Ch. 21 A Distinction that's Redefining My Whole Life
(DAMON)
I catch the waiters tray with our drinks on it and set Klaus and Clare's drinks in front of them. Clare's friends finally sit down as I set my drink down and hand the waiter back his tray. The girls are looking between me, Clare and Klaus with curiosity while the boys are kind of glaring at us, well mostly Klaus. Adam on the other hand is only looking at his menu, though he is the only one that knows everything.
"You both look too old for her," says the tall muscular dark haired one as soon as they've all placed their drink order. I believe his name is Owen.
"Owen," Clare snaps, I'm surprised I actually remembered his name. He doesn't call Clare and she doesn't talk about him much.
"Yeah, just how old are you two? You can't both be her lovers," Drew comments. I remember him as he calls Clare sometimes, and will sometimes take over when Adam calls. Clare bites her lip and groans slightly.
"We can and we are, and that's all you need to know," Klaus replies.
"I have a lot more questions," Owen says.
Klaus stiffens up and his eyes darken, Clare grabs his arm and holds firmly.
"Don't kill my friends," she says so that only Klaus and I can hear, her lips hardly move so her friends probably don't realize she said anything. "Questions you probably won't get answers to. Let's just all just decide what we want to eat," Clare says loud enough for everyone to hear.
We pick up our menus and the humans look back at their menus, though they are glancing at us every now and then. When the waiter returns everyone orders, including the three of us, appearances and all that. I'm sure the subject of the three of us has not been entirely dropped, but Alli is soon controlling the conversation. She does it for most of dinner which saves Clare and us from talking and answering questions.
After dinner the humans want to go out and find some action. It doesn't take too long to find a party nearby, and about two seconds after we enter Dallas and Owen head for the alcohol. Adam asks Clare to dance with him and takes her hand. I run at vampiric speed back to the hotel to get a couple blood bags while Klaus stays with her. Shortly after I return I get Clare alone and hand her a blood bag. I would have gotten one for Klaus but he wouldn't have accepted. As soon as we're feeding Klaus says he's going to feed, from someone at this party I have no doubt.
When we return to the crowd Owen and Drew take Clare out to the dance floor. I stand back and watch, keeping an eye on her in case she begins to lose control. She mostly dances with her friends, though she does get hit on a few times. Klaus returns as soon as he's fed and several girls bat their eyelashes and flirt with us. We mostly ignore them, although Klaus does frighten a few away.
We stay at the party for a few hours, it's not that late but Clare makes the excuse that she's tired after the long drive. She tells her friends she'll see them in the morning and the three of us run at vampiric speed back to the hotel.
"Not having fun at the party?" Klaus asks when we're back in the room, though I know he was bored out of his mind at the party.
"Not really, and it was pretty overwhelming with all the noise and smells. Something about young people on vacation, the scents become even more overpowering. Besides I was getting hungry and had other needs to satiate."
"Mmm, I can help you with both of those," Klaus grins pulling her into his arms. Before she can answer he abducts her lips, kissing her hard as he presses her body to his. I'm about to step in when Clare pushes him away.
"Damon and I are going to have blood bags. You should go feed as well," Clare asserts.
"I'll be back soon, and we can satiate that other lust," Klaus remarks kissing her passionately before he leaves the room.
"Are you okay?" I question handing Clare a blood bag.
"Not really," she says opening the bag and taking some sips, "I tried to be just a normal teenager, but I'm not a normal teenager any longer. I forced a smile on my face and danced and talked, but it was hard. The scents and noises and all the people it was just becoming overwhelming and I couldn't stand it any longer. When I was dancing with Owen that last time I was tempted to pull him somewhere dark and taste him, and then use him to fulfill that other need."
"Drink up, we'll fulfill that other need in a moment," I tell her and she grins.
As soon as we're done with the blood bags I pick her up and take her into one of the bedrooms. Klaus can have the other one, tonight she's mine. I get my clothes off quickly and then take my time taking her clothes off. I remove them slowly kissing her skin as I go.
When her beautiful naked body is in front of me I pick her up and place her on the bed. I put her legs over my shoulders and run my tongue along her pussy. She moans as my tongue slides in and begins tasting her juices. I explore her depths and add a finger, Clare moans and arches her back.
