SEMPITERNAL ━━ Damon Salvatore ²

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"You know, your drink stinks of vervain- so I can't compel you. There be no point in killing you because you're actually the one with the most help of getting me what I need. And yet it would seem a demonstration is in order. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough when I told you to find Stefan. Well, it seems you people respond best to displays of violence. Why don't you take this as an example of my reach." Carter glanced back at Damon, feeling her stomach drop. Damon's eyebrows furrowed as the Hybrid pulled out his cellphone. "I'll see you soon, love," he whispered to where she could hear him, knowing Damon could too.

She watched him walk out of the house, her mouth open in shock. "Damon," she mumbled, reaching for his hand on her shoulder. He gracefully jumped the couch, sitting closer to her. "It's okay. He won't get you. Not when I'm kicking," he joked, running his hand against her cheek. She smiled graciously at him, letting her forehead rest against his own. "I love you," she spoke softly, his lips twitching into a wide grin. "And I, you," he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, but the sharp ringing of a cellphone broke the two apart. It was Carter's phone, which was upstairs. Damon used his super speed to get it, answering it in the process.

"Carter's phone, how may I help you?" he hummed, but his eyebrows furrowed as the other person on the line spoke. "Okay, we'll be there in a jiffy," he hung up the phone, "Alaric's dead." Her eyes widened. Damon calmly walked over to the couch, grabbing his own phone. "How are you so calm?" she asked, her eyebrows raised. "Because, he'll wake up later. He's got a resurrection ring, thing," he explained, holding his hand out for Carter to grab. She did, and followed him out the door and to his car. Once the two got to Elena's and entered the house, Alaric was lifeless on the couch. She gasped in shock, immediately averting her eyes from his body. "How is he?" Damon asked, despite the obvious answer lying before them.

"He's dead, but he had his ring. Klaus's hybrid hit him. Now we just wait," Elena explained. Damon's eyes were locked onto Jeremy's wrist, the wrist that usually wore a bracelet. "Jeremy, why aren't you wearing vervain? Where's your bracelet?" he asked. Jeremy replied truthfully, "I don't know." Carter glanced over at Elena, who looked as if she was about to blow a gasket. "It was Tyler! It had to have been. That's why he was hanging out with you. To get you off the vervain." She flinched at the tone of her voice, knowing her cousin had been up to no good since he turned into a hybrid.

"I was just with them today. Why would Tyler try to hurt Jer like that?" she asked, mainly pointing the question to Jeremy, himself. "Klaus is trying to send us a message. He wants us to find Stefan who stole his coffins full of his dead family members." If the situation was lighter, Carter could picture Jeremy laughing at the fact Klaus' vampire siblings were sleeping in coffins. "So all we have to do is find four coffins and voilà! No one else on your family's Christmas list needs to die!" Damon spoke animatedly, his hand falling to the small of her back. "Wait- that's your big plan? To steal back four dead originals so this evil hybrid doesn't kill me and everyone else we know?"

Damon nodded. "You got a better idea?" Jeremy scoffed angrily. "Yeah! Let's get the hell outta here! Pack our bags and go!" he shouted, his hands thrown outward palms up. Damon stared at the younger Gilbert. "Jer, cool it, okay?" Carter spoke, holding her palm out toward him. He pushed her away, shaking his head. "No, no! I'm not going to cool it. This happens every time, no matter what we do! Get on my case about school and work...Who cares? None of us are gonna make it out of this town alive." He turned and left the house, slamming the door behind him. Elena and Carter shared a look, both silently sighing.

"He said he wants his family back," Elena spoke defeatedly. Damon glanced between the two girls, his eyebrows furrowed. "No! No! I know what you're thinking and the answer is no." Carter looked up at Elena, confused. "Wait, what's going on?" Elena sighed. "If we give him Rebekah.." She still had no idea what was going on. How could they give Klaus Rebekah if Stefan took them? "Yeah, then Klaus undaggers her, first thing she does is kill you! Frying pan, fire. Not an option!" Carter held out her hands, blinking rapidly. "Hold on, hold on. What is happening?" The two in front of her stared back at her silently, Damon's hand still resting on the middle of her back.