(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Sixty-Eight

There is a sharp iron smell to the room that Daphne is finding very difficult to block out. She knows it is blood that she can smell. She knows that it's Klaus. It's just one of those smells that once it is in there it is hard to get rid of again. It's something that seems to linger. At the back of the throat. Klaus finishes feeding on the blonde servant girl and drops her dead body to the floor with a thud. Daphne flinches.

"Delicious" Klaus offers as he moves around the table towards Daphne. "Aged to perfection" He leans down over the back of her chair and brushes her hair away from her neck. Daphne clenches her jaw. "I've never tasted an ancient witch" He comments.

"And you won't today either" She argues, holding her hand at her side, she is ready to stop him if he even tries it.

"No" He offers. "I won't" He leans back and smirks. "Because you're more than that, aren't you?" He asks, she looks at him surprised over her shoulder. "I've smelt them before, tasted them too....you've got fae blood" He seems surprised and rather elated. "You're a hybrid...." Damon and Elijah re-enter before Daphne can say anything to that.

"What do you say, Klaus?" Damon asks. "It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter"

"Okay. I offer Elena's future happiness. You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you lot" He points out. "And to fall in love with a human, maybe that nice football player, you know the blond one?"

"Matt Donovan? Really?" Damon asks, pulling a face, even he sees something better for Elena.

"Yeah, why not? They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family"

"And continue the Petrova bloodline" Daphne realises. "Every few hundred years, you'll have a new doppelgänger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right, Klaus?"

"Consider it a small return on my investment in her well-being. See, after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life. You know it's what's best for her" Klaus looks at Daphne here. She is the one that will most likely be making this deal, Elena is her sister, her family. This is her life it is affecting most. "So, what do you say, Daphne, hmm? Do we have a deal?" Daphne glances at Damon before she turns back to Klaus. Pushes herself up out of the chair and moves towards Klaus.

"What are you doing, Red?" Damon asks her. Klaus holds his hand out to Daphne who glances at it.

"Nice try, Klaus. But I don't think so. You're asking me to abandon my sister for the sake of you getting blood at some point in a few hundred years....really?" She asks him. Klaus stares at her a moment before he reacts. Fast. He grabs her throat with one hand and her wrist with his other before he drags her over to the fireplace. He pushes Daphne's hand into the fireplace, and it starts to burn. Daphne hangs her head and fights a scream that is clawing at her throat as her flesh is scorched. Tears gather in her eyes as she bites her lip so hard it starts to bleed. Damon attempts to rush over to help her, but Elijah intercepts him and pushes him against a wall.

"What are you doing?" Damon scolds him. Klaus continues to hold Daphne's arm in the fire until she is badly burnt. "Stop!" Damon pleads and Klaus does, he pulls Daphne away from the fire and deposits her on the floor. She curls around her arm and whimpers in pain.

"Now, bring me my coffin before I burn her alive" Klaus turns his eyes on Daphne and she knows, she knows from that look that he knows exactly what that would mean for her. He knows what she is now.

"I'll get it" Damon rushes out. "I'll get it" He assures Klaus, his eyes on Daphne though.

"Go with him, brother. You keep him honest" Klaus tells Elijah. "And when you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family" Klaus then crouches in front of Daphne as Damon and Elijah leave. "It's such a terribly powerful affliction you suffer" He offers quietly. "That force deep inside of you...waiting...." She keeps her eyes on the floor. "I assume you haven't already woken it..."

"No" She whispers.

"A phoenix cursed" He looks over her. "So rare that one of you hasn't been seen or documented in centuries...." She knows all of this. It's why there wasn't very much information on what she is. Because they are few and far between. Time. Location. The chances of fairies and someone of ancient magic meeting let alone breeding is rare. Tink and Sirius were unique in their relationship because Tink's father was a fairy that worked at the Ministry. The only one to do so. The fae usually keep to their own community, away from everyone else. "I make it my business to know of other hybrids..of others like me..." She swallows a little. "It's no wonder your parents placed you with another family. Voldemort would have been very interested in you...." Suddenly, Elijah and Damon re-enter the room next to the other female servant who is carrying a tray. Klaus frowns as he looks at them. "Elijah...why haven't you left?"

"Where are your manners, brother? We forgot dessert" Elijah takes the cover off the tray the blonde woman is carrying. Two silver daggers lie on it. Klaus leans up and away from Daphne. "What have you done?"

"What have you done? You see, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now" Elijah and Klaus' brother Kol suddenly enters the room, joining them.

"Kol" Klaus whispers.

"Long time, brother" Klaus starts to back away. Finn suddenly appears, and he grabs a dagger and stabs Klaus through the hand.

"Finn, don't!" He rushes away, but runs into Rebekah. "Rebekah!" She stabs him with a dagger.

"This is for our mother" She pulls the dagger out and Klaus falls back into Kol's arms. Kol restrains him. Elijah looks at Damon.

"You're free to go. This is family business" He offers and nods to Daphne. Damon nods back and vamp-speeds to her, picking her up off the floor, she cries out a little and he cringes. This was not supposed to happen. She curls her good arm around his neck and then apparates them out of the house. Kol appears intrigued and excited by the motion.

.......

Damon and Daphne reappear at the old Lockwood cellar where Bonnie and Abby were working on the locked coffin. Though it is too dark to see anything right now. Damon lets out a breath and shakes his head. Twice in one day. He really doesn't like teleporting with her. It twists his insides all up and makes him feel sick. He takes a breath and glances at Daphne.

"Ah, you were right about Elijah. Undaggering him was a smart move" He tells her as he sets her down onto her feet, careful of her arm.

"Thank you" She offers and closes her eyes. She's clearly in a lot of pain. "For...saving me"

"Lot of good it did, look at your arm" He argues. Her jaw trembles as she starts to cry, but fighting it. She shakes her head and looks around, a frowning forming on her face.

"Why is dark?" She asks and then waves her good hand. All the candles in the cavern light up, allowing them to see that Bonnie and Abby are lying unconscious on the floor. "Bonnie!" Daphne rushes to her friend, kneeling next to her. "She's still breathing" Damon checks on Abby.

"Mama's still breathing, I can hear her" Daphne looks up at the coffin and then pushes herself up.

"The coffin's open" She whispers as she touches the edges of it.

"Well, it's not gonna do us any good. Whatever was in it is gone" Damon turns to Daphne, his eyes lingering on her arm. "You should take some of my blood" He offers. "To fix..."

"No" She argues. He moves to stand behind her.

"You need it..." He counters. "Please, let me help you, Red...." She keeps her eyes down before she closes her eyes. He curls his arm around her so his wrist lines up to her lips, his other hand stroking her hair back from her face as he presses his lips to her crown. She sniffles a little before she raises her wand.

"Diffindo" A little light appears at the tip of the wand and she pulls it across his wrist, not touching the skin but close. The spell cuts at his flesh, till he bleeds. She lowers her wand and then leans closer to press her lips to the cut, taking some of his blood into her mouth. It's a strange sensation. Strange taste. It's not like it doesn't taste like blood, that metallic iron edge. It does, but it's not disgusting. Not as vomit-inducing as the smell. Damon can feel her wings against his chest. Fluttering away as she drinks from him. Her arm heals right before their eyes. He closes his eyes and presses his head to the side of hers. He's shared his blood before. But it's never felt like this. It's never filled him with so much warmth. It's never been so sexually charged.