Spellbound

 

 

Chapter 1

 

Ebony was a drifter.

 

Moving from place to place, town to town, city to city, state to state, never staying in a place for more than a few months tops at a time.  She was a living breathing nomad, an adventurer and found ways when there wasn’t any to survive.  From the time she left the orphanage at eighteen, Ebony had traveled all across the United States, going wherever her instincts lead her.

 

The orphanage had no choice except to kick her out on the streets once her eighteenth birthday arrived, not having enough room to house her.  Ebony had been moved to fifteen different homes throughout the first eighteen years of her life.  She’d been left as a crying infant on the doorstep of the New York City orphanage, in the middle of winter, and was lucky to not have frozen to death.

 

Ebony didn’t get along with anyone in the orphanage, which is probably why she never found the ‘perfect’ family.  Everyone she went with sent her back within a three month span because they couldn’t ‘handle her’ or she was ‘too hyper’ for them.  Uncontrollable was also a word that was frequently used throughout her adolescent years.

 

She had one girl who was as close to a friend as one could get and her name was Ashley.  They were known as the terror twins, constantly getting into trouble and bailing each other out, watching each other’s back.  When one got in trouble, they both did because neither would fess up nor rat the other one out.

 

Ashley was four months older than Ebony, so when she turned eighteen, Ebony was forced to watch them toss her only friend out in the cold snow.  Ashley’s birthday was in January, so it was freezing and it made Ebony realize just how cutthroat the orphanage was.  It also made her realize that in just a few short months –Ebony’s birthday was in May- they would be doing the same thing to her.

 

And they did.

 

Two months before her eighteenth birthday, the middle of March, Ebony found out through the grapevine of the city that Ashley had been brutally raped and murdered.  Her body had been brutalized with huge bite marks all over, her neck completely snapped and she’d been completely bled dry.  Ebony didn’t cry often, but that night all she did was curl up tightly in her small twin sized bed and mourned her only friend’s death.

 

One thing Ebony and Ashley did was make a pact with each other that, once they left the orphanage, they would live life to the absolute fullest.  So for the next month and a half, Ebony prepared for her inevitable departure.  She had already planned where she was going, which was far away from New York City, having stolen from the orphanage’s donation box, so she had a small amount of cash to get her by.

 

There was no way she was going to end up dead like Ashley.

 

After all the hell the orphanage put her through, Ebony didn’t feel one ounce of remorse stealing from them.  She would probably go to hell since the orphanage had been funded by the city’s Christian community, but Ebony didn’t care.  Her pact with Ashley was to live life to the fullest and that included breaking a few rules every now and then.

 

On her eighteenth birthday, Ebony didn’t bother waiting for the orphanage’s staff to ‘dismiss’ her and left on her own, catching the first bus out of New York City.  It took her to Pittsburgh, which had to be the most boring city on the planet because all she saw there was steel.  They didn’t call it the Steel City for nothing.

 

Ebony stayed there for maybe two weeks, sleeping under a nearby bridge that was on the outskirts of Pittsburgh.  She bussed a few tables to get some more money for a local restaurant, before catching a bus to the next city.  Some jobs were not as glamorous as others, but Ebony did what she had to do, having the body to do it.

 

One thing she never did was prostitute, having a few limitations.

 

That didn’t count out stripping though, which paid outstanding money compared to busting her ass bussing tables for worthless nobodies.  Her first stripper job came on the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, surprisingly, at Martha’s Vineyard.  There was a very small strip club that offered to pay three grand a night, plus tips.  The technical term was called the gentleman’s club and Ebony found out exactly why that was.

 

It wasn’t just stripping required for the three grand.

 

Sleeping with a few old farts had been worth it because she made nine grand in the span of three nights, sleeping with three men.  The company paid her, not the men, though two out of three did leave her a several hundred dollar tip.  Ebony felt low and knew she had broken her vow to never prostitute, trying to rationalize what she was doing.

 

After that, Ebony only stripped for clubs that didn’t require ‘extra services’ and she was blunt with the owners.  She outright asked them if sex was required with how much she was getting paid.  Ebony didn’t mind flashing her tits and ass for money, but as far as letting men have their way with it, that was a deal breaker.

 

Two years after Martha’s Vineyard, Ebony found herself in Chicago and worked at a local diner during the day while stripping at night.  She was making quite a bit of money, but Ebony knew sooner or later her assets weren’t going to be her meal ticket and that terrified her.  She asked some girl named Chelsea what she did to keep herself in shape and that’s when Ebony was introduced to drugs.

 

Cocaine, crack, marijuana –the green made her extremely hungry, which was definitely a downside-, but Ebony did stay away from heroine.  She couldn’t afford to scar up her arms while stripping, keeping it strictly smoking or snorting.  Another drug she’d been introduced to was alcohol, an addiction that outranked everything else.

 

Luckily, Ebony only did cocaine and crack once in a blue moon, the green more often than not, but the drinking was constant.  She ended up sleeping with a few guys outside of the strip club, going out with a few girls that she worked with.  Ebony didn’t care about the consequences of her actions, partying until the early hours of the night and sleeping wherever she could.

 

Surviving.

 

One night in Chicago, Ebony walked inside the strip club with a cigarette dangling from her lips, rolling her eyes when she was forced to put it out.  She flicked it out of the door, wearing three inch shimmery black stiletto heels that strapped up her ankle.  It was like any other night, though Ebony had taken two shots of Jack Daniels, her personal favorite, before walking here.

 

Tonight was also her birthday, which marked three years since she left the orphanage, and turned her twenty one.  Ebony had spent most of the day sleeping off her hangover to prepare for work, already having plans to go out and properly celebrate her twenty first birthday.  Chelsea had it all planned out and all Ebony had to do was show up, which she was looking forward to.

