"Don't let this burn out
Just leave your guard down
Cause when I dream about you here,
I wanna ride it out, ride it out.

Know when you fall down,
I'll have my arms out,
Cause when you're lying next to me,
I wanna ride it out."


This was real.

While it had seemed surreal before it began, the endless night in sexual paradise proved that it was, in fact, reality.

My dreams of Kol and me in bed, before I ever even knew his name, didn't compare to the real thing. Damon was, obviously, a skilled lover who had helped me get out of my fear of it all, but he had nothing on Kol.

Maybe it was time to stop comparing the two. Damon was just a drunk fuck, his failed attempts to move on from my sister. Kol had a potential to be everything I ever wanted and so much more.

The bed beneath me was much more comfortable than the one I slept on at home. Mine was high quality, but some hotels had beds that seemed as if they were made from the puffiest of clouds.

When I finally decided to open my eyes, the sunlight filled the room, stinging my half asleep eyes. They wanted to close back, but we had finally called it a night around . . . well, I didn't actually know, but the last time I had looked at clock, it was almost four.

There was no telling what time it was now.

Kol's arms were draped over my still naked body, holding me against his own equally naked body. The air in the room was like evaporated ice, as it had gotten so hot the night before that my human self needed the air on in the middle of October.

Dried sweat clung to my skin, under the nape of my neck the worst. It made the thought of climbing out of bed even more horrifying, especially when I remembered how cold it actually was outside of the covers. Waking up as dirty as I was always made me just want to go back to bed, even if that didn't help matters.

There was also the fact that Kol was holding me, and waking up next to him was something I never really expected to be as incredible as it was. One night, Elena planned to sleep over at Matt's, and I covered for our parents, saying that she was staying at Bonnie's while I stayed home. That only happened when one of us was sick, or in this case, when Elena was actually staying at Matt's.

Elena told me the next morning that she regretted it completely. Waking up next to him was uncomfortable, she said, and it was awkward.

I didn't feel any of those things when I opened my eyes and found Kol asleep beside me still. What I felt was something entirely different, a kind of contentment that I wasn't expecting.

There was a life waiting for me at home, however. After Stefan had gone off the deep end, Klaus was far more paranoid than before, checking up on Elena and me often to make sure Stefan hadn't killed us yet. He mentioned that he didn't think he would kill us, only make us vampires, but he had to keep a check, to make sure our hearts were still beating.

I had to admit. I was glad he decided to steal the coffins. Would Kol and I have ever crossed paths had he not?

Getting out of Kol's arms without waking him up took a lot of careful maneuvering, only made possible with the extensive yoga I did to keep my werewolf curse at bay. It had its advantages, especially the night before. My body was able to bend in ways a lot of people didn't have the advantage of, and Kol loved every moment of it.

How was I ever going to get enough of that? A kiss alone had been addictive, but the night of passion that followed was so much more than that. All I wanted to do was wake him up and start again, but I had to get home.

If we didn't want Klaus finding him here, I didn't need to stay here for long. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that he had some sort of tracking device put on me.

The second my feet hit the carpeted floor beneath me, my body was yanked back onto the bed, and Kol's eyes, now wide open and fully alert, were staring down at me, a rather wicked grin pulling onto his lips.

He leaned towards me ever so slightly, intoxicating me with the smell of old whiskey on his breath. It wasn't the worst morning breath he could've had, as the smell of rotten vagina could've lingered there.

"Where do you think you're going?" he breathed, more whiskey overpowering my senses.

My eyebrows rose. "Well, one of us is still human, you know."

"I can change that," he purred, around the same time that his arms snaked around my waist, pulling my body against his again. His lips found the skin between my neck and shoulder, his tongue tracing a delicate trail across the skin that for most people having this kind of contact with Kol ended with someone dead.

He mentioned more than once throughout the night how amazing it was that he could kiss me there, the perfect place to sink his teeth in and get a taste, without even thinking about blood. At one point, he bit me, in the completely human way that didn't involve fangs and blood, and even that didn't get a rise out of the darker side of him.

