Elena woke feeling exhausted and her body was sore. She thought being a vampire would make it so you didn't get tired anymore but that clearly wasn't true. She opened her eyes wondering if it had all just been a dream. Had she really found Elijah and had the most mind blowing sex she ever experienced? Elena tried to tell herself it had been a dream before she felt Elijah's arm wrapped around her waist. She felt embarrassed about all the things she had let him do to her, he hadn't hurt her in any way but he had not been gentle with her either. She slowly tried to remove his arm and get up but his arm tightened and he pulled her closer.
"Where do you think you're going?" He asked quietly as he nuzzled his face into her neck.
"I just wanted a drink." She responded. She wanted blood and he knew it. "Please." She asked when he didn't loosen his hold. He reached and moved her entire body so she was now facing him. If she was still human her entire body would have blushed under his gaze.
"Are you thirsty?" He asked and she nodded. The smile that crossed his face made him look devilish and Elena couldn't help feeling slightly turned on by it. He took her hand and made her touch his neck. "Drink." He commanded.
"Are you sure?" Why was he allowing her to do this?
"Yes." She sat up and lowered her head to Elijah's neck. He brushed her hair back and she slowly bit into his neck. Elena almost couldn't believe she had been so afraid of this. So afraid of drinking blood, of being immortal. His blood was the most wonderful thing she had ever tasted. He let out a low moan and Elena wondered if he was getting some kind of pleasure from this as well. She hadn't been a vampire long and there were a lot of things she still didn't understand. He let her continue for as long as she wanted and when she felt satisfied she pulled away and stared at him.
"Thank you." Elijah reached up and held her face and she smiled. She laid herself back down and curled her body as close to him as she could and he once again wrapped his arm around her. Last night was great but she couldn't help but wonder where this left their relationship, if that's what she could even call it.
"Elena, what's on your mind?" He asked suddenly as if he could sense her agitation.
"I'm not sure." She responded.
"What aren't you sure about?" He sounded genuinely curious.
"I…It's just…" Elena's words were getting caught. She was afraid to ask.
"Elena, you can tell me anything." He promised.
"Last night. What was it?" She finally asked.
"I believe we had sex Elena." He stated and she sighed.
"I know that Elijah. Is that all it was?" She hoped her question was clear enough and grew nervous when he didn't respond. After a long silence he turned her face to look at him.
"Is that all you want it to be?" She considered her answer carefully and she always came to the same conclusion. She couldn't imagine herself with anyone else.
"Would you think I was stupid if I said no?" She sighed and he smiled.
"No Elena. I do not think you are stupid. I would not have slept with you if I did not believe it was something more. I have a question for you." He responded. "Where are Stefan and Damon?"
"Hopefully back in Mystic Falls. After I turned they became even more protective than they already are. They both wanted me to be something different but not myself. I was having so many problems with my control and I could barely keep blood down." She explained and Elijah let out a low growl. "I was tearing them apart and they were tearing me apart. I couldn't take it so I left. I've actually felt much better since. You actually helped me."
"How did I manage that?" He asked.
"It's going to sound insane." She argued.
"Humor me." Elena rolled over and looked him in the eyes. She took a deep breath before continuing.
"Well there was a point where everything just seemed so hopeless. I was throwing up all the blood I was drinking, Stefan and Damon were at each other's throats then for some reason I thought about you." Elijah reached and touched her cheek. "You always had so much control of yourself and I tried to think about what you would do. I heard your voice telling me what to do and I just felt better." Elijah nodded. "I know it doesn't make any sense and I was terrified when I first saw you. I really thought you hated me and I was afraid of what you would do to me." He grinned. "I definitely wasn't expecting this." She laughed lightly.
"I'm glad I was able to help you in your moment of distress. I do have to admit I was drawn to the alley the other night. I wasn't even sure it was really you but I felt so protective. What were you doing?" He asked.
"I traded some pendant for the necklace to disguise my face. Unfortunately I had to steal it and the vampires were less than happy about it." She explained.
