The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Sixteen

When Stefan walked by Elenas room once again, the daisy was g ace, and the subtle wind up of her citrusy shampoo lingered in the hal dash.no(prenominal)doubt she was bulge egress with Meredith and Bonnie, and he could opine upon Meredith to protect her. He wondered if Damon was observation them, if hed approach Elena. A bitter filum of envy curled in Stefans stomach. It was unvoiced being the good one some terms, the one who would abide by the rules, while Damon did whatever he cute.He leaned arse against the door to Elenas room. in that respect was a window across the hal , and as he watched the cold crescent of the moon sailing high in the sky, he concept of his silent room, of the books of economics and philosophy waiting for him.No. He wasnt going prickle there. He couldnt be with Elena, that he didnt have to be alone.Outside, there was a chil in the air for the basic time since school had started the sultry heat of a Virginia summer was net y giving way to autumn. Stefan hunched his shoulders and tucked his hands into his jeans pockets. non actual y knowing where he was going, Stefan headed off campus. Vague thoughts of run in the woods crossed his mind, more thanover he wasnt hungry, skilful restless, and he glowering away from the trail that led that way. Instead he wandered the streets of the smal t ownsfolk nigh the col ege.There wasnt much to do. There were a some bars hopping with col ege kids and a couple of restaurants, already closed up. Stefan couldnt hazard wanting to press into a hot and crowded bar reclaim now. He wanted to be around people, maybe, but non too many, not too close, not close enough to sense the outsmart of blood beneath their skins. When he was unhappy, want tonight, he could feel something hard and dangerous rising up inside him, and he knew he necessary to be manageful of the monster he carried within him.He cancelled down another block, listening to the soft pad of his own locomote against t he sidewalk. Near the end of the street, a faint thud of music came from a dilapidated building whose buzzing neon sign read EDDIES BILLIARDS. no(prenominal) of the fewer cars in the parking lot had a Dalcrest parking sticker. all the way a townie spot, not a student one.If Stefan hadnt had this burning, angry desolation inside him, he wouldnt have gone in. He looked like a student he was a student and this didnt look like a place that wel distinguishd students. But the ugly thing inside him stirred at the thought of maybe having a reason to throw a cowhand or 2.Inside, it was Welllit but dingy, the air thick and blue with smoke. An old arguing song was playing on a jukebox in the corner. 6 pool tables sat in the middle of the room, with smal round tables around the sides, and a bar at the far end. twain of the pool tables and a few of the round tables were occupied by locals, who let their eyes drift all over him neutral y and wherefore turned away.At the bar, Stefan sa w a familiar suffer, a sleek dark head. Even though hed been sure enough Damon would be fol owing Elena, he wasnt surprised to see him. Stefan had reined his Power in, concentrating on his own misery, but hed always been able to sense his brother. If he had thought active it, he would have known Damon was there.Damon, equal y unsurprised, turned and tipped his glass to Stefan with a wry little grin. Stefan went over to sum total him.Hel o, little brother, Damon said softly when Stefan sat down. Shouldnt you be holed up somewhere, call over your loss of the lovely Elena?Stefan sighed and slumped on the barstool. Propping his elbows on the bar, he be his head on his hands.Suddenly, he was terribly tired. Lets not talk nearly Elena, he said. I dont want to fight with you, Damon.Then dont. Patting him lightly on the shoulder, Damon was up and out of his seat. Lets play some pool. One thing about living for blows of years, Stefan knew, was that you had time to get real y good at things.Versions of bil iards had been around as long as he and Damon had, although he desire the late version best he like the smel of the chalk and the whine of the leather tip on the cue.Damons thoughts seemed to be running on the similar track. Remember when we were kids and we used to play bil iart on the lawns of Fathers palazzo? he asked as he racked up the bal s.Different game, though, back thus, Stefan said. Go ahead and break.He could visualise it clearly, the two of them fooling around when the adults were al inside, shoving the bal s across the throne toward their targets with the heavy-headed maces, in a game that was a cross between modern pool and croquet. Back in those days, Damon was wild, prone to fights with stable boys and nights prowling the streets, but not yet as angry as he would be by the time they grew into young men. Back then, he let his adoring, more intimidated younger brother trail later him and have a take in his adventures.Elena was right about one thing, he admitted to himself.He liked hanging out with Damon, being brothers again.When hed spotted Damon at the bar just now, hed felt a little lightening of the loneliness he was carrying around with him. Damon was the only person who remembered him as a child, the only person who remembered him alive. possibly they could be friends, without Katherine or Elena between them for a while. Maybe something good could come out of this.Bil iart, bil iards, or pool, Damon had always liked playing. He was better than Stefan, and, after hundreds of years of practice, Stefan was pretty good.Which was why Stefan was so surprised when Damons break direct bal s spinning merrily al over the table, but