Elena's feet carried her quickly up the stairs, not using the supernatural speed she had recently acquired. Her escape from Stefan, her love, had been failing. The tightening in her chest conveyed her anxiety, and she placed a hand above her non-beating heart, attempting to calm herself down.
"Elena," she heard Stefan call from the doorway, she longed to run to him. She longed to embrace him and remind him of how she felt, but she could not.
"Please, Elena," he begged, lowering himself to his knees in front of her, "Go to dinner with me tomorrow."
"Stefan," the brunette sighed out, willing herself to remain stoic, "I can't."
"One night, Elena," he pleaded, and she felt his eyes boring into her own, as if he could uncover all the things she dared to hide. "I promise I will make it perfect."
She tapped her fingers against each other, staring at the glowing clock on her nightstand. Breathing suddenly became impossible, as if her lungs wouldn't cooperate. If her heart could still beat she knew it would have stopped, for her chest felt ready to explode.
"Please," she whispered, "I need to be alone."
"I will leave you when you agree to dinner with me," he persisted.
"All right," she finally agreed, "I will go with you, Stefan. Now please, I need you to leave me be."
She spun around and turned with her back to her love. Her hand grasped the wooden edge of her desk to keep steady. His fingers softly caressed her cheek before his lips replaced them. The moments they had together when they had first met excited her and intrigued her. Now it took all of her resolve not to flinch away from him.
"Goodnight, Elena," he whispered gently into her ear, and she was almost certain he heard her gulp. If he had heard he did not say anything to her.
Elena did not turn to face the doorway as she heard his footsteps slowly walk down the stairs. The door shut quietly, but with her vampire sense of hearing she could easily perceive the sound of the click of the door's lock.
She finally let out a breath, unaware she had been holding it. Quickly she walked to the door of her room and slammed it shut, her eyes scanning every corner of the small space. Nothing seemed out of place. Her books were in order on her worn and dusted bookshelf. Her comfortable bed seemed to be untouched, and everything was as it should have been.
She felt a gentle hand on her waist and shuddered when she felt another on the bare skin of her arm. The hands were cold, cold enough to make the room seem as if temperature had dropped to the point of fear. Elena found herself leaning towards the unknown person, but she could feel the warm cloak they wore against her shoulder blades.
"Ignorant fool, basking in your glory, sharing in my triumph," the voice whispered against her ear, sending shivers down Elena's spine as they emphasized their possession over her.
"My Angel," Elena sighed, leaning against the woman's cold skin behind her. The grip of the delicate cold hands tightened.
The realization dawned upon the young vampire. Her Angel had seen the exchange with Stefan. She shook her head, ashamed to have even been with him.
"Angel, my soul was weak," Elena told the woman behind her, "Stay with me. Guide me. Forgive me."
She turned to the woman. Her dark brown curls cascaded down her shoulders. The cape-like cloak she wore was black, as was the rest of her clothing. The one thing about this woman that could possibly phase Elena's desire for her was the mask that covered the right half of her beautiful face, only leaving her brown eye to be seen.
As Elena stared into the eyes of her Angel it seemed to be she was staring into a mirror. A mirror filled with the longings she had wished for. A beauty radiated from the woman, as if she was born to seduce, as she had seduced Elena. When her Angel had first appeared Elena had fought the trance, but no, so many times of her Angel coming to see her she had decided to enter the trance, and allow herself to be taken by her beauty.
The young vampire slowly reached out to touch the mask, but a cold hand stopped her. She stared longingly into the twin brown eyes of her Angel, who still held her hand. In an instant the woman had twirled her, as if in a dance, and pulled Elena's back against her once again.
Elena leaned into the woman's hold, longing for her to continue to embrace her for eternity. She felt cold lips placed more delicately than a feather to her neck. More shivers made their way through her spine as the gentle lips pulled away. The girl felt the woman's chilled fingers softly against her cheek.
She closed her eyes at the touch. This woman, her Angel, had coerced her to feel what she had never felt before. The caress had been more delicate than Stefan's, and had made her long for more. It had not caused her to flinch as Stefan's did, and it did not take her will to flinch away, but to stop herself from taking more.
"Are you ready to surrender?" her Angel whispered into her ear, her voice so pleasing to Elena's ear it nearly caused her knees to go from underneath her.
The girl nodded frantically, "Yes," she replied, wishing to hear her Angel's beautiful voice once more.
The moment Elena opened her eyes she found herself in unfamiliar territory, but the arms of her Angel were still gently wrapped around her. Elena sighed as the arms pulled away, longing for the woman's touch. The girl's eyes glanced at the scenery. The shadows of the large trees loomed over her head, with the nearly fool moon and the stars hidden by their dark branches.
"I've brought you something," the woman said, walking in front of Elena and gesturing to the trees.