 

Slipping her long black trench coat off, Ebony hung it on the back of her chair, staring in her personal vanity mirror.  Chicago had been her ‘home’ for the past six months and Ebony didn’t plan on leaving it anytime soon, loving the city life and the money she was raking in from stripping.  She had quit the diner several weeks ago, after getting into a spat with the owner about her late attendance.

 

Ebony snorted at the thought of actually bussing tables and sat down, starting doing her makeup.  Her grey eyes had a smoky dark color to them, black eyeliner making them pop even more, along with her fake long black lashes she applied before arriving.  Her long waist length raven black hair was already done, left down with banana curls, knowing her hair was one of her physical traits that raked in the dough.

 

Tapping her chin in thought, Ebony decided on doing a Goth look tonight and colored her lips a dark crimson red, dabbing them once on a napkin.  She already had foundation to hide any blemishes, which she didn’t have any and began clipping the black choker around her neck.  Pulling out huge thick black hoops, Ebony fastened them in her ears before fluffing her hair out over her shoulders, nodding in satisfaction.

 

Her outfit was a sexy black spandex buckle mini dress that barely covered her perfectly round ass.  Small black buckles ran all the way down the front of the dress, forcing her breasts to push together tightly, the halter part also a buckle style.  She winked when Chelsea whistled at her, rolling her eyes heavenward and plucked a few hairs from her eyebrows with some tweezers.

 

“Girl, you’re gonna knock’em dead tonight!” Chelsea crowed, nudging another woman named Vanessa. “Don’t you agree Nessa?”

 

“Goth look tonight, eh?” Vanessa commented somewhat snidely, folding her arms in front of her chest. “You really need a boob job, Ebby.”

 

“Thanks, and you need that double chin fixed.” Ebony said sweetly, refusing to let anyone get under her skin on her twenty first birthday of all days.

 

Chelsea sighed, glaring at Vanessa. “Be nice, it’s her birthday.”

 

Vanessa snorted and flipped her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder, turning on her heel. “Like I care.” She stalked away to get ready for her own performance.

 

“She’s just jealous, you know that.” Chelsea assured Ebony, knowing better than to touch the young woman.

 

Ebony shrugged nonchalantly, looking in the mirror again. “She doesn’t bother me, I already told you that, Chel.” Ebony replied indifferently, finally satisfied with her look after plucking one more hair. “There we go.”

 

“You’re still coming tonight, right?” Chelsea asked, once Ebony turned to look at her again, grinning. “We’re going to have SO much fun, just you wait!”

 

“I’ll be there.” Ebony smiled back, hearing her cue and knew it was time to go on stage. “Gotta go, its show time.”

 

“Knock’em dead!” Chelsea crowed, giggling and went to finish her own look while Ebony headed for the stairs that lead out to the stage.

 

Ebony walked up the steps, quickly telling the light technician to dim them for a start and nodded when he did. “Thank you.” She whispered, patting him on the shoulder before starting her performance.

 

Chicago was very kind to him as he sipped his tumbler of scotch, watching the stage somewhat in boredom.  He’d been in the city a few days to visit a friend of his before heading out on his journey to Virginia.  Little brother had been left alone for fifteen years and he decided it was time to pay him a personal visit. 

 

That and this was the year everything was going to change for the better.

 

The second she stepped out on the stage, using the entrance curtain as part of her performance, he was no longer bored.  He leaned back in his front row seat and slowly took a long sip of his scotch, his eyes slowly running over every curve and inch of her gorgeous body.  More importantly, her scent wafted in the air, completely surrounding him, making him drunk with lust.

 

The way her hands moved down her body and how she undid each buckle of her dress tantalizingly slow made his jeans instantly tighten.  He could just imagine her beautiful raven locks buried in his hands while he took her for his own, wondering what she tasted like.  His aquamarine eyes glowed with sudden need, hunger overtaking him, but he couldn’t just snatch her off the stage.

 

What fun would that be?

 

Once the final buckle was undone, the only thing preventing that dress from coming off was the halter part of it.  Ebony smiled wickedly as she turned her back to the crowd, slowly twisting her body down while undoing it, and placed her hands over her breasts as the material floated to the stage.  She wore a black shimmery thong that showed her luscious ass, the rest of her completely nude.

 

Looking over her shoulder with teasing grey eyes, Ebony continued grinding, not turning around, and released her breasts to hook her thumbs into the very thin waistband of her thong.  Straightening her legs, the material slowly slid down as Ebony bent all the way forward, her fingertips brushing the stage and showed the crowd her smooth clean shaven sex briefly.  Ebony stepped out of the thong and finally turned around, tweaking her nipples as the music reached its peak, using the pole to do her usual spin, spreading her legs in the process.

 

It was official, he wanted her.  He would have her.  The music ended along with the performance and he could only watch as she made her way backstage, after picking up her articles of clothing.  That was his cue to leave as well, though he did left something for the raven haired beauty that he knew she’d appreciate.  Swallowing down the rest of his scotch, he exited the club without another thought.

 

“That was OUTSTANDING!!” Chelsea crowed as soon as Ebony was backstage, clapping her hands excitedly. “You really shine out there, you know that?”

 

Ebony nodded, trying her best to ignore the bubbly personality Chelsea possessed because it irritated her to no avail.  She wasn’t the bubbly type, never had been and never would be.  While Chelsea went to do her performance, Ebony walked into the dressing room to get dressed.  Before she did though, Ebony began counting the bills that she’d picked up from the men, raising an eyebrow when she noticed a wad of cash hidden in her dress.

 

It had to be over a grand and Ebony immediately tucked all of her money away, wondering how she’d missed someone tucking that into her dress.  Oh well, she wasn’t going to look a gift in the horse’s mouth or however that old saying went.  Pulling on a short jean skirt that was a little longer than her stripper outfit, Ebony left her makeup the way it was, only changing the lipstick to clear gloss instead of the blood red. 

