SEMPITERNAL ━━ Damon Salvatore ²

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

"And he can hear our conversation, yet he hasn't come down to kick us out."

"Come on, love! Let's go on an adventure!"

She glared fiercely at the younger Mikaelson. His commentary was beginning to get on her nerves. "Careful, brother. Her bite is lethal." Kol smirked. "She wouldn't be the only one biting, Nik." Her cheeks flushed red, anger finally triggering the color of her eyes. She stared at the two, her eyes a honey gold color. "Where?" Klaus stalked toward the strawberry blonde. His eyes raked over her face, noting the calm demeanor she had put up. She was sheltering herself. "Anywhere we want." Carter didn't have enough time to react. Klaus grabbed her and tossed her like a doll toward his brother, who smirked upon catching her. "You fell for me, quite literally."

"Klaus," she warned as the two males left the house, shutting the door behind them. Kol's hand was tightly wrapped around her wrist, pulling her after him. "Damon—" He whirled around with an angry glare, his own eyes flashing the golden hue. "I'm getting tired of hearing about him, little one." She swallowed thickly. "He'll kill you, Klaus... Don't underestimate his abilities." Kol glanced to his brother, his eyebrows drawn. "I've got an idea," he voiced. She was shocked when he let her go, but it turned to horror as he slipped her hands against her head, twisting it until that sickening crack echoed within the air, her body falling onto the hard dirt. "Good idea, brother." Klaus clapped his hand against his younger brother's shoulder with a tight lipped smile. "Yeah, I know."

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The air was warm, and damp. Her skin felt sticky to the touch, covered in sweat. It was dark. Carter's eyes fluttered open, air suddenly rushing into her lungs as she gasped in surprise. Four walls captivated her, her body laid against a velvet base. Fear began to encase her, her wide eyes darting from left to right, scanning the wood for an opening. "Klaus!" she shouted, banging her palms against the top of the box. "Kol!" Her voice was frantic. The darkness was suffocating her; her own fear igniting a sudden burst of strength. She slammed her hands against the wood, wincing as splinters embedded within her palms. "Let me out!" she cried anxiously. She could hardly move within the space. She attempted to kick at the wood above her when she realized her legs were bound at her ankles.

Glass tears began to rip down her cheeks as she pushed at the wood. Her chest heaved with anxiety. Her air intake was becoming low as she choked back her sobs. "Let me out of here! Please!" Her fingernails began to rip at the wood, blood coating her fingers. Her hands began to tremble as she clawed at the wood, gasping for air. There was a lead weight sitting within her stomach, and her heartbeat drummed against her eardrums. Her throat began to tighten. "Help me! Damon!" She didn't know why she was calling for him. He wasn't there. He wouldn't find her. Her movements began to slow and her eyes squeezed shut. Her sobs became more violent, tears slipping from her eyes and down the sides of her face.

"Oh, God," she sobbed, her voice croaking. She knew this was the end. She was done for. Her life was going to be snatched away from her once again, and she could do nothing but lay there helpless. Her arms fell flat at her sides. She was giving up. Despair darkened her mind as she lay there, her tears being the only thing keeping her from allowing herself to slip away. She could see her future before. She always thought her and Damon would get married, adopt a child. She could picture the two living in Mystic Falls, happy. Elena would be her maid of honor at her wedding, and her mother would walk her down the aisle. Caroline would be the one to catch the bouquet, shoving people out of her way dramatically, exclaiming when she would catch it. Now, all Carter could focus on was the night before; Damon leaving her all alone, and her showing him that she couldn't take care of herself. She was pathetic.

Her body fell still as her sobs decreased. She had lost all hope. She began to slip into the dark abyss seducing her, tangling within the tragedy that was her life. She could no longer see a future, or her memories. She was lost in complete and utter darkness. "I will love you forever, Damon Salvatore," she whispered. His name rolled off her tongue like a bittersweet reminder. Her chest slowly ceased to move, and that was the end of it. She lay in the wooden box, six feet below the dirt, in the middle of nowhere.

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"Carter?" Stefan looked through the room, tearing his phone from his ear. Elena and Carter were both gone, and not answering their cellphones. He moved into the living room, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight in front of him. "Hello, Stefan," the Original spoke. Anger began to course through the vampires veins as he stared back at the well dressed man. "Your brother took her. Where the hell is Carter?" Damon's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he turned to look at his brother. "Wait, Carter's gone? I thought– I thought she was with Kaitlin! She told me she was!" Damon turned back to Elijah. His jaw tightened, becoming prominent. His eyes narrowed at the Original. "Where is she?"

Elijah looked stunned. He hadn't spoken to either brother since that morning. The one he had conversed with was Rebekah. "I don't.. I'm sorry. I–" Damon's fist slammed against the fireplace, cracking the hard surface. "Don't play games, Elijah. Where is she?" His voice rose out of frustration. Damon was trembling. He was a kettle on the stove top getting ready to explode. "I don't know," Elijah replied sternly. Stefan glanced between the two vampires, his fists clenched in aggravation. "What about Elena?" Damon flexed his fingers before curling them back into a tight fist. "With Rebekah." Elijah had no idea of Niklaus' plans. He never wanted to hurt Carter. He knew she was the limit. And his impulsive brother had pushed it too far. "I need to find her."

Damon began to storm away. He was going to leave and find his girl, but Stefan's pleading look stopped him in his tracks. "I need your help stopping my mother." Damon turned to glance back at Elijah, his eyebrows drawn. "I'll spare Elena's life and find Carter, as long as you help me." Stefan wanted Damon to crack. He wanted his brother to accept help for one; for Carter's sake. "I'm a little embarrassed to admit, but when it comes to killing thousand year old resurrected witches, I'm a little rusty," the older Salvatore stated sarcastically. Elijah nodded slowly, absentmindedly running his thumb across his own daylight ring. "Yes, unfortunately, even when killed my mother doesn't seem to want to stay dead. Not with the spirits of nature at her side."

Stefan's eyebrows fell in confusion, the tension in his jaw growing as his teeth ground together. "What the hell are we supposed to do?" Damon questioned angrily. "The witches that released my mother, she's drawing her power from their bloodline, that line needs to be broken," the Original explained. Damon's eyes grew in realization. Carter would hate him for this, but he couldn't let her die. It was her, or Bonnie. "Broken?" Stefan echoed, turning to look at his brother. Damon nodded before putting his finger to his neck, dragging it slowly across. "You want us to kill them." Stefan's eyes landed on Elijah, his face somber. "You know I'd do it myself, but I have absolutely no idea where they are. Besides, seeing me, they'd immediately know my intent. They won't expect to be harm by the likes of you. In any case, you have until six minutes after nine to find them."

Damon glared at the vampire. "Oh, how super specific of you," he growled. Elijah began to walk toward the exit. "By 9:07, the moon will be full, my mother will have the power she needs to kill me and my family. If you do not stop her before then, Rebekah will kill Elena. So we all have our timeline? I suggest you get started." He stopped at the entrance, his fingers flexing against the wood. "I'll be out looking for your friend." Damon's eyes momentarily softened. "She will perish, too, if you fail. I'm sorry." The raven haired vampire bared his fangs, his scleras that dark, crimson color. Stefan was quick to intercept his brother, dragging him away from his plan of attack. "We'll save her!" Stefan whispered sternly, his arms holding Damon down.

"We'll save all of them, okay?"