Woo! 100 reviews! So fast too! You guys are awesome!
Here's a super long, "M" chapter for your reward ;) lol
August 1567
Elena knew how wrong this was.
How irresponsible.
But she couldn't find it in her to care as curiosity overwhelmed her.
It was easy to slip from the party unnoticed.
The ball was in full swing, everyone, everywhere, and she wouldn't be missed for a while, at least. This thought should have terrified her, but it didn't.
She slipped out the door she'd seen Damon leave from.
He was there, across the hall, waiting expectantly.
He'd known she'd give in.
With a final glance back to the door, she exhaled, and walked toward him.
Her dress was so tight, restricting her, but she ignored it as Damon extended a hand to her.
This was the last chance to be a smart woman, she told herself.
Turn around, and go back to your fiance.
But then Damon smiled at her, and nothing else mattered.
She placed her hand in his.
He pulled her down the hall, quickly, and she had to pick up the ends of her dress to keep from tripping.
They turned around a few curves, went through a few doors, and under a few archways.
Elena had no idea where he was leading her, but she hadn't felt a rush like this since she was a child, so she followed him.
Finally, they entered what appeared to be a small library.
Damon let go of her hand then, walking to the shelf.
"What are we doing, Damon?" She asked breathlessly.
"Shh," he commanded, reaching up until he found whatever book he'd been searching for.
To her surprise, when he pulled the book, it sprang back into place, and the wall slid open.
It was unlike anything she'd ever seen.
He motioned for her to follow him through the passageway, and she hurried to his side.
The door closed behind them, trapping them inside a different room.
It was bare, lit only by a torch.
"What is this place?" She whispered.
He took her hand again, "I'll show you."
He picked up a torch she hadn't seen, lying on the ground, and lit it with the one mounted on the wall.
The light casted out in front of them, and she saw a long, dark hallway.
She shivered in excitement.
"Don't be frightened," he told her.
She smirked at him, "I am not afraid."
He squeezed her fingers, and led her down the hall.
It seemed to get darker, the further down they went.
Finally, there was an end, though she found it as empty as the room they'd just left.
Damon released her hand so he could feel the stone wall in front of them.
She waited.
Surely enough, as soon as he hit a certain spot, the wall shuttered, then moved to reveal a staircase.
This different, winding in a circle until they reached the top, where a thick wooden door stood locked.
As Damon pulled out a key, she looked down at the winding stairs.
"We're in one of the towers, aren't we?" She asked.
Damon nodded, unlocking the door, "But none that you can see from the outside."
She frowned.
What kind of tower was built behind the castle walls, especially one that was so difficult to get to.
Damon seemed to read the questions on her face.
"It was built as a safety room," he explained, "My mother's father showed it to her when she was young and she only ever showed it to me. No one else knows it exists."
He opened the door, and more light flooded the staircase.
As a wave of warmth hit her, she allowed him to lead her inside.
She was immediately impressed.
"I see why you keep it to yourself," she breathed.
The room was enormously spacious.
A monstrous, four posted, canopy bed was set to the left of the door, a beautiful chaise at the foot of it.
A solid oak dresser of excellent craftsmanship stood next to it.
A bear clawed, cast iron tub was to the right of an elegantly carved fireplace, the source of that wonderful heat, and animal skins covered the floor, to the point that hardly any cold stone was left.
Something else, like a table, was set in the far corner, but a cloth covered it's contents from her sight.
"This is your bed chamber," she realized, "This is where you stay when you disappear?"
Damon nodded, as she looked up at the dome roof. A single window was at the top, angled to cast light on the bed with the morning sun.
Damon's words brought her attention back down to him, "My father wanted nothing to do with me once my mother died. I thought it better to stay hidden away up here then to cross his path. It didn't take long for him to all but forget my existence, or at least to pretend to."
She marveled at the man in front of her.
"I don't see how anyone could forget you, Damon."
His eyes reflected the firelight, and suddenly, the silence was stifling.
"Why are you showing me this?" she had to ask.
He took a few steps toward her, "Because I can."
She held his gaze, "What does that mean?"
He smiled, changing the question "Why did you follow me, Elena?"
She swallowed, feeling small as he began circling her.
"I was curious."
He shook his head, "No, there is more to the truth. You are bored."
She lifted her chin, "So, maybe I am."
He grinned, "You have a beautiful temper."
A blush rose in her cheeks.
Growing up, it was that temper that got her in trouble.
She'd long since learned to control it, or so she'd thought.
"You bring out the worst in me," she admitted.
Again, he shook his head, "No, my darling, I bring out the real in you."
"And you know the real me?" She challenged.
