Opal POV
The sound of hammering echoed through the boarding house as Damon and Stephan worked to board up the broken window Frederick had shattered the night before. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the wood, causing dust to float lazily in the air as if nothing violent had happened here at all.
Elena stood near the staircase, arms folded tightly across her chest, watching them with a frown that hadn't left her face since she arrived.
"So..." she said finally, her voice sharp with forced calm, "let me get this straight. A tomb full of angry vampires is on the loose in Mystic Falls, one of them already tried to kill you, and you're just... here hammering away while hoping for the best?"
Damon drove another nail into the frame with more force than necessary. "When you put it like that, it really kills the morning vibe."
Elena shot him a look. "I think I've earned the right to worry."
I glanced up from where I was holding a stack of boards steady. "No one is saying you can't worry," I said evenly. "We're just saying panicking in this situation won't help anything."
Elena scoffed. "Easy for you to say."
Damon straightened and wiped his hands on his jeans. "Trust me, if panicking fixed things, I'd be six steps ahead of you."
His tone was flippant, but I felt the tension beneath it. Damon worried loudly or tried to play off his worry as him not worrying at all, and this was very much the latter.
I met his eyes, and he gave me the faintest nod before grabbing another board. "Damon and I have handled worse," I said. "We'll be able to handle this too."
Elena looked unconvinced but didn't argue. A few minutes later, she muttered something about needing to check on Jeremy and rushed out of the boarding house.
The house felt quieter after she left.
Stephan stepped back to inspect the window. "There I think that should hold for now."
"For now," Damon echoed. "That seems to be a running theme in our lives at least where this town is concerned."
Stephan glanced between us. "I'm going hunting. I need to build my strength back up after last night."
I crossed the room and hugged him before Damon could comment. "Be careful," I said softly.
Stephan smiled faintly. "I will."
Damon snorted. "You sure you want to go eat Thumper? I've got a few pints of soccer mom in the freezer."
Stephan rolled his eyes. "No. I think I'm good. I'll be back in a few."
"Have fun," Damon called after him.
Once the door shut, Damon exhaled and leaned against the wall. "Thankfully the wards did their job," he said, more to himself than to me. "It kept them out at least. But I don't like how close that tree branch was to you."
"They exploited a weakness," I agreed. "Inanimate objects don't care about magic."
He frowned thoughtfully. "We should replace the windows. I'm thinking we could use reinforced glass, or maybe even bulletproof glass would do nicely."
I blinked. "That's... practical. I might not know much about this era but that doesn't sound cheep. Maybe I could see if there is a spell."
"Magic doesn't solve everything," he said. "And I'm rich. What else am I supposed to spend my money on?"
I smiled despite myself.
Time passed as we continued to talk about the babies, the house our options with Stephan and his obsession with Elena. After checking the time I noticed that Stephan had been gone for more than two hours. Which was odd because even when he has trouble finding food he is usually never gone for more than an hour. Considering what happened last night I was uneasy about his absence and so was Damon.
Damon checked his phone for the third time in ten minutes. "He should've been back by now."
"He's probably at Elena's," I said, placing a hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him down. "Try not to worry just yet. Let's check there first. If he's not there... then we panic."
Damon nodded once. "That sound fair."
Elena opened the door to her house with visible hesitation. Damon walked right past her without waiting.
I stopped at the threshold.
Elena's eyes flicked to me, then away. For a moment, I wasn't sure she'd invite me in at all.
Damon shot her a look that said invite her in or I will make you regret life.
"Fine," she said stiffly. "Come in."
Then I was finally free to enter the Gilbert home, I stepped inside and walked over to Damon's side.
"Where's Stephan?" Damon demanded.
"He's not here," Elena said. "I thought he was with you."
Damon's jaw tightened. "Call him."
She did and it went to voicemail.
Her face paled. "That's not normal."
Damon's voice dropped. "I think I know where he is, and you're not going to like it."
Damon POV
The drive was quiet, and tense in the way that made my skin crawl.
I pulled up near the house Pearl had mentioned she and her lackies were held up at before killing the engine. "You stay in the car."
