'Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 8\r'

'I found Damon dancing with Hilda, ushering her around the trip the light fantastic toe floor with the lightest touch. W herever his fingers touched she bent, curve into him a trifle more(prenominal) than was satisfactory and f onlying against him more than was necessary. Other girls looked on enviously, clearly hoping to dance with him adjacent. He imitation to devote all his attention to the unforesightful girl, however glanced up right farsighted enough to shoot me a fulgent smile.\r\nI waited impatiently for the dance to end, wishing I could stimulate the musicians to stop. unless whatever Damons powers of compulsion, mine were severely lacking give thanks to my meager diet.\r\nAs soon as the last break a bearing was played, I marched up to my br otherwise.\r\nâ€Å"Oh, Im sorry, did you destiny to… ?” he asked, innocently, indicating Hilda. â€Å"Because Im sealed she will. If youd worry her to.”\r\nHilda studied her dance card, the picture of confusion.\r\nâ€Å"Lets go get a drink,” I tell, pickings him by the elbow.\r\nâ€Å"Exactly what I was mobilizeing,” he agreed, mock-seriously. He snapped his fingers, as if at a dog. â€Å"Hilda… ?”\r\nâ€Å"Leave her al iodin,” I ordered.\r\nDamon rolled his eye. â€Å"Fine. A waiter will do righteous as well.” simply he allowed me to sic an iron grip on his encircle and guide him through the crowd, past the refreshment room, through a library and into a poorly lit study.\r\nâ€Å"What the hell atomic number 18 you doing here?” I de adult maleded the moment we were alone.\r\nâ€Å" codk to enjoy myself,” Damon said, throwing his hands up in mock exasperation. He dropped his accent immediately. â€Å"Did you see the spread? The salmons from Scotland. And Adelina Patti is here, too †Father would pack in force(p) died. Oh wait.” He snapped his fingers. â€Å"He did die. You kill him, in fact.†\r\nâ€Å"Only after he tried to kill us,” I pointed tabu, clen elevateg my fists.\r\nâ€Å" correction: after he succeeded in gibe two of us. Were dead, brother.” Damon grinned at me.\r\nHe was circling me. Casually, as if he didnt reckon to, as if he was moreover walking around idly, reservation conversation while admiring the decor. It reminded me of how hed paced the ring at the circus back in invigorated Orleans, when Gallagher had forced him to fight the mountain lion. Damon picked up a small statuette and move it everyplace in his hands, however his eyeball stayed locked on mine. I squ atomic number 18d my shoulders, spirit the predators response as he challenged my face-to-face space.\r\nâ€Å"Im asking you again, Damon: What are you doing here?”\r\nâ€Å" kindred thing as you, brother. Starting a new life, far from home, and war, and tragedy, and all of those other things immigrants comparable us are escaping. young York is where the a ction is. I figured if its skillful enough for my brother, its good enough for me, too.”\r\nâ€Å"So you did follow me,” I said. â€Å"How?”\r\nâ€Å"You stink,” Damon said. â€Å"Dont act affect! Its non just you. Everyone stinks. Were hunters, Stefan. Ab forth central up the coast, it wasnt hard to figure out where you decided to go after bare-assed Orleans. I just made trustworthy I got here first. There isnt a train yet that can beat me on a horse. Well, several horses. A couple of them died of exhaustion. Like your poor, poor Mezzanotte.”\r\nâ€Å"Why, Damon?” I said, ignoring his casual cruelty. â€Å"Why follow me here?”\r\nDamons eyes narrowed and a scare of rage shot through them, exploding from the mystic depths of his soul.\r\nâ€Å"I told you I was going to scud you for the eternity you blessed me with, Stefan. Did you think I would break my promise so chop-chop?”\r\nI was used to Damons fits of pique. His anger had perpetually been like a summer storm, active and violent, causing damage to anyone or anything close †and consequently it was over and he was purchase a round at the tavern.\r\nBut this fury was new, and it was all because of me.\r\nI averted my eyes so he couldnt see the fuss and guilt written in that respect. â€Å"What do you want with Lydia? What does she have to do with anything?”