Hey!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter; please forgive me for any typos. This Damon has been quite controversial I see but what can I say I do love dark characters, hell, show Damon was pretty dark. I do love to read everything you have to say about this story so feel free to leave a review once you're done.

I hope everyone is safe and taking the necessary precautions given the health issue we're facing all over the world.

"Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life"

-Hozier-

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Her hands moved swiftly over the long blonde locks of the girl in front of her, the clean strawberry smelling tendrils of hair reflected the light from the bulb in the ceiling in the way Elena imagined the sun would have made, but there was no sun where they were.

Three days had passed since Damon locked them inside the Salvatore warehouse, but Elena felt like it had been months instead of days. She was going crazy in the solitude of the rusty smelling place, she couldn't bear to be another minute alone with her thoughts, with the nightmares that haunted her and rendered unable to move.

Elena couldn't stop hearing Katherine's voice in her head, her words retelling the story of the tragedy that had marred her life, of the nightmare her father had made her life. She tried to conjure the monster of that story with the one she remembered from her infancy, tried to regain something from her memories that would allow her to defend him, to be certain what they were saying was a lie but she couldn't.

Because all she could remember was the man he became after her mother passed away when the mask slipped away and he was revealed to her. The man who made Damon kill his dog, who broke Stefan's nose when he was nine, the man who was going to allow a grown man touch her when she was only a child.

The memory had come swift and sudden to her the night before, an unwanted visitant crawling back to its surface as she lay awake in her bed. She remembered the man's face, the same man she had seen back in her father's study not long ago, she remembered his hand on her small ankle and the fear that overwhelmed her when he squeezed her, she also remembered Damon's arrival and the gun he aimed at her father's head. Elena remained still on the bed all night wondering how it was possible for her to forget, to bury that unwelcome memory on the bottom of her brain.

Caroline's tired heavy sigh snapped Elena from the unwanted memory back to the present, where her hands moved expertly the silver-colored brush through the blonde's locks. "Do you feel better?" She asked, Damon had finally allowed her to visit Caroline today, the blonde was recently showered and without circles in her eyes when Elena walked inside her room, yet the worry and fear overwhelmed her expression making her look much older than she was.

At the silence she got from her question Elena felt her stomach drop, a nasty feeling crawling up her throat "Have they—has anyone hurt you?"

The blonde shook her head "Not really" She said, Elena could see her fingers fidgeting with a string of fabric that had come loose in the coral track pants she was wearing "Stefan has been kind to me, I don't understand"

Elena's fingers abandoned the brush and started treading the blonde's hair in a braid "He cares for you" the words felt like ash in her mouth, a part of her believed them and another just wanted to reassure Caroline everything was going to be all right, Damon had promised no harm would come to the blonde and she had chosen to believe him.

"I don't think that's true," She said, her voice raspy from the hours of crying Elena guessed "How can you endure it? Living like this"

Elena though back at this and wondered briefly how it would look to someone on the outside, the choice of living inside a world of fear and luxury, a contradiction of all sorts. But the choice hadn't been hers, no one ever asked her if she wanted to remain in that family, people had decided for her a long time ago and they kept on doing it. Her father had made her believe she could free herself but it had been nothing but lies, a mirage of the life she desired.

"I wasn't given much of a choice"

"I couldn't," Said the blonde, disdain laced on her words "I could live with myself if I knew… the things they do"

Elena sighed as she tightened the end of the braid with an elastic "It's not black and white Caroline" The brunet abandoned her place behind the other girl and circled the bed until she was standing in front of it, her back resting against the wall "People from the outside could never understand. We are born in the middle of it, getting out is never an option, especially for people like Stefan and Damon, who were groomed to be who they are"

Elena didn't want to defend her step-brothers, not after the way they had treated her and Caroline but she couldn't stop herself before the words left her mouth because she believed in them, because she had seen how being part of that world had broken Damon. Because she noticed how Stefan started changing when he started spending more time with her father and the way Damon retreated into himself every time he came back home with blood in his hands.

As it often happened in life, Stefan and Damon had been born victims and their circumstances had made them victimizers, and the fact she saw all of that happen was the reason she could never hate them, not really.

"But we are born with free will Elena, we choose if we want to be good or bad"

Elena released a humorless laugh "Free will means nothing when you are the heir to a criminal empire" She muttered "When you grow up under men like my father who— there is no way out for us, only death" Elena looked at the terror and confusion on the blonde's face and felt a stab of sympathy "I am not saying they are victims or pretending to excuse their behaviors but you must understand… they've seen nothing but blood and violence, that's what they deem as normal"

Elena herself even though not groomed to be a criminal like her step-brothers had become jaded little by little by the actions around her, by the violence and terror that being born into the criminal world brought.

