A.N.: Has anyone else realised the simple solution to the problem of Jeremy being trapped inside the tomb with Katherine was for Bonnie to incapacitate Katherine so Jeremy could escape? I have also noticed the wardrobe department uses a lot of purple when introducing new baddies. Both Mason and Elijah wear purple shirts in their first couple of episodes. And damn, does it look good on them!

POUR YOURSELF A DRINK BEFORE YOU READ THIS! You'll need it…


Dangerous Beauty

16

Let Go


"…I'll never do anything to hurt you," a throaty voice whispered, earnestness dripping from her words, and Giulia shot Damon a smile, pleased.

"We never talk like this," Caroline's voice said softly. "And today meant so much to me."

"For me, too," Liz sniffled happily.

"I know I can trust you," Caroline said softly, upset. "But you're never going to trust them…" Damon stepped out into the doorway of the cell, making Caroline jump. Liz glanced around; their eyes were damp, bright blue. Almost identical. Giulia leaned in the doorway, smiling.

"Ready to bust this joint, Liz?" Damon asked laconically, leaning down to zip up Liz's small suitcase.

"But – I… I haven't compelled my mom to forget," Caroline blurted anxiously.

"I know," Damon said flippantly, lifting the suitcase easily. "C'mon. We'll have a drink. Us Council members have some things to discuss."

"Wait, I don't underst— What's going on?" Caroline asked, glancing from Damon to Giulia.

"Decided it's best to keep Liz in the loop," Damon shrugged, and Giulia shot Liz and Caroline a wink behind his back. Caroline's entire face lifted, and Liz glanced from them to Caroline, relief etched in her features.

"What changed your mind?" Liz asked, eyeing Damon suspiciously.

"You did," Giulia said softly, gazing at Liz. Had things gone the other way, had Liz rejected Caroline, they would have compelled her to forget as planned; but Giulia knew her too well. There was no way Liz could see Caroline as she was now and not be awed by her daughter. Turning into a vampire had stripped the pettiness and insecurities from her, left in its place a fair-minded, confident badass who took command of difficult situations, protected her friends – hell, she had clobbered Mason when he'd apparently used Elena as a human-shield against her, had taken down the two sheriffs who had captured Stefan and Damon and been rough with Elena.

Liz's things were left by the front-door, ready for her departure. But in light of her not being compelled, Giulia had been organising an inaugural dinner. The candles in the lanterns outside were all lit, music playing, and Stefan was stationed at her dad's beloved grill, Caroline set the table and Giulia brought out the loaded salad and sides, and they had a working dinner. They all knew about the Council, and even if only two of them were official members, Giulia was on the waiting-list and the actions of the Council were of absolute importance to Stefan and Caroline's continued safety. It was a blessed relief to talk to Liz as a person on the same page as the rest of them – well, in regards to her knowing the secret.

Her attitude towards a lot of things was very refreshing, and only cemented Giulia's belief she had done right by convincing Damon not to compel Liz to forget the details. Liz wanted to protect her daughter; but she had dedicated her life to protecting the town, as well. She wanted to ensure Caroline was safe from the town, and that the town was safe from her. Rather, from Damon. She asked Stefan point-blank if he felt his new regime of inoculating himself toward the effects of human-blood would work.

"I…I'm taking a thimbleful at a time, for now," Stefan said. "I've been working on handling it each time, I think Giulia's method may work. Introduce it as part of my diet but not the high-point."

"And if you feel you're ever close to the edge, who is there you can turn to for help?" Liz asked; Giulia had told her about the Ripper, and obviously she didn't want a repeat of the Grove Hill murder.

"I have a friend, Lexi," Stefan said. "She's…been pulling me back to sobriety since 1864."

"Oh. Giulia mentioned her – the vampire Florence Nightingale," Liz said, and Stefan chuckled.

"Yup. That's her," he said.

"I'll give you her contact-details," Giulia said, eyeing Caroline as she bounced out of the house with a large ice-cream cake from Dairy Queen – she had compelled the server to give them the very last cake rather than the mom of five whose screaming brats absolutely did not need the extra sugar. "Better you don't have to rely on any one of us to narc on Stefan if he flings himself off the wagon."

"My thoughts exactly," Liz said, as Caroline set the cake down.