When I hear Klaus returning I move up, keeping her legs up and thrusting into her. Clare moans loudly and calls out my name. I hear Klaus go into the other room, but I know he can hear us, and there's a smug satisfaction in that. For the next two hours I make love to Clare, bringing her to orgasm several times and relishing every time she calls out my name. Because I love to hear it, and I know Klaus can hear it.
Then I fall asleep happily with Clare in my arms. I hope she spends tomorrow night in my bed too, I never like when she spends the weekend with Klaus. At least this weekend he doesn't get her to himself. I'm always worried about what he does with her over the weekend, she never quite seems the same when she returns after time with Klaus. She always insists she's fine, though she never seems it.
(CLARE)
"I bought you a new bikini for this trip," Klaus says, handing me the bag.
After spending the night making love to Damon I got up this morning and showered with Klaus. We made love in the shower of course. Damon had a blood bag ready for me when I got out and Klaus went to feed. We met Adam and the others and spent the morning doing normal teenager on break stuff. I feigned interest and plastered a smile on my face. I really did try to enjoy the time with my friends, but Klaus and Damon did not make it easy.
Klaus continually offered to obtain for me anything I glanced at while we were all out shopping. I wasn't fooling myself, I knew he would compel someone and take the item and I turned him down. Damon stayed back, only coming over to me when I was alone. Neither of them cared much for the activities this morning, but they came along and followed behind me.
Dallas even made a comment that they seemed more like my bodyguards than lovers. All I could do was shrug, on this trip they were pretty much body guards. Damon there at my insistence to keep me from losing control and to satiate my sexual appetite. Klaus had invited himself when he heard, I doubt very much he had interest in keeping from losing control. He seemed to delight in testing that control every weekend when I was with him. I think he just didn't want me with Damon all weekend.
We'd stopped for lunch on the way back at the hotel. Damon, Klaus and I had all eaten human food again. I had eaten more human food on this trip than in the last six weeks combined, and it wasn't over yet. Not that human food was damaging, I could still taste it, but it didn't taste right. Nor was it satisfying, not even as satisfying as drinking from Klaus or Damon. Now we were going to meet everyone at the lavish hotel pool.
"This is not a bikini," I comment pulling the contents from the bag, "this is dental floss with beads. You actually want me to wear this at the pool? You know for someone that routinely threatens to kill guys that hit on me you buy me some very sexy clothes."
"Yes, because I like to see you in them," Klaus says running his nose along my neck, "and rip them off of you later," he whispers in my ear. His hot breath on my ear and his words send this rush of wanting straight to the spot between my legs. "Other guys can hit on you, they'd have to be nearly dead not to. If you do anything besides feed on them however I will have to kill them and retake my territory."
I open my mouth to argue but Klaus kisses me. When he pulls away he locks onto my eyes, he is going to compel me, I can feel myself in his power. He compels me to wear the bikini for him, kisses me again and rushes into the bedroom locking the door to change. I could probably break the door in now that I'm a vampire, but I don't want to have to pay for that or explain it to anyone at the hotel.
"Damon?" I knock on his bedroom door and he opens it before I've got the n out.
"Did you just knock on the door? You've seen me naked, I've been inside of you nearly every way possible," Damon comments.
"Klaus locked me out of his room, I need to change," I reply and Damon steps aside to let me in. I bite my lip brushing past his muscled abs to get into the room. "Out," I insist and he cocks an eyebrow at me. "If you don't leave I'll never change and we'll never make it to the pool, then Adam or Drew or someone will come looking."
"I can smell your arousal," Damon replies.
"Yes, and you can take care of it later, right now out so I can change," I assert pushing him toward the door.
He steals a kiss before going through the door and I close it behind him. There's no point in locking it, they could both break it down if they wanted. I pull the bikini from the bag again, I'm sure it just barely meets the requirements of a swimsuit. I undress and get the bottom on first, at least it's not a thong and there is a significant piece of fabric to cover my butt. This fabric nearly disappears around the front becoming a tiny triangle that if I'm not careful will just disappear into my labial folds. It only comes high enough to cover the pubic hair line, mine is waxed, but the line is visible if you look close enough. These two pieces of fabric held together by tiny strings and sparkly beads over my hips.
