The Return: Nightfall Chapter 31

Let us at least have the dignity of walking bug out of your trap on our hold feet or should I conjecture, using your own key?Damon thought to Shinichi. To Elena, he said, Yes, were looking for whats-his-face. But you took a bad fall. I wish I would uniform to ask you that you stay present and recuperate whileI go look for him.You think you k today where Matt is? That was the entire sentence distilled for her. That was all she heard.Yes.Can we go without delay ?Wont you let me go al wholeness?No, Elena said simply. I have to find him. I wouldnt sleep at all if you went out alone. Please, flockt we go now?Damon sighed. All right. at that place were close to (there will be now) clothes that will fit you in the clo flock. Jeans and things. Ill get them, he said. As long as I really, really cant convince you to lie megabucks and rest while I look for him.I can make it, Elena promised. And if you go without me, Ill just jump out a window and maintain you.She was serious. He went and got the promised pile of clothes and wherefore turned his hold while Elena put on an identical version of the jeans and Pendleton shirt she had been wearing, full-length and un-bloodstained. indeed they odd the house, Elena brushing her hair vigorously, simply glancing put up every step or so.What be you doing? Damon asked, just when he had headstrong to carry her.Waiting for the house to disappear. And when he gave her his bestwhatre you talking intimately? look, she said, Armani jeans, just my size? La Perla camisoles, same? Pendleton shirts, two sizes too big, just like the one I was wearing? That egress is all a warehouse or its magic. My bets on magic.Damon picked her up as a way to shut her up, and walked to the passengers door of the Ferrari. He wondered if they were in the real world now or in other of Shinichis globes.Did it disappear? he asked.Yup.What a pity, he thought. Hed have liked to keep it.He could try to renegotiate the bargain with Shinichi , moreover there were other, more important things to think of. He gave Elena a slight squeeze, thinking, other,much, much more important things.In the car he made authorized of third small facts. First, that click which his brain automatically registered as passenger buckled up really did mean that Elena had her seat buckle properly fastened. Second, that the doors were locked fromhis master control. And third, that he drove quite slowly. He didnt think that eachone in Elenas shape would be throwing themselves out of cars again in the near future, but he wasnt taking all chances.He had no idea how long this spell was going to work. Elena must eventually come out of her amnesia. It was only logical, since he seemed to be, and hed been awake much lengthy than she had. Pretty soon she would rememberwhat? That hed taken her in the Ferrari against her will (bad but forgivable he couldnt know shed launch herself out)? That hed been teasing Mike or Mitch or whoever and her in the clearing? He himself had a vague picture of this or was it another dream.He wished he k impertinent what the truth was. When wouldhe remember everything? Hed be in a much stronger bargaining position once he did.And it was hardly possible that Mac was getting hypothermia in a midsummer snowstorm even if he were still in that clearing right now. It was a chilly night, but the worst the boy could expect was a twinge of rheumatism when he was round eighty.The vital thing was that theydidnt find him. He capability have some unpleasant truths to tell.Damon noticed Elena making the same move again. A touch to her throat, a grimace, a deep breath.Are you carsick?No, Im In the moonlight he could see her blush come and go could sense her heat with detectors in his face. She flush deeply. I explained, she said, about feelingtoo full. Thats what it is now.What was a vampire to do?Say,Im sorry Ive given it up for Moonspire ?Say, Im sorry youll hate me in the morning?Say,To fossa with t he morning this seat reclines two inches ?But what if they got to the clearing and engraft that something really had happened to Mutt Gnat the boy? Damon would regret it for the rest of the remaining twenty seconds of his life. Elena would call battalions of switch spirits down on his head. Even if no one else believed in her, Damon did.He found himself saying, as smoothly as ever hed spoken to a Page or a Damaris, Will you trust me?What?Will you trust me for another fifteen or twenty minutes, to go to a certain place I think whats his name might be?If he is my bet is that you remember everything and you never want to see me again in your life accordingly youll be spared a long search. If he isnt and the car isnt each its my lucky day and Mutt wins the prize of a lifetime and then we go on looking.Elena was watching him intently. Damon, do youknow where Matt is?No. Well, that was true enough. But she was a