"Is it really that hot? It's already starting to melt," Caroline said thoughtfully, eyeing the cake.

"It is ridiculous," Giulia said, plucking the fabric of her dress away from her stomach. The backlash of having a great rack meant sweaty cleavage, and being frowned on by conservative Mystic Falls mommies for not wearing a bra.

"I don't even feel it anymore," Caroline sighed, shrugging. "At least I'll always look composed."

"Grace Kelly would be so proud," Giulia said drily, as Liz chuckled. Caroline dished up the cake, and Giulia enjoyed her wedge, smiling to herself as she reflected on Elijah's sweet-tooth. She'd never seen him consume blood, but no sweet-tasting thing was safe from him. At least he was an exceptional cook, and like Caroline didn't feel the heat to be uncomfortable using her oven to create any number of baked goods. She suspected he was bored; but he had his laptop, her records, and she had given him sketchbooks and coloured pencils to sketch designs for jewellery or eggs. He loved her pianos, had been working on that composition movement by movement, everything so thoughtful and meticulous. He was just waiting. But she had noted that he refused to include any of his friends in his plans. No Cara, no Jacques, no Ashlyn. None of the Manhattan crowd.

She probably still tasted of ice-cream when she returned home later that night, enveloped by the warmth of the night, the scent of magnolias on the gentle breeze, greeted by her new home by glowing amber warmth, and the scent of fresh baked goods, the gentle tinkle of the piano, the delicate lap of water from the lake, the panoramic wall of glass overlooking the lake open to the breeze as she padded to the sleek deck. He wasn't sat on one of her new deckchairs, but there was a towel thrown over the end of one of them, his watch and, strangely, one of her tiny inner-helix cartilage studs on the little table, glinting in the sun. She smiled as she glanced across the water, seeing a dark head bobbing in the water, flickering in and out of sight as the sun warped off the disturbed water. They had about two hours until sunset; she had left the party early to come and spend some time with Elijah, after being so busy the last few days.

Having the moonstone changed things.

Sooner or later Elijah would find out she had it. And with that realisation he could either compel or…convince her to make it available for the ritual to go ahead.

She guessed it would be sooner rather than later; from what she had guessed he had too much riding on this sacrifice going ahead. They had very little time together before things started gaining a momentum they had little hope of controlling. Ducking back into the cool, shady house, she pulled a serving-platter from one of her cupboards, loading it with gorgeous fat olives, local artisan salamis, roasted almonds tossed in olive-oil and rock-salt, a beautiful salty cheese, chilled grapes and fresh, warm figs from the tree outside by her garage, sliced and drizzled with local honey, some sliced bruschetta Elijah had made yesterday, lightly toasted under the grill in the oven, a pile of walnuts and a handful of tiny flavourful cherry-tomatoes. She pulled a bottle of sherry from the refrigerator where it had been chilling, putting it in the antique silver bucket full of ice-cubes, getting out a couple of glasses, and carried it all outside to the deck. She hid Elijah's towel, watching him swim closer.

She watched as Elijah's features started to come into focus, and raised an eyebrow, shamelessly checking him out as he climbed, completely naked but for his subtle daylight-ring, out of the water.

"My towel seems to have walked off," he said casually, his eyes travelling the length of her body from tousled hair to her shimmering orange-pedicured toes.

"Oh, dear," Giulia tutted, smirking. "Whatever shall you do?" Traipsing over, dripping, glistening in the early-evening sun, hair slicked back, tattoo and all those delicious lickable scars on show, Giulia got a little side-tracked just watching the way his body moved, as he smiled gently, taking her face in his hands, brushing his lips tenderly against hers, stroking his thumbs over her jaw, down her throat, across her collarbones as his pinkie-fingers slipped deftly under the tiny halter T-back straps of the white-embroidered red sundress she had put on after dunking herself in the swimming-hole earlier. She shivered as the fabric billowed to her ankles, and they both chuckled, smiling as they kissed, as Elijah tutted.

"Look at that," he said softly, his dark, playful eyes sweeping over her now entirely naked body. She had stripped off her two-piece after going swimming, tying it to her car-aerial to dry out while she shared a beer with Caroline. "It seems to be catching."

