BORN TO DIE, stefan salvatore [1]

16 - BLOOD BROTHERS

BORN TO DIE
BLOOD BROTHERS

THE PAST WEEK HIT MADELEINE IN ONE FULL BLOW. After discovering Nate's body outside the Lockwood estate, a feeling washed over her. One she didn't fully recognise under her shock and grief. It was relief. Guilt then followed. Nate was dead but all she could think about was how she was free. It was instinct to walk back to the hell house. She was half way there before it hit her that she was no longer bound to that house. It took her an extra thirty minutes to get home. Whether it was from all the blood loss or the tug that was trying to drag Madeleine back to that house was unsure. Madeleine was hesitant when opening her front door knowing her father was on the other side.

She opened her front door slowly, her hands still trembling. She didn't do anything about Nate's body. She couldn't report it with his skin decayed and she didn't have the strength to hide it so she left him there. Daniel was awake. It was three in the morning but he was awake. In fact, he never slept. His body shook in alarm as the door opened but he was sure an enemy wouldn't be so courteous. His daughter peaked from behind the door. Daniel felt his body sink. She looked beautiful, unharmed but her eyes held all the pain she had endured. He felt as if his body was going to collapse under him but he held himself together. He moved as quickly as his body would allow and scooped his daughter in arms. As soon as his skin touched hers, Madeleine crumbled. Tears spilled over her eyes before loud, aching sobs escaped her. Her body sank to the floor and her father followed her down. He rubbed her back as she wailed. Daniel's own eyes brimmed with tears. Tears of pain and joy and relief. She was here. In his arms. But she wasn't safe at all. This was the start of a terrible journey. Daniel had devoted his life to protecting his daughter. He had lost his wife and friend in the process and he feared that it would all be in vain. That there was no escaping this world or her fate. Daniel felt fear. He feared that he wouldn't be able to protect her from everything. But he wouldn't stand until she got her happy ending. She would get the life she deserved. He'd make sure of it. But for now, he focused on comforting his daughter.

Madeleine couldn't walk on her own. Her father had to carry her to bed. She couldn't change out of her dress or force herself into the shower for at least a day. When she finally did, she chose her bed as her safe haven. She refused to move, to eat, to speak. She had no strength. If you saw her, you would see that Madeleine wasn't there. Her eyes would stare vacantly into the abyss as the picture Nate's body flashed through her mind on a constant loop. She didn't know how to feel. She wanted to grieve Nate. She wanted to grieve the boy who taught her ride a bike, who helped her learn spanish, the boy she fell in love, the quarterback that everyone liked. But he was dead. He died in New York over a year ago. She couldn't grieve this monster. The monster that kidnapped and tortured her, the monster that killed Charlotte and was ready to kill her. She couldn't feel bad for him but she did and she hated that she did.

Someone knocked on Madeleine's door. She didn't move an inch at the sound. The door opened from the other side and a head poked through the doorway.