Their Raven

Chapter 26

Damon hadn't stopped being flustered since he woke up from that damn dream. Every glance from Kol made his skin prickle, every smirk from Klaus made his stomach twist, and every time Elijah spoke, his voice sent an involuntary shiver down his spine. He was losing his mind.

And it was all Bonnie's fault.

"I am never taking your advice again," Damon grumbled as he sat across from Bonnie at the Mystic Grill, nursing a bourbon. "Meditation, my gorgeous ass."

Bonnie, sipping her coffee with far too much amusement, raised an eyebrow. "It's not my fault you're so repressed that your subconscious decided to made a fantasy out of it."

Damon scowled. "It wasn't a fantasy."

"Oh? So you didn't dream about Kol kissing you, Elijah whispering sweet nothings, and Klaus pinning you down?"

Damon nearly choked on his drink. "I—That—Shut up."

Bonnie just smirked. "Uh-huh."

Before Damon could argue, a new presence settled beside him. Stefan. He hadn't even noticed his brother walk in, but now that he was here, something in Damon's chest unclenched slightly.

"Bonnie," Stefan greeted, then turned to Damon. "You okay?"

Damon sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Define okay."

Stefan's gaze softened. "Come on. Let's take a walk."

Damon hesitated before nodding. He threw some cash on the table, throwing Bonnie a glare ignoring her knowing smirk, and followed Stefan out. The evening air was cool, the town quiet except for the occasional passing car. They walked in silence for a while before Stefan finally spoke.

"You scared the hell out of me."

Damon glanced at him. "When?"

"When you collapsed. When your magic went out of control. Which I'm still shocked that you have magic. When I also thought you were dead,"

Damon exhaled sharply. "I wasn't dead, Stefan."

"You looked like you were," Stefan admitted. "For a moment, I thought I lost you. And I just—I wasn't ready for that."

Damon swallowed. His little brother had always been the emotional one, but hearing that raw honesty caught him off guard. Stefan wasn't just worried—he had been terrified.

Stefan stopped walking and turned to Damon. "I know we don't do this whole emotional thing a lot, but I need you to know—I'm glad you're okay. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

Damon was quiet for a moment before rolling his eyes, pulling Stefan into a rough but loving hug. "You're such a sap."

Stefan huffed a laugh but held on tight, closing his eyes and taking Damon's scent in. "Shut up."

They stood there for a while before Stefan reluctantly pulled back, clearing his throat. "I also wanted to tell you what happened after you left."

Damon tensed. "After I left?"

Stefan sighed. "Elena lost it. She said horrible things about you—about me, about Bonnie. She was furious that we didn't side with her."

Damon clenched his jaw. "What did she say?"

Stefan hesitated before continuing. "She said you were hers. That you had no right to leave. That Bonnie and the Mikaelsons ruined everything. She called you a monster. Said you belonged to her and on one else."

Damon's hands curled into fists. "Of course she did."

"I broke up with her," Stefan said firmly. "I couldn't stand the way she talked about you. About all of us."

Damon looked at him, surprised. "You did?"

Stefan nodded. "Yeah. And I should've done it sooner." Damon exhaled. "Well, I can't say I'm sorry about that."

A comfortable silence settled between them before Stefan nudged him. "Come on. Let's get back before you start swooning over the Mikaelsons again. Can't believe they let you out."

Damon groaned. "You and Bonnie both need to shut up. Also I'm a grown man I don't need permission from anyone to go out."

Stefan laughed, and for the first time in a long while, Damon felt at ease.

But that ease wouldn't last.

As they walked back, Damon felt it—a shift in the air, an unnatural stillness. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but he wasn't the only one who felt it. Stefan stopped beside him, his eyes scanning the area.

"You feel that?" Stefan asked quietly.

Damon nodded. "Yeah."

It was a presence. Something old. Something watching.

And Damon knew it was for him.

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It's not as long as I would like, I've been experiencing a bit of writer's block with this book unfortunately so I might take a little break from this right now as I don't want to write crap. I hope you enjoy this chapter my darlings and have an amazing day.