"Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love.
It did not end well."

-Laini Taylor-

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White gauzy curtains blew away with the wind that filtered through the open double doors leading to the balcony. The night was quiet and the moon was big and round up in the sky, a yellow lantern casting an almost ethereal glow on every surface.

"I wish we could stay here forever" She whispered as she snuggled closer into his body, her voice a barely audible whisper over the sing of the cicadas outside their window.

His lips widened in one of his rare kind smiles "I wish I had the power to make all of your dreams come true" He kissed the top of her head as his fingers ghosted over the skin of her naked back,

"I had a dream last night," She said at the same time her eyes closed under the peaceful pleasure of his fingers on her bare skin.

A suggestive sound slipped past his lips "What kind of dream?" He asked before nudging his leg against the still damp place between her legs.

Elena laughed and moved her pelvis away from him, the white silk sheets that were tangled around her legs moved with her, leaving him completely bare to her gaze "Not that kind of dream" She answered before allowing her eyes to wander a couple of seconds over his naked form.

His lips widened in another smile as he propped himself on one elbow, completely unabashed at his nude state "What kind of dream then? Tell me about it"

Her cheeks colored in embarrassment, her fingers going to trace the hundreds of silver scars that were scattered around his torso "It was more of a memory" She answered absently as she allowed her fingers to lose themselves in the mysterious map that was Damon's Salvatore body.

"It was about that time when the chauffer lost me"

He groaned and stopped her finger's movement "Don't even remind me" He said before taking her hand to his lips and kissing each finger softly "I died a thousand deaths that day"

Her eyes stared up at him, pure devotion shining in the hazel orbs "I got out of school early and decided to go with a friend to her house, I was thirteen" She started retelling the story as if he somehow could have forgotten that fateful day "When the chauffeur came he couldn't find me and called you straight away" A small laugh left her lips "Not father, he called you. My seventeen-year-old stepbrother"

His hands reached to her waist and pulled her body closer to his, his legs tangling around hers as his hands settled on her lower back "Why do you want to remind me of this?"

"You were mad with worry by the time you found me" She murmured against his chest, "You said you were going to kill him but I begged you not" Her lips found the hollow of his throat and she placed a gentle kiss in it "You listened to me"

"Have I ever not?"

"I could think of a few times"

"Hush"

Elena's lips traced the skin of his throat until she reached his jaw "I was dreaming about that day last night, about how tight you held me and how you peppered my face with kisses" She said as she mimicked the actions described on her words, Damon's eyes closed at the feel of her lips on the scarred side of his face "You've always been my hero, always"

"Always will be"

His hand wandered down from her waist towards her backside, his fingers dipping into the creamy flesh and forcing her closer into his wanting heat "I want to keep you locked away in this place forever" He confessed "Where nothing can hurt you and no one can take me away from you"

Her mouth parted in a silent gasp as she felt him slipping inside her once again, Damon had taken ownership over her body over and over again during the time they had shared in Colombia but each time Elena still felt it like the first time, she was still unable to believe she was finally free to be loved by him.

"No one will ever take you away from me" She vowed as a steady rhythm was found between them, their laborious breathing overshadowing the lousy cicadas on the balcony "I won't let them"

Damon buried his face on her neck, his hands filling with her breasts as his hips moved against hers over and over again "Promise me" His strangled voice whispered against the skin of her neck, the vibration of it making shivers dance through her whole body.

"I promise"

A high pitched scream tore out of her throat when her climax surprised her, toes curling and limbs shaking as the explosion ravaged her. His body slumping over hers after his pleasure had taken hold of him "I don't want to leave" She voiced her thoughts again as she felt him going completely soft inside her.

Damon moved to pull away but she locked him in place with her legs "Not yet" She said "Let me savor this moment a bit more" He sighed and remained locked inside her, his lips kissing the side of her neck and allowing exhaustion to take him.

Elena stroked his back as she felt him going lax against her, mere seconds passed before his breath evened out and she knew he was fast asleep. She wanted to freeze that moment forever, to remain with him inside that cocooned space they had created for themselves in that tropical paradise and never leave.

