A soft thrum of instruments echoed in the darkness, a melody coaxing me further towards it as my eyes fluttered open. A blur of green whipped to my right, the seat below me rumbling lightly as I regained my senses. I closed my eyes, inhaling a deep breath, noting the all too familiar aroma that itched at my consciousness. My eyes widened as I perked up in my seat, taking in the scenery around me. To my left sat Damon, quietly focusing on the road ahead of us as he ignored my frantic awakening.
"What the hell, Damon?"
He turned his head to look at me, his lips peeling back into a smug grin as he took in my confused expression, "Well look who decided to wake up?"
My focus snapped back to the window, taking in what information I could. It was sunny, the sky a soft blue that highlighted the vibrant greenery that covered the landscape around us. Furrowing my brows I groaned, "Where are we? How long was I out?" My hands searched my body before my eyes rolled, "And where's my phone?"
A soft laugh escaped him as he tossed my phone into my lap, the screen shattered from the night before. He leaned back in his seat and cocked his head to the side, peering at me, "We're going to Georgia to chase a lead."
Taking in the damaged and inoperable state of my phone, I groaned, "For what?"
Damon paused, his eyes flicking between the road ahead of him and me, the heavy silence answered enough. Katherine. Crossing my arms, I looked forward at the road and pursed my lips, "Why did I have to come?"
He chuckled, "Why not? I needed some company and you're the only person I don't hate around here so…"
I hissed, "The feeling isn't mutual."
My reaction set him off, a laugh rumbling in his chest as he filled the car with the sound of his own amusement, "Let's put the 'I hate you' act on hold for a bit, okay? Come on, it'll be fun. Besides, you need a break."
A wicked grin danced at the corner of his lips as he peered at me with pleading eyes, an uncomfortable knot twisting in my stomach under the weight of his gaze. Not saying a word, I continued staring forward. The memories from last night licked at the edges of my mind, a lump formed in my throat as disappointment welled inside over what Damon did. Finally breaking the silence, I muttered, "I still don't forgive you for last night."
His blue eyes rolled as he scoffed, "Are we still arguing about this? I saved your life, Rae. You'd think you'd be a little more grateful."
As much as I hated him for it, he was right. It was selfish of me to pretend otherwise. Elena, Jeremy, and Jenna would have been devastated if I died… the last thing they needed was to lose me because of my own ego. A barely audible whisper escaped my lips, "Thank you."
"You're very welcome," he smirked cockily, "And as repayment, you're required to have a drink with me."
My brows raised, caught off guard by the randomness of the question, "Um… what?"
He ignored my question as we pulled into a parking space outside a cozy rustic building labeled 'Bree's Bar'. He climbed out of his seat and walked over to my side, opening the door for me before extending his hand. Hesitantly, I accepted his offer, placing my hand gently in his as I got out of the car. His calloused hands were warm as azure eyes took in my features, a faint smile twisting across his lips as a finger reached out to wipe my cheek, "You look like a mess."
My face twisted into a scowl as I slapped his arm, "How about you try getting in a car accident and see how you look afterwards."
It was impossible to ignore the hint of desire that flashed across his eyes as he smiled at my protest, only for it to be quickly masked by his usual smugness. The worst part was, despite everything we had been through, I couldn't fight against the invisible string that tugged at the corners of my lips.
"Oh, I have been meaning to ask," his head tilted to the side as he lifted a piece of my hair between his fingers, "what made you decide to go red?"
His fingers gently twirled the locks of hair and a wave of embarrassment swelled inside of me, my cheeks warming, "Um, no reason."
Smooth. My eyes fought to pull away from the icy gaze that kept me frozen in place, but instead my flush only deepened. His smile echoed through his words as he dropped the pieces of hair, not breaking eye contact, "Well, whoever it was, it suits you."
Warmth swirled around the knot inside of my stomach as it climbed up my throat, "I should clean up."
I bowed my head and attempted to flee the scene, trying to hide what I could of the embarrassment that was painted across my features. The wooden boards creaked beneath my feet as I ascended the staircase and disappeared into the bar, a low laugh growing behind me.
It was impossible to cover the tears in my jeans or the crimson that stained my shirt, but Damon had already thought ahead and dropped off his jacket at the bathroom for me to throw on. He had walked in on me mumbling to myself, only worsening the situation that eventually led to me shoving him out of the room after I took him up on his offer to wear his infamous black leather jacket. Of course he made sure to tease me on the way out which only aggravated me more.
After cleaning the dirt off my face, I tossed my hair into a messy bun, pulling stray pieces out to frame my face. Damon was right about one thing, the red hair highlighted my pale skin and lightened my caramel eyes in a way my natural brown couldn't. I pulled his jacket over my shoulders and was immediately hit with the smells of his cologne. The spices tickled my senses bringing with them a wave of comfort that I rejected and shoved back down inside of me. Don't let him in.
