Eleven

As we leave the room, Damon comes to stand across from me, and gently takes my face in his hands, looking intently into my eyes. "Don't." I whisper, the words spilling out before I can stop them. "I want to remember..."

His eyes widen as he hesitates. "You want to remember being hit? Didn't take you for being a masochist, Elena." He puts up a joking front to cover his surprise, but beneath it, he still sounds stunned. "No, Damon. I want to remember the... kiss."

"Oh you do? Almost had me fooled for a minute there, but I can see right through you. You want to sweet-talk me into letting you go, and then run and cry 'vampire' to the Sheriff and the rest of Mystic Falls. Not happening." Anger flickers in his eyes, and I see the veins break out from beneath them, flooding his irises with deep red as they ripple in his skin. "How did you even know I've been compelling you? You're not supposed to remember being compelled, that's kinda the whole point of compulsion."

Nervously, I lift a hand, creating a little more space between us, and touch the silver indented pendant on my necklace. "It contains Vervain. The Sheriff requested that everyone who has a family member on the council always keeps Vervain on their person but she never explained why."

He looks confused. "I didn't explain why. How did you make the connection between Vervain and compulsion?" My expression turns defensive. My father, Jonathon Gilbert, used to write about vampires in his diaries. Jeremy studied them for a history project, and a little concerned that he may be reading too far into it, his history teacher, Alaric, showed me. He wrote about vampires using mind control, draining the blood from their victims, being killed by a stake through the heart, and being weakened by Vervain, so in theory, it must also weaken their mind powers.

I only just found the necklace, I thought it had been lost in the move between my parent's house, and Aunt Jenna's, but I found it yesterday and kept it in the pocket of my dress, intending to wear it when I arrived at the Grill, but I got distracted by Damon turning up out of the blue.

By the fact that he said, 'You're not supposed to remember being compelled' means that he clearly had me under compulsion before. A burning curiosity flickers within me as I wonder what was so bad that I had to be made to forget it. "I didn't, it was a lucky guess." I lie, hoping he doesn't see through it. "But I'm serious, Damon. I want to remember. I won't tell anyone, you have my word."

"Scouts honour?" He asks mockingly, but grins. "If you're being honest with me, then I should reward you." He continues, and I start to respond, "That's really not ne-" Before he presses a slender finger to my lips.

"I'll give you something you'll never forget."