Chapter 14
When dinner was over the four people moved to the deck. Damon's eyes lit with a smile as Bella took her sneakers off to dip her legs at the lake.
"I think she forgave you for now"
Stefan told his brother amused at Damon's hopeful look. Damon wanted to snicker but he was still filled with doubts.
Bella was talking quietly with Elena about the plant the latter brought. She wanted to flat out ask exactly 'what' Damon and Stefan were, but she knew she couldn't. The microphones and cameras would listen in and boy would that be hard to explain, and Elena may not know. Maybe the friendly, high school girl was perfectly clueless about the species of her boyfriend.
Having been Elena once upon a time, she wasn't going to burst the girl's bubble. Instead the two spoke about school, Elena divulged on her parents' death the previous year and how it sometimes felt like she was living in a TV-show where everything weird can happen. Bella chuckled nodding. Once she felt like her own life was a book series.
When it was time for the guests to leave Elena hugged Bella tightly.
"Call me when you get out of here, 'kay?"
"Promise"
Stefan shook Bella's hand and opening the door to a black SUV for Elena the two drove away. Bella closed the door and leaned against it.
"Can we talk?"
Damon nodded. Almost wordlessly the pair slipped off their close and dove to the lake. They swam to middle of it, far away from all the microphones placed on trees to listen to them, while close enough that the cameras could still see them.
"Why did you get sick from the plant?"
Damon's mouth opened
"That's your first question? Really?"
Bella shrugged one shoulder
"I have weird priorities"
Damon snorted
"I'm... allergic to it. It weakens me down"
"It did the same to your brother"
"It did. It does the same for... my species"
"And that is?"
Damon took a deep breath. Bella's eyes were wide expectantly but something told him, she wouldn't be too surprised. With one more deep breath, he came clean
"I'm vampire"
For the entire week, he envisioned her screaming, running away from him, calling for the big burly wolves to tear him limb from limb and in the deepest images of his heart he had a teensy bit of hope that she'd act like Elena did with Stefan and kiss him. What he did not expect was this reaction.
Bella's big brown eyes had widened, her head had fallen back showing her long pale neck to him, her lips parted, and she began laughing. Not just snickering or giggling, but full-on, belly laughing.
"Are you done?"
he asked annoyed and maybe a bit hurt a few minutes later. Bella nodded, tried to open her mouth and laughed some more. Skulking he began swimming back to shore, ready to call the whole thing off. Bella realized she hurt him and swam after him, grabbing his hand.
"I'm sorry Damon. I shouldn't have laughed"
She apologized, even if the remains of laughter were still prominent in her smiling hips
"No, you shouldn't have"
He sneered with the sulk evident in his blue eyes.
"Why are you lying to me?"
"I'm not lying!"
"What ever you are, vampire is not an option"
She declared. Damon squeezed the hand she still held and let a big sigh. From the corner of his eyes the smallish grey wolf was looking at them, waiting for his explanation as well
"Let me guess, you know the type that sparkles, has red eyes and is deathly pale"
At Bella's nod he snorted
"There is more than one kind of vampire babe"
"Prove it"
Bella replied not amused. Damon rolled his icy blue eyes, pulled her closer, wrapped an arm around her slender waist and swam them to the farthest end of the lake. He didn't let go of her. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath of her scent and let his face transform.
Bella, and Seth in the shadows, watched in amazement as Damon's face elongated slightly. His teeth became longer and pointy like fangs on Halloween. Hell, they were fangs. His skin became paler and the bags under his eyes filled with tiny blue veins. When he opened his eyes again they were pitch black, darker than the midnight sky around them.
Bella felt like touching him to make sure he's real. Seth felt like throwing up. Damon felt free.
Keeping his face all vampire like, with one arm around Bella's waist and the other running up and down her arm, he began talking, explaining, apologizing.
"If you asked anyone about me, they'd tell you I'm a snarky, reckless foul, who tends to kill every time he's upset or bored. That I kill when I don't have to and that I like showing off my victims. All that is true"
Bella blinked. That was not what she expected. She remained silent, letting him gather his thoughts. She knew she should be afraid but she wasn't.
"There's a reason why I keep to myself most of the time. I have a nasty habit of hurting those around me, just ask Stefan how many times I made him wish he was an only child. I hurt you and that was the last thing I would ever intentionally do to you. I care about you and I'm sorry for the things I said."
Damon remained silent for a bit. Bella opened her mouth to reply but he beat her to it.
"The first night we spent here I was ready to devour you. I had you in my arms and all I could think of was how to kill you without being noticed"
Bella bit back a snort. She had heard that one before
"Then I decided I'd save you up for the day this stupid big brother rip-off was over. But then... Then I fell for you. I don't know when and I don't know why but I did"
"You don't know why?"
Bella was incredulous. Damon winced
"That's not what I meant"
His head fell on Bella's shoulder. He laughed darkly
"Please forgive me."
Bella's heart beat sped up as she looked into those gorgeous black eyes. They glittered as they gazed at her with an emotion that she was almost afraid to believe.
"I trusted once too easily and I got bitten. I don't know if I can trust you now. You have to earn my trust"
Bella said softly. Damon's left hand reached down to wrap his hand around her slender wrist and brought it to his lips.
"I'm okay with that"
He said placing a kiss on her hand. The charms on her bracelet clinked.