"I can't imagine living like that…" Caroline voiced, her eyes hardening and clouding with something resembling hatred "I would have killed myself"

An unusual smirk appeared on Elena's face "No you wouldn't. You would be used to it" She said as she straightened up and abandoned her place against the wall "You would have steeled your back to survive. The world is a jungle Caroline and only the strongest can survive"

After leaving Caroline's room Elena decided to head in direction of Damon's office, she knew he was alone in there because she heard Stefan stepping out moments earlier, feet stumping the ground the way they did whenever he was angry about something, she couldn't stop from wondering what had been the latest disagreement between the brothers.

Caroline's hopeless eyes swirled in her mind as she stood outside Damon's door, she had reassured the blonde girl the brothers didn't intend to kill her but she wasn't entirely convinced, Damon had become completely unpredictable for her in the last couple of days.

After taking a long breath she pushed open the big oak door and found him sitting behind his desk, eyes fixed on a stack of scattered papers on the wooden surface and a tumbler filled with amber liquid on his hand.

She stepped inside and closed the door behind her with a harsh bang, his eyes lifting towards her for a second before his attention went back to the contents scattered on his desk. Elena clenched her teeth at the irritating nonchalance he portrayed.

She cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest as she went to stand exactly in front of his desk, her thighs making contact with the cold wood of the desk "What do you plan to do with her?

His eyes moved away from the papers in front of him, his eyes seeming to strip her from the yellow summer dress she was wearing, against her better judgment she found herself blushing underneath his scorching stare

He leaned back on his black leather chair "Excuse me?

Elena steeled her back and looked down at him trying to appear as cool and collected as possible, wanting to convince herself she wasn't worried by the hollowness of his cheekbones and the dark circles underneath his eyes.

"Caroline, are you going to kill her?"

Damon released a tired sigh "No, Elena. Stefan loves her"

She nodded in response and moved towards one of the chairs in front of his desk, she wondered if perhaps it was the easiest way out, a way to relieve her conscience but she chose to believe Damon that Stefan truly loved the blonde girl.

"Then what?" She said as she slowly lowered herself into one of the chairs.

Damon gave her a hard glance, his posture changing as he leaned over the desk, fingers lacing as he rested them on top of the wood "We need her because we need her mother working with us"

A hysterical laugh climbed up her throat at the absurdity of his response "What makes you think her mother is going to cooperate? Especially now that you abducted her daughter" Laugher escaped her lips again at the harshness of Damon's expression "It seems to be you didn't think your plan through"

His jaw clenched to the point she could almost hear his teeth clashing against each other "This wasn't the plan Elena" He hissed, a storm brewing behind his blue eyes "Things took a surprise turn so the plan had to change. The man Caroline was talking when Stefan got her? The friend of her mother's, his name is Markos and he works for John, they were going to take blondie and do God knows what things to her so if you ask me she got the better end of the deal"

Elena's blood ran cold as flashes of the man her father had left her with when she was only a child assaulted her mind suddenly for some reason, the idea of Caroline in the hands of someone as twisted as the men her father associated with was unbearable to her.

Her gaze abandoned his, her mind settling on the fancy drinking cart at the other side of the table, the piece of furniture resulted jarring in contrast with the otherwise bare and decadent decoration of the room. She abandoned her chair and took a couple of steps that separated her from what she guessed was Damon's favorite part of the room, she grabbed a glass and a bottle of gin, her attention was on the drink she was making but her words were directed straight to her step-brother "Are you going to kill me?"

The sound of the ice clinking in the glass resonated in the emptiness of the room; she didn't dare to lift her eyes but sensed him standing up from his chair "You know the answer to that Elena" His words reached her seconds before she filled herself with the courage to raise her eyes towards him "You know I'll never hurt you"

She shook her head before she dawned the entire drink she had spent seconds preparing "No I don't!" She shrieked, her hands slamming the now empty glass against the expensive wood "Because I don't even know who you are anymore"

Damon's face hardened, his posture stiffened as he stroke towards her "You've always known who I am pretty girl; don't try to pretend you don't" He said "You've always known what I am capable of and you went into my bed all the same"

Her cheeks colored with rosy shame, embarrassment filled her as she remembered how she had thrown herself at him countless of times. He was right, she had done it despite knowing what he did, who he was, and she had desired him all the same. She had loved him despite who he was, just like she did now and she hated to think what that said about her.

"I always thought you would protect me" Her whisper was strained, a lonely echo in the hollowness that existed between them.

Damon's nostrils flared; his face crumbling as he moved to stand nose to nose with her "And I am not doing it?" He hissed, eyes sparkling with outrage and regret, emotions swirling in the black pools his eyes had become "Haven't I kept you safe since the moment you looked up at me with those wide scared eyes so many years ago?" His voice cracked at the last sentence and Elena felt something squeeze inside her chest, her eyes seeing that little boy with the marred face and the clear eyes who held her hand "Doesn't occur to you this is the only way I know how—how to keep you safe"

A vulnerability Elena hadn't seen before clouded his features, the vision so raw that managed to break something inside her when she believed there was nothing else to break "What is wrong with me?" She whispered seconds before she took his face between her hands, her fingers tracing the scars on his skin with gentleness "Why can't I let you go?"

