Chapter 4 – The Burn

I was sitting on the couch staring blankly at the fireplace, watching the orange flames dance back and forth. I was lost in the fire when Damon handed me a glass of whiskey. I glanced up. I reached out, took the glass and immediately put the crystal cut glass to my lips and sipped the strong liquid. He stood beside me looking down at me studying my face. "Stand up Elena." I didn't even hesitate as I rocked forward off the couch into a standing position. I stood up and stared straight into his eyes, which at the moment looked even bluer than normal. Uh oh, I thought, this is a problem.

I looked away before I got swept away in the moment. "No." he said. He moved his hand to my chin and lifted it until I was staring into his beautiful eyes again. "Close your eyes." I did so immediately. I immediately thought about the vervain in my necklace. Okay, he's not compelling me. While I was lost in my thoughts, I felt his soft lips on mine, his hand snuck around to the small of my back and pulled me slightly towards him. His tongue darted into my mouth and searched out mine. Our tongues were entangled in the deepest kiss I've ever felt. It was all going to my head and then pulled me tighter to him so that my body was completely meshed with his. Then he released me. "Get on your knees Elena."

I was confused for a moment. I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Why?"

"Elena, I'm not going to hurt you. There's no reason to fear me. Get on your knees. It's a very simple request." He said it so steadily that there was just something reassuring in his silky voice.

I tentatively started to lower myself to my knees. My movement was somewhat clunky as I was between the couch and the coffee table. I knelt there kind of confused, kind of scared and kind of aroused. I felt really vulnerable as I looked up at him. "Okay?" I questioned as I looked at him.

"Shut your eyes." I complied. "I don't want you to open your eyes under any circumstances. Do you understand Elena?"

"Umm yes?" I said shakily. It was more of a question than an answer.

I heard him walk away but I didn't look. I felt his hands come from behind me. He was caressing my arms. He traced his fingers back up my upper arms to my neck. My head fell forward as I felt his hand underneath my hair on my neck. He didn't do anything. He just ran his fingers through my long hair. He reached up and grabbed my hair, not hard, just enough to pull my head to the side. He kissed the nape of my neck. Shivers ran down the entire length of my spine. His tongue started to caress my skin in between long lingering kisses. My knees felt weak. I started to lean back into him. "Uh uh Elena. Stay up on your knees for me. Don't move." I strained a little to get back up. My thighs were aching and my knees were starting to hurt from the pressure.

"Elena, what do you want?" he whispered hoarsely into my ear. "Tell me."

"I don't know what you mean." I stammered.

"Tell me what you want. You know what I mean Elena."

The words were lost in my head. I couldn't put a complete thought together at first. The feeling of his breath against my ear as he kept demanding I tell him was putting me in a very different place. I was shaking visibly all over. "Tell me Elena."

My head drifted to my right shoulder and my face fell down a little towards the floor, "I want you," I whispered it so low that it was barely audible.

"See Elena, I already know you want me. I know you want a lot of things. I know you dream about me making love to you. Don't you?" He was smiling, I could hear it in his voice. I nodded my head back and forth. "I'm not going to do that tonight Elena. There's plenty of time. I don't want to rush it. What I am going to do is walk around the table and stand in front of you. I want you open your eyes and look at me when I tell you and then I want you take off your clothes for me. Do you understand me Elena?"

"Yes." I could feel the warmth flooding my cheeks. I shaking even harder now. I had no idea why I was listening. I felt compelled, not by his influence but by my own desires. His hands dropped, I heard him walk around the table, which he had to be doing on purpose as vampires are extraordinarily quiet. He stopped in front of me. "Look at me Elena."

I stared up at him. I had to be visibly blushing at this point. I felt like my cheeks were on fire. He nodded at me. There was so much conveyed in that nod it was almost overwhelming. I pulled at the bottom of my grey t-shirt, fidgeting with it as I purposely wasted time.

