Chapter Text
The first time she had felt it, the pull, had been the night of the sacrifice. She had brushed it aside then, thinking that it was her mind playing tricks on her to avoid the impending doom looming over her head. He had taken her hand in his and pulled her along with him, and then she had been surrounded by a ring of fire. He had lowered his head toward her neck then, pressing the lightest, feathery kiss on the skin over her jugular before he bit down, sinking his fangs into her neck. He had drank from her, kept drinking even as she could only see darkness, till he had drained her of blood.
The next time she has felt it was at the night of the Senior Prank Night. He had walked with a purpose, and while she was vibrating with fear, there was an underlying something, some desire that had awaken in her, when he had grabbed her, pulled her with him. She could feel the heat from his body radiating, and her heart had raced. She wondered, only for a brief moment that she allowed herself to have, just what it would be like to have him near her, his heat encompassing her, surrounding her with his strength. The strength she knew was capable of destruction.
She had spent brief moments pondering on what it had been about. That strange sensation which pulled her to him, so treacherously, the very man who had murdered her, had made Stefan hurt her, but she never did find any reason or logic behind it.
It was the night Stefan had threatened to drive her off Wickery Bridge that she had finally gone to him. She knew he had ordered Tyler to bite Caroline and his blood was the only cure. They were still dealing with the consequences of his last ‘blood donation’ to Stefan, the last thing she had wanted was another person paying the price. She had walked through the open door, led by a hybrid into a study where he was. One moment she was standing in the doorway, the next he had pinned to the wall by her wrists, the strength of his hold almost crushing yet she knew it wasn’t with all the strength he possessed.
“Brave of you to come here after that little stunt your boyfriend pulled love.”
“He’s not my boyfriend!” She grit out regretting it instantly when she saw the amusement in his eyes where the anger had been just moments ago.
“Oh yes, that’s what bothers you. You are a Petrova after all, aren’t you? You need at least two men, preferably brothers, to be fixated on you at all times, don’t you?” She could see a glint of something else in his eyes as he tightened the pressure on her wrists, something that spurred her on, the knowledge that she was playing with fire.
“That’s not what this is about and you know it.”
“Oh really? So this is just a social call you’re paying to the new neighbour in town, nothing to do with Stefan trying to kill you.”
“No, this has nothing to do with Stefan. This is about Caroline.” She felt more than heard him chuckle as he stepped closer to her, almost all of him in contact with her now. She briefly wondered if it was a power play because it far too intimate to be an attempt at intimidation.
“The lovely blonde vampire friend, yes. Perhaps she wouldn’t bring as much pain as you do. Maybe your suitors should leave you alone and try to vie for the lovely Caroline.” She looked at him in the eyes then, as she felt something flare in her chest at his words, the fight to keep her tears contained fragile.
“Is that what you want? So that you can take me and leave without anyone protesting.”
“That is the ultimate goal here, sweetheart.” He had that smirk on his face, almost mocking in its intensity.
“It won’t happen. Stefan doesn’t love me anymore, you made sure of that,” she spat the words at him, anger reverberating in her voice, “but Damon is my friend. So are Caroline and Bonnie. Jenna, Jeremy and Alaric are family. They always try to protect me, even when I don’t want them to. Can’t say the same for you though. Tell me, is the sire bond enough, or do you also have to compel the hybrids into being loyal to you?”
She felt a perverse sense of joy when she saw the brief moment of hurt flint across his face. Then he was impossibly close to her, his eyes were boring into hers, his lips so close to hers, she could’ve kissed him with one movement. And her heart was going haywire, it was beating at a rate so fast she wouldn’t be surprised if it jumped out of her chest.
“Careful there dear, you’re walking a thin rope.”
“My blood in exchange for yours.” She said coming to the point once she realised the conversation would not go anywhere else.
“I don’t negotiate, perhaps you should wake my brother. Where did you say the coffins were?”
“I didn’t say. I don’t know where they are.”
“And somehow you are telling the truth.”
“Stefan doesn’t tell me anything anymore.” He left her at last, going back and picking up his glass as she rubbed her sore wrists, so that when he turned around, he could see the bruises left by his hands as clearly as she could. Red marks in the shape of his fingers stained her wrists.
As she looked up at him, it was there again, that pull in her chest, even as his eyes were fixated on the marks he had left on her.
She wondered if he could feel it too, or if she was just slowly losing her mind. Before she knew what was happening, he had brought out a vial, filling it with his blood.
“Your blood in exchange for mine.” He said as he gave it to her.
Instead of questioning him, she took the vial and turned to leave. That was when it started to hurt, the further she walked away from him, the more every instinct screamed at her to go back. She knew then, she was going mad.