The Sensitive

Chapter 23: Isabel's Ultimatum

"Hello?" Ric's raspy voice could be heard across the phone line. His body tense as he stood in the Salvatore Mansion with Bonnie, Elena, Stefan, Damon, and Jeremy who listened with bated breath as he put the call on speaker.

A smirk spread across Isabel's face as she spoke in a sweet seductive tone, staring into Marilyn's calm eyes as she did. "Hello, Ric. How are you? Fine, I hope."

"Where's Marilyn?"

"Oh, she's in perfectly good hands here with me. A fascinating girl, I must say. Not as fragile as I had anticipated." She smirks at Marilyn and the young girl takes that as a cue to start her acting. A shrill cry of pain leaves her lips, scaring her loved ones on the other end of the phone call.

"Don't touch her." Alaric says darkly, in a threatening manner as fear and anger coursed through him. Though he looked far more relaxed than Stefan and Damon who were practically shaking in fury. Elena hugged Bonnie as she listened to her sister's cry, fear coursing through the girls. And Jeremy stood there, jaw clenched a whirlwind of fear and anger overwhelming him.

Isabel smiled at Marilyn's convincing cry. "Oh, Ric, I think I'm doing much more than just touching her." Again a painful scream left Marilyn's lips, the sound echoing in her loved ones' ears.

"I hope everyone heard that, especially my dear Elena." Isabel said with a cool, calculating tone. "The longer I wait for the device, the more pain her sister will have to endure."

Another cry left Marilyn's lips making the two smirk as they waited for a response from the other line. The tension hung thick in the air, the silence amplifying every little sound of movement on the other line. But to their surprise, it wasn't Ric nor Elena who spoke. Instead, a deep voice interrupted the stillness, filled with authority and familiarity.

"I killed you once Isabel. Don't think I won't do it again. If I were you, I would release her right now." The air crackled with tension, and Marilyn felt a chill run down her spine at Damon's voice. Marilyn had never heard him use that tone of voice before, in this new timeline or in the original show. She had seen him in many situations, fierce and protective, but this was different.He sounded so angry and dangerous. And as much as Marilyn hated to admit it, it scared her.

"Oh, Damon. You know I won't do that. Not until I have the device." Isabel spoke firmly, a hint of playfulness in her tone. As if she enjoyed riling up the pissed off vampire.

"Listen-" Damon growled, but Isabel cut him off before he could finish.

"Call when you have the device." She barks, before abruptly ending the call and pocketing Marilyn's phone. Isabel smirked at Marilyn as she took another sip of her wine.

"You were right. You can be awfully convincing."

Marilyn smirked right back, sipping on the little bit of wine she still had in her glass. "What can I say? I may have missed my calling."

The two chuckle, before silence falls between them as they finish their glasses. Their eyes glancing at one another as Isabel's humans re-enter the room, the jazz singer immediately refilling their empty glasses as Isabel decided to break the silence.

"I must admit, I thought Elena would be able to convince Damon to cooperate because he's in love with her." Isabel muses, as she swirls the wine in her glass, "But hearing him on the phone makes me think, it's you he's in love with."

Isabel's words hung in the air, the accusation both unsettling and deliberate. Marilyn didn't flinch, though. She'd become an expert at maintaining her composure. Still, the notion of Damon being in love with her caught her off guard, even if she knew Isabel was only using it as a tool to provoke.