 

Pulling on a black spaghetti strapped tank top that had a sweetheart neckline, Ebony slipped out of her stilettos and exchanged them for a pair of socks and white tennis shoes.  She removed her fake lashes and redid her mascara quickly before finally heading out, brushing past Vanessa.  Neither woman spoke a word to each other, the competition between them incredible tense, though they hadn’t come to blows yet.  Ebony was begging the bitch to throw one punch because she would end up snapping her in half, a little more muscular than the other girls for obvious reasons.

 

Waving goodbye to everyone, Ebony walked out of work and let the warm night air flow over her, sighing gently.  She turned around and nearly ran into a man who was standing right in front of her, not even hearing him approach her.  Was Ebony really out of it that badly?

 

“So sorry, didn’t see you there.” She said, not able to help staring into his beautiful aquamarine eyes that seemed to entrance her.

 

“My fault completely, no apology necessary.” He replied, smiling warmly at her and extended his hand. “I’m Damon.”

 

Ebony squared her shoulders and took his hand, shaking it gently. “Ebony.”

 

That was the night Ebony died.

 

Chapter 2

 

A soft groan escaped her lips as Ebony reached to rub the back of her sore stiff neck, her head pounding furiously.  Every part of her body ached and Ebony wondered what the hell happened the night before.  She definitely overdid it for her birthday that was for sure.  Sluggishly opening her eyes, Ebony continued rubbing the back of her neck and slowly sat up in what she assumed was a bed, blinking.

 

Her eyes instantly adjusted to the darkness of the room, the sun being blocked out by the dark curtains over the windows, which Ebony was grateful for.  It would’ve made her head pound harder if the sun was streaming through.  Turning her head, Ebony’s eyes widened at the sight of a man lying beside her, choking back a gasp.

 

The white sheet was drawn up to his low hips, his arms carelessly strewn above his head, chest rising and falling slowly while he slept.  A hand instantly flew to the side of her neck as Ebony sat there, recounting what had happened the previous night.  The last thing she could clearly remember was leaving the strip club’s parking lot, but now other memories were starting to resurface.

 

~!~

 

“So Damon, what are you doing lurking in a parking lot outside of a strip joint at three AM?” Ebony asked, after they introduced themselves to each other, her bag slung over her shoulder.

 

“I was hoping I would run into you.”

 

Ebony raised an eyebrow, folding her arms in front of her chest. “Do we know each other?” Something felt off about this and Ebony suddenly wanted to get away from this man.

 

“No,” Damon paused; taking a step forward and watched as she instinctively took one back. “But we could.  I’m not gonna hurt you, Ebony.” Not yet anyway.

 

“I don’t think so.” Ebony turned around to walk in the opposite direction and Damon appeared in front of her, seemingly out of thin air. “What the hell?”

 

Damon immediately cupped her face in his hands, their eyes locking and felt her instantly fall under his compulsion. “Don’t be afraid, you’re okay.” He watched as her shoulders slumped slightly, a soft smile spreading on his lips. “You don’t think of me as a threat and you want to get to know me better.”

 

“Don’t think of you as a threat.  Want to get to know you better.” Ebony reiterated in a daze, blinking when she could finally move again and smiled. “You know, on second thought, I would like to get to know you, Damon.”

 

Damon grinned, having released her face as soon as he broke the compulsion. “There’s a bar around the corner that has the best scotch in the city.” He offered, extending his arm to her. “Join me for a drink or two?”

 

“Actually, I was on my way to a party.  It’s my birthday and a few co-workers are throwing me one.” Ebony said, already looping her arm through his, absolutely no fear exuding from her. “You can come with me if you want.”

 

Once again, Damon put her under the compulsion trance, running a finger down her cheek. “You don’t want to go to the party.  You want to go to the bar with me.” He said quickly, breaking the connection. “So, what did you want to do?”

 

“As much as I want to go to this party, I think the bar sounds like a better idea.” Ebony said, starting to walk away from the building on the arm of Damon, loving the night.

 

~!~

 

Ebony broke out of her thoughts, confusion registering on her face and in her eyes, not understanding what happened.  Damon had changed her mind somehow because Ebony really did want to go to that party, never having a proper celebration in her life.  She blew it off to go to a bar with a complete stranger and that made absolutely no sense.

 

Carefully slipping out of bed, Ebony closed her eyes when she then realized she was completely nude, a gentle sigh escaping her.  She wasn’t shameful that they had sex, which had been pretty mind-blowing if she was being honest.  Still, there was still something off about this entire situation and Ebony knew she had to leave now before he woke up.

 

Another memory suddenly hit her full force and Ebony actually had to sit back down on the bed, her head throbbing.

 

~!~

 

“Okay so you bounce the quarter off the table and, if it lands in the glass, you have to take a shot.” Damon explained, deciding to let this girl have a little fun since it was her birthday. “We’ll go three quarters at a time.”

 

“Okay.” Ebony had never played this drinking game before and already had three shots of Jack Daniels in front of her, ready to consume them.

 

Damon could tell there was a lot more to this woman than what met the eye and scooted closer, running his fingers down her arm in a gentle caress. “How old are you now?” He asked curiously, dropping his voice an octave.

 

“Twenty one.” She answered, turning the quarter in her fingers, trying to decipher how to bounce it and suddenly tried, missing. “Damn it.”

 

Chuckling, Damon took the quarter and didn’t even look at the glass, the clinking sound signaling that Ebony had to take a shot. “You’ll get the hang of it.” He assured her, doing it two more times in a row, which meant she had three shots to take. “Down the hatch, birthday girl.”

