Chapter 7

Stefan opened his eyes hazily, feeling hungry and dehydrated. He had snuggled into Damon's neck as usual so he was warm and comfortable despite the hunger. He breathed in Damon's scent peacefully and kissed his neck. Damon seemed colder than usual. Stefan brought his arms around him and realised that he was clothed and Damon was naked. He blinked in confusion and then the memory of yesterday flooded back to him like a tidal wave and he pulled up in fear and looked around the room. They were alone and the lights were out. They had left them to be together. What the hell was going on? Stefan looked down at Damon in his arms and gasped. Damon was so pale and ill looking. What had happened to him? Stefan remembered seeing Sarah and then someone had vervained him and dragged him down here. What was this?

Stefan carefully removed himself from Damon's limbs, frowning that Damon didn't stir at all and moved around the room, checking the door. It was locked and reinforced by the feel of it. Stefan caught the sight of a surgical tray sitting on top of a trolley in the corner. It was adorned with instruments. He could smell Damon's blood on one and it made him shake with anger and revulsion. What would fellow vampires want to cut up Damon for? He felt queasy as he pictured it happening. He went back over to Damon and gathered him in his arms again, pulling his face up to his so that he could look him over.

"Damon?" He whispered gently and stroked his face, frowning at the greyness of his skin and the black rings around his eyes. Damon made a small moan in acknowledgement of his name. Stefan carefully felt around his body, stroking over his skin to see how badly he was drained. Damon's nakedness concerned him and he reached down and touched around Damon's manhood, searching for signs that he had had sex or been milked in any way. Damon was his and he would kill anyone that dared to violate him. Mercifully he was dry and untouched. Damon shivered as he touched him lightly and tried to open his eyes.

"Stefan?"

"I'm here." He said gently and Damon sighed in relief.

"I feel strange." Damon croaked and Stefan held him tighter.

"Drink." Stefan urged, helping Damon lean into his neck and bite. Stefan didn't have much in him to give but at least if they were together they would be able to keep human blood down if they were offered any. Stefan felt a wave make him shudder as Damon sucked and Damon stroked his sides. Damon needed to drink but Stefan's self control was hopeless right now through his own hunger and he let Damon slide his hands up inside of his shirt and caress him. He exhaled loudly in desire but he knew that they weren't safe here. They had to get out. He tilted his head to Damon's ear and whispered to him to stop and Damon made a sound of grief and disbelief as Stefan gently pushed against his chest and made him pull up from his neck.

"We have to get out of here." He cupped Damon's face as Damon calmed his hunger down. "Why are they keeping you here? What's happening?" Damon closed his eyes, remembering all of the experiments.

"They want to mate."

"What?"

"They are trying to find the element in my blood that will let them mate."

"What are you talking about? What element?" Stefan stroked his face as Damon let out a shaky breath and opened his eyes again.

"There are only some people who can. It's because we have something extra in our blood that links together. They're trying to find it and remove it for themselves."

"Is that what they told you? You sure this isn't some long forgotten scorned conquest of yours at work here?" Stefan stilled his movements and tried to add a lighter note to the expression filtering into Damon's face. He knew that what Damon was going to tell him, he wouldn't want to hear. Damon sighed and looked unhappy.

"I found a couple. They were mated too and they told me. They warned me something like this could happen." His voice was full of remorse and guilt and Stefan sat up as Damon watched for his response. Stefan frowned in disbelief and hurt.

"When?" was all Stefan could think of to say as Damon swallowed bile.

"I was going to tell you." Damon defended, reaching up to cup Stefan's face but Stefan moved his hand away as adrenaline began to seep into him. Damon had gone behind his back? Lied to him? Why? All of those questions played out in his face as Damon lowered his eyes in shame and took a breath. Stefan turned away from him as he tried to process it all. Damon made a remorseful sound.

"The trip to New York." Stefan realised. It had been out of the blue and Damon had been acting different since their return from there. That must have been when it had happened, this meeting. Damon was silent behind him. "You lied to me." Stefan whispered, his eyes filling with tears as he felt his chest constrict.