A dreading feeling was settling in her stomach and no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, it refused to go away. A storm was brewing outside their windows and she wanted to delay it as much as she could, she had finally gotten Damon and she didn't want anything to take him away from her.

She would fight the devil himself if he dared to part him from her.

She stared at him from across her seat in the private plane they were taking back to the states. The feeling of unease that had settled into her stomach over the last couple of hours spread as she watched his furrowed brow as his fingers moved with expertise over the cellphone in his hand.

Damon had been receiving texts and excusing himself to speak on the phone that morning more than he usually did and Elena couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was lurking around the corner. Things had evolved between then in the last couple of days but she wasn't dumb enough to believe he would suddenly open up to her about things he had wanted her oblivious to, but she dared to hope.

Elena wanted nothing more than to crack open the enigma that was Damon Salvatore and for him to allow her to known the deepest parts of his soul, it was only fair since he knew her the deepest parts of her.

"Something is wrong" She didn't realize the words had been spoken aloud until his eyes abandoned the phone in his hand and went to hers.

"Sorry?" His hand placed the device face down on his seat "What do you mean?" He unbuttoned the strap on his seatbelt and stood up to head in her direction.

"Who's been calling you?" She asked bluntly, not wanting to tiptoe around the matter anymore. She saw something shift in Damon's expression, the softness, and openness that had been there the entirety of their time in Colombia overshadowed by a coldness so deep it made her flinch in response.

"That is not of your business"

She sucked in a breath before swiftly unbuttoning her seatbelt and moving to stand, a hand on her arm stopped her from doing so "I am sorry" She looked at him and saw the regret etched into his face but it wasn't enough to calm the anger growing in her.

"I won't do this Damon," Elena said as she eased back in her seat again "I won't have you lashing out at me and becoming this iceman whenever you please"

"Elena—"

"I want Damon, not The Reaper"

Now it was his time to suck in a breath, his startled eyes stared back at her and she realized it was the first time she directed herself to him by the name the people in the organization had given him.

"And I know he and you are two separate entities"

"Are they?"

Unable to stop herself she moved her hand until It was cupping the right side of his face "Of course they are" She told him and watched in awe as his eyes closed and he leaned into her touch "They've been all along"

Damon took a deep breath and allowed his forehead to drop into hers "I want to tell you everything Len, and I will but not right now. It is not safe, not until everything is set into motion"

Elena breathed into his comforting and familiar scent and felt the previous anger melting inside her "What is going to be set into motion Damon? You're scaring me"

He shook his head before nuzzling his nose into hers "You don't need to be afraid mi Bonita (my pretty girl) I will protect you always but I need you to trust me on this, can you do that Elena? Can you trust that I will share everything with you when the time is right?"

She wanted to protest, wanted to throw a tantrum and demand answers at the moment but knew it would be no use, she had to seize what was given to her which was more than he had been willing to compromise before, so she breathed in his scent once again and told herself she trusted no one else in this world more than she did Damon.

"I can do that" She answered before she felt his lips settling over her with a calming softness, a mere ghost of his skin against hers but that encompassed a million words that couldn't be uttered.

He pulled away from her mouth and fastened her seatbelt once again before doing it with himself as well, his cellphone forgotten on the seat across from them "How about we entertain ourselves with a movie?"

Elena smiled at him before dropping her head on his shoulder and letting him choose which flick would be their companion through the rest of their trip. The impending return to the states was looming over them and she wanted nothing more than to stay in that moment forever.

The sun was bright in the sky when they landed back in New York City, despite this, a chilly wind swept through her skin as she stepped outside the airport into the sleek black car that was waiting for them.

Elena tightened around her body the thin blazer she had brought with her as she settled into the leather seat of the car, Damon exchanged a few words with the driver before putting the partition on and huddling next to her.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" He asked as he laced their hands together, Elena stared with a certain awe at the way their fingers interlaced with each other.

A part of her had been certain Damon was going to withdraw from her the minute they landed back in the states but he hadn't and thought she didn't want it she couldn't diminish the burning hope that flared in her chest.

