Chapter 10
Valerie exited into her room, where she put Dixie's money into her safe. This had all gone really well and now that Dixie would be sampling Stefan across the hall, she could finally finish what she had started with Damon. He was standing, wearing the soiled jeans that Stefan had left for him. She smiled to herself. Through drinking her blood he had been getting a little stronger so he was poised for attack from her now. She pulled her microscope out from her desk and looked down at the sample of her own blood that she had placed on here an hour ago. Her blood cells were almost completely the same as his now. It was almost done, he was nearly mated to her. She had to blood share again and then take him sexually. She stood up, removing her lab coat and exited. She walked to his door and prepared herself.
She stepped into the room and he flew at her, teeth bared and growling, but she caught him and pushed him across the room into the wall. He stumbled and she closed the door behind her as he glared up at her.
"Is that any way to treat someone who is trying to help you?"
"What have you done to me?!" He shouted and she raised her eyebrows. "I feel strange!" He growled and she smiled knowingly. He became more enraged as she smiled and he ran at her again. She caught him and held him securely as he snapped at her, before pulling his head to the side and biting down into his neck. He struggled much more but she pulled in deep gulps of blood from him, noticing the taste was much stronger. Almost like oranges. She sighed and drank more as he melted into her feeling the blood wave. She let herself feel it too as she felt her insides contract from sharp orgasm sensations. She pulled back in surprise and lust and tilted her neck towards his mouth. He blinked groggily and sniffed her neck. She closed her eyes and waited. She felt his tongue flick over her skin experimentally and she sighed in triumph. He still seemed unsure though so she pushed his mouth into her neck and he bit down. As he drank she undid his jeans and he pulled away roughly, looking infuriated.
"What have you done to me?!" He barked again and she lay herself down on the bed invitingly, sliding her underwear down and off as she raised her skirt to expose her sex. The veins in his eyes came out and he growled and sniffed.
"Take me." She whispered and he looked as though he was fighting with himself. His new instincts were confusing his brain. She looked down at his manhood and saw that he was erect. She opened her legs wider so that he would smell her desire for him and he zeroed in on it. He took a step forward on autopilot now. She undid her blouse to expose her breasts and he groaned.
"I, I don't…" He struggled in confusion, rubbing his eyes and pulling at his hair and she bit into her wrist and dripped the blood down over her breasts. The smell of the blood proved to be too much for him and he came forward again. She sat up and leaned her breasts nearer to his mouth and he gazed at them, his teeth filling his mouth. He clenched his eyes closed.
"Stefan…" He whispered and she opened her legs wide enough for him to stand in between.
"Forget him." She whispered and he looked at her in torment. "Drink me." She cooed and he looked at her breasts again. He leaned forward and sniffed around them, sticking his tongue out to lick at the blood trail over them. He pulled back sharply and fell to his knees panting.
"I'm so hungry…" He breathed weakly, looking at the blood flowing down her skin and shaking his head. "I want Stefan." He said in anguish. "Stefan is mine." He was so tortured and confused. She sat up fully and tilted his chin up to look at her.
"Stefan would want you to feed." She said gently and he blinked up at her. He was so far in blood fever he didn't even know what was happening by now. Despite that though, he still wanted Stefan – that was curious. Perhaps there was some real love there too. Still, that could change. His pupils widened and he looked to her breasts again. She hummed and used her hands to pull him on top of her as he bit into the side of one breast and drank, licking around the skin. She reached down and pulled his manhood out of his jeans and guided it towards her sex as the blood wave consumed him. He pulled back from her suddenly and frowned and she cupped his face in shock. He groaned and fell to the side of her and the door suddenly slammed open, startling them both. Damon rolled onto his back and she sat up angrily at the intrusion. He seemed drugged and unawares of the commotion.
