CHAPTER FOURTEEN

° I'LL PROTECT YOU °

"Crude and proud creatures baying, all I've ever done is hide."

THERE'S NO WORSE feeling that being trapped, knowing there's no way in hell you're going to escape without a scratch. Reign was barely holding on at that point, with the hunger and infection weighing her down like a stone.

Damon wasn't totally oblivious to her struggle, but he didn't know the extent of her condition due to her extreme efforts to conceal it. She was stubborn, and it had gotten them in big trouble.

They stayed low on the floor, hiding behind the last isle of shelves of the store while Damon listened closely for the sound of footsteps, imagining in his head where each of the several men stood. He silently cursed himself for not taking them out sooner. He could've done it quickly, but with that many men with that many various weapons, he knew it was very unlikely he could've taken them all down before someone got hurt.

Damon released Reign as they crouched behind the shelf, Reign petting Gizmo who was at her side. She held a finger to her lips and looked at the dog, a signal the little pup had learned to listen to. Reign was more or less surprised that Damon had actually brought Gizmo with him considering the amount of times he threatened to kill the little dog. Never the less however, Reign was thankful.

"We know you're in here," one of the men called out.

Reign froze while Damon closed his eyes, still figuring out how best to escape based on each of their positions. "Come on out, and make this easy. We don't wanna hurt you, just want some information."

Reign and Damon exchanged looks, Reign gripping her sword tightly as they remained still. They didn't dare breath, they didn't dare move. They stayed as still and quiet as possible until they couldn't any longer. Damon heard them coming to the back, rounding the corner. He signaled Reign to move down the isle and around the other corner away from the men. They crawled as quietly as they could with all the broken glass and debris on the floor.

They rounded the corner and went to sit against the shelf against the two isles when suddenly Reign stepped on a opened bag of chips, all the chips cracking underneath the pressure of her foot. She winced and froze in step, lifting her foot up carefully, but it was too late.

The men had surrounded Reign and Damon, staring down at them from where they were sitting on the ground.

Reign reacted immediately out of defensive instinct, raising her sword to slash the man in the throat but he raised his gun, forcing Reign to drop her sword unless she wanted to get shot again.

"I'll be damned. Gentlemen, look who we have here," the one man said, recognizing Reign. He bent down to her level to get in her face.

"It's the pretty little lady. How's your shoulder? Still hurt like a bitch?" he chuckled.

Reign scowled and went to throw a punch at the man, but he caught her hand in his, pushing it away with his strength. "Nice try honey, but this time I ain't taking any chances," the man said.

"Bring the lady and her boy outside. Careful though, she's a little fighter," the leader laughed, walking outside while two of the men hulled Damon and Reign up, pushing them outside.

Reign looked back at Damon, confused as to why he hadn't put up a better fight considering he was a vampire. He only glared at her before sending her a quick wink, like some sort of reassurance that he had a plan. Reign didn't trust him though. For all she knew he was going to escape and leave her behind.

The man that was holding Reign put his hand directly on her wound, pressing his thumb down hard onto the infected flesh earning a cry of pain from her.

"Watch it dick," Damon growled, as the man only glanced back and smirked at him.

As they reached outside, the men shoved the two to the ground before taking their things. The men tied ropes around their wrists and put gags in their mouths, putting them against one of the gas dispensers. At that moment, Reign realized she hadn't put Gizmo in her backpack like she usually did in these situations. Instead she had kept him safe by her side, in which he wasn't any more. She had no idea where her little guy was.

"Hey," one of the men called, coming out of the store. "Look what I found!" he said as he held Gizmo by the thick skin on his neck, holding him up high.

"P-uuut hmmm dwwn!" Reign tried to shout, but the gag in her mouth refused to let any English escape her lips.

"Ohh, I think we finally found a soft spot for this little bitch. Bring that thing here," the leader said. The man brought a growling Gizmo to the man, passing him off as the leader held a knife to the pups throat.

"Here's how this is going to work. Now, you either tell us information we want to know, and if you honestly don't know anything, we'll let you go after we take all your things," the leader explained.

Reign nodded her head anxiously, watching intently at how close the blade was on Gizmo's fur.

"We met a man the other day in a house who killed one of our guys. I highly doubt you'd know this man, but he has a son who wears a sheriff's hat. Saw them run from the house. Their footprints left off from a burnt down prison down the road, the same way your prints tracked. You wouldn't know anything about that man now would you?" he asked.

Reign's eyes widened ever so slightly as she shifted uncomfortably on the ground, knowing exactly who he was talking about. There was only one kid she knew who wore a sheriff's hat. But she shook her head.

The man laughed. "You sure sweetheart? I'm no detective, but I'm pretty sure your body language just gave away your lie," the man said. "Tell me who they are, what you know about them and where they might have gone before I let this pup bleed to death."

Reign tried to speak, but the gag prevented her from doing so. "Take that gag off their mouths would you?" the leader ordered impatiently.

Two of his men approached Reign and Damon, slipping off their gags allowing Reign to explain herself, and try her best to save her little dog. "I don't know where they went, honestly," Reign breathed out.

"Not good enough," the leader said, the knife so close to Gizmo's skin that he let out a whimper.

"What do you want me to say! I don't know where they went! Please- please put down my dog!" Reign begged, tears threatening to make an appearance.

"Honey,-"

"Joe," one of his other men called out. The leader stopped talking before slowly turning to face his man, his eyes growing wide when he saw his own man pointing two guns at his own group.

"Len, put the guns down. What in gods name are you doing?" the leader, Joe asked.

