"A well read woman is a dangerous creature." - Lisa Kleypas
3. Bad Moon Rising
She'd woken up before him, which was unusual. But she supposed he must have been more tired by the previous day's events than her. After all, she had crashed fairly early on.
Leaving the warm covers, she took a look at him, smiling softly at what she saw. He looked angelic in his sleep, every frown line that usually marked his face gone, lips tilted up in a small smile, as though he was enjoying his dreams. Leaning over him, she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before padding out of the room.
Thea wanted to make him breakfast for once, turning that tables and all. Whilst cooking may not have been her exact forte, breakfast foods were surprisingly something she excelled at. It was how her dad and her bonded. He'd make breakfast every weekend, and she'd be the only one awake early enough in the house to help him.
She figured she'd keep it simple today; eggs, bacon and hash-browns, maybe even some biscuits if she had the necessary ingredients.
Setting out everything she'd need, she popped open her record player, choosing an Abba vinyl (in honour of her late father, they were his favourite band), lowered the volume enough to ensure that she wouldn't wake Damon up, and began swaying in place as she cooked.
Eggs, easy, scrambled to perfection and buttery. She was humming to the words as she cooked the bacon, fully focused on her task. She'd realised she was lacking a couple of things for biscuits and had decided against them in the end, choosing to simply butter some toast. The coffee machine was preparing the drink, and she'd already laid out everything needed on the table, from butter to jam.
She'd just finished plating the bacon strips when two familiar cold hands wrapped around her waist, and he nuzzled his face into her neck, "There's a sight I'd like to wake up to forever,"
Giggling, she turned to him, nudging their noses together, "What? Me in the kitchen, cooking you breakfast?"
He hummed slightly, "It's strangely domestic, and I like it."
The blood-witch laughed against him, before laying a soft kiss onto his lips, "Well come on then," she said with a smile, pulling away and tugging him towards her dining table, continuing, "You can tell me if it's any good. It's been a while since I've cooked anything harder than cereal."
—
Damon put his fork down, having clearly eaten to his fill. He looked at her, impressed as he said, "I'm not gonna lie, I was a little worried, but this was amazing."
The blood-witch smiled in success, before she explained, "I used to cook with my dad every weekend. I was the only one who'd wake up early enough to help him, so we'd put some Abba on the speaker and he'd teach me how to make breakfast. Andromeda couldn't cook for her life, so after they died, I was basically the one making sure we were fed."
"Is he also the one who taught you how to waltz? I remember thinking you were strangely good at it." He asked with a smile.
Thea shook her head with a giggle, "No, the man couldn't hold a beat if his life depended on it. Neither could my mother for that matter. She put Meda and I in dance classes when we turned four, and I guess rhythm and picking up choreography just stuck with me." She sighed wistfully, a sad smile making an appearance on her face, "Honestly, I'm decent. Like I can memorise steps and keep to the beat, but Andromeda was amazing. She was supposed to join the New York Ballet before everything blew up. And afterwards, we used to just dance together in the kitchen to have a laugh."
He laid his hand gently over her own, rubbing his thumb over it, "I wish I could've met them. I mean, they probably wouldn't have approved, but I bet I would've won them over eventually."
"They would have loved you, actually." At his raised brow, she explained, "My dad wasn't particularly overprotective, so he would have given you the Spanish Inquisition, and once he would've realised you loved me, he'd approve. And mom was even easier to win over, she would have smiled and giggled and told me I made a good choice and that you were incredibly handsome. Actually, the only one that would have been a hard-ass with you would've been Meda. Bit of an overprotective older sibling syndrome. But she trusted my judgement, so she would have loved you too."
"They sound incredible. It's no wonder you turned out as amazing as you did." He whispered.
Thea laughed out loud, shaking her head, "Actually, I was the black sheep. Completely different from them. Not even just in looks, even though they were all short blondes with blue eyes, I was just different, you know? Tended to break more rules than I followed and didn't give a crap about what society thought of me, or how I should present myself. I could play the part when I needed to, could be the perfect socialite at functions and stuff, but I hated it. And they never scolded me over it. My dad would just ruffle my head and call me his 'rebellious one' and mom would always remind me that being different was a good thing, particularly when we lived in a world where everyone was the same."