Emerging from the bathroom I joined Damon at a high table near the back of the bar. The place wasn't too busy, which was expected in the middle of the day, but everyone seemed to know one another. My usual drink sat next to him… A clean glass of whiskey. As his eyes lifted from his phone screen, I could have sworn I could see his breath hitch, his lips parted as he took in what I considered a disheveled appearance, "Well don't you clean up nice."
Climbing into the bar stool next to him, I attempted to change the subject, "So what are we here for? What's the lead you mentioned?"
His eyes lingered on me a little longer than I'd like before he directed a pointed gaze to the bartender, "Her. She's my lead. She's a witch I met a while back and she might know another way to open the tomb."
My muscles tightened in response to his words. You don't have to believe me but she deserves to be saved. I was once again at a war with my emotions, one side understanding why he felt the need to help her, the other wishing selfishly he could let her go. I don't want you to be her. I was ashamed to admit that after Tyler… I couldn't silence the looming feeling that I'd never come first, that they'd always choose someone else… Someone better. I don't believe you. And I shouldn't. He hurt me, more than once, and somehow I still found myself in the same predicament as I was the night at the Grill. Something deep down inside of me couldn't shut him out, not completely.
Silencing my thoughts, Damon nudged my arm, "You there, princess?"
My brows furrowed as I audibly gagged, "Princess? What- Do not."
"Well given that reaction I'm even more tempted to," He grinned as he lifted his drink and muttered into the glass, "Princess."
I gripped the glass of whiskey he ordered for me and drank it in one go, washing away the word that burrowed beneath my skin. The last thing I was going to do was enjoy pet names given to me by Damon Salvatore. After regaining my composure with a little liquid courage, I continued, "So, have you asked her yet?"
"No, but I will later. For now I'd much rather talk to you." Damon's playful eyes rested upon me. He waved at a waitress, "Could you bring us a couple glasses of whiskey? I didn't realize I was accompanied by a lush."
I turned and put my elbow on the back of my chair, facing him as I grimaced. "I am not a lush! I just…" my voice softened, " I admittedly drank too much when I lost my parents. I tried anything I could to fill the gap they left. Thankfully it didn't take me long to realize it wasn't a good solution and I cut back." My eyes watched as his playful smirk turned into a concerned expression. Unable to stand his pity, my gaze dropped to my hands as I began picking at my cuticles. "I know… It sounds pathetic. A rebellious 18 year old getting drunk every night to numb the pain. How mature."
A beat passed before I felt the warmth of his fingers against my skin. They hooked under my chin and pulled my face up to look at him as his thumb gently brushed over my cheek, "You're not pathetic, Rae. You were lost and you did whatever you could to make it out alive. You're one of the strongest people I know and you've done everything in your power to support your family."
Tears blurred my vision as our eyes remained locked, the world around us fading into the background. After my parents passed, everyone was so focused on how Elena was doing since she was the one in the car that night… But no one ever really bothered to check if I was okay. Jeremy received some attention because he was the youngest… But I needed to be strong for them. As Damon looked at me I realized it wasn't pity I saw, but instead someone that saw me for me and wasn't disgusted by it. Someone that knew what the burden and pain felt like being the oldest sibling.
All the anger I felt towards him melted away with my staggered tears, his rough hands wiping the few that fell as soon as they cascaded down my cheeks. How could I find myself so enthralled with anger one moment and rendered completely helpless by his touch the next. I couldn't help but lean deeper into the palm of his hand as he cupped my face, "I hate you, Damon Salvatore."
His eyes glittered with mirth as he dropped his hold and let out a soft chuckle, "I know."
The waitress dropped off our drinks shortly after and we drank while we told stories about our past. Time flew by as we bonded over the annoyances of our younger siblings, the fury that is Caroline Forbes, and his favorite experiences over the last 150 or so years. We almost forgot about the reality of our lives before his phone rang. I could hear Elena's high pitched voice on the other end, his eyebrows raised as he glanced at me with a subtle smirk before handing me his phone, "It's for you."
I grabbed the phone and headed out to a small patio on the side of the bar. The day had slipped away as stars lined the night sky. Once the door had closed behind me I lifted the phone to my ear, "Hey Ele-"
"He didn't hurt you right? Are you okay? Why aren't you answering your phone?"
I laughed, all too aware of the alcohol warming my skin as I tried to focus on the conversation at hand, "I'm fine, Elena. He helped me last night after Logan abducted me from the school and decided to drag me with him to Georgia for a quick trip. My phone's broken but I'll be home tonight, I promise."
The other side of the line was silent for a moment before she spoke, her voice calmer, "Okay… I covered for you with Jenna, but thank God you're okay."
"Thank you for that, I'll call you when we're on the way home, okay? I love you."
I could hear a smile in her voice as she responded, "I love you, too."
