'The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening Chapter Fifteen\r'

'As soon as he left Elena at her ho purpose, Stefan went to the woods.\r\nHe took octogenarian Creek Road, driving at a lower place the overweight clouds-through which no patch of sky could be reassuren, to the place where he had parked on the kickoff day of school.\r\nLeaving the car, he tried to retrace his steps precisely to the clearing where he had seen the crow. His hunters instincts helped him, rec every last(predicate)ing the shape of this scrub and that k nonted root, until he stood in the well-defined place ringed with ancient oak channelise trees.\r\nHere. Under this blanket of dingy-brown leaves, some of the rabbits swot might even remain. Taking a languish breath to still himself, to amass his kings, he cast out a probing, demanding thought.\r\nAnd for the first meter since hed come to Fells Church, he entangle the flicker of a reply. solely it seemed faint and wavering, and he could non regain it in space.\r\nHe sighed and bendinged around-and halt d ead.\r\nDamon stood before him, arms crossed over his chest, lounging in one case against the largest oak tree. He looked as if he might have been there for hours.\r\nâ€Å"So,” give tongue to Stefan heavily, â€Å"it is true. Its been a long time, brother.”\r\nâ€Å"not as long as you rec every(prenominal), brother .” Stefan remembered that persona, that velvety, incongruous voice. â€Å"Ive kept track of you over the years,” Damon say calmly. He flicked a bit of scramble from the sleeve of his leather jacket as casually as he had erst arranged his brocade cuffs. â€Å" al peerless thus, you wouldnt experience that, would you? Ah, no, your Powers are as weak as ever.”\r\nâ€Å"Be careful, Damon,” Stefan give tongue to softly, dangerously. â€Å"Be precise careful tonight. Im not in a tolerant mood.”\r\nâ€Å"St. Stefan in a scandalize? Imagine. Youre distressed, I suppose, because of my little excursions into your terri tory. I except did it because I wanted to be finishing to you. Brothers should be close.”\r\nâ€Å"You turn thumbs bringed tonight. And you tried to make me judge Id d 1 it.”\r\nâ€Å"Are you quite incontestable you didnt? Perhaps we did it to enamorher. Careful!” he say as Stefan stepped toward him. â€Å"My mood is not the roughly tolerant tonight, either. I simply had a wizened little history instructor; you had a pretty girl.”\r\nThe fury inside Stefan coalesced, seeming to focus in one bright burning spot, akin a sun inside him. â€Å"Keep international from Elena,” he whispered with such threat that Damon actually tilted his leave spine slimly. â€Å"Keep away from her, Damon. I manage youve been spying on her, watching her. that no more than. Go near her again and youll regret it.”\r\nâ€Å"You unceasingly were selfish. Your one fault. Not willing to share anything, are you?” Suddenly, Damons lips cut in a si ngularly resplendent smile. â€Å" besides fortunately the lovely Elena is more generous. Didnt she tell you about our little liaisons? Why, the first time we met she almost gave herself to me on the spot.”\r\nâ€Å"Thats a lie!”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, no, dear brother. I never lie about anything important. Or do I mean unimportant? Anyway, your lovely damsel nearly swooned into my arms. I think she standardizeds men in black.” As Stefan stared at him, difficult to control his breathing, Damon added, almost gently, â€Å"Youre ravish about her, you k direct. You think shes sweet and docile, like Katherine. She isnt. Shes not your type at all, my blessed brother. She has a spirit and a notify in her that you wouldnt k at one time what to do with.”\r\nâ€Å"And you would, I suppose.”\r\nDamon uncrossed his arms and slowly smiled again. â€Å"Oh, yes.”\r\nStefan wanted to leap for him, to smash that beautiful, arrogant smile, to turn on Damons th roat out. He tell, in a barely controlled voice, â€Å"Youre right about one thing. Shes strong. Strong enough to fight you off. And now that she knows what you really are, she will. All she notices for you now is disgust.”\r\nDamons eyebrows lifted. â€Å"Does she, now? Well see about that. Perhaps shell rein that real dingyness is more to her render than feeble twilight. I, at least, can let the truth about my nature. But I worry about you, little brother. Youre feel weak and ill-fed. Shes a tease, is she?”\r\nKill him, something in Stefans mind demanded. Kill him, snap his neck, lacerate his throat to splity shreds. But he k saucy Damon had fed very well tonight. His brothers sorry aura was swollen, pulsing, almost shining with the career essence he had transportn.\r\nâ€Å"Yes, I drank deeply,” Damon said pleasantly, as if he knew what was in Stefans mind. He sighed and ran his tongue over his lips in well-provided remembrance. â€Å"He was sma ll, but there was a surprising amount of juice in him. Not pretty like Elena, and he certainly didnt tonus as good. But its always exhilarating to feel the new blood singing inside you.” Damon aphonic expansively, stepping away from the tree and looking around. Stefan remembered those lithe movements, too, from each one gesture controlled and precise. The centuries had still great Damons natural poise.\r\nâ€Å"It makes me feel like doing this,” said Damon, moving to a sapling a few yards away. It was half again as tall-stalked as he was, and when he grasped it his fingers did not meet around the trunk. But Stefan adage the quick breath and the ripple of muscles nether Damons thin black shirt, and then the tree tore loose from the ground, its grow dangling. Stefan could smell the pungent bufferness of disturbed earth.\r\nâ€Å"I didnt like it there anyway,” said Damon, and heaved it as far away as the still-entangled roots would allow. Then he smiled enga gingly. â€Å"It also makes me feel like doingthis .”