I. Tempted

I am Sivan, a dangerous beast. When my hand touches you, you become an unknown, extreme darkness. At the top of the shaking branch of existence, you, without a name, bloom and wither. This unknown darkness that brings tears to one's eye is lit up, one by one, through memories. And I cry all night long. My crying does not gradually grow, but becomes a whirlwind. If it seeps into the rock, it becomes gold. Within her hidden face, lies my bride.

I. STEFAN SALVATORE

"Do you ever get tired?"

He felt her dark eyes drilling a hole into the side of his face. She sat on the lounge, arms folded across her chest, messy curls piled into a bun, wearing her signature pout. His fingers leafed through the magazine with only mild interest. Ignoring her would be the most fun he'd have that day.

"Stefan," she snapped. It never took long to rile her up.

His gaze flickered from behind the colored print pages of the latest TIME.

"Did you say something?"

"Funny." She feigned a smile. "I heard you broke up with Ivy."

"You're quite the gossip, Katherine." His words prodded her in all the wrong places. And he knew it. "Since when do you have an interest in what I'm doing?"

"You know, for being the nicer between you and you're brother, you are a bit of an ass."

The smile playing at her lips, sugary sweet, reeked of insincerity.

Setting the magazine down, he sat up in the leather recliner, giving her his full attention. "What can I do for you, Katherine?"

If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Her methods for getting her way never seemed to escape him. They'd practically known each other since they were in diapers. They'd attended the same private schools and were bound for the same university.

Partners in crime, of sorts.

"Nothing, from you."

He snorted. He knew a lie when he heard one. Especially coming from the lips of Katherine Pierce.

"Really?" Stefan questioned with the raise of a brow. "I find that hard to believe."

"What are we discussing so intimately?" The cool voice sounded the arrival of Damon.

Their attention moved to the entrance of the den, where the elder Salvatore stood, a white take-out bag in one hand and a garment bag in the other.

"My love life," Stefan responded, "apparently."

"Love has nothing to do with it," Katherine stated matter-of-factly. "Last month you broke up with Valerie because she laughed too loudly."

Damon let out a low whistle in surprise. "Wow brother. That is cold-blooded."

The younger Salvatore shrugged, already losing interest with his private affairs being the topic of group discussion.

"What's with the suit?" He asked, shifting the subject with practiced ease.

"Father asked me to attend the grand opening of the Mikaelson's new gallery in his stead." Damon informed them, slinging the garment bag across the arm rest of Stefan's chair before taking a seat beside Katherine.

"That's tonight?" Stefan asked, rolling his eyes at his brother who'd clearly annoyed the girl with his close proximity.

If there was one thing Katherine disliked, it was others invading her personal space.

"Yes," Damon answered as he pulled out a handful of fries and shoveled them into his mouth.

"Disgusting." Katherine muttered under her breath. The two had what some might call a love-hate relationship. They loved to hate each other.

Damon continued on as if he hadn't heard her. "Are you going?"

The last place he wanted to spend his evening was in the presence of a Mikaelson. It was inevitable that he'd run into Rebekah, the youngest of the heirs and he did not want to deal with one of her tantrums.

"Don't you remember, Damon," Katherine teased, "Bekah promised to castrate him the next time she sees him."

"That's right," His brother recalled with a grin. "You did quite a number on her."

Rebekah Mikaelson was like any other girl he'd ever met. Lacking in affection and desperate for attention. The more time he'd spent with her the more he'd realized the only thing that separated her from the others was her last name. The name an empire was built on.

But even the prospect of a possible merger between their families wasn't enough to pique his interest. The girl was crazy.

"I have plans." Stefan said, standing up and crossing the room toward the entrance.

"Where are you going?" Katherine called after him.

"A date." He answered simply, leaving the two to continue with their impending argument.