Dark Moon | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter 12

They drove up until they reached the edge of the National Park.

From there, they got out and sped alongside each other, listening intently to find Alaric and Elena. Esmeray was the first to hear them, and directed Damon deeper into the forest, nearest the lake.

"I don't know why you think that you're a lost cause," Elena was saying as she removed her jacket. Alaric was kneeling off to the side, looking through his backpack.

Damon, being Damon, launched forward and tossed Elena right into the water below as he and Esmeray came to a halt beside Alaric, who put up a crossbow in surprise, accidentally firing. The hybrid caught the stake with ease before handing it back to him as Elena coughed and spluttered below.

"Damon!" she cried in shock, wiping her face and looking at the two new arrivals. "Esme— how are you even here?"

The vampire smirked. "Thanks for the tip, brother," he said, nodding to Alaric.

Elena looked offended. "You sold me out!"

Alaric snorted. "You think I'd take you to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?"

Esmeray cast her a little wave, as if to say, 'we're the backup.' Elena scoffed and let herself sink lower into the water, almost defiant. "Get out of the water, Elena," said Damon impatiently.

"If I get out of the water, you're gonna make me go home."

"I can ask Esme to levitate you out if you keep acting like that," warned Damon. "Unlike you, we're not idiots, and Esme would very much like to get home before it gets dark."

Alaric groaned. "Right now, you're both acting like idiots." Esmeray laughed appreciatively at this, but Elena was unamused. "You gave up on him, Damon."

"I didn't give up on him, Elena, I faced reality," Damon clarified. "Now get out of the water."

"No!" she huffed.

"What's your big plan, Elena?" he said, jumping off the ridge and going into the water. "Huh? You gonna walk through a campsite full of werewolves, roast a marshmallow, and wait for Stefan to stop by?"

Elena moved away, thinking he was going to toss her over his shoulder and make her leave. "My plan is to find him and help him. Damon, this is the closest that we've been to him since he left. I'm not going home."

"This isn't safe," Damon insisted. "If you won't do it for me, do it for Esme. She came so that you won't get killed, and wouldn't it be rude if you let Klaus snatch her up?"

Elena really was stubborn. "I'm not leaving before we find him."

"Hello, what part of 'it's a full moon tonight' do you not understand? You do realize that if we're still here by then, we could all get killed?"

"We'll find him before then," Elena insisted. "Damon, please."

Esmeray, personally, would have much rather froze Elena like a statue and dragged her off no matter what she said. Damon, instead, stopped arguing. "Okay, okay," he sighed in exasperation. "But we are out of here before the moon is full and I'm werewolf bait."

"I promise," said Elena.

Damon wiggled his eyebrows. "Unless you wanna relive that whole deathbed kissy thing."

"I said I promise."

"Fine."

Esmeray and Alaric shared a look and both rolled their eyes as Damon and Elena got out of the water.