Caroline and Stefan had just spent the last thirty minutes scouring every inch of the Salvatore boarding house for Bonnie—including the cellar. A purse and cell phone left in Stefan's bedroom were the only traces of her friend. Last night, the girls had left their valuables in Stefan's locked bedroom for safekeeping. Caroline couldn't fight the fear coiled tightly in the pit of her stomach. She had lost sight of Bonnie early last night and never once checked in on her. They had all become much too complacent about safety lately. Their lackadaisical attitudes stemmed from nearly six months where no one was trying to kill them. None of them had experienced that luxury since before their senior year of high school when the Salvatore brothers rolled into Mystic Falls.
The blond vampire was internally berating herself for even agreeing to help Damon throw his stupid party. She had not approved of his 'Fuck Elena' theme. However, Stefan had reasoned that hosting a sophomoric revenge party was better than his brother going on a murder spree. In hindsight, it was reckless to invite so many strangers into the boarding house. This house had become their sanctuary. They all spent a great deal of time within the boarding house's walls. The Salvatore brothers had even put Bonnie's name on the deed so that unwanted vampires could not enter without an invitation.
Now Caroline was worried that they had accidentally invited some new Big Bad into their sanctuary. She believed that was the only logical explanation for Bonnie disappearing so suddenly. Perhaps this new enemy didn't realize that their resident witch was powerless and no longer a threat to anyone. They had only gotten Bonnie back six months ago. Caroline wasn't prepared to lose her best friend again. She had complained loud and long enough to convince Jeremy and Matt to do a sweep of the grounds. She was holding onto the slimmest thread of hope that Bonnie had just gone for a run. Her friend had become oddly obsessed with physical fitness since her resurrection. Bonnie went for a mile run every morning. She had even enlisted Damon to teach her hand-to-hand combat since she no longer had magic.
Stefan walked up behind Caroline and rubbed her tense shoulders. He said, "You should sit down, Caroline. Matt and Jeremy will be back soon enough. I am sure that you are worried for nothing."
She scowled at Stefan because this was his fault. They had disappeared upstairs to his bedroom and never returned to the party. Caroline hadn't planned to stay up there all night but Stefan had been insatiable. He was using sex to curb his bloodlust and she was his sober companion. At least, that was how she justified it in her mind. They had been hiding their relationship from everyone for two months but it was becoming more difficult by the day. Some days Caroline just wanted to come clean but then she thought about how devastated Tyler and Elena would be.
"I don't understand how you can be this calm, Stefan. Bonnie could be hurt or in danger. Why don't you care?" she asked heatedly.
The older vampire turned around his quasi-girlfriend so that he could see her face. "Of course I care about Bonnie, Caroline. She is my friend, too."
"Then act like it! She is helpless," Caroline argued.
He retorted, "Bonnie might be without her magic but she is not helpless, Caroline. Damon has been training her several times a week. He thinks that she is progressing nicely. You know my brother wouldn't sugarcoat the truth. I just don't believe that someone could have kidnapped Bonnie from a crowded house party without her putting up some type of fight."
She calmed down a little after hearing Stefan's thought process. His strong hands working the knots in her shoulders also helped. Caroline was about to take Stefan's advice when the front door opened with a heavy thud.
Jeremy walked into the living room carrying a pair of muddy peep-toe heels. He looked genuinely upset. "Bonnie was wearing these last night."
Matt walked into the room with a pinched expression on his face. He didn't believe that someone could have kidnapped Bonnie from right under their noses. However, she had been pulling disappearing acts lately. Matt hadn't said anything because she still popped into the Grille to see him a couple times a week.
Caroline shot Stefan a nasty glare. "Think! When is the last time that any of us saw her last night?"
Jeremy asked, "Where's Tyler? He is the last person that I saw with Bonnie. They were dancing."
"Together?" Caroline asked. Her expression suggested that was the most absurd thing that she had ever heard. She eyed the younger boy carefully because he had gone back to drinking heavily and smoking marijuana. "Are you sure?"
He huffed and said, "I am positive. They danced a couple songs together. I got distracted and when I looked back they were gone."
Caroline asked, "Has anyone seen Tyler?"
Matt shook his head. "I checked. His car is gone." He looked between Caroline and Stefan. "I am not surprised that he didn't stick around long. He didn't really want to be here last night. He only showed up because I asked for his help."
She wasn't surprised that Matt had twisted Tyler's arm to get him there. Her ex-boyfriend went to great lengths to avoid her and Stefan. An argument was almost a sure bet whenever the three of them were in the same room. She didn't know if Tyler would ever be able to forgive her. No one was thrilled to learn that she had slept with their arch-enemy. However, Tyler truly seemed to hate Caroline and it broke her heart.