Something about being with me helped him forget who he was, in a way he hadn't experienced since turning, and I was more than happy to be his escape from that side of him, the side that he didn't seem so fond of anymore.

I snorted. "Yeah, right. I'm pretty sure your brother would kill you."

"How can he do that?" he asked, and he tilted his head up away from my skin so I could make eye contact with him, to see the excitement in his eyes. "He has no power over me anymore."

This reminded me of a moment during the night, when Kol was dominating me—as he had for the majority of the night—I was begging him to keep going, to never stop, and with the wildest grin, he leaned down and whispered, "You could have this forever, love."

That was all I wanted, to even have the possibility of forever with Kol, but right now, the only way I could see was to sire myself to Klaus, to bond to him in a way that anyone Kol cared about couldn't be bonded to him.

There had to be to get away from the sire bond, but I couldn't figure it out alone.

My eyes closed, to shut out the world around me in an attempt to center my thoughts, and that, paired with a deep breath in, I was able to make myself say what needed to be said, if there was any chance of a future.

"Kol . . . there's something you need to know, something your brother . . . can never find out."

His eyebrows rose. "More secrets from my brother? I would love to know, darling. What is it?"

"I can't become a vampire because I'm a werewolf."

Whereas he had been laying on my chest still, close to my neck to start kissing me again, hearing me say that snapped him out of it. He shot up so fast that I didn't see him moving, only saw him suddenly sitting up on the bed beside me, looking at me with furrowed eyebrows.

"W-What?"

"That's why I kept telling you that I can't become a vampire," I whispered. "Because I can't, not without Klaus' blood. Since I'm his doppelgänger, he won't give it to me."

He shook his head. "He only needs one, right? He can-he can do with just one."

"He thinks that Elena will be turned before graduation, that her becoming a vampire is inevitable," I disagreed. "He thinks I'm the only one with a shot of making it out of this town alive."

"No." He was still shaking his head, those rounded eyebrows now perfectly woven together as the corners of his eyes tightened, any semblance of a smile disappearing from his face. "I refuse to let this happen, even if it means helping your friends find a way to put him down long enough to get his blood for you."

"You're also forgetting that even if he does give me his blood, I'll be sired to him," I reminded him. "That's why I told you not to fall in love with me because I'm either gonna die or be under the control of your brother, and I don't want either of those things to happen."

"You don't . . . you're not as warm as most werewolves who have triggered their curse," he said. "How did I not notice this?"

"It's a long story to explain how I know that I'm a werewolf, but I haven't triggered my curse yet," I said. "We've been doing whatever we can to make sure I don't. That sounds . . . horrible, like nothing I'd ever want to experience."

A smile began tugging on the corners of his lips now. "That's hope, darling. Before we turn you for certain, I will make sure, but because you haven't triggered your curse, you are, essentially, human. Until you kill someone, your curse won't trigger. That was how we found out Nik was only our half-brother. His first kill triggered his curse, after he was a vampire."

"I won't be an Original, though," I said. "Would it even work that way?"

"I don't see why it wouldn't." The smile widened further, those eyes warming back up. "Of course, we'll explore every option, but I think turning you, as long as you don't trigger your curse, will make you able to be turned by anyone."

I let out a breath, but I could feel my own mouth curling into a smile. "See, I always wanted to be a vampire. Damon always said he wouldn't turn me, as my sister would hate him even if I insisted that it was what I wanted. She would hate him for giving me that option, as she doesn't think being a vampire is right. She hasn't said that out-loud, but it's pretty obvious that she feels that way."

"No offense, but your sister is a bit dull," he said, and though his eyebrows rose, his nose scrunched in the most adorable way. "I mean that as kindly as I can say it."

I laughed now and grabbed onto his face, pulling it to mine so my lips could grab onto his. For a moment, I forgot the urgency, the need to get myself out of this bed. All I could think about was how amazing it was that after a night filled with passion, kisses, and lots of fucking, this kiss felt as good as the first, if not better. It was more comfortable.

When I pulled away, Kol's eyelids fluttered open, his smile twisting into something much more beautiful. "Don't write off the idea yet."

