The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 44

Elena was wakened by shouting. Shed already once awakened to unbelievable bliss. Now she was awake again but surely that was Damons voice. Shouting? Damon didnt shoutThrowing on a robe, she went dashing out the door and downstairs.Raised voices confusion. Damon was kneeling on the floor. His face was blue-white. There wasnt a plant in the room that could be strangling him.Poisoned, was the next thing Elena thought and immediately her eyes darted around the room to see a spilled drink, a dropped plate, any sign that poison had done this. There was nothing.Sage was clapping Damon on the back. Oh, God, could he flip choked? But that was idiocy. Vampires didnt breathe, except for talking and make Power.But then what was happening?You fox to breathe, Sage was shouting in Damons ear. Take a breath, as if you were going to speak, but then hold on to it, as if for raising your Power. Think about your insides. Get those lungs workingThe words only confused Elena.There cried Sage. You se e?But it only lasts an rank. Then I need to do it again.But, yes, that is the pointI tell you Im dying and you laugh at me? a disheveled Damon shouted. Im blind, deaf, my senses atomic number 18 haywire and you laughDisheveled, thought Elena, daunted by something.Well. Sage seemed to be at least trying not to laugh. Perhaps, mon petit chou, you should not have opened something that was not addressed to you?I define wards each around me before I did it. The house was safe.But you were not breathe Breathe, DamonIt looked completely harmless and admit it we were both going to open it last darkness when we got too tired But to do it alone, to open a present from a kitsunethat was foolish, yes?A choking Damon snapped, Dont lecture me. Help me. Why am I muffled in cotton wool? Why cant I see? Or hear? Or smell anything? Im telling you I cant smell a thingYou are fit and sharp as any human could be. You could probably defeat most vampires if you fought with one right now. Bu t human senses are very few and very dull.Words were swimming in Elenas headopening things not addressed to youbouquet from a kitsunehumanOh, my GodApparently, the said(prenominal) words were going through the mind of someone else, because suddenly a figure dashed in from the kitchen area. Stefan.You stole my bouquet? From the kitsune?I was very detailed Do you realize what youve done? Stefan shook Damon.Ow. That hurts Do you want to break my neck?That hurts? Damon, youre in for a world of hurt Do you understand? I talked to that kitsune. Told him the whole story of my life. Elena came to visit and he truism her practicallywell, n perpetually mind he saw her crying over me Doyourealizewhatyouhave done?It was as if Stefan had started climbing a series of steps, and that each one lifted him to a higher level of fury than the last. And here, at the topIll pop up YOU Stefan shouted. You took it my humanity He gave it to me and you took itYoull kill me? Ill kill you, you you d irt There was one flower in the middle. A black rose, bigger than I have ever seen. And it smelledheavenlyIts gone matted reported, producing the bouquet. He displayed it. There was a gaping hole in the center of the mixed flower arrangement.Despite the hole, Stefan ran to it, and stuck his face into the bouquet, imbibe in great heaving breaths of air. He kept coming up andsnapping his fingers and each time lightning flared between his fingertips.Sorry, bud, Matt said. I think its gone.Elena could see it all now. That kitsunehe was one of the good ones, like the stories Meredith had told them about. Or at least good enough to sympathize with Stefans plight. And so, when he had gotten free, he had made up a bouquet kitsune could do anything with plants, although surely this was a great feat, something like finding the secret of eternal youthto turn vampires into humans. And after Stefan had endured and endured and endured and should have finally gotten his reinforcing stimulusrig ht nowIm going back, Stefan shouted. Im going to find himMeredith said quietly, With or without Elena?Stefan stopped. He looked up at the stairway, and his eyes met Elenas.ElenaWell go together.No, Stefan shouted. I would never put you through that. Im not going after all. Im just going to murder you He swung back on his brother.Been there, done that. Besides, Im the one thats going to kill you, you bastard You took my world away from me I am a vampire Im not a some creative cursing humanWell you are now, Matt said. He was just barely not laughing out loud. So Id say youd better get used to it.Damon leaped at Stefan. Stefan didnt step aside. In an instant there was a ball of thrashing, bang, and punching, and cursing in Italian that made it sound as if there were at least four vampires fighting basketball team or six humans.Elena sat down helplessly.Damona human?How were they going to deal with this?Elena looked up to see that Bonnie had carefully made up a tray of all sorts of things that tasted good to humans, and that shed undoubtedly done it for Damon before he had worked his way into hysteria.Bonnie, Elena said quietly, dont give it to him yet. Hell just throw it at you. But perhaps later(prenominal)Later he wont throw it?Elena winced.How is Damon going to deal with being human? she asked herself aloud.Bonnie looked at the cursing, spitting ball of vampire/human fury.Id saykicking and screaming the whole way.Just then Mrs. Flowers came out of the kitchen. She had a huge mound of fluffy waffles stacked on several plates on a tray. She saw the rolling, swearing, snarling ball that was Stefan and Damon.Oh, my, she said. Did something go wrong?Elena looked at Bonnie. Bonnie looked at Meredith. Meredith looked at Elena.Youcould say so, gasped Elena.And then the three of them gave way to it. Gales and gales of helpless laughter.Youve lost a brawny ally, said a voice in Elenas mind. Do you know that? Can you foresee the consequences? Today, when you have j ust come back from a world of Shinichis?Well win, Elena thought. We have to.