The top is worse, the fabric on my breasts is just enough to cover the nipples. That's the only fabric for the entire top, the rest is string and beads like over my hips. Looking at it in the mirror I hold to my statement to Klaus, this is not a bikini. I get dressed again, putting my dress on over the bikini, no way I'm going out there in just my bikini, we'd never leave the room. Klaus looks disappointed when I come out with my dress on and not in my bikini. I ignore him, grab my towel and slip on my ballet flats before leaving the room.
I find my friends already out here, they seem to have claimed pool chairs for us. I see three empty lounge chairs on the far end, empty but with towels and bags on them. I haven't been around a swimming pool since becoming a vampire, the smell of chlorine is nearly overwhelming. I have to get behind Damon and breathe him in just to keep from choking.
"You need sunscreen?" Jenna asks. Adam is currently rubbing some into her back, without Connor here probably the safest choice.
"No, we put some on in the room," I lie. We didn't, we don't need it, our rings protect us from the sun and if we took them off no amount of sunscreen would protect us from the sun.
Damon and Klaus both take a chair on either side of me, they slip off their shoes and then their shirts. Immediate eye candy for every female and some of the males at this pool. They don't seem to notice as they sit down and lounge out. I takes off my shoes and slowly, reluctantly pull off my dress.
"Holy crap," Dallas exclaims choking on the sip of water he just took.
"Jesus," Owen exhales under his breath and his eyes pop open while his mouth hits the floor.
"Whoa, that's a…" Drew is saying and then seems to lose his train of thought as he stares at my breasts.
"See what you did," I comment sitting down. It's just loud enough for Damon and Klaus to hear.
"You buy that for her?" Damon asks in the same low voice, but doesn't wait for an answer. "You know it's going to be ripped to shreds as soon as we're back in the room."
"That's why I bought her four, one in every color," Klaus smiles.
No one else heard this conversation, I'm of course now imagining getting back to the room and the two of them ripping off this dental floss and ravaging me. Now I'm horny again, but I can't just disappear thirty seconds after getting here. It doesn't help that Damon and Klaus are glancing at me hungrily and whispering about how they plan to ravage me. No one else can hear them, no one else needs to.
"Come swimming with me Clare," Adam insists, grabbing my hand and pulling me up.
I go with Adam to the other side of the pool, It's not a rectangular pool but rather in the shape of a heart, which I imagine is due to the casino available at the hotel. Adam and I swim over to the far end of the other bump of the heart as far away from Damon, Klaus and the others as we can. The water is about four feet deep here, so I can stand and not have to tread water or hang onto the side.
"I know you're a vampire now, but there's no way you bought that suit for yourself. It's barely legal and every guy here looks like they want to eat you, not just Damon and Klaus. Hell, I'm your best friend and I can't help the dirty thoughts going through my mind about you. I know what Drew, Dallas and Owen were thinking when they saw you in that."
"Klaus got it for me," I admit. I don't say buy however, as I'm certain he did not buy it.
"And you agreed to wear it out to the pool? If you move the wrong direction or one of your straps gets caught on something your nipple will show. Actually, if it gets caught on something it may just come off all together."
"I didn't exactly agree to wear it," I confess but keep my voice low. At normal volume Damon and Klaus I'm sure can hear me, even with all the noise in the pool. I'm sure they've heard every word Adam has said.
"Then why are you?" Adam questions. I just bite my lip, Adam is smart I know he'll figure it out. "Wait, that thing he did to Owen when we first met him, that…Jedi mind trick."
"Compelling."
"Klaus compelled you to wear it didn't he? Can he even do that? You're a vampire," Adam exclaims. He does keep his voice down when he says vampire at least. Though I doubt anyone else around us would have heard or was paying attention.
"He can, Klaus is a very old vampire, one of the original vampires and he can compel other vampires," I enlighten Adam keeping my voice just loud enough for him to hear.
"So, he can basically make you do anything he wants? Has he compelled you to do other things?"
I respond by biting my lip, averting my eyes down and away from Adam. It doesn't matter that I haven't said anything Adam knows what it means.
"What else has he forced you to do?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yes, it matters Clare, what are you even doing with someone that can control you that way? It sounds abusive and controlling to me," Adam exclaims.