Hanging up, I turned around to head back inside before a hand wrapped around my mouth and pulled me against a firm chest. Logan Fell's face flickered in my mind as the man lifted me off the floor and yanked me towards the back of the building. I kicked and squealed into his hold, trying to break free as he dragged me to the back alley, where he roughly slapped a piece of tape over my mouth and tied me to a chain link fence. My eyes stung as I yanked at the binds around my wrist, my screams muffled. Before I could see where he went, he had disappeared.
The adrenaline sobered me, allowing me to take in my surroundings. A sharp plank that was broken in half laid to my right and there was a slight notch on the chain link fence that was sharp enough for me to tear through my binds if I had time. In the distance I heard Damon's voice echo as he called for me. My eyes darted to the side of the bar, catching his face as he rounded the corner. I tried to yell, to tell him to watch out, but the man had already snuck up behind him. He clubbed Damon in the back of the head with a crowbar and knocked him to the floor.
All too aware of my limited time, I ground my rope bindings over the sharp metal jutting out of the fence as Damon groaned behind me, "What the hell is your problem man?"
The stranger yelled, "You were the guy that killed my friend back in Chicago. Remember him? You turned us and then killed him when he got in your way."
He stood with his back facing me as he towered over Damon, kicking and hitting him in between words. My pulse pounded in my ears as the threads on the rope began to split, almost there. I checked behind me and saw the man pulling a stake from his pocket.
My throat dried as a maniacal laugh ripped through the air as he continued to strike Damon over and over again, masking the sound of the rope that bound my wrists snapping. Damon noticed what I had been doing and did his best to distract him, yelling and groaning in an effort to cover up any sounds I had made. I tore the tape off my mouth, my face stinging, and clutched the plank on the floor to my left. Carefully, I examined the sharp tip at the end before looking back at the male that stood over Damon. He hoisted the stake in the air, "I have been waiting years to do this."
He needed me. My chest tightened as my feet propelled me into a run and everything went silent outside of the rhythmic thud of my heart and the padding of my shoes on the pavement. The space in front of me blurred as I gripped the stake with both hands. Once I was close enough, I lunged forward, thrusting the wood upward into the man's back. It pierced through him with ease as if it was designed with this purpose in mind. Everything remained muted as he pitched forward and landed on top of Damon.
Stumbling backwards, I looked down at my hands and saw blood, despite them being clean. I killed him. My eyes widened and I let out an inaudible scream. Damon pushed the man's body aside and crawled over to me before he propped himself up on his knees. His hands cautiously reached out grabbing my wrists. My vision couldn't help but tunnel on the raw skin at the base of my hands as tears began to spill down my face. Damon pulled himself up off the floor, his lips moving but his words muffled by the deafening anxiety that raged beneath my surface.
He pulled me into his arms, the comfort of his warm body wrapping around my frame calmed me, his hand trailing up and down my back as the other rested behind my head, pulling me deeper into him. I sobbed into his chest while the sound of his voice slowly faded in, my anxiety subsiding. "It's okay, Rae. You're fine. Everything will be okay."
I pushed off his chest and looked up into his eyes, "I killed him, Damon. I killed someone."
He brushed his hand through my hair as he shook his head, "He wasn't a good person, Rae. The friend of his I killed was trying to hurt someone. They both hurt a lot of people."
My breathing slowed as I sniffled, "But-"
"You saved me, Rae. You killed a vampire. Your father would be proud of you."
Your father would be proud. His words played through my head on loop, easing my fears as they soaked into my skin. He was right, this was exactly what my father was training me for… It was what he would have wanted me to do. He was a vampire. One that was far from good. While it didn't fix the pain I felt, it did help numb the grief. You saved me. Damon's eyes lingered on mine as a new emotion hid deep within his sapphire irises. His gaze flicked to my mouth before it returned to my eyes. "I owe you one, princess."
I choked out through my sobs, "What did I say about calling me that."
His lips peeled back into a slight smile, his hand brushing a piece of hair behind my ear as his eyes searched mine, "Have I told you how much I love seeing you in my jacket?"
My cheeks flushed as I looked down at the loose fitting leather jacket that I was practically swimming in, "How can you even be thinking about that right now?"
His smile met his eyes, a low laugh rumbling in his chest. He wrapped his hand in my hair and pulled me back into his chest before he rested his chin gently on my head, "I'm afraid you've got quite the hold on me, Rae."
He tipped his head and kissed the top of mine softly. Chills rippled down my spine as warmth washed over me for the millionth time today. Damon and I were complicated in more ways than one but what I did know is that no matter how hard I tried to fight against it, he was always there for me… And as much as I refused to admit it… I didn't want it to be anyone else. Part of me wished that the world could see this side of Damon, not the harsh exterior he hid behind, while the other half of me relished in the thought of knowing it was reserved only for me.