"There must be some nefarious voodoo in the air," Giulia said drily, and Elijah chuckled softly; she stepped out of her dress, which he used to blot the water from his body, giving her a smirk. She opened the bottle of pale sherry with a delicious pop and poured them both a glass; he looped his arms around her waist from behind, gently kissing her neck, before gently pulling her onto the deckchair, a tangle of legs and sun-seared skin.

There were times when a bottle of chilled sherry defined perfection. Draped between Elijah's legs on her back, her head against his chest with his fingers sifting through her hair, idly watching the water, sharing a platter of little finger-foods, dozing butt-naked against Elijah's chest as he traced her nipple-piercing with his pinkie-fingernail, tenderly cupping and massaging her breasts, soaking up the sun and stroking a hand up and down his thigh, it was perfect. Naked sunbathing, the tang of olives and salt from almonds and salami, the sweetness of the honey and fruit, the tart, sweet, dry sherry was absolutely delightful.

"You'll burn," Elijah warned in a whisper, tenderly pulling on her earlobe with his fingertips, making her shiver.

"Mm," she said, drugged by the sun's warmth, too relaxed in the cradle of Elijah's body to move.

"At the very least, your front will not match your back," Elijah murmured, and Giulia hummed contentedly. He was right about that; Caroline would give her no end of shtick for an uneven tan. So, she turned over, breasts pressing against Elijah's stomach as she lazily hugged his torso, cheek pressed to his chest. She heard his soft chuckle, the steady beat of a huge heart long afraid to feel, his breath tickled against her bare back as he sighed heavily. She felt his fingers delicately trace across her back, gathering up her hair, brushing it away from her face, tenderly brushing his thumb against her arm.

"Giulia," Elijah whispered, and she heard the tone in his voice. She blinked, coming into focus, drawn to the here-and-now, the glint of drying water pooled on the deck, her red sundress drying out on the other deckchair, and she rested her chin on his chest, gazing up at him inquisitively. Something sparkled between his fingers as he offered it to her; the tiny stud for her most recent inner-helix piercing. She had taken all her piercings out to clean them, and had left them out today for the funeral, conscious of how inappropriate Carol felt about multiple ear-piercings were.

"What's this?" she asked, smiling, as she reached up to take it.

"I took the liberty of having it…spelled," Elijah said softly, as she brushed a fingertip over her ear, focusing as she threaded the tiny implant-grade titanium labret stud through her cartilage. Kelly's friend in Richmond who owned the piercing-parlour had won awards, one of the best in the state, and Giulia was a convert. He had done her nipple-piercing for her, chuckling at the face she had pulled, distracting her with a book full of photographs of other body-piercings. She'd flipped to the naughty ones. Speaking of naughty, Giulia glanced up at Elijah as she twisted the back into place, raising an eyebrow.

"Spelled with what?" she asked teasingly, and Elijah's eyes were lambent as he gazed down at her.

"To…make you a little more…durable," he said, and she narrowed her eyes, filled with amusement; she was tempted to tease him for blushing.

"And what might I need to be more durable for, lovely?" she asked, dipping her lips to press a kiss to his chest. Elijah cleared his throat, tracing his fingers up and down her back idly as she fiddled with her labret stud. It felt alien for a few moments, her body readjusting to it being there, but she smirked when he caught her eye.

"I have a few ideas," he said softly, and Giulia grinned mischievously, sliding up his body so she had her arms draped around his shoulders, her breasts pressed against his chest, hooking one knee over his hip, and without a word, his body reacted, twisting his hips ever so slightly, a hand on her ass, groaning softly as a pained look flickered across his face, and he tangled his fingers through her hair to cup her head and draw her closer, brushing a kiss against her lips, her toes curling as he teased his erection ever so lightly between her legs.

She shivered, swallowing, as he swiftly caught her other knee over his wrist, pulling her leg up to straddle his lap, erection searing her delicate skin as she rolled her hips against him almost unconsciously; he drew her face into his hands, tenderly, fiercely kissing her, one hand tangled in her hair, the other brushing down her throat, the backs of his fingers drumming against her piercing, pinching lightly and twisting, before he gathered her up in his arms, planting his feet firmly on the deck, dipping his head to nip and suck her the way he knew got right to her marrow, shivering and clenching, biting her lip and swallowing her gasps as she rolled her hips, slick and hot and aching for the searing length pressing against her, taunting her. She spread her knees wider, grinding against his erection, getting him wet, as he continued to lave her breasts, licking, suckling, nibbling, gently massaging as she pressed her palms against his shoulders, gently pushing him away, wanting him to stop, to watch her as she drew him into her. She wanted to watch him as he entered her.

