tell the tale…if she ever would.
"I was a soldier." Damon admitted with a roll of his eyes. Eibhlín couldn't stop the sharp laugh that left her throat at the notion.
"A soldier?" Eibhlín asked with sarcasm dripping from her words. "Oh, den I apologize, Mister Salvatore." Eibhlín began the snarky apology, watching Damon's expression begin to dip, as he looked at her. "What war was it den? Better yet, how old were ya when ya became a soldier?" Eibhlín pondered the question, not believing that he was a soldier at all. "De last war dat I am aware of was de one against de Spanish, and even den, dat was over a decade ago." Eibhlín continued, recalling the lessons her brother had taught her after she was pulled from school so that the family could rapidly move. "I do not dink an army would have a wee little boy fight in a war." Eibhlín continued to mock Damon, who finally scoffed, stopping Eibhlín from any more of her taunting thoughts.
"You are insufferable, do you know that?" Damon huffed back at her. "I was a confederate soldier during the civil war." Damon muttered, sounding as if he loathed the notion. Eibhlín's brows furrowed. "I was only doing what my father wanted. Luckily, I deserted before I could be killed at Gettysburg." Damon continued, sounding a little more proud. Eibhlín continued to stare at him, confused. There was no way Damon could have been in that war…That would make him well over 50 years old, and with how sharp his jawline was, Eibhlín wouldn't guess the man was over 30.
"Dat would make ya…" Eibhlín trailed off, once more being thrown back into her memory of the night. "What are ya?" Eibhlín asked the question again that she never got the answer to. Damon's eyes met Eibhlín's and Eibhlín felt as if her heart had stopped. She couldn't run, both because her ankle was sprained and swollen, as well as knowing that she would never be able to run fast enough.
"What do you think?" Damon inquired back. Eibhlín stared back at him as his attention went from Eibhlín to where he was walking. Even looking back and forth, Damon seemed genuinely curious as to what Eibhlín might suggest.
"A vampire?" Eibhlín exhaled the answer, not realizing that she had been holding her breath. The word had bounced around in her head when Sage had bit her neck, but did vampires usually feed their victims their blood? More questions began to pop into Eibhlín's head, but all thoughts seemed to stop when Damon looked back down at Eibhlín with a smirk. Eibhlín's heart began to race from the uncertainty.
"A vampire?" Damon wondered back, his tone sarcastically playful as he stopped his walking. Eibhlín raised an eyebrow back at him. Before Eibhlín could continue her questioning, Damon looked back at her. Veins crawled down his face, his eyes turned red and two fangs poked out from his smile. Eibhlín gasped, nearly jumping out of his arms. Damon only tightened his grip, forcing her to stay in his grasp. Damon blinked only once and his eyes returned to their original blue, the veins slowly disappeared and dispersed across his face, and his teeth became straight. "You would be correct." Damon smirked as he continued walking again.
"Dat is not funny, Mister Salvatore!" Eibhlín snapped, smacking Damon on the chest. Damon only chuckled at Eibhlín's reaction. "What if I had a heart attack?!" Eibhlín berated, pulling her arm from around his neck and folding her arms together.
"Are you pouting?" Damon quipped, trying to make Eibhlín look back at him. Eibhlín shot him a sharp glare before watching the trees go by. "Oh come now, my queen, after all, you have been through tonight, I would be surprised if something so boring was the thing to kill you." Damon teased, adjusting his grip by tossing Eibhlín up a little. Eibhlín gasped, wrapping her arms around Damon's neck quickly to keep herself balanced before she quickly pulled away. Warmth filled her cheeks, which only seemed to enthrall Damon. "You are fun to torture, Evie." Damon chirped happily, chuckling softly as he continued walking. Eibhlín rolled her arms, pulling her arms back to have them folded. A chill ran up Eibhlín's spine when her exposed arms touched. Eibhlín tried to ignore the cold, but soon her body began to shiver. Eibhlín cursed to herself when another, more prominently shudder wracked her body. Damon raised an eyebrow back down to her, but Eibhlín ignored his inquiring looks. "Maybe you should have thought about the fact that it is September before you left your comfy and warm home." Damon offered with a smirk. Eibhlín rolled her eyes back at him.
