The Chosen One

Thirty Three: No Words Required

Damon

          Silence hung heavy in the air and the tension in the mansion was substantial. I had not slept at all during the night. Instead I had attempted to numb my feelings with alcohol and fought to refrain from storming Klaus's mansion. Stefan consistently reminded me that any such action like that would only succeed in getting someone killed, namely myself. When I retaliated with a 'I don't care', he then continued to dissuade me by pointing out the fact that getting myself killed would not be helpful in trying to help Jessica. So ever since midnight last night, I had felt like a caged animal in this mansion pacing about irritably.

           It was about eight thirty when there was a soft knock on the door, capturing my attention. Initially the hope that it was Jessica sparked but then when I realized that I recognized that soft knock, my irritability renewed. I remained where I was, leaning against the fireplace and staring into its barren depths.

          Since I made no move to answer the door, Stefan went to let Elena in.

         "Still no word from her?" Elena surmised as she and Stefan entered into the parlor.

          I didn't bother to answer her but I shot a pointed glance over my shoulder at her. Turning away from the empty fireplace, I moved over to my alcohol cabinet and poured myself a glass.

           "What are we going to do?" Elena took a seat on one of the plush sofas while Stefan leaned against the back of it.

           "We can't do anything directly to Klaus without it affecting Jessica." I growled making my disgust of that fact obvious. I downed the glass I had just poured, savoring the burning fire as it made its way down. "Hell we can't even kill one of the siblings because they are still all linked."

           "So we need to find a way to unbind Jessica from Klaus." Elena replied simply.

            I gave a bitter and harsh laugh while directing my annoyed gaze onto her. "Don't you think I know that?" I poured another glass. "We have a high demand for witches but are in short supply of them."

            Elena nodded knowingly. "Amelia is gone and Bonnie is in no condition to help." She gave a sorrowful sigh. "Bonnie won't even see me right now. She is still dealing with her mother transitioning. I don't think I could really convince her to help right now."

           Detecting the sound of footsteps outside, I looked towards the door at the same moment that a knock sounded on it. Hearing the steady sound of the person's breathing was all I needed to hear to know who it was. Before Stefan and Elena could react, I was already at the door and swinging it wide  open.

            It was her emerald green eyes that my gaze latched onto first. They shone with a renewed sense of vigor for life and a new awareness of her surroundings as if seeing them for the first time, which in a way she was. Relief and happiness filled them as we stood there staring at each other.

          "Hey Damon." A wide smile broke out across her beautiful face as she greeted me.

           I trailed my gaze downwards over her body, noting that she seemed unchanged and unhurt which gave me a sense of relief. She looked every inch like the Jessica that I had first met but I could sense the change in her. Before she had always carried herself with grace and confidence, but now she did so even more. There was an inner mischievous light in her eyes that hadn't been there before. Jessica exuded beauty, confidence and power.

         The glistening of light reflecting off an object on her right hand had me focusing on it. There on her middle finger of her right hand was a daylight ring, but it was no ordinary daylight ring. The gold, two small diamond stones and the elegant cut of the lapis lazuli stone gave evidence to its value. Hatred filled me as I realized that this was given to her by Klaus and the fact that it sort of took some resemblance to a wedding ring. It was his visual claim on her and it caused me to automatically loathe it.