The way his eyes were looking at me, like I was some sort of precious gem, brought fire to my cheeks that was very familiar around Kol. No one looked at me this way, so this was a new experience. Yet he made it familiar.

"Why do you care?" I taunted, though my heart was fluttering far too much for me to truly be sassy about it. "Just because we had one good night—"

"I don't remember good being involved last night," he cut me off, and his teeth grit together when his lips turned into a devious grin again, his body falling on top of mine to pin me back onto the bed. "I remember blowing your mind over and over again."

"We mortals can't compare, I know."

Like I hoped, it made him laugh a lot more, that full laugh that carried through the room and made my body react in a similar way to his smile, but intensified. He could make me feel things with little simple gestures that no one else could, and that was the beginning of love, in my mind.

What did I know about love, though?

I was able to push him off of me while he was laughing and slid back out of the bed, finding my underwear in the floor next to my feet. Almost as soon as I slid back into them, his fingers slipped inside the back lining, pulling my body back against him.

Still completely naked, with an erection that wasn't trying to hide itself, pressing me against him was beyond hot, especially when his teeth sank into the skin of my shoulder.

"I don't want you to go just yet."

"I have to," I breathed, and one of my hands came up to latch onto the wild hair he had. Mine probably didn't look any better. We were both very handsy. "Elena mentioned something about you coming over for dinner, though. You should do that. Tonight."

"That could be fun," he murmured, a soft sigh tickling my skin after the words got out. "I suppose it would be best to let you get dressed and get you home. I imagine your sister is nervous, amidst all the Niklaus chaos."

That thought hadn't even occurred to me, though I had thought to text her and tell her I was staying over at Kol's. After sending that text to her, I hadn't even looked at my phone to see what she might've said back—he wasn't gonna get to see her response for sure—so I hadn't thought about my sister since then, not really. I knew I needed to get back before Klaus stopped by, but that was all I had worried about.

With Kol no longer holding me back, I was able to get ready. I didn't bother trying to clean myself up much, just peed and threw the wild mess that was my hair into a bun. Kol got the luxury of brushing his teeth, whereas I still had to feel like hot garbage on the outside.

My insides were a bit stiff as well, but if that was all I had to endure for a night like the one I had, I'd take it.

Kol noticed me walking a bit off, and though his eyes were absolutely shining with pride, a smirk curling onto those lips I loved feeling against mine, but he did something I didn't even think to ask for: he bit his wrist and held it out towards me.

"It will make you feel better."

A night like that without consequence? I was definitely gonna take that.

The car ride back home was more entertaining than the rides had been the night before. Even as the tension eased throughout the night, there was still the "first date" aura hanging in the room. I imagined it would've been worse with anyone else, but it wasn't like that anymore.

Caroline always said that having sex with someone is the best way to get fully comfortable with them, as they know you and you know them. Of course, getting naked didn't fully expose you to someone, but in a way, it did. Even if your heart and soul was still buried, hidden behind walls that you may or may not have put up consciously, you still had secrets that the other person didn't know.

She was right, though. Kol had seen me naked, and he liked it—a lot. He liked it enough that he had the longest night of his eternity.

In a thousand years, he had never stayed up all night having sex with someone. With everyone else, he got bored of it quickly, but I was already that different.

This wasn't what I expected when I pulled the dagger out of him, but how could I have expected this?

As Kol pulled his car to the end of my driveway, his eyes were melted again, the kind of liquid fire that rekindled the flame that had been burning so brightly in me not even twenty-four hours prior. My Spotify playlist was still playing in the background, as he mentioned wanting to hear more modern music while also hearing what kinds of things I liked listening to, but I couldn't even recognize the song playing when my gaze caught his.

His hand grabbed the back of my head and pulled me towards him, using the same kind of roughness he had during a good portion of the night. Towards the end, as our energy began getting the better of both of us, the rough, wild sex turned into something more sensual and intimate.

Both had their perks, but there was something about catching his eyes with mine, having the maniacal Original vampire who didn't usually leave survivors in his wake hold me so delicately.

When his lips met mine, with a fervor that didn't give me a good sense of goodbye, I felt good, better than I had in all of my life.