He nodded, "I told you, I've seen it."
"How?" She pressed.
"That's not important right now," he assured her, "You only need to know that the things I see, the things I want...they come true."
"And you see me?"
He nodded again, his hand reaching out to cup her cheek.
"I've seen you, Elena. I've seen how tired you are of the same daily routine. I've seen how each day under their thumb is slowly killing you. Crushing your potential."
His fingers drifted up to her face, removing her mask.
"My potential?" She repeated.
He didn't answer, but moved to take off his own mask.
"I'm going to save you."
She smiled, "And how will you do that?"
His hands drifted, until they wrapped around her arms and pulled her forward harshly.
Her breath caught as their chests touched
"I'm going to open your eyes," he told her, "It's going to scare you. It's going to make you question things, and doubt all that you stand for...But you'll be free. Liberated beyond anything you can imagine. Duty, country, the wedding...none of it will matter. I can offer you a new life, Elena. One filled with passion, adventure, and even a little danger...all you have to do, is say yes to me."
She swallowed, "And if I choose not to?"
"Then you won't even remember this conversation."
She eyed him, "How do I know that is truth? That you aren't lying."
"You don't," he stated.
She considered this, "How will you make me forget?"
"I told you, that's not important right now."
She flinched, and he sighed, his arms sliding to her back, holding her close.
"It's your choice, Elena. Don't worry about the how or why. Just decide what you want from your life. Because you can walk away, right now, or you can choose option two."
Her mind reeled.
How was she supposed to agree to something when she wasn't even sure what she was agreeing on.
And what if it changed everything?
She swallowed.
But what if nothing ever changed.
What if these past few weeks were her life, every day, until she dies.
That thought was infinitely more scary than anything else she could think of.
And Damon was giving her a way out.
All she had to do was say...
"Yes."
Damon blinked, "Yes?"
She nodded, "I'm surely out of my mind, but you're right. I'll die if I keep going like this. Maybe not physically, but whatever this is that's waiting for me...it's not life."
Damon smirked, "So she can think for herself."
Elena brushed off his teasing, deciding to take the first step in making her own choices, "She can."
And she kissed him.
She'd wanted to since the moment his eyes had pierced hers at the top of the staircase.
Since he'd first angered her and broken through the carefully crafted mask she'd made for herself.
So she kissed him, because it's what she wanted.
Damon's response was immediate.
He took her into his arms and devoured her lips.
It was unlike anything she'd ever experienced.
She'd been kissed before, stolen on chaperoned picnics by clumsy suitors, and even two or three times by Stefan.
Chaste, appropriate kisses, of course, which hadn't even been that enjoyable.
Nothing like this at all.
This was...fire.
Damon's mouth was everywhere.
Her face, her lips, her neck, she felt his teeth against her skin, and every part of her body was responding.
Her lips were prodded open with Damon's tongue, and she relaxed into him.
He was clearly more experienced, and knew how to take the lead better than herself, despite all she'd been taught about pleasing a husband. She blushed, remembering.
But Damon wasn't her husband.
He wasn't anything to her, really.
And the last person she could even consider pleasing in that way.
She was a virgin after all, preserved for the marriage bed.
For Stefan.
But she was tired of doing the right thing, just because she was supposed to.
She wanted Damon, and he had promised to open her eyes to a world of pleasure.
He was passion and heat, where Stefan would follow in the footsteps of all kings.
Call for her when he wanted her body, until she was pregnant with an heir. He would then take on a mistress, and she would only be called upon to produce more children.
So forget the marriage bed.
There was nothing pure awaiting her either way, and she wanted this.
Damon kissed her deeply, his tongue dancing with her own as his fingers squeezed her waist.
She pulled away, catching her breath.
"I can't breath in this dress."
"Corset?" He guessed, and she nodded.
He smirked, "Come here."
She let him walk her to the foot of his bed, where he commanded her to take off her shoes.
She did so, and felt the soft bear skin for the first time.
"Lie on the bed," Damon instructed.
Elena flushed, but did as she was told, using his hand to step up onto the chaise, and using it to climb onto the bed.
She laid back, wondering if she'd somehow reached heaven.
The mattress beneath her was the softest thing she'd ever felt, especially since it was covered it fur blankets and stitched quilts.
Damon hovered above her, and she swallowed.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he promised, pulling out a small dagger.
She stiffened, but didn't protest as he brought it down to the front of her dress, directly between her breasts.
With a quick, skilled movement, he cut the fabric, then used his hands to tear it open.
Her breath quickened for a different reason now, as he cut through the fabric of her skirt and tossed the entire thing to the side.
