AN: Six chapters left! Thanks for following and reviewing. Keep your reviews coming.

Chapter 9

Since the night before Elena had locked herself in the room reserved for her. She hid under the blankets and listened to her stomachache and growl. The dinner had been pleasant from the tiny bites she had taken, but she had not eaten enough.

After Damon had stormed out, she knew it was best to hide away as he raged through the house and would eventually succumb to a plateau. She honestly had not meant to upset him with her curious mind, but it was inevitable. He was unstable and sensitive. The curse he was stricken with had created a monster.

A vulgar crash coming from outside her room startled her. She drew the blankets closer to her chin, praying to God he would not enter. Elena had convinced herself she could deal with the chaos he ensued, but the physical pain she could not take. Her neck wound was healing slowly, but surely. In time it would vanish and be nothing but a painful memory.

The door smashed against the wall, as it swung open causing all sorts of vibrations through the room. A disheveled Damon with raised shoulders and menacing eyes stood at the entrance of the room. He looked around and caught sight of her nestled and terrified in the bed. His rage vanished only the slightest as he became aware he had intruded.

"I forgot this was your room." He murmured.

If the air were cold enough she would have seen his breath. His body pulsed with every single inhale and exhale. More tears were in his white shirt and his hair was parted all sorts of ways leaving a messy mop. The red surround his dark pupils. His face was distorted, but slowly fading to normalcy.

With minutes passing and no words being exchanged, Damon finally walked slowly toward the window. The curtains were drawn and he did not flinch at the source of light creeping in. The sun was hiding behind the clouds reflecting a gray light to trickle down on to the Earth. His exposed skin seemed almost the purest white not flushing an ounce color.

"I'm sorry." Elena bravely spoke. She pulled the blanket down from her face and closely to her chest.

Damon placed both his hands on the window frame. His back defined itself as ridges and outlines of muscles and inflicted pain protruded. Judging by his breathing pattern, he was calming down from is irate state.

"Now you know." He bellowed.

The blanket fell from her chest and she sat up straight. Her head ever so slightly tilted to the side to examine him. She tried to understand his frustration and his eternal damnation.

"Is there a way to break it?" She asked.

A deep sigh omitted from him. His body moved with the motion. "It doesn't matter." Damon said in a breathy tone. "I deserve to be like this. I deserve to be an outcast for the rest of my life."

"No one deserves to be cursed." Elena quickly replied. She held her tongue for a second waiting for him to act out, but it never came. "Life gives us lessons and we learn from them. We move on."

"I deserve this." He argued. Turning his head to the side to peer back at her cozied up in the bed, Damon licked his lips. "If you think I'm horrible now, you should have seen me when I was human."

Human. In a world she once lived in, humanity was simple. It was all she had known. Monsters and creatures were myths. Things of his nature belonged in books and in legends to pass down to generations. However, she was witnessing the curse upon humanity before her own eyes. Her view on life had been drastically altered. She didn't know what to believe anymore.

"I've learned my lesson," he stated. "But I've never be able to move on. It's impossible."

Anything was possible. Elena believed that…now.

"There has to be a way." She moaned.

"There isn't!" Damon snapped at her.

His fists balled up and he paced toward her bed. She panicked wondering what his next malicious move might be. He remained at the end staring at her like she was his prey.

"Let it go." He insisted.

Nodding her head, she did for the sake of another argument. She wanted the softer side of him to come out. It was bottled up inside of him, somewhere.

"Thank you for dinner." She whispered.

He sighed, something he was good at doing. "Come with me." He said ignoring her gratitude.

Did she want to go with him? Could he be trusted?

A simple, but emotional question had stirred the pot. His explosion was out right terrifying and she wasn't sure if she had the stamina to bear another one. Elena did not budge.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Damon confessed. "I just want to show you something."

"What is it?" She asked.

"Do you want to see it or would rather stay in here for the rest of the night locked up?" His question rose with intensity and his promising threats.

Without speaking or making a sound, Elena crawled out of the bed and tied her hair back. She bowed her head not wanting to look at him. Wherever he was about to take her would be better than sulking in the room alone. However, she was timid to what was in store for her.

