I Know The End | D. Salvatore

masquerade

The soft clicking of heels on the concrete road was drowned out by the sound of chatter and music as I made my way up to the Lockwood house. I reached behind my head to tighten the ribbon that was holding the mask to my face before I dropped my hands to my sides and flattened the skirt of my dress.

My gaze roamed across all of the hidden faces, managing to recognise most of them even with the masks. My eyes stopped on one figure in particular and I felt myself grow flustered. Damon was dressed in black suit that fit him perfectly, and he wore a black mask that covered the top half of his face. It somehow made his features even more striking, putting more emphasis on his sharp jawline and bright blue eyes.

A soft smile formed on my lips as I walked up the steps to meet him on the porch outside. Damon's gaze shifted to me and his eyes dropped down as he took in my appearance. A light smirk formed on his face as he stepped forward and placed his hands on my hips.

"Don't you look stunning." Damon mused in a soft tone of voice as he looked me up and down once again.

"So do you." I replied with a small smile as I placed my hands over his shoulders.

"You remember the plan?" Damon questioned, lowering his head down to speak softly into my ear so no one could overhear him.

"Of course." I spoke softly, knowing he could hear me.

"No cold feet?" Damon questioned, his lips ghosting against my ear in a way that almost made me shiver.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I asked him in return

Damon lent back to look me in the eyes. "What are you talking about? I don't get cold feet."

"You were in love with her for 145 years, Damon. I don't have any ties to her." I pointed out

"She looks like Elena, Thea." Damon stated, trying to point out that I did have ties to her in some way.

"Yeah. But she's not Elena. I know the difference." I said firmly. I lent forward to let my lips press lightly against his cheek, making sure to not leave any lipstick on his skin, before I pulled away from him and turned into the crowd inside.

My eyes scanned the crowd of masked faces as I walked through the house. I picked up a glass of champagne as I walked, trying to make myself seem less suspicious as I paced the house. So far, there was no sign of Katherine. I had hoped it would be easy for me to pick her out, considering the fact that she is identical to my sister.

As I walked into one of the lounges that was far more empty than the rest of the house, a familiar voice spoke from behind me. "You and Damon seem to be quite cozy, when did that happen? Not that I'm surprised."

I turned around to look at her. It was disturbing, she looked and sounded exactly like Elena, but there was something off. While her eyes were the same deep brown, there was a coldness in her eyes that Elena never had. And if you looked close enough, her eyes held a certain age to them that Elena's didn't.

"I fail to see how that's any of your business. You made it perfectly clear that you weren't interested in him." I pointed out firmly before taking a sip from the glass in my hands.

Katherine hummed. "So hostile. No wonder Damon likes you."

"Is there a point to this conversation?" I asked her, getting tired of conversing about my relationship with my boyfriend's ex.

"I was just making small talk. But if you want to cut to the chase, then fine." Katherine shrugged. She spoke like she was toying with me. Like a predator who had caught a mouse in its paws and was simply messing with it. "I want you to get the moonstone for me."