"Fair enough. What about your brother and your friends? Surely they must be worried about you." Elijah wanted to understand everything about her.
"Jeremy is a hunter. He can barely stand to be in the same room as me anymore. I did us both a favor by leaving."
"I'm sorry Elena." He sounded genuinely sad for her.
"It's not your fault. I call him every few days to let him know I'm okay. As for the others, Bonnie hates me." She felt Elijah's body tense. That was his fault but she couldn't hold it against him. "Caroline is worried sick but she understands why I left. She's offered to come with me but she's still attached to Mystic Falls. She isn't ready to leave yet."
"So you've been alone for two weeks?" He let her face go and she turned her head away.
"Yes. It's actually been nice. I feel like I'm free for once. No one is making decisions for me and I can finally just do what I want." She felt relaxed lying here with Elijah.
"What is it that you want Elena?" She couldn't remember the last time someone had asked her that and the sad thing was she didn't have an answer. She rolled to face away from him but his arm still remained around her.
"I don't know. I've been so caught up in what everyone else wanted for me I never took the time to figure out what I really want." She explained.
"I will assist you in any way I can." He promised kissing the back of her shoulder. "You can stay here with me as long as you like."
"What about your siblings? They aren't exactly my biggest fans." Elena felt herself panic at the thought of Klaus. She was no longer of any use to him but that didn't mean he wouldn't do something to hurt her out of spite.
"They will deal with it. My siblings will not cause you any more harm. You are no longer a threat to our family and Klaus can no longer use your blood. They have no reason to hurt you." He promised.
"I don't think they need a reason Elijah." She curled herself into a ball wanting to believe him but she couldn't. He wasn't inherently lying to her but his siblings were unpredictable it was already clear he didn't have control over them. Elena's current un-dead state was evidence of that.
"I will have to inform them. If you are with me then they can do nothing to harm you. We hold family above all else and you are now family." He said.
"Wait. Family?" She sat up again and pulled the blanket up to cover her still naked body. "When did that happen?" She asked. Elijah sat up and looked at her confused.
"We blood bonded last night Elena." He stated.
"Okay?" She shook her head not understanding and Elijah suddenly looked horrified. He closed his eyes resting his knuckles against his lips taking in a few deep breaths before speaking.
"You don't know what blood bonding is?" His voice radiated anger but Elena just shook her head. "Didn't the Salvatore's teach you anything? Blood bonding is the most intimate act a vampire can perform." Elena closed her eyes trying to keep herself calm.
"What does that mean? What did we do?" She opened her eyes again and looked desperately at Elijah, he was furious. Her stomach began to feel nauseous. Had she done something wrong?
"It is a bonding ritual. Vampires blood share with those they wish to mate with." Elena held her stomach trying to shove back the feeling of vomit creeping up her throat.
"Oh. I…I didn't know that."
"I apologize Elena. I would never have done it if I realized you didn't understand. It's common knowledge." He reached out to touch her but stopped himself. "I am so sorry."
"But Damon drinks from other vampires all the time. Why is this different?"
"It's more than just simply sharing blood. Both parties must have mutual feelings for each other and it happens during heightened moments of intimacy. We share not only blood but our emotions and feelings through our blood. It's a transfer so we have each others blood. We are connected at the most intense level."
"What does this mean for us?" She asked.
"It means many things. First and foremost it means I am now responsible for you. We are connected. It may seem frightening at first but we will be able to feel each other." He said.
"You can read my mind?" She asked.
"It's more complicated than that. We cannot read minds, we can feel what the other feels. If you are sad or hurt or angry. It becomes stronger over time. The more we share blood the more powerful the bond becomes." Elena nodded, so he really did sense her agitation before.
"Does that mean it will disappear if we don't?"
"No, the bond is forever. It will just be weak. I will not make you do it again Elena. I should never have done it in the first place. The fault is entirely mine but you are my mate now." Elijah ran his hands through his hair unsure of what to do. "Stefan or Damon never tried with you?" He looked back to her with fury in his eyes.
