The Newest Salvatore

Chapter 59

"What the hell, Damon? Did you have to hit him that hard?!" Jo glared angrily at Damon, her hands on her hips. Alaric started to stir from his position on the sofa, an ugly bruise starting to form on his temple.

"Yeah, he did," groaned Ric before Damon could answer, moving to sit up, scrunching his face in pain. "I could have hurt Ottilie."

Damon frowned before walking over to sit next to his friend, helping him to a seated position.

"Sorry buddy," he said, before biting into his wrist and letting some of his blood pour into the glass of bourbon he was holding. Alaric took it gratefully and sipped at it, feeling the throbbing in his head begin to ease.

"Is she okay?" he asked, scared to hear the answer.

"Yeah, I healed her as soon as I'd knocked you out," smirked Damon, "she's still asleep upstairs."

"I'm so sorry, I don't even remember being compelled. God, I could have killed her..." Alaric shook his head in dismay. "What if you hadn't been there?"

"I think Marcel wanted me to be there, to see how much control he has." Damon sighed, frustrated that the ball was no longer in his court, and that Marcel seemed to know everything.

"What do we do now?"

"Well Marcel's message was that as long as Ottilie keeps working on her magic, she will be safe until her 17th birthday. He seems to think that that's when she'll be at her strongest, and he'll come for her then to make his army."

"You'll let her go?"

Damon scoffed. "Obviously not, Ric. But by then, she'll be stronger than ever, and maybe we can finally defeat him."

Alaric nodded before letting his head rest back against the sofa, tiredness pricking at his eyes.

"I'll let you rest," said Damon, standing to leave, thinking he'd go and check on Ottilie to make sure, for the tenth time, that she was fully healed.

They were all sat around in the Mikaelson mansion, once again summoned for a meeting about Marcel. Damon explained what had happened with Ric, and the message that Marcel had delivered through him.

Elijah spoke first, looking pleased with himself as he announced his latest findings. "As Damon said, Marcel seems to think that Ottilie will be at her strongest when she is 17. I finally heard from a witch I've been tracking for some time who is rumoured to know a lot about Adfectus Witches', and he's confirmed that they are indeed at their strongest from the age of 17 onwards. Marcel's information is correct in this instance. I wonder if he too has only just heard from this witch, and that is why he's made the decisions that he has."

"So she has 3 years of freedom from Marcel before he tries to get to her again, and then what?" asked Caroline, frowning.

"Then Ottilie will get rid of him once and for all – if she's at her strongest then, it shouldn't be a problem," answered Damon, smiling down at his daughter who was sat beside Rebekkah, not saying a word.

"She'll keep on training in her magic and also physical training with Ric," he continued, looking around at the hesitantly approving faces of his friends. "And when the time comes, Otti will be ready, and so will we, to finally defeat Marcel."

"I'll drink to that!" smiled Klaus, holding up his glass as the rest of the group followed suit.

Ottilie smiled a little so as not to cause suspicion, but inside, she knew that nothing had really changed. Sure, she had a few more years of Marcel-free time to enjoy, and to have as normal a life as possible, but ultimately, she still had to die to defeat him.

Damon drove Stefan, Otti, Lexi and Caroline back to the mansion, relishing the feel of the sun on his face, and thankful that his ring allowed him to enjoy it. He felt relieved, lighter than he had in months. Ottilie was going to be fine for the next few years, then just one battle, and all would be fine again.

"Lexi," he called as she walked from the car to the house, stopping as she heard him call her. She waited for him to catch up with him, slipping her small hand into his and smiling at him.

"Lexi, do you want to go away for the weekend? I have a lake house not too far – just the two of us?"

She nodded readily, excited at the prospect of having Damon all to herself with no distractions for the entire weekend. "Absolutely, when do we go?"

"I'll just check that someone can watch Otti, but I'm pretty sure that won't be a problem. Go and pack, gorgeous, we'll go tonight."

She smiled prettily and sped off to the room she now shared with him to get a small bag together.

Less than an hour later and she and Damon were speeding away in his blue camero. Stefan had readily agreed to watch Ottilie for the weekend, and was pleased that his brother was obviously feeling relaxed enough to leave her under the care of someone other than himself. God knows, it's taken him long enough, he thought to himself.

The drive wasn't long, but Lexi soon fell asleep, lulled by the gentle purr of the engine and the soothing hand she felt on her thigh.

"Sweetheart, we're here," Damon woke her gently, pushing a strand of golden hair from her face and smiling adoringly at her. "Welcome to the lakehouse," he said, gesturing at the quaint, perfect little building next to a lake so serenely beautiful that Lexi wasn't convinced it was real.

"Wow," she gasped, "you know, you never told me you have a lake house?"

"There's lots you don't know about me, Lexi," Damon smirked, and Lexi felt her stomach do the now familiar flips as she fell, once again, head over heels for him. "Would you care to learn some more?"

He jumped from the car, grabbed their bags and sped into the house, returning only a moment later on Lexi's side of the car. Opening her door, he lifted her gently, placing a kiss on her head, and carried her bridal style into the house, straight up to one of the bedrooms. She'll learn a lot more about me tonight, he mused, his excitement beginning to grow.

A short one, I know, but it's just a filler chapter for more exciting things to come. The real question is, would you like to know what goes on in that lakehouse?... What will Lexi learn about Damon? Thanks for reading, please leave comments and reviews etc – always eager to improve! SEG2021 x