Chapter 12
I Invite You To Drink
I sat there, outside on the porch, my back leaning into the chair. I'd called Mr. Lockwood this morning, explaining that I couldn't come in due to an accident, my body still in pain. It wasn't as bad at the moment, seeing as how I'd taken a couple of the pills I'd confiscated from Jeremy. Out of all of the bottles of pills I'd found and taken, I'd only keep one bottle of painkillers, just in case for times such as this. It was the only thing that I could do to dull the pain, the pain in my head still lingering from last night's events.
I looked down at the journal in my hands, running a hand over the leather cover, before pulling it open. I flipped the pages to a blank one, pulling my pen from the spin. I then pressed it to the paper, letting my mind work itself out.
-I'd woken up this morning to find myself back at home. My last thoughts had been that of Damon, the pained look on his face being burned into my mind, his cries echoing through my memory. I can still picture him in my mind, the sight of him dangling from that tree, a branch impaling him through his stomach. The thought itself made me wince. Then, there was the white hot pain that had been surging through my head, sending me to my knees beside Damon. I hate admitting it, but I had been scared. I had been scared not only for myself, but for Damon as well.-
"Hi there."
I looked up from my writing, finding Damon standing there with a charming smile on his face.
"Damon," I breathed out, standing from my chair as I allowed my journal to fall. "You're okay."
I stepped forward, coming to stand in front of him. He looked completely fine, not a single mark on him.
"Well, I would hope so," he joked, reaching out and ruffling my hair in a friendly manner.
Normally, I would have smacked his hand away, but I had no urge to do so this time.
"Look, I need your help," he said, getting to the point.
"Uh, sure, what is it?" I asked.
"There's another vampire in town," he told me, my brows furrowing together.
"What?"
"Someone was attacked last night and it wasn't me," he explained. "And it certainly wasn't little Mr. Goodie two-shoes."
"You have no idea who it could be?" I asked.
"Nope," he shook his head, popping the P at the end. "That's where you come in," he told me, pulling something from his pocket.
My eyes widened when I saw it, taking it from his hand.
"Where did you get this?" I asked, eyeing him carefully. "This is Jeremy's watch."
"That Logan stole," he pointed out, before adding. "And then I stole it back from him."
"But why do you have it?" I asked, running my thumb over the smooth surface.
"It's one of Johnathon Gilbert's little inventions," he explained. "It tracks vampires," he said, reaching over and clicking it open.
Where the clock face should have been was a needle. The needle then started turning in circles for a moment, before turning toward Damon.
"Instead of pointing north like a regular compass, it points to vampires," he told me. "Unfortunately, I can't use it because I interfere with the signal."
"So, that's why you need my head," I concluded, looking down at what used to be a watch. "We're going to track it down and kill it, right?" I asked, realizing my mistake of using the word 'it'. "Sorry," I said nervously.
He just smirked, leaning down so that his face was close to mine, our noses nearly touch. He merely disregarded my personal space. Not that I really cared though since it was him, but still.
"Don't worry about it," he told me, pulling back and standing up straight. "So, think you can do it?" he asked, looking down at me.
"Of course," I nodded, looking back over at my chair. "Just give me a minute though," I told him, going over and picking my journal up off of the porch.
I closed it, placing it under my arm before moving toward the door. I stepped inside, going into the living room and stuffing my journal under the couch.
"Nice hiding spot."
I jumped, whirling around to face Damon, a hand over my heart. I'd nearly fallen backwards onto the couch.
"Sorry," he chuckled. "I just couldn't resist."
"Yeah, sure," I said, not believing him.
I didn't believe a single word that he said. I knew for a fact that he wasn't sorry at all. In fact, he was likely very pleased with himself.
"Come on, Mr. Scare Tactics, let's go," I said, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the house with me.
I was pretty sure that Elena wouldn't be happy if she found him in the house.
"Scare Tactics, huh? Do we really wanna go there?" he asked, a mischievous look upon his face.
"Don't even think about it," I warned, pulling the door closed behind us.
"Call me when you find something," he said, gliding around me and down the short set of steps.
"Damon, wait," I called, running down the steps after him.
He stopped, slowly turning around to face me. I just wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him.
"Kali?" there was a hint of confusion in his voice as he looked down at me, cocking his head to the side slightly in question.
"I-I'm sorry," I said quietly. "It's just…after last night…"
I then felt his arms wrap around me, pulling me against him, my cheek pressing against his chest.
