*Sorry about the long Damon thoughts blab. I kind of got carried away.
Thanks to "theperfectdeathscythepilot" and "Kamrusepas Night" for their
feedback. I'll try to keep up the originality.*
Chapter III
His slender fingers brushed her dark brown hair off her shoulder. She smiled shyly and averted her eyes from his gaze. Flashing her a glinting smile while she dared a glance at him from below her lashes. He leant into her neck and smelt the faintest remainder of her perfume. It smelt like lavender. One strap from her dress fell from her shoulder and he gently pulled it back into place without moving his head.
His cool breath swept along her skin, causing a shudder that started at her lower spine and moved up towards her neck. He bent his head closer while her body moved unconsciously into his. He ignored the coy look he was receiving from the bartender. His lips had just touched her throat when a name caught his attention. Raising his eyes, he stared at the television screen.
"…has been missing for three weeks now. She went disappeared on the evening of May 6th following an appointment with Dr. Alaric Saltzman, somewhere outside of the psychology building at Junior Boone College. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Miss Bonnie McCullough, please call the local police in your area."
He raised his head fully, frowning slightly at the picture of a familiar smiling heart shaped face surrounded by a cascade of straight red hair. The young woman seated next to him wondered what was bothering him.
"You know her?" Her voice was tentative and somewhat annoyed at whatever had drawn his attention away. He stared at her coldly; irritated that she would be so disrespectful. She shuddered inwardly and averted her eyes, staring into her cocktail. He could smell her fear whisper up from her skin, like a soft fog rolling off an iced lake. The air in the lounge was cold and wrought with tension as he slowly gathered his jacket placed on the stool next to him.
He smiled at her, a definite edge to his lips and finished his untouched drink in one swallow. She wouldn't meet his eyes. Forgetting his evening meal, he walked out of the lounge and approached his car.
He had forced any thoughts of that particular group out of his mind for the last three years. Ignored any reminders that he had once had an opportunity to belong to something wholesome. In truth, it had been tempting to fall into the innocent trap laid before him that night. But he gloried in living in the dark, in the shadows of the world. The hunt was something he had succeeded well in. He could never become like his little brother, and why the hell would he want to?
But he also retained some human emotion. He owed Bonnie for his life and the life of his only remaining kin. He would find out where she was, and settle the debt. A lifetime of killing and mutilating the human world had not diminished his strong belief in loyalty. He owed the world nothing, but some who resided in it had unknowingly acquired his protection. Bonnie was one of them.
He opened the car door, settling into the black interior and casually adjusted the rear view mirror. He stared at his reflection. No regrets. That was how he lived his life and would continue to do so. Perhaps the only code he had ever truly lived by.
He'd approach that idiot doctor and find out what part he had played in removing her presence from those who loved her. Then he'd return to Fell's Church. Why did everything always have to happen to those who resided in that damned small town, he wondered? And why did he always end up getting involved? Hopefully any reminder of his brother's presence would have been eliminated.
They were opposites. Perhaps that was why they never got along. Stefan saw the dark side of his true nature in Damon, while Stefan reminded him of human ideals. Whenever he looked upon his little brother, he felt resentment for Stefan's purity. It annoyed Damon that someone could make him feel any remorse. His brother's presence seeped under his skin and made him ill. Bonnie's vibrancy for life and strive to do the right thing was similar to Stefan's but luckily for her, her opinions didn't matter as much to him.
And yet, she had invited death and would have welcomed it into her embrace if he had desired her for more that simple pleasure and food. She had felt fear and temptation for the night and its citizens, namely him. Her powers brought her one step closer to understanding his nature. And perhaps that was what had undoubtedly made him leave her alone. She had taken the first step out of anyone to try to understand him properly, even before his own kin.
Stefan had followed him out of his need to fulfill Elena's promise. But at the first opportunity for Stefan to truly trust his brother, he had accused him not only of not caring but also allowing the death of that insane girl. What was her name? Ah, yes. Vickie.
And Elena had tried to force him open, something he would never do willingly. He was probably one of the most stubborn and arrogant people to have ever lived. His father had known that, and detested it. Their personalities had clashed more than once. He smiled, remembering their fights that had echoed through the halls and heard by all through the house and grounds.
Their outstretched hands that night in the clearing had make him ill. It was all an illusion. Belonging and acceptance always was. He turned the ignition and listened to the car's motor hum to life. He snarled in frustration. Pulling out of the parking lot, he turned on his cell phone and called the office. It rang once, twice and was finally picked up by his secretary. He interrupted her before she could finish saying hello.
