Wayward Hearts: Book 2

Part 20

"Good, now do it like your life depends on it," Damon commanded Jeremy, " because it does."

Emma crossed her arms as she watched Jeremy fumble as he tried to load the gun quicker than he had previously.

"Don't act like you care about my life," Jeremy snapped at him, "you care about the hunter's mark and curing Elena so she's not sired to your ass."

"Stop arguing and focus Jer," Emma tried to get the kid to focus on the task at hand.

"Both require you to be alive. Which is why I updated our relationship status to 'it's complicated'," Damon rolled his eyes, "have you talked to her at all? Elena?"

Jeremy shrugged, "Maybe, you run out of voicemails to listen to?"

Emma looked down and bit her lip, Jeremy immediately felt bad for letting his anger get the best of him.

"I'm sorry," Klaus said as he approached from the tree line, "did I interrupt playtime?"

Emma stood up and crossed her arms, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm simply appreciating the sights and smells of nature, neither of which presently include rotting vampire flesh, so I'm a bit concerned. How many vampires has he killed?" Klaus raised his eyebrow as he waited for an answer.

Damon scoffed. "If we throw Jeremy out into the real world right now, he's chum."

Klaus glared at Damon and walked slowly and threateningly, "Yeah, see, that's not a number. Twelve. That's a number. That's how many of my hybrids I slaughtered with my sword. Three. That's how many days it took to quell the urge to kill your brother after he knowingly watched as I walked into a death trap. One. That's the number of purposes you serve. You are here to grow Jeremy's mark, so I'll ask again. How many vampires has he killed since he's been here?"

Damon held his ground, "Zero."

Klaus smirked, "That's a pity. I'm going to need that cure sooner rather than later, hybrid shortage and all. How can I help?"

Emma stepped over to the table where all the guns were laid out.

"Now that you mention it," she picked one up, "watch and learn Jer."

Emma took the gun, quickly assembled it and loaded it with a clip full of wooden bullets before she began firing bullets into Klaus until he was forced to back away from Damon and use a tree to support himself. She smirked as she put the gun down.

"That's for Carol Lockwood," Damon put his arm over Emma's shoulders in solidarity, Klaus killing Carol pissed Damon off, it was a cheap shot at her son.

Emma continued her smirk, "Just a heads up Klaus, I'm getting stronger."

Klaus glared at Emma and walked away.

"Why don't you let the actual hunters take over the training?" Dean said cockily as he walked up.

"Fine by me," Damon shrugged and looked at Emma, "I have some stuff to figure out anyway."

Emma watched as Damon walked away from her, wondering what he meant.

A knock on the door interrupted Emma's reading about Atticus Finch, the Phoenix that Sam and Dean had fought.

"That better not be another pizza Matt!" Emma called out.

"It wasn't me!" He yelled back before opening the door.

Emma went back to her reading, unbothered for a moment, until she heard the scuffle in the other room. She threw the book down and ran towards the noise. In the living room the pizza girl from earlier was attacking Matt, she had him on the ground and was trying to bite him. Emma grabbed a stake on the table and ran at her, she shoved the girl off of Matt and then squared herself, ready to fight. Before either girl could move, Jeremy came up behind the pizza girl and staked her in the back, her body began to desiccate and fell to the floor.