Sorry, this is short, but I have a feeling you might like it... Thanks for your wonderful reviews!

ELENA

A heavy thunderstorm had moved in, turning day into night. I had never liked storms very much, and lately, I didn't like driving by myself in the dark, either – especially not when the rain was pouring down like this. I'd just gotten home from a late class meeting, and by the time I had parked the car and made my way to the door, my light summer dress was drenched.

In the boarding house, all the lights were out. I had expected as much – the power was down in this part of the town. Still, it was eerie. The only source of light was coming from the living room, where an inviting fire had been lit in the fireplace. There, in a cocoon of warmth and light, I found Damon, lazily stretched out on the sofa and immersed in another leatherbound book. Snooping into someone else's diary, no doubt.

"Look who the storm blew in..." Damon muttered, looking up from his lecture with sudden interest sparking in his eyes. "You are dripping wet, Elena..."

And he was half naked. It had been unbearably hot before the thunderstorm, which was probably the reason why he had unbuttoned his shirt. I couldn't help staring at his sculptured chest. So masculine, so beautiful. I caught Damon's gaze and felt myself blush.

"Where is Alys?" I inquired, suddenly nervous.

"Out. Hunting," he replied, as if it didn't matter. He got up and briefly disappeared into the hallway, only to return with a fresh towel from the powder room. "Don't worry about her. Alys can take care of herself, she probably took shelter somewhere. You, on the other hand, will catch a cold if you keep standing there like a drowned cat. Come here and let me dry you off. You're ruining the carpet." His flippancy almost made me smile. I knew it was meant to hide his concern for my well-being. He held out the towel invitingly and, when I hesitantly stepped closer, wrapped me into it.

For a moment, when his arms came around me, I was enveloped in his scent, which had always reminded me of exactly this – whiskey, wood, clean linen and summer rain falling onto fresh grass. I couldn't help but close my eyes and inhale in bliss.

Damon moved me closer to the fireplace and gently began to towel me dry. He wiped my face, then my hair, my arms, and soon, I was feeling warmth spread to every fiber of my body. I closed my eyes, simply enjoying the feeling of being taken care of. Until my mind wandered off into a different direction, pondering the question how it would feel if it were his hands touching me, and not the towel, and I felt the heat rise to the surface of my skin.

"Mmm..." Damon breathed into my ear, while I was suddenly having a hard time breathing at all. "I love it when your skin is all blushed and glowing. Looks like the fire is warming you up quickly, Elena..."

Except that the sudden warmth pooling in my belly didn't have anything to do with the fire. It wouldn't explain the goosebumps that I was sporting all over, despite its warmth. That was the effect Damon had on me. It was so wrong but I couldn't help it. My body responded to him like it was attuned to his voice, his scent, even his thoughts.

And those became very clear when he stepped back and took the towel with him. All of a sudden, there was a smoldering heat in his gaze as it slowly wandered down my body, which was outlined in detail under the wet and altogether transparent material of my white dress. Realizing that I stood practically naked in front of him, I self-consciously moved my arms across my chest.

He grabbed them and gently drew them to my sides, holding them in place. I shivered involuntarily, painfully aware of the fact that we were all alone in the house, with no Alys to guard or interrupt. Was he considering taking advantage of the situation? And – would I let him?

"Don't hide from me, Elena! You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are so beautiful... Don't you know how much I want you?" His voice was hoarse, laced with desire. My traitorous body instantly responded.

"Damon..." I protested weakly, intending to free myself from his hold. He wasn't using force, yet I found it impossible to move. "I can't. This is wrong..." I averted my head when his came closer, torn between wanting to give in and feeling the urge to run. I mustn't let him kiss me. I instinctively knew that if I ever did, it would leave an imprint on me that would never go away again.

"Why, Elena?" It was only a whisper, but it carried a myriad of emotions.

Why? Because he was Damon. He might be incredibly attractive, sexy and charming, but he was still dangerous. A predator. He'd strip me bare, get under my skin and eat me alive. Literally.

I tore free of his hold and hastily turned away. It'd be safer to escape into the darkness than to stay anywhere near all the fires that were burning in our midst.

He caught me again, more forceful this time, and bumped me against one of the pillars that supported the upper balcony of the parlor. It didn't hurt much, but it scared me.

"Don't..." Damon muttered, his eyes intense.

