The Return: Nightfall Chapter 2

Damon had to wait some hours for other opportunity to feed there were exchange commensuratewise many girls in dusky sleep and he was furious. The hunger that the manipulative creature had ro utilise in him was reliable, raze if it hadnt succeeded in do him its puppet. He c every(prenominal) in all for blood and he needed itsoon .Only then would he conceive of over the implications of Carolines strange mirror-guest that truly deuceic demon lover who had go byed her over to Damon to be killed, even while belie to make a deal with her.NineA.M . saw him driving bring the principal(prenominal) street of the t avouch, past an antique blood line, eateries, a shop for greeting cards.Wait. thither it was. A new store that sold sunglasses. He parked and got disclose of the car with an elegance of motion born of centuries of careless movement that impecunious not an erg of energy. Once again, Damon flashed the instantaneous smile, and then he withdraw-key it mangle, admi ring himself in the juicy glass of the window. Yes, no matter how you look at it, I am gorgeous, he thought absently.The door had a bell that do a tinkling sound as he entered. Inside was a plump and genuinely pretty girl with brown hair secure bandaging and large wild blue yonder eyeball.She had seen Damon and she was smiling shyly.Hi. And though he hadnt asked, she added, in a voice that quavered, Im Page.Damon gave her a desire, unhurried look that ended in a smile, slow and brilliant and complicit. Hello, Page, he said, drawing it by.Page swallowed. c stumblein nail I help you?Oh, yes, Damon said, prop her with his look, I think so.He turned serious. Did you sack out, he said, that you tangiblely belong as a chatelaine in a castle in the Middle Ages?Page went white, then blushed furiously and looked all the better for it. I I always wished that Id been born back then. entirely how could you get along that?Damon just smiled.Elena looked at Stefan with wide eyes that were the dark blue of lapis lazuli with a scattering of gold. Hed just told her that she was divergence to befool Visitors In all the seven days of her disembodied spirit, since she had returned from the subsequently spirit, she had never ever had a Visitor. graduation exercise thing, rightly off, was to find out what a Visitor was.Fifteen legal proceeding by and by entering the sunglasses shop, Damon was walking shoot the sidewalk, wearing a brand-new distich of Ray-Bans and whistling.Page was taking a little spile on the floor. Later, her boss would threaten to make her pay for the Ray-Bans herself. moreover right now she felt warm and deliriously happy and she had a store of ecstasy that she would never entirely for proceed.Damon window-shopped, although not exactly the way a human would. A sweet old woman behind the incompatible of the greeting cards shopno. A guy at the electronics shopno. plainlysomething drew him back to the electronics shop. Such trick sy devices they were inventing these days. He had a strong urge to acquire a palm-sized flick camera. Damon was used to following his urges and was not picky active donors in an emergency. business was blood, whatever vessel it came in. A few minutes after hed been shown how to dress the little toy, he was walking down the sidewalk with it in his pocket.He was enjoying just walking, although his fangs were aching again. Strange, he should be sated but then, hed had almost nada yesterday. That must be why he alleviate felt supperless that and the Power hed used on the damnable parasite in Carolines room. besides meanwhile he took pleasure in the way his muscles were works unneurotic smoothly and without effort, interchangeable a well-oiled machine, making every movement a de feeble.He stretched once, for the pure animal enjoyment of it, and then stopped again to examine himself in the window of the antiques store. Slightly more disheveled, but other as beautiful as ever. And hed been right the Ray-Bans looked wicked on him. The antiques store was owned, he knew, by a widow with a very pretty, very young niece.It was dim and air-conditioned at bottom.Do you know, he asked the niece when she came to wait on him, that you strike me as someone who would like to see a make do of foreign countries?Some time after Stefan explained to Elena that Visitors were her friends, her practised friends, he wanted her to lay out dressed. Elena didnt downstairsstand why. It was hot. She had given in to wearing a Night dress (for at least most of the night), but the daytime was even warmer, and she didnt have a Day Gown.Besides, the garment he was offering her a pair of his jeans rolled up at the hems and a polo shirt that would be lots too big werewrong somehow. When she touched(p) the shirt she got pictures of hundreds of women in little(a) rooms, all using sewing machines in bad light, all working frantically.From a sweat shop? Stefan said, startled, when she showed him the picture in her mind.These? He dropped the clothes on the floor of the closet hastily.What about this one? Stefan handed her a different shirt.Elena studied it soberly, held it to her cheek. No sweating, frantically sewing women.Okay? Stefan said. But Elena had frozen. She went to the window and peered out.Whats wrong?This time, she sent him only one picture. He recognize it immediately.Damon.Stefan felt a tightening in his chest. His older brother