"Can you try calling him, Matt? We need to know the last time he saw Bonnie."
Caroline knew that Tyler wouldn't answer her calls.
Matt shook his head. "I already tried but it went straight to voicemail. He's probably busy."
"Busy doing what? It's Saturday afternoon!" she exclaimed.
He shifted his feet awkwardly. Matt didn't enjoy being in the middle of his warring friends. He said, "Tyler was really popular last night. He probably took someone home."
"Or a couple of someones," Jeremy offered with a goofy grin.
Caroline glared at Jeremy.
"What?" he asked. "It wouldn't be the first time."
Damon walked into the room wearing the same clothes from last night. He looked like he had been run over by a truck. He scowled at the group and asked, "What's with all the commotion? Some people are trying to get their beauty rest."
"Thanks for finally joining us, Damon," Caroline snapped. She had knocked on his locked door a half dozen times but he hadn't answered her. "Bonnie is missing."
Damon's ice blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "What do you mean she's missing?"
"What does that usually mean, Damon? Bonnie was here last night and now she isn't," she replied.
He rolled his eyes and dropped down on the couch in exhaustion. "Bonnie being missing and you not knowing where she is are two different things, Blondie. Maybe Bon-Bon decided to go home with someone last night."
Jeremy's jaw clenched. "Bonnie is not that type of girl."
Damon didn't even glance in the teen's direction. He said, "I saw plenty of guys hitting on her last night. Not that I blame them with the way she looked in that dress. How can someone so short have such long legs?"
Stefan cleared his throat to get his brother to focus. "Did anyone in particular stand out? Maybe there is someone that paid a little too much attention to Bonnie. She could be in trouble, Damon."
"Or she could just be getting laid," he quipped. "She deserves it. I mean she was dead. Then she was the anchor. Then Jerbear cheated on her—again. Bon-Bon has been going through quite the dry spell lately. Sex on a regular basis might make her a little less judgey. It certainly improved my mood last night."
Matt grasped Jeremy's shoulder to stop him from attacking Damon. Hungover Damon was prone to unexpected fits of violence. They couldn't look for Bonnie and save Jeremy's life.
Caroline grabbed Bonnie's belongings and unceremoniously dropped them onto Damon's lap. "Do you think that Bonnie took off to have sex with some stranger without taking her purse and phone? And Jeremy found Bonnie's shoes outside!"
The short answer to that question was 'yes'. He noticed that Bonnie wasn't the only member of the Scooby Doo Gang that wasn't present and accounted for. The first was Elena but she wasn't welcome at the boarding house and hadn't been invited to his party. Damon had no interest in watching the doppelganger salivate at the possibility of winning Stefan's heart again. The second person unaccounted for was the possibly kidnapped Bonnie. However, the third person was the one that stuck out like a sore thumb. Tyler was nowhere to be found and no one seemed to find that the least bit suspicious. He couldn't tell if they were all idiots or lacked even the most basic powers of observation.
Something strange had been happening between the mutt and their little witch for months. Damon first recognized something was different when Bonnie was the anchor. He and Tyler had been the only people to realize that she was in excruciating pain. They were also the only people that had decided to do something about it. The werewolf hadn't batted an eyelash when Damon said that they would have to get their hands dirty to save Bonnie. In short, Damon had been waiting months for the other shoe to drop.
Caroline said, "I am going to call my mom. She can help us coordinate a search party."
Damon stood up in a flash with Bonnie's purse and phone in his hands. He sped over to Jeremy and snatched the girl's discarded shoes, too. "Maybe someone should just go see if Bonnie is at home before you whip the whole town into a frenzy, Blondie. I take back what I said earlier. Sex doesn't always make people more laidback. You and my baby bro have been at it often enough that you should be practically catatonic. Yet here you are being…well, you."
Caroline's jaw practically dropped. She couldn't believe that Damon had blurted out something so personal. Her eyes darted from Matt to Jeremy. Then her shoulders slumped as she realized that they weren't surprised.
In a warning tone of voice, Stefan said, "Damon."
Damon feigned surprise. "Was that supposed to be a secret?"
Jeremy stifled a chuckle.
"If I don't find the judgey little witch at home then you can sound the alarm," Damon said as he headed for the front door.
He heard Caroline and Jeremy both insist that they join him. However, he ignored them because that wasn't happening. He was about eighty percent certain that he was about to find Bonnie and wolf boy in flagrante delicto. He tossed Bonnie's purse and shoes onto the passenger seat of his Camaro as he climbed inside.