For once in my life, I was the girl that someone like Kol wanted, the man who had seen so many different kinds of beauty in his life that it was probably astounding. Something about me drew him into something he called dangerous territory, but he didn't care. He wanted to go there with me.

What was it about me?

He ripped himself away from me and closed his eyes, taking a long breath before allowing them to open again. They found me almost immediately, and the light shining in them put the sun to shame.

"Darcy Gilbert, you are a first in history, I do believe. I'll be back later."

"Five," I said, and the massive smile that pulled onto my face, which actually hurt the corners of my mouth, seemed to be infectious, as he smiled at the sight of it. "Don't be late. That would be rude."

"I've managed to make you believe I'm a proper gentleman this long," he said. "Trust me, darling, I won't screw it up just yet."

I rolled my eyes. "I know you're an asshole and all, but you're an asshole who has secretly had this warm and fuzzy teddy bear hiding deep inside, just waiting for someone to snuggle it."

His eyebrows rose. "Is that so?"

"Mmhmm." I opened the butterfly door and swooped down to grab my heels and clutch from the floor. "I'll see you later."

"Of course."

If I didn't take that opportunity to run back inside, I would've stayed there all day, but I probably smelled horrible, at least somewhat as horrible as I felt. I didn't feel sick or hurt, but I felt disgusting. I was in desperate need for a shower, and a long nap.

The squeals were instant, barely allowing me to fully step inside before they began. They weren't from a single source either; Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena all sat in the living room, awaiting my arrival anxiously.

It was barely past noon, which helped me understand why I was so damn tired. I wasn't sure if they had stayed the night, expecting me to come home last night, or if they had come over whenever they both got up, awaiting my walk of shame arrival.

There was absolutely no shame about it.

"Someone had a good night last night!" Caroline exclaimed. "You look like hell!"

I let out a breath of a laugh and shook my head. "I don't feel like it. Oh, Elena, he's coming over tonight for dinner."

"Then so are we," Bonnie said, and a massive grin grew on her lips as my eyebrows rose. "Oh come on, Darcy. You don't just jump into bed with a guy who gives you a bit of attention. We wanna know what's so special about this one."

"Did you ever think that maybe I was drunk?" I asked.

Elena clicked her tongue and let her grin turn wry. "Yeah, I don't believe that. You would've texted me that you were drunk. You always do."

"I wasn't drunk," I agreed. "He did convince the waitress that we were both twenty-one, though. Apparently money and good looks get you far."

Caroline laughed. "Of course it does! So come on! We need dirty details, now. Actually, give us details, but spare us the 'Darcy' details?"

"You know what? Bite me."

She gasped. "Did he bite you? Does he like it rough? I picture him as the dominate type."

My eyebrows rose. "You're good."

"Hot damn!" she exclaimed, and her eyes grew as wide as her massive smile.

"I'm really dirty and tired," I said, and I did my best to portray my discomfort with nothing but the sound of my voice. "It was a long night. I'm gonna shower and nap and then figure out what the hell I'm gonna make tonight for dinner. Mock me tonight . . . after he goes home."

There was so much more I could've stayed there and discussed, but I was definitely ready for a shower. I didn't know if I'd get a nap in, but it was a nice thought anyways.

As I made it back to my room, it occurred to me that I hadn't plugged my phone up in a while, so I pulled it out of the clutch and walked over to my bedside table, where my charger was lying in wait for a phone to be plugged into it.

The name that flashed across my screen wasn't a name I expected to hear from, at least not so soon. There were quite a few messages, but it was the most recent one I received and who I received it from.

It was a message from Kol, sent about the same time I got my phone plugged up.

Thank you for the best night of my existence, and while the sex was amazing, I don't just mean the sex. I've never felt that alive before, and you have no idea how much that means to me.


A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading this story and letting me know what you think! :) I'm glad you are all enjoying it so much.

The lyrics at the beginning of this chapter are from the song Ride It Out by MAKEOUT. Seriously, those guys are awesome. Another new band I've recently discovered that I listen to their songs a lot.

Read, review, and enjoy! :)