Opal turned on me instantly. "Damon..."
"This isn't up for debate," I snapped, then softened my tone. "Please, your life isn't just yours right now. I need to know that you're going to be safe."
She clenched her jaw, I could tell she was furious, but then she nodded. "Be careful."
Frederick was waiting for me when I made it up to the door.
He showed me Stephan, beaten, bleeding, and barely conscious. Then Mrs. Gibbons the woman who owned the house stepped forward and told me I wasn't allowed inside. Damn Frederick and his fucking compulsion.
Frederick smiled. "I want him to experience the feeling of desiccation before I kill him. After all the whole reason we were in that tomb in the first place is because of you and your brother."
They stabbed Stephan again and slammed the door.
I nearly lost it and the drive back to the house didn't help to curb my anger.
Elena ran up to us the moment we pulled in the boarding house drive. "What happened? Where is he?"
"They have him," I said. "I can't get in."
"Why not?"
"The owner's been compelled not to let me in."
"Well, I can get him."
"You're not going anywhere near that house," I snapped. "Stephan would have my head and as his brother it's my job to keep you alive. Woo. Yay me."
Then an insane idea hit me like a well time dump truck on a direct collision course with a dumper that has been set on fire.
"Wait. I have an idea," I said. "And let me just say that I don't like it. I don't like it at all."
With that said we all rushed to the high school to find our resident vampire hunter/teacher with a grudge.
"I don't care who he is, or what's going on," Alaric said flatly. "He's a vampire."
"Your beef is with Damon Mr. Saltzman," Elena said. "Not Stephan."
"Please explain to me why I should help the brother of the man who killed me." Alaric shot back.
"You came into my house to kill me," I said. "You almost killed my wife. I defended us. Also, according to my brother, who lectured me about killing you by the way said that ring you're wearing is the reason you're still breathing."
Elena looked at Alaric with pleading eyes.
Opal sighed. "Look, Alaric is it? I know my husband is a dick. But... he's my dick and just for the record he is sorry about your wife, whether he admits it our loud or not. I also want to state that she chose to leave you. I'm not gonna pretend to know her reasons but as for Damon's he had his emotions off. Now I know that doesn't excuse his actions, but right now, my brother-in-law is being tortured so I don't have time to help you unpack your abandonment issues. So, would you please just help us save him? Also look at the bright side if you help us you'll at least get to kill some vampires."
Alaric stared at us for a long moment.
Then he nodded. "Fine, follow me."
He led us to his car where he had vervain darts, stakes and crossbows with wooden arrows.
I looked over the weapons and grabbed them up throwing them into my car. We were about to leave when Elena damn near threw a fit in order to tag along with us.
She begged, argued, and finally shoved her way into the backseat. Alaric followed her more quietly, checking the weapons that I had thrown in the car, while Opal slid into the driver's seat with her jaw set in stubborn determination.
"I'll stay in the car," she said before I could say a word. "With the engine running. That way we can make a quick getaway."
I hated that what she was saying made sense considering I wanted her no where near the tomb vamps. But I knew when she set her jaw like that she wouldn't listen to me.
"You better not," I muttered. "Because if you move, I'll chain you to the steering wheel myself."
She just shot me a glare that promised retribution later.
We pulled up to the house, the lights were glowing warmly behind curtained windows. It looked almost normal. But I knew that whatever was going on inside the house was anything but normal.
Alaric walked up to the front door and knocked, putting on his best helpless human act the rain helped because he was actually shivering from the cold. A vampire answered, barely pretending to care.
"Do you mind if I use your phone? My car broke just kinda stopped working and the rain is coming down. I hope you don't mind but this is the first house I saw." Alaric said.
That was all it took for the vampire to let the poor defenseless human into the house.
Once he made it into the kitchen Alaric managed to stake him clean through the heart. He turned on the kitchen faucet and the blender in one smooth motion, the sudden noise masking the collapse of the body as it hit the floor.
I was already at the back door having heard all of this while waiting for the man to let me in.
Alaric had managed to grab Mrs. Gibbons arm and steer her toward the back door.
