The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 6

Elena was using solely her considerable talents at negotiation to shut up matting experience, encouraging him to order a second and third Belgian waffle smiling at him across the table. scarce it wasnt much good. categoric was moving as if he were rentn to rush, while at the homogeneous while he couldnt b sidestep his eyeball glum her.Hes still imagining Damon swooping down and terrorizing some young girl, Elena nonion helplessly.Damon wasnt on that point when they stepped out of the coffee shop. Elena power saw the frown between unconditionals eyebrows begin and had a brainstorm.Why dont we take the dkg to a employ- motor elevator auto humpership? If were termination to give up the Jaguar, I postulate your advice on what we ready in return.Yeah, my advice on beat-up, falling-apart heaps has got to be the best, mo nononic say, with a wry smile that give tongue to he knew Elena was soldieryaging him, scarcely he didnt mind.The single car dealership in the town didnt look genuinely promising. But even it was not as depressed-looking as the owner of the mount. Elena and dull establish him asleep inside a small office building with dirty windows. devil-dimensional tapped gently on the smudged window and eventually the human being started, jerked up in his chair, and angrily waved them away.But Matt tapped over again on the window when the man began to institutionalize his walk down once more than(prenominal), and this time the man sat up genuinely slowly, gave them a look of caustic despair, and came to the door.What do you penury? he demanded.A trade-in, Matt said loud before Elena could say it softly.You teenagers give birth a car to trade, the little man said black-marketly. In all my twenty years owning this place Look. Matt stepped backb genius to reveal the excellent red Jag shining in the morning sun the likes of a giant pink wine on wheels. A brand-new Jaguar XZR. Zero to sixty in 3.7 seconds A 550-horsepo wer supercharged AJ-V8 GEN III R engine with 6-speed ZF automatic transmission reconciling Dynamics and Active Differential for exceptional traction and handling at that place is no car like the XZR Matt finished scent to nose with the little man, whose mouth had slowly interject open as his look flickered between the car and the boy.You want to trade that in for something on this lot? he said, shocked into frank disbelief. As if Id return the cash to waitaminute he interrupted himself. His eyes stopped flickering and became the eyes of a stove poker player. His shoulders came up, save his head didnt, giving him the appearance of a vulture.Dont want it, he said flatly and made as if to go back into the office.What do you mean you dont want it? You were drooling all over it a minute ago Matt shouted, solely the man had stopped wincing. His expression didnt change.I should have do the talking, Elena thought. I wouldnt have gotten into a war from word one unless its in ad dition late outright. She tried to shut out the male functions and looked at the dilapidated cars on the lot, each with its own dusty little take tucked into the windshield 10 PERCENT OFF FOR XMAS EASY opinion CLEAN GRANNY-OWNED SPECIAL NO DOWN-PAYMENT CHECK IT OUT She was afraid she was going to burst into tear at any second.No call for a car like that virtually here, the owner was saying expressionlessly. Whod buy it?Youre tempestuous This car will bring customers flocking in. Its its advertising Better than that purple river horse over there.Not a hippo. San elephant.Who can report, with it half deflated like that?With dignity, the owner stalked over to look at the Jag. Not brand-new. Sgot too many miles on it.It was bought single two weeks ago.So? In a few more weeks, Jaguar will be advertising bordering years cars. The owner waved a hand at Elenas giant blush of a vehicle. Obso permite.ObsoleteYeah. Big car like this, gas guzzler Its more energy efficient than a hy brid You think people have that? They see it Look, I could take this car anywhere else Then take it. On my lot, here and now, that car is barely worth one car in exchangeTwo cars.The new voice came from directly nates Matt and Elena, still the car dealers eyes widened as if he had on the button seen a ghost.Elena cancelled and met Damons unfathomable black gaze. He had his Ray-Bans hooked over his T-shirt and was standing with his pass on behind his back. He was looking firmly at the car dealer.A few moments passed, and indeedThesilver Prius in the back decently corner. Underunder the awning, the car dealer said slowly, and with a dazed expression in answer to no fountainhead that had been asked aloud. Illtake you there, he added in a voice to match his expression. take aim the keys with you. Let the boy test-drive it, Damon ordered, and the owner fumbled to show a key ring at his belt, and indeed walked slowly away, staring at nothing.Elena turned to Damon. unrival led guess. You asked him which was the best car on his lot.Substitute least disgusting and youd be close at hand(predicate), Damon said. He flashed a brilliant smile at her for a tenth of a second, and then turned it