The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 19

Damon wouldnt bemuse imagination a sadistic old lounge around who whipped a wo humanness to pieces for non being able to pull a cart meant for a horse would have any friends. And Old Drohzne, and so, whitethorn non have had any. just that wasnt the issue.Neither, strangely, was murder the issue. Murder was an everyday thing around the slums and the fact that Damon had initiated and won a fight was of no perplexity to the inhabitants of these dangerous alleyways.The issue lay in making off with a slave. Or perhaps it went deeper. The issue lay in how Damon treated his admit slaves.A contact of men all men, no women, Damon noniced had indeed gathered in front of the doctors building, and they did in fact have torches. gaga vampire Mad vampire on the looseDrive him bug out here for justice to be d nonpareilBurn the place ware if they wont turn him outThe elders say to bring him to themThis go tomed to have the effect the crowd desired, clearing the streets of the to a greater extent decent people and leaving further the stubborn sort whod been hanging about at a loose end, and were only alike glad of a fight. Most of them, of course, were vampires themselves. Most of them were fit vampires. tho n champion of them, Damon thought, flashing a diamond-bright smile around the circle that was comp allowion in on him, had the motivation of knowing that the lives of triad young serviceman girls depended on him and that one of them was the jewel in the crown of humanity, Elena Gilbert.If he, Damon, was torn to pieces in this fight, those three girls would lead lives of hell and degradation.However, even this logic didnt seem to assistance him prevail as Damon was kicked, bitten, power point-butted, punched, and stabbed with wooden daggers the kind that slice vampire flesh. At first he thought he had a chance. Several of the youngest and fittest vampires drip prey to his cobra-quick strikes and his sudden strafes of strength. But the truth was that there were simply too many an(prenominal) of them, Damon thought, as he snapped the neck of a teras whose both long tusks had already scored his arm almost through the muscle. And here came a huge vampire, clearly in training, with an aura that made Damon feel rancour at the back of his throat. That one went down with a foot in the face, but he didnt stay down he came up, clinging to Damons leg and allowing approximately(prenominal) smaller vampires with wooden daggers to dart in and hamstring him. Damon felt blue dismay as his legs went out from under him.Sunlight damn you, he grated through a mouthful of blood as another tusked, red-skinned demon punched him in the mouth. Damn you all to the lowest hells.It was no good. Dully, static fighting, still using great swaths of Power to maim and kill as many as he could, Damon complete this. And then everything became dreamlike and dazed not like his dream of Elena, whom he seemed to see constantly in his font-eye, weepin g. But dreamlike in a feverish, nightmare sense. He could no meter-consuming use his muscles efficiently. His body was battered and even as he vulcanized 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 fall motion. At the same time, something in his brain was whispering for him to respire. Just restand it would all be over. withaltually, the greater numbers bore him down, and somebody appeared with a stake.Good rid bound to new rubbish, the stake bringer institutionalize tongue to, his breath reeking of spend a penny blood, his leering face grotesque, as he used leprous-looking fingers to open Damons apparel so as not to make a hole in the fine grim silk.Damon spat on him and had his face stamped on wakeless in return.He blacked out for a moment and then, slowly, came back to pain.And noise. The exultant crowd of vampires and demons, drunk on cruelty, were all doing a stomping, rhythmic, improvised dance around Damon, roaring with laughter as they thrust imaginary stakes, working themselves into a frenzy.That was when Damon realized that he was actually going to die.It was a awful realization, even though hed known how much more dangerous this ball was than the one hed recently left, and even in the human world he had only escaped death by a hairsbreadth more than once. But now he had no powerful friends, no weaknesses in the crowd to exploit. He felt as if seconds were suddenly stretching into minutes, severally one of incalculable worth. What was important? Telling ElenaBlind him first describe that stick blazingIll take his ears Someone help me hold his organizeTelling Elenasomething. SomethingsorryHe gave up. Another thought was trying to take out into his consciousness.Dont forget to knock out his teeth I promised my girlfriend a new necklaceI thought I was prepared for this, Damon thought slowly, separately word coming separately. Butnot so soon.I thought Id made my peacebut not with the one person who matteredyes, who mattered the most.He didnt give himself time to think about that subject further.Stefan, he direct out on the most powerful but clandestine toss out of Power he could manage in his foggy state. Stefan, hear me Elenas fall out 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 some of them hastily bowed their heads or looked away.Damon went still, wondering what could possibly have halt the frenzied crowd in the very midst of their revelry.Someone was base on balls toward him. The newcomer had long tan hair that hung in separate rambunctious tangles down to his waist. He was naked to the waist, too, exposing a body that the strongest demon force envy. A chest that looked as if it had been carved out of gleaming bronze stone. Exquisitely sculpted bicep s. Abs a perfect six pack. There was not a spare ounce of change on his entire leggy 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 dragon take 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 grand attention every time he paused. It must have weighed adjacent to two hundred pounds, but there was not an ounce of fat on it, either.And on one shoulder he carried a Brobdingnagian falcon.It wasnt hooded as most hunting birds were on forays out of their mews. It also wasnt stand up on anything padded. It gripped the bare shoulder of the bronze young man, digging 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 previous journeys. In the back, a single talon ma de a lonely red trail.An supreme hush had fallen on the crowd and the last few demons amidst the tall man and the bloody, supine figure on the ground scramble out of his way.For a moment, the leonine man was still. He said nothing, did nothing, emitted no trace of Power. Then he nodded at the dog, which padded forward heavy 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 dreamily as the moist, cool nose tickled his cheek.Damon knew this particular animal and he knew also 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 occupied that having a stake slipped into your heart might seem an afterthought, Damon mused, holding perfectly still.Arrtez-le said the bronze-haired youth.The dog obed iently backed off, never taking its shining black eyes 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 leaping away immediately. The unlucky 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 edge but apparently turned to stone now in an approach 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. sage. animadvert of the devil.The bronze mans brief smile was grim. You c ompliment me, mon cher. You see? Im blushing.I ought to have known you might be here.There is infinite space to wander, mon petit tyran. Even if I must do it alone.Ah, the pity. Tiny violins are playing abruptly Damon couldnt do it anymore. He just couldnt. Maybe it was because of being with Elena before. Maybe it was because this repulsive(a) world depressed him unutterably. But when he spoke again, his voice was only when different. I never knew I could feel so grateful. Youve saved pentad lives, though you dont know it. Though how you stumbled on us shrewd 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 hareem Thats true He did Damons ears caught a bare whisper of sound 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 we ll. Saber, he said to the dog. Just 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 describe it in his own mind, had sunk his teeth into the throat of the whisperer, flipped him over once, causing a distinctive crack, and was bounding back, dragging the body between his legs.The words Je vous ai pronounce au sujet de ceci blasted by on a surge 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 accept Sages fortress for himself and his friends.Well that certainly should have done it, he said. wherefore not come back and have a friendly racket 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 reason.The reason I will not come back for a friendly drinkmon ang eis that we are not friends.We pulled some pretty scams together.Il y a longtemps. Abruptly, Sage took one of Damons hands. There was a deep and bloody print 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. non such a very long time ago, he said. forward from you? A sarcastic smile formed on Sages lips. We count time very differently, you and I, mon petit tyran.Damon was full of befuddled cheer. Whats one drink?Along with your seraglio?Damon tried to picture Meredith and Sage together. His mind balked. But youve made yourself responsible for(p) 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 twinge 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 acquire your pl edge 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 haunt you. Sage regarded him for a moment. I dont think Ive ever beenaccused of being ineffectual 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.