The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 10

The next morning Elena got up and dressed quietly in the motel room, pleasant for the extra space. Damon was gone, save she had expected that. He usually got his breakfast early while they were on the road, preying on waitresses at all-night truck stops or early-morning diners.She was expiry to discuss that with him someday, she thought as she put the packet of ground coffee in the little two-cup percolator the motel provided. It smelled good. further to a greater extent urgently, she needed to talk to someone some what had happened give way night. Stefan was her first choice, of course, but shed found that out of body experiences werent meet to be had for the asking. What she needed to do was call Bonnie and Meredith. She had to talk to them it was her powerful but now, of all times, she couldnt. Intuitively, she felt that either contact between her and Fells Church might be bad.And Matt had never checked in. Not once. She had no idea where he was on the road, but he had let out be in Sedona on time, that was all. He had deliberately cut off all communication between them. Fine. As long as he showed up when he had promised. andElena still needed to talk. To express herself.Of course She was an idiot She still had her faithful companion that never said a word, and never kept her waiting. Pouring herself a cup of scalding black coffee on the way, Elena dug her diary out of the bottom of her duffle bag and opened it to a fresh, clean page. There was nothing like a fresh page and an ink pen that ran smoothly to start her writing. xv minutes later there was a rattle at one window and a minute later Damon was stepping by dint of. He had several paper bags with him and Elena felt unaccountably pleased and homey. She had provided coffee, which was rather good sluice if it came with dried cream substitute, and Damon had suppliedGasoline, he said triumphantly, raising his eyebrows significantly at her as he arrange the bags on the table. Just in case they try to use plants against us. No, thanks, he added, seeing she was standing with a full cup of coffee held in his direction. I had a garage mechanic while I was buying this. Ill just go wash my hands.And he disappeared, walking right past Elena.Walking right past her, without a glance, even though she was wearing her only clean pair of clothes left jeans and a subtly colored top that looked neat at first glance and only in the brightest light revealed that it was ethereally rainbow-shaded.Without a single look, Elena thought, feeling a strange sensation that somehow her life had just lapped itself.She started to throw the coffee away but then decided she needed it herself and drank it in a few scalding gulps.Then she went and stood by her diary, reading over the last two or three pages.Are you make up to go? Damon was shouting over the sound of running water in the bathroom.Yes in just a minute. Elena read the diary pages from the previous entry, and began skimming the one befor e that.We might as well go straight west from here, Damon shouted. We can make it in one day. Theyll ideate its a feint for one particular gate and search all the small ones. Meanwhile well go on heading for the Kimon door and be days ahead of bothone tracking us. Its perfect.Uh-huh, Elena said, reading.We ought to be able to meet Mutt tomorrow maybe even this flush, depending on what kind of trouble they cause.Uh-huh. just now first I wanted to ask you do you think its a coincidence that our window is broken? Because I always put wards on them at night and Im sure He passed a hand over his forehead. Im sure that I must have done that last night, as well. But something got through and broke the window and got away without a trace. That was why I bought all the the gasoline. If they try something with trees, Ill blast them all back to Stonehenge.And half the innocent residents of the state, Elena thought grimly. But she was in a state of such shock that not much could make an impression on top of it.What are you doing now? Damon was clearly ready to get up and going.Getting rid of something I dont need, Elena said, and flushed the toilet, watching the torn-up bits of her diary swirl round and round before disappearing.I wouldnt worry somewhat the window, though, she said, overture back into the bedroom and slipping her shoes on. And dont get up for a minute, Damon. Ive got to talk to you round something.Oh, come on. It can wait until were on the road, cant it?No, it cant, because weve got to give for that window. You broke it last night, Damon. But you dont remember doing it, do you?Damon stared at her. She could tell that his first temptation was to laugh. His second temptation, to which he gave in, was to think that she was nuts.Im serious, she said, once he had gotten up and started to pace toward the window with a distinct look of wanting to be a crow flying out of it. Dont you dare go anywhere, Damon, because theres more.More squelch I did tha t I dont remember? Damon lounged against the wall in one of his old, arrogant poses. Maybe I smashed a few guitars, kept the radio on until four A.M.?No. Not necessarily things from last night, Elena said, spirit away. She couldnt look at him. Other things, from other days Like maybe Ive been trying to corrupt this trip all along, he said, his voice laconic. He eyed the ceiling and sighed heavily. Maybe Ive done it just to be alone with you Shut up, DamonWhere had that come from? Well, she knew that, of course. From her feelings about last night. The problem was that she also had