"Yes, well, I did not dink I would be out so late…or early…" Eibhlín grumbled back, wrapping her arms tightly around herself to feel a little warmth from the lacy sleeves. Damon let out an annoyed sigh the next time Eibhlín shook from a brisk breeze before stopping and setting Eibhlín down. Eibhlín let out a small protesting noise, grabbing hold of Damon's arm to keep the full weight from landing on her twisted ankle. "I am sorry, Mister Salvatore, I-" Eibhlín apologized quickly, letting go of Damon's arm quickly, realizing that she had been holding onto him rather tightly. Eibhlín's brows furrowed in confusion as she watched Damon begin to unbutton his overcoat. "What are ya doin'?" Eibhlín questioned, ignoring the slight pain that came from her foot as she took a step back from him. Damon looked back up at her with a mischievous grin.
"You seemed to enjoy the boxing from earlier, Evie, so I am just putting on a different type of show for you." Damon practically beamed back up at her. Eibhlín folded her arms and stared back at him. "I could go slower, but I have a feeling that you like things to go a bit…faster." Damon purred out the suggestive words making Eibhlín's cheeks burn. "Oh, come now Miss Evie, you are from Europe, yes?" Damon guessed, looking up at Eibhlín only for a moment before he continued to undo the last of his buttons. Eibhlín only nodded, hoping the cooling winds would cool her cheeks. "Then you should know, or at least heard of people stripping. But if you were a sheltered child-" Damon tried to continue, but Eibhlín's face wasn't cooling and now the burning had reached her ears.
"Enough!" Eibhlín snarled out. Damon looked up at her playfully, wiggling his eyebrows back at her. "Stop." Eibhlín groaned, turning away from the scene. Damon's laugh seemed to wrap around her, despite her having turned.
"Here." Damon said, making Eibhlín jump at how quickly he had returned to her side, now with his overcoat in his hand. Eibhlín sent a glare toward him before looking at his outstretched hand holding out his overcoat quizzically. "I do not bite." Damon muttered, shaking the coat at her. Eibhlín raised an eyebrow back up at him for the statement. Damon slowly smirked at the realization of his words. "Well…I do not bite hard." Damon teased with a wink. Eibhlín let out a snort at the comment at the entire situation. She was being handed a coat by a vampire. What a strange night. Eibhlín took the coat from him, only seeing the amused look that was now growing on Damon's face. Eibhlín's brows furrowed in confusion before she realized, to her horror; she had snorted.
"Do not say a word about dat horrendous noise dat came out of me mouth." Eibhlín warned, quickly pulling the coat on. Damon didn't say anything, but he did laugh. Eibhlín grumbled softly to herself, feeling a smile slowly spread across her lips.
"You, my dim-witted, insufferable, snorty, human…look ridiculous." Damon snickered as Eibhlín's hands couldn't even be seen with how long the sleeves were on her short arms. Eibhlín scowled back at him. Damon laughed again. Eibhlín hit him with the long sleeves roughly. Damon feigned hurt, rubbing his arm. "You wound me, my queen." Damon said dramatically, touching his forehead with the back of his hand. Eibhlín let out an audible groan from his behavior, despite the grin that she knew was plastered on her face as she rolled the sleeves up so she could at least see her own hands.
"With all of yer sass, I do not doubt dat you could be de queen yerself." Eibhlín forced herself to get the 'ou' sound of 'you' out, to better emphasize the word. Damon lowered his hands, all playfulness leaving his face. Eibhlín felt her heart flutter anxiously at the change of attitude before she let out a sharp gasp as Damon snatched her back up into his arms.
"Perhaps I am the queen." Damon contemplated aloud as he began walking once more. Eibhlín couldn't stop the snort that left her nose once more.
"Ya are not de queen." Eibhlín sassed back with a shake of her head. Damon scoffed, flipping his short, curly hair as he did so. Eibhlín snickered at the childish action, turning and looking around, once again trying to figure out if she could recognize anything.