none into the pockets.Whats up? he asked, cocking an eyebrow at Damon as he chalked his own cue.Ive been watching the locals, Damon said silently.There are a couple of cunning hustlers in here. I want to draw them over to us. Hustle them for a change.Come on, Damon added quickly when S tefan hesitated. Its not wrong to hustle hustlers. Its like kill murderers, a public service.Your moral compass is gravely skewed, Stefan shot back at him, but he couldnt keep himself from smiling.What was the harm, real y? Two bal in the corner pocket, he added aloud. He made the shot and sank two more bal s before intentional y scratching and stepping back to let Damon take his turn.They went on like that, playing pretty Wellbut not too Well, careful to look like a couple of self-assertive col ege kids who knew their way around a pool cue but would be no chal enge to a professional hustler. Damons pretense of frustration when he missed a shot amused Stefan. Stefan had forgotten, it was fun to be branch of Damons schemes.Stefan won by a couple of bal s, and Damon whipped out a wal et ful of bullion.You got me, man, he said in a slightly drunken voice that didnt vocalise quite like his own and held out a twenty.Stefan blinked at him. grapple it, Damon thought at him. Something about the set of his jaw reminded Stefan again of the way Damon was when they were children, of the way he lied to their father about his misadventures, confident Stefan would back him up. Damon was trusting him without even cerebrateing about it, Stefan realized.Stefan smiled and slipped it into his back pocket. Rackem up again? he suggested, and realized he was also pitching his voice a little younger, a little drunker, than he normal y would.They compete another game, and Stefan handed the twenty back. Another? he asked.Damon started to rack the bal s, and then his hands slowed. He flicked a glance up at Stefan and then back down at the bal s. Listen, he said, taking a buddy-buddy breath,Im sorry for whats happening with Elena. If I He hesitated. I cant just check mark feeling the way I do about her, but I didnt mean to make things harder for you. Or for her. Stefan stared at him. Damon never apologized. Was he serious? I thank you, he said.Damon looked past him and his mo uth twitched into his sudden, bril iant smile. Bait taken, he said silently. So much for the heartfelt brother moment.Two guys were advent toward them. One was short and slight with sandy hair, the other big, bulky, and dark.Hi, the shorter one said. We wondered if you guys wanted to play teams, mix it up a little. His smile was bright and easy, but his eyes were shrewd and watchful. The eyes of a predator.Their names were prize and David, and they were real pros. They kept the games close, waiting until after the third game to suggest height the stakes to make things a little more interesting.A hundred? Jimmy suggested casual y. I can just about do it, if you want.How about more? Damon said, sounding drunk again.Stefan, you stil got that five hundred in your wal et? Stefan didnt, nowhere near it, but he didnt think hed need to invent up. He nodded but, at a glance from Damon, played reluctant. I dont know, Damon he said.Dont worry about it, Damon said expansively. Easy money, r ight?Jimmy was watching them, his eyes alert. Five hundred it is, he agreed, smiling.Il break, Damon said, and went into action. After a moment, Stefan rest his pool cue against the wal . He wasnt going to get a lay on the line to shoot, none of them were Damon was moving with clockwork precision to pocket one bal after another.He wasnt making any effort to hide that he and Stefan had been running a hustle, and Jimmys and Davids faces darkened dangerously as the last few bal s sound into their pockets.Pay up, Damon demanded sharply, setting down his cue.Jimmy and David were moving toward them, scowling.You two think youre real smart, dont you? David growled.Stefan poised himself on both feet, ready to fight or run, whatever Damon wanted. They wouldnt have any trouble fending off these guys, but with the disappearances and attacks al over campus, hed rather not cal attention to themselves.Damon, cool and relaxed, gazed at Jimmy and David, his hands open. I think you want to pay us the money you owe us, he said calmly.Oh, thats what you think, do you? Jimmy said sarcastical y. He shifted his grip on his pool cue, and now he was holding it more like a weapon.Damon smiled and unleashed a wave of Power into the room. Even Stefan, who was one-half expecting it, was chil ed as Damon lifted his human mask for a moment, his downcast eyes cold and deadly. Jimmy and David staggered backward as if theyd been shoved by out of sight hands.Okay, dont get upset, Jimmy said, his voice shaking.David was blinking as if he had been slapped with a wet towel, clearly unsure of what had just happened. Jimmy opened his wal et and counted out five hundred dol ars in fifties into Damons hand.Now its time for you to go home, Damon said softly.Maybe you dont want to play pool for a while. Jimmy nodded and didnt seem to be able to stop nodding, his head bobbing like it was on a spring. He and David backed away, moving quickly toward the door.Scary, Stefan commented. There was a hol ow place inside his chest stil , an empty ache of wanting(p) Elena, but he felt better than he had since that day she walked out the door alone. Tonight, he realized with a slight shock, hed had fun with Damon.Oh, Im a terror, Damon agreed lightly, pocketing al the money. Stefan raised an eyebrow at him. He didnt care about the money, but it was typical of Damon to assume it was his. Damon grinned. Come on, little brother, Il sully you a drink.