"One day," she added as she stood up and began walking towards him, straddling his lap, "I'm gonna figure outta way to take you into my memories, maybe you could meet them. Sort of, for now," She threw her hair over her shoulders, baring her neck to him, "You need some actual vampire food."
His lips pressed against the skin softly, as he asked, "I thought you always had blood-bags in the fridge?"
"Well yeah. But we both know you prefer me anyway. Plus, it's not like I don't enjoy it."
He chuckled against her, lips peppering kisses over her neck, before his fangs sunk in, and his arms tightened their hold on her. Thea moaned in ecstasy. There was nothing quite like it, nothing could quite compare to the feeling of him feeding from her, taking her essence into him. It connected them more, strengthened the bond between them, which was already pulsing with awareness and love.
—
The couple had gone back to the boarding house after their meal, their presence being needed there for the upcoming teacher's appearance. They were waiting for Alaric to arrive, having several questions regarding the recent emergence of a new supernatural species to ask him.
Before the man could knock, Damon had opened the door, waving him in with, "Thanks for coming, Ric. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, bourbon? Bourbon in your coffee?"
The man turned to him with a blank look, before he said, "Elena mentioned you needed my help."
"Yeah, we were hoping you could help shed some light on the Lockwood family." Answered Stefan.
Alaric sighed, asking them curiously, "Now, why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?"
Handing him a drink, Damon shrugged, "Well, you wouldn't. But your dead, not-dead vampire wife might."
Thea rolled her eyes, before slapping her boyfriend softly on the shoulder, muttering, "tact, learn it Ace." Looking at the teacher, she elaborated, "Isobel's research from when you guys were at Duke together. You said that she had spent years researching this town."
"Isobel's research here in Mystic Falls rooted in folklores and legends but at the time I thought much of which was fiction."
"Like that amazing vampire story," snarked the blue-eyed man.
Elena shot him an aggravated look, saying, "Aside from vampires, what else?"
Going quiet for a moment, the man then answered softly, "The lycanthrope."
The blood-witch laughed out loud, looking at the two vampires with a smug smile, "See, I told you it would be fucking werewolves! You guys need to trust me more."
Damon shook his head, snorting, "No way, impossible, way too Lon Chaney."
"Well, you and your brother are the embodiments of Bella Lugosi, and I'm the honest-to-god last blood-witch alive, how is it that far-fetched, Ace?" Exclaimed the witch.
"I've been on this planet one hundred and sixty some odd years, never came across one. If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?"
Before she could retort that the species was probably in hiding, Alaric interrupted her, "Why do you suspect the Lockwoods?"
The blue-eyed vampire turned to him, "Because vervain didn't affect the mayor at Founders' Day but the Gilbert device did and it affected his son Tyler."
"And at the school carnival his uncle Mason exhibited inhuman behaviour when he fought with one of the carnival's workers." Added his brother.
"Basically, it all suggests there are some supernatural shenanigans at play." Laughed the witch.
The human girl added with a convincing smile, "We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure it out what it is."
"Well, all her things are still at Duke. I mean her office is still there. She's technically still missing."
Suddenly getting excited, Damon turned to him, "So can we get access to it?" At the man's reluctant expression, he continued, "Ric, we need to know what we are dealing with. If this wolf-man thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good."
"Yep, it basically means that Mason's Lon Chaney, and Tyler's Lon Chaney Jr. Which means that Bella Lugosi, aka the two Twilight rejects over here, are in deep shit."
—
The girl had gone upstairs to pack, her boyfriend joining her a couple of minutes later. Throwing a pair of pyjamas in the bag, she was surprised when he asked, "Why are you packing those? You usually sleep in my shirts, or in nothing."
Thea giggled slightly, saying, "Well, I'm not sure what the sleeping situation is going to be, if there's even going to be one. And I don't think El or Rick are gonna be super comfortable seeing this much of me."
"Who cares?" He whined, walking towards her and removing the garments, before pulling her into him affectionately, "besides, if we have to spend the night, you're sharing with me."
The witch pressed a soft kiss against his lips, pulling away, and repacking her pyjamas obstinately. He chuckled, opening her drawer and ruffling through it, before pulling out a black see-through set. Throwing them in the bag, he murmured, "You're gonna have to model those for me later."
"Is that so?" She questioned teasingly, raising a brow.