 

Ebony groaned, even though she was glad to take the shots and threw them back with ease, not even flinching at the liquid burning down her throat. “Mmm so good…” She murmured, filling them again with the bottle Damon had graciously bought her. “What happens if I can’t make any shots?  I don’t want to drink alone, handsome.”

 

Damon smirked, cupping her face in his hand and ran the pad of his thumb gently across her lips. “This party is just getting started, Ebony.” He promised, raising a brow when she made the quarter in the glass on her fifth try. “See, I knew you could do it.” He took a shot of scotch, heard the second clink from her sixth try and threw back a second one. “Very nice, you’re a fast learner.”

 

“Always have been.” Ebony conceded, pushing the quarter over to him. “So, do you live around here, Damon?”

 

Damon shook his head, running the quarter back and forth on the table thoughtfully. “No, I travel from place to place, though I’m on my way back to my hometown.  Just stopped here on my way to visit a friend.” He made his first shot with the quarter, almost looking bored. “What about you?”

 

“I’ve only been in the city for about six months.” Ebony admitted openly, swallowing down three more shots since Damon was a master at this game.

 

“Where are you from originally?”

 

Ebony knew she wasn’t drunk enough to have this conversation and didn’t answer him at first, instead bouncing the quarter in the glass two out of three times. “Take those two shots and I’ll tell you.” She decided, watching as he did so without argument and that told her he really wanted to know, that he was genuinely interested. “I’m originally from New York City.”

 

Now Damon was slightly intrigued, one thick black eyebrow rising. “New York eh?  I’ve been there, not all it’s cracked up to be.” He commented, not realizing just how much that statement reigned true to his current toy. “How did you wind up in Chicago?”

 

“I left New York City three years ago, traveled to a few other places before finally coming here and found my current job.”

 

He had to know she was a stripper, especially since he’d been waiting for her in the parking lot.  Why wasn’t she more afraid of him?  Ebony was never this friendly with anyone, always keeping to herself and only socialized whenever she was drunk or high.  For some reason though, she felt completely calm with this strange man and didn’t understand it. 

 

This was definitely out of character for her.

 

“So you were eighteen.” Damon stated, not waiting for her to play the game as he took another shot of scotch and watched her nod. “You sound like me, never staying in one place too long.”

 

“This is the longest I’ve stuck around in one place.” Ebony admitted, lowering her grey eyes to the table and took the glass they were playing the game with, filling it with Jack Daniels. “I was thinking about leaving in a couple of weeks after I save a little more money.”

 

Eyeing her curiously, Damon didn’t say anything for a few minutes, mulling a few thoughts over in his mind. “Let’s get out of here.” He suddenly stood up, extending his hand to her.

 

Ebony slipped her hand into his, feeling him pull her up from the table and walked out of the bar with him.

 

~!~

 

The soft snoring from behind told her Damon was still sleeping and Ebony had to make her escape now.  Quickly and silently swiping her clothes from the floor, Ebony began making her way to the bathroom to dress privately.  She closed the door and flipped the lock on it, spotting a small window that she could climb out of.

 

Deftly, Ebony pulled her skirt and tank top on, having flipped the light on to look in the mirror, running her fingers over her throat.  More memories began surfacing, but Ebony pushed them away for the time being, suddenly feeling extremely hungry.  Had she smoked some green and hadn’t remembered it?  No, this hunger was far worse and it made her stomach hurt, forcing her to grip the sink tightly.

 

“What’s happening to me?” She whispered, tears filling her eyes and decided she would definitely be stopping somewhere for food, her throat burning slightly.

 

“You’re transitioning.”

 

Ebony jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice, immediately twisting around and blinked as huge tears slid down her face. “W-What do you mean?” She stammered out, her breathing turning erratic. “What did you do to me?”

 

Damon looked amused, leaning in the bathroom doorway and simply tilted his head, considering her. “I think you know the answer to that question.  As far as your first one, transitioning implies you’re changing into what I am.” He made it sound so simple and acted as if he was discussing the weather with her.

 

Suddenly, Ebony touched the side of her neck and that memory she tried pushing away broke through full force, causing her to drop to her knees.

 

~!~

 

“Where are we?” Ebony asked, feeling extremely tipsy, possibly even drunk while holding Damon’s hand.

 

“My hotel room.” He rumbled, pushing open the door and yanked her inside, his lips plundering on top of hers.

 

Ebony moaned as he pushed her back against the door, effectively slamming it shut and gripped his black hair in her fingers.  Her entire body trembled against him with barely contained desire and Ebony found herself wanting him more than any other man.  She felt him unsnap her jean skirt and let it slide down her legs before lifting her up with ease, his strength making her breathless. 

 

Her back hit the bed and Ebony removed her tank top before sliding her hands up the front of his tight short sleeved black shirt, pulling it over his head.  Their lips met again and Damon could smell her arousal, much like he had earlier while watching her strip, and could already feel his lust building rapidly.  He unsnapped her bra and pulled it off of her before reaching down, tearing her panties right from her beautiful body, tossing them over his shoulder.

 

Ebony was too engrossed in kissing him to notice he had destroyed her panties, honestly not caring.  After all the money she made from working, buying some more wasn’t that big of a deal.  She felt his lips leave hers to travel down her jaw and neck, running his tongue right along her pulse point.  Reaching down, Ebony unsnapped his jeans and pushed them down his muscular legs with her feet, craving to feel him deep inside of her.

 

His hands massaged her breasts, his mouth leaving her throat to travel further down her body, running his tongue down the valley of her breasts.  Ebony could only moan uncontrollably, burying her fingers in his hair and arched her body into his touch, wanting more.  He was driving her completely crazy and couldn’t think of a better way to end her birthday, even though it wasn’t over yet.

