As they walked in the front door Damon swooped Sage up off her feet. "Woman, let's celebrate!"
Sage looked adoringly at him. She never took her eyes from his, but offered, "Sinead, sweetheart, you're welcome to join us."
Damon looked interested, but Sinead said, "Thanks, but hello, four am and I'm feeling every bit of my humanity right now. And don't think about munching on your bro, or you won't be having much fun. His blood will NOT enhance your performance."
Sage ordered, "Go to bed, Stefan. I want my Damon at peak performance." He stumbled off to his room, rubbing his forehead, a little unsteady on his feet.
Sinead walked past Stefan's room to hers, waiting until she was sure Damon and Sage were occupied. "Jeesh," she thought. "They sure make enough noise."
She gathered a few things and tiptoed out of her room, quietly slipping into Stefan's.
He sat up in bed as she entered. He was easy to see in the moonlight, chest bare, dressed only in sweatpants.
She put her finger to her lips in the age old gesture for silence and tiptoed to the light patterns on the floor, made by the moonlight shining through the window pane. She wore heavy bracelets on her wrists, and she pressed them to each other in an invocation to the moon. She whispered words in an ancient tongue, raising her arms above her head and then making a circle with them.
Stefan watched her, one knee bent up, the other prone on the bed, arms bracing his upper body against the mattress. He heard her words clearly, but didn't recognize the cadence. He had listened to enough witches over the years and recently to Bonnie, but it didn't sound like the same language.
She completed her circle, and he felt a heavy feeling in his ears, like there was a weight pressing in on them.
She lifted her head slightly as if sensing something, and then smiled and turned to him. "We can't be overheard now."
At his look, she laughingly said, "There are many ways to tap into nature. The witches on this continent developed one way. Those from other lands found other ways. There's no right or wrong way, they're just different. Remember your Darwin."
He opened his mouth, but she forestalled him. "No, Sage doesn't know this way. I like it cause there's no herb smell to give me away." She said thoughtfully, "I am blood bound to her, so if she dies I die also, but that doesn't mean I give everything away."
She walked over to him, gently pushing his hair back from his forehead. He struggled to speak, but she put a finger on his lips, shushing him. "I've drugged you, and you're struggling against the effect. Relax."
She put a hand under his chin, searching his eyes. "It's progressing."
Stefan was surprised and jerked his head back slightly when Sinead slipped two fingers of her right hand under his upper lip and placed them on his canine teeth. He felt them bump against his gums in an involuntary defensive reaction, but she chanted quietly in that sing song lilt, and he felt them recede.
He put a hand up to his mouth to touch them. She brushed his hand away gently and then placed her wrist bands on both sides of his forehead, chanting softly.
He groaned as he felt a chill run through his body starting with his head and down to his toes. He felt momentarily drained and swayed slightly. She watched his reaction, a knowing look on her face.
"What did you do?" he mumbled. He felt like his head was swaddled in a layer of cotton.
Instead of answering she took his hands and urged him to stand. When he did she slipped his sweatpants down and then motioned him to sit back on the bed. He complied, thinking he should be concerned that he was naked, but he wasn't.
The witch climbed onto the bed and sat, legs crossed, next to him. "It will take awhile for the drug I gave you to overcome the weakening spell I just did, so I'll explain things to you while I wait."
"My family has a long history of interacting with vampires. We even have records of one kept as a lover for several generations. We know how to render them as safe as they can be, given their nature. My spells stop your fangs from coming out, and your strength is reduced. Me da's ma, a very powerful witch, said I was born to be a vampire's companion. Me ma and da knew when she spoke it was gonna be, no fighting it. They searched the family books and armed me best as they could for the life that was going to be mine." She laughed. "Sure nuff, I got myself into trouble and linked up with Sage. She plotted, no doubt, but she would never have caught me if I hadn't poked into things that shouldn't have been poked into. Born to hang, I think they call my kind."
She shook her head ruefully. "But I'm okay with the life. I can't fit into what they call normal. Always rebelling at school, never part of any group, no friends cause I was weird and made others uncomfortable." She looked at him. "Wanting things that with my looks and background I was never gonna get. Which brings me to you."
She reached over to rest her fingers on the knot on his shoulder where the muscles joined. A look of wonder was on her face as she ran her fingers feather light over his skin. "So soft." She spoke under her breath.
"I watched all those beautiful vampires at the party. I'm not one of them either. At best I'm called cute. Now, even your Elena is stunning. She got those big boobs and I'm flat chested and those curvy hips, and mine are narrow. Sage and Damon are just beyond stunning together. He's so beautiful he could be a model or a movie star if he wasn't a vampire."
The whole time she talked she traced the muscles in his shoulders and arms. "And that Caroline! The one Klaus likes . . she's with that hybrid and wow if he wasn't captain of the football team then I'm an idiot." She moved her fingers to his chest, continuing to talk while enjoying the feeling of his taut muscles. "You know my hair's a pretty reddish blonde, but when you compare it to Caroline's thick blonde hair or Sage's chestnut, it just fades in comparison. And it's on the thin side. I can't flip it around the way they do," she said totally resigned. "That Kol, he claimed his dance, but I notice he went after a town girl whose boobs were bouncing up in her face when she danced."
He fingers now trailed down his flat stomach, tracing the muscles ridges. He groaned softly, which made her smile. "Soon now." She continued with her soliloquy. "You know I would never attract a guy like you. You wouldn't see me in the herd. But that's why I want this life so I can have someone as beautiful as you." She looked him over appreciatively. "Your body is so gorgeous. Do you realize you are my ideal? I don't like really big men or bulging muscle men. And your face. That clean jaw line!" She stroked his face lovingly and then ran her hand teasingly over his groin, never quite touching him.