"It's not like that Adam."
"Really? Because it sure sounds that way to me. He forced you to wear that bikini and you're telling me that's not controlling? He forced Owen to fetch you, what else has he done to you?"
"You're not being fair Adam, you haven't seen us together, alone together. He does treat me well," I try to assure my best friend.
"Forcing you to wear a bikini I might see in Playboy at a pool full of horny guys does not sound like he takes very good care of you. What other aspects of your life does he control?"
"He doesn't," I lie, "and I'm only with him on the weekend, the rest of the time I'm with Damon."
"That's the other thing, why do they share custody of you?" Adam questions.
"They don't, I live with Stefan and Damon, I spend weekends with Klaus."
"Why do you spend any time with Klaus?"
I'm not sure how to answer that, I'm not sure I can adequately explain to Adam why I spend time with Klaus. I'm not sure I entirely know why I do it.
"Does Damon treat you that way, controlling what you wear?"
"No."
"Then what do you see in Klaus? Why are you with him at all? Tell Klaus to go to hell and be with Damon and only Damon," Adam says. I turn my head to look at Damon and Klaus, they have a few girls trying to flirt with them which they are ignoring. Klaus has no expression at all, Damon is smirking so I know they can hear us.
"Keep your voice down Adam, even with all the noise they can hear us from here," I warn him.
"Good, Klaus should hear this. I'm your best friend he should know I don't like how he treats you."
Adam seems sure, but I'm worried Klaus might hurt him for these comments. Adam still has the vervaine bracelet on but that won't stop Klaus from compelling another human or ten into holding Adam under the water or hurting him.
"From everything I know Klaus does nothing but use you and try to control you. Damon actually cares about you, from what I know he always has so I don't understand why you don't tell Klaus you don't ever want to see him again?"
I bite my lip and look down again, I don't know what to tell him, I don't know that I can explain it. I'm not even sure that I know, so I just bite my lip.
"Are you afraid of him?" Adam questions but his voice is low and right next to my ear so I doubt the vampires heard him.
"It's complicated Adam, I can't explain it all right now, and I don't want to talk about this anymore," I tell him. Putting my feet on the pool wall I go down and push off using my vampiric strength for an extra boost. Water is still a hindrance and I can't move as fast as on land, I bet Miss Scarlett could, her natural form is very fish like after all. Still, I'm able to swim away from Adam to the other side of the pool, near the shallow end not back to Klaus, Damon and the others. I really don't want to hear their thoughts on my conversation with Adam just now.
You can stay under water a long time when you don't need oxygen in your lungs. Though I do come up after a moment, before people start wondering how I can hold my breath so long. I was hoping being under water would clear my head, give me a moments meditation to relax, but it didn't. I could still hear everything, the smell of chlorine is overpowering and sickening. Add to that the smell of sweat, sunscreen and suntan lotion, I was surprised Damon and Klaus looked as calm as they are. Young people on break are not quiet, girls were screaming, guys were yelling, water splashing.
Then there's all the contact, the pool is packed and even swimming under the water as I was for a few minutes I brushed past a dozen people. I come up in the shallow end and I'm almost instantly surrounded by guys, none of which I know. Strangers that seem to be anywhere from 16 to 23 making a half circle around me, looking at my breasts and licking their lips. I can almost see the thoughts in their heads about ripping off my bathing suit top. The worst part is I want to let them.
All the smells and sounds are assaulting my senses and I'm losing control. After arguing with Adam I'm in need of letting out some aggressive energy. Now I'm surrounded by strange guys and I'm not afraid at all, in fact all I want to do is bite in and taste every single one of them. I'd even let them do whatever they want to my body while I'm tasting them, maybe just drag one of them behind the building to fuck him hard and quick before I drink my fill of him.
Hearing Alli squeal from somewhere in the pool breaks me from these thoughts. I have to get out of here, to clear my head and regain control. I need to get away from here for a moment, have some more blood and maybe call one of my lovers up to the room with me. We could satiate that other constant hunger of mine and be back at the pool before anyone really missed us.
"Excuse me boys I need some water," I tell them and turn to walk up the steps and out of the pool.
"I'll get you some water Sexy," one of the boys says as he follows me and tugs on my suit a little so that it moves just enough for him to get a peek.
