Bennett Bound: A TVD Fanfic

Chapter 15

Note: I'm reuploading all full chapters of this book! My site is temporarily down, but I don't want you to have to wait to read.

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Diana's POV - 5 days later, early morning

"Something's wrong, Damon..." my voice trailed off as I continued skimming the grimoire beneath my hands. I'd made yet another grave mistake from my impulsive need to protect my sister. "I...I screwed up," I breathed out, like the wind had been knocked from my lungs. Each word twisted a dagger of guilt deeper and deeper into my chest. I should've listened to Bonnie, or at least told her what I'd planned. Maybe she could've come up with a better solution - she was hands down the smarter Bennett sister, after all. "Damon?" I finally looked up from the grimoire and jumped from the bed, dropping the ancient book to the floor. "M-Marcel?"

Marcel's cold glare bore into mine as he stood towering over the threshold of the door, unable to step inside. A dark smirk spread from his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest. "See, I knew you were too crafty to let a weaker witch's spell just kill you like that," he chuckled, his fangs shining as his lips spread into a wider smile.

I swallowed hard and focused on keeping my breaths even. "Where's Damon and Klaus?" I demanded, hoping the emphasis was placed equally on both names. It would only cause more problems if Marcel uncovered any information about the complicated bond Damon and I had developed recently.

"Relax, your little protectors are fine. They don't even know I'm here," he looked around the entrance to the room, placing his hand against the invisible barrier I'd activated shortly after sending Bonnie and Stefan away, but it was supposed to be covering the entire mansion, not just my room. "Remove the barrier, and I'll think about letting them live," he grounded out, his smirk falling from his face.

"If I remove the barrier, they're dead anyway. Do what you must," I shrugged, casually retrieving the grimoire from the floor and sitting back down on the bed.

I felt his eyes heavy on me, but I refused to meet his gaze as I pretended to focus on the words of the page in front of me. It took everything in me to keep my hands steady, but I was sure the thudding of my heart gave me away anyway.

"Well, how about your sister? Surely her life is worth something to you," he tried again.

"Good luck finding her. I haven't been able to since I escaped your prison," I hissed, slamming the book closed and stood to my feet, hoping to hide my lying heart rate beneath the action. "I know why you're here, Marcel. And I'm not letting you use me for the Harrowing."

He blinked, and for a moment, pure confusion crossed his face before the black of his pupils spilled over and covered his eyes entirely. A demented grin sliced his face and he stepped right through the threshold of my door. "I could just drag you out of here," a throng of voices poured from his lips, "but I'm trying to be civil and give you a chance."

"Who are you?" I asked quietly. "Why are you raising that...that thing? It's going to consume you just like everyone else!"

The beast wearing Marcel's flesh snorted. "Must I have a reason? Is there one that would be validated in your little mind, witch?" he bit out the last word.

"Validated? Sure, I can relate to doing terrible things to protect the ones I love. But I will never let you invoke the Harrowing. Ever," I whispered. Something was off. He'd broken the barrier and stepped into the room, which proved he could best my magic even if I tried to fight him. So why hadn't he just taken me like he said he could? "You're hesitating," I thought aloud.

He tilted his head, his glare growing colder. "Quite the observer, witch."

"Which means there's some reason you can't force me out of here. What is it?" I questioned, asking myself more than him. I rolled various thoughts around, crossing my arms over my chest and tapping my chin with my index finger. "You said you could force me out, but you haven't made a move, so either you're lying or you're waiting for something else. Using my friends and my sister to coerce me...you can't touch me, can you?" I asked, tilting my head to the side, mimicking his current stance. "That's it, isn't it? But why? Is my magic toxic to you?" I asked, raising a hand toward the monster. "Phasmatos in--"

In a blink, I was pressed against the wall, lifted from my feet with Marcel's hand wrapped around my throat. "Not quite, little witch," he whispered, slowly lowering me back to my feet, but making no effort to remove or loosen his grip. I tugged at his hand, blinking against the black dots forming in my vision. After a moment of my struggling, he released his grasp, slipping his hand to the back of my head. He gripped the curls at the base of my skull, yanking my head back until I had no choice but to look up at him. "The anam cara is quite an unusual bond," he said softly. "Stronger than any creature, no matter how old, how sinister. Defies all logic and ideals of freedom. Follows you, no matter how often you transform, no matter which host you choose."

I gave myself no time to ponder on his words. "You need my blood for your little ritual, right?" I seethed, my blood running cold with thoughts of my impending death. How long would it take for him to realize he only had one half of what he needed? Would Bonnie still be safe in the prison world? What if she got out? How long would it be before my little sister joined me in death? "Why haven't you just killed me already?" I asked, desperation clear in my voice.

"Kill you?" he scoffed, running his other hand down the side of my face. "Sweet, sweet Diana, I could never kill you," he whispered. "My soul has been bound to yours since the start of my cursed life." His thumb brushed across my bottom lip that quivered at the touch.