"Sage bit me." Eibhlín found herself blurting out the statement, almost as if her own body was rejecting the memories that were beginning to dredge up in the quiet. Damon stared back at her, blinking a few times before his brows furrowed.
"Sage?" Damon asked, seemingly confused by the name. Eibhlín nodded, looking back at him. "Stefan did not…" Damon trailed off, seemingly not wanting to know the answer to a question he didn't dare breathe out. Eibhlín shook her head quickly.
"No, Stefan, he…" Eibhlín now found herself trailing off. Damon was a vampire. Stefan was a vampire. Sage was a vampire. "Am I ta turn into a-erm-" Eibhlín tried to ask the question but found herself feeling strange. As if she knew the answer from somewhere or someone…
"No, you will not turn into a vampire from a simple bite." Damon answered with a shake of his head, knowing the rest of the question. Eibhlín let out a soft sigh of relief. "Were you worried?" Damon smirked. Eibhlín huffed back at him. "Do you know nothing about vampires?" Damon continued to tease.
"Seein' as yer real and I only learned dat fact tonight, I suppose I do not." Eibhlín grumbled back making Damon chuckle.
"You seem to know a little, seeing as you guessed that I was a vampire." Damon reassured with a playful smirk. Eibhlín kept herself from rolling her eyes and remained quiet. "Come on; enlighten me on your knowledge of vampires." Damon quipped cheerfully.
"Stefan was at de funeral earlier today in de sun." Eibhlín muttered aloud, annoyed with herself for playing along with Damon's curiosity. Damon's playful attitude seemed to diminish for a moment at the mention of his brother. "I read dat vampires were supposed ta burst into flames if dey were in de sun." Eibhlín continued, explaining a question that had been nagging her. There were more…and as long as Damon was around, she had a first-hand witness to confirm or deny anything she had read in regards to vampires.
"We do, or at least we would if we did not have this," Damon began, tapping Eibhlín's side with his finger. Eibhlín looked down to his left hand, seeing a bulky ring on his middle finger with a dark blue gem behind a silver design. "Lapis lazuli; gem of the night." Damon explained, adjusting his grip on Eibhlín again.
"How does it work?" Eibhlín inquired almost instantly, trying her best to see the ring in the dark, moonlit woods.
"Have you ever heard the saying 'curiosity killed the cat', Miss Evie?" Damon wondered aloud. Eibhlín looked back at him, seeing a grin on his lips. Eibhlín rolled her eyes dramatically back at him.
"I do recall dat ya are de one ta ask me about me knowledge of vampires, Mister Salvatore." Eibhlín sassed back. Damon let out a scoffed laugh.
"Yes, Miss NicBraniagan, I did ask about your knowledge of vampires." Damon concurred with a smirk. Eibhlín stared back at him and huffed.
"And now I am askin' ya about yer knowledge of vampires." Eibhlín retorted back quickly. Damon rolled his eyes. "Oh, I apologize, I did not realize ya had better dings ta talk about." Eibhlín apologized sarcastically. Eibhlín folded her arms to exaggerate her attitude. Damon breathed out.
"Are you always this mouthy, or do I just have the pleasure of getting the brunt end of your wits?" Damon remarked snidely. "To have so much sass towards something that could easily kill you with by snapping your little neck." Damon explained casually, making Eibhlín tense up at the notion.
"Aye, but if ya really wanted ta kill me, ya would have done so already." Eibhlín shrugged back despite the rapid beating in her chest. Damon's chest rumbled from a silent laugh.
"You are a very dim-witted human." Damon chastised.
"And ya are a very forgiving vampire." Eibhlín rebuked. Damon hadn't killed her yet, and Eibhlín was playing a dangerous game to think she could keep up the teasing…But Eibhlín had already been riding a fine line between life and death in regards to vampires… "Now, about dat ring…" Eibhlín said, patting Damon's hand that had the ring on it. Damon scoffed but continued his story, a small smile barely slipping past Eibhlín.
"A witch cast a spell on the ring that-" Eibhlín looked back at Damon quickly.
"A witch?" Eibhlín questioned, interrupting Damon before he could finish. Damon let out an obnoxiously loud sigh.
