Heyy guys! Thanks so much for all the reviews!
As promised, a shout out to bellax0xchristina, who guessed what was special about the Delena scene last chapter!
(Delena kissed and Damon saying "We have but a moment" was mentioned in a previous chapter, during his visions of the future)
So awesome that you caught that detail ;)
Anyway, I'm feeling better, and here is a longer chapter to make up the slack lol.
Hope ya'll enjoy!
Present Day
"What do you want me to do?" Elena asked again, as Damon stared at her, impressed.
"You would willingly remember?" He rose a brow, "Despite the fact that it upsets you?"
The fire cracked behind them.
Elena swallowed, "You're right. I have to remember it all. I need all the pieces. Otherwise..."
She trailed off, but he apparently understood.
"I would have you remember now, if it were within my power. But it's not. Not yet."
She crooked her head, "Then how am I supposed to remember?"
"In time," he promised, "The planetary alignment of Venus, Earth, and Mars will happen this Friday. It's not as powerful as the Aurora Borealis, but it'll be enough for me to draw power from, given that I've consumed enough blood, and-"
"Wait," Elena cut him off, "Consumed enough blood?"
Realization dawned on her, "You plan on continuing whatever it was we planned in the past...you plan on killing!?"
Damon merely watched her reach conclusion, "You can't!"
A smirk teased his lips, "What makes you think I haven't already?"
She blinked, "Have you?"
Her voice was harsh, and stronger than she'd expected.
He considered her, then nodded, "A witch. Admittedly average, but they can't all be as strong as Emily Bennett."
"You killed her...just because you wanted her power?!" Elena pulled away, edging closer to the fire.
Damon sighed, "This doesn't have to be difficult, Elena."
"You are asking me to knowingly let you kill again!" She declared, "It's not being difficult to want to preserve human life! It can't mean so little to you!"
"It means nothing to me," Damon reasoned, still calm.
Elena stared at him.
"I should be afraid of you," she admitted, "I want to leave here and go to the police, and stop you from doing whatever it is you're trying to do...But-"
"But you won't," Damon finished, taking a step toward her.
"You won't, because you can't. Because despite everything inside of you fighting it, you love me, even still."
She flinched as he brought his hand to her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"You can take a moment to hate it. You can curse everything we are. Scream, cry, fight, whatever you want. But do it and be done with it. We can't waste time with your moral confliction. You either want to know who you are, or you don't. It makes no mind to me. Even if you run and hide from me, you will love me. You will love me even while you hate me, but that's okay. Because I'll save you, and by Friday, your memories will have been returned, and we will be together again."
He released her chin, but ran his hand down her neck.
Elena held his gaze, refusing to allow her fears to show.
Damon's demeanor changed as he stared at her face, his expression softening.
"Eleniana," he whispered, stroking the base of her throat, "You are still so beautiful."
She let out a shaky breath, torn.
Her body and mind at war.
The emotions of Eleniana Petrova seemed to dominate her heart.
She loved the man before her with an aching passion, and wanted nothing more than to reach out, and spend the whole night in his blue eyes.
But her brain, which was somehow still functioning, warned her of every reason that would be a horrible idea.
Reminded her that this man was a murderer, had killed recently, even, and would do so again.
Her brain told her to run, to be terrified, and to tell someone, maybe even Stefan, who, Damon claimed, knew of everything.
But no matter how forcefully her brain told her to do these things, the feelings she had for Damon outweighed it.
Outweighed all reason or sense.
His eyes darkened as she bit her bottom lip.
"Do you even realize the effect you have on me?" He asked quietly, still running his finger across her skin, across her necklace, "The power you hold over me, just by existing."
Elena blushed, and Damon groaned.
"You torture me," he breathed, his hands sliding to grip her shoulders.
With little effort, he had her back against the wall, his body pressed against hers.
He pinned her hands above her head with one arm, his other hand on her waist, holding her to the wall.
Her breath caught.
"Damon-" she exhaled.
His eyes were intense, swallowing her up, spreading heat through her body.
They burned with his love for her, the blue ignited.
Fire and Ice, somehow both reflected in his gaze.
She was melting in his arms, as hot as the amulet at her throat now grew.
Burning.
Fire.
Pain shot through Elena's head, and she cried out, a vision overtaking her.
She barely registered Damon's voice calling her name, before succumbing to the memory.
She was in that same room of the castle.
The giant bed lay behind her, Damon asleep upon the quilts and furs.
He was naked, though his body was stained with blood.
Her blood.
He'd drank from her, the dried streaks having run down his chest during their moment of pleasure.
Elena stood in front of the fireplace, which burned hot.
