Fourteen

My sprint comes to a sudden halt as I crash into something solid, and warm. A quiet whimper of panic escapes as my heart leaps into my throat, and I look up in fear. "D-Damon?"

Menacing olive green eyes stare down at me, unblinking. "No, Elena. I'm the other brother. The ripper." His voice is acidic as he speaks, and a psychotic smile steals across his lips. I pull away sharply, about to run, when another figure steps out from behind him, and familiarity flickers in their eyes.

"C-Caroline?" I stutter, wondering why she stands so calmly beside him. Stefan puts his arm around her and she smiles at him, yet her eyes stay fixed on me. "We can't change who we are, Elena. Stefan taught me how to sate my bloodlust when he found me, and I'm happier this way."

"Found you? But Care, he must have turned you. There's no other way that-"

"Damon." Stefan cuts over me, "Damon turned her. Well actually, he fed her his blood to keep her alive while he tortured her, and then got bored and killed her." I'm about to interject, a spike of pain searing through my head as I try to process all this, when a shrill ring sounds from his pocket. "Excuse me."

He turns away, pulls out my phone and answers the call.

Damon

"Yes?" That's not Elena... that's Stefan. Why does he have Elena's phone?

"I know you're responsible for the killings in Mystic Falls." I state calmly, though my mind is elsewhere. My brother is on the loose, ripping people up and she decides to run off so I can't protect her. Smart move, Elena. Real smart. Now look where that got you.

"What's your point, Damon? I told you to stop looking for me and you didn't. Maybe now you'll finally get the message." His voice goes quieter as he holds the phone away from him, and I hear a sharp scream. Elena!

"This is your last chance. Let me go and I'll compell her to forget this ever happened and release her. Keep following me and I'll kill her and everyone she loves and it will all be your fault." With that, he hangs up on me.

Elena

"Where we are we going?" I whine, as Stefan and Care drag me through the dense woods, feeling the blood from his earlier bite still trickling down my shoulder. Gaining no response from either of them. Suddenly, we stop, and I'm pushed roughly against a tree while Caroline binds my hands behind it with rope. She looks at Stefan, and he nods. "So we just leave her here?" She sounds doubtful, and for a moment, I see a glint of humanity in her, until she adds, "It'd be kinder to kill her."

My heart sinks as Stefan and the girl who I thought was my best friend, turn away, and vanish into thin air without another word. Struggling against the ropes, I find that either she intended to help me, or she's not that good at tying knots, because the ropes come undone easily.

There's a deep lake just off the grassy verge where I was tied, and I look over the edge, seeing the sunlight glittering on the surface. It calms me for a moment, and I scan my surroundings, trying to work out where I am, before the air is stolen from my lungs in a sharp gasp as something hard slams into my back at speed and I'm thrown into the icy water.

Looking up, I shiver, hugging myself tightly, expecting to see the one who pushed me, laughing or grinning. His cold expression is unwavering, and his eyes are stern as they root me to the spot. "Damon!" I squeal, relieved to see him, but annoyed that this was his way of greeting me. "How did you-"

"I tracked your phone. Don't you ever run from me again. Do you have any idea how idiotic it was to leave my side when people are being murdered all over town? You could have been killed!" I've never seen him look so annoyed, but it's anger with underlying concern. He was worried about me. "I thought you killed them!" I snap back, sending ripples through the water as I raise my hands in frustration.

He quirks an eyebrow, then a light smile crosses his lips. "I'm not that stupid, I cover my tracks." His smile soon fades. "Come out of the water, we're going home." I pout and fold my arms, though my legs are starting to feel numb. "No. You don't own me, Damon. I'm going back to my home, with Jeremy and Jenna."

"Don't make me come in there and get you." He scowls, already advancing down the steep verge, seconds from stepping into the water. "I'll chain you to my bed if you can't be trusted to stay put."

I'm about to object, but within seconds, I'm lifted into his arms as he stands, waist-deep in the water, and looks down at me, unspeaking. Veins darkening beneath his eyes, he leans down, and I close mine, waiting for the bite... Which doesn't come. "I'll punish you when you've recovered." He purrs into my ear, nipping it softly.

"Believe me, you won't run away again."