Tears spilled from her eyes as she stared at him, at the man who had shown her so much pain and so much love, the man she would follow to the end of the world

Damon leaned into her touch, his body seeking the tenderness only she had shown him "Because you and I, we have something Elena" He told her, his eyes burning alive with the bright blue she loved so much, long gone was the darkness that clouded them minutes earlier "We've always been the same, one soul in two different bodies" His body moved closer to hers, his lips seeking hers and resting just a few millimeters apart "You are the light and I am the darkness, always one and the same"

Elena released a breathless moan "Damon…" The words swirled against his lips minutes before he touched hers briefly "Let me love you, Bonita" He said against her mouth "Let me show you"

Her hands lost themselves in his hair as she allowed him complete control of her mouth, tongues melting against each other as his hands wandered over the length of her body, a body he had grown to know as well as his own.

Elena moaned softly into his mouth, her body molding into his, permitting him to do with her as he pleased. The blood pumped into her veins with frenzy at the feel of his hands on her skin, of his mouth seeking hers, Elena was addicted to the feeling being with him evoked in her, to the passion and the love, to the rawness of their relationship, to the complete abandon she felt whenever she was with him.

Her back found the old-looking couch without her realizing it, her legs parting for him, his body settling into her as his mouth continued to devour her, asking for forgiveness and remarking his ownership, giving and taking as he always did.

Elena found the waistband of his pants and wasted no time in freeing him, the urge to feel him against her overwhelming her completely, it had been so long, so long since she felt him moving inside her and she craved the completeness she managed to feel only when he was within her.

"Damon…" She gasped into his mouth as his fingers found the place between her legs, the slickness of her desire coating him completely, her thighs damp with the proof of her need for him.

"You are so precious" He murmured in awe as he watched her lower the straps of her sundress, the yellow fabric sliding down until it exposed the pair of rosy peeks to his hungry gaze "So, so precious" He murmured to himself before he lowered his head towards her chest, his face resting in between her breast as he pressed wet kisses to the center of it.

Elena moved against him, urging him to take her into his mouth, her legs tightening around him as she felt him slide two fingers into her "I need you" She murmured before she felt his tongue flicking one rosy nipple with his tongue, every nerve ending in her body came alive at this touch.

Her loud moans echoed in the otherwise silent room, her heated skin prickling with every new sensation he provoked in her, Elena had never felt more alive than she did when he was touching her.

Damon's head lifted from her chest and the devilish grin he gifted her was enough to set ablaze the blood in her veins, his fingers curved inside her as he abandoned his position on top of her and moved so his head was now at level with the place of her desire.

Elena threw her head back and bit her lip to the point of blood when she felt him flicker his tongue against her dampness, her stomach coiled with tension as his mouth explored her, toes curling in pleasure as her legs went to rest above his shoulders. Her hands twisted the fabric of her dress as she tried to regain control of her senses, something great was building inside her and she feared the crash would devastate her.

"Damon!" She gasped as she felt another finger inside; the wet sound of his mouth on hers was a vulgar sound that felt like music to her ears "Please!" She felt him smirk against her heated flesh, his finger finding that spot only him had managed to claim as his tongue sucked in the small nub into her mouth, then a kaleidoscope of colors exploded behind her eyelids, her back arching as she gasped for air, the pleasure overwhelming her and making her body tremble in delight.

She was still riding the high when she felt him sink into her, her eyes opening in a sudden move to find him above her, his open shirt allowed her to see the slickness of the sweat that coated his chest, her hands frenzied as they reached for him, tracing each indent she found in his skin.

"Kiss me" She demanded and watched in awe as he lowered his face towards her, her legs securing themselves around his waist, pushing him deeper into her, wanting him to melt inside her and never come out.

His mouth found hers and their lips joined in a carnal battle, tongues, and teeth meet each other as the passion between them escalated, Elena could feel him shudder against her, his movements erratic as he neared the explosion that waited for him.

His hand moved to touch the place between her legs once again, Elena hissed in pleasure as his expert movements took her to a place she only went with him. Her lips abandoned his mouth and moved towards the scars on his face, the skin tender and raw at her touch. She kissed him there and his groan of pleasure traveled straight to her core, her nails digging into his backside and urging him to go faster, their groins joined as her second orgasm approached.

Elena would never give up this, the passion that only with Damon she could find. The pleasure was to give herself to someone completely, in a way she had only done with him. He was right; they had always been the same, twin flames doing a dangerous dance, light and dark meeting each other.

