The Return: Nightfall Chapter 33

Damon just sat there. Then he licked his mouth and express nonhing, did nothing.You bastardYes.Youre understanding that Stefan didnt re anyy walk out on me?Yes. I mean correct.Who wrote the letter in my diary, then?Damon said nothing, but formulaed away.Oh, Damon She didnt k this instant whether to kiss him or shake him. How could you do youknow, she said in a choked and threatening voice, what Ive g peerless through since he disappe ard? Thinking ein truth minute that he just suddenly decided to up and cast off me ? Even if he intended to come back I Dont taste to tell me youresorry Dont try to tell me you know what it feels wish feeling that, because you dont.How could you? You dont aim feelings like thatI think Ive had some similar experience. tho I wasnt freeing to try to defend myself. Only to say that we have a limited measure while I scum bag block Shinichi from send offing us.Elena lovingness was shattering into a thousand pieces she could feel for each o ne one pierce her. Nothing mattered eachmore. You lied, you broke your control close to neer harming each other I know and that should have been impossible. yet it started that night when the trees unkindly in on Bonnie and Meredith andMark. flavorlessThat night, when Stefan knocked me around and showed me his true Power it was because of you. He did it so I would stay away from you. Before that hed just hoped to keep you hidden. And that night I feltbetrayed somehow. Dont take on me why that should addle sense, when for years before Ive knocked him down and do him eat dirt any time I treasured.Elena tested to make sense of what he was give tongue to in her shattered condition. And she couldnt. But incomplete could she ignore a feeling that had just dropped down like an angel in chains grabbing give of her.Try to look with your other eyes. Look within, not outside for the answer. You know Damon. Youve already underwriten what is inside him. How desire has it been there?Oh, Damon, Im sorry I know the answer. Damon Damon. Oh, God I bottom of the inning cop whats wrong with you. Youre more possessed than any of those girls.I have one of those things in me?Elena kept her eyes eject while she nodded. Tears were be adrift down her cheeks, and she felt sick even as she made herself do it gather teeming mankind power to see with her other eyes, see as she had somehow learned to seeinside people.The malach that she had seen before inside Damon, and the one Matt had described had been huge for insects as long as an arm, maybe. But now in Damon she perceive somethinghuge. Monstrous. Something that inhabited him in all, its transparent peak inside his beautiful features, its chitinous body as long as his torso its backward-twisted legs inside his legs. For a moment she thought she would faint but then she controlled herself. Staring at the ghostly image, she thought, What Would Meredith Do?Meredith would stay calm. She wouldnt lie, but she w ould find some way to second.Damon, its bad. But there has to be some way to kick the bucket it out of you soon. Im handout to find that way. Because as long as its in you, Shinichi can make you do anything.Will you listen to why I think its grown so large? That night, when Stefan dismissed me from his room, everyone else went home like good little girls and boys, but you and Stefan took a walk. A fly. A glide.For a long time it meant nothing to her, even though it had been the last time shed seen Stefan. In fact, that was its solo significance to her it was the last time she and Stefan hadShe felt herself freeze everywhere inside.You went into the Old Wood. You were unsounded the little expression child who didnt really know what was right field and what was wrong. But Stefan should have known better than to do that on my own territory. Vampires take territory seriously. And in my own resting settle right in front of my eyes.Oh, Damon NoOh, Damon, yes There you were, sh aring blood, too absorbed to have noticed me even if I had leaped out and tried to pry you apart. You were wearing a high-necked white nightgown and you looked like an angel. I wanted to decimate Stefanright then.Damon And it wasright then that Shinichi appeared. He didnt exact to be told what I was feeling. And he had a plan, an offera proposition.Elena shut her eyes again and shook her head. Hed prepared you beforehand. You were already possessed and ready to be full of anger.I dont know why, Damon went on as if he hadnt heard her, but I scarcely thought about what it would mean to Bonnie and Meredith and the rest of the town. All I could think of was you. All I wanted was you, and strike back on Stefan.Damon, will you listen? By then, you had already been deliberately possessed. I couldsee the malach in you. You admit as she felt him swelling up to speak out that something was influencing you before that, forcing you to run across Bonnie and the others die at your feet th at night. Damon, I think these things are even harder to startle rid of than we imagine. For one thing, you wouldnt normally stay and watch people do private things, would you? Doesnt the fact that you did in itself prove that something was wrong?Itsa theory, Damon granted, not looking happy.But dont you see? That was what made you tell Stefan you unaccompanied saved Bonnie out of whim, and that was what made you pass up to tell everyone that the malach weremaking you watch the trees attack, hypnotizing you. That and your stupid, stubborn pride.Watch it on the compliments. I may dry up and do in away.Dont worry, Elena said flatly, whatever happens to the rest of us, I have a feeling your ego will survive. What happened conterminous?I made my deal with Shinichi. He would lure Stefan somewhere out of the way where I could see him alone, then smuggle him out of this place to somewhere Stefan couldnt find you Something bubbled up