"You'll be fine," he assured me, pulling back after a moment. "I'll take care of everything."
After that, he disappeared, leaving me standing there with the compass in my hand; the needle spinning round and round until it finally began pointing me in the right direction.
T
Half a hour to 45 minutes, I found myself outside a warehouse of sorts, the needle finally coming to a stop as I stood there. It only moved slightly, but pretty much stayed in place. I pulled my phone out a moment later, calling Damon up on speed dial. It rang a couple of times before he answered.
"I think I found something," I told him, glancing over at the warehouse.
"Good."
"What now?" I asked, looking down at the compass.
"Just wait. I'll be there in a minute," he told me.
"Just hurry up," I told him, glancing at the build again. "I don't feel right about this."
"And why's that?" Damon asked, appearing in front of me making me jump.
"Would you stop doing that?" I exclaimed. "You do that every time and it scares the crap out of me!" I yelled.
He grinned.
"You know you love it," he said hotly.
"Smug bastard."
"One of the best," he chuckled, moving toward the back door of the warehouse.
"Damon," I called hesitantly, watching as he glanced back over at me.
"Just stay here," he told me, gripping the handle firmly and turning it.
I watched as he pulled it open, making his way inside after one final look my way. Then, minutes later, the sound of gun shots met my ears, my heart leaping into my throat.
"Idiot!" I hissed, looking around for something I could use as a weapon. "Okay, vampire, it's a vampire," I reminded myself, looking around.
I glanced over at one of the trees, running toward it. It had a few low hanging branches.
Another round of shots went off making me, nearly making me jump out of my skin.
Quickly, I jumped, snapping a branch off. It fell to the ground, clattering against the pavement. I then snapped it in half, making it small enough to use.
"You owe me Damon."
T
Quietly, Kali crept inside, being careful not to make any noise. Granted, Damon would probably kill her after this, but she didn't care. Right now, she had to save him.
"Me too. Who turned you?" she heard Damon ask, a noticeable draw in his voice from the pain.
He had blood covering the front of his shirt from where he'd been shot.
"How should I know?" came Logan's voice, Kali's eyes widening slightly.
They soon turned to a glare though as she saw the blood slowly pooling on the floor around Damon, the smell from the other side of the room slowly reaching her nose. She had to bite back a gag and the urge to throw up as she moved forward, keeping to the shadows out of the way, her makeshift stake in hand.
"Last thing I remember is I'm about to stake you're brother…" Logan said, watching as Damon dug one of the wooden bullets from his flesh, pain filling his face. "…and then you grabbed me. That's it," he finished, watching a Damon threw the bloodied wood to the ground, his nose scrunching up.
Damon then began digging another one out from his leg, gritting his teeth with a hiss. He threw that one to the ground as well, his hand coated in blood, his body trying to curl up on itself from the pain.
"Until I wake up in the ground behind a used car dealership on Highway 4."
Logan was in his face now, crouched down in front of him, pressing the barrel of the gun harshly against Damon's arm. This elicited a hiss from Damon, his nose scrunching up. His fangs popped out slightly.
"Somebody buried me," Logan continued.
Kali moved further into the room, getting down on her knees and crawling though a small open space. She was careful not to bump anything, keeping the stake from contacting the ground, the chill of the floor sending a shiver through her body.
"It happens," Damon grunted, clenching his teeth as his fingers grip the bullet lodged in his upper thigh. "Ow," he whined, pulling it out with a grunt and tossing it to the floor.
With ever bullet, more blood came, bathing the floor further in deathly crimson.
"You bit me. It had to be you," Logan assumed.
"Damn it," Damn said in exasperation.
Why is it he always had to explain this?
"You have to have vampire blood in your system when you die," Damon said, staring up at him as though he were a complete and utter idiot, which wasn't far from the truth to be honest. "I didn't do it," he said hastily, shaking his head. "Some other vampire found you, gave you their blood," he told him, falling onto his back with a grunt.
Kali winced as she watched him, moving along the fenced area. She had to be careful now, making sure that she didn't make a sound. She nearly screamed as a mouse scurried in front of her, startling her. She bit her tongue instead, wincing as the metallic taste of her blood washed over her.
"Who?" Logan asked.
"That's what I wanna know," Damon hissed, winced as he tried to sit back up, failing.
Logan then began explaining how he'd been an on-the-rise tv guy, completely ignoring as Kali crept further.