She was left only in her corset and undergarment.
Damon's gaze roamed over her appreciatively, before telling her, "Hold very still."
She did so, and he brought the dagger back down.
This time the fabric was harder to cut through, but he managed.
Elena closed her eyes as she was revealed to him.
The first time a man had ever seen her this bare.
Damon exhaled as he removed the last bit of her clothes, and her eyes opened.
As naked as she'd been in birth, Elena lay beneath him, frozen.
Damon lifted himself, placing the dagger on the chaise below, then pulled his shirt from his body.
Elena had seen shirtless men before, in her father's army.
They had been dirty, barbaric, and battle worn.
Damon looked nothing like that.
His skin was pale, and flawless, the contours of his muscles bulging from beneath, and she couldn't stop herself from reaching up to touch him.
Damon was patient for a moment, letting her explore, but only for a moment.
His need for her was too pressing.
He kissed her again, checking her face for any doubts.
When none were found, he nuzzled the skin of her neck.
"When was your last bath?" He asked her.
She fought through the haze in her mind, "This evening, before the ball."
"They shaved you," he stated, impressed.
She blushed, "Weekly. My lady's maid insists that men prefer it."
Damon's hand spanned over her stomach.
"Elena," he exhaled, "As anyone ever touched you like this?"
She shook her head, and he smiled his approval, "Of course not. They'd want you to be the perfectly wrapped gift for your wedding night."
He touched the tip of her nipple, making her shudder, "Oh, it is going to be fun to ruin you."
His mouth claimed hers then, and she tried to relax.
It was easy in theory, until his lips moved down and latched onto her nipple.
She cried out as an entirely new sensation ran through her body.
Damon's tongue swirled around her hardened bud, teasing her further.
She felt warmer than she should, and it didn't seem as though she'd be cooling off any time soon.
Not with his roaming hands setting her skin ablaze.
"Damon," she panted, not really knowing what she was asking for.
But he understood her silent plea as she grinded her legs together trying to relieve the pressure building there.
"Breathe, darling," he encouraged, "I'll take care of it, don't worry."
She relaxed under his hands, as they kneaded her breasts, while his mouth kissed down to her navel.
Then his hands slid to her waist, and he moved further down.
He used his shoulders to spread her legs for him, and she felt suddenly nervous at being that exposed to him.
This wasn't part of her lessons and she didn't know what to expect.
But when his head moved between her legs, she found out.
His tongue lapped at her, running up her center and she cried out.
This was beyond anything she ever imagined.
"Oh...my, ah...Damon!" She tried to breathe through what he was doing to her, but failed miserably.
His mouth was sucking now, his tongue delving inside of her, slurping up her body's response to him.
She felt a new heat stir inside her stomach and felt as if she'd explode if he continued.
She wiggled her hips, trying to warn him of it, but he only attacked her burning core with more eagerness, as if wanting her to fly off the edge.
She couldn't control the sounds pouring from her lips as he devoured her.
Ungodly moans of a wanton woman.
But it felt too good to care.
And just when she thought it couldn't get any better, he pushed a finger inside of her.
The intrusion was strange for an entire second before pleasure took control again.
His finger pumped her quickly, and whatever high she'd been climbing toward came crashing down as her body reached some kind of climatic release.
She convulsed, as wave after wave of pleasure rolled from her, leaving her breathless.
Damon pulled away so she could focus on inhaling.
When she finally reached some state of level headedness, she opened her eyes and found Damon's.
"What was that?"
He smiled, "Sex isn't just for the man, Elena."
She had heard that.
She knew it could be pleasurable for females too...it's just...
"I wasn't expecting it to feel like that," she told him.
He kissed her, and she could taste some of herself on him.
"There's a lot for you to learn," he promised, "And I'll show you everything."
Excitement filled, her and she sat up, "Show me how to please you, the way you have done for me."
He chucked deeply, "In time, darling, I promise. Right now, I want to be inside of you."
She turned red again, not used to such upfront speech.
Laying down, she spread her legs for him, as she'd been taught.
Damon however, took her hand.
"Not like that, Elena."
She sat up confused, "What's wrong?"
"I want you as a lover," he explained, "Not a sacrifice to be had."
"I do not know what I'm supposed to do," she admitted.
Damon sighed, then moved so that he was sitting with his back against the bed's oak frame.
He grabbed her hand and led her to his lap.
She straddled him, the way men straddled horses, and his hands fell to her hips.
"You just have to let go," he told her, "Don't think so much about what you are supposed to do, and focus more on what you want to do."
He kissed her left breast, then her right.
She closed her eyes, letting him take care of her, kissing and suckling her skin.