Before her stood Stefan staring at her with eyes of fire. He growled loudly and lunged at her as she prepared herself for an assault. Chaos broke out as she and Stefan ripped at each other. Smashing each other into the furniture and walls around them as Damon lay in a stupor of blood inebriation. Valerie heard Sarah's voice as Stefan snapped his fangs at her, so she turned her head and caught a look at Dixie and another man coming towards them with Sarah leading. "No!" Valerie shouted and Stefan threw her against the wall again. He was going to ruin everything! Stefan kept his eyes trained on her. He couldn't look at Damon yet or he would lose his mind, she had almost had Damon having sex with her. He quickly went for her heart, his hands reaching out to punch through her ribcage when he felt a strange sensation in his chest. He froze and gagged as it pulled at him. Valerie froze too, watching him as he tried to right himself. He exhaled and took in a deep breath and took a step towards her again when a jolt went right through his body and he gasped and gagged again. He looked over at Damon to see Damon lying still. Normally Damon could smell him but he showed no sign of recognition. "Interesting." Valerie whispered as she observed him getting weaker and increasingly unsteady. He moved forward shakily when the floor suddenly came up to meet him. He cried out as he felt the impact of falling forward. Blood rushed in his ears and his head spun as he tried to get up. Valerie grabbed him and he shouted out for help as he felt nausea shake his body violently. He didn't know what was happening as he was thrown forward onto the floor again and the noises in the room blurred until it sounded like the room was full of bees. He turned his head to look at Damon and saw Damon's arm hanging down the side of the bed limply. "Damon…" He choked and then the buzzing sound in the room was sliced by a scream. He exhaled as he tried to breathe the nausea away. "Stefan!" Anne and Michael were at his side, lifting him to his feet in concern as he leaned on them for support. Valerie was now lying dead on the floor with Sarah above her holding her heart. Sarah had saved him? He blinked rapidly as his head began to clear a little. "Breathe, just breathe." Anne was cooing and rubbing his back, while Michael went to Damon's side. Damon seemed frightened and began to growl as Michael tried to talk to him. Anne and Stefan approached the other side of him and Damon became flustered and tried to snap at them. "He doesn't know what's happening." Anne said. "Damon. Stefan is here." She said gently, motioning for Michael to step away and give Damon space. Damon's jaw remained clenched but he seemed a little calmer. Anne guided Stefan next to him and Stefan looked down into his eyes. Michael went to retrieve a blood bag from a bag they had packed and discarded in the cellar and Sarah stood watching entranced from the door. Damon squinted at him and Stefan leaned down closer as they sniffed each other subtly. Damon's eyes widened a little and he calmed. Stefan rubbed his nose against the side of Damon's just like was their habit and Damon looked up at him longingly and in disbelief. "Stefan?" Damon croaked, as if he didn't believe his eyes. Stefan smiled and stroked his cheek with his nose, growling in desire as Damon began to breathe heavily. He tilted his neck a little, allowing Stefan to lick there. Stefan bore his fangs and bit into Damon's neck and took a gulp as Damon panted and squeezed his eyes closed. He made a sound of distress and Stefan pulled away and turned to Anne. "Something's wrong!" Stefan gasped and Anne came to him. "He tastes different." Stefan panicked and Anne looked at Damon in confusion. "Feed him Stefan." She said quickly, casting her eye around the room rapidly as she sought out clues as to what this Valerie person had been doing to him. Stefan bit into his wrist and placed it over Damon's mouth hurriedly. Damon held his arm and drank a few gulps as Stefan stroked his hair. Damon made a sound of distress and pushed his wrist away after a few mouthfuls and then sat bolt upright and vomited. They all gasped in surprise and rushed towards him as he wretched again. Stefan was beside himself, holding Damon as he flopped to the side and wretched again, bringing up nothing now. "What do we do?!" Stefan shouted and Michael ran in with a blood bag, looking to Anne in fear. "What did she do?!" Stefan screamed at Sarah and she sobbed in fear and confusion. Michael came to Damon's side and opened the blood bag, placing it at Damon's lips as Stefan sat down on the bed feeling woozy again. Damon began to drink from the bag slowly as Michael helped him stay upright and Stefan watched helplessly as he felt himself nauseated by the smell of the blood. Anne pulled Sarah outside. "You need to tell me what you know about what she was doing Sarah." Anne rushed. "She did a transfusion with her blood. She was trying to see if the chemical would show up and try and bond with her blood or somethin." "Did his body reject it?" "Yeah. He vomited and wouldn't drink any human blood either." "Of course he wouldn't!" Anne snapped, finally showing anger for the first time. She had been the one to keep everyone else calm until now. "What else?" "I don't know." Sarah sobbed and Anne shook her again. "I swear Anne! She kicked me out and I couldn't get back in here. The last time I was here she let them feed from each other so that they would be able to be fed other kinds of blood." Anne looked back into the room in silent communication with Michael and he looked over at Valerie's body. Anne quickly released Sarah and went to pull Valerie over. She leant her head down and