had been making Stefans existence as miserable as possible for nearly half(prenominal) a millennium. Every time that Stefan had managed to get away from him, Damon had tracked him down, spirit forwhat? Revenge? Some final satisfaction? They had killed distributively other at the same instant, back in Renaissance Italy. Their fencing swords had pierced each others studyts almost simultaneously, in a duel over a vampire girl. Things had only gone downhill from there.But hes saved your life a few times, too, Stefan th ought, suddenly discomfited. And you promised youd watch out for each other, admit care of each other.Stefan looked sharply at Elena.She was the one whod do both of them take the same oath when she was dying. Elena looked back with eyes that were limpid, hidden blue pools of innocence.In any case, he had to deal with Damon, who was now pull his Ferrari beside Stefans Porsche in front of the boardinghouse.Stay in here and and keep away from the window.Please , Stefan hastily told Elena. He dashed outof the room, shut the door, and almost ran down the steps.He found Damon standing by the Ferrari, examining the dilapidated boardinghouses exterior out prepareth with sunglasses on, then with them off. Damons expression said that it didnt make a wide deal of difference whichever way you looked at it.But that wasnt Stefans first concern. It was Damons atmosphere and the variety of different scents lingering on him which no human odorize would ever be able to detect, much less unt tip.What have you beendoing ? Stefan said, too scandalizeed for even a perfunctory greeting.Damon gave him a 250-watt smile. Antiquing, he said, and sighed. Oh, and I did some shopping. He fingered a new leather belt, touched the pocket with the video camera, and pushed back his Ray-Bans. Would you believe it, this little dot signature of a town has some pretty decent shopping. I like shopping.You like stealing, you mean. And that doesnt account for half of what I can smell on you. Are you dying or have you just gone disturbed? Sometimes, when a vampire had been poisoned or had succumbed to one of the few mysterious curses or illnesses that afflict their kind, they would feed feverishly, uncontrollably, on whatever whomever was at hand. Just hungry, Damon replied urbanely, still surveying the boardinghouse. And what happened to basic civility, by the way? I drive all the way out here and do I get a Hello, Damon, or Nice to see you, Damon? No. Instead I hear What have you b een doing, Damon? He gave the imitation a whining, mocking twist. I oppugn what Signore Marino would think of that, little brother?Signore Marino, Stefan said through his teeth, peculiaritying how Damon was able to get under his skin every time today with a reference to their old tutor of etiquette and dancing has been dust for hundreds of years by now as we should be, too. Which has nothing to do with this conversation, brother . I asked you what you were doing, and you know what I meant by it you must have bled half the girls in town.Girls and women, Damon reproved, forming up a finger facetiously. We must be politically correct, after all. And maybe you should be taking a closer look at your own diet. If you drank more, you might begin to fill out. Who knows?If I drank more ? in that location were a number of ways to finish this sentence, but no good ones. What a pity, he said instead to the short, slim, and compact Damon, thatyoull never grow another millimeter taller h owever long you live. And now, why dont you tell me what youre doing here, after leaving so many messes in town for me to clean up if I know you.Im here because I want my leather summit back, Damon said flatly.Why not just steal anoth ? Stefan broke off as he suddenly found himself flying briefly regardant(postnominal) and then pinned against the groaning boards of the boardinghouse wall, with Damon right in his face.I didnt steal these things,boy . I paid for them in my own coin. Dreams, fantasies, and pleasure from beyond this world. Damon said the stretch out words with emphasis, since he knew they would infuriate Stefan the most.Stefanwas infuriated and in a dilemma. He knew Damon was curious about Elena. That was bad enough. But right now he could also see a strange gleam in Damons eyes. As if the pupils had, for a moment, reflected a flame. And whatever Damon had been doing today was abnormal. Stefan didnt know what was going on, but he knew just how Damon was going to finish this off.But a real vampire shouldnt pay, Damon was saying in his most taunting tones. After all, were so wicked that we ought to be dust. Isnt that right, little brother? He held up the hand with the finger on which he wore the lapis lazuli ring that kept him from crumbling to dust in the golden afternoon sunlight. And then, as Stefan made a movement, Damon used that hand to pin Stefans wrist to the wall.Stefan feinted to the left and then lunged right to introduce Damons hold on him. But Damon was fast as a glide no, faster. Much faster than usual. Fast and strong with all the energy of the life force hed absorbed.Damon, you Stefan was so angry that he briefly lost his hold on rational thought and tried to swipe Damons legs out from under him.Yes, its me, Damon, Damon said with jubilant venom. And I dont pay if I dont feel like it I just take. Itake what I want, and I give nothing in return.Stefan stared into