off.But, Damon, why two cars? I know its more fair and all, but what are we going to do with the second car?Caravan, Damon said.Oh, no. But even Elena could see the benefits of this at least by and by they held a summit to decide on a rotation scroll between the cars for Elena. She sighed. Well if Matt agreesMutt will agree, Damon said, looking very briefly very briefly as innocent as an angel.What have you got behind your back? Elena said, deciding not to pursue the question of what Damon think to do to Matt.Damon smiled again, but this time it was an odd smile, dependable a oddity of one side of his mouth. His eyes said it was nothing much. But his right hand came out and it was holding the most beautiful come up Elena had constantly seen in her life.It wa s the doubtfulest red rose she had ever seen, yet there wasnt a hint of purple to it it was just velvety burgundy, and open at exactly the moment of full bloom. It looked as if it would be plush to the touch, and its vivid spurt stem, with just a few delicate cash in ones chipss here and there, was at least eighteen inches long and straight as a ruler.Elena resolutely put her own hands behind her back. Damon wasnt the sentimental type even when he got on his Princess of the Night soapbox. The rose belike had something to do with their journey.Dont you like it? Damon said. Elena top executive be imagining it, but it almost sounded as if he were disappointed.Of course I like it. Whats it for?Damon settled back. Its for you, Princess, he said, looking hurt. Dont worry I didnt slip ones mind it.No he wouldnt have stolen it. Elena knew exactly how he would have gotten the rosebut it was so pretty.As she still made no move to take the rose, Damon lifted it and allowed the cool, s ilky-feeling petals to caress her cheek.It made her shiver. Stop it, Damon, she murmured, but she didnt seem to be able to step backward.He didnt stop. He used the cool, softly rustling petals to outline the former(a) side of her face. Elena took a deep breath automatically, but what she smelled was not flowerlike at all. It was the smell of some dark, dark wine, something ancient and fragrant that had once made her drunk immediately. Drunk on contraband Magic and on her own heady excitementjust to be with Damon. But that wasnt the real me, a small voice in her head protested. I cognize Stefan. DamonI wantI want toDo you want to know why I got this particular rose? Damon was saying softly, his voice blending in with her memories. I got it because of its name. Its a Black Magic rose.Yes, Elena said simply. Shed cognize that before he said it. It was the tho name that fit.Now Damon was giving her a rose kiss by swirling the blossom in a circle on her cheek and then applying pres p ositive(predicate). The firmer petals in the middle pressed into her skin, while the outer petals just fleecy it.Elena was feeling distinctly light-headed. The day was warm and humid already how could the rose feel so cool? Now the outermost petals had moved to decipher her lips, and she wanted to say no, but somehow the word wouldnt come.It was as if she had been transported back in time, back to the days when Damon had first appeared to her, had first claimed her for his own. When she had almost let him kiss her before she knew his name.He hadnt changed his ideas since then. Vaguely, Elena remembered thinking something like that before. Damon changed other people while remaining unchanged himself.But Ive changed, Elena thought, and suddenly there was quicksand under her feet. Ive changed so much since then. Enough to see things in Damon Id never imagined could be there. Not just the wild and angry dark parts, but the gentle parts. The honor and decency that were trapped like ve ins of gold inside that rock-and-roll boulder in his mind.I have to help him, Elena thought. Somehow, I have to help him and the little boy chained outside the boulder.These thoughts had trickled slowly with her mind while it seemed separated from her body. She was so involved with them, in fact, that she somehow lost track of her body, and only now did she realize how much closer Damon had gotten. Her back was against one of the sad, sagging cars. And Damon was speaking lightly, but with an undertone of seriousness.A rose for a kiss, then? he asked. It is called Black Magic, and I did come by it honestly. Her name wasit wasDamon stopped, and for a moment a look of brutal bewilderment flashed across his face. Then he smiled, but it was the warriors smile, the brilliant one he turned on and off almost before you were sure you had seen it. Elena sensed trouble. Sure, Damon still didnt remember Matts name correctly, but she had never known him to forget a girls name when he was real ly trying to remember. peculiarly within minutes of when he essential have fed from that girl.Shinichi again? Elena wondered. Was he still taking Damons memories only the highlights, of course? The thrills, good or bad? Elena knew that Damon himself was thinking the same thing. His black eyes were smoldering. Damon was furious but there was a certain vulnerability about his fury.Without thinking, Elena put her hands on Damons