The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 9

clean winced at the nasty metalic taste in her m bug placeh and blinked s foreveral times, until the room al nearly her came back into focus. Ugh, she give tongue to. I hate doing that.E actually maven was sta c entirely off at her, their attends white and shocked.What? she give tongue to uneasily. Whatd I verify?Elena was sitting very stil . You give tongue to it was my fault, she give tongue to slowly. whatsoever is coming by and by us, I brought it here.Stefan reached protrude to cover her go with his consume. Unbidden, the meanest, narrowest musical composition of comelys mind model process wearily, Of course. Its always ab stunned Elena, isnt it?Meredith and Matt fil ed Bonnie in on the rest of what shed said in her trance, notwithstanding their fount kept returning to Elenas stricken face, and as soon as they terminate tel ing her what shed preoccupied, they turned away from Bonnie, back to Elena.We posit to make a plan, Meredith said to her softly.Wel al sine qua non some refreshment, Mrs. Flowers said, rising to her feet, and Bonnie fol owed her into the kitchen, impetuous to bleed the tension of the room.She wasnt rattling y a plan young woman, anyway, she told herself. Shed make her theatrical role adept by being the vision girl. Elena and Meredith were the ones everyone looked to for making the decisions. unless it wasnt fair, was it? She wasnt a fool, despite the fact that her friends al treated her aforesaid(prenominal) the baby of the group. Everyone concept Elena and Meredith were so clever and so strong, entirely Bonnie had salved the mean solar day again and again non that anyone ever remembered that. She ran her tongue along the edges of her teeth, trying to scrape onward the nasty sour taste stil in her sass.Mrs. Flowers had headstrong that what the group needed to soothe them was some of her special elder-flower lemonade. While she fil ed the glass with ice, poured the drinks, and set them extin ct on a tray, Bonnie watched her restlessly. thither was a rough, empty feeling inside Bonnie, similar something was missing. It wasnt fair, she thought again. none of them appreciated her or realize al shed done for them.Mrs. Flowers, she said suddenly. How do you run out to your mother?Mrs. Flowers turned to her, surprised. Why, my dear,she said, its very easy to speak to ghosts, if they call for to speak to you, or if they are the spirits of someone you turn ind. Ghosts, you run across, render not left our plane precisely taking into custody close to us.But stil , Bonnie pressed on, you basin do to a greater extent than that, a lot more. She fancy Mrs. Flowers, young again, look flashing, hair flying, fighting the kitsunes malevolent Power with an compare Power of her own. Youre a very regent(postnominal) witch.Mrs. Flowerss expression was reserved. Its kind of you to say so, dear.Bonnie twirled a ringlet of her hair close to one hitch anxiously, weighing her next words. Wel if you would, of course however if you rescue time Id corresponding you to train me. Whatever youd be wil ing to teach me. I can tell things and Ive gotten better at that, alone Id like to learn everything, anything else you can immortalise me. Divining, and about herbs. Protection spel s. The works, I guess. I feel like theres so much I dont know, and I think I faculty go on talent, you know?I hope so, anyway.Mrs. Flowers looked at her appraisingly for one long consequence and therefore nodded once more.I wil teach you, she said. With pleasure. You possess great pictorial talent.Real y? Bonnie said shyly. A warm smatter of happiness rose inside her, fil ing the emptiness that had engulfed her just moments ago. consequently she cleared her throat and added, as casual y as she could manage, And I was inquire can you talk to anyone whos dead? Or just your mother?Mrs. Flowers didnt swear out for a few moments. Bonnie mat up like the older womans great sorry gaze was looking straight through and through her and analyzing the mind and eye inside. When Mrs. Flowers did speak, her voice was gentle.Who is it you want to contact, dear?Bonnie flinched. No one in particular, she said quickly, erasing an image of Damons black-on-black eyeball from her mind. It just seems like something that would be useful. And interesting, too. Like, I could learn al about Fel s Churchs history. She turned away from Mrs. Flowers and busied herself with the lemonade glasses, button away the subject behind for now.There would be time to ask again, she thought. Soon.The most important thing, Elena was saying earnestly, is to protect Meredith. Weve gotten a warning, and we need to take gain of it, not sit around worrying about where it came from. If something terrible something I brought somehow is coming, wel deal with it when it gets here. Right now, we look out for Meredith.She was so beautiful, she made Stefan dizzy. Quite literal y Sometimes he wo uld look at her, catch her at a certain angle, and would see, as if for the first time, the touchy curve of her cheek, the lightest rose-petal blush in her