Shea Butter Baby// D.S

15

Chapter 15: Applying Pressure

        "I should take you home," Nala was sprawled out on Damon's couch, her cheeks were flush with a faint blush partly from the alcohol but mostly from all of the laughing she was doing.

        Damon didn't even mind when her fingers reached out to grab him, only the very tips of them skimming the front of his shirt and barely even catching on his belt. The pressure alone made the crotch of his pants tighten a little and he slowly took a step back.

        "How come?" She pouts, brown eyes looking up at him ever so innocently even though her body language suggested anything but. "We didn't even get to the fun part yet."

        Nala was giggling, her bright smile on display as she shimmied her sundress higher, showing of an ample amount of leg and a navy green thong that taunted the back of his eyes every time he closed them. "And we won't be until you sober up."

        A firm yet strong hand outstretched forward and lifted her entire weight in one swift tug. Throwing her over his shoulder, Damon covered up all of her naughty bits, his fingers gripping tight on the end of her dress to keep it down. "Latest victim?" Klaus's voice evaded the living room of the boarding house, the golden haze of the lights above making his blonde hair gleam.

        "What are you doing here?"

        "I had been pondering over how you and I had never shared a drink," Klaus' tone was coy, clearly pleased with himself for startling the raven haired Salvatore. "I now see that's because you spend your time otherwise occupied, intriguing."

         Sharp blue eyes narrowed at the comment, the prodding threat in the underlying tone of the Original hybrid enough for Damon to briefly excuse himself. Using his vampiric speed, he rushed Nala upstairs and in his bedroom—dark duvet covers were pulled aside so she could lay in them. He unfastened her hair clip and set it on the table, tucking her in and departing back downstairs before he was unable to stop himself from staying with her.

           "Tell me, you a bourbon guy?"

           Klaus smirked slightly. "Try me."

           Damon shifted his weight from foot to foot, slightly intimidated by the older vampire that was intently watching his every move. He poured both glasses halfway, keeping one and offering the other. "Care to tell me what you're here for?"

           "Mostly to rub in how your brother betrayed you."

           "It probably feels about the same way it did knowing your sister was also a team player in our plotting against you."

           Klaus clenched his jaw at the jab. "Speaking of her, where is dear little Rebekah?"

           "How am I supposed to know?" Damon took a gulp of his drink, lips pursing slightly as the burn as it went down. "I can barely keep ahold of my own brother." He clinked Klaus' glass. "Salute."

          The hybrid, however, didn't seem amused, his lip peeking up into a sneer. "I can smell the vervain seeping from your drink so I know I can't compel you, but I just want you to know this one little fact before you hold out on any information on Stefan." Pushing his glass aside, hands coming together at his front in an elegant pose as he articulated eloquently. "My family, the originals, I had them tucked away until I was ready to bring them back to me. Your brother seemed to have rushed the process and pinched the bloody locks."

         "Sticky fingers, that one," Damon smiled, internally proud at how smart the move Stefan pulled, probably would've worked if he wasn't doing it based off his own selfish desires and endangering everyone else. "I already told you though, I don't know where he is."

         Klaus pursed his lips, taking a step backwards with finality. "Perhaps you didn't heed my urgency when I told you to look for him. No worries, it seems you respond best to displays of violence so allow me to show you something." Taking out his phone and making a call, only one sentence was uttered and he'd effectively ruined the peaceful day in their lives. "That thing we spoke about earlier? How about we go ahead and get on with that, shall we?"

         "Who is that?" Damon prods, hairs on the back of his head standing at attention.

         "Goodbye, Damon."

         It only took a matter of minutes for Damon to figure out who was the recipient of Klaus' call, Elena soon frantically explaining how Klaus had compelled Jeremy to walk in the middle of the road—apparently Alaric pushed him out of the way and had died. Temporarily though, thanks to the Gilbert ring he was wearing. "Damon, he tried to kill Jeremy, you have to tell me where Stefan is. I have to talk to him, get him to give back whatever he stole."

        Damon sighed over the phone. "He stole Klaus' whole family that are daggered away in coffins."

        There was a pause, a deep exhale and he knew Elena was working up another one of her terrible, life threatening plans. "So, we can give him Rebekah in order for him to stop coming after my family."

        "No, Elena are you crazy? The second you give back Rebekah and he undaggers her, then you have another Original on our asses."

        "He tried to kill my brother, Damon. I'm doing whatever I have to do."

        The phone call ended before he could object. Damon turned the phone over, hands running through his hair briefly as he drudged in the direction of his bedroom. It was so silent upstairs he was worried she'd snuck away while he wasn't paying attention but as he opened the door he could see her curls peaking out from under his sheets. Sometime in his absence she'd taken off her dress and replaced it with one of his shirts, his dresser still open and slightly ruffled through.

         He contemplated lying down beside her when a text from Elena said that Ric woke up but the ring didn't heal him, he was coughing up blood and one of Klaus' hybrids sent the ambulance away.

         Grabbing his leather jacket and car keys, he was off with full intent of having to feed Alaric his blood. Meeting at the hospital that Elena had rushed to drop Ric off at, and compelling one of the nurses that he definitely was a family member and that she'd forget he'd ever been there. He slipped into Ric's room and bit his wrist—he hovered his arm over Ric's opened mouth, his eyes blinking open and body jumping into realization seconds later. "Welcome back, I think you should check your insurance on that ring. It seems to have a glitch."

          "Very funny, Damon."