"Oh," she said pleasantly when she spotted me as the door swung open. "I'm sorry, I was told not to let you in."
"Yeah, yeah, I get that," I said, already stepping aside. "Alaric, get her out of the house."
He pulled her onto the back porch. I caught her eyes before she could speak again.
"Do you live alone?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Any family?"
"No."
"Anyone else's name on the deed to this house?"
"No."
That was all I needed.
I snapped her neck.
Alaric stared at me like I'd just kicked a puppy.
"You killed her," he said.
"Unfortunately," I replied. "That was the only way to do this."
"You were supposed to compel her!"
"That's not how this works," I snapped.
"She was human." He huffed at me.
"And I'm not," I shot back. "Get over it. I don't have time for this."
I shoved him toward the yard. "Get back to the car and do something with the body."
Then I shut the door in his face and turned back into the house.
A vampire lunged at me from the hallway.
I ripped his heart out without slowing down as I followed Stephan's scent in hopes of finding him.
The basement door creaked as I pushed it open.
Stephan was hung from the ceiling with chains biting into his wrists and ankles, and stakes driven into him just deep enough to keep him bleeding. Luckily he wasn't dead yet, and he was just barely conscious.
"Stephan," I said sharply. "Wake up."
He groaned.
I yanked the stakes free, one by one, ignoring his pained noises. When I reached for the ropes, the vervain burned my skin instantly.
I hissed and jerked back.
"Need help" I heard from behind me.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I whisper shouted at Elena who was now standing in the doorway instead of in the car where I told her to stay.
"I'm helping," she said.
"I've got this."
I reached for the ropes again and they sizzled.
"Here let me," she said while reaching for the ropes. "Now aren't you glad I came?"
"Oh yeah," I muttered. "Jumping for joy."
She cut the ropes, and Stephan collapsed into her arms, barely able to stand.
"You two get out," I ordered, pointing at her. "Now."
With Stephan in tow she didn't try to argue with me.
I turned to leave and found Alaric and Opal at the bottom of the stairs.
"What are you doing in the house?" I demanded while looking straight at Opal. "We agreed you'd stay in the car."
"I did," Opal said. "Then Alaric needed help with the body. When we got back from taking care of it and made it back we noticed that Elena wasn't in the car anymore."
"Yeah," I growled. "She showed up in the basement."
I took a deep breath and stopped myself from panicking because we didn't have time to fight or for me to panic.
"Let's go," I said. "Now."
We made it to the front door and stopped dead.
There were vampires all over the front of the house.
Far too many vampires for my comfort.
I slammed the door shut and shoved Opal behind me without thinking. Alaric stood at my side, tense but ready.
"How many vervain darts do you have left?" I asked.
"One."
"I'm not meant to be fighting right now," Opal said quietly.
"I know."
"But I can help. I can do the headache thing. Sheila taught me."
Before I could answer, Pearl stepped out of the crowd.
"What is going on here?"
I didn't bother sugarcoating it.
"What's going on," I said coldly, "is your band of merry idiots decided to ambush and kidnap my brother. They've been torturing him all day, forcing me to come rescue him with the help of a vampire hunter and my wife, who I really don't want anywhere near you people ever again."
Pearl's gaze snapped to the vampires instantly.
"This will be handled," she said. "You are free to leave."
I didn't argue because at this point it would be stupid to argue.
I grabbed Opal's hand and pulled her toward the car. Alaric followed close behind us.
Thankfully Elena was already in the car with Stephan.
However, I did notice that my bunny muncher brother looked far to put together for a man that had been tortured for the better part of the day. Especially for a vampire that sticks to his particular diet.
But in that moment I couldn't care less and just filed it away for later.
We drove home in silence.
I dropped Alaric at the school, Elena at her house, while the three of us returned to the boarding house.
Stephan went straight to his room. Opal and I went to ours because we all just needed to be done for the day. I would have it out with Stephan tomorrow about my suspicions on his speedy recovery.
As for my wife I would be having a talk with her about putting herself in danger for the mortal my brother is obsessed with. That is after I fuck her senseless as a punishment for disobeying me.