"Y-you're lying," I said weakly.

"Never," he brushed the tip of his nose across my cheek until his lips fell against my earlobe. "Not to you."

"Then why are you doing this? That creature you're raising is going to kill me," I choked out.

"You've been misinformed about the Harrowing, Diana. I don't have the privilege of explaining it to you as my current host is clawing his way back. Go with Marcel. Let him complete the ritual and everyone you hold dear will be protected. You have my word," he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. "I can't protect you if you fight it."

In a blink, he was gone. I collapsed against the wall, sliding down to my feet as tremors ran through my body.

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Bonnie's POV (same timeline as Diana's POV)

"I can't believe it's been five days already," I said with a yawn, snuggling closer against Stefan's bare chest.

"Maybe we should stretch that week into two," he mumbled sleepily, trailing his fingers up and down my back.

"Stefan," I warned, lifting my head to watch him. His eyes were closed and his face was free of wrinkles or worry. I couldn't remember a time he'd looked more peaceful.

"I know, I know. Can't blame a guy for trying," he said with a small grin, wrapping his arms around me and tugging me closer. Suddenly, he tensed, his arms tightening around me unknowingly.

"What's wrong?" I whispered, watching him strain to hear something.

"Someone's here," he muttered, slinking from the bed and silently stalking to the door. He turned back to me, motioning for me to stay still before vamping from the room.

All was eerily silent and I sat up, listening for any sound whatsoever. After about three minutes of bone chilling silence, I slipped out of bed, tugging Stefan's shirt over my half-naked body and tiptoed into the hall. Still hearing nothing, I started stepping lightly down the stairs, jumping when I heard a loud crash.

I bounded down the rest of the steps, running to the source of the noise - the kitchen - to find Stefan towering over what looked like a college boy no more than a few years older than me, surrounded by broken dishes on the floor. His face held an expression of fear, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. His attention drifted to me when Stefan's did.

"What's going on?" I asked, cautiously. I stayed at the threshold of the kitchen, unsure if I should step in or not.

"Turns out we're not the only ones stuck here," Stefan shrugged, turning back to the stranger with hard eyes. "Who are you?"

"No one of consequence," the boy said, flashing a small smile at me before quickly standing to his feet with his palms up in surrender when Stefan eyed him. "Kai, Kai Parker," he said, reaching a cautious hand out to Stefan.

"How long have you been stuck here, Kai?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest. "Stefan has been all around the town looking for others and there hasn't been a single sign of life."

"Actually, Mr. Broody here only checked a few streets. Got the feeling he really wanted to get back to the missus - not that I can blame him," he winked. "I've been here much longer than you, that's for sure," he shrugged, turning to open the fridge. He pulled out a jug of orange juice, stepping over the shattered ceramics to retrieve a cup from the cabinet beside Stefan's head. "You guys haven't even figured out what kind of hell this place really is yet," he smirked, pouring himself a full glass of the juice and taking a long sip.

"What do you mean, 'hell?'" Stefan asked, watching Kai's every move.

"Well, I can't just tell you straight out. Where's the fun in that? Let's make it a game," he smiled brightly, looking between the two of us.

"Save your games and get out," Stefan said, brusquely waving him off and turning to me.

"But I haven't even told you the best part," he said with a playful smile. "If you win, I'll tell you the secret on how to get outta this place," he whispered.

Stefan turned back and in a blink, he held Kai by the throat against the fridge. "Or you could just tell me now and I might not kill you."

"Stefan, wait," I clamored, drifting further into the kitchen.

Kai struggled to say something, and Stefan leaned closer, loosening his grip just a little. "I'm sorry, what was that?" he bit out.

"I...said...you should never...put your hands...on a witch," he spat. "Motus!" he sent Stefan flying back against the stove on the other side of the kitchen before doubling over and holding his throat as he wheezed. "How do you deal with this guy's anger problems?" he huffed, still trying to catch his breath.

Stefan got up slowly, pulling a piece of glass from a cup out of his shoulder and his eyes turned black, the whites filling with red and black veins spread around them as he glared at Kai. 

"Stefan, calm down," I demanded. "If you kill him, we may never find a way out."

"He's dangerous," he spat.

"You attacked him first. He's just a witch defending himself," I scoffed, my voice harsher than I'd intended.

Stefan's eyes turned to me, immediately ceding back to their normal olive green, growing confused and slightly hurt. He shook his head and turned back to Kai. "If you try anything, I'll rip your head off."

"Looking forward to it," Kai said with a smirk. "Now, about that game..." he rubbed his hands together in excitement.

What the hell are we getting ourselves involved in? I asked myself. I still had so many questions, so many holes in my memory that didn't add up to anything logical. And the inkling that I was forgetting something incredibly important only grew with each passing day. If Kai had any answers, we would get them. And if he proved to be dangerous, I would have no qualms with Stefan taking him out as promised. But for now, if there was even a chance he actually knew a way out of this place, we would have to work with him.

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