bright little trinket, a pretty little pink, and more than all that , she was sly. Damon broke off his polyrhythmic contemplations on Elenas intelligence. Why was he thinking in poetry? Was he really going crazy? Hed wondered that before hadnt he? Didnt it ratify you werent crazy if you wondered if you were? The truly insane never doubted their sanity, right? Right. Or did they? And surely all this talking to himself couldnt be good foranyone .Merda.All right, then. Ill trust you.Damon let out a breath he didnt need and headed the car toward the clearing.It was one of the more exciting gambles of his life. On one hand, therewas his life Elena would find some way or other of killing him if hed killed Mark, he was certain. And on the other handa taste of paradise. With a willing Elena, an eager Elena, an open Elenahe swallowed. He found himself doing the thing closest to praying that hed done in half a millennium.As they rounded the corner on the road to the little lane, he kept himself in hyper-alertness, the engine a bare hum, the night air brin ging all kinds of information to vampire senses. He was thoroughly aware that an ambush could have been set up for him. But the lane was deserted. And as he suddenly hit the accelerator to reveal the little clearing, he found it b littleedly, bleakly, blankly empty of either cars or of college-aged young men whose names started with M.He relaxed against the seatback.Elena had been watching him.You thought he might be here.Yes. And now was the time for the real question. Without a pareg her this, the whole thing was a sham, a fraud. Doyou remember this place?She glanced around. No. Should I?Damon smiled.But he took the precaution of driving on up another three hundred yards, into a different clearing, just in case she should have a sudden attack of memory.There were malach in the other clearing, he explained easily. This one is guaranteed monster-free. Oh, what a liar, I am, I am, he rejoiced. Have I still got it or what?Hed beendisturbed ever since Elena had come back from the Other Side. But if that graduation night it had discomfited him into literally giving her the shirt off his back sanitary, there were still no words for how hed felt when shed stood before him newly returned from the afterlife, her skin glowing in the dark clearing, naked without shame or the concept of shame. And during her massage, where veins traced out lines of blue comet fire against an inverse sky. Damon was feeling something he hadnt felt for cardinal hundred years.He was feeling desire.Human desire. Vampires didnt feel that. It was all sublimated into the need for the blood, always the blood.But he was feeling it.He knew why, too. Elenas aura. Elenas blood. Shed brought back with her something more substantial than wings. And while the wings had faded, this new talent seemed to be permanent.He realized that it was a very long time since hed felt this, and that then he might be quite wrong. But he didnt think so. He thought that Elenas aura would make the most fossilized of v ampires stand up and blossom into virile young men once again.He leaned away as far as the crowded confines of the Ferrari would allow. Elena, theres something I should tell you. almost Matt? She gave him a straightforward, intelligent glance.Nat? No, no. Its about you. I know you were surprised that Stefan would leave you in the care of somebody likeme .There was no manner for privacy in the Ferrari and he was sharing her body warmth already.Yes, I was, she said simply.Well, it may have something to do with It may have had something to do with how we decided that my aura would give even old vampires the jigsies. From now on, Ill need strong protection because of that, Stefan said.Damon didnt know what the jigsies were, but he was prepared to bless them for getting a delicate point across to a lady. I think, he said carefully, that of all things, Stefan would want you to have protection from the evil folk drawn here from all over the globe, and above all other things that you not be forced to to, um, jigsy if it was not your wish.And now hesleft me like a selfish, stupid, idealistic idiot, considering all the good deal in the world who might want to jigsy me.I agree, Damon said, careful of keeping the lie of Stefans willing departure intact. And Ive already promised what protection I can offer. I really will do my best, Elena, to see that no one gets near you.Yes, said Elena, but then something like this she made a little gesture probably to indicate Shinichi and all the problems brought about by his arrival comes up and nobody knows how to deal with it.True, said Damon. He had to keep shaking himself and reminding himself of his real usage here. He was here towell, he wasnt on St. Stefans side. And the thing was, it was easy enough.There she was, brushing her hair outa fair pretty maidservant sat brushing her hair