explosively again inside Elena. It was a tight ha rd ball of compressed elation. Not defeat him? she managed to get out.What?Stefans unrecorded? Hes quick? Hehes really a feel?Steady, Damon replied coldly. Steady on, Elena. We cant have you fainting. He held her by the shoulders. You thought I meant to kill him?Elena was trembling almost too hard to answer. Why didnt you tell me before?I apologize for the omission.Hes a tarry for sure, Damon? Youre absolutely sure?Positive.Without a thought of herself, without a thought of any kind, Elena did what she did best gave in to impulse. She threw her arms around Damons neck and kissed him.For a moment Damon just stood rigid with shock. He had contracted with killers to hijack her fan and decimate her town. But Elenas mind would never see it that way.If he were dead He stopped and had to try again. Shinichis whole bargain depends on keeping him alive alive and away from you. I couldnt risk you cleanup spot yourself orreally hating me again the note of distant coldness. With Ste fan dead, what hold would I have over you, princess?Elena ignored all this. If hes alive, I can find him.If he look upons you. But what if every memory he had of you were taken away?What? Elena wanted to explode. If every memory of Stefan were taken away fromme , she said icily, I would still fall in hunch over with him the very moment I saw him. And if every memory of me were taken away from Stefan, he would stray all over the world looking for something without knowing what he was looking for.Very poetic.But, oh, Damon, thank youfor not letting Shinichi kill himHe shook his head at her, looking bewildered at himself. I couldnt seem to do that. Something about giving my word. I figured that if he were free and happy and didnt remember, that would execute enoughOf your promise to me? You figured wrong. But it doesnt matter now.It does matter. Youve suffered for it.No, Damon. All thatreally matters is that hes not dead and he didnt leave me. Theres still hope.But Elena, Damons voice had life now it was both excited and inflexible Cant you see? noncurrent history aside, you have to admit thatwere the ones that belong together. You and I are simply better suited to each other by nature. Deep down you know that, because we understand each other. Were on the same dexterous level So is StefanWell, all I can say is that he does a remark open personal credit line of hiding it, then. But cant you feel it? Dont you feel his grip was becoming uncomfortable now that you could be my princess of duskiness that something deep inside you wants to? I can see it, if you cant.I cant beanything to you, Damon. Except a decent sister-in-law.He shook his head, laughing harshly. No, youre wholly suited for the main role. Well, all I can say is that if we live through the fight with the gibe, youll see things in yourself that youve never seen before. And youllknow that were more suited together.And allI can say is that if we live through this fight with the Bobbsey twin s from Hell, it sounds as if were going to need all the spiritual power that we can get afterward. Andthat means getting Stefan back.We may not be able to get him back. Oh, I agree even if we drive Shinichi and Misao away from Fells Church, the likelihood that were going to be able to do away with them completely is about zero. Youre no fighter. Were in all likelihood not even going to be able to hurt them very much. But even I dont know exactly where Stefan is.Then the twins are the only ones who can help us.If they stillcan help us oh, all right, Ill admit it. TheShi no Shi are probably complete frauds. They probably take a few memories from vampire chumps memories are the coin of choice in the realm of the separate Side and then send them away while the cash register is still jingling. Theyre frauds. The whole place is a giant slum and freakshow sort of like a rundown Vegas.But theyre not cowardly that the vampires they cheat will want revenge?Damon laughed, this time mus ically. A vampire who doesnt want to be a vampire is about the lowest object on the totem pole on the Other Side. Oh, except for humans. along with lovers whove fulfilled suicide pacts, kids who jump off the roof because they think their Superman cape can make them fly Elena tried to pull away from him, to reprove him, but he was surprisingly strong. It doesnt sound like a very small place.It isnt.And thats where Stefan is?If were lucky.So basically, she said, seeing things, as she always did, in terms of Plans A, B, C, and D, starting time we have to find out where Stefan is from these twins. Second, we have to get the twins to heal the little girls theyve possessed. Third, we have to get them to leave Fells Church alone for good. But before any of that, we have to find Stefan. Hell be able to help us I know he will. And then we just hope were strong enough for the rest.We could use Stefans help, all right. But you missed the real point for now, what we have to do is keep the twins from killing us.They still think youre their friend, yes? Elenas mind was flickering through options. Make themsure you are. Wait until a strategic moment comes, and then take the chance. Do we have any weapons against them?Iron. They do badly against iron theyre demons. And dear Shinichi is obsessed with you, although I cant say his sister will approve when she realizes it.Obsessed?Yes. With you and with English folk songs, remember? Although I cant fathom why. The songs, I mean.Well, I dont know what we can make of that But Ill bet that his compulsion with you will make Misao angry. Its just a hunch, but shes had him to herself for thousands of years.Then we set them against each other, pretend that hes going to get me. Damon what? Elena added in tones of alarm as he tightened his grip on her as if concerned.Hes not going to get you, Damon said.I know that.I dont quite like the idea