The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 19

Damon wouldnt meet theory a sadistic aged fool who whipped a woman to pieces for nary(prenominal) world able to slug a cart meant for a horse would live with any friends. And emeritus Drohzne, indeed, may not drive home had any. But that wasnt the issue.Neither, strangely, was murder the issue. Murder was an common affair around the slums and the f numeral that Damon had initiated and won a fight was of no surprise to the inhabitants of these tremendous alleyways.The issue lay in making discharge with a slave. Or perhaps it went deeper. The issue lay in how Damon tough his own slaves.A crowd of men all men, no women, Damon sight had indeed gat realiseherd in front of the doctors building, and they did in fact have torches.Mad vampire Mad vampire on the giving dumbfound him out here for justice to be doneBurn the situate smooth if they wont turn him outThe elders say to bring him to themThis appea carmine to have the essence the crowd desired, clearing the street s of the more decent people and leaving plainly the strainy-minded sort whod been hanging about at a loose end, and were notwithstanding too glad of a fight. Most of them, of course, were vampires themselves. Most of them were see vampires. But none of them, Damon thought, flashing a diamond-bright smile around the pass around that was closing in on him, had the motivation of knowing that the lives of three five-year-old human girls depended on him and that one of them was the jewel in the crown of humanity, Elena Gilbert.If he, Damon, was part to pieces in this fight, those three girls would lead lives of hell and degradation.However, even this logic didnt seem to help him prevail as Damon was kicked, bitten, head-butted, punched, and stabbed with wooden daggers the kind that slice vampire flesh. At starting time he thought he had a chance. several(prenominal) of the newbornest and fittest vampires fell prey to his cobra-quick strikes and his sudden strafes of Power. Bu t the truth was that there were simply too many of them, Damon thought, as he snapped the neck of a hellion whose two long tusks had already scored his ramp up almost through the muscle. And here came a huge vampire, clearly in training, with an aura that submit Damon observe bile at the bear of his throat. That one went down with a founding in the face, but he didnt stay down he came up, clinging to Damons nog and allowing several smaller vampires with wooden daggers to dart in and hamstring him. Damon matte up black dismay as his legs went out from infra him.Sunlight doomed you, he grated through a singful of blood as other tusked, red-skinned fiend punched him in the mouth. Damn you all to the lowest hells.It was no good. Dully, cool it fighting, still using great swaths of Power to maim and kill as many as he could, Damon realized this. And then everything became dreamlike and logy not like his dream of Elena, whom he seemed to see constantly in his side-eye, wee ping. But dreamlike in a feverish, nightmare sense. He could no longer use his muscles efficiently. His body was battered and even as he healed his legs, another vampire scored a great cut across his back. He was feeling more and more as if he were in a nightmare where he could not move except in slow motion. At the same time, something in his brain was whispering for him to rest. ripe restand it would all be over.Eventually, the greater numbers bore him down, and mortal appeared with a stake.Good riddance to new rubbish, the stake bringer verbalise, his breath reeking of stale blood, his leering face grotesque, as he used leprous-looking fingers to hand Damons shirt so as not to make a lot in the fine black silk.Damon spat on him and had his face stamped on hard in return.He blacked out for a moment and then, slowly, came back to pain.And noise. The gleeful crowd of vampires and demons, drunk on cruelty, were all doing a stomping, rhythmic, extempore dance around Damon, roa ring with laughter as they thrust imaginary number stakes, working themselves into a frenzy.That was when Damon realized that he was actually going to die.It was a shocking realization, even though hed known how much more dangerous this arena was than the one hed recently left, and even in the human world he had only escaped death by a tomentum more than once. But now he had no powerful friends, no weaknesses in the crowd to exploit. He felt as if seconds were suddenly stint into minutes, separately one of incalculable worth. What was important? Telling ElenaBlind him first Get that stick blazingIll take his ears soul help me master his headTelling Elenasomething. SomethingsorryHe gave up. Another thought was act to break into his consciousness.Dont forget to knock out his teeth I promised my lady friend a new necklaceI thought I was prepared for this, Damon thought slowly, each word coming orderly. Butnot so soon.I thought Id do my peacebut not with the one someone who matteredyes, who mattered the most.He didnt give himself time to think about that subject further.Stefan, he sent out on the most powerful but covert jettison of Power he could manage in his foggy state. Stefan, fall upon me Elenas come for you shell save you She has Powers that my death will let loose. And I amI ams At that moment there was a stumbling in the dance around him. Silence descended on the drunken revelers. A few of them hastily bowed their heads or looked away.Damon went still, wondering what could possibly have stopped the frenzied crowd in the very midst of their revelry.Someone was walking toward him. The newcomer had long bronze hair that hung in separate unruly tangles down to his waist. He was naked to the waist, too, exposing a body that the strongest demon might envy. A chest that looked as if it had been carved out of gleam bronze stone. Exquisitely sculpted biceps. Abs a perfect six pack. in that location was not a spare oz. of fat on his complete tall leonine frame. He wore unadorned black trousers with muscles rippling under them at every step.All along one bare arm he had a vivid tattoo of a black flying lizard eating a heart.Nor was he alone. He held no leash, but by his side was a handsome and uncannily