outthe sun in the sky was none such so gold. Damon shook himselfhard . Since when had he gotten into ye Olde English folksongs? What wasw rong with him?To have something to say, he asked, How are you feeling? just, as it happened, as she lifted her hand to her throat.She grimaced. Not bad.And that made them look at each other. And then Elena smiled and he had to smile back, at first just a quirk of the lip, and then a full smile.She wasdamn it, she waseverything . Witty, enchanting, brave, smartand beautiful. And he knew that his look were saying all that and that she wasnt turning away.We might take a little walk, he said, and bells rang and trumpets played fanfares, and confetti came raining down and there was a release of doves.In other words, she said, All right.They picked a little path off the clearing that looked easy to Damons night-acquainted vampire eyes. Damon didnt want her on her feet too much. He knew that she still hurt and that she didnt want him to know it or to pamper her. Something inside him said, Well, then, wait until she says shes tired and help her to sit down.And something else beyond his c ontrol, sprang out at the first little hesitation of her foot, and he picked her up, apologizing in a dozen different languages, and generally acting the fool until he had her seated on a comfortably carved wooden bench with a back to it and a very light traveling blanket over her knees. He kept adding, Youll tell me if theres something anything else you want? He accidentally sent to her a clipping of his thoughts of possible contenders, which were, a glass of water, him sitting beside her, and a baby elephant, which he had earlier seen in her mind that she admired very much.Im very sorry, but I dont think I do elephants, he said, on his knees, making the footstool more comfortable for her, when he caught a random thought of hers that he was not so different from Stefan as he seemed.No other name could have caused him to do what he did then. No other word, or concept, could have such effect on him. In an instant the blanket was off, the footstool had disappeared, and he was safe keeping Elena bent backward with the slender column of her neck fully clear to him.The difference,he told her,between me and my brother is that he is still hoping somehow to slip in through some side door into heaven. Im not such a moaning ninny about my fate. I know where Im going.And I dont he gave her a smile with all canines fully extended give a damn about it.Her eyes were extensive hed startled her. And startled her into an unintentional, thoroughly honest response. Her thoughts were projected toward him, easy to read.I know and, Im like that, too. I want what I want. Im not as good as Stefan. And I dont know He was enthralled.What dont you know, sweetheart?She just shook her head, eyes shut.To break the abruptlylock, he whispered into her ear, What about this, thenSay Im boldAnd say Im badSay you vanities Im vainer.But you Erinyes, just addI kissed Elena.Her eyes flew open. Oh, no Please, Damon. She was whispering. Please Please not now And she swallowed miserably. Be sides, you asked me if Id like a drink, and then suddenly its no drink. I wouldnt mindbeing a drink if youd like, but first, Imso thirsty as thirsty as you are, possibly?She did the little tap-tap-tap under her chin again.Damons insides melted.He held out his hand and it closed around the stem of a delicate crystal glass. He swirled the splash of liquid in it expertly, tested it for bouquet ah, bewitching then gently rolled it on his tongue. It was the real thing.Black Magic wine, magnanimous from Clarion Loess Black Magic grapes. It was the only wine most vampires would drink and there were questionable stories of how it had kept them on their feet when their other thirst could not be assuaged.Elena was drinking hers, her blue eyes wide above the deep violet of the wine as he told her some of its story. He loved to watch her when she was like this investigating with all her senses fully aroused. He shut his eyes and remembered some choice moments from the past. Then he open ed them again to find Elena, looking very much the thirsty child, eagerly gulping down Yoursecond glass? Hed discovered the first chalice at her feet. Elena, where did you get another one?I just did what you did. Held out my hand. Its not as if it were hard liquor, is it? It tastes like grape juice, and I was dying for a drink.Could she really be that naive? True, Black Magic wine didnt have the sharp odor or taste of most alcohol. It was subtle, created for the fastidious vampire palate. Damon knew that the grapes were grown in the soil, loess, that a grinding glacier leaves behind. Of course, that process was only for the long-lived vampires, as it took ages to build up enough loess. And when the soil was ready, the grapes were grown and processed, from graft to foot-stomped pulp