A/N: next chapter - thanks for the reviews! For those of you worried about kissing while driving - I assure you it only lasted a few seconds on a quiet country highway, & Elijah should have impeccable enough reflexes to multitask if human boys do. :winks: But I appreciate the concerns for safety. On with the story! Enjoy!
But the switch shifted a few brief seconds after their lips met, and Elena pushed him away. She felt the car swerve as she opened her eyes, though it was only a split second before Elijah regained control.
His gaze narrowed. She stared right back, her eyes never wavering. "You shouldn't do that."
"You could've caused an accident," he retorted.
"And we would have healed."
"Not the vehicle."
She groaned, shifting in her seat. "Fine. Sorry. Just don't - don't kiss me again. I'm not Katerina."
"No," he said after a moment's pause. "I never thought you were."
And then he was silent again. She had the vague sense of remorse, but it vanished as fast as it appeared. Still, he looked hurt for that split second before his usual aloof mask slipped into place. She was fairly certain now that his promise to descend upon her was a bluff. But she wondered where they would end up, and under what circumstances.
oOo
Chicago, ironically.
That was where they stopped. She had recollections of the last time she was here, but it felt like someone else's history. She couldn't understand why she had gone to such lengths to recover Stefan, or to rebuff Damon. She didn't understand herself as a human girl anymore.
Elijah handed the car keys to the valet and headed toward the hotel's entrance. He hadn't paid her any mind in hours, apparently lost in thoughts about the likely death of his beloved Katerina. His allegiance to that conniving bitch was enough to make Elena choke. For some reason she still strongly detested her elder twin, switch or no switch. And she couldn't turn off her annoyance at his fascination with them both. But she didn't want him to not fancy her, oddly enough. So many memories of the way he had looked at her, when she was human, as though she were this refreshing creature whose aura he needed to bask in...for some reason she envied that attention. He hadn't wanted to fix her then.
But she wasn't that girl anymore. And she didn't want to be reminded, or coddled. She didn't want him to try to draw that out of her, because if he did he wasn't any better than the Salvatores trying to overpower her will with the cure.
She didn't want to be weak anymore.
He had nearly reached the front doors, still not turning to see if she followed. She started to walk silently in the other direction, unable to speed away as there were too many crowds. But the thought of spending the evening in a hotel room was suffocating. She missed Damon and New York for a second, the heady exhilaration of feeding on patrons out in the open. Why had he gone and ruined that? They were having such fun, until Rebekah revealed he was only out to find the cure to force upon her...
Her train of thought was distracted by the scent of young alcohol-laden blood drifting through the air. She glanced in the direction of giggling to see a group of hipster girls a few years older than her stumbling down the street. Elena smiled to herself, knowing she had hit pay dirt. She started to follow them.
They continued to walk for blocks, and Elena started to grow bored at the repetitive brick buildings. This wasn't the interesting part of town, from what she could tell. There was no energy, electricity, in the air, and she was ready to move on to the next thing. She contemplated dragging them into the next vacant alley for a quick feed when finally they ducked up a nondescript staircase. She waited a minute or two before heading up the stairs herself, the interior far more luxe than one would guess. The attractive bouncer at the top of the staircase loomed in front of her, apparently wary of granting her entry.
"ID?"
She smiled in a flustered manner, drawing him close enough until she could catch his gaze. He softened for a second, and that was when she snagged him.
"You will let me in, and you won't stop me from feeding." She paused for a second, thinking of Katherine's last trick. "And you won't remember me if anyone asks. Understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
He blinked a few times after she released him, but she was already heading to the red-lit bar. Huge vases of flowers lined the counter, and as she waited for a bartender she scoped out the rest of the interior. Classy but edgy - brick walls, crystal chandeliers, funky art, Victorian velvet sofas in vivid colors occupied by clusters of friends and couples... some making out, some gabbing away. This wasn't like the sweaty dive Damon brought her to, though the music thumped through her body and the writhing people on the dance floor. But she imagined the blood would taste more refined.
She teased her canines with the tip of her tongue, moaning a little at the pleasurable ache. The bartender stopped in front of her, and she knew she needed to take her time. She didn't really want to kill anybody... that part of Damon's "snatch, eat, erase" mantra was embedded in her mind. But she wanted to have a good time, which meant some drinks were in order.
"What can I get for you?" he asked with a flirty grin.
He was quite handsome - hazel eyes, dark auburn hair with just the right amount of wave, a black T-shirt with the bar's name emblazoned across the front and jeans that were tight in just the right spots to show off his rugged build. She wanted to run her hands over his muscles but instead she preened back with her own easy smile.
"A line of shots. Bourbon. On the house."
His pupils dilated and constricted, but his smirk never left his face. "You've got it, gorgeous. Maybe I'll have one with you."