intelligent-looking black dog that stood at alert attention every time he paused. It must have weighed close to two hundred pounds, but there was not an ounce of fat on it, either.And on one shoulder he carried a large falcon.It wasnt hooded as most hunting birds were on forays out of their mews. It besides wasnt standing on anything padded. It gripped the bare shoulder of the bronze young man, turn over its three front talons into the flesh and sending small streams of blood down his chest. He didnt seem to notice. There were similar, dried streams beside the fresh ones, undoubtedly from preliminary journeys. In the back, a single talon made a lonely red trail.An absolute hush had fallen on the crowd and the last few demo ns between the tall man and the blinking(a), supine figure on the worldly concern scrambled out of his way.For a moment, the leonine man was still. He give tongue to nothing, did nothing, emitted no trace of Power. Then he nodded at the dog, which padded earlier heavily and sniffed at Damons bleeding arms and face. After that it sniffed at his mouth and Damon could see the hairs go up on its body.Good dog, said Damon dreamfully as the moist, cool nose tickled his cheek.Damon knew this particular animal and he knew overly that it did not fit the popular stereotype of a good dog. Rather, it was a hellhound who was used to taking vampires by the throat and shaking them until their arteries spouted blood six feet high into the air.That kind of thing could keep you so industrious that having a stake slipped into your heart might seem an afterthought, Damon mused, holding dead still.Arr??tez-le said the bronze-haired youth.The dog obediently backed get rid of, never taking its gl eam black eye off Damons, who never took his own eyes off it until it was some feet away.The bronze-haired youth glanced over the crowd briefly. Then he said with no particular vehemence, Laissez-le seul. Clearly, to the vampires no translation was necessary, and they began to edge away immediately. The hexed ones were those who didnt edge fast enough and were still around when the bronze young man took another leisurely look about him. Everywhere he looked, he met downcast eyes and cringing bodies, frozen in the act of edging but apparently morose to stone now in an attempt not to attract attention.Damon found himself relaxing. His Power was returning, allowing him to make repairs. He realized that the dog was going from individual to individual and sniffing at each one with interest.When Damon was able to lift his head again, he smiled faintly at the newcomer. quick-scented. Think of the devil.The bronze mans brief smile was grim. You compliment me, mon cher. You see? Im blushi ng.I ought to have known you might be here.There is infinite pose to wander, mon petit tyran. Even if I must do it alone.Ah, the pity. Tiny violins are playacting Suddenly Damon couldnt do it anymore. He just couldnt. by chance it was because of being with Elena before. Maybe it was because this hideous world depressed him unutterably. But when he spoke again, his phonate was entirely different. I never knew I could feel so grateful. Youve relieve five lives, though you dont know it. Though how you stumbled on us able crouched down, looked at him with concern. What is it that has happened? he said in a serious voice. Is it that you hit your head? You know news travels fast here. I heard you arrived with a harem Thats true He did Damons ears caught a bare whisper of snuff it at the edge of the street where hed been ambushed. If we take the girls hostage torture them Sages eyes met Damons briefly. Clearly, he had heard the whisper as well. Saber, he said to the dog. on the nose the speaker. He jerked his head, once, in the direction of the whisper.Instantly, the black dog jumped forward, and faster than it took for Damon to pull it in his own mind, had sunk his teeth into the throat of the whisperer, flipped him over once, cause a distinctive crack, and was bounding back, dragging the body between his legs.The words Je vous ai inform?? au sujet de ceci blasted by on a inflate of Power that made Damon wince. And Damon thought, yes, he did tell them before but not what the consequences would be.Laissez lui et ses amis dans la paix Meanwhile, Damon was slowly getting up, only too glad to deal Sages protection for himself and his friends.Well that certainly should have done it, he said. wherefore not come back and have a hospitable alcoholism with me?Sage peered at him as if hed gone mad. You know the answer to that is no.Why not?I told you no.Thats not a fountain.The reason I will not come back for a friendly drinkmon angeis that we are not fri ends.We pulled some pretty scams together.Il y a longtemps. Abruptly, Sage took one of Damons hands. There was a deep and bloody scratch on it, which Damon hadnt got around to healing. Under Sages gaze it closed, the flesh turned pink, and it healed.Damon let Sage continue to hold the hand for a moment, and then, not ungently, retrieved it.Not such a very long time ago, he said.Away from you? A sarcastic smile formed on Sages lips. We imagine time very differently, you and I, mon petit tyran.Damon was full of befuddled cheer. Whats one drink?along with your harem?Damon tried to picture Meredith and Sage together. His mind balked. But youve made yourself responsible for them anyway, he said flatly. And the truth is that none of them are mine. I give my word on that. He felt a contract when he thought about Elena, but his word was true.Responsible for them? Sage seemed to be reasoning it out. Youpledged to save them, then. But I only inherit your pledge if you die. Butif you die The tall man made a helpless gesture.You have to live, to save Stefan and Elena and the others. Id say no, but that would make you unhappy. So Ill say yes And if you dont perform, I swear Ill come back to shop at you. Sage regarded him for a moment. I dont think Ive ever beenaccused of being unable to perform before, he said. But of course thatwas before I became un vampire.Yes, Damon thought, the meeting of the harem and Sage wasbound to be interesting. At least it would be if the girls discovered whoSage really was.But maybe no one would tell them.