"Gather the horde. I have a favour to ask."
Chapter III
His slender fingers brushed her dark brown hair off her shoulder. She smiled shyly and averted her eyes from his gaze. Flashing her a glinting smile while she dared a glance at him from below her lashes. He leant into her neck and smelt the faintest remainder of her perfume. It smelt like lavender. One strap from her dress fell from her shoulder and he gently pulled it back into place without moving his head.
His cool breath swept along her skin, causing a shudder that started at her lower spine and moved up towards her neck. He bent his head closer while her body moved unconsciously into his. He ignored the coy look he was receiving from the bartender. His lips had just touched her throat when a name caught his attention. Raising his eyes, he stared at the television screen.
"…has been missing for three weeks now. She went disappeared on the evening of May 6th following an appointment with Dr. Alaric Saltzman, somewhere outside of the psychology building at Junior Boone College. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Miss Bonnie McCullough, please call the local police in your area."
He raised his head fully, frowning slightly at the picture of a familiar smiling heart shaped face surrounded by a cascade of straight red hair. The young woman seated next to him wondered what was bothering him.
"You know her?" Her voice was tentative and somewhat annoyed at whatever had drawn his attention away. He stared at her coldly; irritated that she would be so disrespectful. She shuddered inwardly and averted her eyes, staring into her cocktail. He could smell her fear whisper up from her skin, like a soft fog rolling off an iced lake. The air in the lounge was cold and wrought with tension as he slowly gathered his jacket placed on the stool next to him.
He smiled at her, a definite edge to his lips and finished his untouched drink in one swallow. She wouldn't meet his eyes. Forgetting his evening meal, he walked out of the lounge and approached his car.
He had forced any thoughts of that particular group out of his mind for the last three years. Ignored any reminders that he had once had an opportunity to belong to something wholesome. In truth, it had been tempting to fall into the innocent trap laid before him that night. But he gloried in living in the dark, in the shadows of the world. The hunt was something he had succeeded well in. He could never become like his little brother, and why the hell would he want to?
But he also retained some human emotion. He owed Bonnie for his life and the life of his only remaining kin. He would find out where she was, and settle the debt. A lifetime of killing and mutilating the human world had not diminished his strong belief in loyalty. He owed the world nothing, but some who resided in it had unknowingly acquired his protection. Bonnie was one of them.
He opened the car door, settling into the black interior and casually adjusted the rear view mirror. He stared at his reflection. No regrets. That was how he lived his life and would continue to do so. Perhaps the only code he had ever truly lived by.
He'd approach that idiot doctor and find out what part he had played in removing her presence from those who loved her. Then he'd return to Fell's Church. Why did everything always have to happen to those who resided in that damned small town, he wondered? And why did he always end up getting involved? Hopefully any reminder of his brother's presence would have been eliminated.
They were opposites. Perhaps that was why they never got along. Stefan saw the dark side of his true nature in Damon, while Stefan reminded him of human ideals. Whenever he looked upon his little brother, he felt resentment for Stefan's purity. It annoyed Damon that someone could make him feel any remorse. His brother's presence seeped under his skin and made him ill. Bonnie's vibrancy for life and strive to do the right thing was similar to Stefan's but luckily for her, her opinions didn't matter as much to him.
And yet, she had invited death and would have welcomed it into her embrace if he had desired her for more that simple pleasure and food. She had felt fear and temptation for the night and its citizens, namely him. Her powers brought her one step closer to understanding his nature. And perhaps that was what had undoubtedly made him leave her alone. She had taken the first step out of anyone to try to understand him properly, even before his own kin.
Stefan had followed him out of his need to fulfill Elena's promise. But at the first opportunity for Stefan to truly trust his brother, he had accused him not only of not caring but also allowing the death of that insane girl. What was her name? Ah, yes. Vickie.
And Elena had tried to force him open, something he would never do willingly. He was probably one of the most stubborn and arrogant people to have ever lived. His father had known that, and detested it. Their personalities had clashed more than once. He smiled, remembering their fights that had echoed through the halls and heard by all through the house and grounds.
Their outstretched hands that night in the clearing had make him ill. It was all an illusion. Belonging and acceptance always was. He turned the ignition and listened to the car's motor hum to life. He snarled in frustration. Pulling out of the parking lot, he turned on his cell phone and called the office. It rang once, twice and was finally picked up by his secretary. He interrupted her before she could finish saying hello.
"Gather the horde. I have a favour to ask."