"Your mind would never ache,

when you were young and sound,

the way your heart aches now.

Your fears sent them all to ground.

Love, love, love till you've got enough

Dance, dance, dance if you've got no love around you...

we will not be moved by it."

-The Kills, "DNA"

oooOOOooo

"She does have excellent taste," Elijah remarked, opening the door. Elena followed him into the bedroom of the posh apartment Katherine was renting. He walked by the king-sized bed before throwing a glance back at her. She looked away, feeling the blood at the surface of her cheeks.

"You're lucky I'm a man of great control, Elena," he chided. "Your blushing, combined with my blood-"

"Where did Katherine say the moonstone was?" she asked quickly, cutting him off. It didn't stop the butterflies in the pit of her stomach as she imagined him feeding from her, or what it would inevitably lead to.

He smirked, as though he could read her mind. But thankfully, he chose to answer her question rather than challenging her body language. "The jewelry box."

She moved to the bathroom while he opened the closet, and there it was on the vanity. A beautifully carved mahogany box lined in ruby velvet, with Katherine's monogram etched into the mirror inside. The large milky stone laid there among her rings and necklaces and Elena felt a tingling as she took it in her hand, almost like static electricity.

"It's your connection to Tatia."

Elijah was behind her, inspecting the stone over her shoulder before meeting her curious gaze. Elena glanced back down. The stone had taken on a subtle glow in her palm.

"It recognizes you as her human incarnation."

He allowed her to study the gem for a few minutes before he held out his hand expectantly. She hesitated. It felt as though it belonged with her, as if there was a magnetic pull between her and the gem. But she finally moved to give it to him. Elijah surprised her when he caught her hand in his, holding it there.

She looked up to him nervously.

"Your heart is pounding again, Elena," he said gently, but the words brought them into dangerous territory. "And Katerina isn't a threat anymore."

She swallowed hard, her lips parting slightly as she drew in deep breaths. The way he was studying her face, her mouth, her neck... it was making her dizzy and she couldn't get enough air, let alone protest what he was insinuating. His lips curved slightly when his eyes met hers again, and she saw the overwhelming lust there.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he murmured as he brought his other hand under her hair, resting upon the back of her neck to draw her closer. "But you musn't lie to me. I'll remain a gentleman, if you're sure you don't want this."

"N-no," she croaked, hyper-aware of her heart hammering out of her chest and the stifling temperatures in the room.

"No, as in you don't want anything to happen?" he asked slowly, watching her for signs of the truth or a lie.

She nodded, looking down at their joined hands again, unable to meet his gaze.

"You're lying," he singsonged in a low voice, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smirk. "Do you think I couldn't hear you last night, after our intimate dinner?"

She blushed deeply, turning her face away from him to rest against the wall behind her. He knew what she'd done in her hotel room last night? She wanted to fall through the floor. He let out a frustrated groan as his lips brushed against her earlobe and she gasped at the contact.

"Why do you think I was out on the balcony when you came running to my room? It was all I could do to not join you, hearing the way you moaned my name," he whispered.

Her eyes were clenched shut and she felt his lips on her neck.

"Tell me 'no' now, Elena," he challenged. "I'll know you're lying. I can smell you."

She whimpered as his hands grazed her sides and the moonstone went crashing to the floor. He lifted Elena in his arms and deposited her in the center of the bed before he pulled off his jacket. He began to unbutton his shirt, his eyes remaining on her the whole time. And instead of running, Elena could only watch him, transfixed. It was as though her body was betraying her, not letting her leave.

But that wasn't wholly true, she knew. Because in some dark part of her mind, since she had first laid eyes on Elijah, she had wanted this. She had known it would happen.

He stood at the end of the bed and pulled her toward him by her wrists until she was up on her knees, their faces level.

"I'll ask you again, Elena: is this what you want?" His voice was low as he drew out the last words.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Tell me," he insisted, nipping at her bottom lip.

"I want you...ohhhh," she moaned against his mouth. His fingers had dipped beneath her shirt, inside her bra, so that he was cupping her breast and stroking the pad of his thumb over her nipple. He teased it into a soft peak while his other hand rubbed slowly over the clothed cleft between her legs.

"I want to watch you pleasure yourself, like you did last night," he instructed, pulling away from her panting mouth to graze his blunt teeth over the column of her neck. "And then I want to taste you."

She bit her lip as she allowed him to undress her, tentatively running her hands over his bare chest. He didn't say anything, only studied her with those heavily lusty eyes until he pushed her back against the mattress. He slid her underwear down her legs until she was completely nude below him.

