he will. And then we just hope we're strong enough for the rest."
"We could use Stefan's help, all right. But you missed the real point - for now, what we have to do is keep the twins from killing us."
"They still think you're their friend, yes?" Elena's mind was flickering through options. "Make themsure you are. Wait until a strategic moment comes, and then take the chance. Do we have any weapons against them?"
"Iron. They do badly against iron - they're demons. And dear Shinichi is obsessed with you, although I can't say his sister will approve when she realizes it."
"Obsessed?"
"Yes. With you and with English folk songs, remember? Although I can't fathom why. The songs, I mean."
"Well, I don't know what we can make of that - "
"But I'll bet that his obsession with you will make Misao angry. It's just a hunch, but she's had him to herself for thousands of years."
"Then we set them against each other, pretend that he's going to get me. Damon - what?" Elena added in tones of alarm as he tightened his grip on her as if concerned.
"He's not going to get you," Damon said.
"I know that."
"I don't quite like the idea of anyone else getting you. You were meant to be mine, you know."
"Damon, don't. I've told you. Please - "
"Meaning ¡®please don't make me hurt you'? The truth is that you can't hurt me unless I let you. You can only hurt yourself against me."
Elena could at least pull their upper bodies farther apart. "Damon, we just made an agreement, made plans. Now, what are we doing, throwing them all away?"
"No, but I thought of another way to get you a grade-A superhero, right now. You've been saying I should take more of your blood for ages."
"Oh...yes." It was true, even if that had been before he had admitted to her the terrible things he'd done. And...
"Damon, what happened with Matt in the clearing? We went looking all over for him, but we didn't find him. And you wereglad ."
He didn't bother to deny it. "In the real world I was angry at him, Elena. He seemed to be just another rival. Part of the reason we're here is so I can remember exactly what happened."
"Did you hurt Matt, Damon? Because now you're hurting me."
"Yes." Damon's voice was light and indifferent suddenly, as if he found it amusing. "I suppose I did hurt him. I used psychic pain on him, and that's stopped a lot of hearts from beating. But your Mutt's tough. I like that. I made him suffer more and more, and yet he still went on living because he was afraid to leave you alone."
"Damon!" Elena wrenched herself back, only to find that it did no good. He was far, far stronger than she was. "How could you do that to him?"
"I told you; he was a rival." Damon laughed suddenly. "You really don't remember, do you? I made him abase himself for you. I made him eat dirt, literally, for you."
"Damon - are you crazy?"
"No. I'm just now finding my sanity. I don't need to convince you that you belong to me. I can take you."
"No, Damon. I won't be your princess of darkness or - or anything else of yours without asking. At the most you'll have a dead body to play with."
"Maybe I'd like that. But you forget; I can enter your mind. And you still have friends - at home, getting ready for supper or bed, you hope. Don't you? Friends with all their limbs; who've never known real pain."
It took Elena a long time to speak. Then she said quietly, "I take back every decent thing I ever said about you. You're a monster, do you hear that? You're an abomin - " Her voice wound slowly down. "They're making you do this, aren't they?" she said finally, flatly. "Shinichi and Misao. A nice little show for them. Just like they made you hurt Matt and me before."
"No, I do only what I want to." Was that a flash of red Elena saw in his eyes? The briefest flaring of a flame..."Do you know how beautiful you are when you're crying? You're more beautiful than ever. The gold in your eyes seems to rise to the surface and spill down in tears of diamond. I would love to have a sculptor carve a bust of you weeping."
"Damon, I know you're not really saying this. I know that the thing they put inside