There are a number of things you could possibly deduce from my overuse of lemons in this little sequel. A- It's been way too long since I've gotten any. B- It'll be important to the story later. C- I'm just a slut with a REALLY overactive libido. Or D- a little/lot of all. I'll let you decide.
Hounds of Hell
A Ball of Scarlet
Damon drove in silence. Audibly, at least. His mind was a constant raging ocean of violence. His eyes barely followed the road as we left the town.
"Let it go, Damon." I murmured, leaning wearily against him. With a quick glance, he draped his arm around me and held me possessively against him. A sudden flare of stubbornness was his only reply. I sighed and closed my eyes. Nestled against his perfect warmth, it was mere seconds before I slipped from consciousness.
Blood. Everywhere. The sickly sweet scent tantalized my nostrils. The almost black liquid coated the surrounding walls that I couldn't see. And, in the middle of the room, lightly tanned skin smeared with crimson, stood Damon; head lowered, looking up at me with dark eyes full of pure, raging lust. I knew it was my blood. That he had painted the room with my very essence. But it didn't matter. Seeing him stare at me, how the nonexistent light somehow glistened off the liquid as it slowly dripped down his skin, every fiber of my being demanded him; his touch; his power; his rage; his hunger. I wanted him to throw me to the floor and ravage me. I needed it.
Instantly, his eyes went black and the ground slammed against my back. There was no preliminary caress of his lips; no affectionate embrace. Before my mind had fully registered the throb of his attack, his fangs tore into my neck; shredding muscle and tendon alike. I didn't feel the pain I knew should have accompanied such an assault; the panic I should have felt as my life flickered into his greedy jaws. The ecstasy that bombarded my body left me screaming. Each beat of my weakening heart intensified the sick combination of pain and pleasure. His hand tangled itself into my hair and wrenched my head back with bone-breaking power. Instantly, he snapped at the other side of my neck, jaw mercilessly digging deeper and deeper into my flesh. I could feel myself fading, but it didn't matter. I needed to feel the last drop of my blood spill into his eager mouth. I needed
"Thea!" My eyes flew open and I flung myself against the seatbelt; skin slick with a cold sweat; breaths heavy and fast. "Jesus, I know I was a little rough last time, but, really?" A stabbing pain shot through my lower abdomen and I instantly doubled over. I didn't hear Damon call my name as my body throbbed. "What the hell? What's wrong?" he nearly shouted. Recognizing the type of pain, I rolled my head back and groaned my frustration. "Thea," he called again. I caught the scent of my own blood through his nostrils and glared blindly at the roof. "You're bleeding," He stated.
"Yes I am." I replied dully.
"What happened? What's wrong?" he demanded. I let my eyes roam disinterestedly to his.
"I didn't get the Y chromosome." I practically spat. He stared at me in confusion a moment. "I'm female." I explained, "Every once in a while, we bleed." He thought a moment; hesitantly letting a touch of humor creep into his thoughts.
"So what? Once a month you have stabbing pain and grotesque sex dreams?" He clarified skeptically. I looked at him; horrified.
"'Once a month?'" I asked. "It only happens every three months. Maybe." My body curled into a loose ball; arms draped weakly around my throbbing stomach. "And it wasn't that bad." I added.
"I just watched myself kill you. It was disturbing." He assured me. I moaned and threw my head against his chest. He automatically tightened his arm; a chuckle rippling from his chest.
"Shut up." I grumbled.
"Oh," he groaned, "Are you going to get all moody?" I threw a half-hearted punch at his gut. Laughing quietly, he pressed his lips to my hair.
The span of a single heartbeat, if that. A thousand simultaneous thoughts, sounds, reactions. A ball flew across the road, followed instantaneously by a toddler darting after it. My hand darted to the dashboard as Damon slammed on the breaks. The boy froze, fixated on the gleaming lights; the ball utterly forgotten as it disappeared in the brush. Damon jerked at the steering wheel with nearly enough strength to tear it from the dash, only just managing to avoid the child by mere inches.