Now that they had returned she was due to a small visit to her career coordinator to discuss her absence of the previous days, it was the last thing she wanted because she believed that going back to school would somehow burst the bubble she and Damon had created around themselves and she wanted nothing more than to enjoy that blissfully peace for a little longer.

She released a nonchalant laugh in hopes he couldn't see the distress it provoked in her to part ways with him "You just want to scare off my classmates"

He snickered and buried his face in her neck "You bet"

"I'll be fine, and I know you have things to do" The minute she said the words she regretted them. His face got somber and it was like all of the ghosts that haunted him had entered into the enclosed space with them.

In a feeble attempt to erase the last couple of seconds she took one of her hands towards his face and tipped his chin up to her "Will I see you later though? Back at my place?"

The shadows that had covered his face earlier vanished and something in his expression softened "Actually, there's somewhere else I want to take you" He said before once again taking his head to her neck and nipping tenderly at the skin in there "But I will pick you up at your apartment, prepare an overnight bag"

Elena closed her eyes with a sigh as she allowed herself to be enveloped in the smell and feel of him "Okay, now I am excited" She told him, she wanted nothing more than to be tangled in white sheets with him once again.

"That's what I was hoping for," He said before raising his head and pecking her lips softly.

Elena smiled up at him and caressed his bottom lip with her thumb "I love you" She whispered knowing she wouldn't get a response from him so she wasn't surprised when he took her in his arms and kissed the breath out of her.

Damon had never been a man of words; he was a man of actions.

After a long and tiring talk with her advisor about her workload and schedule, Elena stepped out of the building wanting nothing more than a glass of wine and curl herself around Damon on her couch.

Dusk had started settling in and the slightly chilly wind had turned into a frostbite caress as she stepped into the bustling streets of the city. No matter how hard she fought Damon on the subject he had been relentless at her going back home in a cab or the subway so he had posted a driver, something her father had failed on before, Damon had succeeded.

Elena typed a quick text to Enzo, the man Damon had assigned to guard her and waited on the sidewalk for the sleek black car. As she stood there with the lights of the buildings shining on her she felt a pair of eyes following her every move.

It was a feeling unlike anything she ever had before, the hairs at the back of her neck stood up as a chill that had nothing to do with the weather ran down her back. Her hazel eyes scanned frantically at the people around her but she saw nothing out of the ordinary, only hurried people walking by in an attempt to get to their homes.

Her fingers moved quickly over her phone as she fired another text to Enzo, the feeling of unease had spread quickly over her body and she wanted nothing more than to be inside her home, warm and safe.

She saw the sleek black car at the distance and recognized Enzo in the driver seat, in her haste to get to him she managed to bump into someone "I'm sorry" She whispered as her eyes met with a pair of clear brown eyes.

"It's okay" The man answered in a heavily English accent. He was wearing a dark grey suit and had light brown hair, he looked refined and quite handsome, yet there was something in his stare that unnerved her

She gave him a small smile and moved to walk past him but a hand on her elbow stopped her "You should be more careful, there are dangerous people in the streets these days" He said cryptically as his suddenly cold eyes focused on something behind her.

The blood drained out of her face as the same feeling of minutes earlier invaded her "I—uh, thanks" She said hastily before scurrying past him.

"See you around, Elena"

Her stomach dropped at the sound of her name, she hurried her step and was inside of the black car in no time. The familiar scent Damon's cologne had left behind in the leather seats filled her as she settled back, her heart beating a mile a minute.

Her gaze collided with Enzo's in the rear-view mirror "You were speaking with someone" He stated and Elena saw coldness seething from his dark eyes.

"I don't know who he was" She whispered as she fidgeted with her phone "Someone was watching me"

Enzo nodded and moved his gaze back to the road in front of them, Elena leaned her head back in her seat in resignation knowing that was the only response she was going to get from the eerily quiet man.

Her phone pinged in her hand and she lowered her eyes to see a text from Damon "You okay?" He asked and Elena didn't even have to wonder how long it had taken Enzo to let him know what had happened.

"I just want to be with you" She texted back

"We'll be together soon"

She read the words and closed her eyes as she repeated them in her head, she didn't need to be afraid, Damon was her protector and he would never let anything or anyone harm her.