Panting, he rested back against the chair, stomach-muscles corded with strain, hands clasped at the tops of her thighs, thumbs brushing the sensitive skin at the joint, his eyes glued to her face. She dipped her head to brush delicate kisses to his lips, nuzzling his nose, bracing one hand on his shoulder as she traced a finger along his wrist, placing a hand over the fingers he had splayed across her ass, body shivering, her toes curling, eyes on each other as she rolled her hips one more time, her entire body coming alive as he met her, the briefest tug of resistance giving way to exquisite perfection.

Too much, she thought, lips parting as he filled her, his hips rising to meet hers with a strained groan.

It was too much, too exquisite…too irreplaceable.

The swift glide of her hips met his thrusts as she linked an arm around his neck, pressing searing kisses to his lips as his hands splayed on her hips, fingertips going white with pressure as they writhed, gasping and Elijah gathered her up in his arms, taking control; she raked her fingernails across his shoulder, up his back as he thrust harder, making her moan, pressing his forehead to hers as he twisted his hips to meet hers, making her gasp at the exquisite sensations assaulting her body, tiny waves building into a fierce storm, remembering everything they had learned about each other, to fight, and to last, to build things to an unbearable crescendo. She bit into his scarred collarbone to muffle her scream as the world shattered, listening to the pained grunt and the following sigh of pure male satisfaction as she shuddered in his arms.

Revelling in their mingled heat, she sighed, gently rolling her hips to elicit a tiny moan from Elijah, and licked her lips, bending to give him a searing kiss under his jaw.

"So…exactly how…durable does this spell make me?" Giulia panted, a little while later, and Elijah's eyes flew to her face, the peaceful look on his face replaced by one of intensity that made her nipples throb, biting her lip. She smiled, leaning down to lick and then nip one of his nipples, tugging with her teeth, raking her fingernails lightly over his stomach, leaving a stinging trail of little bites softened by tiny kisses up to his lips, tongue delving, and he chuckled deep in his chest, gathering her up in his arms.

There was no going back.

The sofa, their favourite place, she found herself flung down onto, bouncing once before Elijah had joined her, her laugh caught in her throat as he wrapped one leg around his waist, draping the other over the back of the sofa, and she bit her lip, stifling a gasp as they both watched him feed himself into her. She gripped the sofa-cushion, wriggling, spreading her thighs wider as he started to move his hips, slow, forceful, measured thrusts, leveraged over her on arms coiled with muscle, and she propped herself up on her elbows, leaning up to give him hot, wet kisses, her entire body shivering with overstimulation, she gripped him with one hand, digging in her nails, biting his lip before her head lolled, his lips leaving a stinging trail of kisses from earlobe to breast, swirling his tongue around her nipple, tugging on her piercing with his teeth, still thrusting between her thighs, one shaky hand moving to grip her thigh and keep the leg draped over the sofa wide, adjusting his hips for better access, a deeper thrust, making them both gasp, his fingers trailing between them to touch her, gently, teasing, a contrast to the unforgiving thrusting between her legs that was sending her mind completely blank of everything but that sensation.

More, she just knew she wanted more. And there, as he went up on his knees, adjusting her hips to hit that spot he had found so easily so many times before with only his fingers – now, she keened, biting her lip to keep from begging, or worse, whimpering, as he slowed his pace, savouring every drawn-out thrust, pumping deep within her once, twice, three times before withdrawing in an achingly teasing movement that left her gasping and writhing, fingernails biting into his arm, kissing and nipping and biting at his collarbones, his neck, entire body shuddering, gasping, her muscles clenching almost painfully to keep him where she desperately wanted him, needed him, as he pulled out almost to the very tip. Mind and body were in perfect agreement, Elijah needed to stay there, that was where he was meant to be. She spurred him on, arms wrapped around his torso, one hand pushed through his dark hair, pulling him down for a fierce kiss, shuddering as he pushed deep into her again, powerfully, almost lazily, savouring every sensation as her muscles clamped down on him, making her cry out at the intensity, and she saw and narrowed her eyes at the smug little smile that flitted across his strained features at the sound; her lips parted, eyes locked on each other as he pumped deeper into her, once, twice, that third wrecking time that made her toes curl, made her feel it to the marrow.

