Chapter 3

"You're welcome."

She didn't come any closer and Damon wondered if she were already regretting her good deed for the day.

Bracing her feet, she crossed her arms beneath her breasts, tipped her head to one side and said softly,

"Now, why don't you tell me who you are and why you're here."

"I'd like to know the same thing,"

He said, rather than answering her question.

"I thought no one lived here."

"No one did. But up until a year ago I did with my mother. Now I'm back and I still want to know why you're here."

Wincing a bit, he sat up and moved to one side, where he could brace his back against one of the stalls lining the old barn. In a split second, he took in the whole structure, noting that the garage was empty but for a jeep wrangler, a riding lawnmower and, wouldn't you know it, there were a few slivers of growing daylight slanting through the gaps in the roof shingles. He nearly hissed at the sight, but managed to contain himself. When he looked back at her, he could see more than concern on her features. Her deep brown eyes were worried. Almost haunted.

He knew what that felt like and in spite of the situation, he almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

"My girlfriend used to live here."

"Really?"

She didn't sound convinced.

"Because when we bought the place several years ago, it was in good shape, but still looked as though no one had lived here in forever."

Clearly, Katherine had decided to sell the old place and hadn't even thought to tell Damon about it. The newly cured back to human bitch deserved to be staked for this.

"It was a long time ago."

"Uh-huh. So why are you here now?"

She still was not convinced. He fingered the back of his head, pleased to see that the bleeding had stopped, though there was a knot there to remind him of how he'd come to be lying in the open. And now that the sun was no longer a threat, his memories of the night before got clearer.

"I got here last night. My key didn't fit and I was going to leave."

Actually since someone owned he house he couldn't enter in uninvited. It was the big FU that caused him to break down on all the emotional barriers he put up. He had been the chosen one by Elena only for her to moan Stefan's name in her sleep and wake up with the knowledge that even if her brain said 'Damon' her heart chose 'Stefan'. At once she had run after his brother and he had run away.

It was what he did best according to his father, Damon thought with a wry chuckle. He'd unconsciously made his way to this giant frying pan and after finding out he couldn't enter Katherine's house he had sulked away.

Before he could leave, he'd sensed something though. Something was lurking around. Not a vampire exactly even if the sweet, inviting scent was similar. Whatever it was, someone was watching the house.

When whoever it was, they had left, and Damon made no effort into chasing them. There's no point in playing the hero if a damsel in distress wasn't going to let you in her bed and veins in the end. But then…

"Someone hit me over the head. Next thing I knew, you were standing over me."

Her eyes went wide and frightened.

"Did you see who it was?"

"No."

Irritating as hell to admit that. His extraordinary senses should have warned him that he wasn't alone. But he'd been so damned surprised by everything that he hadn't paid close enough attention to his surroundings.

Bella Swan shivered and rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms.

Frightening enough to find a nearly unconscious man in her front yard at the crack of dawn. But knowing that someone else had been sneaking around her house in the middle of the night was downright terrifying. What if she'd found her? What if she was watching her right now?

She hunched her shoulders against unseen eyes and fought for the calm she'd worked so hard to find. Pushing her fears back, she raked her gaze over her unexpected guest. A tall man, he was thin, but she'd felt the strength in him as he'd leaned on her moments ago. He wore black jeans, worn boots, a black sweater and short, black leather coat as if he was going to a funeral.

His features were sharp, as if carved from stone with an ax. His eyes were icy and light, maybe grey or blue and were in contrast with his tanned skin and pitch black hair. His nose was long and narrow and his mouth was thinned into a grim slash even if the lips were full but ashen in their color.

Even injured, he carried an air of power that was nearly intoxicating—even to a woman who knew better than to trust a handsome man. A pool of pure logic that had been burned once told her she should stay away from him but she never listened to her instincts. That's why she was where she was now. Bella looked into his deep brown eyes and said,

"Look, you're hurt. So you can stay here for a while, if you want."

One dark eyebrow lifted.

"You make a habit of inviting strangers into your home, do you?"

"Actually, yes,"

She said, forcing a brave smile she didn't quite feel.

"I do. I used to work at a B&B here"

He scowled at her unknowingly teasing smile

"I'm fine here."

"In the garage."

"Yes."

Odd. But then what about this past year hadn't been odd?

"But you're injured."

"I'll heal."

She didn't know whether to be pleased or not with the fact that he clearly didn't want to come into her house. There was something about him that felt...dangerous. And Lord knew, she'd had more than her share of danger already in her life.

But she also saw something else in his eyes. An old pain that she responded to. How could she not recognize suffering in someone else? How could she not do everything she could to help?

"You can't stay in the barn,"

She said, deciding on the spot to insist on taking care of the man. She'd once needed help desperately and she was going to pass on that favor now.

"You'll sweat to a pool out here."

"I won't be staying."

He crossed his feet at the ankles and absently rubbed at the back of his right hand. Bella moved closer.

"What happened to your hand? And your cheek?"

He blew out a breath.

"I appreciate your help but I don't need further assistance."

"At least you could tell me your name,"

She said. He was quiet for a long moment, then said,

"Damon Salvatore."

"I'm Bella. Bella Swan."

She held her hand out toward him and waited patiently for him to take it. When he finally did, and his skin met hers, Bella felt a jolt of something she couldn't identify pass between them. He felt it, too. She saw the flash of surprise in his eyes before he had the chance to disguise it. And somehow, it made her feel better to know that he was no happier about that flash than she was.

Moving farther back from her, he said,

"I'll rest here, and then move on tonight."

"Maybe that would be best after all,"

She whispered, still feeling the hum of her skin where he'd touched her. Her body was awakening to sensations she'd only felt once before. And the raw ache within threatened to bring her to her knees.

She stood up and backed away, as if distance from this mysterious man could make everything she'd felt drain away. It didn't help. Shaken, she paused at the doorway, stood in the spear of sunlight and looked at him over her shoulder. Even in the shadows, the fire in his eyes burned hot. She felt the heat of him reaching for her and Bella knew that Damon Salvatore was more dangerous than she'd first believed.

Five weeks ago, she'd vowed to never give a man dead or alive or anything in between, power over her again. Up until this moment, she'd never doubted her ability to honor that vow.