Down the hall and descending down the marble staircase once more tonight, she followed the man, the beast. She kept her strides close, but far enough away. He had a bounce in his step, a limp as he walked. The torches that once lit the halls were out. It was dark and scary.

The sound of a door opening alarmed her. Damon led her in and she stood in the complete darkness. He struck a match and lit a nearby candle. It gave little light. He continued doing so as more candles occupied the room and it came to life. She had been here before. The night he had attacked her, he had brought her to a room. It had been this one. However, she had no seen what it was until now.

Books and books stacked on shelves that went from floor to ceiling. Every wall contained thousands upon thousands of novels waiting to be read. Her heart stopped at the sight of them.

"Since you live here now, I thought you need something to help pass the time." He explained putting his hands behind his back. "It's the only source of entertainment I have."

"You own all of these?" Elena asked moving toward a shelf.

"Acquired them over time." He answered.

"Amazing." She whispered to herself.

The feel of the spines and the smell of stories lying behind the hardcovers made her swoon. She was in heaven. It was the first light of hope she had seen at the end of the tunnel since she had been here.

"It's yours." Damon spoke up.

Elena spun around. "Mine?" She gawked.

"I have no use for this room or its objects." He stated.

Her cheeks were rising. Her lips were spreading upward. She didn't know where to begin. The excitement of books had never been so strong before. It was her savior in hard times like these.

"Thank you." Elena blushed.

Returning to her browsing, she let her fingers and the palm of her hand glided across the shelves. She didn't care how foolish she appeared. She was blissfully happy being surrounded by endless novels.

The thought of Damon hovering behind her didn't even bother her. All she could think about was where to begin. Then as the happy moment came, it ended. Something sharp sliced across her hand and she hissed with pain. Blood instantly dripped and she squeezed her fingers close trying to block the sudden sting.

"Ahh," she groaned.

Turning around, she saw the humanity gone from his face. Bright red circled his eyes and lines cracked on his face. His mouth was closed tight not letting the newly sharp teeth inside show. Damon was trying his hardest to control himself and she noticed this.

It was her blood. Somehow it drew out his monstrous side. She tried her best to handle the situation.

"Let me go get something for that." He said quickly and was out of the room in a flash.

Elena stood still wondering if he was really going to come back. Her hand gushed blood and she hated the sight of it. If the light had been brighter, she could have avoided this cut all together.

Not even a minute passed and he was back. A bottle of rubbing alcohol, cotton swabs, and a thin, long bandage was in his hands. His beastly transformation was still present.

"Here," he said coming toward her with the supplies.

"I can do it." Elena uttered trying to take the medical materials away.

"I got it." Damon hissed at her.

Wary to his actions, she held out her hand. She waited for the pain to get worse. He couldn't possibly be capable of helping her. The sting pierced her as he dabbed her cut with the alcohol.

"Ah," she cried.

"Sorry." Damon apologized.

She closed her eyes tight as he continued to do his best at cleaning the cut and bandaging it up. Once the pain grew minimal, she reopened them. Her eyes fell upon his face studying every detail. Being focused on helping her, he did not gaze up. Elena saw how blemished he was by his curse. He was hideous as the monster mask swarmed his face, but she knew that wasn't how he appeared naturally. Underneath it all, he was handsome.

His gentle touch as he wrapped the gauze around her hand tingled. Her lips had parted as she stared longer than she should have. Closing them, she looked down at her newly covered and bandaged hand. Their gaze met this time.

It was going away. He was returning to normal. She had never looked at him this close before and she saw the perfections of his face. The pull on her heart of how much suffering was taking place within in him had finally hit her. He was so young and naïve, he had learned his lesson and now he was stuck permanently to make up for his mistake.

"Thank you." She whispered.

His hand grazed over her bandage and she felt his calloused fingers run on her skin. An odd sensation swam inside her. His touch fell and she coiled her fingers up and dropped her hand to her side.

"You're welcome." He politely said.

Elena wasn't sure what she felt in this moment, but what she did know was she was breaking through with him. A change had occurred. She was seeing the man not the beast.