Their Raven

Chapter 8

The world around Damon remained nothing but darkness, the buzzing in his ears like an oppressive weight. He couldn't move, couldn't speak–just drifting in the suffocating black void that was both nothing and everything.

A sharp pain shot through his head, and he groaned involuntarily, the sound weak and far away. As if sensing it, a hand pressed to his forehead–cool and steady, a calm in the storm.

"Stay with me, love," Klaus's voice soothed, deep and familiar, though Damon could barely focus on the words. It was a comfort nonetheless, one that kept him tethered to the present, or what was left of it.

A soft breath brushed his ear. Elijah's presence was there too–protective and silent, like a shadow that refused to leave.

Damon tried to open his eyes, but the effort felt impossible. His limbs were like lead, and his chest was heavy as though some invisible weight was pressing down. Another wave of nausea threatened to drag him under again, but he held on, grasping at the faint glimmer of consciousness.

He could hear the distant murmurs of voices–Bonnie, Alaric, and yet they were nothing more than disjointed whispers in his mind. His head lolled to the side, and he tried to make sense of the words.

"Let him rest," Klaus's voice was the sharpest, most insistent. "He'll wake when he's ready."

"Will he remember everything?" Elijah's tone was colder, less certain. He was always the more cautious of the brothers.

Damon wanted to laugh, but it came out as a strained, pained chuckle. His eyes fluttered, barely opening to the dim room around him. The first thing he saw was Klaus's face–close, too close, but not threatening. Not yet.

"You know," Damon managed to rasp, his voice a shadow of its usual confidence, "I'm starting to think you two have a weird way of showing concern." Klaus's lips twitched upward into a faint smile, though his eyes remained sharp. "I do what I can love."

A third voice, low and smooth, suddenly cut through the tension. "Honestly, you two are such a pair of softies," Kol chimed in from the doorway, a teasing glint in his eyes as he leaned casually against the frame. He raised an eyebrow at Damon, his trademark smirk in place. "This one's a tough one, though, don't you think?"

Damon tried to muster up a glare but could barely keep his eyes open. Kol's presence was like a breath of fresh air, and despite the circumstances, Damon couldn't help but appreciate the slight, familiar humour in his voice. It was a welcome distraction from the overwhelming exhaustion threatening to pull him under.

"How are you feeling?" Kol asked, moving to sit on the edge of the couch with a playful look in his eyes. "You look like death warmed over." He grinned, but there was something else in his gaze–a flicker of concern that Kol never let anyone see.

"I've felt worse," Damon muttered weakly, his voice nearly audible. He attempted to sit up, but Klaus's steadying hand on his shoulder kept him in place.

"Stay down," Klaus insisted, his voice softening as he glanced at Kol. "Let him rest." Kol's eyes narrowed, and he exchanged a knowing look with his older brother before turning back to Damon. "You're lucky he's around," he mused. "If it were up to me, I'd have you up and moving around in no time. No more playing the martyr."

Damon chuckled dryly, though it was mostly a wince. "If I could move, trust me, I'd be out of here. But seeing you three..." He sighed, exhausted, "Is enough to make me reconsider that plan."

Bonnie, who had been watching quietly from the other side of the room, stepped forward. "Don't make jokes, Damon," she warned. "Elena tried something with you, but it didn't work. You're lucky the powder didn't kill you."

"Elena..." Damon murmured, his eyes fluttering open fully for the first time in a while. "What did she do to me?" His voice cracked slightly, and his throat felt like sandpaper.

Bonnie's face hardened as she crossed her arms. "She threw a rare mix of witch herbs at you which I don't know how she got it, but luckily you're a vampire or it would have killed you. Instead, it only made things worse somehow which is what I need to figure out."

Kol, sensing the tension in the room, shifted on the couch and leaned closer to Damon. "You're a complicated man, Damon Salvatore," he said, voice low. "But that's why we all like you, I suppose."

Damon let out a tired, weak laugh. "Right. Well, if I'm so complicated, Kol, then why don't you take a crack at fixing me?"

Klaus shot Kol a warning glance, but Kol just grinned wider, unperturbed. "I like a challenge. But right now, I think your little friend there," Kol gestured toward Bonnie, "might be the one to patch you up."

The door creaked open, and Elena stepped inside, her eyes immediately landing on Damon. Her breath hitched, but she didn't move. There was a wariness in her gaze, a distance she hadn't had before.

"Is he okay?" Elena asked, her voice cracking slightly as she glanced from Klaus who was glaring at her to Damon.

Damon's heart sank at the sight of her. The bitter frustration he'd been suppressing broke through. "Why don't you ask your little spell! he snapped, his voice more biting than he intended. "I'm sure it has all the answers you need."

Elena flinched, her eyes tearing up, but she didn't answer. She couldn't. There was nothing she could say to fix this. Damon knew that.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "You did anyway," Damon replied, his voice laced with more exhaustion than anger.

Kol raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat. "Well, now that this delightful little backstabbing apology is over, perhaps we should let Damon sleep?" He teased, a bit of levity breaking the tension.

Bonnie shot him a sharp look. "Not helping, Kol."

Damon blinked slowly, trying to keep his focus, "Yeah, well, I could use a nap."

Klaus exchanged a look with Elijah, who stood silently at the doorway. With a nod from his brother, Klaus stood up, his gaze lingering on Damon a moment longer.

"You'll be fine, raven," Klaus said quietly, his voice far more serious than before. "We'll talk when you're ready."

Elijah's gaze swept over the room before he followed his brother out, leaving Kol behind. Kol stayed seated, his smirk replaced by a softer, almost thoughtful expression as he studied Damon for a moment.

"Rest up, love," Kol said softly, standing to leave. "I'll see you soon." There was no mockery in his tone now–just something that, for once, felt like genuine care.

Damon closed his eyes, letting the quiet of the room wrap around him like a blanket. Despite the anger and betrayal, despite the uncertainty of what came next, there was something oddly comforting about being surrounded by the Mikaelsons. Even if they were all, in their ways, dangerous.

He just wasn't sure how long he could trust any of them.

∘•········ʚ 🩸🩸🩸 ɞ ········•∘

Not sure about this one. Let me know what you think and what you would like to see. Like some familiar faces? Events? things like that I love feed back from you all. This will be my last update for 2024 so Merry Christmas my darling and I'll see you in the new year now. xxx