Chapter 36:

"I want to show you something," Damon whispers in my ear. It feels so very, very good.

"I thought we were going to dance," I point out.

"I lied."

"Do you do that a lot?"

"Yep."

"Do you lie to me?"

"No. Never."

I could point out that he never told me about him being a vampire, but I know how stupid that sounds. Besides, I haven't told him anything about my past with Edward or my scar. I have no right to be clawing at his faults.

I hope that in time, he will tell me on his own.

So instead—for now—I ask, "Why?"

He doesn't answer me. He just takes me by the hand and leads me through the masses of people, towards the other side of the room, and through a hidden door. The door opens into a long hallway decorated in red and white streamers and glowing candles. I don't know how Damon knows where he is going, but I trust him enough to guide me through the mansion. So I let him tug me along all the way until we're on a balcony looking over the Lockwood's property.

It's beautiful.

The moon shining on the perfectly cut grass, the stars littering the sky with tiny specks of light. There's no fog now—a first for Mystic Falls—and the night lighting looks almost magical in a way. Especially reflecting off of Damon's perfectly shaped face. I don't think I've ever seen someone look as stunning as him.

"Isabella," he whispers softly. He takes my hand in his and holds it to his chest tightly. He looks destroyed. Exhausted and ruined. Still beautiful though, always beautiful.

My body aches for him, but something in my mind keeps me awake enough to keep my distance. After all, he did just promise to kill a man.

"I have to, Bella." There he goes again. Reading my mind. "It's not only for my safety but yours."

"How is killing someone going to save me!" I shout. I need to get it off my chest, it was burning me alive.

"Jonathan Gilbert, from what I gathered, hates vampires. As long as I've known the Gilbert family, every single one of them has been trained to hunt and kill my kind. That includes sympathizer Bella. That includes you." He grabs me by the waist and brings us flush together. Our foreheads touch and we're both breathing heavily. "And I can't lose you, Bella. I just found you."

"Damon, we're talking about killing someone."

"I killed three people already for you." Damon's eyes darken at the memories. I have to close mine at the mere thought of Pearl and Anna. "And I'll do it again."

Then he just keeps whispering the same things in my ear. Over and over and over again.

"I can't lose you. I can't lose you. I won't lose you. Don't be mad. Please don't be mad."

It scares me how broken he sounds. And I want to fix him. Put back the pieces that seem to be falling apart as I watch. He's helped me. He's put some of my broken pieces back together, and I want nothing more than to help him too.

And if that means I have to deal with another side of Damon—a deadlier side of Damon—then I guess I'll have to deal.

Besides, vampires aren't prey. They're predators. You'd think I would have learned that by now.

"I'm not mad at you, Damon," I whisper to him.

"Why don't you hate me?" Damon's blue eyes bore into mine, searching for anything, anything, that will tell him the answer to that question. I just smile warmly.

"I don't think I can."

Then—

Then he kisses me.

His kiss is a surprise. I wasn't expecting it. I wasn't expecting the soft, unyielding motions of his lips against mine. And I definitely wasn't expecting it to feel so good.

That's why, when he continues his ministrations on my lips, I have no problem reacting back to him. I want this. I don't even think I realize how bad I want this. Damon's warm. Damon's beautiful. Damon's kissing me—and it's perfect.

Damon's hands move from clutching my hips to moving up and down my body slowly. They move upward, right underneath my breast, before moving back down and cupping my hips. Then they do it again and again, continuing their journey of exploring my body. My hands are clutching the back of Damon's head. Tugging gently at the ends of his black hair.

It's silk soft.

I love it.

"Isabella." Damon growl lightly against my lips. But I don't want him to stop. So I pull his head back down to my mouth, not minding in the least that this time Damon's tongue plunges into my mouth without a care.

I groan.

Wantonly.

Needing him.

He groans back.

Wantonly.

Needing me.

He's not kissing my lips anymore. His mouth has moved to my throat. Nibbling. Sucking. Kissing. He's a vampire and I should be worried. But I can't be; my mind is thinking about how fucking good this feels and I can't think a single bad thing about him.

"What are you doing to me Bella?" Damon breaths huskily into my ear.

I ignore the question with a kiss. He doesn't seem to mind. Not at all.

His hands are getting more confident. There not stopping underneath my breast anymore. There ghosting over the side, moving all the way up to my neck before they plunge down my back and grip onto my ass.

I gasp.

Yeah. Wasn't expecting that.

Edward—Edward would never have done that. And you know what—I don't fucking care. Because Damon here's now and I'm in heaven.

Damon growls low in his throat before he presses me into the banister of the balcony. One of his legs are pushing in between mine, causing a beautiful friction there. We're so close. So very close. And I can feel everything.

Everything.

"Damon," I say breathlessly. His mouth is making a path across my expose collar bone, carefully avoiding the necklace he gave me. "We should stop."

"I know." He continues his exploration. My hands run down his back and up again, circling his neck.

"I'm serious." I gasp because his lips are right above the cloth of my red dress now. To close.

"I know." And then—

Then I hear someone else's voice. It says:

"I hope I'm not interrupting something."

The voice startles us both, breaking the intoxicating spell we were under. Damon pulls back from me, his breaths heavy and ragged, his eyes glazed with desire. I try to compose myself, smoothing down my dress and adjusting my hair as best I can.