As Damon finally managed to sit up, he caught Kali eyes, trying to remain calm about his little discovery. She placed a finger to her lips, holding up the stake for him to see. He tapped the his finger to the ground twice in response, letting her know that he saw without giving her away.
"You have to be invited in," Damon heaved.
"I know. I live alone."
"Oh, that sucks," he grunted, eyes screwing together as he leaned to his right, wincing.
He was trying to get up, but the wood in his wounds burned painfully, reminding him of just how weak he truly was at the moment. How Stefan could live with such vulnerability by refusing human blood, he'd never know.
"Now, I'm at the Ramada watching pay-per-few all day…eating everything in sight, including the staff," Logan told him, his senses still not seeming to pick up on Kali's heart.
Either that or he just didn't care at the moment.
"It could be worse," Damon offered, gritting his teeth as he gripped his leg.
"All I can think about is blood," Logan breathed, sniffing the air.
Damon tried to keep his nerve under control.
"And killing people. I can't stop killing people," Logan announced. "I keep killing," he laughed, the sound of his voice thoroughly creeping Kali out. "And I like it."
Damon drew in a breath, holding it for a moment, his eyes discreetly landing upon Kali again.
"I'm conflicted."
"Welcome to the club," Damon said snidely.
Logan stood up after that, pacing for a moment as he shook his head.
"Wait a minute," Damon started. "The cops only found one body."
"I left one. I was tired," he told him as though there were nothing wrong with it. "I've been hiding the rest of the bodies. They're right back there," he said, gesturing behind him.
"You're kidding me," Damon breathed out quietly, looking over to the other side of the room, dead bodies pilled behind some fencing.
His ears heard a faint gag from Kali's lips, fingers twitching.
"They're just piling up," Logan said.
"You're insane," Damon said, hunching forward a bit.
"Why am I so overly emotional?" Logan asked, sniffing the air for a moment as he continued to drill Damon with questions. "All I can think about it my ex-girlfriend."
Damon watched as Logan slowly walked toward the other side of the room, slowly moving closer to Kali.
"I wanna be with her, and bite her and stuff," Logan breathed, stopping a few feet away from where Kali was hiding, her body ridged and fearful.
Their eyes locked, a silent communication being relayed between them, keeping Kali calm. She held her breath, sitting stoic still. She just had to hold out for a little bit longer and then it'd be over with. At least that's what Damon hoped anyway.
"Well, you probably love her," Damon answered dully, opening Logan's mind a bit. "Anything you felt before will be magnified now," Damon explained calmly. "You're gonna have to learn how to control that."
"What about walking in the sun?" Logan asked, walking back over toward Damon. "I'm a morning person."
Damon paused for a moment, the fingers of his left hand curling inward discreetly, keeping his ring from Logan's view. He slowly turned it on this finger so that only the band was visible instead of the whole thing, making it look like an old wedding band.
"You can walk in the sun. Which, by the way, is pretty cool," Logan admitted. "The Counsel would never suspect you. That's not in the journals."
"Journals?" Damon inquired, looking up at him.
"Yeah, the founding fathers…they passed down journals to their kids. Come on, you gotta tell me," he continued.
Damon sat there for a moment, mulling things over. He'd never heard about any journals before, but they sounded rather important if they contained information on vampires. This also made him wonder what else was in them and how he knew about them to begin with.
"How can you walk around in the sun?" Logan asked.
"Who turned you?" Damon asked, eyeing Logan careful.
There was something else going on behind this and he wanted to find out what it was, who it was.
"How do you walk in the sun?" Logan asked again, ignoring Damon's question.
"Who turned you?" Damon tried again, leaning forward slightly.
He was determined to get an answer just as much as Logan was.
"You know, I've been really nice so far, but I will kill you," Logan said, eyes shifting toward where Kali was hiding.
Damon tensed, causing Logan to grin. A second later, Logan had Kali in his grasp, the stake she'd held onto now piercing threw her shoulder. Her scream sent him forward, face contorted dangerously as he bared his fangs.
"Let her go," Damon growled dangerous, pushing himself up off of the ground toward Logan.
He was livid, a snarl forming on his face, eyes blackened as he stared at his prey.
"I could kill her," Logan told him, her back pressed tightly to his chest as his grip tightened.
For emphasis, he gripped the stake, twisting it.
