If I were human, I would've burned a lot of calories simply by walking. Damon and I walked back to the hotel whilst carrying Caroline's bags. I also carried Elena's one little plastic bag with her shoes that Caroline had given her. She'd offered many times to carry it, but I'd insisted.
Once back at the hotel, Elena had run to the shower while I waited. I didn't need to change from my jeans and slightly-above-casual shirt, but there was no doubt that Damon was changing his black attire for different black attire and his leather jacket.
Elena's natural fragrance floated to my nostrils as I was sitting on the couch flipping through channels on the television. The hot water opened up her pores and allowed the dirt to just wash away, leaving her clean scent. I'm not crazy—it's science. That does, in fact, happen, and it's wonderful in this case.
I could hear her as she turned the water off when finished, tiptoe out to her suitcase for something, pad back into the bathroom, and turn on the hotel hairdryer.
"And in other news, a vicious animal has attacked yet another NYC native…"
My attention turned to the television, which was airing the evening news.
"The victim was identified as a woman named Anna. Anna was a minor, and her family requested we not mention her last name until further investigation has been underway. She had a mother, and was on her way home from the local Borders Bookstore and Café…"
That wasn't a usual thing. If there were any attacks, they were usually by dogs, but the anchorman would've said it was a dog, and not just 'a vicious animal'.
"Cause of death seems to be from mass amounts of blood loss. The animal had attacked her in the jugular. If you know of an animal or have seen one with these bite mark patterns, please call the local authorities. Do not try and confront this animal…"
A rough sketch of the animal bite mark popped up on the screen, and under it was a number to call with any information about this animal. There was something off about the sketch, though. It was as if I'd seen these marks before, but I wasn't sure where. Deep gashes stretched across the teeth until they'd gotten to the near edges of the upper and lower incisors. Whatever it was had some major jaw power.
I've seen that pattern somewhere, I thought to myself. Where have I seen it? Think, Stefan.
"What are you watching?"
Elena disrupted my thoughts and brought me back to reality.
"Oh," I mumbled. "I'm just surfing channels. Are you ready?"
"Perhaps," she said. "I am if I look presentable enough. What do you think?"
I stood up from the couch and turned around to face her.
My unneeded breath caught in my throat as I looked her up and down. She was back in the dress that she'd taken off to shower, but this time, she'd word the shoes as well, and her hair was sprawled over her shoulders in loose carefree curls. Her lashes were coated in mascara to draw attention to her beautiful eyes. There was just a hint of gloss on her lips.
"You're beautiful," I managed to get out, and then I grinned. "You're just missing two things."
"What's that?" she asked in a panicky manner. "I put deodorant on, and I brushed my teeth. I promise."
"It's not a bad thing," I laughed. "Pick a number between one and ten, but it can't be five."
"Um," she contemplated. "Seven."
I proceeded to walk to my luggage and reached into the front pocket, then pulled out the little tube of perfume that resembled a blood vial. Ten was the vial, and one was the "Tattooed" one. She'd just had to choose a number which was close to one of them.
"Here," I said as I came back out into the television area and handed it to her.
She took it from me and looked at it, "What is it?"
"It's just some perfume that I picked up while you and Caroline were shopping at Victoria's Secret."
She examined the vial and laughed when she saw the name, "Did you pick it for its title?"
"No," I laughed, "I thought it smelled nice, but I did like the irony. If you don't like it, I'm blaming the salesclerk. My sense of smell was overloading and all the fragrances were burning my nose. However, if you like it, it was totally me."
She laughed and smiled as she held it up to her nose, "It smells amazing."
"Yeah, I knew you'd love that one. It was all me."
We chuckled together as she gave her skin two spritzes.
The smell of the perfume mixed with her natural scent drew me in, "Do you know the second thing you're missing?"
"No," she said. "Is it something necessary to my well-being?"
"Of course it is," I stated as-a-matter-of-factly.
"Well what is it?" she asked as she made her way over to me.
When she got into arms reach, I grabbed her and pulled her gently over to me so that we were inches from each other. I tilted my head down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, but lingered there. She returned the favor by kissing me back and curling her fingers in my hair.
I continued to kiss her until she had to pull away to breathe.
Just as she came back to give me one last peck on the lips, Caroline's fist was rapidly knocking on our door.
"Elena? Stefan?" she said through the door. "Are you ready?"