"Mmhmm," he hummed, walking back to her and planting his hands on her ass possessively, "I'm gonna need to do a thorough inspection of their quality."
"Testing their durability?" She whispered.
"Exactly. We're gonna have to check how long they take before I rip them to shreds."
She laughed, shaking her head softly at him, "Is that what you're going to do to all my pretty lingerie? Rip it apart? Cause I may have to stop wearing it around you then."
Squeezing her butt tightly, he muttered, "Not a chance. I'll just keep buying you more."
Thea pulled away, smiling at him, before zipping her bag shut, and turning to him, "We should get going, we still have to pick El up."
He nodded, grabbing the duffle and throwing it over his shoulder, before holding his hand out with a charming grin, "Let's go then. I wanna see how quick I can annoy her before we get there."
—
Parking outside the home, Damon honked obnoxiously, informing the inhabitants that they were waiting. Putting her head outside of her window and looking at him, the witch muttered, "Maybe if you reign in the asshole-ish behaviour, we can all get there in one piece."
"What? You think Elena will kill me?" He snorted in amusement.
"No, I think I'll develop a headache, and blow both of your brains out as a consequence." She muttered back.
Her vampire threw his head back in laughter, throwing her a wink, before turning back around as the front door opened and out came Elena and Stefan.
"Sorry you can't come too, Stef." He joked to the younger man, who ignored him, turning to his girlfriend with a concerned frown, "Call me if you need anything."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't go crazy," reassured him the witch with a grin. Elena smiled at her, before dragging Stefan down into a heated kiss. The blood-witch groaned in disgust, screaming, "Stop it! This isn't the time or place to play out your porn fantasies."
Damon nodded in agreement, grimacing, before gesturing the brunette towards the open back door with a dismissive, "Alright, time to go."
They'd only been in the car for half an hour, before Damon began annoying the human girl. He turned to the girl with a smug smile, asking, "How are you doing back there?" At the brunette's lack of response, he continued, "You know, this whole pretending to hate me thing is getting a little silly."
"I don't think she's pretending. You have been a dick to her since the day she's met you." Replied Rick.
"There is a huge asterisk next to that statement: I'm not anymore. In fact I have been nothing but lovely recently."
"Yeah, thanks to your blood-bond to Thea, and the various warnings she's given you." Snarked the human, finally.
Sighing, the blood-witch pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a migraine coming on, as she interjected, "Do not involve me in this, I'm begging you."
The vampire turned to look at her, concern all of his features. She could feel it too, flying through him and into her, "You alright Angel? You look a little pale."
She gave him a small smile, answering, "I'm getting a bit of a migraine. But it's nothing major, I get them all the time."
His brows raised in question, "And I'm only hearing about that now because…?"
"Because they're just migraines? Nothing life threatening or dangerous?" She replied with a small chuckle. One that was not reciprocated.
His frown deepened, before he said, "Anything that affects you, that makes you feel even mildly uncomfortable, I want to know about."
"Why Ace? It's not like you can do anything about it. It's just a headache baby."
He raised his wrist to his mouth, biting into it, before pushing in her direction, "here, it should take the edge off."
She smiled at him, sending a flood of love and gratitude his way, before she pulled it to her mouth, drinking a couple of swallows. Pulling away, she dropped a kiss onto the healed skin, whispering a quiet, "love you," against it.
"Love you too, Angel-mine." He whispered back, smiling softly.
"Try and get some shut-eye, I'll wake you up before we get there."whispered the human beside her comfortingly. Thea nodded, before laying her head on El's shoulder and closing her eyes.
"You can say whatever it is you wanted to now, but keep it at this volume. He won't hear it." She mumbled in feigned sleepiness.
"He's so good to you," Elena whispered back, "It's like you hold all of his emotions in your hand, and he only gives you this side of him."
"It's love El, makes people different." She replied, "he's tender with me because he can't bear being harsh, makes him feel guilty. And I'm the same for the exact same reason."
"I still don't like him, but I'm really happy for you Tee."
She smiled into her friend's shoulder, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tightly, "Thanks El. It means a lot."
—
They'd arrived to the campus in one piece, walking through the building as Rick explained, "So Isobel was officially employed by the anthropology department given that most paranormal phenomenon is rooted in folklore."