"Now," he purred at her. "How did you start last night?"

She suddenly felt shy but she didn't fight him when he moved her hand down between her legs. Her surface was already slick as she slowly circled her nub, and she let out a low moan when he pushed one of her own fingers guided by his own inside of her tight opening. The feeling of both of their curling fingers pumping in and out together in time, brushing against that spot within her, had her body trembling and her legs twitching as she danced closer to the edge.

"Oh, Elijah," she moaned, drawing out his name, and his eyes filled her vision, burning intensely before he brought his mouth down on hers. Their primal electricity coursed through her as their lips finally met in a kiss and their tongues intertwined. It was enough to bring her over the dam and she whimpered incoherently against him, rocking against their fingers. He pulled back to witness her lose control, his on a tenuous string as well just from watching her.

"Say it," he breathed raggedly. "Say it like you did last night."

"I need you inside me, Elijah," she begged, her inner walls still aching for friction.

The rest of his clothes were discarded in a flash, and he sat up in front of her. She gasped as he brought her down upon his impressive length with a growl, filling her completely. She was on his lap facing him now, and his eyes stared into hers as he began to move. Their bodies rocked together to create more of that delicious friction.

"Mmmm," Elena sighed, allowing her head to roll back, and his mouth was upon her neck, nipping and kissing his way down her cleavage. Her back hit the mattress and he began to pump in and out of her faster, grunts of satisfaction escaping his lips. He lifted her leg up high around his waist, granting him access to slice deeper into her, and she moaned with each stroke. He lowered his head to suck at her nipples and she pushed her breast into his face at the wonderful sensation.

He chuckled darkly when he pulled away, joining their mouths once more and they moaned against each other's lips as he hit a particularly tender spot.

"You are... beyond beautiful," he crooned before he laid back, pulling her into a position where she was now riding above him, never breaking contact.

She blushed and he smiled, catching his lip between his teeth as she ground against him, moving her hips up and down. She marveled at how her body seemed to know just what to do, despite her limited experience. Almost like-

"This was meant to be, Elena, as much as you want to fight it," he breathed, pushing up into her until she cried out. They were both getting close. "I know you've... felt it, it's in your blood, your DNA... it was meant to happen."

Her cries were coming closer together and he maneuvered so he was above her again. She watched, fascinated as his eyes darkened further. He bit into his wrist with a groan, feeling her inner muscles spasm sporadically around him. She was right on the brink, the coil in her stomach wound as tight as it could go.

And the taste of his blood as it passed her lips was the breaking point. The pleasure-pain of his fangs puncturing her sensitized skin of her throat propelled her beyond and she came hard, white stars blinding her in her frenzy.

"Elijah, oh God, I'm coming...ohohhhh..." she moaned, his blood dripping down her chin, her hands pushing his hips deeper as he thrust forward.

Elena felt his movements begin to falter as he hardened impossibly more inside of her, signaling his impending release. He was watching her in awe, her blood smeared around his mouth, his hair falling into his eyes, a sheen of sweat covering his skin. Her hot core twitched and contracted around him, and Elijah couldn't hold on any longer. His arms pulled her up against him as he followed her over the edge.

"Jesus, Elena..." he growled, repeating her name like a sweet prayer. His head fell to her shoulder as his famous self-control slipped once and for all, their minds touching in a blood and lust high, leaving her spent and shocked at what she saw behind those walls.

When Elijah finally collapsed beside her, his arms tightened around her in an iron circle. She laid there speechless while they recovered, unsure what to do with the knowledge she now had.

"Don't be afraid," he finally said with a squeeze on her arm.

Elena blinked, coming out of her daze, and she absently played with the vervain necklace she wore. They had been silent for a long time, their minds linked in thoughts. The preceding coupling seemed surreal, almost like it had occurred in a parallel universe. She didn't regret it, but she also couldn't believe it had happened.

"If it's not what you want, I'm willing to compel you to forget," he offered when she didn't say anything. "You can go back to him with an unblemished conscience."

"No," she replied quietly. "No, that's not what I want."

"Are you sure?" he asked, his expression controlled but the anticipation visible to her in his eyes.

"Yes," she agreed with a nod. "I'm ready."

A smile spread over his face as he sat above Elena, straddling her hips. "I'll be here when you wake up," he reassured her, leaning down to capture her lips in a sultry kiss.

"Okay," she answered with a satisfied smile after they came up for air. She closed her eyes, feeling him rest his hands on either side of her face.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Elijah whispered.

The crack of her neck snapping was the last sound her human ears heard.