creamy skin, the soft seriousness of her mouth. In those moments, every time, his head and stomach would swoop as if hed just gotten off a rol er coaster. Elena. He belonged to her it was as simple as that. As if for hundreds of historic period he had been journeying toward this one mortal girl, and now that he had found her, his long, long life final y had found its purpose.You dont read her, though, something inside him said. Not all of her. Not really.Stefan shook off the treasonable thought. Elena loved him. She loved him bravely and desperately and passionately and far more than he deserved. And he loved her. That was what mattered.And refine now, this sweet mortal girl he loved was efficiently organizing a schedule for guarding Meredith, assigning duties with the allay expectation that she would be obeyed. Matt, she s aid, if youre working tomorrow night, you and Alaric can take the daytime shift. Stefan wil take over at night, and Bonnie and I wil pick up in the morning.You should have been a general, Stefan murmured to her, earning himself a quick make a face.I dont need guards, Meredith said irritably. Ive been trained in martial arts and Ive faced the eerie before. It seemed to Stefan that her eye rested speculatively on him for a second, and he pressure himself not to bristle under her scrutiny. My stave is al the protection I need.A stave like yours couldnt have protected Celia, Elena bespeakd. Without Stefan there to intervene, she would have been kil ed. On the couch, Celia closed her eyeball and rested her head against Alarics arm.Fine, then. Meredith spoke in a clipped timbre, her eyes on Celia. Its true, out of al of us, only Stefan could have saved her. And thats the other reason this whole team motion to protect me is ridiculous. Do you have the speciality and speed these day s to save me from a moving train, Elena? Does Bonnie? Stefan motto Bonnie, coming in with a tray of lemonade glasses, pause and frown as she heard Merediths words.He had known, of course, that with Damon dead and Elenas Powers gone, he was the only one left to protect the group. Wel , Mrs. Flowers and Bonnie had some bound magical ability. Then Stefan amended the thought further. Mrs. Flowers was actual y quite powerful, but her powers were stil depleted from fighting the kitsune. It came to the same thing, then Stefan was the only one who could protect them now. Meredith might talk about her responsibilities as a lamia hunter, but in the end, despite her training and heritage, she was just another mortal. His eyes scanned the group, al the mortals, his mortals. Meredith, serious gray eyes and a steely resolve. Matt, eager and boyish and decent down to the bone. Bonnie, sunny and sweet, and with a core of strength perhaps counterbalance she didnt know she had. Mrs. Flowers, a w ise matriarch. Alaric and Celia wel , they werent his mortals the way the others were, but they fel under his protection while they were here. He had sworn to protect humans, when he could. If he could.He remembered Damon saying to him once, laughing in one of his fits of sober good humor, his face gleeful,Theyre just so fragile, Stefan You can break them without horizontal meaning toAnd Elena, his Elena. She was as vulnerable as the rest of them now. He flinched. If anything ever happened to her, Stefan knew beyond a doubt that he would take off the ring that let him walk in the day, lie down in the bay window higher up her grave, and wait for the sun.But the same hol ow voice inside that questioned Elenas love for him whispered darkly in his ear She would not do the same for you. You are not her everything. As Elena and Meredith, with occasional interjections from Matt and Bonnie, continued to argue about whether Meredith needed the efforts of the group to guard her, Stefan cl osed his eyes and slipped into his memories of Damons death.Stefan watched, vacuous and uncomprehending and just not fast enough, as Damon, quicker than him bowl the last, dashed toward the huge tree and flung Bonnie, light as dandelion fluff, out of the reach of the barbed kickoffes already plummeting toward her.As he threw her, a branch caught Damon through his chest, pinning him to the ground. Stefan saw the moment of shock in his chum salmons eyes before they rolled backward. A single drop of blood ran from his mouth down his chin.Damon, open your eyes Elena was screaming. There was a rough tone in her voice, an agony Stefan had never heard from her before. Her hands jerked at Damons shoulders, as if she wanted to raise up him hard, and Stefan pulled her away. He cant, Elena, he cant, he said, half sobbing.Couldnt she see that Damon was dying? The branch had stop his heart and the trees poison was spreading through his veins and arteries. He was gone. Stefan had gently lowe red Damons head to the ground. He would let his brother go.But Elena wouldnt.Turning to take her in his arms and comfort her, Stefan saw that she had forgotten him. Her eyes were closed and her lips were moving soundlessly. All her muscles were taut, straining toward Damon, and Stefan cognize with a dull shock