Stopping in front of an office, the man peeked his head in and announced, "Excuse me, hi. I'm Alaric Saltzman, I called earlier."
A young, pretty brunette came out, and said with a smile, "Yes, of course. I'm Vanessa Monroe, research assistant, comparative folklore."
She threw a strange look at both Thea and Elena, before continuing, "Uh, let me just grab Isobel's keys."
"These are my friends Thea, Elena, and Damon. I hope this isn't too much of an imposition." Introduced Alaric, gesturing towards them.
"Oh please, Isobel's office is right through there. Isobel was one of my first professors. I'm a grad student. She was brilliant, and one of the reasons I went into folklore. Uh, I have to ask - has there been any news?"
"No, I'm afraid not."
"It's this way." She finished, opening the door behind her and gesturing them inside. As they walked in, she added, "I'll grab the light, feel free to look around. It's fascinating isn't it?"
Thea was looking around in wonder, fingers running over the various tomes on the shelves in admiration. She was in her own version of heaven, a compendium of the supernatural and the strange. Myths, legends and truths. Damon's voice brought out of her own head, as he asked, "Where'd she go?"
Suddenly, the woman reappeared at the door, a crossbow aimed directly at the blood-witch. The arrow had left its notch, but before Thea could even react, Damon had sped in front of her, taking it in the back.
The girl hissed in pain, feeling a burning on the matching location in her own back. Grabbing his face softly in her hands, she asked, "Are you okay?"
He nodded, saying in a pained voice, "I need you to take it out. I can't reach it and it hurts. Please."
Thea swallowed thickly, before wrapping her arms around him. Pressing her face in his jaw, she peppered kisses over it as she asked, "Ready? One, two…" ripping the arrow out before she could finish her countdown, she flinched along with him, feeling a bead of blood pearl down her own spine.
Resting her forehead against his, she mumbled, "I think our bond is more physical now."
"Why?" He whispered.
"Because I'm pretty sure I have a matching, but less severe wound on my own back."
Pulling away from her, he slid his hand beneath her shirt, caressing up the ridges of her spine, until he reached the already-healing wound. "Well, that's something." He muttered.
He looked back at the woman, seeing her being held against the wall by Rick, as he snarled dangerously, "I'm gonna kill her."
"Wait," interjected the witch, laying her hand over his shoulder. In the other hand, she held the arrow, only now noticing that it wasn't wooden or plastic as she'd expected, but rather iron. It had runes engraved all through its hilt, and strange red feathers at its tail.
"Are you serious Thea? She just tried to kill you!" He exclaimed angrily.
"No, I know that, but look at this arrow," she held the weapon out to him, and at his confused expression, explained, "It's iron, and those engravings? They're Celtic runes meant to protect against 'the cursed ones'. That's what my kind were called. And ancient Celts believed iron to be a repellent to the 'impure' or 'evil'. She knows what I am."
She could feel his anger multiply through the bond, pulsing between them dangerously. His eyes met hers, narrowed in threat, "well then, she'll get to see what happens to anyone who thinks of you like that."
The girl nodded with a small smile, before grabbing his hand and leading him towards the remaining three humans. As they approached, they could hear Vanessa panicking, "Please! I freaked out okay? Alright, you would have done the same thing, it's not possible! Katherine Pierce can't be alive and Damon Salvatore died in 1864. And blood-witches are cursed creatures, they spread death wherever they go! Okay? I read Isobel's research."
"Well, then you should know just how possible this is." Retorted the teacher in a low tone, continuing, "And Thea's anything but cursed. I'd watch what you say around or about her."
The brunette human stepped forward, saying in a soft, soothing tone, "I'm Elena Gilbert, Isobel's daughter and a descendant of Katherine Pierce. And these are Thea Montgomery, the blood-witch you just tried to shoot, and Damon Salvatore, her blood-bonded who took the arrow instead."
The man in question stepped up to her menacingly, saying, "I'd be extra nice to me right now."
Elena interjected, before he could continue scaring the assistant, "Look, we need your help okay? We need to see all of Isobel's research, anything related to Mystic Falls."
"And anything related to blood-witches and blood-bonds while you're at it. I'm curious to know what sources you used to determine that an entire species was 'cursed'" added Thea, walking up with her own threatening smirk tugging at her lips.