The tiniest, gentlest smile appeared on his lips as she panted, clinging to him, to the edge, refusing to fling herself over it. Not yet. Too much. Too irreplaceable – unrepeatable.

"Let go," he whispered, and she might have laughed at the irony if she wasn't so devastated by the onslaught of lust and emotion, her body completely…alive. She managed to shake her head, defiant – and scared…this couldn't be the last time. That gentle smile turned into a delicious smirk, a naughty grin that promised this was only the beginning, wicked and daring her to keep up. It was the same look she got when that barrier had finally been pulled down – the one that told her this was going to be a long night of them both learning stunning secrets about themselves.

And suddenly, he was gone. Leaving her shocked, confused, her body crying, aching for him, cramping almost painfully at her emptiness. She blinked, glancing around dazedly, and saw a hand offered to her. He was helping her up off the sofa, like a gentleman. She blinked, the thought utterly absurd as she unhooked her leg from the back of the sofa, eyes widening as she realised she couldn't walk on legs so unsteady, but she made it to the steps up to the kitchen before she found herself on her back, Elijah lying between her thighs, feasting. Not filling her – building her up to an inferno the way only he had learned how, making her cry out and whimper, almost in pain at how empty she was, digging her heels into the cool floor as she writhed, fingers biting into his scalp as she pulled his hair, gritting her teeth as she tried to fight him preventing her from coming. He always did this, she thought viciously, her hips writhing, even as he used his strength, one forearm pressed across her abdomen, pinning her to the granite that enlivened her skin with its iciness, one hand sneaking up to flick and tease her nipples as she whimpered, his fingers teasing her. Always did this – until he couldn't take it. And she held out for that tipping-point, drenched in her own lust, the agony of sexual torture, drenched and shuddering, completely out of control – she let out a rich laugh when he reached the breaking-point, although this time it wasn't simply her turn to go down on him and torture him – this time, she was wrenched to her feet, his hands splayed on her ass to lift her up, crying out as he sought her lips for a kiss and thrust deep into her in one swift, merciless move, his strength pinning her to his hips, hands splayed across her ass; she locked her ankles behind his back, clung on to his shoulders, and groaned as he used her body to leverage quick, deep thrusts, hot and slick and wet, suspended in mid-air with nothing but that sensation, until she realised they were on the gallery landing on the stairs, and he had her backed into the corner, letting her slide down his body long enough to stand on tiptoe, kissing him back fiercely as he pounded into her, an arm around her shoulders, giving her no escape from his deep, possessive kisses that matched each thrust of his hips, forcing her to her tiptoes trying to escape such devouring sensation.

This was new. This shared ferocity, limitless – they had slipped over that final barrier, tender and intimate, natural. Now there was nothing to stop them. And she relished in it, her body singing as he wound his arms around her, thrusting powerfully and making them both moan, almost shouting, backed into the corner, the walls propping her up as her legs shook, on her tiptoes, wrapped up in him, his kiss, pulling his hair and scratching his back as he thrust into her mercilessly, forgetting themselves, forgetting who they were, lost to everything but the feeling of him inside her. Finally, she thought. They were finally here. She cried out, clinging to the wall, to him, feeling her legs about to go from under her – in a second, she was whisked away, gasping with relief as she reached over the bed to climb on – choking on a moan as he grabbed her hips from behind and thrust into her.