 

“Damon…”

 

Suddenly, pain shot from her breast and Ebony cried out in pain as she felt something sharp puncture her soft skin, the same time he penetrated her.  The warm delicious blood filled his mouth and Damon growled before digging his fangs deeper into her skin while thrusting, enjoying her fists beating down on him.  He could’ve easily compelled her, but Damon sometimes enjoyed the fight and struggle from his victims.

 

Ebony could only lay there as tears poured from her eyes while this monster feasted on her, feeling completely powerless.  She never stopped fighting though, squirming and trying to get away from him, but Damon was a lot stronger than her.  Why hadn’t she walked away from him when she had the chance?

 

“Scream for me, Ebony…” He ordered in a husky voice, his lips covered in her blood and increased the tempo of the thrusts, bringing both of them closer to the edge.

 

“Get off of me!!” She cried out, knowing screaming would just exude more energy that she had to save up, planning on escaping the first chance she got.

 

“No, that’s not good enough.  I said SCREAM.” His fangs suddenly sank into the side of her neck, right into her carotid artery, the blood flowing even faster into his mouth.

 

“STOP IT!!” Ebony screamed, digging her nails into his shoulders to the point where she drew blood, but it was no use. “NO!!”

 

Damon could feel her body slowly slumping against him, though that wasn’t before he felt her orgasm tear through her body, triggering his release. “That’s a good girl.” He grunted in her ear, feasting a little more on her blood while coming down from their intense sexual high.

 

~!~

 

Being that it was her birthday, Damon had a lot of plans in mind for her ‘gift’.  Several scenarios popped into his mind, but Damon was going to get to know her a little better first before making a decision.  He would feed on her and wipe her memory, kill her or turn her.  All those thoughts were delicious, but ultimately Damon had chosen option three, for what reason he still didn’t know.

 

“No…”

 

“I healed you after feeding because I wasn’t done with you yet.” Damon said, walking over to the sink to look in the mirror. “You put up a hell of a fight, I must say.”

 

“How did you…?”

 

“After you healed, you attempted to escape by hitting me with the room phone and I snapped your neck.” Damon turned to face her, electric eyes narrowing and knew she wouldn’t like hearing what he was about to say next. “Now, you have to feed in order to complete the transition.”

 

Ebony swallowed hard, more tears falling. “W-What do you mean feed?  I don’t understand…”

 

“If you don’t get human blood in your system soon, you will die instead of finishing the transition.” Damon sounded bored again, turning the water on to wash his hands, having a little bit of her blood still on them.

 

“Human blood…” Ebony precariously got to her feet, pressing her back against the wall near the window, shaking her head. “W-What are you?” She demanded in a shaky voice, suddenly picking up the toilet bowl plunger and tossed it at him as rage filled her body. “WHAT ARE YOU?”

 

Damon flew over to her, wrapping his hand around her throat and squeezed slightly, eyes flashing dangerously. “I’m a vampire and now, so are you.  Get over it.”

 

All Ebony could do was stand there in shock, holding her throat and watched as Damon stormed out of the bathroom.

 

Chapter 3

 

This wasn’t happening.

 

This had to be some sick joke or a very bad nightmare that Ebony would shortly wake up from.  There was no way in hell she was a vampire because they didn’t EXIST!  Ebony kept pinching her arm repeatedly, feeling the little stab of pain from it and that just made her cry harder.

 

Pressing a hand over her chest, where her heart used to beat, Ebony felt absolutely nothing.  How could she feel normal for the most part, yet technically she was DEAD?  It didn’t make sense!  Ebony was officially losing her mind and had to cut back on the drugs because now she was actually starting to hallucinate.

 

Denial was her best friend right now because there was no way Ebony believed for a second that she was a vampire.  They were mythological creatures that were made up, a figment of someone’s demented imagination.  Craving human blood and having to live on it wasn’t realistic and Ebony didn’t believe in anything fantasy, always sticking with reality.

 

Why wasn’t her heart beating then?  Why did her gums feel as though they were splitting in half?  Why was she so hungry she felt like she could eat an entire buffet?  Ebony suddenly took the small razor that was on the sink and slit her wrist, watching as the blood poured out into the sink.  Grey eyes shot open when the cut closed a minute later, completely healing and no sign of the injury anywhere on her wrist.

 

“Oh my god…” She whispered, dropping the razor and covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head repeatedly. “This can’t be happening, it CAN’T!!”

 

Damon sighed resignedly as he finished dressing, pulling his black short sleeved shirt over his head, stretching it down his muscular chest.  She would go through the five stages of grief – Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and finally Acceptance.  He knew them probably better than anyone, having walked the earth for a hundred and forty five years as a vampire.  His age was technically a hundred and sixty nine since he was changed when he was twenty four years old.

 

“We have a lot to do before we leave Chicago, Ebony.” Damon called out, refusing to leave her roaming the city because she no longer could live her normal human life.

 

As a vampire, Ebony had been opened up to a whole new world that was her playground, if she allowed it.  Damon hadn’t made her for the hell of it, he had major plans for her once they left Chicago, deciding he needed a partner in crime so to speak.  There was so much to teach her, but first he had to get her to feed on human blood, deciding he would force her if need-be.  Ebony would be of no use to him if she were to die, which wasn’t going to happen.

 

He took her choices away as a human and would do it again as a vampire if she didn’t feed willingly.

 

“I’m not going.” Ebony muttered, walking out and sat on the bed, burying her head in her hands. “I can’t do this…”

 

Damon wrapped his fingers in her raven hair and yanked until she stood up, crying out in pain, which didn’t faze him. “I didn’t change you only to let you die.  You WILL complete the transition even if I have to force human blood down your THROAT.” He promised in a deadly voice, yanking her against him, a sick smirk crossing his lips. “We’re going to have so much fun together, Ebony.”