"Don't what?" I asked breathlessly, trembling in his hold.

"Don't be afraid of me," he responded, yet made no move to release me. His hands were cupping my face, his eyes still holding my gaze, willing me to believe. "I would never hurt you. You know that, don't you?"

I nodded. Not because I was entirely convinced of that. But because I wanted it to be true. More than anything. And strangely, I suddenly did. What kind of magic was in his touch that always instantly made me relax? My hand flew to my neck, finding it empty. I wasn't wearing Stefan's necklace. Why had I taken it off?

"Don't worry," Damon said, noticing my movement and guessing correctly what was going on in my head. "You know I couldn't make you do anything you'd never do of your own free will. Unless..." he paused, slowly trailing fingers along my jaw, my neck, over my shoulders and down my arms in a seductive caress. His body was pressing into mine, making it very clear what it wanted from me. "Unless this isn't something you really never considered doing..."

Of course I had considered it. More than once. Purely in theory, of course.

"Is it, Elena?"

I swallowed, not quite knowing what to say to that. I was afraid that if I negated his assumption, it might not be quite as convincing as I would want it to be. He'd immediately detect the lie, and I surely wouldn't tell him the truth. So I said nothing, letting my blushing skin speak for itself.

"Maybe you even want me to do it... to take the responsibility away from you," he said in a low voice, his thumb tracing my lips. "Deep down, you know what you're longing for, you're just too scared to admit to those feelings." He leaned forward, capturing my gaze again. I was immediately lost – there was no withstanding the power of his eyes. "This attraction between us – you cannot fight it any more than I can. Stop trying."

Yes. He was right. Life had taught me to hold my emotion in check, to be careful, to always stay on the safe path so as not to fall off the deep end again. But with him, I was finding it more and more difficult to stay on course. "Yes. I want you, Damon," I admitted, feeling helpless. "But I do not want to want you."

"I know," he said with the barest hint of a smile. "But you really don't have a choice in this. Let go, Elena. Trust me." He could be so convincing, seductive, persuasive. My resistance, as theoretical as it had been, completely faded when his hands began sliding the hem of my wet, see-through dress up my thighs. My heart drummed in my chest in an ever increasing pace, demanding me to breathe faster, too. Surely, something that felt so good couldn't be wrong? And oh, did it feel good...

I moaned – a sound he took as encouragement to continue his exploration. He was touching me, everywhere at once, it felt like. No longer hearing that nagging voice in my head warning me that I was playing with fire and that I would get burned, if not totally consumed by it, I pulled his shirt down and let my fingers roam across his arms, his shoulders, his chest, enjoying the play of muscles beneath his smooth and all too perfect skin. When he reciprocated, I dug them into his back, desperately needing something to hold on to.

He was right. There was no sense in fighting it. I was drawn to his darkness like a moth to the light. I had nothing to set against him – he knew exactly what he was doing. There was no hesitancy in his touch, no fumbling, no insecurities or shyness. We were opposites attracting: While his skin was soothingly cool, mine was burning like fire; where he was hard as steel, I turned soft as wax in his hands, and when he pushed, I yielded. I was dissolving, soaring weightlessly in his arms, I didn't know where my body ended and his began.

Suddenly, without me noticing that we had moved or undressed, we were lying entangled on the fluffy carpet in front of the fireplace. I had completely fallen under his spell – the passion in his eyes, the magic of his touch, the softness of his lips. I didn't have control of any part of myself anymore. Every nerve, every muscle, even the beat of my heart followed his lead and sang in perfect harmony to the rhythm he set. It was urging me on and working me up, goading, challenging, demanding. My mind had completely shut down under his continued assault on my senses, just like the town's power when lightning had struck. I didn't even recognize the incoherent sounds that were escaping from my mouth as mine.

"Open your eyes, Elena," Damon suddenly demanded, growling. I did – and immediately wished I hadn't. Although I had been warned often enough, I wasn't prepared for seeing him like this – not the man that I desired, but the vampire he truly was. All of a sudden, he looked exactly like my attacker had looked – the dark veins underneath his bloodshot eyes that had lost all their color, his distorted mouth with elongated, vicious looking fangs. Before I had a chance to react, he sank them into the tender flesh of my neck. And just like that I was back in my worst nightmare. Razor sharp teeth tore my skin and cut my artery. The pain was excruciating. Blood gushed from the wound like a fountain – I could feel it running in rivulets down my neck, hot, wet and burning, until I was bathed in blood. I tried to free myself, but my fighting only served to worsen the damage inflicted by those deadly fangs that were embedded in my flesh like hooks.