He made a sound like he was in pain and twitched half rising only to fall back to the bed again.
"What do you feel?" she demanded.
"I burn . . . I burn . . . . my skin is on fire." He gasped.
She rose from the bed and reached back to unzip the gown she still wore. She let the gown drop to the floor revealing she hadn't bothered with underwear. Her body was girlishly slender rather than womanly and covered with intricate tattoos.
She saw Stefan's eyes widen as he looked at them. "Part of the trade. I dedicated my body to my craft," she explained.
She walked over naked, except for her wrist bracelets, and positioned him on the edge of the bed, sitting on his lap, facing him, her legs extended on to the bed.
"There's only one way to stop the burn, Stefan, and I intend to help you." She covered his face with kisses, and he lifted his head as if trying to avoid them, which only made her smile. His body trembled, and he finally gave in to the need, his lips seeking hers, his hands reaching for her body. She opened her mouth to accept his tongue. She got up on her knees allowing his kisses to roam over her body, and when he finally picked her up and positioned her on him she was more than ready.
She rode him again and again throughout the early morning hours, until the fire running through his veins burned out. She collapsed next to him so exhausted she just wanted to rest for a moment before she returned to her room.
She closed her eyes . . . just for one moment . . . one moment only.
The bedroom door opened, and Sinead woke to hear an unhappy voice. "What did I tell you?"
She frowned and raised her head from a sleeping Stefan's chest to see a scowling Sage and an amused Damon. "Oh No! I was just gonna close my eyes for a few moments, and then go back to my room."
She watched Damon, arm around Sage's shoulder, wrinkle his nose, sniffing the air. "Good thing you didn't. I would have accused Stef of jerking himself off."
Sinead giggled. Sage walked over and gave her a swat on her bare behind, the force calculated to sting but not damage.
"Ow," protested Sinead. "I didn't hurt him."
"That's not the issue." Sage scolded her. "He's not for you. Don't go getting involved with him. I know how you are with those trashy novels of yours. You're in love with the idea of love. He's important to the family, and it's not your bed we need him in."
"I'm in his bed. He's not in mine." Sinead tried to sidetrack Sage by pointing this out, but the vampire wasn't drawn in by it.
"No word games, Sinead."
"Well, I don't regret it," was the stubborn response. "He was awesome." She snickered. "Hope your boy is as good as his brother."
Damon, casually leaning against the doorframe, arms folded, gave her a superior smile. "He's just a pale imitation of me."
Sinead scoffed as Sage said sternly, "If you remember, you were invited to join us."
Sinead, seeing Sage was upset, sat up, totally disregarding her nudity and assured her, "Don't fret. I just wanted to try him. I take our interests seriously."
Sage searched her solemn face and nodded. "Get dressed, and get lover boy something to eat."
Stefan stirred and looked around groggily. He moved to stretch and groaned. "Oh God. It feels like I got run over by a truck."
"Sorry. That's the after affect of the herbs. It'll wear off once you get some blood in you." Sinead consoled him as she hopped out of bed to pick her gown up off the floor.
Damon and Sage left. Damon opened his mouth and said in a worried tone, "Are you sure—" only to have Sage shush him with a hand over his mouth. She raised her eyebrows at him, and he nodded. They walked downstairs, and she grabbed his hand and led him outside. She urged him on and hand in hand they sped at vampire speed to a clearing away from the house.
"Say what you need to say," she invited.
Damon paced a little circle and then stopped in front of her. "I'm not sure I trust her. I saw the way she looked at Stefan last night, and when she was talking to us now she was stroking him without even being aware of it."
Sage surprised him by saying, "I trust no one but you, Damon. And I saw exactly the same thing you saw. There are layers upon layers of deceit and backstabbing and lies in our world." Her face solemn, her arms crossed, it was her turn to pace. "The closer you live to the center of power the greater the danger, the greater the chance of a double cross. We need powerful allies, and I chose Sinead carefully. She has the blood, the talent, the desire. I bound her to me with a blood bond. Do you know what that means?" She stood in front of Damon, hands on hips.
He frowned. "Not exactly." He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess it's pretty binding."
"It means if I die, she dies with me."
His eyebrows rose at that.
"I tied her as tightly to me as possible. It doesn't mean I can completely trust her however. I also took her as my lover, and I give her any material things she wants. You need to make her your lover too. If you can get her to fall in love with you, all the better." She grimaced. "It may be too late. Your brother seems to inspire love."
Damon shook his head. "Yeah, he does. "
"We'll have to watch her." Sage looked at him. "I warned you this would be complicated. We have to be ahead of everyone and always watch our backs. This can't be one of your harebrained, spur of the moment lame plans. This requires skill and foresight." She walked over and wrapped her arms around him. "Is it going to be too much for you? Do you regret joining with me?"
He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "I regret nothing. I feel alive when I'm with you. I actually enjoy all this intrigue. I like pitting my wits against everyone else." He kissed her deeply. "Besides, even if I didn't enjoy it, it would be worth it for you."
"We need to get Sinead in bed with us, and Stefan back with Rebekah and Klaus as quickly as possible. We need to push hard." Sage was adamant.
"Well, then let's get plotting." Damon wiggled his eyebrows at her, which made her laugh. They headed back hand in hand, once again.