Elena woke up slowly. She didn't want to. But something was tugging at her conscious. She heard Damon's words in her mind.
Remember that promise of yours? He asked her silently. She felt him nearby. Stefan was lying next to her on the bed, asleep. Everyone in the apartment was asleep. Somehow she suspected it was Damon's doing. She rose silently off the bed and went to the door. It had been repaired while she slept. Opening the door, she felt the cool night air on her face.
"Welcome back" Said Damon with a grin. "Ready for the hunt?" Elena eyed him warily. She pointed over her shoulder. "Your doing?" He nodded.
"We can't have Stefan tagging along now can we?" He looked at his brother. "Beside's he'll only disapprove."
Elena felt strong. She didn't remember feeling this strong the last time she had been a vampire. She knew it was all the blood that her human friends had given her. She looked at the ground.
"Human's?" she asked at last.
"Humans." replied Damon. Elena hesitated. She looked over her shoulder towards her sleeping husband.
"I don't know…." Damon grabbed her hand, and they jumped together.
"Remember the neighbourhood I took you to?" he asked her once they had landed on the street below. She nodded. "Well the people there aren't exactly nice people." He told her. Elena was looking at the ground. Damon let go of her hand and faced her. "You don't have to kill them if you don't wish to." He said softly. "Elena….."
"This is where I died." she said softly. Damon's eyes slid to the place her eyes were watching. He looked to the right. His own blood was still on the ground where he had hit. Elena could smell it. Something stirred in her. She looked up at Damon. "I don't know if I'm ready for your world." She said truthfully. Damon nodded thoughtfully.
"I didn't think so. But you did agree…" Elena remembered the words she had said, at her wedding, and nodded.
"Yes, I did agree" she said. And they ran through the night to feed.
Elena felt exhilarated after the run. She remembered the neighbourhood clearly. Only this time she wasn't afraid of anyone here. She was stronger than a human. Tonight, she was a hunter, not prey. She could smell other vampire scents. Together her and Damon prowled through the neighbour hood. Elena's mind was on Katherine. She almost missed the glimmer of steel coming at her. Almost. Instinctively she grabbed for the hand and pulled the human closer to her. She felt Damon a little way off, watching with pride. Elena twisted the human so his back was to her. She put his own knife at his throat. It happened so fast the attacker didn't know what was happening to him. Then it hit him all at once, and he struggled. But it was useless. Elena whispered in his ear. "You attacked the wrong person." His struggles grew frantic. Elena touched his mind with her own, not even trying to.
What's the matter? Didn't expect the poor defenceless female to fight back? she asked. The human stopped struggling and his arms sagged at his side. Elena's fangs slid out, and she bent towards his neck.
Damon watched with pride. She was a natural at it. He felt regret that she was not his. He watched as she fed from the human. Soon he was dry, and she dropped him to the ground, turning to face him. Damon smiled, flashing his teeth at her. Elena's face had taken on a predatory look. Something in his stomach lurched. She looked so much like Katherine right now it scared him. But he shoved that aside. He wanted to hunt with her. He wanted to stalk a human with her. She smiled back at him, and suddenly he realised she had read his mind. They moved together silently through the dark streets. Two vampires hunting. Damon had wanted this when he had first seen her. She was his hunting partner. Stefan had something he would never have. Stefan had her soul, and her love. But, Damon thought with pride, I have her as my hunting partner. Elena looked at him sideways.
Behind us. she told him. He felt her blast of Power and pride hit him again. He remembered his promise to Stefan and clenched his jaw. Katherine would not hurt her again. He focused on the human behind them. The human had a knife. He saw two decent people walking through the rough neighbourhood. Damon smile in the darkness. Wrong. He thought. We're not decent, and we certainly aren't people. Elena had killed once already tonight. Damon and Elena slowed their pace, letting the human catch up. The humans step was quiet, for a human. He stood right behind them. Damon spun around so quickly, the human's eyes widened. Elena moved and they had him trapped.
"Fancy seeing you here." Said Damon, showing his teeth. The human backed away from him, holding up the knife. But his path was blocked by Elena. He turned around and looked at her.
"What is it with knives?" she asked out loud, and they struck together.
Elena licked her lips. She felt powerful! She felt like she could run a marathon and not need to breathe! Her and Damon walked side by side through the dark streets. Then her thoughts calmed down. "I killed." she said. She felt Damon's pride at that. "Damon no! I didn't want to kill! But that first guy, he wanted to…" she couldn't finish it.
"He wanted to slit your pretty white throat." Damon finished for her. "First lesson of the hunt Elena, kill or be killed. Not that he could have killed you, but that's not my point."
"What is your point?" Elena asked him. "I….Stefan…" her thoughts all cluttered together.
"Do what your nature tells you. You acted on instinct Elena. You need to understand that. We killed two men tonight that would probably have killed many innocents before tonight. And who knows how many others if they had lived." Elena thought he sounded tired.
"Damon?"
"Well?"
She stopped walking. "What are we going to do about Katherine? She's still out there. She'll know you're alive. And Stefan."
Damon's eyes met hers full on. His black eyes were grim. She saw more then that though. Was that a hint of fear in his endless black eyes? She wasn't sure.
"We need the humans out of the way before we can deal with her." he stated harshly. She opened her eyes wide. But he explained. "Don't they go back to America in 3 days time?" Elena nodded at that.
"but until then? Do you really think she'll wait that long?" Damon shrugged.
"I'll face her when the time comes." He said quietly. She looked down at the ground. Facing Katherine again scared her. She had died three times now because of Katherine. And Katherine hated her. She knew Katherine would come for her.
"forget about Katherine. Let's get you home to that husband of yours." His face was expressionless as they headed towards her apartment.