"Ah!" she screamed, tears spilling from her eyes as she tried to bite back a sob, the pain of her muscles tearing further nearly incapacitating her.
"If you kill her, then you'll never know," Damon told him, his eyes hard and dangerous as he glared at Logan.
"How do you walk in the sun?" Logan growled, bringing his hand up to Kali's throat this time, his fingers wrapping around it.
He squeezed, a choking sound coming from her as she gasped for air, her hand gripping fervently at his wrist. His grip was unyielding, tightening further as she tried to fight.
"It won't do you any good to kill her," Damon told him. "She has my blood in her system, so she'll just come back to life."
"I have things to do, people to kill," Logan stated, looking down at Kali for a moment as he squeeze her throat even harder, her face starting to go blue. "I guess I'll be needing a little head start," he finished, bring his hand up and shooting Damon three or four times in the chest, before shoving Kali onto the ground.
The stake had nearly impaled her entire shoulder now, leaving the nerves in her left arm immobilized.
"D-Damon," she choked out, gasping for air as she coughed.
"Ah. Damn it," Damon groaned out, falling onto his back, blood spilling out onto his clothes.
His hands shook, muscles twitching. One of the bullets had come so close to his heart, missing by a mere inch or two.
"Oh, Kali?" Logan called, hovering over her for a moment as he pushed her onto her back with his foot. "Say hi to Jenna for me, won't you?"
T
I coughed as I crawled my way over to Damon, gritting my teeth as I gripped my shoulder. I couldn't bare to pull the stake out myself.
"Damon?" I whimpered, crawling up beside him, my hand touching his face.
His eyes met mine in a pained expression, his eyes trailing down to the wood sticking out of my shoulder. I'm not sure who was in more pain, me or him.
"I-I'll make you a deal," I panted, falling over onto my right side, keeping myself from hurting my other shoulder.
He stared at me, wincing as he waited for me to continue.
"P-pull it out," I choked. "Pull it out and I'll…I'll let you drink from me," I told him wincing in pain as I laid there.
"I've got one better," he groaned, managing to roll over onto his side to face me. "We'll swap," he told me. "Besides, you'll…lose the motor skills in your arm if we don't," he grunted, panting as he reached out, pulling my forehead to his. "This is gonna hurt."
Without another word, the stake was yanked from my shoulder, my scream becoming muffled against his shirt. I could feel the blood flowing freely now, washing over my front.
"Shh…shh," he hushed gently, pulling me to him.
I just cried, laying there with Damon's arm around me. The simple extraction of the stake had completely torn away at what was left of the muscles in my shoulder.
"Here," Damon breathed, biting into his wrist, tearing it open.
He brought it to my lips, the warm liquid coating my chin as it dripped.
"Drink," he instructed, patting my head softly.
I nodded my head, opening my mouth and clamping it down onto his wrist, coughing for a moment as it slid into my mouth. It had a coppery taste to it, just like human blood, but it had a faint sweetness to it. I had no clue what went through my head at that moment as it sucked at his wrist, his head tilted back.
"Keep drinking," he told me, his voice plagued with fatigue.
I obeyed, closing my eyes as I continued to drink. I stopped though after a moment, taking in the sound of his heavy breathing.
"Why'd you stop?" he asked weakly, looking over at me.
I slowly pushed myself up, closing my eyes for a moment as I tried to gather my strength. He was about as weak as I was. I carefully grabbed his arm, pulling him up with me.
"What are you doing?" he started, his breathing sounding a bit on the shallow side.
I scooted closer to him. The bullets were still lodged in his chest causing him to heave painfully.
"We need to get these out," I told him, gently placing my hand on his chest, his eyes screwing shut.
"I…I can't," he panted. "You'll have to do it," he told me, groaning as he hunched forward.
I nodded my head, pulling his shirt open. I'd had just enough of his blood to allow me this strength. I winced though when I saw the damage. He was completely covered in blood at this point.
"This is going to hurt," I told him, before gently digging my fingers into the wound.
I felt for the edge with my fingertip, my nail gazing it. I then grabbed hold of it with my nail, pulling it from his chest. He groaned in response, but that was it.
"One down, four to go," he breathed out.
I just tossed it to the floor, going for the next one. I sat there the whole time, a wave of nausea washing over me as I pulled the second on free. That too was thrown to the ground, blood seeping out and down his chest. I went for the one that was further down this time, deciding to leave the one by his heart for the end.