"Excellent," she said, leaning forward with her chin in her palm and her hair falling around her face seductively. Maybe he'd prove to be a meal and a bed... and a little more.
He made a show of lining up the eight red glasses and filling each to the lip, no overspill, with the amber liquid. Then he gestured to the remaining shots as he pulled one away for himself.
"Lucky Seven, for a lovely lady."
"Thanks," she smiled again. His charisma was wearing off on her. They each held up a shot, clinking them together, and downed them. Then she worked down the row quickly, almost too fast for a human, overturning each glass as she went. She could tell he was impressed when she finished and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
She chuckled to herself as she leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Lucky bartender," she whispered in his ear.
"Glen," he said as his grin widened. It faded though, right as she felt a hand snake around her waist.
"Impressive show, Elena."
She frowned at the accented voice, turning around to meet Elijah's nonplussed expression.
"I figured you'd be back at the hotel mourning. Not the way I wanted to spend my Friday night."
"I needed to be sure my hostage wasn't wreaking havoc. Appears I arrived right in the nick of time."
She groaned as she turned back to Glen. "We're not together," she said apologetically. She leaned over the counter, making a show of leaning in close though she knew Elijah could hear every word. "He's more of a big brother... kind of with a stick up his ass. Think you could get him a lineup too, loosen him up a little?"
"Sure thing," Glen replied, obviously pleased that his chances weren't dashed by the arrival of this other fellow.
Elena crossed her arms as she turned back to Elijah, and she could tell he was trying to hide his amusement. "I've ripped out hearts for less, Elena," he said.
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, lighten up. And give me your wallet. He deserves some kind of payment after the heart attack you gave him."
He sighed but complied, producing a hundred dollar bill to set on the counter as Glen poured his shots. Elijah thanked him and then started to down the bourbon, his eyes staring into Elena's as he set each glass on the counter.
"Satisfied?" he asked after he finished the last one, licking at his lower lip.
She swallowed in spite of herself, not wanting to admit how sexy he looked at the moment. "Very," she answered, feigning the confidence she didn't quite feel at the moment.
She noticed then that he had showered and changed, his hair still damp, a black shirt underneath his suit. He was still overdressed for the clientele of this place, and she smirked to herself as she planned her next move. She ran a hand up his lapel.
"I think you could lighten up a little more, though." He watched her, his eyes curious but not saying a word. She pulled his tie from his neck and pushed his suit jacket from his shoulders. Then she rolled his sleeves up to show off his muscular forearms and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt. "It's a shame you stay so covered all the time."
She bit her lower lip on a smile as he arched his eyebrow. She slid off her own jacket, the humid air misting over her bare upper arms.
"Are you insinuating that you've wanted to see me uncovered, Elena?"
His voice was low, and she was thinking that alcohol may not have been the best idea, as her switch seemed more fickle. A wave of lust washed over her, but she hid it under a shrug. She turned back to Glen, who watched as she carefully set their discarded clothing behind the counter. "Safekeeping?"
He nodded before reluctantly heading down to new patrons calling for him at the other end of the bar. She felt Elijah's hands on her hips, turning her around, and she almost cursed herself for making him look impossibly more handsome. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Having fun," she replied lightly.
"At whose expense?" She felt her stomach flip as his eyes flashed dangerously at hers. "You asked me not to kiss you, yet the way you're acting..."
"No deep dark secrets," she interjected, maybe a bit too loudly, but she wanted to break the trance he had over her. "Just fun. And... I'm hungry. You ruined my meal ticket with your overprotective act."
She pouted at him before she snagged an unclaimed mixed drink from the counter and sauntered toward the dance floor. The crowd was like a singular pulsating entity and she wove her way to the middle. There were sporadic flashes of light but for the most part it was dim and blue - the perfect shade to mask any stray blood.
Elena settled into the beat of the music, sipping at her drink every so often - Long Island Iced Tea, she realized after a short while. Normally she had more of a tolerance for alcohol, but she figured it may have to do with the fact that she hadn't fed in a couple of days and her blood reserves were low.
And now was the time to rectify that. One of the young women she had followed into the bar was dancing near her, her eyes closed as she allowed the music to envelop her. No one was paying much attention to her between the loudness and the fact that her friends weren't nearby. Elena placed her empty cup at a nearby table, then she moved closer to her. Once she was behind her, Elena placed her hands in the girl's waist as they swayed. She opened her eyes in surprise and that was when Elena set to work.
"You won't scream. You'll enjoy this. And after I'm finished, you won't remember any of this."
The girl nodded, her face calm after the trance wore off.
Elena pushed the strands of light brown hair aside and lowered the high collar of her shirt, tracing along the girl's carotid and jugular softly. Her fangs ached and she closed her eyes, resting her lips on warm skin. She let her hair hide her face as she bit down, and she felt the girl's head roll back, mouth open with a sigh. Warm blood filled her mouth and she was careful to keep it all contained. She didn't want to lose a drop.