The woman nodded hesitantly, a slightly frightened expression on her face, before she began compiling the requested information.
—
Vanessa came up with a single box, depositing it in front of Elena, saying, "This box checks Katherine's arrival to Mystic Falls in April 1864."
The human girl looked at in disappointment, before asking, "Is that all there is about her?"
"All that I'm aware of."
At her friend's despondent look, the blood-witch pipes up, "She's smart El. Would've learned to cover her tracks incredibly well centuries ago. Nothing in here is old enough to trace her life back, unless there's a genealogy book hidden in there, somewhere."
Thea turned back to the woman, raising a brow, "Where's the stuff I asked you for? Blood-witches and the like?"
The woman gestured the the shelf behind her, before pulling out two books, incredibly old and incredibly heavy. Thea gasped, as she explained, "These are the only two resources we had, they're from the—"
"Celtic Iron Age. They're written in Elder Futhrak runes, fully." Interrupted the witch, in awe. Looking back at the woman, she asked in a scandalised tone, "Did you guys steal these from a museum?! There's no way in hell Isobel got these from a garage sale."
Vanessa raised her hands in innocence, fumbling with her words, "I…I don't know. I never asked." Sensing that the witch wanted to be left alone, she walked back towards Elena quietly.
Damon came over to her, looking down at the tomes, before staring at her with a raised brow, "If you tell me you're fluent in…whatever the hell this is, I'm calling MIT immediately."
Laughing, she shook her head, "It's no longer a spoken language, so I can't technically be fluent in it. But most witches are taught to have a basic understand of the runic alphabet, at least the Anglo-Saxon one, since they're at the basis of most written rituals. These are about three centuries older, but I'm pretty sure there's enough resemblance for me to grasp onto the overall meaning. Process of elimination should take care of the rest."
He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, before whispering, "Good luck baby, let me know what you find."
Smiling, she nodded, too invested in deciphering the texts to answer him. As she suspected, there were multiple rune she recognised, having been the precursors to the mid-century Anglo-Saxon Futhorc ones she'd been taught. And it wasn't particularly difficult to understand runic languages, once the topic was known, the rest of the images tended to make more sense.
It would take her time to fully decode them, she knew that, especially if they were Scandinavian or Norse in origin as she suspected, but she took a seat on the floor regardless, and pulled out a leather-bound notebook and pencil from her bag. If she wanted to have a starting point, then there would be no better time to begin than now.
—
Rick's voice snapped her out of her concentration, as he said, "Hey guys, check this out." Looking his way, the blood-witch closed her notebook, and gathered the tomes in her arms. She'd be taking them home with her, whether Vanessa agreed or not.
Coming to a stop next to her friends, they all turned to the assistant who explained, "There's no record of werewolf mythology in Mystic Falls, but here are some records of some of the lesser-known legends. Everything from Scandinavian skin-walkers to the Maréchal de Retz."
Opening a book, she pointed to a specific paragraph, continuing, "Tonartsliitsii Metslii, which roughly translates into the "curse of the sun and the moon".
"It's Native American." Added Rick.
"Nahuatl, actually. It was the official scripture language for the Aztec Empire." Corrected Thea with a smile. At her companion's surprised looks, the girl huffed in mild exasperation, "I still find it offensive that y'all seem so surprised that I'm smart." Turning to the assistant, she gestured for her to continue.
"It explains one origin of the werewolf curse traced through Virginia. The short story: 600 years ago, the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires. They terrorised the countryside, made farming and hunting impossible until an Aztec shaman cursed them, making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves servants of the moon. As a result, vampires could only prowl at night and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon crests in the sky, who's ever unlucky enough to fall under the werewolf curse turns into a wolf."
At her words, the blood-witch turned a victorious smile to her boyfriend. Seemed she'd been correct all along after all, though in all of the literature she'd encountered, she'd never come across this particular curse. If anything, it sounded slightly fake to her.
Damon narrowed his eyes slightly, asking, "Can they control the transformation?"
"Nothing that's referred to as a 'curse' ever involves a choice love," answered Thea. When the others looked at her, she sighed and continued, "Vanessa can correct me if I'm wrong here, but based on what I recall from the legends, werewolves will attack humans but instinct and centuries of rivalry have hardwired them to hunt their prey of choice; vampires."
