Salvation (TVD Fan Fiction)

Chapter 21

Damon's POV

What the fuck? Seriously? Another interruption, and from these two, no less. I didn't know whether I was more surprised to see them or more pissed at both their timing and their return.

Stefan and Elena have been off the map, completely under the radar for almost two full weeks, and they choose to return right as I was about to… yeah. I had heard nothing, nothing, from either one of their asses. They had left me here like bait for Klaus, knowing who he would come after in their absence. Did they care? Hell, no. Stefan and Elena were together again, in love like nothing had ever come between the two of them.

I felt Rhi's embarrassment infiltrating my mind, and I remembered she was topless behind me. I shifted my body so that she was covered, and she leaned herself into my back and nestled her chin into the right side of my neck. I knew that Stefan probably remembered Rhiannon. Even though Rowan had compelled him to forget her in addition to me, when Rowan had died, the effects of his compulsion had went with him. Stefan was still staring at her. It may have been completely innocent, but I didn't like it to say the least. The absolute very least.

"Hello, brother," I said, breaking the tense silence. "Elena."

I was suddenly surprised to find that Elena no longer captivated me the way she used to. Sure she was an attractive girl, she always had been. But I had found what I had been looking for all these years, and it sure as hell wasn't Elena. It was an intensely liberating experience to stand there in front of Stefan, with Elena's arm wrapped tightly around his waist, and not be wrecked with envy of my brother.

Neither one of them made any move to reply or politely avert their eyes. Alright, this was getting old.

"If neither of you want to say anything, believe me, I'm more than okay with it. But surely there's something else you could be doing. That is, unless you've decided to take up voyeurism as a new hobby," I remarked snidely. If they had been expecting a warm welcome back home from me, they could go to hell.

Stefan blinked and tried a few times to pull his eyes away from Rhiannon, finally succeeding. An involuntary growl rumbled low inside of my chest, and I felt Rhi's fingers interlace with mine. It was probably correct to assume she could feel my jealousy, but I was past all the emotional evasiveness now with her.

"Hello, Damon," Stefan began awkwardly. "Elena and I just got back."

"Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious. Really appreciate it. You can go now," I sneered. I knew I was being rude, but I didn't give a damn.

"Damon…" Elena said. I felt Rhi stiffen as she averted her attention to the doe eyed girl standing at my brother's side.

Elena continued, "I know that you are angry that we left the way we did. And I just want you to know you have every right to be. We're sorry. We should never have left you here the way we did."

All that talk about how neither one of us needed to be jealous seemed to have flown out the window, because a radiated wave of Rhi's jealousy hit me like a ton of bricks. It was beyond needless for her to be jealous of Elena, or anyone else for that matter. I turned to face her, careful not to expose her in any way. Her sharp eyes (which gave a whole new meaning to the term 'green with envy') met mine reluctantly, and her beautiful mouth was a little on the pouty side. I relaxed my face, and ever so slightly shook my head at her.

Don't feel that. There's no reason for you to feel like that. I love you, Rhi. Do you understand me? I thought loudly knowing she would hear me.

She didn't project back, just nodded one small nod. This quick silent exchange between the two of us was lost on Stefan and Elena.

"Damon, did you just hear what I said to you?" Elena whined. Oh, how glad I was that Stefan was now the one, the only one, who was sentenced to endure her incessant nagging.