"No." And Elena felt glad about that but a little scared. The only thought running through her head was that she was glad this was happening with Elijah. She wasn't sure why but the idea of being bonded to him somehow made her feel safe, he wouldn't make her do anything she was uncomfortable with. Elijah threw himself back down on the bed and covered his eyes with his hands.
"This is without a doubt the most shameful thing I have ever done." Elena smiled. He felt terrible about this but the more upset he got the less she became.
"It's alright." Elena sighed touching his arm. Elijah lowered his hands and stared at her.
"Elena, this is anything but alright." He rubbed his eyes and Elena could almost feel how hard he was thinking. "I took advantage of you."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause you any trouble. Maybe I should just go." Elijah needed time to think. Maybe he was changing his mind about everything, she should give him the chance to figure things out. She got out of the bed quickly and sped towards the door but Elijah was faster and blocked her way. Elena felt a little silly but she was embarrassed standing in front of him entirely naked, especially after everything they had done last night. It seemed a little unfair he at least had a pair of pajama pants on. When did he even have the time to put them on?
"Don't be ridiculous Elena." He pulled her in and she rested her head against his perfectly chiseled chest. "You're mine now and you're not going anywhere." Something about this felt so right. "Besides, you couldn't leave even if you wanted. It's ten in the morning and you do not have a ring." He pointed out. Elena pulled back slightly examining her bare finger.
"I never got one. Bonnie wasn't in any mood to help me with it and Stefan and Damon didn't want me to have one anyway. They insisted I needed to stay inside for a while until I could control myself. I left before I got one." She said and Elijah just nodded. "Can I take a shower?" She asked.
"Of course. There is a bathroom right through there." He turned her around and lightly pushed her towards a door. She sped into the new room and shut the door a little harder than she meant to and leaned against it for a few minutes. She didn't know what to think about any of this. She let the hot water run over her skin. The pounding water soothed her and made her feel a little less nervous.
It wasn't until she was drying herself off that she realized she had no clothes. They were all back in her hotel room and there was no way she was putting the clothes she had last night back on. They somehow felt defiled. She spotted a dark blue bath robe. She figured he wouldn't mind if she borrowed it and slipped it on. It was so soft and it smelled like him.
When she finally left the bathroom Elijah was gone. She searched the house but he wasn't anywhere to be found.
"Oh god, it really is you." Elena slowly turned and saw Rebekah.
"Hi." Was all Elena could manage to say. Rebekah eyed her carefully with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Alright. I'm not going to dilly dally here. I'm not sorry for what I did and I will not apologize for it." She started.
"Rebekah I…" But she threw her hand up stopping her.
"I did what I had to do to keep my family safe." Elena smiled at Rebekah's desperation, it was as if she actually felt bad about the situation.
"Rebekah. It's okay." Elena insisted.
"What!? It's not okay! You're a vampire!" Rebekah was making no sense. Elena wasn't sure if she was trying to be mean or if she really was trying to apologize for what happened.
"Yes and there's nothing that can change that. I suppose it's better than being gone completely." She said and Rebekah stared at her. "Honestly I would have done the same thing Rebekah. I don't blame you for what happened. If anything I suppose after everything I deserved this."
"Nobody deserves this." Rebekah said staring at her feet.
"Why are you here?" Elena asked feeling uncomfortable.
"I don't know." She crossed her arms. "Elijah said you were here and I just wanted to come."
"I would offer you something but I don't know where anything is here." She said.
"It's fine." The silence was deafening and Elena wasn't sure what to do. "What on Earth are you wearing?" She finally asked and Elena looked down forgetting she was wearing Elijah's bathrobe.
"My clothes are in my hotel." She explained and Rebekah smirked. "I never apologized to you." She said.
"I guess we're even." Rebekah shrugged and lounged across the couch.
"Where did Elijah go?" Rebekah propped her feet up on the coffee table.
"He didn't say. He'll be back in a while."