The whole bar smelled like blood. Pumping, warm blood. Coursing through veins that were so close to the surface of the human skin…

For the umpteenth time that day I pushed my fingers against the side of my head and closed my eyes. Think Elena, think. While the walls seemed to vibrate around me I tried to focus on Mystic Grill and who was currently enjoying dinner. Thank god I did not need to search long.

As always, how surprising, Damon was sitting at the bar, sipping what seemed like a whisky on the rocks. Yup, definitely smelled like it too. I hurriedly made my way over to the bar, trying hard to make sure I did not expand a normal human speed while I grabbed the chair next to him and sat down.

He did not feel the need to acknowledge me. He just took another slow sip of his whisky and stared into the distance. I worriedly touched the skin under my eyes while in my mouth I felt my teeth grow slightly, as another rush of delicious blood smell waved into my direction. Maybe a tiny bit too fast I turned around as I watched a guy with dark, curly hair enter the Grill, the right sleeve of his blouse rolled up and showing off a small but deep cut close to the pit of his elbow.

I did not realize I had stood up until Damon wrapped his fingers around my arm and turned me around roughly. "What the fuck do you think you are doing? Didn't you feed?!" His worried expression caught me off guard and thankfully I felt my teeth slink a little. Good distraction.

Waves of shame rolled over me as I thought about the blood vomiting, and I had to try my best not to start crying right then and there. Damon pushed his drink in my direction and I finished it in one, big sip. "I can't keep the animal blood down." The confession made me feel even more horrible, but the look of understanding in his eyes together with the whisky made it possible for me to keep my emotions in check. "I don't know what to do anymore Damon…"

He seemed to be thinking. Hard. I watched him raise his hand while the bartender hurried up to bring him two whiskies on the rocks, and again he pushed one in my direction. I gulped it down fast, and now the blood smell seemed to be far enough away to ignore it. For now.

"Pick one out and I will make sure the guy gets outside and you can drink from the vein."

I looked at him completely horrified while shaking my head repeatedly. "NO! I can't. I won't. I don't want to." Damon just rolled his eyes at me. "You can't keep the bambi blood in. I am pretty sure Stefan tried to put you on a bunny diet after that one, which obviously didn't work either. You need human blood Elena, blood from the vein."

The blood smell was returning again in full force and I was wondering about asking for another whisky, while at the same time I shook my head. Again. "I won't drink from an innocent human being."

"Fine, you fake vampire." Damon took the last sip of his glass as he put it down on the bar, grabbed my hand and dragged me to the other end of the Grill, where the toilets were.

With one swift movement he pushed me inside, locked the door and before I even knew what he was doing, there was a deep cut in the palm of his hand. Which he was holding out to me. I tried to clear my mind as another wave of deliciousness floated towards me. But this one was different. "What are you doing?" "You need to feed. Maybe this will do the trick. But don't tell Stefan." I tried to look at this face but the blood that was now becoming a slight pool in his hand had my full attention. "Why not?" I stuttered, trying to ignore the high that was rising in my head fast as my teeth began to grow again. "Because blood sharing is kind of… personal." This time I looked up at him, and his eyes were boring into mine, giving me permission, waiting for me to make a move. "What do you mean?" "Just drink, Elena." He almost sounded angry now. I took in a deep breath, which multiplied the smell by a thousand.

Without another thought, I grabbed his waiting hand and let my now very sharp teeth sink into his skin.

Together with the lust now coursing through my body I felt my eyes darken as the taste of Damon's blood entered my lips, my mouth, my throat and then it was just… in me. A fiery red color appeared behind my closed eyelids as I swallowed greedily, more and more and more. I locked my fingers around his wrist as I automatically pushed him back, into the wall, while his blood flowed freely through my veins. But not only his blood. It was as if his soul was in me. Under my skin, all consuming.

At that moment the fingers of his left hand locked into my hair and a new sensation entered my body. Stefan told me everything was highlighted, but like this? I could have never imagined.

I could feel every strand of hair that was softly touched by his fingers, leaving a tingling feeling throughout all of my body parts. His fingers followed a trail from my hair onto my neck, where they went down between my shoulder blades to softly caress the exposed part of my spine. His sigh was soft, but the sound rang in my ears as the hair on my skin stood up and all of my body was covered in goose bumps.

I removed my teeth from the palm of his hand and looked up. His face was inches from mine, but what kept my full attention were his eyes. His blue eyes had darkened to an almost coal black, and were staring intently to my lips. Slowly I raised my index finger up to my own lips, were they were met by a sticky, warm substance. Without giving it a second thought, I closed my eyes and stuck my finger in my mouth, relishing again in the pure joy of tasting Damon's blood. Damon's soul.

My eyes widened a little when they met his. He looked like he was in ecstasy, enjoying the sensation as much as I did. "T-t-thank you," I stuttered, trying to move away from him a little, but my legs refused to move. He nodded his head slowly. "You're welcome."

His blood, his soul. He was still in me. I could not focus on anything else than him. His eyes that were continuing to stare at me. His lips slightly parted. The slight movement of his Adam's apple as he swallowed, hard.

Bright flashes of memories I had been dreaming about since I turned into a vampire filled my mind as I relived every single moment that Damon once compelled me to forget. The first time we met. You want a love that consumes you. Everything about him consumed me in this moment. All was intensified by his blood coursing through my veins. You want passion, and adventure. My mind flew right back to the night in the motel, where I had kissed him. And even a little danger. This, here and now, was dangerous. But did I care? I could not think clearly. I slowly shook my head but I could not erase him from my mind, while he was still staring in my eyes, waiting, wondering.
His confession. I love you Elena. I closed my eyes. I had known that for a long time now, but I never realized his love had already been there so many months ago. I don't deserve you. But my brother does.

I opened my eyes in shock but before I could speak up, rethink or do whatever else that should have been logical, I met his eyes again. And all logic in that moment seemed for me to be pushing my lips right onto his.

And so I did.

It must have been the combination of the blood and the heightened senses of a vampire. Or it was just Damon. I felt myself dive into the kiss, feeling every inch of skin on my lips touch his, moving slowly while he raised his hands again. One fisted my hair tightly as the other one dipped into the small of my back. And then we spun around, with vampire speed, and now my back was pushed into the wall, while he deepened the kiss to an until now unknown depth, and he took the lead.

I tried to keep in control, but I couldn't. And why should I? My mouth came particularly close to his neck, where one of his veins was pulsing right under his skin, fastened and inviting. I was unable to give it a second thought. I opened my mouth and let my teeth sink into his neck. Damon shuddered and tightened his grip on my hair, while he released my mouth from his and let out a shuddering breath. "Elena… I can't, I can't keep control when you do these things to me. I can't control myself."

I knew exactly what he meant, as I had the hardest trouble with letting go of his neck to look at him. But I did. And before he could speak again, I pushed all of my hair to one side and showed him my now naked throat. He cocked an eyebrow at me, and I mimicked his movement. A slow, wicked grin spread over his face as his hand slowly caressed my stomach and I had trouble keeping my vision from blurring. He slowly opened his mouth and I did not feel an ounce of fear as I watched the extremely sharp teeth. Instead, I returned his grin with a slow, inviting smile.

"Drink my soul Damon, let's become one…" I said quietly. I did not think it was possible, but his eyes darkened one shade further. And then he was on me. And I drowned in his soul, while he drowned in mine.