his intoxication

18

Damon's fangs lengthened and his eyes darkened as ran in the direction he'd heard Kagome's screams coming from. She was in danger, and his blood lust and dark nature had come up to the surface in response to his need to protect her. Not long after he rocketed off in her direction, he came upon a small, hastily built cottage in a small clearing guarded by two witches. He made quick work of them, his anger simmering over into a boil and granting him that much more speed and strength. Shippo and Inuyasha's eyes widened in alarm when they caught up to him, the sight of his fangs and blood smeared mouth signs of his vampiric nature that they'd never seen before.

"She's in here." He informed them, and before he could reach for the door handle, Inuyasha burst through door feet first, sending splinters of wood out to shower the small congregation of witches on the floor before them. They sat chanting in a circle on the floor around a large, round symbol carved right into the boards. They leapt at the abrupt intrusion to their ritual, turning their eyes to the strange newcomers at the door. One man who had been standing behind the circle of chanting witches stepped around and in between his coven and the three angry beings who now joined them.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Inuyasha leveled tessaiga at the man's chest, his eyes flickering red and a low growl vibrating in his chest.

"Where is she?"

"Ah, you are here for the jewel then. You cannot have it. I will be using it to bring back the founder of our great coven, I will let no one stop me. Leave this place, and we will allow you to keep your meaningless lives."

"Or," Damon spoke up, drawing the attention of Shippo and Inuyasha with the deadly edge in his voice. "you give me my priestess back, and I won't rip your intestines out through your throat."

Shippo and Inuyasha were almost shocked by the deadly intent in Damon's eyes. It had completely wiped away the sarcastic spark that could usually be found there.

"Keh! Like we ain't heard this shit before old man."

Dimitri walked back to his place behind his circle of witches, gesturing out too them and beckoning them to rise.

"Come, my children. Rise to defend your destinies. Defend the Coven of Eternity, so that we might finish our work and bring our beloved leader back to us." The entire circle rose at his words, turning to face the trio at the door. Some began chanting again, while others brought out talismans or crystals. Inuyasha stepped forward and simply punched the first person out, followed by Shippo who picked someone up and threw them through the hole where the door used to be. Three more people entered the fray, Koga detransforming and slashing with his claws.

Damon began making his way to a door at the back of the room, confident that that's where he would find his missing miko, and whoever it was who had signed their death certificate when they had decided to harm her. He kept his attention on the man who was obviously running this show, and his eyes widened as he began lobbing glass vials of clear liquid out into the fight before him.

"VERVAIN!" He shouted, hoping to warn his fellow vampires in the mix before they could be seriously hurt. One of the vials burst over Inuyasha's head. His nose twitched madly as he attempted to identity the substance that now soaked his ears.

"It's just water!"

"No!" Damon pushed Caroline out of the way of one of the flying vials, taking the hit directly. The vervain infused water burned his skin, and he shouted and hissed at the pain. He dropped to his knees and clutched the side of his face that took the brunt of the vile herb. Caroline hooked her arms under his and drug him to a corner out of the way. Shippo had begun launching blue orbs of fox fire, and Inuyasha encouraged Stefan and Elena not to hold back. Anyone who posed such a threat to the jewel needed to be disposed of. The group of witches may have been larger than their little rescue group, but they were still merely a group of humans. They fell quickly, and when only Dimitri was left standing, the door opened and a new figure walked in. A much younger man who removed a sharp dagger from his jacket and through it straight into Dimitri's heart.