that she and Damon were connected still, that a last talk was being carried on along some private frequency that excluded him.Her face was wet with tears, and she suddenly fumbled for her knife and with one swift, sure movement, nicked her own jugular vein vein, starting blood flowing across her neck. Drink, Damon, she said in a desperate, prayerlike voice, prying his mouth open with her hands and angling her neck above it.The smell of Elenas blood was rich and tangy, making Stefans canines itch with desire even in his horror at her carelessness in cutting her own throat. Damon did not drink. The blood ran out of his mouth and down his neck, soaking his shirt and pooling on his black leather jacket. Elena sobbed and threw herself on top of Damon, kissing his icy lips, her eyes clenched shut. Stefan could tell she was still in communion with Damons spirit, a telepathic exchange of love and secrets private between them, the two race he loved most. The only people he loved. A refrigerating tendril of envy, the feeling of being the outsider looking in, the one who was left all alone, kink along Stefans spine even as tears of distress ran down his face. A phone rang, and Stefan snapped back to the present. Elena glanced at her cel and then answered, Hi, aunt Judith. She paused. At the boardinghouse with everybody. We picked up Alaric and his friend from the train. Another pause and she grimaced. Im sorry, I forgot. Yes, I wil . In just a few minutes, al adjust? Okay. Bye.She hung up and got to her feet. Apparently at some point I promised auntie Judith I would be home for dinner tonight. Roberts getting out the fondu set and Margaret wants me to sho w her how to dip bread in cheese. She rol ed her eyes, but Stefan wasnt fooled. He could see how delighted Elena was to have her baby sister idolizing her again.Elena went on, frowning, Im not sure Il be able to get out again tonight, but someone needs to be with Meredith at al times. Can you stay here tonight, Meredith, instead of at home?Meredith nodded slowly, her long legs drawn up under her on the couch. She looked tired and apprehensive, despite her earlier bravado. Elena touched her hand in farewel , and Meredith smiled at her. Im sure your minions wil take good care of me, queen mole rat Elena, she said lightly.Id expect nothing less, Elena answered in the same tone, turning her smile on the rest of the room. Stefan got to his feet. Il walk you home, he said. Matt rose, too. I can drive you, he offered, and Stefan was surprised to find that he had to suppress the pep up to shove Matt back into his seat. Stefan would take care of Elena. She was his responsibility.No, stay he re, both of you, Elena said firmly. Its only a few blocks, and its stil broad daylight out. You look after Meredith.Stefan settled back in his chair, eyeing Matt. With a wave, Elena was gone, and Stefan stretched out his senses to fol ow her as far as he could, pushing his Power to sense whether anything dangerous, anything at al , lurked nearby. His Powers werent strong enough, though, to reach al the way to Elenas house. He curled his hands into tight, frustrated fists. He had been so much more powerful when he al owed himself to drink human blood. Meredith was watching him, gray eyes sympathetic.Shel be okay, she said. You cant watch her al the time.But I can try, thought Stefan.When Elena strol ed up her walk, Caleb was clipping the glossy green leaves of the flowering camel ia bushes in front of the house.Hi, she said, surprised. Have you been here al day?He stopped trimming and wiped the sweat off his forehead. With his blond hair and healthy tan, he looked like a California surfer transplanted to a Virginia lawn. Elena thought Caleb seemed just right on a perfect summer day like this one, a lawn mower humming in the distance somewhere, the sky unconsolable and high above them.Sure, he said cheerful y. Lots to do. It looks good, right?It real y does, she said. And it did. The grass was mowed, the hedges were perfectly trimmed, and he had set out some daisies in the flower beds near the house.Whatve you been up to today? Caleb asked. vigour as energetic as this, Elena said, suppressing the memory of the desperate race to save Celia. My friends and I just picked someone up at the train send out and hung out inside for the rest of the day. I hope the weather holds, though. We want to take a picnic up to Hot Springs tomorrow.Sounds like fun, Caleb said agreeably. Elena was tempted for a moment to invite him along. Despite Stefans reservations, he seemed like a nice guy, and he probably didnt know many people in town. Maybe Bonnie would hit it off with him . He was pretty cute, after al . And Bonnie hadnt real y been interested in anyone for a while. Anyone other than Damon, a secret undersized voice said in the back of her mind.But of course she couldnt invite Caleb. What was she thinking? She and her friends couldnt have outsiders around while they talked about what supernatural entity had it in for them now.A little stinging of longing hit her. Would she ever be a girl who could have a picnic and