of anyone else getting you. You were meant to be mine, you know.Damon, dont. Ive told yo u. enliven Meaning please dont make me hurt you? The truth is that you cant hurt me unless I let you. You can only hurt yourself against me.Elena could at least pull their upper bodies off the beaten track(predicate)ther apart. Damon, we just made an agreement, made plans. Now, what are we doing, throwing them all away?No, but I thought of another(prenominal) way to get you a grade-A superhero, right now. Youve been saying I should take more of your blood for ages.Ohyes. It was true, even if that had been before he had admitted to her the terrible things hed done. AndDamon, what happened with Matt in the clearing? We went looking all over for him, but we didnt find him. And you wereglad .He didnt bother to revoke it. In the real world I was angry at him, Elena. He seemed to be just another rival. Part of the reason were here is so I can remember exactly what happened.Did you hurt Matt, Damon? Because now youre hurting me.Yes. Damons voice was light and indifferent suddenly, as i f he found it amusing. I suppose I did hurt him. I used psychic pain on him, and thats stopped a lot of patrol wagon from beating. But your Mutts tough. I like that. I made him suffer more and more, and yet he still went on living because he was afraid to leave you alone.Damon Elena wrenched herself back, only to find that it did no good. He was far, far stronger than she was. How could you do that to him?I told you he was a rival. Damon laughed suddenly. You really dont remember, do you? I made him abase himself for you. I made him eat dirt, literally, for you.Damon are you crazy?No. Im just now finding my sanity. I dont need to convince you that you belong to me. I can take you.No, Damon. I wont be your princess of darkness or or anything else of yours without asking. At the most youll have a dead body to play with.Maybe Id like that. But you forget I can enter your mind. And you still have friends at home, getting ready for supper or bed, you hope. Dont you? Friends with all their limbs whove never known real pain.It took Elena a long time to speak. Then she said quietly, I take back every decent thing I ever said about you. Youre a monster, do you hear that? Youre an abomin Her voice wound slowly down. Theyre making you do this, arent they? she said finally, flatly. Shinichi and Misao. A nice little show for them. Just like they made you hurt Matt and me before.No, I do only what I want to. Was that a flash of red Elena saw in his eyes? The briefest flaring of a flameDo you know how beautiful you are when youre crying? Youre more beautiful than ever. The gold in your eyes seems to rise to the surface and spill down in tears of diamond. I would love to have a sculptor carve a bust of you weeping.Damon, I know youre not really saying this. I know that the thing they put inside you is the one saying it.Elena, I assure you, its all me. I quite enjoyed it when I made him hurt you. I liked to hear the way you cried out. I made him tear your clothes I had to hurt him a lot to get him to do it. But didnt you notice that your camisole had been torn, and that you were barefooted? That was all Mutt.Elena forced her mind back to the moment she had come to herself dance out of the Ferrari. Yes, then, and in the time afterward she had been barefooted and bare-armed, wearing only a camisole. Quite a bit of the fabric of her jeans had been left on the roadside after that, and in the surrounding vegetation. But it had never occurred to her to wonder what had happened to her boots and socks, or how her camisole had been torn in strips at the bottom. Shed simply been so grateful for helpto the one who had hurt her in her first place.Oh, Damon must have thought that ironic. She suddenly realized she herself was mentation ofDamon and not ofthe possessor. Not of Shinichi and Misao.But they werent the same, she told herself. Ive got to remember thatYes, I enjoyed making him hurt you, and I enjoyed hurting you. I made him bring me a willow rod, jus t the right thickness, and then whipped you with it. You enjoyed that, too, I promise you. Dont bother to look for marks because theyve all gone like the others. But all three of us enjoyed hearing your cries. Youand meand Mutt, too. In fact, of all of us, he may have enjoyed it most.Damon, shut up I wont listen to you talk about Matt that wayI wouldnt let him see you without your clothes on, though, Damon confided, as if he hadnt heard a word. That was when I had him dismissed. Put into another snow globe. I wanted to hunt you as you tried to get away from me, in an empty globe that you could never get out of. I wanted to see that special look in your eyes that you get when you fight with everything you have and I wanted to see it defeated. Youre no fighter, Elena. Damon laughed suddenly, an ugly sound, and to Elenas shock his arm shot out and he punched through the wall of the widows walk.Damon She was dickhead by now.And then I wanted to dothis . With no warning, Damons fist f orced her chin up, jerking her head back. His other hand tangled in her hair, bringing her neck back to the exact position he wanted her to be in. And then Elena felt him strike, quick as a cobra, and felt the two divide wounds in the side of her neck, and her own blood spurting out of them.Ages later, Elena woke up sluggishly. Damon was still enjoying himself, clearly scattered in the experience of having Elena Gilbert. And there was no time to make different plans.Her body simply took over by itself, startling her almost as much as it startled Damon. Even as he lifted his head, her hand plucked the magical house key off his finger. Then she gripped, twisted, lifted her knees as high as she could, and kicked outward, sending Damon smashing through the splintered, rotted wood that formed the outside kvetch of the widows walk.