The assistant nodded her approval at the words, as Damon argued, "Well, if werewolves were hunting vampires, I would know about it."
"You didn't know blood-witches existed either, and that's because we were hunted to extinction. They probably went into hiding after facing the same problem." Countered the witch sadly.
"But, why would they do that?" Questioned Elena softly.
"To protect themselves. Legend has it that a werewolf bite is fatal to vampires." Answered Vanessa.
At her words, concern flooded through the young witch, and she reached over and grabbed Damon's hand tightly. If the werewolf's bite was fatal to him, then she wouldn't let him near one. Not even over her dead, rotting body.
—
They were gathering their things, prepared to leave, when Elena reached into a box and pulled out a picture of Katherine. Turning to look at the witch, she asked, "I never thought to ask you, but what do you know about doppelgängers?"
Thea grimaced slightly, "They're a fairly rare phenomenon, but typically, they're a living, breathing shadow of one's self."
"But how does that explain the link between Katherine and I?"
"It would be traced at the beginning of your matriarchal line. Something magical probably happened, upset the balance of nature, and it involved the originator. I'd assume her blood would have been used for some spell or ritual. To counter-balance this, nature would have ensured that the same blood, in all of its properties, would occur again, therefore enabling the creation of doppelgängers." Thea sighed, before continuing, "It's really all conjecture, because I don't know who originated your line, or what even happened at the time, but doppelgängers are called 'shadow selves' for a reason. They try to undo each other's lives, wreak havoc onto their other selves."
The human girl shook her head sadly, before shrugging, "Well, at least I have an idea of why we look alike."
"It's a real head-scratcher, isn't it?" Stated the blue-eyed vampire, walking over to the two girls and wrapping his arm around Thea's waist.
Elena looked at him with aggravation, saying, "Do you know something, or are you just being yourself?"
He shrugged casually, "Well, if I know anything, I'm not gonna tell you, not with that attitude."
The girl's eyes narrowed angrily, "That's good, Damon, and this is coming from someone who wants to be my friend, but you know what? Friends don't manipulate friends, they help each other." Before she turned on her heels and left.
Looking at her boyfriend, Thea raised her brows in question, wanting to know what this whole thing had been about, and he sighed, saying, "I've been trying to make amends, sort of. It's not working."
Giggling slightly, she pressed a kiss to his cheek, retorting, "Maybe it'll take some time, but you've got me."
"It's all I need."
—
They'd arrived back to the Gilbert Household. Currently, Thea was standing on the front porch, flanked by both Damon and Elena. Earlier, before they'd left, the vampire had given the brunette a book titled 'Petrova', which was apparently the exact genealogy manuscript the witch had referenced earlier.
"Road trips work well for us." He announced with a smile.
"This doesn't mean I like you anymore now, Damon." Muttered the brunette in answer.
"Oh come on," he whined, "You know I chipped a little bit off of your wall of hatred."
"I need to know the truth, if you hadn't met Thea, if you two didn't have that connection, would you still have been an asshole towards me?"
Damon sighed, before drawing the mentioned girl against him, back to his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist, and feeling the slight sadness emanating from him, she held onto them, before answering the girl herself, "Does it matter, El? He met me, we're bonded. We would have been regardless of anything. Thinking of the 'what ifs', especially ones as nonsensical as that, is useless."
Elena nodded once, before saying, "Thank you for being honest with me and the answer to your earlier question, about our friendship is yes. You have lost me forever."
He tensed behind her, a minute wave of anger coming from him, before he asked, "But you knew that already, didn't you? You used me today."
"You had information about Katherine that I needed to know."
At those words, Thea felt her eyes flash crimson, and noticing it, the human girl's widened in surprise. The blood-witch shut them, breathing deeply to get her protective instincts under control. She could feel Damon's arms tighten around her, could feel him sending her reassurance and love through their bond.
Breathing once more, she opened them, before looking at her friend in disappointment, "You know, that's incredibly manipulative. And here I thought you didn't want to be Katherine." Grabbing onto her boyfriend's hand, she tilted her head to look at him, asking, "Shall we head home? I'm exhausted."
Damon nodded, pulling her up into his arms and smiling at the giggle she released. Leaning his face closer to hers, he whispered, "I love you," before sealing his words with a kiss.