swim and flirt and be able to talk to anyone she liked, because she had no dark secrets to conceal?Arent you exhausted? she asked, quickly changing the subject.She thought she saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. Had he realized she was thinking of inviting him along on the picnic and then changed her mind? But he answered readily enough. Oh, your aunt ran me out a couple of glasses of lemonade, and I had a sandwich with your sister at lunchtime. He grinned. Shes a cutie. And an excel ent conversationalist. She told me al about t igers.She talked to you? Elena said with surprise. Shes usual y real y shy around new people. She wouldnt talk to my boyfriend, Stefan, until hed been around for months.Oh, wel , he said, and shrugged. Once I showed her a couple of magic tricks, she was so spell-bound she forgot to be shy. Shes going to be a master magician by the time she starts first grade. Shes a natural.Real y? said Elena. She felt a sharp shift in her stomach, a sense of loss. She had missed so much of her little sisters life. Shed noticed at breakfast that she looked and sounded older. It was like Margaret had grown into a different person without her. Elena gave herself a mental shake She needed to stop being such a whiner. She was unbelievably successful just to be here now.Oh, yeah, he said. Look, I taught her this. He held out a tanned fist, turned it over, and opened his hand to reveal a camel ia blossom, waxy and white, closed his hand, then opened it again to reveal a tightly furled bud.Wow, said Elen a, intrigued. Do it again.She watched intently as he opened and closed his hand several times, revealing flower then bud, flower then bud.I showed Margaret how to do it with coins, switching between a quarter and a penny, he said, but its the same principle.Ive seen tricks like that before, she said, but I cant figure out where youre hiding the one that isnt showing. How do you do it?Magic, of course, he said, smiling, and opened his hand to let the camel ia blossom fal at Elenas feet.Do you believe in magic? she said, looking up into his warm blue eyes. He was flirting with her, she knew guys always flirted with Elena if she let them.Wel , I ought to, he said softly. Im from New Orleans, you know, the home of voodoo.Voodoo? she said, a cold shiver going down her spine. Caleb laughed. Im just playing with you, he said.Voodoo. Jeez, what a load of crap.Oh, right. constitutional y, Elena said, forcing a giggle.One time, though, Caleb continued, back before my parents died, Tyler was visiting, and the two of us went to the french Quarter to get our fortunes told by this old voudon priestess.Your parents died? Elena asked, surprised. Caleb lowered his head for a moment, and Elena reached out to touch him, her hand lingering on his. Mine did, too, she said.Caleb was very stil . I know, he said.Their eyes met, and Elena winced in sympathy. There was such painful sensation in Calebs warm blue eyes when she looked for it, despite his easy smile.It was years ago, he said softly. I stil miss them sometimes, though, you know.She squeezed his hand. I know, she said quietly. Then Caleb smiled and shook his head a little, and the moment between them was over. This was before that, though, he said. We were maybe twelve years old when Tyler visited. Calebs slight Southern emphasise got stronger as he went on, his tone lazy and rich. I didnt believe in that stuff back then, either, and I dont think Tyler did, but we thought it might be kind of fun. You know how its fun to scare yourself a little sometimes. He paused. It was pretty creepy, actual y. She had al these black candles burning and eldritch charms everywhere, stuff made of bones and hair. She threw some powder on the storey around us and looked at the different patterns. She told Tyler she saw a huge change coming for him and that he needed to think careful y before he put himself in someone elses power.Elena flinched involuntarily. A great change had certainly come for Tyler, and he had put himself in the vampire Klauss power. Wherever Tyler was now, things hadnt turned out the way hed planned.And what did she tel you? she asked.Nothing much, real y, he answered. Mostly just to be good. Stay out of trouble, look out for my family. That kind of thing. Stuff I try to do. My aunt and uncle need me here now, with Tyler missing. He looked down at her again, shrugged, and smiled. Like I said, though, it was mostly just a load of crap. Magic and al that nutty stuff.Yeah, Elena said hol owly. Al that nutty stuff.The sun went behind a cloud and Elena shivered once more. Caleb move closer to her.Are you cold? he said, and reached a hand out toward her shoulder.At that moment a raucous caw burst from the trees by the house, and a big black crow flew toward them, low and fast. Caleb dropped his hand and ducked, screen his face, but the crow angled up at the last minute, disturbance furiously, and soared away over their heads.Did you see that? Caleb cried. It almost hit us.I did, Elena answered, watching as the graceful winged silhouette disappeared into the sky. I did.