"Ah…" he hissed as I pushed my finger into the wound, pulling it from its place. "One more," he told me, leaning his head back for a moment as he tried to catch his breath. "I swear, I'm gonna kill him."
"Just hold still," I told him, reaching for the last one.
I felt tears well up in my eyes as I saw how much pain it was putting him in.
"Almost there," I breathed, pushing in further, my nails scrapping muscle.
I felt as I brushed it with the tip of my finger, carefully wrapping my fingertips around it.
"Just pull," he order, closing his eyes.
The next thing I knew, it was out, laying on the floor in a bloody mess with the others. I shook for a moment, gazing down at my hand. It was covered in blood, his blood. There was so much blood, not only on me, but on him as well.
"Kali?" he called, coaxing me from my daze.
I looked up at him, letting go of the breath that I'd been holding onto. I felt him wrap his arm around me so that my back was to his chest, his chin resting on top of my head. I let myself relax against him, the swell of the adrenaline slowly wearing off.
"I can't be the only one to drink, Damon," I reminded him, slowly brushing my hair away from my neck as I offered it up to him.
Instead of offering him my wrist, I offered him the option of drinking from my neck, showing my trust in his will not to tear it apart out of hunger. I knew that he hadn't feed because of his little agreement with Stefan, leaving him weakened to begin with. This was my choice.
I heard him whisper a thank you in my ear as he leaned his head down, kissing my neck gently. It sent a shiver through me, my breath catching in my throat for just a moment. I felt his mouth clamp down on it, pressing against my pulse. I closed my eyes then, leaning my head back on his shoulder as I felt his fangs slowly slid out and into my flesh, piercing through it with ease. He was gentle, as gentle as he could be as he drank, his arms pulling around me a bit tighter as he kept me in place.
He pulled back for a short moment, closing his eyes as he drew in a breath.
"Here," he said, biting back down into his wrist and reopening it.
He brought it to my lips as he had before, the smell of his blood washing over me. It was like a drug, tantalizingly addicting. This time, he didn't even have to tell me to drink, I just did. In turn, he did the same, biting back down into my neck and drinking. We were co-exiting, living off of each others blood, swapping life. It was almost like a parasite, the need for the other's blood. I didn't care though as I allowed myself to swallow, feeling as the muscles in my shoulder slowly started stitching themselves back together, mending. It was working.
Finally, Damon pulled back, and I did the same. His eyes stared down at me, the color still dark, but I wasn't scared. I just looked up at him, meeting his gaze as he turned me in his arms a bit. I could still feel his blood on my lips, the color staining it red. It was almost as though I were in a trance, staring up at him, my emotions wound tight.
His hand rose to touch my face, his thumb brushing my cheek gently, stroking it. My lips parted, his face drawing closer until he was upon me. I felt his lips against mine, his actions gentle without force. I found myself responding, kissing back as I slowly brought my hand to the back of his neck, my fingers splaying across the skin. I'd never been so confident about my actions in all my life, but it felt so natural, the blood on our lips merging together into one.
He pulled back slowly, his eyes still clouded in darkness. I just stared up at him, my hand sliding down to rest against his cheek. There was a look of desire in his eyes, but it was different somehow. It was something that I'd never seen in Jason's eyes, a genuine fondness and sense of humanity.
"Damon," I whispered, gazing up at him.
I leaned up, gently pressing my lips to his, savoring the feeling of his lips against mine. I slid my arms around his neck, my fingers winding through his hair as I laid my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. I just sat there, enjoying the feeling of his arms around me. It felt like a pleasant dream, one from which I didn't want to wake because I was actually happy. I was surprisingly content.
"We should go," he whispered, his face buried in my hair.
He was as reluctant as me when letting go, the urge to pulling him back to me welling up. He was right though, no matter how much I wanted to stay like this. This was no place to get sentimental, not when we had a vampire out there to catch.
"Alright," I nodded, pulling back.
I stared up into his eyes, fighting the urge to kiss him again, my lips parting. He kissed my forehead, pulling me up with him, his arms gripping my waist. I was tired.
T
"I'm guessing you're not here to play your future," Elena assumed, looking over at Stefan.
It was career night and the school was filled to the brim with people. There were students and teachers, locals business owners and artists, even a few college professors from out of town. There was something there for everyone. Oddly though, she hadn't seen Kali anywhere. She knew that she'd stayed home today, but she had figured that she'd at least come up to the school for the event, show off some of her stuff.
