AN: Sorry for the long wait on this story. Fifty Shades Bloodier has me consumed most of the time and I'm working on a new project that is going to be coming this spring. Go to my YouTube account to check out the trailer for my new fanfic, Black Out. Thanks for reading guys and pretty please leave me a review.

Chapter 7

The fire was lit brightly in a new room. It was large much like the rest, but she had not been in it yet. Tall cushioned chairs and matching couches surrounded the fireplace. A dark rug lay underneath. She was wrapped in a blanket shivering as she tried to warm up by the fire.

Her hand touched the newly bandaged wound on her neck. In her attempts to run, she had reopened the wound and the aching throb was still present. She was thankful that was all that had been injured. The shaggy haired wolf was very fresh on her mind.

The growls and drool were close. The hot, hungry breath she could still feel. Yet, it never made contact. She had a savior tonight, an unlikely one.

On the right to her sat Damon hunched over. His clothes were ripped and hanging from his body. His dark eyes were the darkest she had ever seen. Dirt smeared on his skin and face. He looked distraught from it all. Not a single scratch marked his body though.

"Thank you." She uttered.

He said nothing in return.

"You saved me." She tried to show her gratitude again.

Silence replied and the fire blazed in his eyes.

After experiencing the dangerous and harsh side of him, she knew what he had done wasn't because he felt like it. He wanted to. Whether his reason was because she truly was in danger or he wanted to return her to him, she would never know unless he admitted to it.

Elena shuddered at the thought of the attack. She should be lying on the forest floor dead. She should be losing her mind after everything, but she wasn't. The weakness that instilled in her was being overpowered by strength. This was something she could not explain.

"Are you going to say anything at all?" Elena spoke directly toward him.

His jaw clenched and he bowed his head. He was not monstrous. The beast was hidden for the time being. Right now, he was a nothing more than a man that was deeply disturbed.

She pondered her decision as she chose to return. With the wolf dead and Damon not laying a finger on her, she had every choice to run again. Her body was ready to flee, but it was her conscience that told her to come back. After all, he had saved her and as they walked silently back hobbling along, she prayed she was making the right decision at all.

As time passed, she couldn't take the silence anymore. The dirt and filth crusting on his body and clothes was making her sick to look at. She tossed the blanket from her body and stood. Damon did not flinch and she stomped off. She waited for him to come after her, pinning her down with fright. However, it did not happen. When she returned with a bucket of soap and water with a mangled cloth that appeared clean enough, she closed the space between them.

"Here," she stated as she wrung out the wet cloth. Her hand rose to his shoulder to begin washing away the dirt. He quickly darted backwards. "I want to help. It's the least that I can do after what you did for me." She explained.

Damon eyed her carefully.

"Just hold still." Elena told him as she dabbed the cloth.

His body twitched violently. Loud hisses came from him and his transformation was instant. She should have run. She should have screamed. She knew what he was capable now. The wound on her neck was proof. Instead, she stayed still and huffed.

"I don't want your help!" He growled.

"You're a mess. Just let me clean you up." She protested still holding on to the wet towel in her hands.

"Well, if you hadn't run away this wouldn't have happened." He retaliated. "And I can take care of myself perfectly fine."

"If you hadn't frightened or bite me, I wouldn't have run away!" Elena yelled realizing she wasn't kneeling next to him anymore. She was standing up and hovering over him.

Damon jumped to his feet. He opened his mouth and then snapped it close. The redness in his eyes was bright. Then he screamed, "Well…you shouldn't have taunted me!" He argued back.

"You should really learn how to control your temper." Her voice did not shake. Firm and steady, she saw his astonishment in her. He was not use to someone giving back the lash he had created.

Watching his transformation subside, she bent down and soaked the towel again. She squeezed the excess water out it and stood back up. Her hand went for his shoulder again. Being as careful as she could be, she made contact. No complaints, no screaming matches this time to be had. Damon was letting her help him.

"Like I said. It's the least that I can do." She said in an almost whisper.

The towel glided and dabbed the filth away. His face was like stone as he watched her remove the dirt. He flinched at times as she found knew places to clean. She nearly had every bit of exposed skin washed besides his face. Nerves set in as she stared up at him.

He appeared so…human. Face to face with a human being was an every day occurrence, but not with him. One minute he was beast and the next he was normal. He was a human with a pent up rage.

Elena raised the towel to his sunken in cheek and held it there. She drew in a deep breath. "Thank you." Her words were kind and gentle. "For saving my life." This was last time she was going to acknowledge his noble behavior.

"You're welcome." He stated fast. His eyes flickered toward the fire.

It was the first sincere comment he had made to her.

His actions were confusing. He was hot and cold. From the moment she found out what he was and saw Alaric trapped, she knew he was a full-blown monster. Now, she didn't know what to think. There was still warmth in his cold, dead heart of his. He wanted to be pure evil, but he wasn't. Something drove him to show signs of humanity. He was like a book just waiting to be read.

And with that, she knew she wanted to know his story.