I continued to hold Elena and look at her while I called out, "Yes!"
"Well then come on!" she replied.
I sighed, grabbed Elena's hand, and then led her out the door to meet Caroline. Damon was leaning against the wall playing with the leaf of a lily that was displayed on the hallway stand. He wasn't paying any attention to Caroline, who looked very nice with a black skirt and white button up shirt, which was just pressed by the looks of it. He did, however look up when Elena stepped into his view.
He proceeded to give her the same look that he gave her when she first tried the dress on in the store, except that it was more obvious, his mouth was open even more, and he looked at her like she was his.
That feeling boiled up inside me again, but I'd just let it go. Elena was my girlfriend—not his.
The girls walked ahead of us, but mainly because Caroline was so giddy with excitement that she just couldn't walk at a casual pace. That was fine. It gave Damon and I time to talk.
"So, did you see the news?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said. "I was watching it while Elena was getting ready."
"Hmm," he pondered. "I was watching it while I was changing. Caroline was going through her millions of bags and deciding what to wear. Outside of her belongings, she was oblivious."
"You two changed in front of each other?"
"I just changed my jeans and shirt," he stated. "It wasn't like I was switching out boxers. Caroline hopped in the shower after choosing her clothes, but came out to put on her outfit."
"That didn't bother either of you?" I asked.
"Stef, we've had sex numerous times," Damon laughed. "It's not like I'm looking at something I haven't seen before. If I did, I'd probably throw a dollar at it."
I took part in a face palm, "You would say something like that."
"I'm surprised you and Elena don't," he replied. "I mean, you two did mess around, too."
"We've only done it once," I said, "and it has to do with respect." (Talk about fear now that Stefan's a vampire).
By this time, we were down in the lobby exiting the doors of the hotel. The girls were already out on the sidewalk attempting to hail a cab on their own. They weren't succeeding.
Damon walked up behind them and gave one of the loudest whistles that I'd ever heard in my life. I found it impressive because as a human, Damon couldn't whistle that loud. My father taught me to whistle as a child, but Damon had no interest in learning the little things that wouldn't make a huge difference in life, such as learning how to whistle loudly. I repeated the action, and a cab stopped behind the one Stefan had hailed.
We took the taxis to the restaurant, and it wasn't until we'd gotten our plates of microscopic portions that I'd realized that—after such an active day surrounded by humans with blood pumping through their veins—I was hungry. Well, I guess it was more like the word thirsty.
I did my best to act cool and collected as we ate our dinner and dessert. It was obvious that the girls were growing tired as well. As southern belles, they'd never experienced what it was like to be in a city that never stopped and closed down for the night. Mystic Falls rolled up its sidewalks at no later than 8:30 in the evening—nine o' clock on the weekends. New York City was open 24/7. They were tired, and it was showing under their sleepy smiles.
It was late when we got back to the hotel. We were in the lobby when I began talking.
"I know you're tired," I started. "Caroline, Elena, why don't you two get out of those clothes and spend a little time in the spa. The masseuses have probably stopped working, but I'm sure the saunas and hot tubs are still open. Damon and I have to go and do something. We'll be back in about an hour."
Caroline, who had the drowsiest of eyes, perked up at the words "sauna" and "hot tub". She agreed that it would be fun, and Elena was fine with it.
While they went off on their own towards the elevator to go change, I heard Caroline, "This'll be so fun, Elena. We can get all relaxed for the evening and then we can go back to our rooms and wear what we bought at Victoria's Secret."
Had we not been vampires, we wouldn't have heard that, but her words were crystal clear, and Damon gave a mischievous smile.
"I can't wait for tonight," he said.
"I know," I agreed. "I'm really thirsty, though. Where in this city can I get a bunny to eat?"
Damon contemplated for a minute, but then he answered, "I'm sure the middle of Central Park has something you could gnaw on…"
In no time, we were in the middle of the park, past the security guards, the homeless people, the drug dealers, and the late-night, deep-in-the-woods junkies. The only sounds that could be audible to the human ear were the crickets and the faint sounds of the car horns, but the latter was only if they were to listen intently. However, I heard the rustling of a rabbit cleaning itself and a bird nesting in the tree for the night. Damon and I casually strolled along a dirty, less-traveled path.
"I'm glad we have the park," Damon said. "Without it, we'd have to resort to eating people, or the wild animals at the zoo."
I gave a halfhearted laugh, "Yeah."
