𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐒
Chapter Twelve | Oh But The Simple Minded

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EVERYONE WAS SEATED AGAIN WHEN JENNA AND KALLIOPE CAME OUT OF THE KITCHEN. Cake plates in tow, Kalli eyed Andie sharing a few harmless words with Damon. She didn't want to seem nasty, but the whispering only furthered her anxiety. Were they talking about her? About what she said?

It was gnawing at her nerves.

"I don't know if you guys have room for it after eating such an amazing meal, but we've got cake." Jenna showcased the full plates and Alaric instantly stood up to help her. Kalli silently admired the sight.

"I always have room for cake," Ric joked.

"So... I know this is a social thing, but I would really love to ask you some more questions about the work that you're doing here." Andie turned towards Elijah, smiling hopefully. Being the gentleman that he was, Elijah conceded.

"I'd love to answer."

Andie brightened as Kalliope set the cake in front of her. "Great, that's so great. Rick, would you do me a favor and grab the notebook out of my bag?"

"Uh, yeah. Guess cake will wait," Alaric looked slightly agitated by either her request or his lack of cake. Nevertheless, he jogged off into the other room to retrieve it.

"Elijah, did John tell you he's Elena's uncle-slash-father?" Damon smirked over his chocolate covered fork, arching a brow in spite.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that." Kalliope wasn't, she wanted to say but kept quiet. She was interested in this little drama filled family tree. Of course, Damon just couldn't help himself from being petty, it was sort of amusing.

"Of course, she hates him, so there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list."

"Let's not get hasty, Damon." Kalli's lips strained as she regarded the animosity between the two. She so badly wanted to ask Elijah privately what Damon meant by 'endangered species list' specifically, but there was really no appropriate time for it. Everything was happening so quickly, swiftly passing her by.

Andie looked miffed when Alaric took a little too long to retrieve her journal. "Ric, its in the front pocket. On the... you know what? Excuse me, guys. Sorry." She stood from the table and disappeared into the other room, leaving the group with a tense atmosphere.

Kalliope went to open her mouth and comment on it, but John beat her to the punch. "What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how do you intend on killing Klaus?"

"Killing Klaus?" Kalli gaped slightly, meeting eyes with Elijah. Her's was unbelieving. Jenna seemed in on it too, which didn't surprise her much. The ginger was apart of the group long before she. Kalliope finally knew what all this was about... Well, sort of, she didn't have all the details. She was slowly connecting the dots.

When Damon told her about Elena being sacrificed by an Original, he probably meant Klaus, since he had been looking for one for ages. Yet, knowing Elijah intended to kill his brother was something she did not see coming.

Although it had been centuries and plenty could happen in that time, she didn't think Elijah was capable of killing his own brother. Feuds were for naught but family was forever.

Annoyed that John had ousted him to the Genie, Elijah cleared his throat threateningly. "Gentlemen, there's a few things we should probably get clear right now. I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena. I allow Elena to remain in her house living her life with her friends as she does as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take her away from you and you'll never see her again."

Jenna stood from her chair, glaring harshly at the Original. "Now wait a damn minute. That's my niece, she's not an object you can toss around as leverage."

Kalliope thought the woman bold and incredibly reckless. She was, after all, speaking down to someone who could instantly end her life, but she didn't seem to care. Her eyes blazed with fury unabandoned and Kalliope saw her as a courageous lioness, protecting her kin.

"Gentlemen, surely we can come to some kind of compromise. There's no need for rash action." Kalliope tried, laying a hand on Jenna's arm in an effort to cool her down.

At that moment, Andie reappeared with her notebook in hand. Once again oblivious to the shaken up bottle about to explode. "Okay. My first question is when you got here to Mystic - "

Suddenly, Elijah shouted in agony. Kalliope and Jenna couldn't help but echo him in a piercing scream. Her eyes blown wide as Alaric shoved a dagger through the chair and into Elijah's back. The Original slumped raggedly, skin dulling to a disturbing grey. Ric looked to Damon in discontent before he jerked the dagger back out.

"Now, let's get the body out of here before something else goes wrong."

...

"Did you know what was happening tonight?" Kalliope sat in Damon's bedroom long after he jetted off on a rescue mission for Stefan and Elena. He pressed that it would be best if she stayed home, to which Kalli reluctantly agreed.

She was very much still in shock, not knowing how she was supposed to react to such a sight. Of course, she'd seen far more gruesome things, unspeakable things. However, tonight, the only drama she expected to go down was the food lacking flavor.