"I'll get my own," I reply elbowing him and fixing my suit.
"I know a better way of cooling you off," another guy says. I'm out of the pool now and so are they, if I hit one of them and they slip on the cement they could be severely injured or killed.
I decide to just slip away, and when another girl screams and they all look I use the opportunity to run at vampiric speed into the building. There's a small entry to the pool here, places to hang things, leave sandals and I suppose for parents to watch older children without being in the pool area. In front of me two glass double doors lead to the main hotel lobby and casino, to my left a snack stand for the pool area, to the right the stairwell. At the snack stand a boy is buying drinks and nachos. He has a small cut on his arm, he's probably not even aware of it, but it's pretty fresh, just a scratch really with a couple drops of blood. This is not helping anything, I feel my eyes darken and the veins under my eyes bulging, my fangs begin protruding as it's becoming nearly impossible to hold back the hunger.
"Clare," Drew says coming in behind me, "are you okay?"
I smell Drew's sweetly spicy scent, his deodorant, and shampoo both mild and woody. I hear his heart pumping and I can smell the blood in his veins. My control is gone and all I want now, the only thought in my mind is that I need a taste of Drew. Adam kept his vervaine bracelet on but Drew took off his ring to swim. I push him against the wall and slide my hand into his swim shorts, black ones that look quite nice on him. Drew moans as my fingers curl around his shaft and begin stroking. Then he gasps and whimpers as my teeth bite into his neck, moaning when I begin to suckle. I stroke his cock, getting him hard, envisioning fucking him right here on the stairs. His blood has a wonderful savory taste like steak with garlic butter and I keep drinking as I stroke him.
"Ngnn, Clare," Drew moans softly. Hearing my name moaned in pleasure from his lips is pleasing, and also slaps some sense back into me.
"Fuck," I exclaim pulling my hand from his shorts. I lick his wound and then bite my finger squeezing a few drops into Drew's mouth, just enough so that my bite mark on his neck closes and heals to virtually invisible.
"What?" Drew begins to ask but he's a little wobbly so I give him some more of my blood. Then I grab his face and force his eyes to meet mine, I feel when he's in my power. I steel myself I have to make this good, and make this compelling stick.
"Vampires are not real. You came in here and found me on the stairwell not feeling well. Nothing else happened," I commend.
"Nothing else happened," he says in that drone-like tone that tells me he's been compelled.
"Go find Damon and Klaus and tell them I need them in the room," I tell Drew.
I start walking to the room and Drew turns to go back to the pool. I feel sick with guilt, I might not have stopped. What if I had killed Drew?
(DAMON)
After Clare's argument with Adam she disappeared under the water. I was still feeling quite cocky over this argument because Adam was telling her to never see Klaus again and to be with me and me alone.
After she went under the water I lost track of her, but I wasn't worried about anyone in the pool hurting her. If someone touched her in a way she didn't like she had the strength to break their wrist. Klaus and I were not here to keep her from getting hurt, we were here to keep her from losing control. After her argument with Adam I figured she just needed some time to cool off. It's been several minutes though and I haven't heard her, nothing. I'm about to stand up and see if I can see her when a shadow comes over me and I look up to see Drew.
"Clare needs you both in the room," Drew tells us.
He's been compelled, her scent is all over him and so is the faint smell of blood. Klaus and I both get up and force ourselves to move at human speed (well a little faster than human, but not enough to arise suspicion) inside the building. We go into the stairwell because running at vampiric speed up the stairs will be faster than the elevator.
As soon as we go into the stairwell we smell the blood in the air. We don't see any bodies but we run up the stairs and find Clare waiting at the door to the room. She couldn't get in as she didn't have her room key with her, unless she had broken the door from the hinges.
"What happened?" I ask her while Klaus gets out the room key and opens the door.
She runs to the fridge and opens a blood bag drinking it down before answering. "We need to leave now, I'll tell the others it was an emergency," she says tossing the blood bag and pacing the room. She's agitated and anxious, tears brimming in her eyes.
"What happened Care?" I ask grabbing her shoulder to keep her from moving.