She also wore nothing, except her own blood, dried on her skin, and the amulet, which she was unfastening.
She held it up, once it slid from her neck, so that the fire light shone through.
Damon had told her not to remove it, but she knew the importance of her task was worth the risk.
Tomorrow night, Damon would kill the king, and their spell would start.
She threw a glance to him on the bed.
Her chest swelled with emotion.
Her love for him was overwhelming at times, passionate, and full forced power.
Damon consumed her very being.
And this could be the last time she'd ever see him.
For if they failed...she flinched.
They could not fail.
Her eyes turned back to the necklace dangling from her hand.
The blood diamond sparkled from the fire, spinning on its chain.
Elena gripped it in her hand.
She had faith in their plan, she did, but there was still so much that could go wrong.
That could ruin everything.
This was her insurance.
The amulet held a great power; she'd felt it, fueling her own abilities.
It would be powerful enough to bind a simple spell.
She reached for Damon's dagger, which lay forgotten on the floor after their lovemaking.
With its tip, she pierced her finger, beginning to chant at a low volume, as she placed the wound onto the center of the blood diamond.
She watched as, with her words, the stone absorbed her blood, it's color darkening.
She focused then, drawing up every emotion she had, centering on the burning love she felt for the eldest Salvatore prince.
Filled the essence of her amulet with it.
So no matter how tomorrow ended, she knew, at least, her heart would be preserved within the stone.
She would not forget this love, or the man it longed for.
Elena was thrown back into consciousness, harshly, and became aware that she was sitting on the ground, Damon on his knees before her.
She was in his arms.
She blinked, taking a breath.
"Elena?" Damon asked, his voice undermined with worry.
She focused on his eyes, using them to settle herself.
"I'm okay," she told him, after a few more breaths.
He didn't seem convinced, "You are too pale, my love. You were having a fit!"
She shook her head as she sat up, grasping the front of his shirt to steady herself.
"It was another memory. At first, I only dreamt them, but lately...they've become more frequent."
Damon rubbed her back as his arm supported her.
"What did you see?"
Elena instinctively reached to the necklace at her throat.
"I saw myself...doing magic."
Damon nodded, "You were a very talented caster."
Elena felt light headed, even more so than the first time.
She reached her hand to her nose.
Sure enough, there was blood when she pulled it away.
"Damon-" she swallowed, "What's happening to me?"
He gently lifted her face toward him for inspection.
"Here," he sighed, reaching for the cloth he'd used on her earlier.
He placed it to stop the blood trickling from her nose.
"Your body is weak," he observed, "I told you that Shadowcasters are trained to manipulate the magic they absorb. Their bodies must be prepared to take in the abilities, through way of a blood sacrifice. You can not contain the power your past holds without it."
Elena shook her head, vigorously, "If you think I'm going to kill some-"
"A blood sacrifice doesn't require murder," he insisted quickly, "But even if it did, you'd have no choice but to see it through. If one vision can make you bleed, the onslaught of memories brought forth during the planetary alignment could kill you. I wouldn't have it so."
Elena stared at him, a chill down her back, "I'm dying?"
He seemed bothered by the thought, "No. You are not going to die. I won't let that happen! Do you understand?"
She nodded, "But the blood sacrifice..."
"Will need to be performed soon," he nodded, "To ensure that your body will handle the power."
Feeling a little more sturdy, she climbed to her feet.
Damon stood with her, helping her balance.
"What exactly is a blood sacrifice?" She pressed.
Damon crooked his head, "It can be anything. Any situation, in which you willingly surrender your blood to me."
"I did this in the past?" She confirmed.
Damon nodded, his eyes darkening, "You were a virgin when we first laid together. When your core bled for me, one of the greatest of blood sacrifices was given."
Elena blushed.
So Damon had taken her virginity in the past?
Perhaps that was why she'd never been able to complete the act with any of her previous boyfriends.
Maybe her first time was already claimed.
A look crossed Damon's face as he watched her.
A look she was already finding familiar.
He wanted her.
"Don't kiss me," she commanded.
Damon pulled short, smirking, "Is that really what you want?"
She swallowed at his challenge, and felt the amulet heat again.
It distracted her from his massive presence.
Once again, she fingered the necklace.
A flash of her latest memory played through her mind.
Her blood was in the stone, intertwined with that of Damon's heritage.
It had practically been on fire since Damon first came within her proximity.
And it grew hot each time she felt that strong, undeniable pull towards the man.
As if it had been leading her to him.
The vision...her spell...It must have worked.
Her own magic is what bound her to these emotions.
To Damon.
Her eyes found him.
"Elena," he searched her face.