 

“Why are you doing this?” Ebony whispered, trying to push away from Damon, but his grip on her hair only tightened. “That hurts, Damon…”

 

“Good, it’s supposed to.” He shoved her back with authority, eyes narrowed. “Don’t test my patience, Ebony.  Now grab your things and get out the door.”

 

“But won’t the sun bother me?” Ebony blinked when Damon suddenly tossed her a pair of black shades, looking confused.

 

“You’re still in transition, which means until you feed, the sun won’t hurt you.  Your eyes will burn though, fair warning.  Now out, we slept most of the day so the sun will set in about an hour or so.” Damon explained bluntly, draping his black leather coat over his shoulder.

 

“W-Where are we going?” Ebony couldn’t help asking, wishing she would stop stammering when she spoke to him because she was getting annoyed with it.

 

“First, we’re going to hunt you down a juicy human to feed on.” Damon grinned maliciously, watching as the hesitation crossed her face and growled impatiently, grabbing her upper arm. “If you don’t start listening to me, I’ll end up staking you myself.”

 

Ebony had no choice except to go with him, immediately sliding the black shades over her eyes because what Damon said happened.  The second she met the sun, it instantly began burning her eyes and it felt like there was two hot pokers stabbing her retinas repeatedly.  She began walking faster than Damon, yanking her arm out of his grasp and ended up flying to the beautiful blue Camaro he owned, slipping into the passenger side.

 

Damon smirked and slid behind the wheel a few seconds later, looking over at her amusedly. “Don’t like the sun?” He asked innocently, watching as she instantly curled up in a tight ball in the seat, trying to block the sun as much as she could.

 

“What do you think?” She shot back through gritted teeth, gripping her head again. “God my head is pounding…”

 

“That’s the hunger you’re feeling, feisty.” Good, he wanted her to have that hunger so when he did capture a human for her to feast on, she didn’t fight it and just accepted her fate. “Don’t worry, we’ll get that hunger taken care of right now.”

 

Swallowing hard, her throat felt like it was on fire, the pain almost too much to take. “I can’t…” She whispered brokenly, not believing what Damon was about to force her to do. “P-Please…”

 

“Yes you will.” Damon assured her, speeding down the streets and began searching for the perfect victim, pulling his cell phone out to make a phone call.

 

“Who are you…?”

 

Damon held his finger up when the person on the other line answered, a smirk crossing his lips. “Desiree doll,  I need a favor.” He said by way of greeting, gripping the steering wheel in his free hand tightly.

 

“What did you do now, Damon?”

 

His aquamarine eyes looked over at his latest creation, the smirk on his lips only growing. “I’ll be there in about an hour and then I’ll explain everything.” He clicked the end button on his phone and tucked it back in his pocket, turning left down one of the streets.

 

“Damon…”

 

“Be quiet for a second.” Damon ordered, busy scouting out the prey and finally found the perfect spot, pulling into the parking lot. “Time to get out.”

 

“The sun hasn’t gone down yet.” Ebony whimpered, not able to face that burning pain in her eyes again. “Can we just wait until it does?”

 

Damon’s response was to get out of the car, opened the passenger door and pulled Ebony out by the arm, pulling her roughly behind him.  Ebony kept her eyes shut the whole time, which helped a little with the sun and could feel the intensity of it slowly start diminishing.  They walked down a dark alleyway that was in between two abandoned buildings and suddenly Ebony could hear voices.

 

“What the…?”

 

Damon pressed a finger over his lips, his eyes telling her to clamp her trap shut and Ebony obeyed since it felt like he was going to rip her arm off.  She stopped when he did, once again hearing quiet voices and wondered how she could hear people she couldn’t see.  A young man came around the corner and Ebony could hear his heart pounding, her hearing definitely improving from whatever Damon did to her.

 

“Now watch and learn.” Damon whispered, suddenly standing in front of the man, causing Ebony’s eyes to widen. “Hey man, I was wondering if you could help me with something.” He said in a friendly voice, looking hopeful.

 

The young man looked skeptical at first, taking a long drag of his cigarette. “Depends what it is, man.”

 

“My friend heard there was someone around here that could sell her something, if you catch my drift.” Damon winked, looking over his shoulder at the shadow that he knew outlined Ebony. “You think you can help us out with that or point us in the direction of the right person?”

 

The man smirked, waving Damon off dismissively. “Nah man, I got you covered.  Come on, we gotta make this quick.  Where she at?”

 

“Right over there.” Damon grinned, clapping the man on the back and guided him over to where Ebony stood, electric blue eyes glowing in the shaded area. “We really appreciate this, what’s your name?”

 

“Brad.”

 

“Say hello to Brad, precious.” Damon ordered, standing right behind Brad while he started pulling out a bag of cocaine.

 

“So how many kilos do you want?”

 

“None.”

 

Damon suddenly reached around and wrapped his hand tightly around Brad’s throat before sinking his teeth into the side of his neck, his other hand covering the drug dealer’s screams.  Ebony could only watch in horror, tears filling her eyes and backed up while Damon had his fill, shaking her head.  How could he expect her to do something so vile and vicious?  He was an animal!

 

Once Damon had a few mouthfuls of blood, he knew it was time to finish Ebony’s transition, pulling away as blood slid down the side of his mouth. “Mmm tasty…” His eyes locked on Ebony, seeing how terrified she was and dragged a weak Brad over to her. “It’s time.”

 

“No.”

 

“Don’t make me force you to do it, Ebony.” Damon threatened, the two holes in the man’s neck slowly leaking blood. “You just need a few drops.  It doesn’t take much too fully turn you.”

 

“I-I can’t…”

 

The scent of the blood was making Ebony heady though and she was having a hard time pulling her eyes away from the crimson red.  Her throat was burning, aching for her to do something to quench the fire.  The blood smelled amazing, better than any type of food on the planet and that just scared her more.