"You're looking out for me."
It wasn't a question, but a fact.
"I hope that's okay," Stefan said, staring down at her as he leaned against the wall, arms folded lightly over his chest.
Elena stared at him for a moment, trying to think of how to respond. She slowly made her way over to one of the tables, glancing down at the pamphlets, Stefan following her after a moment.
"You know, I wanted to be a doctor…" he started, trying to start conversation another way. "…before everything happened."
Elena just stared down at the piles of paper, not ignoring him, but not responding either.
"But, uh, then I couldn't because-," he paused for a moment.
"The blood?" Elena assumed.
"Yeah," Stefan nodded, looking down at the table as well. "I've dabbled in a bunch of different things though," he continued, browsing through the opinions on the table.
"Didn't love anything enough to stick to it?" Elena asked, a slight accusing tone in her voice.
Stefan knew where this was going.
"No, I loved it all. I just-," he bit his lip. "I had to move on before anyone noticed that I wasn't getting any older," he told her, a trace of sadness in his voice.
"How long before that would happen?" she asked, still trying to avoid looking at him.
"A few years, usually," he supplied. "Sometimes shorter."
She looked up at him this time.
"And you always left?"
"I didn't have a choice," he told her.
She shook her head lightly after a moment.
"So, what about-? What about you?" he asked, a faint smile on his face. "What are your, uh, plans for the future?" he asked, trying to direct things down a less pain direction.
"I don't wanna talk about my future, Stefan," she said exasperation, before continuing. "Because everything you're saying is making it perfectly clear that you're not gonna be in it."
"Well, Elena, it's not that I don't wanna be in it—"
"You can't. I get it," she said in frustration. "I heard you the first time and the second time."
Stefan bit his lower lip.
"And I appreciate you looking out for me…but, please, if you're gonna leave, then just go."
It was quiet after that, neither knowing what else to say. Stefan was about to open his mouth and speak, but the sound of Jenna's footsteps coming toward them halted his attempt.
"Hide me," Jenna said, her stance telling Stefan that she was uncomfortable.
"What's going on?" Elena asked, trying to forget about her previous conversation for a moment.
"The "Scum" Fell has landed," she announced.
"Logan's here?" she inquired tiredly.
"Wait, Logan Fell?" Stefan asked, brows furrowing slightly in question.
Jenna sighed, confirming Stefan's question, the two woman watching as he made his way out of the room in a bit of a hurry. He spotted him out in the hallway, talking with a group of students. He gave a little wave as though taunting Stefan, before turning back to the group of students and continuing his conversation.
"Stefan, what's going on?" Elena asked, walking out into the hallway.
Logan made his way over to them as Jenna walked out as well, Stefan holding on lightly to Elena's wrist, silently telling her to stay where she was.
"Jenna," Logan greeted. "Are you dodging me?" he asked playfully.
"It's a form of self-preservation," she replied, her voice telling him that she didn't want him there.
"Um, Elena, why don't you and Jenna go somewhere else?" Stefan suggested discreetly, trying to get them away from the danger that was Logan.
They exchanged glances, Stefan making gestures with his eyes so as to go unnoticed by those around him. She got the message and grabbed onto Jenna's arm, pulling her away.
"Let's go," Elena said, pulling her away from Logan.
She knew of the danger that was in front of her, wanting to keep Jenna away from it. Once they were out of sight, Stefan turned back to Logan.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
Logan drew in a breath, meeting Stefan's gaze.
"You know, your brother asked me the same thing," he droned out. "In fact, why don't we skip past all that "who turned me" stuff and get the answer that I want," he said, a faint threatening tone in his voice. "How can I turn into a day-walker?"
"Damon and I are the only two that I know of," he said slowly, not intending on telling Logan anything of value.
"But you're both very cagey on the how," Logan drawled, his eyes never breaking his stare with Stefan's. "Which tells me that there is a way."
Stefan stood firmly in his spot as Logan spoke, determined on not give away any hint of an alternative option.
"You know, in case you haven't noticed, I'm quite the celebrity in this town. It would be very, very easy for me to expose you," Logan spoke, reminding Stefan of the power he held.
"You wanna know how you can walk around in the sun?" Stefan questioned.
"I do," Logan answered.
"You can't," Stefan said after a moment, shifting his weight so he stood just a bit taller than Logan. "Don't ever threaten me again," he slowly, going syllable by syllable.