"I'm sure," she finally answered, "If you keep kissing me, I'm going to keep kissing you back."
She gripped the amulet, "Whatever I did to this necklace, it insured that I'd remember my feelings for you. And if you kiss me, I'm not going to be able to stop myself from touching you, and we'll be back where we started, with nothing figured out."
He sighed, "Fine. If this is what you wish."
She nodded, "Thank you."
He took a step away from her, walking toward the fire.
He stopped at the mantelpiece, resting an arm against it.
"I meant it, you know?" He said after a moment.
She looked up, "Meant?"
"About it being torture, not being with you. It's cruel. To have you so close, yet so far from my reach."
She straightened as she watched him stare into the fire, "You've waited a long time for this...haven't you?"
His head turned to her, a sad smile on his face, "Centuries."
He sighed then, "As I've said, we didn't know how the spell would work. I suppose I assumed we'd just reappear in the future, safe and sound...but it didn't pan out that way."
Elena nodded, "If I came through this spell, portal, or whatever, as a baby, how did it happen for you?"
Damon considered that, "I'm not entirely sure. I just remember fading. The night the fire killed us...everything turned to black. I felt as if I we're waiting for something, anything to happen, but all that came was more nothing. Time passed, and I could feel it, but I was unmovable in the dark. So I waited...and waited. As if I we're asleep, but conscious. Some days the darkness weighed in on me, a crushing force..."
His eyes trailed back to the fire, "But I knew that I couldn't let it overpower me. Not if I ever wanted to see you again."
She could hear the rough pain in his voice.
Her body reacted before asking her brain's permission.
With three easy strides, she was behind him, her arms wrapping around his waist, head leading between his shoulder blades.
She expected the necklace's burn this time, as her heart filled with that same longing.
So much stronger than anything she'd ever felt, part of her wondered if this wasn't what an addiction was like.
Pure, unadulterated need.
And she needed Damon. Needed to feel him.
Needed to hear the sigh he gave her as he leaned his head back against hers.
Needed the happiness that filled her as she felt his pain disperse to contentment, finally having her near.
"You spent a long time in the dark, I assume, " she breathed heavily.
He turned, slowly, meeting her eyes, "I spent five hundred years in the dark, Elena...but seeing you here, feeling you," he lifted a hand to her cheek, "It makes every second worth it."
His words made her shiver with their intensity.
She crossed her arms to keep from reaching to him.
"Damon?"
He was a breath away, "Yes?"
She swallowed, "Could you please take me home?"
She didn't trust herself to drive, but she couldn't take any more soul baring tonight.
He didn't even seem surprised; and just nodded.
He grabbed her coat, which had ended up on the couch at some point, and slipped it over her shoulders.
He led her to her car, getting behind the wheel only after opening the passenger door for her.
They rode in silence, the air feeling thicker with each mile.
Eventually he pulled into her drive, turning the headlights off before parking.
"Your aunt is still asleep," he commented quietly, throwing a look at the house.
Elena didn't question his assessment.
"I think can get in without waking her."
Damon looked over, "I can get you in undetected, easily."
She rose a brow, "With magic?"
He smiled lightly, "Here...take my hand."
She did so without hesitation.
She blinked.
Somehow, she was now in her room.
She hadn't even felt the transition.
"That's...useful," she breathed, feeling unsteady.
Damon chuckled, "And it's only the beginning."
He sobered as she took a seat on the edge of her bed.
"It's late," he reasoned, watching her, "You've unveiled a lot tonight. Your mind should be given time to rest, before we go any further."
She nodded as she looked around her room, wondering if things would ever feel normal again.
Doubtful.
Damon's movement called her attention.
We had walked to the window near her bookshelf, the ledge in front of it adorned with pillows.
"You're leaving," she concluded, unsure why the thought saddened her.
Damon turned back slightly, "For tonight, I think it's best. You have much to ponder."
She dropped her head.
He was right.
She should want him to leave.
"Yeah...of course."
A force pulled her to her feet, and she looked up to see Damon directly in front of her now, his eyes scorching.
"Do not mistake me," he corrected, "I give you tonight, to clear your head. But tomorrow, I will come to you, after your classes. I will bring you to my cabin, and we will continue this. By nightfall, I plan to have you in my bed, or to find myself in yours. Make whatever arrangements necessary so that this plan fits your moral compass, but know that it is certain. You are mine, Elena. And I will not go another day without claiming you as such."
She let out a shaky breath, "But...You can't just do that."
He seemed confused, "Do what?"
"Make demands," she fired, "I could decide that I never want to see you again. And what then? Are you going to make me come to you? I have a life, with friends and a boyfriend that-"
"Stefan has nothing to do with this," Damon growled.
