The Bourbon Diaries ✢ The Vampire Diaries FanFiction ✢ TVD FanFic ✢ TVDU FanFic

Chapter Fifty-Two - Lorraine Pieterse

Present day

Mystic Falls, VA

Cristian couldn't imagine the inconvenience of having to perform certain spells without the use of modern technology. This particular one would have normally required him to be in sight of Phoenix's car. Instead, he was miles away, possessing one clear snap of Phoenix's vehicle sent from Lorraine's cell phone, and yet he was still able to spell it shut and add an accompanying song. It would have been a lot more fun if he'd been able to cast the spell on Zara's car though. Nina Simone was a nice touch, but there was an amusing YOLO meme he'd have loved to have sent to Raid and Adam via her dashboard computer. No matter. Blood was required for the spell and he didn't have access to her blood for that. Phoenix's blood, while minimal and still contaminated with bourbon from what he'd collected in a vial from the Halfway House, was enough to do the job.

The door of the bar opened, and Lorraine walked in carrying Stef over her shoulder. She'd switched her phone off after Winifred started hounding her, so Cristian hadn't expected her to be so early. It meant she'd driven like a bat out of hell, which Cristian didn't appreciate, considering there was precious cargo in the car. Once inside, she released Stef onto the floor with a continued lack of care, like the extra weight was merely a sack of vegetables.

Cristian tried to control his temper, gripping the edge of the bar table where he'd been performing the spell. "Pick her the fuck up now," he seethed. He stared down at the table rigidly, waiting until the mistake of dropping Stef to the ground had been corrected.

"What the hell is your problem?" Lorraine asked sourly, leaving her on the floor. She'd done her part. Everything was working out for them. He had no right to take that tone with her.

Cristian lifted his hand---but not his head---towards her. Aneurysm spell it was then. As soon as Lorraine screamed in pain, clutching at her skull, and falling to her knees beside Stef, Cristian turned and stepped closer to her. He stopped inflicting the pain only so she could focus on his words clearly. "She cannot heal, so if there is so much as a bruise on Stefanie's body after that, I will put a stake through your heart. She's mine, not yours. Nobody hurts her but me, understand?"

Shooting him a cold stare as she picked Stef up and laid her on the closest table, Lorraine scorned, "You might want to remember that I've already got what I want downstairs. You haven't got the talisman, so what you want is still a few steps ahead of you."

"Just because you couldn't find the talisman, doesn't mean I can't," Cristian replied. He walked around the table, gazing down at Stef, still unconscious, stroking along her hair. "All the spells she ever learned were ones that I provided her. I know exactly how to undo them." He looked back at Lorraine. "Of course, it shouldn't need to come to that, so long as nothing prevented Raid and Adam from going off that bridge. We'll soon find out if they're dead."

"She's going to lose her witch powers," Lorraine reminded him, crossing her arms.

"That's a small price to pay for making sure Raid is out of her life for good," he replied. "Now why don't you go downstairs and check on the man that you want out of her life for good? I have things to do."

Lorraine's eyes rolled upwards as she walked towards the corridor leading to the cellar, stopping only briefly as she spotted some keys on the bar counter and pocketed them before Cristian could notice. She was going to be glad when this alliance with him was over. It was pitch black as she stepped carefully down the stairs, but it didn't come as a surprise. Of course Cristian had left him in the darkness. It was exactly the type of thing he would do. Lorraine yanked on the pull cord, brightening the room, and stepped into the man's line of sight.

His eyes fixed on hers, motionless, unemotional, not struggling against his restraints like she expected. Did he sense any familiarity in her?

"In my experience," he griped, "when a man sends a woman to do his work for him, it's about to get a lot more deadly."