Damon sped away from the boarding house without looking back at the teens shouting at him. He decided to try Bonnie's house first. If that didn't pan out then he would try the Lockwood Mansion. However, he doubted that they would have been reckless enough to go back to a place Tyler shared with two roommates. The werewolf behaved like an idiot at times but his Bon-Bon was smarter than that.
The brunette vampire frowned when he pulled up at Bonnie's house. He didn't see Tyler's car but he decided it was still worth a shot. There was a garage around back where Tyler could have stashed his car. Damon collected Bonnie's belongings and walked onto the porch. He knocked on the door and whistled a jaunty tune as he waited.
Bonnie anxiously rushed to the door to see if Tyler was back. He had dropped her off after they went shopping for groceries. However, he still needed to go home to pack a bag for the week. They had decided it wouldn't be smart to take Bonnie with him. Neither of them knew if Jeremy and Matt had returned home yet. Unfortunately, Bonnie had underestimated how anxious she would feel while being apart from Tyler. It had only been thirty minutes yet she was already climbing the walls. The mating mark made her want to go find him, despite knowing he would return soon.
Tyler planned to leave a note for Matt and Jeremy. He was going to make up a lie about going out of town to check on some friends. They didn't need anyone getting curious and looking for him. It was bad enough that he would be missing a full week of classes. He would have to compel his professors after the fact.
Fortunately, she didn't have as many complications as Tyler did. If she was being completely honest, Bonnie didn't have plans on most days of the week. Damon had mockingly called her a woman of leisure a few weeks ago. He was being a dick as usual but he wasn't wrong. She had decided against throwing herself into the rigors of academia after being resurrected. The young woman planned to attend college in the future once her life was in order.
In the meantime, she sold her childhood home and collected her father's generous insurance policy. The deaths of her grandmother and father had left Bonnie with a sizable nest egg. She had considered renting an apartment in town but suddenly the tenants in Sheila's old home had asked to break their lease. The family of four still had five months left on their lease but Bonnie didn't fuss about it. She hadn't been particularly interested in being a landlady. Moreover, she couldn't think of another place in the world that she would rather live.
She walked into the foyer and peered through the gauzy curtains. The girl quickly took a step back when saw Damon standing on her porch.
"Open the door, Bon-Bon," Damon said in a sing-song voice.
She groaned because of course he had seen her. She was really considering getting a solid wood door for exactly this reason. Bonnie wrinkled her nose as soon as she opened the door. It smelled as if Damon had bathed in a distillery. She shouldn't have been surprised because he hadn't taken Elena breaking up with him very well. Not that Bonnie could blame him in the least. She had been there when Elena dumped him. It had been brutal and so unlike her childhood friend that Bonnie briefly wondered if the doppelganger had turned off her emotions.
Damon probably would have gone on a three state killing spree if Bonnie hadn't ran him over with his own car—twice. She had broken his neck the second time she ran him over. The girl had waited on pins and needles for Stefan to show up to help her. They had imprisoned Damon in the boarding house's cellar and pumped him full of vervain for nearly two weeks before he seemed closer to sane. Afterwards, he had disappeared for a couple of weeks. Damon had returned soaked in stripper glitter and bourbon rather than blood. However, he hated Elena and banned anyone from even speaking her name. He had actually signed the boarding house over to Bonnie to prevent the doppelganger from entering.
"What are you doing here, Damon?" she asked.
The brunette vampire lifted an eyebrow and dangled her purse and shoes from his finger. "You left something at my house."
"Thanks," she mumbled and took the items. Bonnie had been so consumed by the mark and Tyler that she had completely forgotten about her purse.
He tilted his head to the side and just stared at her for a moment. There was something off about her. She smelled intoxicating.
She shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze. Normally, he was a cocky bastard. However, she could always tell when he was being serious. "Damon?"
"Where the hell have you been, witchy? I had to stop the rest of the Scooby Doo Gang from organizing a search party for you and wolf boy. Is he here?"
"No!" Bonnie answered too quickly. "Why would he be here?"
Damon chuckled and shook his head. He leaned closer and inhaled audibly. He said, "Because I can smell him all over you. And it's not just because you are obviously wearing his clothes. How long has this been going on?"
"I don't know what you are talking about," she said with a stubborn lift of her chin.
He grinned and said, "Sure you don't. Maybe I should call Blondie to let her know that you are safe and sound at home but that she should drop by to check on you."
Her green eyes went wide as she grabbed onto Damon's arm. She dragged him into the house and slammed the door shut. "Don't do that."