With the car still screeching to a halt, I launched myself out the door. In an instant, the boy was trapped in my arms; shaking in terror though he was far too young to grasp how near to Death he had just come. Though unable to comprehend why, he began to sob. His tiny hands clung to my shirt and he buried his face in my shoulder. My body instinctually began to rock; quiet whispers dancing from my lips. Damon jumped out of the car and froze.
If you laugh, I warned, I swear I'll, but I stopped. It wasn't humor emanating from him. It was-
"Justin!" A frantic woman erupted from the forest and wrenched the child from me. Through Damon's ears, I heard the congregation of children playing just a quarter mile away. "What did you do to my son?" she demanded, checking him religiously for injuries. Damon approached aggressively from behind me.
"Well, while Mommy was having a Tequila," he replied venomously, "Junior here decided to try his hand at live-action Frogger." The scent of alcohol was faint to my nose, but nearly suffocating to Damon's. "You're lucky we were paying attention." Of course, by 'paying attention,' he really meant, 'have superhuman reflexes and an incredible amount of luck.' "Had it been anyone else driving through here, your son would be road kill." The rage with which he spoke caught me off guard. "So, next time you feel like taking a bunch of four-year-olds on a field-trip, stay away from the booze." Halfway through his command, the women's face went blank. His mind felt weird as he spoke; forceful, prodding. When he finished, the women nodded , turned, and left; the boy's hand clutched tightly in hers.
Without a word, he started back to the car. He conjured the image of me racing to the frightened kid and related it to a frantic mother hen; face a nearly flawless facade of devious humor. Still, I playfully swatted him; resenting the analogy. With a laugh, he caught me against him; vainly trying to hide how his mind ran through a thousand and one questions without allowing them any actual voice.
"Oh, come on. It was cute seeing you all 'save the children.'" He mocked. I merely huffed; far too concerned with the sudden lack of pain-numbing adrenaline to dwell on it further.
"Alright! We'll get home, have a few drinks, and by tomorrow you'll be so hung-over that losing an organ will seem like nothing." He added; suddenly eager to drown himself in alcohol. His desire for intoxication troubled me more than anything, but, before I could bring it up, he again brought up a mental image of me as a chicken and laughed. Just as I started to reprimand him, his hand gently caressed my back. In the same breath, I fell limp. The wondrous flood of endorphins dulled the wretched cramps; drawing a grateful sigh from my lips.
The sweet fragrance saturated the room. Sickly sweet. Coating everything; every wall, every piece of furniture, every inch of skin. I drew my tongue over the firm muscles; relishing the deadly strength they possessed.
"Just out of curiosity." My eyes flew open; the iron scent still lingering in my nostrils. "Is this going to continue for a while?" Damon bunched his lips; brows drawn together. He had just pulled into the manner and turned off the engine. With a groan, I hung my head; cheeks burning.
"No; just for a few hours." I admitted. He nodded stiffly. With a chuckle, I noticed why he hadn't tried to get out of the car. "Liked that one, did you?" I asked mockingly; catching my lower lip between my teeth. He screwed up his face; mimicking my words with anything but humor.
"At least in that one I didn't kill you." He offered.
"You didn't kill me in the other one." I contested.
"Your blood was… everywhere." He scoffed. With a chuckle, I threw out my arms for an exaggerated gesture.
"But I'm magical! You can drink all my blood, and I'll just make more!" I proclaimed. He cocked an eyebrow at me. Turning a suddenly seductive eye toward him, I slowly walked my fingers up his chest, murmuring, "Every… last… drop." His jaw tensed and I felt his desire spike. The sudden rush of blood sent me over the edge. With no more warning than my own raging need, I attacked him. My hands clawed through his hair; lips battling viciously with his. He needed no additional incentive and returned the gesture tenfold.
"I have a challenge for you." I whispered; slitting my eyes just enough to look at him. He knew what I was going to say, but yearned to hear the words glide between my lips. "I want you to fuck me until I forget my name." I tilted my head and leaned closer to him. "Until I can only scream yours."