 

“Yes you can.” Damon coaxed, holding the man closer to her, two trails of blood sliding down the side of his neck to his collarbone. “You need this, Ebony, or you will die and I won’t let you give up so easily.”

 

“Please…”

 

“Drink or I will rip him apart.” He suddenly began choking out Brad right in front of her, his fangs flashing in the dim lighting above them. “Or you can have a little taste and I’ll heal him for you.  That way you don’t have his blood on your hands.”

 

Ebony couldn’t believe this was happening to her, her eyes entranced by the blood and took a deep breath. “You promise?” She demanded, watching him nod and blinked as more tears slid down her cheeks. “Alright…I’ll do it.”

 

“Good girl.” Damon crooned, shoving the man at her and watched as she caught him instinctively by the arms, the bloody neck right in her vision, nearly touching her nose.

 

“I’m sorry.” Ebony whispered, suddenly feeling her teeth expanding as the fangs grew, the blood too much to resist.

 

Her sclera’s suddenly turned red as veins formed under her eyes and cheeks, Ebony becoming completely lost in the bloodlust.  Tasting blood for the very first time was possibly the most incredible feeling Ebony experienced in her life.  The fire in her throat began diminishing, which was a huge relief and her entire body began filling with an overwhelming sensation Ebony couldn’t describe.  Ebony gripped the back of Brad’s neck and began drinking feverishly, growling because she needed more, desired more.

 

Damon didn’t stop her either. 

 

This was who she was now and he could already see the transition completing, pleasing him to no avail.  Everything about Ebony glowed from head to toe and Damon knew he made the right decision in turning her.  He watched as Brad’s life slowly slipped from his body and right into Ebony, his body slumping to the ground while Ebony bled him dry.

 

Ebony finally ripped away from him and stumbled back, droplets of blood falling from her lips, snaking her tongue out to taste them.  She felt so much better and wanted more, but knew that would have to suffice for now.  Surprisingly, she didn’t feel any remorse for what she just did, for taking a human life for her own needs and stepped over him heading toward Damon.

 

She was more stunning as a vampire and Damon automatically saw a difference in her.  Her black hair was glossier, her grey eyes slightly glowed while the veins under her eyes slowly disappeared along with her sclera’s turning back to white.  Her skin was paler and shined in the night, her nails a little longer and her lips looked soft to the touch.

 

“Now THAT’S more like it.” Damon growled approvingly, pulling her into his arms and stared deep into her grey eyes, running his finger down her cheek. “How do you feel, Ebony?”

 

“Reborn.” She said softly, feeling so much stronger than she had before and moaned as soon as Damon’s mouth covered hers. “And renewed.” Ebony added once the kiss broke, feeling Damon lift her up as her legs wrapped around his waist, her back slamming back against the nearest building.

 

“Good, that’s how it’s supposed to feel.” Damon said in a low voice, smirking as he set her down on her feet, the sun completely down now. “And it’ll be even better once you get to walk in the sun like me.”

 

“How is that going to happen?” Ebony asked, suddenly interested in everything, all of her emotions heightening, which included excitement. “How do you walk in the sun?”

 

Damon waved his fingers at her on his left hand, revealing the huge beautiful silver ring on his middle finger.  It looked worldly and had a gorgeous dark blue stone in the middle with the letter D in the middle of it in black and silver.  Ebony grabbed his hand to get a closer look at it, her vision much sharper because everything looked more colorful and amazing than it had before.

 

“It’s a daylight ring.” Damon said, pulling his hand away from her and guided them both back to his car. “And we’re going to get you one made by a good friend of mine before leaving the city.”

 

“Tonight?” Ebony asked animatedly with sparkling grey eyes, every emotion and feeling acting as though they were working overtime. “Where are we going once we leave Chicago?”

 

He nodded, knowing she would have to gain control of her emotions and feelings because now they were enhanced from the transition. “You’ll find out everything in due time.” Damon assured her, putting the car in reverse and pulled out of there, heading to Desiree.

 

Chapter 4

 

Pulling up to the small business, Damon put the car in park and cut the ignition, turning to look at Ebony. “Let me do the talking.” He ordered, completely serious. “And she’s off limits.  If you’re still hungry, we’ll find someone else to feed on.  Got it?”

 

Ebony nodded, feeling this overwhelming need to obey Damon because she owed him for giving her this new incredible power. “I won’t attack her.” She promised, stepping out of the car and followed him across the street to the small masseuse parlor.

 

Desiree was just finishing up with her last client of the evening, doing their transaction, when the door swung open and Damon Salvatore stood there with a woman beside him.  She could already tell she wasn’t going to like this visit and smiled at the customer, thanking them for their service.  To everyone else, Desiree owned a local masseuse shop because she had incredibly skilled fingers and a degree in massage therapy.  To Damon Salvatore, she was a powerful witch.

 

“I was wondering if you were gonna show up.” Desiree said by way of greeting, starting to close out her register.

 

“We had a few things to take care of.” Damon said smoothly, walking over to the counter and leaned on it with a charming smile. “Nice to know you were thinking of me, Desiree.”

 

“You wish.” She snorted, rolling her eyes and took the tray of money out while starting to sift through the bills. “And you can stop with the smoldering eyes, they don’t work on me.”

 

Damon touched his chest, groaning. “Oh how you wound me.” Even though he already had her once, but Damon needed her help so he wasn’t going to be snarky toward her, not yet at least.

 

“What do you want, Damon?”

 

Desiree was cutting straight to the chase, setting the bills in the plastic bag that she would take to the bank first thing in the morning.  Her eyes slowly moved to the woman that remained silent, raising a slow eyebrow, wondering what that was about.  She had a feeling she was about to find out, moving her eyes from the woman to Damon, suddenly making the connection.