"What did you think about that animal attack on the Anna girl?" he asked. "It seems more like a killer to me. No animal with that bite pattern could just go unnoticed in a city with such a large population."
What he said pulled at some sort of memory, but I let it go, "Yeah."
"What's the matter, Stef?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"
"I'm scared, Damon," I admitted. "I feel stupid saying it, but I'm scared."
"What are you scared of?" he laughed. "You're a vampire. The only things you have to fear are wooden stakes, decapitation, and vervein."
"You said you were excited for tonight," I stated. "It's because you and Caroline are going to have some adult fun."
"Well, yeah," he said, as if he thought it wasn't obvious enough. "I'm real excited for it. Caroline's gorgeous and has a killer body. Aren't you excited?"
"I want to be," I admitted, "but Damon, the last and only time I'd ever made love with Elena was when I was still human. I don't want to hurt her, and I want to love her physically, but I'm afraid I'll lose control and do something I'll regret for the rest of eternity."
"Ooh," Damon replied in an apathetic manner. "I understand you completely."
"I don't know if I should or shouldn't do it," I said.
"Well," my brother responded. "This city never sleeps, and if I were you, I'd do it. You've been adjusting remarkably this far, so I don't see you having too much trouble with this. It's almost a different experience. Your senses will be heightened, and you'll feel like a prepubescent twelve-year-old boy again, in a sense. My advice to you would be to discuss it with Elena before doing it. She seems understanding. I'm sure you'll be fine."
I took that in before speaking again, "Thanks, Damon."
"Anytime, little brother," he laughed. "My fratellino is growing up so fast."
"Shut up," I smiled as I punched him in the arm. "Let's get something to eat."
"Whatever you say," he replied, "but let it be known that I hate rabbits."
I just rolled my eyes as I let my vampiric senses take over. I thought of Elena to prevent my mind from running away from me like before.
Her hair tonight was curled, and her perfume smelled amazing mixed with her natural scent. The dress she'd worn tonight hugged her curves and still made her look sophisticated. My body tensed whenever she'd said my name. I loved the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at me…
Before I knew what had happened, my hands were clenched around a now-dead rabbit's neck, and my fangs were sunk into its jugular. I didn't particularly like the furry feeling on my tongue, but its hot blood prevented complaint as it ran over my tongue and down my throat.
Ten minutes and twelve rabbits later, I was just finishing up while Damon threw his kill's carcass into the bushes, "So now that you're one for conversation, what do you think really got the girl on the news? My money's on a coyote, but based on the sketch, it has to be a big one with a narrow snout."
I licked my lips and threw the rabbit behind me, "I don't know, but I feel like I've seen the pattern before."
"Well, maybe we'll have to do a little research," Damon replied. "We wouldn't want a vicious animal wreaking havoc in the same place our dear, old mother lives, right?"
"True," I agreed.
"I say we have the girls tour the churches and the Radio City Music Hall while we compel our way into the morgue and look at the bite marks on the girl for ourselves," he said.
At the mention of a morgue, that memory pulled at me again, but this time, I remember where I'd seen the marks before…
I nodded, and together we opened the casket.
Both of us nearly screamed when we did, though.
Katherine's casket number was 96500B001.
This wasn't Katherine Elizabeth Pierce's casket.
It was Katherine Elena Pierce's…and there was a reason that her casket was all but glued shut.
The examiner wasn't lying when he or she determined the cause of death was an animal attack.
The poor girl's face was marred and mangled. Her skin was so ripped up that it was visibly sewn back to her face and a chunk of her bottom lip was gone!
If I'd have eaten anything before hand, I would've definitely seen it again from barfing after seeing that poor girl's body.
"Oh my God!" Elena said.
She took out her camera and actually snapped a picture.
"What are you doing?" I asked her with wide eyes. "You can't be serious."
"Stefan, those marks on her neck were the same ones that my mother had on hers. If there's any similarity, I have to have a picture…
The bite marks looked like the ones on that poor girl Elena and I had seen in attempts to look for Katherine's body at the morgue in Mystic Falls, and it came out later that her injuries weren't sustained by an animal attack at all. I explained this to Damon before telling him what I'd just learned.
"Damon," I said quietly as realization set it. "It's not an animal that's doing this."
His eyes grew as he caught onto what I was getting at, but I had to say it for it to stick:
"It's another vampire."