"Elena." He said with a little more authority in his voice.

With that, I pulled it over my head. I've never felt so naked in my life. I unbuttoned my pants and tugged at the waistband until they were around thighs. I lifted one knee and pushed my jeans under it and then repeated on the other side, while I was holding onto the table. And here I am, in my underwear and bra, kneeling in front of a man that up until a week ago I at best tolerated. His eyes were smiling down at me. He reached down with his hand and gently caressed the side of my face. "You are beautiful Elena. You can get dressed now."

He turned and walked away.

What?! Did that seriously just happen? Did he seriously just humiliate me and then leave? I was furious. My embarrassment turned to rage. I lifted myself up and put my clothes back on. I stomped off after him.

He was sitting in the kitchen sipping a glass of whiskey.

"What was that?" I demanded.

"That, my dear Elena was a beautiful moment. Don't ruin it. Go put your pajamas on. We need to go to bed. We have an early day tomorrow, what with a homicidal vampire to hunt down."

I pouted and huffed as I turned on my heel and stormed out of the room sarcastically muttering to myself "…it was a beautiful moment." "Maybe to you!" I said to myself angrily. I went into Damon's room and found a pair of pajamas on the bed. I undressed and pulled the bottoms on and then the shirt. Just as I finished Damon walked in the room. He pulled his shirt off. God he was beautiful. I almost forgot why I was mad at him. Almost.

He climbed into bed and leaned over to the other side, grabbed the sheet and threw it down. He motioned to the other side of the bed. "Elena" He offered. I huffed as I got in the bed and he threw the blanked back over me. Then, unexpectedly, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me on the forehead. I immediately melted.

As the sun filled the room the next morning, my eyes flickered open. It was bright outside. I glanced to my right and saw Damon there, not exactly sleeping, but not exactly awake either. I was laying on his arm.

"Good morning Elena." He smiled with his entire face.

"Good morning Damon." I said back. I barely got my sentence out when he rolled slightly to the left and pecked me on the lips.

He pulled his up and stared into my eyes, his blue eyes searching mine deeply for something. What is he looking for I wondered.

All of the sudden there was a loud crash on the front lawn. It sounded as if a 747 crashed into the ground outside the Boarding House. Before I could even register what was going on, Damon was gone. I looked around as if expecting to adjust to his fast movement. I jumped off the bed and ran down the stairs. The door to the Boarding House was wide open.

As I walked onto the porch, Damon yelled, "Elena NO." My eyes were trying to register what was going on. There was twisted metal all over the front lawn, remnants of a car. Damon was kneeling on the ground with blood all over his face holding someone. I tried to focus on the scene. I felt like I was in a dream. Blonde hair. It was Caroline!

Determined, I stepped off the porch. "Damon how could you?" Caroline was bleeding from the neck. She was limp in his arms. Was she dead? I was enraged. How could I believe him? I walked towards them.

Again, Damon yelled, "Elena, go back to the house. This isn't what it looks like. Go back. It's a trap."

I was so focused I couldn't even form the words. I saw Caroline breathe in deeply. "Caroline!" I ran towards her. "Let her go Damon."

He stood up with an almost pleading look. "Elena. You have to listen."

"Listen? Why should I ever believe anything you say? All you have done is lie and hurt people Damon. Now you are drinking from Caroline, who, by the way, has already been a victim of yours." He looked down, Caroline was starting to come to. I grabbed her hand and pulled her away from Damon. "Caroline lets go."

Caroline stumbled to her feet, terrified and confused. She was desperately trying to figure out what happened and where she was. She kept looking around.

I pulled her towards the road. A car was approaching, very slowly. It rolled to a stop and I walked to the passenger side of the car. I leaned down and who did I see in the driver's seat? Katherine! I stood there stunned.

"Not very fast on the uptake are you Elena?" she drolled. "Get in the car. Don't try to run. You won't get away. Might as well make this easier on both of us."