sniffed the body and shot a look of concern up to Michael. "No…" Anne mumbled worriedly and Sarah bent down beside her. "She smells like us." "What does that mean?" Sarah asked seeing the expression of worry on Anne's face quickly turn into horror. "Sarah, I need you to take Stefan back to his apartment." Michael commanded and Stefan began to protest. "Stefan. Now. We are right behind you." His voice was so commanding and sure that Stefan felt himself nodding despite his gut instincts to stay at Damon's side. Damon was still drinking the blood and actually seemed to be getting better. Sarah approached him warily and took him by the arm, dragging him from the room. Anne gave Stefan a smile of encouragement and Stefan left confused and feeling ill. They both waited, attending to Damon silently until they heard Sarah's car pull away. "How bad is it?" Michael asked as he gave Damon a new blood bag to drain. Damon was in blood fever and completely unaware of them. "Bad. She must have succeeded and injected herself with it." "She fed him?" Michael asked and she nodded gravely. "Jesus." "His blood is in flux. Can't you smell it?" She asked and Michael leaned closer to Damon's head and sniffed him. He frowned unhappily. "It's gone." "Their bond has been broken. He's reverting back to his original state." Anne sighed sadly and they both held hands as Damon's feeding began to slow. He would become more aware now. They were going to have to tell him what that meant. "The last time this happened…" Michael began and she nodded, biting her lip painfully. "Perhaps with enough of Stefan's blood we can stop the process." "I don't think so. You saw his body reject Stefan's blood. She must have been feeding him regularly over hours. His body doesn't know Stefan anymore." "He recognised his scent though, maybe there's a chance." Michael said in hope but Anne sighed. "Maybe Stefan's strong enough to survive." Michael sighed and Damon closed his eyes as they lay him back onto his back and took the empty blood bags from him. He took some deep breaths for a few minutes as they lingered by his side. "Damon…Damon can you hear me?" Anne cooed, stroking his arm. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Anne?" He asked, frowning in confusion. "What are you doing here?" "Damon, do you know where you are?" Michael leaned in and Damon turned to him, thinking. The wheels in his head began to turn and he sat up quickly, looking around in fear as they tried to hush him. "It's ok. It's over now. You're safe." Anne consoled and he gulped and looked around. "Stefan?" Damon looked at her and she smiled. "He's ok. He's with Sarah at your apartment." She said and Damon growled. "She saved him Damon. It doesn't excuse what she did to you but without her you would both be dead right now." Anne said and Damon frowned in confusion. "Damon, there's something we need to tell you before you see him." Michael said, placing his hand on Damon's shoulder. Damon held his breath as he took in the expressions on their faces. "Valerie's blood has broken your mating bond. Your blood is returning to its original state now." "What?" He gasped. "She changed her blood and tried to link it to mate with yours." He gasped again horrified. All of the feeding that she had assured him was to help train his body to be able feed without needing Stefan was actually all part of her trying to mate with him? He felt palpitations in his heart as he realised how stupid he had been. Michael wasn't finish explaining though and squeezed his shoulder again gravely. He gulped and looked up at him. "Thing that she didn't understand is that you can't mate unless your partner is drawn to you, has an emotional connection with you. When she forced you to drink from her, all she did was confuse your body into breaking your existing bond. Her blood was chemically altered. It wouldn't have been able to remain that way. Your blood wouldn't have been able to link with hers properly and now that the bond to Stefan has been disrupted it means that you will change back." He slowly stood up, remembering his partial nudity and just how close he had been to being inside of her and Michael handed him his some clothing from his bag. They turned their backs while he dressed and processed the information. "It's really gone?" He asked as they turned back to face him. "Yes." They both said and he looked at them blankly as he took note of his body. "I don't feel any different." He said confused and they nodded. "You are the fortunate one I'm afraid." Anne whispered and Michael hugged her to his side. "What do you mean?" "Stefan's blood still wants to link with yours. It'll keep trying to and it will cause him a lot of pain." "Why?" "Because that's what happens when your mate is taken from you. Effectively, your blood as it is becoming now, extinguishes the existence of the blood you shared. It's as though you have died to his body." "You've seen this before? I knew you knew something. What's going to happen to him?" Damon stepped towards her in distress and panic and Michael gave a small growl to warn him to keep his head. Damon stopped short. She sighed and looked at him in pain and remorse. His heart stopped. "No…" He whispered. "Can't he just revert like me? Can't we force him to feed?" "His body is still mated Damon. The fight to seek out your old blood will consume his body. He can't feed without his mate's blood. He'll decay and you will have to help him move on. We got here too late." She said, her voice ruled with emotion as Michael held her tighter and kissed her head. "But I'm his mate!" Damon cried, feeling his heart start to tear in half as he took in their sadness and grief. "Not anymore." Anne whispered.