"Yes, a witch." Damon confirmed with a nod. "You know, cauldrons, and magic, and all that fun nonsense." Damon chirped out. Eibhlín looked at him with wonder, waiting for him to continue his original story, gesturing for him to continue after a moment of his silence. Damon raised an eyebrow back at her with a small smirk. "A witch can cast a spell on a ring, and then the ring allows us to walk in sunlight." Damon continued his explanation. Eibhlín nodded, still trying to keep herself from bubbling over with questions.
"What about mind readin'?" Eibhlín continued her questioning, blurting out the thought before she could even stop herself. Damon raised an eyebrow at her as Eibhlín stared back into his blue eyes. Even in the woods, his eyes were very blue…and pretty. Eibhlín hoped he couldn't read minds…
"What about 'mind reading'?" Damon cocked his head. Eibhlín clicked her tongue, only slightly annoyed with his behavior. "You have…many thoughts." Damon continued, dropping the confused attitude and swapping it out for his playful one once more. "It is very rude to think of consummating a marriage with me." Eibhlín's eyes widened as she looked back at Damon who was smirking. Eibhlín wished he would snap her neck to end her suffering. "Next time, at least include me in your provocative thoughts. It feels so intrusive to just simply read them." Damon teased with a wink. Eibhlín groaned, pressing her face into her hands to try and hide even a fraction of her embarrassment.
"It is intrusive." Eibhlín whined into her hands. "It was-I-ugh." Eibhlín grumbled out the sentence, her face feeling even hotter in her cold hands.
"If it makes you feel better, I could always compel you to forget." Damon chuckled aloud. Eibhlín pulled her face from her hands and looked up at him. "Or was that something else you did not know vampires were capable of?" Damon cooed back to her.
"I figured dat out when Sage told me not ta run from her…after I did." Eibhlín admitted, remembering the scene. Eibhlín's heart fluttered anxiously from the memory. Had that really not been that long ago? It couldn't have been more than an hour… Eibhlín was pulled from her dark memories by Damon's laugh.
"And how did that fair for you?" Damon chuckled. Eibhlín stared back at him, slowly squinting at him. "See! You know more about vampires than you have let on!" Damon exclaimed with a grin. Eibhlín rolled her eyes. "Oh, we also have heightened emotions." Damon continued, looking at her with a mischievous look. Eibhlín stared back at him, gasping when Damon's arms quickly retracted from her body to drop her. Eibhlín glaired her arms, trying to catch herself, but Damon had already wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to a standing position against his chest, her feet only slightly off the ground.
"Bastaird." Eibhlín breathed out, breaking from his grasp and touching the ground with her one good foot, gently placing the other on the ground. Damon clicked his tongue in a disapproving manner.
"Here I am, trying to give you more knowledge of vampires, and you swear at me in Irish." Damon berated with a shake of his head. Eibhlín rolled her eyes as she pushed the sleeves from his overcoat back up her arms.
"Could ya have shown me any other way dan by almost droppin' me?" Eibhlín sneered back, looking down at her foot before placing hesitant weight on it. Eibhlín didn't even have a chance to gasp as she was pushed against a tree, her arms being forced down to her sides as Damon tilted her head and breathed against her neck. Eibhlín gulped.
"I could have easily shown you how emotions are heightened this way." Damon growled lowly against her skin. Eibhlín's breath hitched. "I think you get the idea now." Damon chuckled as he moved his head away from Eibhlín's throat. Eibhlín stared back at him with wide, frightened eyes while Damon's sparkled with mischief. Eibhlín pulled herself away from him, taking a step back, ignoring the pain that shot up from her ankle.
"Da-dat was not funny." Eibhlín stuttered out angrily, her hand going to her chest to try and calm her rapidly beating heart. Damon held up his hands in defense, despite the smirk that slipped onto his lips with ease.