to get some other things settled seriously, if he would take them. Come to think of it, that might be a better way to go about this.Do you think that your feelings about Stefan well, have changed at all novelly? Elena asked.What?Do you think oh, this was so difficult looking into black eyes the color of endless space. Especially when last night they had been full of myriads of stars do you think t hat youve come to think of him differently? To honor his wishes more than you used to do?Now Damon was openly examining her, just as she was examining him.Are you serious? he said.Completely, she said, and, with a supreme effort, she sent her tears back where they were alleged(a) to go.Something did happen last night, he said. He was looking intently at her face. Didnt it?Something happened, yes, Elena said. It was it was more of a She had to let out her breath, and with that almost everything went.Shinichi Shinichi, che bastardo Imbroglione That thief Im going to charge him slowly Suddenly Damon was everywhere. He was beside her, his hands on her shoulders the next minute he was shouting imprecations out the window, then he was back, holding both her hands.But only one word mattered to Elena. Shinichi. The kitsune with his black, scarlet-tipped hair, who had made them give up so much just for the location of Stefans cell.Mascalzone Maleducato Elena lost track of Damons cursi ng again. So it was true. furthermost night had been completely stolen from Damon, taken from his mind as simply and completely as the interval when she had used Wings of Redemption and Wings of Purification on him. The latter he had agreed to. But last night and what other things had the fox been taking?To cut out an stallion evening and night and this evening and night in particular, implied thatHe never shut down the connection between my mind and his. He still can reach inside me any time he chooses. Damon had finally stopped swearing, and stopped moving. He was sitting on the couch opposite the bed with his hands drooping between his knees. He looked singularly forlorn.Elena, you have to tell me. What did he take from me last night? Please Damon looked as if he might fall on his knees in apparent movement of her, without melodrama. If if it was what I think Elena smiled, although tears were still running down her face. It wasnt what anyone would think, exactly, I suppo se, she said.But Lets just say that this time was mine, Elena said. If hes stolen anything else from you, or if he tries to do it in the future, then hes fair game. But thiswill be my secret. Until maybe someday you break into your huge boulder of secrets, she thought.Until I tear it out of him, along with his barbarism and his tail snarled Damon, and it was truly the snarl of an animal. Elena was glad it wasnt directed at her. Dont worry, Damon added in a voice so chilling that it was almost more terrorization than the animal fury. I will find him, no matter where he tries to hide. And I will take it from him. I might just take his entire little furry hide off with it. Ill make you a pair of mittens out of it, hows that?Elena tried to smile and did a pretty good job. She was just coming to terms with what had happened herself, although she didnt believe for a minute that Damon would really leave her alone on the subject until he forced the memory back out of Shinichi. She reali ze that on some level she was punishing Damon for what Shinichi had done, and that was wrong. I promise no one will get laid about last night, she told herself. Not until Damon does. I wont even tell Bonnie and Meredith.This made things a lot harder on her, and therefore probably more equitable.As they were cleaning up the debris from Damons most recent fit of fury, he suddenly reached up to brush a stray tear from Elenas cheek.Thank you Elena began. Then she stopped. Damon was touching his fingers to his lips.He looked at her, startled and a little disappointed. Then he shrugged. Still unicorn bait, he said. Did I say that last night?Elena hesitated, then decided that his words didnt fall within the essential time limits of secrecy.Yes, you did. But you wont give me away, will you? she added, suddenly anxious. Ive promised my friends not to say anything.Damon was staring at her. Why should I say anything about anybody? Unless youre talking about the little redheaded one?I told you Im not saying anything. Except that obviously Caroline isnt a virgin. Well, with all the ruckus about her being with child(predicate) But you remember, Damon interjected, I came to Fells Church before Stefan did I just lurked in the shadows longer. The way you talked Oh, I know. We liked boys and boys liked us, and we already had reputations. So we just talked any way we felt like talking. Some of it may have been true, but a lot of it you could take two ways and then of course you know how boys talk Damon knew. He nodded.Well and so pretty soon everyone was talking about us as if wed done everything with everyone. They even wrote stuff about it in the paper and the yearbook and on the bathroom walls. But we had a little poem, too, and sometimes we even wrote it with our signatures on it. How did it go? Elena cast her mind back a year, two years, more. Then she recitedJust because you heard it, doesnt make it true. Just because you read it, doesnt make it so. The next time that you hear it, it may be about you. Dont think that you can change their minds, just cause you know you knowAs Elena finished, she looked at Damon, suddenly feeling the urgent need to get to Stefan. Were almost there, she said. Lets hurry.