"I needed some answers. I was going to tell…" Damon began to explain but Stefan turned to him and cut him off as Damon looked at his hurt expression and tears. Stefan exhaled and the tears dropped from his eyes. Damon reached out for him again and Stefan got out of the bed and moved away from him. Damon was still too weak to follow.

"We'll talk about this later. Right now we have to come up with a plan brother." Brother? He hadn't called him that for a while. Damon gulped painfully at what that might indicate. He tried to sit up fully and bring his legs around to the side of the bed. It took him a while but he managed it. Stefan looked around for Damon's clothes, but they had been taken. He growled in frustration, quickly removing his jeans and throwing them onto the bed. Underwear would have to be enough for him. He didn't want Damon any more exposed than he had already been. Damon reached over and pulled them on.

They both froze as they heard movement outside and Stefan circled around the room back to Damon protectively as the door was unlocked. Stefan held a defensive stance, ready to spring with the little energy he had left and protect Damon at all costs. The door opened and Valerie stepped inside. She had a gun in her hand and pointed it at Damon's chest as Stefan growled.

"It's full of wooden bullets Stefan, so I'd rethink your strategy if I were you." She said calmly. "How are you feeling Damon?" Damon clenched his jaw and let the veins in his eyes come to the front in response and she smiled.

"What do you want?" Stefan snapped.

"I want some of your blood Stefan."

"No!" Damon growled and tried to stand up. Stefan held his arm out in Damon's direction to pacify him as he watched Valerie.

"That's all?"

"That's all. I'm close to finding what makes you two so special. If you work with me I won't hurt you."

"That's what you said before you stuck needles and poison into me!" Damon yelled.

"If your friend had told me about your special feeding requirements it would have been a lot better for you." Damon laughed with venom at the ridiculousness of referring to Sarah as his friend.

"If I give you some of my blood, will you let us go?" Stefan braved and she sighed.

"I need to run a few more tests but then I will let you go unharmed. I give you my word that you will both leave here free men." She said with convincing confidence and Stefan nodded.

"Ok." Stefan agreed and Damon shouted in disagreement, trying to move towards Valerie with his teeth bared. She pointed the gun straight at his leg and pulled the trigger and he crumpled in pain. Stefan blurred to her instantly and she quickly pointed the gun right over his heart as he hissed.

"Calm yourself Stefan. I only use this for my own protection. I won't miss next time." She warned and he looked into her eyes and saw absolute clarity. He stepped backwards trying to calm himself. "What will happen to you if I kill him?" She added as an afterthought and simultaneous question and Stefan took another step towards Damon, frightened to turn his back to her. She watched as he fell silent.

"You don't know do you?" She guessed and he growled under his breath pensively. She was genuinely surprised. "I want you to tell me everything you do know about what you are."

"I'm a vampire!" Stefan snapped. "The same as you."

"Not anymore you're not. Your blood has changed and some of your behavioural instincts too. It's almost like you are more animal than vampire now." Stefan gaped at her in shock and then flushed with anger. "Don't misunderstand me, you're not an animal but some of your behaviour around him isn't normal."

"Normal?" Stefan was genuinely angry and confused. Damon groaned and sat up, holding his leg and Stefan turned quickly to touch him and reassure him. He could smell that Damon was in pain.

"Your sense of smell is heightened, but only for him it seems. Don't you remember how you scented him last night, marked him with the pheromones in your saliva?" Stefan huffed, not understanding why she was focussing on that. Why was that so strange?

"Think about it, have you ever done that with anyone else when not having sex?" She asked and he tried to think back. His confusion elicited a small giggle from her and he glared at her. "It's become part of your nature now." She smiled in elation and excitement and Stefan held his glare. He didn't like the fact that she was happy. She nodded at him and backed away towards the door again.

"Blood. We need blood." Stefan said and she looked down at Damon. He was watching her, pale and breathing quickly. He should have recovered more since he had Stefan's blood now. Why wasn't he healing?

"One blood bag for one pint of you Stefan." She said and his eyes widened as he thought on how much that was to give willingly. He was so hungry already.

"Take mine." Damon groaned and she shook her head.