"On the contrary, I believe it was very funny." Damon said with a shrug. Eibhlín stared at him for a moment, remembering why he had moved so quickly and scared her. Damon had said that vampires had heightened emotions…
"How could ya deal with dat?" Eibhlín asked quietly, staring back at Damon. Damon's smirk slowly disappeared at the question as he remained silent. Eibhlín looked around the trees and saw a semi-familiar path. "Dat path leads ta de back of me home from de Lockwood's." Eibhlín remarked, pointing towards the dirt path not far from where the two stood. Damon looked over towards the path as Eibhlín began to limp over to it. The pain in her ankle wasn't terrible, and maybe the straps of her heels had something to do with that…Although, those straps seemed to be digging into her shin. Eibhlín was a clumsy person, she could easily lie to her mother and father about the reason for a sprained ankle. Séamus would be more curious, but would believe it…
"You can…make them go away." Damon called before catching up to Eibhlín with only a few strides. Eibhlín raised an eyebrow back at him. "Your emotions. Well, vampire emotions can be…ignored?" Damon continued sounding unsure of how to explain a complex thing such as not having emotions. Eibhlín stared at him, confused.
"Ya can just stop havin' emotions?" Eibhlín questioned as the two made it to the path from the trees. "Is dat not scary?" Eibhlín cocked her head, looking back to him as the two continued, slowly, down the path.
"You can not be scared of something that does not exist." Damon shrugged with a soft chuckle. Eibhlín nodded. That made sense to Eibhlín. How easy would life be without emotions…and yet how boring. Eibhlín could almost see Damon smile from the corner of her eye.
"Are emotions de only ding dat is 'heightened' fer ya?" Eibhlín wondered aloud, watching her feet as she walked as to keep herself from hurting her already swollen and twisted ankle.
"Our senses are heightened." Damon stated casually, making Eibhlín shoot a confused look his way. "For example, if someone were scared and their heart was beating irregularly, we can hear it." Damon explained, looking back at Eibhlín. "Your heart seems to beat rapidly quite often." Damon teased, smirking back at her. Eibhlín's heart began to race almost as if on cue. "Like that." Damon nodded towards her.
"Ya almost dropped me, and den ya almost ate me. I dink me beatin' heart is justified." Eibhlín defended, only making Damon scoff.
"I was not going to eat you." Damon muttered and rolled his eyes.
"Whatever ya say…Damon…ie" Eibhlín griped back, letting the attempt at a nickname fall clumsily from her mouth. Eibhlín knew as soon as she spoke the nickname, she had wanted to take it back. But Damon had already stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded for a moment before bursting out into laughter. Eibhlín felt her ears begin to burn.
"Damonie?" Damon snorted. "Really? That is the best name you could come up with?" Damon howled with laughter. Eibhlín let out a loud grumble as she began to hobble away from him. Eibhlín stopped in her tracks when Damon appeared in front of her, bringing a small gust of wind blowing her hair in her face. "Your face is as bright as your hair now." Damon continued with great amusement still dripping from his words. Eibhlín's face burned even hotter at the notion as she pushed her hair out of her face, glaring back up at Damon.
"And ya say I am de insufferable one." Eibhlín huffed back, nudging his shoulder when she limped past him, continuing down the path towards her house.
"You are insufferable." Damon agreed, catching up and walking beside her.
"Too bad ya do not burn in de sun." Eibhlín stated, looking around the woods and noticing that the moon had fallen. "It will be a new day soon." Eibhlín commented, trying not to smile at even just the offended look Damon shot her from the corner of her eyes, stopping to mock offense. "Come along, Day." Eibhlín chirped, nodding for Damon to follow her, feeling clever with her new nickname.
"Now that is a nickname." Damon snickered, once more easily catching up to her slow pace. "Much more clever than Damonie." Damon sassed back. Eibhlín groaned loudly.
"Forgive me, Day," Eibhlín began, nearly barking out the new nickname, much to Damon's amusement. "I am not at me best when it comes ta wits. I was nearly killed earlier." Eibhlín muttered, waving her finger at him as if to scold him for not remembering. Damon bowed his head in a sarcastic shame. "All of yer senses are heightened?" Eibhlín wondered aloud, after a moment of silent walking. "What about-"
"Eibhlín!" Eibhlín froze hearing her father's voice boom through the forest. A few birds flew off from a bush just up ahead in the path, where Eibhlín knew the path ended and her home was. Eibhlín looked over at Damon, begging for him to help her somehow. Damon grabbed hold of her arm and the two were now off the path in the woods. Damon pulled the two behind a tree, putting a finger over his lips. Eibhlín tried to keep her rapidly beating heart under control, thinking for a moment how Damon could hear it. Eibhlín didn't want to distract him from listening to where her father was.