I don't know how we got inside. I don't know where our clothes were thrown or what room we were in, and I simply didn't have the strength of will to distract myself long enough to find the answers in his memory. I knew only that the walls were icy stone, and when he threw me against them, their freezing surface sent a chill down my spine, automatically making my body jerk away, wings darting out. Instantly, though, Damon was on me. His lean torso crushing me against the wall. Or floor. Or ceiling. I couldn't begin to differentiate.
Panting, his lips darted across my body; his hot breath raging over my skin; his every move making me painfully aware of the most hidden realms of my body. His hands warred between trapping my arms against the wall and greedily claiming every inch of me. I only vaguely noticed something cold latch around my wrists; locking them above my head. For a single, terrifying second, shear panic stormed through me, but before I could name the dreadful fear, before the memories could overwhelm my mind, Damon's lips found mine, and the cold vanished.
Without waiting a second longer, he slid into me. My entire body lit with sheer pleasure at his presence; trillions of nerve endings erupting at once; blinding me to the world around us; deafening me to my own desperate cries. With my legs locked around his waist, my hands clutching at the metal chains I had once detested, I screamed for him. As he ground himself mercilessly into me, I screamed for him; until my mind couldn't conceive the idea of simply being; until my body was a distant memory, void of anything but physical limitations; until I knew nothing but the pure strength and perfection of his body. And I screamed for him. When my lungs could forfeit no more air and I was sure all that I was had shattered, he burst; sending a final wave of bliss crashing through me. My body clung to him as it trembled from the echoed ripples spreading to the farthest reaches of my limbs.
"What's your name?" he whispered. I wearily drew my brows together. My name? Who cares? With a chuckle, his embrace tightened and my eyes closed.
A series of frantic bangs thundered through the house. I started violently, but Damon's arms held me fast against his still bare form; an annoyed groan rumbling from his chest. Again the thuds came; hard enough nearly to tear the door down.
"Go away!" he muttered loudly. Taking his demand as an invitation, the door swung open and rapid footsteps echoed through the house. With another groan, Damon rolled over, turning his back to the door seconds before it flew open.
"What the hell happened yesterday?" Caroline barged into the room; completely unfazed at Damon's lack of clothing. "Tyler's freaking out! He won't even talk to me!" she cried; eyes darting from Damon to me and back.
"Yeah, not caring, Blondie." Came Damon's uninterested rebuke. I shot a glare at him before turning my attention to the nearly distraught vampire.
"Caroline, I don't know what happened when I touched Tyler." She seemed to deflate. "But Bonnie might." I offered.
"Bonnie? Why"
"Long story," Damon interrupted. "We'll tell you when you're older."
"Damon!" I chided. He turned reproachful eyes to me.
He hurt you. I could feel the rage fueling each word.
He was scared. I challenged before adding with a sigh, he also saved me, remember. His displeasure peaked at the image of Tyler meeting the vampire's assault in the woods, buying enough time for Damon to reach us. Without a word, his eyes hardened, reluctantly caving.
"She has a link with one of my ancestors, and she might be able to help." I explained quickly.
"Then let's go!" She nearly pleaded. "The full moon's tonight and he's really worried."
"Alright," I murmured, rubbing the last bit of sleep from my eyes, "Give us five and we'll head out." She nodded, but didn't move. I looked at her expectantly, but she didn't seem to get the hint.
"Out, Barbie." Damon ordered, rolling over. As though only just putting Damon's bare chest and my hand clutching the sheets around my neck together, she let out chirped, "oh" and left. With a sigh, he plopped back against the pillows. Mirroring his reluctance to rise, I crawled onto his chest laid comfortably on his warm body. Allowing myself only a moment to savor the tantalizing feeling of his skin against mine, before pushing myself up.
At some point during the night, Damon carted the bags of clothes Elena and, mainly, Caroline had chosen for me. I thanked him silently, earning an immediate rebuttal about the sheer quantity.
"Hey, it was your idea to send me with two girls." I shot back playfully. He merely chuckled. After a far too quick shower, we piled into the car and left the manor.
Wow, I dunno how long it's been, but at least this one was nice and long! Yeah, so we just moved, I'm currently between jobs, and we only just got the inter-webs back yesterday. It's been interesting, to say the least. I don't expect it'll take as long for me to get the next chapter out, but offer no promises.