\r\nâ€Å"Ah, Lydia,” Damon sighed, infusing his voice with make believe recollectiveing. â€Å"Ch subsectioning, isnt she? Definitely the best catch of the tierce babys. Not that Margaret doesnt have her own charms, of course, but shes a bit sarcastic for my tastes, and, well, married.” He shook his head. â€Å"But then theres Bridget. such(prenominal) a exitly girl! much(prenominal) verve!”\r\nâ€Å"… anyone seen Stefan?” As if on cue, we could both pick out her whining, childish triple from four rooms away.\r\nâ€Å"… and su ch an pesky voice,” Damon finished, wincing. â€Å"First thing I would do, brother, is compel her to silence. Youd be doing the world a favor.”\r\nI clenched my jaw. â€Å"You were obviously involved with the Sutherlands long forward we crossed paths here.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh was I?” Damon asked. He put down the small statue he had been holding and turned it this way and that on the desk, as if deciding which way it looked best. â€Å" measly girl was getting soaked †did she enounce you the story? She loves it. For all of her pretending to be hard-nosed, shes a weak-kneed romantic as bad as the rest of them. A sudden storm out of nowhere, a dry cab for Lydia… rich, rich Lydia… with a sheltered upbringing and open, wel glide path family.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, you are a master of subtlety. Controlling mens fates,” I said, rolling my eyes at Damons preening.\r\nâ€Å"I am a master. Who do you think left Bridget for you to mother?” he demanded. He stuck his face toward my own so that our noses almost touched. â€Å"Who do you think wounded her †just enough †for poor, old, predictable Stefan to find? Stefan, whos sworn off drinking from humans, who I just knew would rescue the damsel in distress rather than finish her off.”\r\nA cold chill crept up my spine.\r\nâ€Å"And then of course I compelled the completed family to delicious you and final payment you in,” he finished with a careless wave of his hand, as if it had been nothing.\r\nA sense of resignation and understanding deluge my body. Of course he had compelled the family. The Sutherlands easy betrothal of me into their home had rankled me, and I should have recognize earlier that something was hugely amiss. How did a man of Winfields stature let a stranger, a vagrant, into his home, and never ask anything rough his family or acquaintances? A man of his kind of riches had to be careful about whom he allowed to get close. An d Mrs. Sutherland †she was such a careful mother, yet she allowed me to escort her and her daughter on a walk in the park. though this was hardly the time, I couldnt help but wonder if her seeming affection for me had been true, or if it all had been due to Damons Power.\r\nâ€Å"What do you want, Damon?” I asked again. Here we were, back in the thickened of it, but this time I mum just how dangerous my brother was and just how far hed go to get penalise on me.\r\nâ€Å"Nothing terrible, Stefan!” he said, smiling and stepping back, throwing his hands in the air. â€Å"But think of it! Me with Lydia wrapped around my finger. You with the adoring Bridget…. Well join the sisters and, just as you always hoped, well be brothers again for eternity †or at least as long as they live.”\r\nâ€Å"Im not marrying Bridget,” I blurted out.\r\nâ€Å"Yes, you are,” Damon said.\r\nâ€Å"No, Im not,” I repeated. â€Å"Im leaving New Y ork. Tonight.”\r\nâ€Å"You are staying here and marrying Bridget,” Damon said, coming to within an inch of my face, â€Å"or I will start to kill all the people in this place, one by one.”\r\nHe was deadly serious, all traces of cavalier, joking, punch-drunk Damon gone. The smoldering anger was back.\r\nâ€Å"You cant do that,” I growled. â€Å"Even you arent strong enough to take down an entire ballroom.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh really?” He snapped his fingers over his shoulder. A maid appeared from the next room, as if waiting for his signal. She already had a kerchief tied around her neck from where he had fed on her previously. He gestured with his chin at the window, and she gamely went over and began to unbolt the latches.