That's when I started screaming.

And screaming as I usually did in this particularly nasty nightmare, I woke up. Sweating, my heart beating rapidly, and, worst of all, still flushed with of desire. It took me a moment to get my bearings. I was in the guest room of the boarding house. There was thunder rolling outside, a noise that had somehow found its way into my dreams. Just like Damon had.

"Elena?" I gave a jump when the door suddenly flew open and he was there for real. "Are you okay? I thought I heard you scream..."

For a moment, I could only stare at him wide-eyed. He almost looked like he had in the nicer part of my dream. He wore nothing but a pair of sweat pants with strings untied – which made me wonder if he had thrown them on just before jumping out of bed. I swallowed and cleared my throat. "Yes, I'm fine," I said, my voice still a little rough. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"You're not afraid of the thunderstorm, are you?" Damon asked, then smiled. "You know, you can always crawl into bed with me, if you are..."

"I appreciate the offer," I said drily, fluffing and rearranging my disheveled sheets to divert my attention from the perturbing sight. "But no, thanks. I'm not afraid. It was just a dream."

"Must have been a hell of a dream..." He suddenly frowned, looking at me with those really intense eyes that seemed to see right through me. God, this was so embarrassing – having a wet dream about Damon – he'd have a ball if he knew!

"Just my usual nightmare of creatures that go bump in the night..." It was partially true. The last part had been nightmarish.

"If you say so..." He almost looked like he knew about the real nature of my dream. But that was impossible. Vampires couldn't read minds, I reminded myself. But could they invoke dreams?

"Have you been in this room before?" I asked, suddenly suspicious. Could Damon influence my dreams, compel me to have erotic dreams about him? Doubtlessly, he wouldn't have scruples about that. 'I bet you even dream about me' he had said to me not so long ago.

"No..." he answered, intrigued. "Why are you asking?"

"Nothing. Forget about it."

He still seemed dubious. "Are you sure you're okay? I could call Alys..."

"No, really Damon, don't bother. I've had these dreams before, and you said there's nothing you can do about them. So just – go back to bed. I'll be fine."

He hesitated. For a moment, he looked as if he was about to say something, then decided otherwise. "Fine. Sleep well then," he said, reluctantly closing the door behind him again.

I turned my head into the cushion and groaned. As if being bitten by a vicious vampire every night wasn't enough of a torture! But erotic dreams about Damon? Definitely worse, at least for my state of mind. How could I ever look him in the eyes again after dreaming of his hands and his mouth on me? It didn't help at all that I hadn't had much of a say in it. He had compelled me. Why on earth, if it had to be a dream of Damon having his wicked way with me, would my stupid subconscious come up with a scenario like that?

Compelling a woman to have sex with him was abuse, and even Damon wouldn't do that. What was even more perturbing was the fact that I had not felt any of the resentment this sort of behavior called for while the dream lasted – no outrage, no helplessness, not even fear. I had just accepted – and, admittedly – enjoyed it.

Probably being compelled hadn't felt threatening in my dream because – though it wasn't under my conscious control – it still was a creation of my own subconscious. It was safe. Unless Damon did have a hand in this...

Making love in front of the fireplace... the 'best make out place ever', as Caroline had put it. No, he wouldn't use that memory on me, that would be disgusting. And surely he wouldn't bite me in a dream of his making. Though I had no doubt he'd bite me for real, if I ever allowed him close – in a dream he could control, he'd never make it hurt like that.

As much as I disliked it – well, admittedly, not all of it – it looked like my own mind was entirely to blame for this. It was probably a warning. No matter how strong the attraction – in the end, I'd get hurt.

I had better keep that in mind – and any salacious thoughts of Damon out of it.

Sorry, guys, you knew this had to be a dream, right?!
I told you it would still be a long while before this is happening for real – as a matter of fact, this chapter wasn't part of the story until a few days ago. Your strong demands for 'some action' inspired me to write this insert and to give you a little something for 'along the way'. Huge thanks to my beta, Dreamthrower, who was kind enough to proof-read in the middle of her work-week to get this ready! Hope you all enjoyed! ;)