"Elijah!" she gasped, and grinned breathlessly, as one hand splayed across her stomach, finger dipping to find her clit, his other hand clasping hers affectionately as they met at her breasts; she covered his as he cupped her breast, thumb teasing her piercing, and she pressed her other palm to the mattress, using the bed for support as he thrust into her, the movement a powerful, downward thrust finding that spot that made her shudder uncontrollably and lose consciousness of everything else. She reached between them, fondling him, making him groan, his tight balls sensitive. She grinned, biting her lip. Then he withdrew, her knees instantly weak, and she gave a cruel tug that made him groan and retaliate, slapping her ass so it stung and she moaned, rolling her hips, and he clambered onto the bed, hoisting her up by the waist. He manoeuvred her back against him on their knees, supporting her as he pushed into her, digging his forehead into her shoulder as she took his hands to cup her breasts, using her own to touch herself and caress him between them as he thrust at a gentle, deceiving pace. She felt his teeth nip her shoulder, never drawing blood, and he released one breast only to thread his fingers through her hair, flipping it over one shoulder, and she glanced up, gasping as she watched them in her dressing-table mirror.

"Oh," she whispered, catching his eye in the mirror as he altered his pace, slow and delicious, she pressed back against him, moaning, leaning around to kiss and bite his jaw, giving him a searing kiss as he massaged her breasts, one hand sneaking down to join her, turning back to the mirror to watch, a soft smile on her face, flushed and covered in sweat but alive, delighted, he looked absolutely edible, hair pushed back, muscles knotted, those soft hollows on his ass defined with each gentle stroke deep inside her, his expression so gentle and…heart-breaking. Their eyes roved over each other in the mirror, memorising everything. She tilted her head, curious what he saw, before she shivered, his breath dancing across her ear as he whispered, "Let go."

He always did. She glanced over her shoulder, eyes locking with his, and managed to pant a soft, "Not without you," the way she always did. He took her face in his hand, tilting her head back for a kiss, and they let go. Together.

Hours later, dozing blissfully against Elijah's side in the cool darkness of their bedroom, she sighed to herself, feeling his fingertips tracing her vertebrae, and she smiled and yawned gently, stretching out. She wasn't sure whether the spell he had had put on her earring had done it all, but either he was used to holding back or she was stronger than they knew; and he was delicious. That same fire that burst into life whenever she took the time to set it ablaze, threatening to burn out of control, still smouldered in him, she could sense it in his relaxed smile, the physical affectionateness she experienced, delighted in, whenever he had lowered his emotional walls to be vulnerable, sweet and playful, earnest and devastatingly sexy. He gathered her head in the crook of his elbow, lifting it, drawing her up his body to press a kiss against her lips.

He gave her the sweetest, saddest look, eyes searching her face, and she was struck, swallowing nervously, not breaking eye-contact, understanding that he had realised what she had known before. That this…this had marked the end of one part of their relationship…indicated its transition into something new, something dangerous and volatile and something neither of them would have control over.

This was goodbye. To what they had been. The relationship they had had. What they might have had, if not for the curse. Giulia didn't know whether the sacrifice had simply provided a trigger to hasten the inevitable. Would they have gotten to this point? There was a certain immediacy, an intimacy they had both broken through high walls to experience together; it may have taken decades for Elijah to open up the way he had the last couple of weeks due to sheer proximity, necessity. Her refusal to not let him maintain that immaculate façade.

She wasn't willing to waste her own time, limited as she knew it was, by indulging the thousand-year-old vampire with his need to keep emotionally buttoned up.

But she was in danger, too, of that demand for intimacy backfiring.

Maybe it was the girls forcing her to watch too many chick-flicks at their slumber-parties. Too much awareness of romance and mush in pop-culture, listening to Caroline talking about her failed relationship with Matt, but Giulia thought…

She had never been in love. Tyler was the childhood friend she had discovered sex with. Had enjoyed goofing off with, loved spending time with him when he wasn't being dickish. He had had that sweeter side he never showed anyone… But love? No.

The only real-world relationships she had to observe, to try to figure out, were Stelena. Jennaric – the name made her snicker to herself, amused. Caroline's frequent, short-term obsessions, and her more recent earnest, sweet attempt with Matt. Carol and Richard Lockwood, her proximity to Tyler giving her a different insight than most people saw. Grayson and Miranda's honest, casual intimacy; and her own father, grieving for her dead mother until the day he died.

Given all that, it wasn't surprising she was…well, confused.