\r\nâ€Å"I can compel Bridget and her entire stupid entourage in there to go jump off a balcony,” Damon growled.\r\nâ€Å"I dont believe you,” I said as calmly as I could. Only Lexi seemed able to control more tha n one person at in one case. And Damon wasnt nearly as old as she.\r\nâ€Å"Or I can stalk them one by one and rip their throats out,” he offered instead. â€Å"It makes no difference to me.”\r\nThe maid stepped up onto the sill and began to climb onto the rail.\r\nâ€Å"Bastard,” I murmured, rushing over to grab the poor girl before she killed herself. â€Å"Get out of here,” I growled at her, unsure if I was compelling her or not. Suddenly she looked confused and scared, the spell broken. She bolted out of the room, sniffling.\r\nâ€Å"Why?” I demanded when she had gone. â€Å"Why do you want to marry Lydia? Why is it so important that I marry her sister?”\r\nâ€Å"If I have to live forever, I might as well do it in style,” Damon said, shrugging. â€Å"Im sick of living from person to person, meal to meal, having no place to diagnose home. When I marry Lydia, Ill be rich. A houseful of servants to attend to my every whim… to commit my every need,” he leered. I wasnt sure he was just talking about blood. â€Å"Or, I could just take the coin and run. Either way, Ill be a rope better off than I am now. Winfield is swimming in money.”\r\nâ€Å"Why involve me?” I asked, feeling weary. â€Å"Why not just go off and do whatever it is you need to do, ruining peoples lives?”\r\nâ€Å"Lets just say I have my reasons.” Damon flashed me a harlequins grin.\r\nI shook my head in exasperation. Just past the door of the study, a couple walked arm in arm through the library, in search of a quiet place to talk. Beyond them were the bright noises of the dancing throng, laughing conversations, the tap of heels on the floor. I watched distractedly, picking out Winfields prospering voice as he lectured somebody on the basic tenets of capitalism.\r\nâ€Å"What will you do with them?” I asked. With Damon as son-in-law, Winfield Sutherlands life prediction had just been drastical ly reduced †and Lydias as well.\r\nâ€Å"in one case I have their money? Pfff. I dont know,” Damon said, throwing his hand up in the air. â€Å"I hear San Francisco is fairly fire †or maybe Ill just go and take that grand tour in Europe youd always dreamed of.”\r\nâ€Å"Damon †” I began.\r\nâ€Å"Or I could just live here, like the king I do so want to be,” he continued, peeled me off. â€Å"Enjoying myself…”\r\nI had a horrible two-baser of Damon satisfying his every carnal disposition in the Sutherland household.\r\nâ€Å"I wont let you do this,” I said urgently.\r\nâ€Å"Why do you care?” Damon asked. â€Å"I mean, it wasnt me tearing through New Orleans…. What was your body seem toward the end there, brother?”\r\nâ€Å"Ive changed,” I pointed out, feeling him in the eye.\r\nâ€Å"Yes, of course,” he said. â€Å"Just like that. Whatever could have… oh!” He grinned. â€Å"Its Lydia, isnt it? Once again following in my footsteps, brother. Everything I have you just want. Like Katherine.”\r\nâ€Å"I never loved Katherine. Not the way you did.”\r\nI was attracted to her, of course †who wouldnt have been? She was beautiful, charming, and a terrible flirt. Damon hadnt minded her dark side, and in fact seemed to appreciate it. But when I was with her under her heady spell, I just wanted to ignore her vampire side. And when the vervain cleared my thoughts I was repelled by what she was. all(a) of my feelings, deep feelings, for her, had been the stuff of glamour. For Damon, it was all real.\r\nâ€Å"And I dont love Lydia,” I said. â€Å"But that doesnt mean I want to see her †or anyone †hurt.”\r\nâ€Å" because you do exactly as I say, brother, and everyone will be fine. But if you step out of line, even once…” Damon dragged a finger across his throat. â€Å"Then their blood will be on your han ds.”\r\nFor a long moment, all was silent as Damon and I glared at from each one other. I had vowed to never harm a human again, to never allow a human to come to harm because of me. I was trapped as neatly and as permanently as if I were unagitated a sideshow vampire at a circus, tied with vervain ropes †and Damon knew it.\r\nI heaved a sigh. â€Å"What do you want me to do?”\r\n'