And to be fair, Damon did mention he wanted to kill Elijah, but she didn't think he'd actually go through with it. She hadn't seen this side of him before and now that she has, she didn't know what to make of it. It did upset her that the wonderful evening had taken a turn for the worst. Everything she planned, cooked and entertained for had gone to waste. Not to mention a great friend had been put down, trapped within his own mind for however long Damon saw fit. It didn't sit well with her. Made her stomach roll with unease.

Jenna, who stayed with her until everyone returned home, sat beside her on the edge of Damon's bed. Her shoulders tense and her forehead lined with worry. "The stabbing? No, I didn't. I didn't even know who Elijah really was until earlier tonight, Ric took me aside."

So that's what they were speaking about, Kalliope concluded.

A quiet moment passed between them, her bottom lip rolling underneath her teeth. "Is Elena... Alright? I'm somehow certain the things that went down tonight had to do with her."

Jenna nodded, growing sadder by the minute. "Yeah... I don't know how everything turned out this way. She's just a teenager, y'know. Elena's already been through so much."

"She's a sweet girl and I have a sneaking suspicion Stefan won't let anything happen to her."

Her smile was there and gone the next within a blink of an eye. Jenna appreciated Kalliope's comforting words, but the sinking feeling was still lingering within her. Nevertheless, she nudged the Genie with her shoulder. "Look at you, just came back today and you're already an expert in everything. Thanks, by the way."

Bashful, Kalli shook her head in denial. "Ah, I wouldn't say that. I've just been alive for a long time, seen just about everything known to man. That kind of experience can't be forgotten or ignored."

"Anytime you want to talk, I'd love to hear your stories. Huge history nerd over here." Jenna smiled warmly as she joked and Kalliope suddenly realized she just made a lasting friend.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Hey," Damon came into his room with a rushed air about him. His shirt was wrinkled, crystal blue eyes wild. Kalliope supposed he finished whatever he went to do.

Jenna stood from the bed, feeling awkward now. "I'll see you later, Kalliope. Dinner was amazing, thanks for hosting."

"It was my pleasure, Jenna. Get home safely." When the ginger had gone, Damon peeled off his shirt to reveal sweat and dirt on his bare chest. Kalliope watched him as he moved about the room, grabbing things for a bath, no doubt.

"Is Elijah..."

"Yep," He puckered his lips with the word, opening his drawers for a pair of undergarments. Kalliope herself already had on the nightgown they purchased earlier today. Come to think of it, it had been a long day of new things. She was a little overwhelmed. "The big bad is down for good."

"Although I wouldn't have done it like this, I admire you for going to great lengths to help your brother save his lady." She adjusted herself under his sheets, leaning forward from the headboard in an upright position. The silk sheets caressed her skin. Far more smooth and delicate than the sheets in her chalice room. Less claustrophobic, that was for sure. "He doesn't know how lucky he is to have such a brother."

Damon slowed his movements with his back to her. The subtle tenseness in his muscles gave way to his emotions. Not understanding the inner workings of his mind, Kalliope thought it was his stress from the evening taking over.

"He'll be singing my praises soon enough," Damon tightly smiled, turning to her as he drew near. Kalliope watched him in earnest. His towering figure leaning over the bed to block her in place with his fists pressing into the mattress.

He went in to kiss her and Kalliope nearly forgot her train of thought. His lips so close she could feel the magnet drum of his heart calling her own. She closed her eyes and took a breath to steady herself.

She was apprehensive to broach the subject, but she pushed forward and listened to her impulses. They never failed her before. "We're you... involved with Andie Star?"

That caused Damon to pause. He furrowed his inky brows and leant back, inches away from her. "What made you think," The look she sent him had him back paddling. "Okay yes, w-we had a thing going on, but that was before you came back."

"I would have liked to know that before she came over for dinner tonight," Her voice was soft and insecure, unlike herself. "I-I was embarrassed... I-I didn't like the feeling, Damon."

He groaned in the back of his throat, standing to his full height. "There was no time for the old girlfriends talk. I didn't think it was important anyway. I'm with you. I like you, you like me: happy reunion. Let's not ruin it," He gently coaxed, hopeful as he grasped her small hands in his own. His thumbs rubbed over the back of her palms, a soothing action that lulled her waking dragon within.