"I-I don't know," he stuttered. "All I know is I'm supposed to aim these guns at you, and shoot them if you try anything. Now put down the dog," the man, Len ordered.

"Have you gone mad Len!" one of the other guys asked.

"I-I can't stop myself!" Len yelled.

Reign glanced over at Damon to see he was smiling amusingly at the scene in front of them. The man Len was shaking fearfully, like he had no control over himself. Damon must've compelled him, Reign thought, when Len went to remove his gag.

Just then as the group of men were caught off guard, Damon jumped up and ripped himself out of the ropes before attacking. He sped around so fast, Reign couldn't keep her eyes on him. It was like watching a professional ping pong match, the kind where the ball was moving so fast you had no idea where it was. Although in this situation, Damon was the ping pong ball. He dug his fangs into several of the men's necks, before pushing them to the ground, all of them unconscious except for one. The leader Joe stood there, Gizmo still in his hand with a knife in the other, still parallel with the little dog's throat.

"What are you?" Joe asked in shock.

"I'm your worst nightmare Farmer Joe," Damon said, wiping the dripping blood from his mouth. Reign sat there, still tied while staring at Damon in complete shock and fear. She had never seen a vampire up close before really vamp out. It was new and unreal.

"Y-you're not human man!" Joe panicked.

"No shit Sherlock. Now, would you do me a favour and give the pup back to me or I'll be forced to retaliate. And Joe, you haven't seen shit yet. I've barely satisfied my hunger," Damon sneered.

Joe slowly lowered Gizmo to the ground, but kept the knife in his hand. "The knife too buddy," Damon warned, but Joe didn't comply. Instead he whipped the knife in Reign's direction as she was still tied to the ground, but Damon caught it with ease.

"Wrong move," Damon growled, speeding towards Joe and stabbing his fangs into his neck, replenishing himself for all the blood he needed. He had been starving too, and he had been too scared to ask Reign for any. Now he was indulging in a much needed meal. After dropping an unconscious Joe to the ground, Damon went through their things but found nothing useful other than a few matches. They had no food what so ever.

Damon turned to go back into the convenience store, leaving Reign still tied to the ground. "DAMON!" she yelled, scared he was going to leave her, but he only held up his finger signaling he'd be back in a minute.

After about five minutes he came back out with three packs of instant noodles, two protein bars and a bottle of coke.

"Merry Christmas," he said before throwing the food at Reign.

The protein bars hit her in her face while the coke landed on her lap along with the instant noodles. "Asshole," she muttered. "I thought you were going to leave me here."

"Who said I wasn't?" he smirked.

"Can you please stop being a dick for once, and untie me?" Reign asked.

Damon didn't move or say anything. Instead he stayed standing there, his arms across his chest with his brow raised like he was expecting Reign to say something.

"What?" she snapped.

"That's it? No, oh my gosh, thank you Damon for saving my life for the fifth time! I love you! You're my hero!" Damon mocked, speaking in a high pitched voice.

"It was the third time, not fifth buddy. Don't get ahead of yourself there," Reign corrected.

"Maybe, but still. I've saved your life three times yet you haven't even saved mine once. Damon three, Reign zero," he laughed to himself.

"Um correction, I did save your life when I gave you some of my blood," Reign pointed out.

"Fine," Damon sighed. "Damon three, Reign one," he said, rolling his eyes.

When the conversation didn't go anywhere, Reign lashed out again, tired of being tied to the gas post.

"I'm still waiting for a thank you," Damon said, staring at his fingernails in a bored manner.

"Thank you, okay? Now untie me," Reign snapped.

"Please," Damon corrected her, earning a scowl from the raven haired girl. Damon, still chuckling to himself, kneeled down and ripped the ropes off her wrists gently in one quick motion. He held out his hand to help her up, but she waved it off as she struggled to get up on her own.

"Thanks," said, referring to the food he had found her. She instantly popped open the noodles, eating them raw while drinking the coke.

"You want some blood to go with that too?" Damon asked, holding out his wrist. As they began walking again, he couldn't help but notice she wasn't putting any weight on her shoulder, keeping her backpack slung to one side along with her sword.

"No," she grumbled in between bites of the hard noodles.

"Why? Reign, you're dying!" Damon exclaimed.

"I'd rather die than drink your blood," she scoffed.

"Why? Are you afraid of it?" he asked as they walked along the road.

"No, I just don't know anything about it," she said.

"It's simple. You drink it, it heals you. Take it," he encouraged.

"Or if you die with it still in you, you come back a vampire. No offence or anything, but I don't really want to be a vampire," Reign refused.

"I promise I won't let you die until it leaves your system," Damon suggested.

"Oh so you'll let me die when it does? I guess that way you don't have to deal with a newbie," Reign said.

"That's not what I meant. I haven't let you die yet, have I?" Damon asked hopefully.

"I don't need your help!" Reign snapped.

"Sure didn't look like it back there. You couldn't have compelled that dude like I did," Damon said proudly.

"Fine," she sighed. "That was pretty smart to compel him." Her face displayed a small smile.

"Right!" Damon said, a large grin beaming on his face. A giant roar of thunder sounded above them as they noticed ginormous storm clouds in the distance. It was going to rain, and it was going to rain hard.

"We should find some shelter," Reign suggested.

"Agreed," Damon said, starting to walk slightly faster.

"Hey Damon?" Reign asked as they practically jogged.

"Hmmm?"

"Thanks for saving my dog," she said, earning her a small but concealed smile on Damon's face.

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[EDITED: 07/12/18]