He then walked off, leaving Logan standing there empty handed, moving his way outside the school.
T
"When Logan came to the house, what did he say?" Elena asked.
"Oh. Fake flattery, stupid dimpled grin, puppy-dog eyes."
"I'm serious, Jenna," Elena said, not wanting to go through Jenna's list right now. "How did he act? What did he say?"
"He was the usual Logan," she shrugged. "He was charming, a little more manic than usual."
She thought for a moment, chewing on her lip, before continuing.
"He kept trying to convince me to let him in," she answered.
Elena stood there for a moment, staring at her as realization hit. He was a vampire.
"What?"
"Okay, listen to me very carefully," Elena said. "Do not, under any circumstances, talk to him again. I'm serious Jenna. Like, ever," she told her as though she were the older one between them.
This left Jenna confused, but she didn't say anything, just wondering what was going on.
"Hey, Elena. Jenna," Alaric greeted, walking over to them.
"Hi, Mr. Saltzman," Elena replied, hands on the back of her hips.
"Yeah, I was hoping to see you here," he said, his comment directed toward Jenna, a smile on his face.
"Career night is the new bowling," she replied, slight sarcastic in tone as she joked, causing him to chuckle.
She liked playing hard to get.
"Ok, um, excuse me," Elena said uncomfortably, making her way passed them.
T
The sun had already set as we got to the house, Damon using his super speed to get us there without anyone seeing us. The last thing we needed was for someone to see us covered in blood and asking questions. Although, I'll admit, it had been nice being in Damon's arms as he ran home.
"Now what?" I asked, sitting down on his bed.
"Now, we get cleaned up," he told me, walking into the bathroom that was attached to his room.
I could hear him turning on the water in the sink, allowing myself to lay back on the bed. I was so tired. He walked back in a moment later, a wet washrag in his hand.
He was still irritated, that much was obvious. Although, I still couldn't shake the thought of how angry he'd gotten when Logan had threatened me. He'd been so close to leaping forward and ripping him apart.
"Take off your shirt," he ordered, stopping in front of me.
I rose an eyebrow in question, staring at him.
"Just do it?" he sighed, sitting down on the bed.
I watched as he tugged off his old shirt angrly, tossing it to the floor.
"He ruined my shirt," he hissed, his nose scrunching up in annoyance.
He then turned back toward me.
"Take off your shirt," he said, giving me a tired look.
"Fine," I groaned, sitting up and pulling it off, tossing it down beside Damon's
My face was a bit red though as I sat there, feeling embarrassed as I sat before him in my bra.
"So modest," he chuckled, shaking his head as he shifted on the bed, turning to face me better.
I felt his hand on my bare shoulder, his finger running over the spot as he checked it. It was still a bit red, and sore, but it was better than nothing.
"Move your arm for me," he instructed, placing his hand on the back of my shoulder blade.
I winced a bit though when he prodded it with his fingers, pressing into the muscle. His eyes narrowed. He then started wiping the skin with the cloth, scrubbing the blood off.
"I'm gonna kill that bastard," he muttered, a faint growl rising in his throat.
"Damon?"
"Hm?"
He looked away from what he was doing for a moment, glancing at me.
"Earlier…when Logan had me," I started, staring down at my hands. "You were bluffing."
"And?"
"W-what would you have done…" I bit my lip, taking a chance in looking up at him. "What would you have done if he had called it?" I asked quietly.
I watched closely as the expression on his face changed, turning into one of thought.
"If he had killed me…?"
"I would have ripped him apart," he answered.
Another question was nagging at the back of my mind, but I wasn't sure if I should go through with it. Now, Damon was watching me.
"There's something else, isn't there?" he asked, eyeing me carefully.
Sometimes he was just far too insightful.
"I…"
I closed my eyes, running a hand through my hair. It bothered me, how close I'd been to death, inches away from my last breath. Would anyone have even cared, would they have just forgotten me, my memory fading away into the wind.
"It's nothing…" I sighed, shaking my head.
"Liar," he said bluntly, moving closer until he knocked me onto my back, crawling over top of me.
"Damon, what are you…"
"I want you to tell me what's going on inside that little head of yours," he said, tapping my forehead lightly with the tip of his finger.
"And if I don't?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
I watched as a look of mischief made its way onto his face. His mood was still debatable, but this was a distraction for the moment.
"I could always steal your bike and make you walk to work," he teased.