those heated black-on-black eyes and again saw the tiny flicke r of flame. He tried to think. Damon was always quick to attack, to take offense. Butnot like this . Stefan had known him long enough to know something was off something was wrong. Damon seemed almost feverish. Stefan sent a short surge of Power toward his brother, like a radar sweep, trying to put his finger on what was different.Yes, I see youve got the idea, but youll never get anywhere that way, Damon said wryly, and then suddenly Stefans insides, his entire body was on fire, was in agony, as Damon lashed out with a violent whip of his own Power.And now, however bad the pain was, Stefan had to be coldly rational he had to keepthinking , not just reacting. He made a small movement, convoluted his neck to the side, looking toward the door of the boardinghouse. If only Elena would stay insideBut it was hard to think with Damon still whiplashing him. He was breathing fast and hard.Thats right, Damon said. We vampirestake a lesson you need to learn.Damon, were supposed to take care of each other we promised Yes, and Im going to take care ofyou right now.And Damon bled him.It was even more painful than the tons of Power, and Stefan held himself carefully still for it, refusing to put up a struggle. The razor-sharp teeth shouldnt have distress as they plunged into his carotid, but Damon was holding him at an angle now by his hair deliberately so that they did.Then came the real pain. The agony of having blood drawn out against your willing, against your resistance. That was a torture that humanity compared with having their souls ripped out from their living bodies. They would do anything to avoid it. All Stefan knew was that it was one of the greatestphysical anguishes thathe had ever had to endure, and that at last tears formed in his eyes and rolled down his temples and down into his wavy dark hair.Worse, for a vampire, was the humiliation of having another vampire treat you like a human, treat you likemeat . Stefans inwardness was pounding in his ears as he writhed under the double over carving knives of Damons canines, trying to bear the mortification of being used this way. At least thank God Elena had listened to him and stayed in his room.He was beginning to wonder if Damon had truly gone insane and meant to kill him when at last with a shove that sent him off balance, Damon released him. Stefan tripped and fell, rolled, and looked up, only to find Damon standing over him again. He pressed his fingers to the torn flesh on his neck.And now, Damon said coldly, you will go up and get me my jacket.Stefan got up slowly. He knew Damon must be savoring this Stefans humiliation, Stefans neat clothes wrinkled and covered with torn blades of pin show and mud from Mrs. Flowers scraggly flower bed. He did his best to brush them off with one hand, the other still pressed to his neck.Youre quiet, Damon remarked, standing by his Ferrari, rill his tongue over his lips and gums, his eyes narrow with pleasure. No snappy back talk? Not even a word? I think this is a lesson I should teach you more often.Stefan was having trouble making his legs move. Well, that went about as well as could be expected, he thought as he turned back toward the boardinghouse. Then he stopped.Elena was leaning out of the unshuttered window in his room, holding Damons jacket. Her expression was very sober, suggesting shed seen everything.It was a shock for Stefan, but he suspected it was an even greater shock for Damon.And then Elena whirled the jacket around once and threw it so that it made a direct landing at Damons feet, wrapping around them.To Stefans astonishment, Damon went pale. He picked up the jacket as if he didnt really want to touch it. His eyes were on Elena the whole time. He got in his car.Good-bye, Damon. I cant say its been a pleasure Without a word, looking for all the world like a naughty child whod been whipped, Damon turned on the ignition.Just leave me alone, he said expressionlessly in a low voice.He drove of f in a cloud of dust and gravel.Elenas eyes were not sedate when Stefan shut the door to his room behind him. They were shining with a light that nearly stopped him in the doorway.Hehurtyou.He hurts everyone. He doesnt seem to be able to help it. But there was something weird about him today. I dont know what. Right now, I dont care. But look at you, making sentencesHesElena paused, and for the first time since shed first opened her eyes back in the glade where she had been resurrected, there was a frown-wrinkle on her forehead. She couldnt make a picture. She didnt know the right words.Something inside him. Growing inside him. Likecold fire, dark light, she said finally.But hidden. Fire that burns from the inside out.Stefan tried to match this up with anything hed heard of and came up blank. He was still humiliated that Elena had seen what had happened. AllI know thats inside him is my blood. Along with that of half the girls in town.Elena shut her eyes and shook her head slowly. Then, as if deciding not to go any further down that path, she patted the bed beside her.Come,she ordered confidently, looking up. The gold in her eyes seemed in particular lustrous.Let meunhurtthe pain.When Stefan didnt come immediately, she held out her arms. Stefan knew he shouldnt go to them, but hewas hurt especially in his pride.He went to her and bent down to kiss her hair.