"I need yours Stefan. Let me take one pint and I will give you a bag for Damon. I doubt he'll fare very well if he doesn't feed soon." She added and Stefan gulped. Damon squeezed his arm, shaking his head but how could he not? Damon was poorly. He leaned into Damon's face and rubbed his nose against his to comfort him, before standing up and following her lead as she opened the door and guided him out.

"Stefan!" Damon shouted after him in fear but the door locked behind them and he could do nothing.

It felt like hours passed as Damon sat on the bed, waiting and panicking. Stefan was trusting that she wouldn't hurt them but she had said as much to him in the beginning and he didn't trust her one bit. Anything could be happening to Stefan right now and he was stuck here. He had paced for a while, feeling awful and weak as he tried to calm himself and plan an escape. Perhaps with Stefan here now too, they could feed and try and act as though they were weaker than they were. They could wait for their moment to pounce and rip that bitch's head off.

Finally he heard the door unlock and he stood to attention, adrenaline coursing through him and making him shake. Stefan entered and the door closed behind him. He looked pale but otherwise unhurt. Damon went to him and embraced him and Stefan sighed into his neck as he leaned into him.

"I'm ok. Just tired." He said quietly. Damon pulled back to look at his face, searching his eyes for pain but Stefan smiled at him and kissed his lips. He held a blood bag out to Damon and Damon shook his head.

"I can't take that Stefan. You need it."

"You will take it Damon or I will throttle you." Stefan said with some strain in his voice and Damon took it reluctantly and sat down at the edge of the bed, pulling Stefan with him. Stefan sat down and closed his eyes as he breathed in tiredness. Damon opened the bag and began to drink from it. As he swallowed he sighed in relief and closed his eyes. He'd been so hungry and ill and now the blood was washing through his body and reviving him again. He drank as much as he could allow himself and then stopped, his fangs aching in the urge to drink more, but he wouldn't leave Stefan like this. He handed the bag to Stefan and Stefan begrudgingly took it and drank the rest quickly. As Stefan drank, Damon leaned into him and began licking his neck and kissing his skin. Stefan sighed at the contact and finished the bag. He turned into Damon and Damon lay them down with Stefan under him as he lifted Stefan's arm, where he had been hooked up to the I.V line. There was still a little blood coating the soft skin at his wrist and Damon kissed it and licked over where the wound would have been as Stefan melted.

"Mmmmmn." Stefan sighed as Damon continued, licking and kissing back up to Stefan's neck again. It felt so natural and comfortable for Damon to do this, but Stefan opened his eyes dreamily as he thought on Valerie's words about their behaviours being different. Damon licking him felt completely natural and yet she had been fascinated by it. As Damon continued around his throat, he tilted his head back compliantly and tried to recall his habits before Damon and he had mated. Had he ever licked anyone before then? He remembered licking his partners' nipples and sexual organs when he was having sex – who didn't do that? Had he ever licked someone's entire body like Damon was trying to do now as he began to unbutton Stefan's clothing? He didn't think he had and yet it was a big part of their relationship. He regularly licked Damon's skin and it made him feel connected to him and important in role. Could it be that subconsciously he was claiming Damon to others by leaving his smell on him? That seemed very much like what an animal would do. It made him feel a little odd.

"Damon…" He whispered as Damon opened his shirt and traced his lips down onto Stefan's rib cage. "Damon, why do you lick me?" He breathed as he felt his body tingle. Damon brought his head up in question.

"Don't you want me to?"

"Yes, but why do you?" Damon frowned trying to understand what he was asking.

"Because you're mine." He answered perplexed by Stefan's query. It seemed that simple to Damon. Stefan was his and so he cared for his needs, his body.

"Have you ever done it to anyone else before?" Stefan asked and Damon growled under his breath, taking Stefan by surprise. Stefan leaned up to his mouth and kissed him until he relaxed, playfully biting his bottom lip before lying back down under him. Damon calmed.

"No. Only you little blood machine." Damon seemed unsettled with this line of conversation and so Stefan decided to leave it there for the moment. "Did she hurt you?"

"No. She promised me blood for you every time she needs a sample."