His dangerous expression should have frightened her, but it only fueled her annoyance, "Yes he does! I'm with him, Damon."
"You don't even know him," he spat.
"As well as I know you!" She whispered harshly, conscious of Jenna sleeping downstairs.
"I've never lied to you," Damon noted, "And that's all Stefan has done. Or have you already forgotten that his words were the ones that sentenced you to death?"
"I want to hear his side of it," she pressed, "I need to understand."
"That he was a jealous brat?" Damon urged, "Because he killed you from spite. Punishment for loving me! If you'd cried and ran to his arms that night, you're life would have been spared. But you didn't. There's a reason you chose me, Elena. And it's only a matter of time before you realize that."
She swallowed, fighting her heart's desire to give in to him blindly.
"That may be true," she allowed, "But I want to hear it from him. I owe him that. He loves me."
Damon made a noise, "This moral dilemma over Stefan's feelings didn't seem to matter much earlier when you were kissing me."
She blushed and he smirked, "Or mere moments ago, when everything in you was begging me to stay."
His hand wrapped around her arm, pulling her forward roughly.
She exhaled as their faces came a few inches apart.
"My brother only wants you so that I can't have you. It's a game that I'm already tired of, and I won't have you help him play it."
Elena steeled herself, "I'm not playing anything. I just want answers."
"Fine," Damon spat, "Get them tomorrow. Maybe Stefan will actually be honest with you, though I doubt it. He has too much at stake. But understand that I don't plan on waiting in the wings while you work through this."
"What does that mean?" She asked.
His hold tightened, painfully, "It means that the thought of my brother's hands on you enrages me. That knowing his lips have touched yours makes me want to feed him his own intestines," his eyes darkened, and she winced as he gripped both her arms in his hands, "I don't share, Elena. And I am possessive of what belongs to me."
She bit her lip, "You're hurting me, Damon. And I'm not a possession to be claimed. I'm not yours."
He forced her backwards, hard enough that her back made a thud as it slammed against her bed post.
Her cry was swallowed by his mouth as his lips fell to hers.
His heat, their fight, her pain, it all blurred into desire, and fire spread over her as he hissed, "Only mine."
"Oh God-" she moaned into the kiss, wrapping her legs around him, as he lifted her into his arms.
She was moved, her back against a wall now, and his teeth were teasing her bottom lip.
"Say my name," his voice was low, thick.
"Mmhhm," she fought against his mouth.
"Say it," he hissed, "I want to hear it!"
"Damon-" she breathed, barely recognizing the sound of her own voice.
"Again!" He exhaled, grinding his her.
"Damon..."
His teeth sunk into her neck, making her core drip for him.
"Louder," he commanded, his fingers working the button of her jeans.
She was lost in the onslaughter.
He bit her earlobe as his hand slipped into her jeans.
"Now, Elena," He growled, plunging a finger into her.
"Damon!" She practically screamed, as he jackhammered his wrist, pumping in and out of her at whiplash speed, "Fuck! Damon! Damon, fuck!"
An orgasm rushed forward, crashing onto her faster than she'd ever experienced.
Waves of pleasure coursed over her, and Damon's movement slowed.
When she began to tremble, he pulled his hand from her pants, letting it linger on her waist.
He breathed nearly as heavily as she did, his erection pressed against her leg.
However, as he spoke, his voice was calm.
"You're mine," he stated, "And when you're with him tomorrow, I want you to remember this."
His hand cupped her through her jeans, the sensitivity making her whimper, "Remember the way I just touched you, and how wet your body became for me. Remember that it was my name you screamed in pleasure, and know that this is only the start."
His lips brushed against hers, as she tried to find her voice.
Then he was gone, leaving her breathless, aching for more, and on the verge of tears.
She kept letting him under her skin, like a fever she couldn't shake.
As if she had no self control at all.
She cursed, grabbing the lamp on her desk and throwing it across the room.
She was surprised the crash didn't bring Jenna running, but her aunt usually slept pretty soundly.
She groaned, kicking her pants off.
Her panties were still wet from Damon's teasing.
This only angered her more, as she removed them too.
However, no matter how many clothes she took off, his memory lingered, his essence all over her, making her unable to hate him, as she so desperately wanted to.
His proverbial claws were unremovable and and she could help but feel him.
As if he were a part of her.
She froze.
Maybe he was, in a way.
Her hand lifted to her necklace.
She gripped it hesitantly, holding the amulet.
As it warmed in her hand, she swallowed.
Then yanked it off, letting it drop to the floor.
Woo, got another chapter wrote, so an update will come soon! Hope ya'll liked this one, and can't wait to read the reviews :)