"Jesus, Ailís, when I find her, I swear she'll wish ta be dead." Eibhlín sucked in a breath, chancing a glance around the trees and seeing her home not too far from where the two stood. Eibhlín tapped Damon's arm, motioning towards her house. Much like how Damon had grabbed her arm and the two seemed to appear in a different location, the same happened again, only the two were just outside of Eibhlín's house.
"Let me in." Damon demanded, looking behind his shoulder towards where Eibhlín assumed her father and mother were, not too far from the house.
"What?" Eibhlín whispered back, confused by his request.
"Let me in." Damon reiterated his previous statement, his blue eyes piercing into Eibhlín's green. Damon's pupils dilated, just as Sage's had done when she was…
"Come in." Eibhlín complied, feeling as if she had to let Damon in, or at least invite him in. "Vampires need ta be invited in." Eibhlín muttered, more to herself than to Damon, as if walking herself to the conclusion of why Damon had demanded an invitation. Damon stared at her with a look of bewilderment, irritation, and astonishment.
"You are something else, Miss NicBranagáin." Damon mumbled, looking up at the house.
"Eibhlín Mira Nicbranagáin!" Eibhlín jumped, subconsciously grabbing onto Damon's arm in fear from her father's voice as it sounded like it was getting closer to the house. Damon held onto Eibhlín's arm once more and in a second, the two were at the back of the house. Damon glared at the back, not seeing a door.
"Who built this house?" Damon scowled aloud, holding Eibhlín in place and focusing on something Eibhlín couldn't see. Eibhlín did hear her father's boots stomping up to the house, even from where she was. Damon looked around the house before lighting up a little, wrapping his arm around Eibhlín. Eibhlín felt the wind and now the two were inside the house, on the second floor. Eibhlín looked around and nearly let out a surprised laugh. The opened window on the second floor.
"Incredible." Eibhlín breathed out with a smile, despite her pounding heart in her ears. Damon rolled his eyes, keeping the smallest of smiles barely visible in the dark house. Eibhlín didn't have a chance to try and calm her heart; her father's footsteps began to echo from the first floor. Eibhlín now grabbed onto Damon's arm. "Quick." Eibhlín said softly, pulling Damon down the hallway and into her room, closing her door as quickly and quietly as she could before turning back to Damon. "Get in de closet." Eibhlín stated, already pushing him towards her closet.
"I could simply-" Damon was able to get out before Eibhlín simply shoved him into the closet, taking his overcoat off of her and throwing it in after him, shutting the door quickly before grabbing the nightgown she had thrown on the side of the bed and throwing it on over her blood-covered dress. Eibhlín looked into the vanity.
The side of her face looked as if it still had blood on it. Eibhlín quickly grabbed the handkerchief the stranger from the funeral had given her and quickly rubbed her face of the small spots of blood she had missed earlier. The sounds of Eibhlín's father's footsteps became louder as he stomped up the stairs and down the hall. Eibhlín slipped her one shoe off before trying to do the same with the other, only to suck in a sharp breath. Eibhlín sat on her bed, looking at her very swollen ankle. Eibhlín tried to undo the strap, but her foot had swollen up so much that it was difficult to get a good grip on the buckle.
"Of course I checked in her room before I came ta find ya, Ádhamh." Eibhlín heard her mother's voice yell outside of her room. Eibhlín gave up on the shoe, quickly crawling into bed under her covers and laying down, forcing her eyes shut.
"Do not raise yer voice at me, Ailís." Eibhlín heard her father's voice boom before the door to her bedroom was thrown open. Eibhlín sat up quickly, feigning confusion, pretending to have been asleep. "Where have ya been, mo stoirín?" Eibhlín felt herself grow paler from the endearment her father only used when Eibhlín was really in trouble.
