4| I love her, of course.

Damon stretched his hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you."

Angel didn’t take his hand. She only stood there and glared at him.

Chloe felt embarrassed by her action, so she tried to lighten up the mood. "Let’s play cup pong." She quickly said this as she leapt to her feet.

Without giving them the chance to protest, she held their hands and forced them to where it was being played.

After playing for a while, Damon suddenly excused himself and told Chloe that he was going out for fresh air.

A perfect opportunity to confront him, Angel thought as she followed him outside.

The second they were outside, she kicked his leg, causing him to stop walking.

"What do you want with my friend? Why'd you follow her?" She asked. 

A smirk touched his lips. "Easy; why else would I follow her? I love her, of course."

"I don't want to see you with her again."

He raised a brow. "Why?"

"You are dangerous!" She exclaimed and blew out a sharp breath. "Who knows? You might turn her into your pet and drain her blood."

Damon shook his head. "If I wanted her blood, I would have done that a long time ago. You know it's ea..." he trailed off, before he continued. "Did you get into trouble?" He asked her. "Because I don’t know them."

"Who?" Angel asked, confused.

He had noticed two senior vampires looking at her from a distance. And with the way they were glaring at them, he knew they had murderous intent. He had to save Angel.

He quickly held her hand and started running, dragging her with him.

"Where do you want to take me to?" Angel yelled as she involuntarily followed him.

"Shut up and follow me. You are in danger." He retorted. 

In danger? How could she be in danger when she always made sure to avoid trouble? She wanted to snatch her hand away from his grip and stop running with him, but what if she was really in danger? She thought. So, trusting him blindly, she followed him into the woods, far away from where the party was being held.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, two vampires appeared in front of them, blocking them.

They were Elijah and Delia—her makers. But she didn’t recognize them. She didn’t know who they were.

"Shit!" Damon groaned. 

"You think you can outrun us?" Delia asked and laughed. Her face suddenly went serious again. "I'm sorry to break it to you; we were vampires long before you were born."

Lifting her hand up, she ran her fingers over Angel’s face. "So, the stories I heard are true. He really kept you alive."

"I'm proud of Jake Collymore for not killing his daughter. I guess we won, because he stopped being a vampire hunter after that incident." Elijah added. 

Confusion spread over Angel’s face. "Why would my father kill me? And what do you mean by saying he stopped being a vampire hunter?"

A laugh escaped Delia’s throat. "Poor girl, your father didn't tell you what happened the night you were born? And why were you turned?"

Angel shook her head.

"Your father is the reason you are a vampire." Delia placed both hands on Angel’s shoulders, and she stood still. "He killed my family, and turning you into a vampire was our revenge."

"You turned me?" She yelled as rage suddenly started boiling inside her. Both of them were the reason she had to live the life she hated so much. They were the reason she couldn’t live like everyone else. They were the reason she had to drink blood for her survival. The more she stared at them, the more she had the urge to kill them. But she couldn’t. They were powerful, and she was helpless. She stood no chance against them.

Elijah flicked his gaze at Damon. "Leave here now."

"Unless you want to die," Delia added when she saw the hesitation in Damon’s eyes.

Damon darted his gaze between Elijah and Delia. They were old vampires, and he stood no chance against them. He wished he could save Angel, but there was nothing he could do. If he tried to fight them, he knew he was going to die as soon as the fight began.

Frustration clawing at his chest, he dashed out of there. He had the will to live.

"This is where you would die." Elijah told Angel after Damon left.

"I can imagine how devastated Jake Collymore would be when he finds out that his daughter is no more." Delia said, and an evil laugh emanated from her throat.

"Please don’t kill me." Angel begged. "Please. I would do anything you wanted. Please don’t."

"Too late." Delia said, a smile touching her lips, as she grabbed Angel by her arm and dragged her to a tree.

Angel tried to run for her life, but her desperate attempt was futile as she barely managed to cover a mere ten feet before their merciless hands got a hold of her, forcefully dragging her back to the tree.

"Please, don’t kill me. Please!" She desperately begged for her life, but they weren’t going to spare her. Their minds had already been made up.

"We'll tie you to this tree, little girl." Delia said as she pulled out a rope. "The sun will have its blazing effect on you once it rises, and you'll disappear to never be seen again."

Suddenly, Angel stopped struggling, knowing that their plan would not work. Her ring would protect her from the scorching sun. All she had to do was stay still until her father found her.

They made her sit and tied her to the tree with the rope, making sure she wouldn’t be able to escape.

"Burn in peace, baby girl." Delia said as she crouched down to her level.

"Fuck you!" She yelled. 

"Oh, well, I want you to know that I hold no grudges against you." Delia told her as she reached for her hand and held it. "As you burn to death, remember that your father put you in this position. He killed out family, and this is our revenge."

Angel’s worst nightmare began as Delia started pulling out her ring. The ring that was supposed to protect her.

"I'll go with this." Delia muttered. 

"No, no, no. Please." Angel screamed, terrified.

Elijah took the ring from Delia, and as he stared at it, he muttered. "I bet you thought we didn’t know about this. You thought you were protected; that’s why you stopped struggling." He flicked his gaze at Angel. "Sorry to break it to you, but I know protective charms when I see one."

"Please. I beg you, please. Let me go." She desperately begged to be spared. "Please. I don’t even know you. Please!"

A deep, throaty laugh resonated between the two of them in response to her desperate pleas before they swiftly departed from the scene with their supernatural speed.

They left with her ring!

 "Somebody, help!" Angel screamed as she struggled to free herself. "Somebody, please help!"

Her struggle to break free proved futile, as her body suffered deep wounds that refused to heal. The mysterious rope seemed to possess an unknown power that drained her strength, leaving her vulnerable.

In her current state, she felt powerless—as powerless as an ordinary human, or perhaps even weaker. The confines of the rope not only imprisoned her physical form but also trapped her extraordinary abilities.

Fear coursed through her veins as she pondered the identity of her captors, their constant references to her father, and their relentless pursuit to end her life.

Humans rarely pass through the woods. She was left all alone; no one was coming for her.

Is this the end? She asked herself as the hope of being saved diminished.