Elena drew in a few mouthfuls more, taking her time to enjoy the feed. She glanced up - no one was paying them any mind. Once she was sure she couldn't take any more without harming the girl, Elena lazily ran her tongue over the wound to slow the bleeding. She replaced her collar and let the girl dance off to her next partner.
She was scoping out her next feed when she knocked into a hard chest and a hand encircled her wrist to keep her from running away. She panicked for a millisecond until she saw Elijah's dark eyes staring down at her. As if on cue, the music slowed and he chuckled, hands moving to her hips to pull her closer. They swayed together and she swallowed around the knot forming in her stomach. Vague nervousness. She couldn't file it away.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Having fun." His eyes sparkled as he volleyed her earlier garbage reply back to her. But his eyes grew more serious. "You should be more careful. Let me guess which Salvatore brother taught you that reckless move."
She rolled her eyes. "No one saw."
"Dark corners are better."
"I'm not spending my life hiding in the shadows."
"I didn't say that was a necessity... but you haven't learned finesse. To me or any vampire hunter in the room, it was obvious what was occurring."
She frowned at his critique. If they weren't so close, she would have crossed her arms. "And there's better ways to do it?"
"You may rebuke them, but the shadow are your friend, Elena. At least for feeding in public, if you insist on taking that risk." He sighed at her obvious annoyance, and he tentatively ran his hands up and down her sides. She felt her irritation fading in spite of her efforts to stay perturbed with him. "What if she'd been on vervain? And you were alone? You would have dropped in front of the whole bar with no one to rescue you." He looked as though he wanted to say more, but he stopped. Respecting her earlier drawn boundaries, she imagined.
"I'd almost think you cared," she taunted.
His hands tightened on her, their torsos now flush to one another. "You wouldn't be here with me if I didn't."
The way his eyes searched hers, for some flicker of emotion... she wondered for a moment if he was about to kiss her again, just to test her switch. Could he see how nervous he made her? She didn't understand it. The lack of humanity just left lust before, and the option to exploit all interest in her either for gratification or for some subversive purpose. So why did he make butterflies start to flutter low in her stomach? Was it because he was an Original? Had he started to compel her? She was sure she would have known that - she remembered Rebekah's compulsion clearly. And it didn't seem to be a means he would resort to - he'd respected her mind since the early days of their fragile alliance. But she knew she should seek out vervain as a means of protecting her mind from him, just in case. She didn't trust anyone anymore.
And as he leaned imperceptibly closer, she knew she couldn't let him kiss her again. If he started, she wasn't sure she'd have the resolve to stop him. She pulled away perhaps an inch or two, enough to put air between them and so she could look up at him properly.
"Let's see your perfect technique." Elena raised her chin in challenge to him, but she was ready to move his attention from herself, so she could breathe. He nodded though, not letting on that he saw through her ruse. She knew he was so astute that he was practically omniscient, that it was nearly impossible to pull the wool over his eyes. Still, she figured she would have fun with this. Her eyes traveled over those around them. Her gaze landed on a woman wearing a corset, her arms and neck completely bare, her hair pulled up. Nowhere to hide the bite marks. "Her."
Elijah's eyebrows raised but he gave a slight shrug, as if to say, it's on. His grip slid away from her and a twinge of jealousy flared through her as she watched the woman's eyes light up at his interest. He twirled her before holding onto her hips, her arms resting around his shoulders. They danced for a few moments as he edged her nearer to an isolated dark corner, and then they disappeared from view. Elena moved through the crowd to watch, and she could see the woman pressed against the wall, Elijah at her neck. The way the woman's mouth fell open, it appeared as nothing more than an intense make out session. No one else was paying them any mind - to the human eye, they drew no attention. They may as well have not even been there, in the crevice he chose, completely out of reach of any light. She saw Elijah press his thumb against her lip, the woman's tongue running against it. And when he pulled away, no trace. No marks. So much less obvious than shoving a gaping wrist against her mouth to make her heal. And no evidence of what occurred.
Elijah's face was completely human when he turned to face her, and Elena felt a pang of heated disappointment. She had wanted to see his vampire features - he'd kept them under wraps for so long. Curiosity was getting the best of her. Then he was behind her, his breath on her neck, as she watched the girl straighten herself and pay no mind to Elijah, as though he hadn't just been fused to her neck. She returned to the dance floor unblemished.
"That's how it's done," he breathed low against her skin. And as though he could read her mind, she felt his fangs scrape against the edge of her bare collarbone. Elena gasped, but when she whirled around to face him, he was across the room, at the top of the exiting stairs. He caught her eye just before he disappeared from the bar.
She cursed him under her breath, because of course he knew she would follow.