\r\n on that point was a frolic of achievement, and then Damon was gone. Stefan looked around but could see no sign of him.\r\nâ€Å"Up here, brother.” The voice came from overhead, and when Stefan looked up he saw Damon perching among the bedspread branches of the oak tree. There was a susurration of tawny brown leaves, and he disappeared again.\r\nâ€Å" buttocks here, brother.” Stefan spun at the tap on his shoulder, only to see nothing behind him. â€Å" redress here, brother.” He spun again. â€Å"No, try here.” Furious, Stefan whipped the other way, arduous to catch hold of Damon. But his fingers grasped only air.\r\nHere, Stefan . This time the voice was in his mind, and the Power of it shook him to the core. It took enormous forte to examine thoughts that clearly. Slowly, he turned around once more, to see Damon bear in his master copy position, leaning against the big oak tree.\ r\nBut this time the humor in those dark eyeball had faded. They were black and fathomless, and Damons lips were set in a straight line.\r\nWhat more create do you need, Stefan? Im as much stronger than you as you are stronger than these pitiful humans. Im faster than you, too, and I have other Powers youve scarcely hear of. The Old Powers, Stefan. And Im not afraid to use them. If you fight me, Ill use them against you.\r\nâ€Å"Is that what you came here for? To crucify me?”\r\nIve been merciful with you, brother. legion(predicate) times youve been mine for the killing, but Ive always spared your life. But this time is different. Damon stepped away from the tree again and r aloud. â€Å"I am warning you, Stefan, dont pock me. It doesnt matter what I came here for. What I want now is Elena. And if you try to free me from taking her, I will kill you.”\r\nâ€Å"You can try,” said Stefan. The hot sweep through of fury inside him burned brighter than ever, burbly forth its brilliance like a whole galaxy of stars. He knew, somehow, that it peril Damons darkness.\r\nâ€Å"You think I cant do it? You never learn, do you, little brother?” Stefan had except enough time to note Damons tire out shake of the head when there was some other(prenominal) blur of motion and he felt strong workforce seize him. He was fighting instantly, violently, trying with all his strength to throw them off. But they were like work force of steel.\r\nHe lashed out savagely, trying to smooth at the vulnerable area downstairs Damons haggle. It did no good; his arms were shackle behind him, his body immobilized. He was as helpless as a snort under the claws of a lean and gifted cat.\r\nHe went limp for an instant, making himself a deadweight, and then he suddenly surged with all his muscles, trying to break free, trying to get a blow in. The cruel pass on only tightened on him, making his struggles useless. Pathetic.\r\nYou always were stubborn . Perhaps this will convince you . Stefan looked into his brothers face, color as the frosted-glass windows at the boarding house, and at those black bottomless eyes. Then he felt fingers grasp his hair, jerk his head back, exposing his throat.\r\nHis struggles redoubled, became frantic. Dont bother , came the voice in his head, and then he felt the sharp splitting pain of teethinging. He felt the shame and helplessness of the hunters victim, of the hunted, of the prey. And then the pain of blood being drawn out against his will.\r\nHe refused to give in to it, and the pain grew worse, a feeling as if his soul was furious loose like the sapling. It stabbed through him like spears of fire, concentrating on the punctures in his flesh where Damons teeth had sunk in. Agony flamed up his jaw and cheek and down his chest and shoulder. He felt a wave of silliness and realized he was losing consciousness.\r\nThen, abruptly, the hands released him and he fell to the ground, onto a bed of damp and moldering oak leaves. Gasping for breath, he painfully got to his hands and knees.\r\nâ€Å"You see, little brother, Im stronger than you. Strong enough to take you, take your blood and your life if I wish it. Leave Elena to me, or I will.”\r\nStefan looked up. Damon was standing with head thrown back, legs slightly apart, like a conqueror pose his foot on the neck of the conquered. Those night-black eyes were hot with triumph, and Stefans blood was on his lips.\r\n detestation modify Stefan, such hatred as he had never known before. It was as if all his earlier hatred of Damon had been a drop of water to this crashing, foaming ocean. Many times in the last long centuries he had regretted what he had done to his brother, when hed wished with all his soul to change it. Now he only wanted to do it again.\r\nâ€Å"Elena is not yours,” he ground out, getting to his feet, trying not to show what an effort it appeal him. â€Å"And she never will be.” Co ncentrating on each step, putting one foot in front of the other, he began walking away. His inviolate body hurt, and the shame he felt was even greater than the physical ache. There were bits of wet leaves and crumbs of earth adhering to his clothes, but he did not brush them off. He fought to discover moving, to hold out against the weakness that lapped at his limbs.\r\nYou never learn, brother.\r\nStefan did not look back or try to reply. He gritted his teeth and kept his legs moving. Another step. And another(prenominal) step. And another step.\r\nIf he could just sit down for a moment, rest…\r\nAnother step, and another step. The car couldnt be far now. Leaves greavesd under his feet, and then he heard leaves crackle behind him.\r\nHe tried to turn quickly, but his reflexes were almost gone. And the sharp motion was too much for him. Darkness filled him, filled his body and his mind, and he was falling. He fell forever into the black of implicit night. And then, merci fully, he knew no more.\r\n'