His hand moved to her hair and pulled out her pins, casting them aside.
She shook her head and her hair fell around her face in thick ringlets.
Damon tugged the ends playfully, before twisting the locks into his fist and pulling her hair back, exposing her neck to his view.
His eyes darkened, and she felt the heat swarm her stomach again.
His lips touched her skin.
He teased the base of her throat with a light brush of his teeth.
She shivered, the ache in her core, growing once more.
She wanted to feel that pleasure again.
Before she'd put too much thought into it, she pulled his head back, and kissed him deeply.
At her center, she could feel his manhood hardening, pressing into her.
Experimentally, she rotated her hips, and a delicious friction spread through her.
Damon groaned.
She set a steady motion, driving them both to madness as his hands squeezed her back bruisingly, and her mouth became desperate on his.
She reached down, urging him to remove his trousers, so they could consummate...whatever this was.
For a second, fear filled her again.
What would tomorrow mean for them?
Would Damon even acknowledge her?
Would he tell his father? Stefan?!
Was he some sadist who simply wanted her body, and used charms of the devil to tempt her to his bed?
Her stomach knotted, as she looked into the face of the eldest Salvatore prince.
Those glowing eyes, and delicate features.
Her body relaxed.
She couldn't help but trust him.
This was wrong, she knew it, but something in her stomach wouldn't let her pull away.
Not from Damon, despite how little sense it made.
After all, how could an advocate of the devil be the angel holding her key out of hell?
Because hell would be all she had, if she followed her father's commands.
But this, this night with Damon, it was hers alone.
And even if it was just this one night, she'd sleep soundly knowing she'd touched paradise.
She slid from Damon's body, letting him strip off the last of his clothes, until he hovered naked before her.
She swallowed, looking upon his manhood for the first time.
It wasn't what she'd pictured in her mind during lessons, but she remembered enough not to be intimidated.
He was of impressive size, but her body would stretch to accommodate his.
Her eyes drifted back to his, "This will hurt?"
He crawled over her, and she laid back as he settled between her thighs.
"Only for a moment," he promised.
She let her hands glide down his back, feeling each muscle contort beneath her fingers.
"Do it then."
He kissed her, just a brush of the mouth, before his lips began to form words.
They were too low for her to hear properly, but didn't sound like anything she'd heard before.
However, once she felt his tip at her entrance, it no longer mattered.
He pushed inside her slowly, spreading her, inch by inch, until he met the resistance of her maidenhead.
Her purity, perfectly intact.
His strange words quickened, as he paused, then kissed her, hard, touching their foreheads.
"Hold on to me," he warned in a breath, so she did, sliding her hands under his arms, gripping his shoulders.
He withdrew from her nearly completely, the friction causing her core to drip for him.
Then he thrusted into her, bringing their hips together in one fail swoop.
The pain was slicing, and Elena cried out, her nails digging into Damon's skin.
He didn't seem bothered by it though, as he pulled back again, before driving home.
She wanted to tell him to stop, to wait, that it hurt, but words escaped her.
Thoughts escaped her.
Damon's mouth came against her own, his tongue darting past her lips, it's strokes matching that of his hips.
A tear escaped her eye.
But as she was sure he planned, the pain subsided with each rock of Damon's body, the friction from before replacing it.
She waited a moment, to be sure the pain had left, then hesitantly lifted her hips to meet Damon's thrust.
He growled approvingly, quickening his pace, to the point that she couldn't keep up.
And she didn't even care, as a new wave of pleasure built, more intense than before.
It was so close she could taste it.
"Damon," she breathed, "More."
He smirked at her, before dropping his head to her neck, and wrapping his arms around her waist, lifting her hips from the bed.
She reached a new high as he pounded into her body, no longer restricted, his arms pulling her down onto him as he thrusted into her.
The explosion happened much faster this time, and shook her entire body with its tremors.
Her head fell back and a string of obscenities she didn't even know existed in her vocabulary spewed from her lips.
Damon moaned as well, a primal growl reverberating his chest, as he started murmuring those same foreign words.
He stumbled through them as his body faltered, and he hardened further inside of her.
His hands tightened on her waist and a groan filled her ear.
Suddenly, something warm and wet filled her, and she knew he'd reached his point of pleasure.
After a few last sporadic pumps, Damon pulled out of her body, leaving her feeling strangely empty.
And dangerously satisfied.
He rolled from her, laying out on the opposite side of the bed, pulling her into his side.
She smiled as her heartbeat returned to normal, and decided that this night with the forgotten prince was the best mistake she'd ever made.
So basically just a smut chapter lol.
Your welcome ;)