They came together like they always did. Mouths meeting again as they exploded together, her legs secured around him and stopping from moving, locking him to her as the waves of their pleasure subsided.

Elena didn't care if the whole warehouse had heard their coupling, she didn't care about what he had done to her day earlier, she didn't care about anything but the fact she was happier in his arms than anywhere else. So she didn't protest when he took her into his arms and fixed the upper part of her dress, she snuggled into him as he walked outside the office room and took her back the room she had woken up days earlier.

She didn't protest either when she felt him stripping her from her dress and cleaning the mess they had made between her legs; she closed her eyes and breathed in the clean-smelling scent of the pillows before she felt him climbing into the bed with her.

"I love you" He murmured, his lips finding her neck and placing small butterfly kisses to the length of it, she purred softly and snuggled into him, his arms around her waist as she allowed his touch to vanquish the nightmares that chased her.

Her head was pressed against his chest, the steady thump of his heart a calming balm to her ears. His fingers traced random patterns on the skin of her back, his touch cold to her heated skin

"Was your father different? From John, I mean. You never speak of him" The inquiry came without her realizing it, a slip of her tongue voicing the question that had swirled around in her head on more than one occasion.

Damon released a humorless chuckle, the sound reverberating in his chest "My father was weak man Elena" He said simply "He found out my mother and your father were having an affair and his whole world came tumbling down, she was everything to him, everything and once she was gone he found nothing else to fight for" His arms tightened around her form, Elena could feel the waves of anger rolling off him as he spoke about his father "Zack was always meant to lead the Salvatore family, Giuseppe was too much of a coward, killed himself because his wife was a whore"

She remained silent for a while, trying to assimilate the meaning behind his words. A part of Elena had always known her father had been unfaithful to her mother but there was a small piece of her who wished for her dreams to be true, for the father she often imagined in her head from the days her mother lived to be true and not just some fragment her imagination twisted to keep her sane.

"I didn't know… why he did it" She confessed, while the nature of Giuseppe's death was never a secret in their household she never imagined her father had been the main cause of the other man's actions "I always refused to believe it you know? That my father had cheated on my mom with yours, the staff always gossiped about it and I never wanted to ask you because…" Her voice trailed off, her fingers splaying over his stomach, feeling it twitch underneath them "Isabella wasn't so bad and I didn't want— I didn't want the notion of my father being different before mom died to be destroyed, I wanted to believe there was at least something good in him"

Damon cursed underneath his breath "Fuck, I am sorry. I thought—"

"No, don't' be" Her head moved so her chin was now the one resting on his chest, her chocolate eyes starting up at him from underneath her lashes "Do you miss him? Your father"

"No"

His response was swift and firm but Elena knew better than to believe him, there was a spark of vulnerability in his eyes whenever he spoke about his father that he always tried to hide, it pained her, the realization that Damon had lived his entire life hiding himself from the world "Damon…"

He sighed tiredly, one of his hands abandoning her skin and going to touch the disfigured side of his face "He's the reason I got this—he's the reason why we left Italy, why…"

"Why you met John? Why you met me?"

"Len…"

Elena couldn't stop the tears from filling her eyes as the question that had haunted her the night before came back to her "What would have become of me if you hadn't arrived into my life" She told him "I did that question to myself yesterday and It paralyzed me" She confessed "I don't want to ever imagine it"

Damon's eyes closed as if in pain, the hand that had rested on his face went to hers, his thumb stroking her bottom lip with gentleness "I love you Elena" He told her "I know It is hard to believe after everything but I do love you"

Elena released a shaky breath, allowing the fear that had gripped her the night before to be visible to his eyes "What happens now Damon? What is the next move?"

"You want to know?"

Elena nodded at the same time she abandoned her earlier position and sat cross-legged next to him, the sheet that had been covering her body slipping until it pooled around her waist "If we are going to be together then we'll do everything together, not half-truths, not again" Her eyes drilled him, chin stuck out as she looked down at him "It's the whole deal or I am out"

An unfamiliar smile curved Damon's lips, his hand tracing a path from her knee to her stomach "Do you love me?" He asked as his fingers caressed her, fingers splaying across her ribcage.

Elena felt her eyes flutter in response to his sensual touch, desire already pooling low in her stomach once more "What? She managed to murmur in her lust induced haze.

The playfulness in his expression evaporated, leaving nothing behind but pure naked fear "Do you love me, Len?"

"Yes"

The words slipped out of her mouth without any effort, even after everything Elena could not deny her love for him, for the person who had protected her from harm even if it meant doing some of it in the process. Damon had never been an angel, he had always been the devil in her story and it was foolish of her to pretend she didn't know that.

One of his hands went to lace her fingers with his, his skin warm to the touch "There's something I need to tell you" His mouth parted to speak, blue eyes filled with fear stared up at her as he spoke the words that would change her life forever.