SWNOVELS Chapter 49
Damon decides to keep talking, seeing this as his only opportunity to convince her not to do anything reckless.
“But I wouldn’t want to do it this way. You think killing Elliot the night his child is supposed to have his element revealed will bring you the satisfaction of making him pay, but it will only cause you more grief. What will you do if that child gets hurt in your attack on Elliot? What do you think will happen if an innocent bystander gets hurt in the process? They will make sure you never see the light of day again,” he says to her.
“I would never harm a child or an innocent person. But Elliot is not innocent. He allowed her to die so carelessly. Have you ever considered the possibility that our union is the reason why?” she snaps back.
“Of course I have. But tonight of all nights, Valentina? Please. Someone is bound to get hurt and it won’t just be him,” he begs her.
“What would you have me do? Let this treasonous act go unpunished?” she demands.
“Of course not. I’m simply saying to be smart about this. Consider where we are going, who will be around. Consider the dangers killing him tonight will pose,” Damon tries to reason. He isn’t sure if his attempts are futile but he knows he can at least try.
Truth be told, he wants Elliot dead almost as much as she does. But losing Valentina would be the end of Damon and he isn’t ready for his life to come to an end, not when he just started living.
Valentina sighs, letting her gaze shift from the window to Damon, then down to her lap. She feels the conviction of what Damon is asking her deep inside of her. She wasn’t thinking anything through and she knows it. She was so blinded by her need to see Elliot dead that she didn’t think about the casualties her grief centered revenge could cause. The only silver lining is that Damon has not talked her out of killing him, and that means more to her than anything. She looks back up at Damon, her resolve fading just enough to not cause any harm tonight. She nods her head, silently agreeing to leave well enough alone for now.
The carriage stops at the foot of the cathedral stairs of Elliot and Ava’s home just as it did the night of the celebratory ball. And just like that night, they are the last of the guests to arrive. However this time, there are no guests lining the stairs watching them ascend to the house. The doors to their home are wide open, letting the couple know that everyone is already inside. They make quick work of going inside, following the sounds to the same ballroom as before.
The doors to the ballroom go from the floor to the ceiling and two footmen stand guard outside, their hands clasped behind their backs. When they see Damon and Valentina approach, immediately they shift to turn and grab the handles of the doors. One of the footmen pulls the door open a crack, whispering to whoever stands on the opposite side of the closed doors.
After a few moments of low whispers, the door shuts and the footman adjusts to grab the handle. Finally, both footmen pull their respective doors open with some force to reveal the inside of the ballroom. Damon and Valentina step towards the threshold of the doorway, and see that all eyes are on them.
Inside, there is a circular stage in the center of the room with Elliot, Ava, and their son standing slightly to the left of the stage. Directly across from them is a small table with various elements from every existing type of heart. For the four rare elements, there are small bowls on a separate table. The bowls contain a small bit of water, burned ashes for fire, soil for earth and an empty bowl for air.
As Valentina and Damon take in the scene, Valentina feels her element stir inside of her. The anger she felt from before is slowly rising inside of her again. She feels her power tug at her hands and stir inside of her necklace, the desire to burn the two tables building and building.
Valentina locks eyes with Elliot. She feels Damon’s hand tighten around hers and she lends into him to steady herself. She watches from a distance as Elliot’s eyes scan the length of her, lingering on the slit of her dress and the sparkle of her heels. His eyes zero in on the deep V of the dresses neckline and when his eyes lock back onto hers, Valentina feels a surge of pride at the pained look in his eyes.
Valentina stands a little taller, wanting to see her in all of her beauty. She feels another surge of pride when it becomes obvious that Elliot can’t seem to look away. Valentina feels Damon step impossibly closer to her, nudging her forward towards the two remaining seats that are directly behind the two tables of elements. Valentina begins walking, making each step deliberate and refusing to look at any one person. Her head spins with the attention and even worse with the grief.
How is it that she is here, celebrating the child of a man who stole the life of a person she adored? How is it possible that he can stand there and feel regret for having lost her but not express an ounce of regret for having killed the one person who sustained her when she had no one else? The child is innocent, and she knows it. But this child’s father is the furthest thing from it. He should pay with his own life right now. He should-
Her thoughts are cut short when she realizes that she is standing at the two empty seats. She takes her place alongside Damon. Together, they sit down and almost instantly, the orchestra begins playing, seated at the edges of the room.