A young, muscular man walked hypnotically into her sight. He stood and faced her, his eyes not moving as they stared straight ahead. His face held no emotion, as if he were being held in a trance. He was trapped by the woman's compulsion.
Elena couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips, "You've brought me a man," she noted with a smile, "When you know I only long for you."
She saw the smirk tug at the corner of the woman's lip as she walked over. The girl longed to feel her cold embrace once more, but was patient, and remained still as the woman walked to behind her. Elena felt her hair being brushed from her shoulder, and as cold hands brushed against her skin for mere seconds Elena was certain she had achieved bliss.
"Think of him as a gift," her Angel whispered alluringly into her ear.
"What should I do with him?" the girl asked, eager to hear her Angel's voice again.
Elena's mind flowed with possibilities that her Angel could possibly give her, but the girl had a feeling she knew what the woman would say. It was strange, for the dark beauty had always forced her to hunt for her prey, and had never simply given one to her before.
"Can you not hear his heart beating as a drum for you?" the dark temptress breathed into her ear.
Elena nodded silently, about to respond when one of the woman's fingers ran against the once flowing artery in her neck. The touch sent butterflies into Elena's stomach and shivers up and down her spine. She longed for moments like this with Stefan, but only her Angel was able to make her feel like she was.
"Can you not hear the blood rushing through him? His heart is yours to stop. His blood is yours to take."
"Truly?" Elena asked, turning to look at the face of her beautiful Angel.
"I would bring you nothing that does not belong to you," the woman answered, removing her hands from Elena and standing back.
Elena's tongue ran over the edges of her supernatural canines. Unable to wait a single moment longer, and eager to impress her Angel, she sped to the man and sunk her fangs deeply into his flesh. The artery throbbed erratically as the blood spilled into her mouth.
With every swallow Elena felt power, more power than she had ever dreamt of having as a human. As the human's life slipped away she swallowed the last bit of blood in his system. Her hands traveled to the base of his neck, and she ran her hands delicately on the nape of his neck. With a loud snap the life of the human was taken as the bones in his neck shattered.
She turned to her Angel, and smiled as she saw the look of pride glittering in the woman's beautiful brown eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as the woman sauntered towards her. She sank into the touch of her Angel as the cold hand held her cheek.
"Quite the mess you have made, my Angel," the woman said, using her thumb to wipe the blood that trickled down from her lip. The dark temptress brought her thumb to her mouth, swallowing the blood slowly and allowing the blood to rush to her eyes. The whites of the woman's eyes turned red, and Elena dared to place her hand against the cheek of the woman's that was not covered by the mask.
"Why must you hide from me?" Elena asked, touching the white mask, but removing her hand, knowing it disliked by her Angel.
"Soon you shall know me," her Angel responded, "Soon you shall see why in the shadows I hide."
"My Angel," Elena said, removing her hands from the woman's face, "My guide and my guardian, grant to me your glory."
"And what glory to you wish to receive?"
"Your name," the girl replied.
"Will that please you?" the woman asked, curious to the young one's reasoning.
"More than anything," Elena told her, "I know so little of you, of who you are, your name will bring me slight peace of mind."
"A name is but a piece of information," the woman teased, "a collection of letters chosen by those who created you."
"Please," Elena begged, "my name passes so angelically from your lips, I wish to give you the same pleasure by calling your name as you give me when you utter mine."
The woman leaned forward, as if to kiss the young girl but stopped short. Elena groaned out of longing and disappointment. Nothing would please her more than a kiss from her Angel. A glimmer of mischief passed through the dark temptress' eyes as she chuckled in amusement. Elena's desire for a kiss only grew stronger as the cold lips grazed against her own.
"Katherine," the woman whispered, barely audible to Elena's ears. Her lips grazed Elena's once again as she spoke.
Elena's smile spread to her cheeks as she stared into Katherine's eyes. Katherine, her Angel, had a name to match her stunning beauty. The woman placed a kiss on Elena's cheek, caressing her jaw line with her frigid fingers.
"Katherine," Elena moaned into the darkness of the forest.
The dark temptress chuckled as she moved her lips from Elena's skin. Elena sighed, trying to bring herself closer to Katherine.
"I do rather like the sound of that," Katherine said, staring into Elena's brown eyes, identical to her own.
"Katherine," Elena moaned again, smirking as her Angel looked down on her, seduction swimming in her eyes.
Elena's legs became suddenly weak as she held on to the woman for support. Katherine's laugh rang through her ears as black spots began to dance in her vision. The girl attempted to stand, but her legs were far too weak. She felt Katherine's cold arms lay her gently on the forest floor. She closed her eyes, unable to keep them open.
Katherine's cold lips pressed against her forehead, "Rest, dear Elena. Tomorrow I will return to you, for I am your Angel, but I am also your phantom."