I sighed, rolling my eyes. There was no point in arguing with him.
"If I had died…" I started, looking up at him. "Would I have been just another name on a headstone?" I asked. "A name that's eventually forgotten over time?"
"You think that everyone would eventually forget about you?" he gathered, reaching his hand up and tracing down the side of my face, his staring down at me intently. "That you'd be a speck in the wind."
I nodded my head, leaning into his touch.
"Would you have mourned me?" I asked quiet, gazing up into the intense blue that was his eyes.
"Do you really think so little of me?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, a hint of a smile pulling at his face.
I reached up, brushing my fingers over the side of his face. I'd never had someone pay me such attention as Damon had, my thoughts going back to the kiss we shared, eyes diverting to his lips for a moment. He seemed to catch on to what I was thinking, a smirk slaying across his lips.
"I can assure you, you'll never fade from my memory," he promised, leaning down and capturing my lips with his own, all uncertainties fading away.
"Mmm…" I groaned out, his hand sliding down and over my stomach, fingers splaying across it as the palm of his hand was planted firmly in place.
My hand found it's way into his hair, fingertips grazing his scalp as he moved to my neck, kissing it gently. He growled lightly as he nuzzled his nose against the skin, inhaling. He was trying to keep himself under control, resisting the urge to bite down.
"Damon?" I breathed, closing my eyes.
"Hmm?" he mumbled against my neck, kissing the edge of my jaw.
"I know what you're doing," I said quiet, laying there without moving. "You don't have to hold back."
"You're sure?" he asked me, making sure that I knew what I was saying.
I nodded my head, caressing his cheek as he peered down at me. I was certain.
"I need you to say it."
"Damon Salvatore, I invite you to drink," I smiled, a chuckle escaping his lips at my words.
"Invitation accepted," he replied, leaning his head back down to my neck, his lips brushing over it.
His kissed my neck again, before grazing it with his teeth, his fangs scrapping it lightly before biting down. A groan escaped me at the pain, but it went away, my eyes closing as I laid there. I didn't mind the slight pain as I played with his hair. I was oddly content, even with the situation. It was a feeling that I'd never actually felt with Jason. I actually felt wanted, without the fear of being expected to hand over control. Damon demanded nothing from me.
A growl escaped his throat as his phone rang, his mood changing entirely when he saw who it was. I caught a glimpse of the ID as he answered it, placing it to his ear. Damon already knew what he wanted.
"Logan Fell is a vampire," he spoke into the phone as he hovered over me, hand and elbow keeping himself from actually laying on top of me. "And when I find him again, I am going to destroy him, limb by limb," he ground out, his eyes staring down at me.
"What happened? You okay?" I heard Stefan asked over the phone.
"No. I'm not okay," Damon answered pointedly. "I was ambush. I was shot. Now I'm vengeful," he listed off. "Just gotta find him."
"Well, there's no need. He's here at the school."
My eyes widened slightly upon hearing this, pushing myself up slightly, my face now close to Damon's.
"You're kidding me? Why the hell is he there?" he asked.
"He's working the crowd," Stefan answered.
"Well, I'll be right there," he said simply, a grin slowly forming on his face as he hung up, tossing the phone onto the bed beside me.
He looked back down at me, inhaling deeply, before pressing a kiss to my lips.
"Gotta go," he told me, pushing himself off of the bed.
I watched as he moved to his closet, looking through it before tearing a shirt off of its hanger and shrugging it on. He looked back over at me as he buttoned it up, his eyes never straying.
"As much as I'd like to continue our little excursions, I've got a vampire to kill," he disclosed, moving closer and gripping my chin lightly between his fingers. "Stay here," he instructed, stealing a final kiss, before walking over to the door.
He snatched up his leather jacket from a chair and glanced back at me.
"Take a shower if you want," he told me. "My clothes are in the drawer."
With that, he left the room, stalking off to end one Logan "Scum" Fell.
Okay everyone, that was chapter 12. I REALLY hope that everyone enjoyed it?
IMPORTANT:
I worked really hard on this one so I expect REVIEWS people! At least 13 people have added this story to their favorites list so that means I should have at least 13 REVIEWS then. You DON'T have to have and ACCOUNT to REVIEW people. Even if its a short REVIEW. Just try PLEASE? I NEED reviews to let me know that I'm doing my job as a writer. Same goes for IDEAS. ANYTHING works.