The vampire blinked in shock as he tried to understand how Bonnie had pulled him inside so easily. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her more. He stepped closer and sniffed Bonnie. Damon's gums began itch as he got the urge drain every drop of blood from the witch's body. His senses honed in on the way her heart was racing like a scared rabbit.
Bonnie shoved him away and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I think the better question is what are you doing? Wolf boy is way beneath you but at least he is a step up from Little Gilbert. But this is something more. You smell wrong."
"I took a shower," Bonnie snapped. She turned her head to the side and discreetly sniffed her armpit.
He rolled his eyes. "I am not talking about B.O., Bennett. You always smell vaguely witchy...like the Earth, lavender, and that ozone smell that lingers after a powerful thunderstorm."
She didn't know if she should be troubled by Damon's rather detailed description of her scent. "What do I smell like now?"
Damon backed Bonnie into a wall and sniffed her again. He literally pressed his nose against the nape of her neck and inhaled. He pulled back and said, "You still smell witchy but I am catching some undertones of something else. You smell fertile but it is more than that."
"Fertile? Do I even want to know what the hell that means?" Bonnie asked with a mortified expression.
"There is a distinct smell when a woman is ovulating. It has to do with pheromones and all of that but you smell like Tyler, too. But not on your skin like I would expect. His smell is radiating out of you. It is like he is inside of you."
Bonnie swallowed thickly as she tried to work out what all of that meant.
"What have you done?" he asked in an accusatory tone.
"I don't know."
"Don't lie to me," he growled in her face.
"I'm not lying!" she yelled. Bonnie hadn't been afraid of Damon in a long time. She knew that he wouldn't hurt her. He hadn't even tried after flipping his switch when Elena broke up with him.
Damon realized that she was telling the truth. He grunted in disapproval. Bonnie was usually the sensible one in the group, except for when she was stupidly risking her life for everyone else.
"But you can't tell anyone about this. Not until I figure it out," Bonnie pleaded.
Damon sniffed Bonnie again and took a step back. He frowned. "I'll keep quiet under two conditions."
"Name them," she said quickly.
"I have to tell Stefan because whatever this is seems like trouble. My brother needs to get a head start on his brooding."
Damon knew that he was drinking too much to be of any real help. However, Stefan was ever the Boy Scout. He would get to the bottom of this.
Bonnie wasn't certain that was a good idea. Caroline and Stefan had practically been connected at the hip since she and Tyler fell out. She didn't need an enhanced sense of smell to know the two of them had been sleeping together. It was written all over their faces whenever they were in the same room.
Damon said, "My brother knows how to keep a secret. Besides, it isn't as if you are going to be able to keep this secret for long. Caroline will probably pick this up quicker than I did because I don't spend a whole lot of time smelling wolf boy."
She huffed. "Fine...you can tell Stefan. What's your second condition?"
He chuckled. "I get a front row seat when you finally come clean with Blondie and Jerbear."
Bonnie glared at him.
"What? You got to witness Elena ripping out my heart. Turnabout is fair play."
"Fine," she bit out.
Damon chuckled and said, "Well, I am going to go calm down the Scooby Doo Gang. They were worried that you had been kidnapped since you left your stuff behind."
"Seriously?" she asked.
He chuckled. "I told them you probably just hooked up with one of the asssholes flirting with you last night. Looks like I was right. I'll leave it all vague when I explain it to them, Bon-Bon."
Bonnie bit her tongue and didn't mention that Damon had been one of those assholes. He had played it off as a joke but she had no doubt he would have followed through if she had agreed. Bonnie had seriously considered saying yes to Damon when Tyler had been grinding on some girl. Ultimately, she had said no because she didn't want to ruin their friendship. They had become closer since she had been resurrected. It was Damon's tireless effort that had found a loophole to get her out of the job of anchor. He hadn't been able to stand watching the pain she was in each time a soul passed through her.
"Thank you, Damon."
"Don't mention it. We will talk more about all of this later, witchy."
Bonnie walked Damon to the door and then locked it once he was gone. She leaned against the door and closed her eyes. She was going to have a serious talk with Tyler when he got back. In the meantime, she would start looking through grimoires. She needed information.
She wasn't sure how she felt about this most recent development. Had the mating mark changed her in some elemental way? She also wondered why Tyler didn't mention this as a possible side effect. However, she considered that it was completely possible that he didn't know. It wasn't as if either of them had received formal educations about the ins and outs of being supernatural beings. They had both learned through trial and error, tragedy, and word of mouth. Unfortunately, her run-in with Atticus Shane had made her wary of trusting anyone completely.