She had never loved before. Love was the thing she'd heard about, what she knew happened, but never to her. She'd cared about people, but it was never like this. The people she cared about were expendable. This, however-this was different. Suddenly, everything was different. What she knew could barely make sense in her head.
He was not expendable, by any means not.
When she plotted her escape, suddenly, it wasn't just her safety she wanted to assure. It was his, too. When she closed her eyes, all she could see was his lovely face imprinted into the back of her mind. All she could taste was his lips softly, almost shyly, asking for an invitation, and how he smelled of wood and smoke as she tilted her head back to submit.
Even when the weight of his mouth had long disappeared, she still found her fingers reaching to where his touch had been and wishing all the time they had together could be longer, could be eternity.
Well, it was eternity for him now.
When George Lockwood turned and started off to show her to her carriage, Katherine hurried back over to Stefan's side. He looked like an angel, such a perfect angel with long lashes and chiseled face as he lay there absolutely vulnerable to his surroundings. He was helpless, it would be so easy to kill him right now...
"Katherine doesn't care about anybody but herself."
She cupped his chin in her hands and brought him closer to her, leaning in until she was deeply drinking in his oxygen.
"She never has. She's incapable of love."
Her hands reluctantly slid away from him. (I love you, Stefan. We will be together again, I promise.)