"I'm going to rip her arms off." Damon growled. "I don't want her touching you. You're mine." Stefan gazed up at how territorial and instinct driven Damon did appear to be right now. This was what she had been talking about. How had he never noticed before? Damon lowered his head into Stefan's neck and made small bites, making him shudder and hold him to him.

Valerie watched attentively from behind the mirror. Damon was scenting Stefan with his mouth and had done as soon as he had Stefan back in the room. It was almost as though he could smell her on Stefan, even from their brief physical contact as she had inserted and removed the I.V. She typed her notes into her laptop in glee. She wondered just how much more like animals they could be with each other as she wrote. Perhaps Leigh's attraction to Damon could prove interesting in terms of seeing how Stefan would respond should Damon be sexually stimulated by someone else. She sat her laptop down and went into the hallway. She unlocked the door and both of them sat up surprised at her intrusion. She held her gun to her side this time. If she could gain some trust then she might not need to be so forceful.

"Stefan, I need another sample." She said plainly and Damon growled in rage, his mouth foaming with hatred. "I will give you as much blood as you both need afterwards." She added, sweetening the deal and she could see Damon's struggle. He was weak and needed more and he thought he might stand a chance against her if they could overpower her. Stefan got up slowly as Damon watched him nervously. Damon had nearly had Stefan's shirt off. She gave a small smile as Stefan buttoned it up quickly and left the room with her. She walked with him to another room across the basement and he sat down on the chair she had supplied for him, next to the empty blood bag and trolley stand.

"As much as we need? How much is that?" He looked up at her, trying not to look as she inserted the needle and his blood began to empty into the bag.

"What would you like? I have plenty of willing donors upstairs."

"I need an animal." Stefan winced as he felt himself weaken and pale. She raised her eyebrows in surprise at him. "Damon needs three pints."

"He doesn't want a girl?" She asked and Stefan's mouth tightened and he winced again. He didn't answer. It was none of her business how he and Damon ate.

"Ok then. I will send for someone to bring you animal blood if you want." She checked the bag and left the room quickly, closing the door behind her as he tried to breathe. She wasn't gone long before she came back, cheerily removing his needle and popping the bag into her pocket. He sighed tiredly as he squeezed his arm.

"I brought you a dog." She said pleased with herself and he blinked at her. "I didn't have any other animals around." She explained and he gulped as she let a large dog into the room. He looked at it reluctantly as it sniffed around him. Deer and forest animals he could hunt but dogs were domesticated. He felt horrified that he would have to feed from such a sentient animal. She could see his reticence.

"It's all I have. I have blood for your mate too. You should feed first, revive yourself so you don't worry him." She advised and he sighed unhappily. He was so hungry, he needed this. He grabbed and bit the dog as quickly as he could, draining it as he tried not to focus on its struggle and sounds of pain. He could feel his heart tearing even as the blood filled him and made him feel better. He dropped the body to the ground and stood up shakily, not wanting to look at it. He felt ashamed and revolted with himself. She nodded to him and smiled. Then he heard Damon shout. He shot a look of panic and anger at her and she returned it with an expression of surprise.

"Damon…" He said and pushed past her, leaving the room and blurring across to throw the door open to the room they were being held in.

"Ahh!" Damon yelled, struggling wildly as Leigh sucked him. She was sitting on top of his legs and pinning him with her arms as he fought, growling and snapping at her. Stefan saw red. Everything went into slow motion as he lunged for her, pulling her backwards so quickly he snapped her neck at the movement. He couldn't hear anything but his own heartbeat as he pulled her body from the bed and bit into her neck, chewing with his fangs and growling in rage as he chewed through her neck and pulled her head off. He heard a scream from somewhere in the room but he couldn't focus on it as he smelled Damon's seed on the bed. Damon had been violated. Damon was his!

Damon looked up at him in terror as the blood from Leigh covered his face. He had seen Stefan like this before, when he had become a ripper and he tried to talk, to get Stefan's attention but Stefan tore Leigh's body apart a limb at a time until the whole room was covered in blood and gore. Stefan looked like a hideous monster and Damon shrank backwards as Stefan turned to look at him with black coal eyes.