Unsettled, was probably the best word to describe it. She had no idea what she was feeling – her entire body was a mess, completely out of her own control, responding to simple thoughts about Elijah – and those were frequent, distracting her. It wasn't even thinking about him naked, she liked to pretend she wasn't becoming addicted to sexual intimacy with him, but who was she kidding? She was a closet nymphomaniac – a monogamous one, but a lover of orgasms and the thrill of sexual foreplay nonetheless. She just liked thinking about him. What they were doing. The game. Thinking about what he had planned, guessing his moves and countermoves, adjusting her own tactics to take into account what she guessed he was up to, keeping twelve steps ahead because she knew he was working at ten.

She could justify to herself that she wasn't, strictly speaking, daydreaming about Elijah. She was zoning out worrying about the very-real danger of the looming sacrifice, the enigmatic Klaus, titillated by the mental challenge it all provided her with, combined with her own machinations against the Council, working on her college dissertations, her personal research consolidating all the intel she had acquired about vampires, the Originals, the curse, planning her road-trip with Caroline (final GPAs-dependent) and designing the refurbishment of her dad and uncle's vintage teardrop trailer – the physical aspects of actually building it as well, putting in the hours on top of her school work, cleaning up after the boys, playing the game with Elijah.

Giulia felt she could be forgiven, at seventeen, with only pop-culture and her father's deep mourning of his long-departed wife as an example, to not understand what her body and her mind were telling her.

She knew she was in trouble. That was all. But that word was just too vague and not delicious enough to describe what she was feeling. The rawness, the gentle intimacy, her excitement, the intensity of her sexual fascination with Elijah, their emotional closeness, how relaxed she was at the same time frazzled and delighted, shivering with terror at the intensity of the molten feelings in the pit of her stomach, unable to wait to climb out of bed every morning because she had another day with him. Simple conversations stuck with her, she enjoyed cooking dinner he didn't need to eat together, she had learned of his secret Doctor Who obsession, she listened to him playing the piano for hours out of the corner of her ear while she worked. He didn't interfere with her schoolwork or with her projects, but her knowledge of his nearness teased at the back of her mind.

It was an uncomfortable thought, pondering exactly what she was feeling, because she didn't know. Couldn't talk to anyone about it. It was too strange. Their relationship itself was not normal. How could anyone have a sage word to say about it?

He was a thousand-year-old Viking vampire seeped in mystery and tragedy, ruthless and subtly arrogant in an utterly charming way. She was a slightly hyperactive seventeen-year-old college student who drank too much, took unnecessary risks, suffered from insomnia, was smarter than was good for her and was in the process of breaking up with her besties, incapable of severing emotional ties with the vampire who had killed her dad, and kept way too many secrets.

How the hell did they build a healthy relationship on that?

And…was she…in love?

She gazed down at Elijah's sombre face, pushing her fingers through his glossy dark hair, and she swallowed, feeling that writhing, clenching feeling in her stomach again, the one she had felt too many times not to pay attention to. Why did people say love could make the heart swell three sizes too big? It felt more like her small-intestines. It felt like bourbon and molten lava churning in there, searing, painful and exquisite, dulling some senses and sharpening others, warming her from the inside out, numbing her toes and making her head funny.

He wrapped his arms around her torso, hugging her closer as she leaned in to give him a searing kiss she feared told him far too much. Told him everything she didn't know how to say.

They kissed gently, intimately, just touching each other ever so delicately, laid on their sides facing each other on the bed, the super-soft 900 thread-count Egyptian cotton bedding just bearable on her heated, hypersensitive skin as Elijah made tiny circles with his pinkie-finger, and she licked her lips, eyes sliding closed, writhing subtly as he flicked his tongue over her nipple, while she gently cupped and tugged and stroked at him, panting. He brought her to orgasm one more time that night, sending her into a deep, restful sleep, body sated but mind threatening to start whirring again far too soon.

She had tonight, though; she would enjoy being in Elijah's arms tonight. After tonight, every moment she snatched with him was hers for the taking. Theirs to steal, to savour. Rare and precious, endangered.


A.N.: I really am enjoying writing Giulijah – and I'm enjoying planning the trips inside Elijah's mind Giulia will take…

I'm going to be spending nine weeks travelling Bangkok, Sydney, New Zealand and Fiji, then over to LA, up to San Francisco to see friends, over to D.C. and then up to New Hampshire, then home from Boston. Good news, though, I may be taking my iPad with Word on it, and I will be on a lot of long flights!