"Wh-What do ya mean?" Eibhlín stammered out as her father staggered over to her bed, grabbing hold of her arm. Eibhlín winced at his tight grip.
"Do not lie ta me, Eibhlín." Her father spit out, his grip tightening around her arm. Eibhlín couldn't help the small yelp that left her throat. "I know ya were not in yer bed las' nigh'." His large, green eyes glared into Eibhlín's own. Eibhlín yanked her arm from his grip, only then noticing her mother hovering in the doorway.
"How would ya know if I was er not? Ya were drunk by six!" Eibhlín barked back, feeling a sudden surge of emotions come rushing over her. Her night had been hell, and he was yelling at her? Eibhlín glared back, rubbing her arm for only a moment before her father grabbed her by the collar, ripping her from her bed and throwing her to the ground.
"Dat tongue of yers is goin' ta be de death of ya." Eibhlín sucked in a sharp breath, trying to catch the breath that had been knocked out of her before her father fell on top of her, his large hands wrapping around her throat. "Ya were here, were ya?" Eibhlín grabbed hold of her father's wrists, desperately digging her nails into them to try and get him to stop choking her. "Den why do ya have a shoe on?" Eibhlín blinked up at her father, beginning to see black dots, only these weren't due to blood loss.
"Ádhamh…" Eibhlín heard her mother's voice warn. The hands around her neck lightened just enough for Eibhlín to take in a shallow breath and force her knee up into her father's groin. Eibhlín used all her might to shove the large man off of her as he let out a grunt of pain. Eibhlín quickly rolled away from him, seeing her mother still standing in her doorway only looking mildly concerned. "Eibhlín, do not run from yer fa-" Eibhlín got up on her feet and shoved her mother out of the way and out of her room. Eibhlín's mother let out a sharp scream. Eibhlín felt her heart beating frantically in her chest as she noticed Séamus coming out of his room groggily.
"Séamus!" Eibhlín exclaimed, gasping out in pain as she tried to take a step closer to him, her balance nearly thrown off by the fact that she only had one shoe on. Eibhlín couldn't help the whimper that left her mouth when her father let out a scream of anger. Eibhlín looked back into her room, nearly letting out her own cry from fear as she saw her father stumbling quickly towards her. Eibhlín didn't bother to look back at her brother as she quickly limped towards the stairs.
"Da, stop it!" Séamus snapped roughly, but as Eibhlín hurried as quickly as she could down the hallway and to the stairs, the familiar sound of a fist-hitting jaw rang in her ears.
Fuckfuckfuck. If Eibhlín could just make it to the stairs, she could get away. Eibhlín ignored the pain in her foot as well as the disbalance from having only one heel on as she scurried to the stairs, grabbing onto the railing. Before Eibhlín could attempt to flee down the stairs, a large hand clamped onto her wrist. With a sharp tug, Eibhlín was twisted around to face her father. His face was scrunched up and his eyes were seething with anger.
"Now ya listen here, ya filthy little soith," Eibhlín's father began, practically spitting in her face as he spoke, his breath reeking of alcohol.
"Da, enough!" Séamus shouted as Eibhlín began to try and pry his hand off of her wrist with her free hand.
"Let go of me, ya feckin' bastaird!" Eibhlín swore sharply. Eibhlín watched as her father's eyes seemed to narrow even more than they had been. He let her wrist go, but Eibhlín didn't even have a chance to move as his hands wound back. All Eibhlín could do was shut her eyes and anticipate the hit. The punch never landed, but his palms pushed her shoulders as roughly as he could, sending Eibhlín flying backward down the stairs.
A/N: HELLO, sorry for the delay, work is dumb and I am a poop. But here is the third chapter.
Translation:
Lig dom imeacht, níor caitheadh liom a leithéid riamh i mo shaol - Let me go, I have never been treated like this in my life
Bastaird - Bastard
Mo stoirín - my little darling
Soith - Bitch
AN 2022: Work is still dumb and I am still a poop. But! A poop that edited this mfthing! 4k to 8k! And onwards and upwards to the future! (Literally)