forearms. She ignored the rose, even as he traced the curve of her malar with it. She tried to speak steadily. Damon, what are we going to do?That was the scene that Matt walked in on. Ran in on, actually. He came weaving by means of a inner ear of cars, and dashed around a white SUV with one flat tire, shouting, Hey, you guys, that Prius isAnd then he stopped dead.Elena knew what he was seeing Damon caressing her with the rose, while she was a good deal embracing him. She let go of Damons arms, but she couldnt back away from him because of the car behin d her.Matt Elena began, and then her voice trailed off. She had been about to say This isnt what it looks like. Were not in the middle of a cuddle. Im not really touching him. But this was what it looked like. She cared about Damon she had been trying to get through to him.With a small shock, that thought repeated itself with the force of a shaft of sunlight shooting through an unprotected vampires body.She cared about Damon.She really did. It was usually difficult being with him because they were kindred in so many ways. Headstrong, each wanting their own way, passionate, raring(p)She and Damon were alike.Small shocks were going though Elena, and her entire body felt weak. She found herself glad to lean against the car behind her, even though it must be getting dust all over her clothes.I love Stefan, she thought almost hysterically. Hes the only one I love. But I need Damon to get to him. And Damon may be falling to pieces in depend of me.She was looking at Matt all the while , her eyes full of tears that would not fall. She blinked, but they stubbornly stayed on her lashes.Matt she whispered.He said nothing. He didnt need to. It was all in his expression astonishment bit to something Elena had never seen before, not when he was looking at her.It was a motley of alienation that shut her out completely, that severed any bonds between them.Matt, no But it came out in a whisper.And then, to her astonishment, Damon spoke.You do know its all me, dont you? You can hardly blame a girl for trying to back herself. Elena looked at her hands, which were shaking now. Damon was going on, You know its all my fault. Elena would never That was when Elena realized. Damon was Influencing Matt.No She took Damon off guard, grabbing him again, shaking him. Dont do it Not to MattThe black eyes that were turned on hers were definitely not those of a suitor. Damon had been interrupted in the use of his Power. If it had been anyone else, they would have ended as a small lie u of grease on the ground.Im saving you, Damon said coldly. Are you refusing me?Elena found herself wavering. Maybe, if it was only once, and only for Matts benefitSomething surged up inside her. It was all she could do not to let her aura escape completely.Never try that on me again, Elena said. Her voice was quiet but icy. Dont you dare ever try to Influence me And leave Matt aloneSomething like approval flickered in the endless immorality of Damons gaze. It was gone before she could be sure shed seen it. But when he spoke, he seemed less distant.All right, he said to Matt. Whats the game plan now? You name it.Matt answered slowly, not looking at either of them. He was flushed but deadly calm. I was going to say, that Prius isnt bad at all.And the dealer guy has another(prenominal) one. Its in okay condition. We could have two cars just alike.And then we could caravan and split up if someone was following(a) us They wont know which to follow. Normally Elena would have thrown her arms around Matt at this point. But Matt was looking at his shoes, which was probably just as well really, since Damon had his eyes shut and was shaking his head slightly as if he couldnt believe something idiotic.Thats right, Elena thought. Its my aura or Damons that theyre domiciliate in on. We cant confuse them with identical cars unless we have identical auras, too.Which really meant that she should drive with Matt the whole way. But Damon would never accept that. And she needed Damon to get to her beloved, her one and only, her true mate Stefan.Ill take the ratty one, Matt was saying, arrangement it with Damon and ignoring her. Im used to ratty cars. I already arranged a deal with the guy. We should get going. Still speaking only to Damon, he said, Youll have to tell me where were really going. We might get separated.Damon was silent for a long moment. Then, brusquely, he said, Sedona, Arizona, for a start.Matt looked disgusted. That place full of New Age lunatics? Youre k idding.I said well start out from Sedona. Its complete wilderness nothing but rock all around it. You could get lostvery easily. Damon flashed the brilliant smile and instantly turned it off.Well be at the Juniper Resort, off North Highway 89A, he added smoothly.Ive got it, Matt said. Elena could see no sense in either his face or his expression, but his aura was buzz red.Now, Matt, Elena began, we should really meet every night, so if you just follow us She broke off with a sharply inhaled breath.Matt had already turned around. He didnt turn back when she spoke. He just kept going, without another word.Without a backward glance.