"The sounds at the pool, all the scents and the chlorine it was overwhelming. I tried to leave, I wanted to come back to the room and drink some blood and calm down. When I went inside a boy had a small cut on his arm and I could smell the blood in the air. Then Drew came in and I lost all control. I grabbed Drew and pulled him into the stairwell, I pushed him against the wall. My hand went into his shorts to stroke his cock as I bit into his neck. I wanted him to satisfy both my hungers, I was set on it and drinking from him. I don't even know how much I drank. I was going to fuck him without concern for Bianca, I fed from my friend and I didn't have restraint."
"You must have some, you stopped before killing him," I tell her.
"I don't know why you're so upset Clare, you drank from Drew and sent him out to get us to take care of your other need," Klaus replies.
"That's not…" she begins but there's a knock on the door. "That's Adam let him in," Clare requests.
We knew it was Adam, we could all smell him on the other side of the door. We were waiting to see what Clare wanted us to do. Klaus runs over and opens the door and Adam steps in.
"What's going on? You disappear and then Damon and Klaus disappear. Drew said he found you ill on the stairwell and you wanted Damon and Klaus. I'm pretty sure vampires don't get ill, but you look very upset, so what happened?" Adam questions once the door is closed and locked behind him.
"We're leaving Adam, I thought it would be okay, but I lost control, I fed from Drew," Clare tells him in a distressed tone. Knowing she's determined to leave Klaus and I begin moving at non-human speeds to pack up, but as Adam is the only one of her friends to know everything it doesn't matter if he sees us this way.
"I just saw Drew, he's fine," Adam replies trying to comfort her.
"Only because I gave him some of my blood to heal him and compelled him to forget. Told him to bring me Damon and Klaus and that he found me on the stairwell ill. I crossed a line Adam, all the smells in the pool and then blood, another boy had cut himself. I could smell it, hungered for it and when Drew came in I lost all control and I let the lusts take over. I was almost unable to stop myself Adam, what if I hadn't?"
"But you did and Drew's okay," Adam argues.
"I almost didn't, why wasn't Drew wearing his ring?"
"Everyone else took them off to swim or get sunscreen on. I told them not to take them off, but I couldn't tell them they had to wear them because three vampires were with us," Adam points.
"No, I suppose not, but all the more reason for me to leave. I thought I could do this Adam but it's too soon, I still don't have the control. A couple drops of fresh blood and I lost all control. I crossed a line with Drew I never should have crossed," Clare says getting more upset the more she talks.
"She's right Adam, it's best that we leave and return to Mystic Falls," I tell him. Clare is right we have not worked on her taking control of the hunger (and lust) when she smells fresh blood. Not nearly as much as we should have, we should have been working on it all this time.
"I'll grab the stuff you left by the pool and bring them to the lobby. I'll tell everyone Clare got sick and you're returning home, and pass on goodbyes," Adam says and leaves the room.
We have everything else packed up but change quickly into clothes and I pack the remaining blood bags into the cooler with the ice last. When we go down to the lobby Adam is waiting with a bag containing the few items we left at the pool. Klaus goes to the desk to check out while I go with Clare to Adam.
"I'm sorry Adam, I thought I could do this," Clare apologizes as I take the bag from Adam.
"At least, I got to see you for a little while. We all got to spend some time with you, it's better than a video chat," Adam says hugging her tightly and unafraid she's going to bite him. "Call me when you get to Mystic Falls," Adam requests as Klaus joins us again.
"I will," Clare says in a sad tone. I can see the guilt on her face over all of this, apparently so can Adam.
"Hey, you'll beat this and be ready for New York and Columbia in September, I know you will Clare. You're strong, you'll gain control," Adam tells her in an encouraging tone. He says goodbye and we go out to the car. Klaus drives and Clare sits in back, Klaus takes backroads where he can drive as fast as the car will go without danger of causing an accident.
"Pull over," Clare demands after we've been driving for a short time. We're on a backroad with nothing but a field and woods on either side of us.
"What?" Klaus asks.
"Stop the car," Clare says in a firmer tone this time. Klaus pulls over and she gets out of the car. I believe (and I think Klaus believes) she's still upset and just needs to rant or scream or scold herself. "Out of the car," Clare commands when we haven't moved.
Klaus and I exchange a look before getting out of the car and wondering what it is she needs or wants.
That does it for now, more chapters coming soon that will pick up from right here.