in ironwood vats, without ever seeing the sun. That was what gave it its black velvet, dark, delicate taste. And nowElena had a grape juice mustache. Damon wanted very much to kiss it away.Well, someday y ou can tell people you drank two glasses of Black Magic in under a minute, and impress them, he said.But she was doing the tap-tap-tapping again under her chin.Elena, do you want to have some of your blood drawn?Yes She said it in the ringing-bell tones of someone who has finally been asked the right question.She was drunk.She flung both arms backward, draping them against the bench, which conformed to accept her bodys every new motion. It had become a black suede couch with a high back a divan, and just now, Elenas slender neck was resting on the highest point of that back, her throat exposed to the air. Damon turned away with a little moan. He wanted to get Elena to civilization. He was worried about her health, mildly concerned aboutMutts and nowhe couldnt haveanything he wanted. He could hardly bleed her when she was drunk.Elena made a different sort of sound that might have been his name. Dmn? she mumbled. Her eyes had filled with tears. notwithstanding about anything that a nu rse might have to do for a patient, Damon had done for Elena. But it seemed she didnt want to unswallow two glasses of Black Magic in front of him.Mshick, Elena got out, with a dangerous hiccup at the end. She gripped Damons wrist.Yes, this is not the kind of wine to guzzle. Wait, just sit up straight and let me try And maybe because he said the words without thinking, without thinking of being rude, without thinking of manipulating her one way or another, it was all right. Elena obeyed him and he put two fingers on either side of her temples and pressed slightly. For a split second there was a near disaster, and then Elena was breathing slowly and calmly. She was still affected by the wine, but she wasnt drunk any longer.And the time was now. He had to tell her the truth at last.But first, he needed to wake up.A triple espresso, please, he said, holding out his hand. It appeared instantly, aromatic and black as his soul. Shinichi says espresso alone is an excuse for the human race. Whoever Shinichi is, I agree with him or her. A triple espresso, please, Elena said to the magic that was this forest, this eccentric person globe, this universe. Nothing happened.Maybe its only attuned to my voice right now, Damon said, flashing her a reassuring smile, and then he fetched her espresso with a wave.To his surprise, Elena was frowning.You said Shinichi. Whos that?Damon wanted nothing less than for Elena to get involved with the kitsune, but if he was really going to tell all she was going to have to. Hes akitsune , a fox spirit, he said. And the person who gave me that network address that sent Stefan running.Elenas expression froze over.Actually, Damon said, I find that I would rather get you home before taking the next step.Elena lifted exasperated eyes to the sky, but let him pick her up and carry her back to the car.He had just realized where the best place to tell her was.It was just as well that they didnt urgently need to get to any place that was out of the O ld Wood right now. They didnt find any road that did not lead to dead ends, little clearings, or trees. Elena seemed so unsurprised at finding the little lane that led to their small but perfectly appointed house that he said nothing as they entered and he took new inventory of what they had.They had one bedroom with one large, luxurious bed. They had a kitchen. And a living area. But any of these rooms could become any kind of room you chose simply by thinking of it before opening the door. Moreover, there were the keys left behind by what Damon was realizing was a seriously shaken Shinichi that allowed the doors to do more. Insert a key in a door and announce what you wanted and there you were even, it seemed, if it should be outside Shinichis soil in spacetime. In other words, theyseemed to link to the real outside world, but Damon wasnt entirely sure about that.Was it the real world or just another of Shinichis play-traps?What they had right now was a long spiraling stairway to an open-air observatory with a widows walk around it, just like the roof of the boardinghouse. There was even a room just like Stefans, Damon noted as he carried Elena up the stairs.Were going all the way up? Elena sounded bewildered.All the way.And what are wedoing up here? Elena asked, when he had her settled in a chair with a footstool and a light blanket on the roof.Damon sat down on a rocker, rocking a little, his arms wrapped around one knee, his face tilted to the clouded sky.He rocked once more, stopped, and turned to face her. I suppose were here, he said, in the light self-mocking tone that meant he was very serious, so that I can tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.