"I just want to do my best to fit in here with your fancy, horseless cars and music playing boxes." She pouted with furrowed brows, "You had to set up everything in the kitchen so I could cook tonight. Now, I don't even know how to work a kitchen!? I'm lost, Damon. It's so overwhelming."

Pulling her to her feet, he wrapped his arms around her. His crystal eyes imploring and adoring. She was slightly taken aback, but also, it felt like home again. No one really knew what it was like to be without people for over a hundred years. Stuck in a chalice with nothing but her thoughts and reflection.

Truth be told, Kalliope had went crazy in there. The trauma hadn't come back to haunt her yet but it was inching up the surface, clawing its way to the light. Kalli felt like she was slowly losing control again.

"Hey, hey," Damon shushed her in a coo. His hand rubbed down her arms in a comforting embrace and Kalliope dare to lay her head on his chest. She shuddered, closing her brown eyes for a moment. "Don't get all work up, you're shaking. Just relax, you've got people to help you. I'm here, Stefan's here. Looks like you've made a friend with ginger tonight, right?"

She nodded her head against him, taking in his calm words. "You've got this."

"I've got this," She agreed, tried to believe it. Parting from him, she glanced up into his eyes with enough trust to knock him off his feet.

He held her tighter, brushing her loose hair out of her face. Kalliope's heart picked up ever so slightly when he looked at her like that. Like a treasure suddenly recovered from the wreckage. She was drowning all over again and instead of denying him once more, she allowed his face to come closer.

Damon captured her lips in a quaking kiss, stealing her breath away. She swooned, fluttering her eyelids close as she deepened the exchange. His hands roamed down her figure in an enticing dance. Fiddling with her short, cream, nightgown. Brushing his fingertips against her exposed flesh.

Kalliope didn't remember his love making to be this forward, this dominate and greedy, but she allowed him to do what he willed. Soon, her clothes hit the floor in a rush. Her back hit the wall and she was soaring through the clouds with the tantalizing sensations.

The eldest Salvatore could be incredibly persuasive when he wanted something. And by the way he ravaged her mouth, down the column of her neck, her collar bone and dip of her chest, he wanted it bad.

His teeth nipped at her skin and she yelped in surprise. Damon sent her a sneaky smirk, repeating the action before he kissed back up her neck. Her leg hooked around his waist was enough to make her dizzy, but what he said next drew her right back down to earth. "May I?"

He gestured to her neck with a thirsty glint in his eyes. Kalliope knew exactly what he meant. Her heart sped up as she regarded him with half-lidded eyes. Slightly unsure, she nodded despite her apprehension. The seductive smile he sent her way made her believe this was a good thing. A normal affair between vampire lovers. She didn't want to deny him something he'd usually get somewhere else.

The veins underneath his eyes darkened as he dipped back to her neck. Her pulse jumped as he kissed her ear, nuzzling his nose in the sensitive curve between her ear and shoulder.

Then, he lengthened his fangs and bit her. Kalliope's mouth opened in a silent gasp, the sensation exploded all over her body. Damon groaned instantly when he tasted it, eyes slamming shut in euphoria. He had never tasted any blood like it.

It was magic. A combination of his greatest desires and then some. He didn't know if he could stop, but he knew he was stuffed full on the first sip. Her blood could keep him satisfied with one lick, it was that potent.

Kalliope grabbed his wrist as a sign to stop, her brows pinched in concern. It wasn't uncomfortable, more so, not the real reason they were kissing just earlier. Her blood was foreplay, a tease before making love, not the main course. It took him longer than she expected, but abruptly, he unlatched himself like a wild man.

His eyes were blown wide with blood lust, the remnants of her still dripping on his lips. His breath came out rushed and harsh. Kalliope didn't know whether to be flattered or frightened.

Before she could say a word, he was kissing her again. She tasted herself on her tongue. A coppery, metallic spice that she couldn't necessarily give a name. It didn't repulse her, but it didn't entice her either. She silently wondered how this could be as decadent as he made it seem.

In a blink of an eye, he lifted her in his arms and brought her to the bed. This, she knew how to navigate. Her hands ran through his inky black hair and got lost in the strands. Lips parted in lustful inhabitations, she this was it. They were together and happy, what more could she want.

This had to be enough for her, right?

Frankly, she found herself without an answer.

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Unedited. 04/25/2021

So Kalliope's Genie blood is a delicacy, hm? Also, what are your thought of Kalliope and Damon?