 

“DAMON!”

 

“What?” Damon blinked when Desiree grabbed his arm, forcing him to the back and left the woman behind.

 

“Have you COMPLETELY lost your MIND?!  You turned her?!” Desiree shouted, tossing her hands up in the air when he merely shrugged, shaking her head. “Christ, you didn’t have her with you last night, so I’m assuming she’s brand new.”

 

“You’re correct.” Damon walked over to the doorway, waving his hand. “Come in here, Ebony.” He extended his hand, smiling when she took it without hesitation. “Now sit down.”

 

Desiree shook her head when the woman obeyed, a sick expression on her face. “She’s not your puppet, Damon.  She still has a mind of her own.” One day, everything Damon Salvatore did was going to come back to bite him right on the ass and Desiree couldn’t wait for it to happen.

 

“She’s not being a puppet; she’s just listening to what I say and for good reason.  Because if she didn’t, she would be tearing your beautiful throat out right now, Desiree.” Damon stated evenly, raising a black eyebrow when just the bare hint of fear crossed his special friend’s face, nodding. “Suddenly not so judgy about her listening to me, eh?”

 

“What do you want, Damon?” Desiree asked resignedly, sitting down on the couch and lit a few candles.

 

Waving his left hand with his daylight ring on it, Damon smiled softly. “I need you to make her a piece of jewelry that allows her to walk out in the sun.” He said simply, dropping his hand and took a seat in front of her. “She’s going to help me with a few things and I need her to be able to be out in daylight.”

 

“That’s it?” Desiree wanted to make sure there weren’t any loopholes with this, folding her arms in front of her chest. “Nothing else?”

 

“No.” Damon leaned forward, electric blue eyes locking with hazel. “You do this for me and I’ll never bother you again, Desiree.  I’ll never step foot in your little massage parlor again.  You’ll never see me again.”

 

Desiree considered his offer, eyeing him skeptically and wondered if Damon meant everything he just said. “Not in my children’s lifetimes either.” She stipulated, not wanting her children to have to deal with vampires the way she had.

 

“Deal.”

 

Damon wouldn’t need her help anymore anyway, looking over at Ebony, seeing she was just looking around the room in amazement.  It amused him to no end because he knew exactly what she was experiencing; the sharper vision and even a touch had more impact.  Everything was enhanced and heightened; she was truly like a newborn child that just came into the world, only she could walk and talk.

 

Desiree couldn’t believe she was actually agreeing to do this and turned to the woman, snapping her fingers to gain her attention.  Ebony’s sharp grey eyes suddenly locked on her and Desiree instantly swallowed hard, scooting back a little on the couch.  Damon smirked and simply sat back, wondering if Desiree had a death wish to snap her fingers like that in front of a new vampire, shaking his head.

 

“Yes?” Ebony asked evenly, tilting her head slightly and could hear how fast Desiree’s heart pounded. “You obviously wanted my attention or else you wouldn’t have snapped your fingers in my face.  So what is it?”

 

“Do you have any piece of jewelry that has a special connection to it?” Desiree asked promptly, standing up to gather a few things for the spell, including her grimoire.

 

Nodding, Ebony pulled something out from beneath her tank top, which was a black thick necklace with a ring dangling from it.  She yanked it off with ease and took the silver ring off of it, which had a black onyx star in the middle of it.  She never did anything without this ring, not even taking it off during her performances stripping, though she had hid it in her black choker.

 

“What connection does this ring have to you?” Desiree asked, extending her hand and watched as Ebony instantly hesitated. “I need to know for the spell.”

 

Ebony gritted her teeth and suddenly stood up, flipping the chair over on its side, grey eyes flashing. “This ring was Ashley’s, my only friend in the world.  We made vows with this ring…” She squeezed the ring in her hand as tears began sliding down her cheeks, every emotion she normally felt about Ashley suddenly exploding. “Hers had a moon on it.  We promised when we got out of the hellhole we lived in that we’d live life to the fullest, no matter what, and stick to each other.  But she died.  She was raped and murdered in cold blood, leaving me here all alone!”

 

Damon hadn’t expected this to happen, but understood why Ebony was upset suddenly, flying over to her before she could get her hands on something else. “Ebony, look at me.” He ordered, grabbing her shoulders tightly in his hands, forcing her tear-filled grey eyes to meet his. “Calm down.” He ordered soothingly, remembering when he first transitioned and how angry he’d been, every emotion feeling as though it split him in half.

 

Taking a few deep breaths, Ebony closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest, feeling his arms encircle her tightly. “I-I’m all alone…” She sobbed brokenly, shoulders shaking. “W-What’s wrong with me?” Ebony never cried in front of anyone, always having a very thick skin, but now it was almost as if she couldn’t control her emotions and that scared her.

 

“When transitioning from human to vampire, every emotion you’ve felt is intensified.” Damon explained softly, rubbing her back up and down, his mouth lowering to her ear. “You’re gonna have to learn to control that and reign it in.  There’s a switch you can flip so you don’t feel anything, but your humanity will be lost if you do.”

 

Ebony slowly pulled away from him, wiping her tears away, sniffling. “I understand.” She whispered, looking down at the ring and closed her eyes, trying to push all her emotions in the far back of her mind when it came to Ashley. “I don’t want to lose my humanity.  I will control it.”

 

“Good.” Damon nodded, extending his hand and waved his fingers, silently telling her to give him the ring. “And you’re not alone, not anymore, Ebony.”

 

For some reason, Ebony believed him and dropped the ring in his hand, turning to pick the chair back up, sitting down.  Desiree’s heart went out to the young woman and wondered if Damon knew what he just got himself into, keeping her thoughts and opinions to herself.  Just because Damon considered a friend didn’t mean he wouldn’t rip her throat out if she pissed him off enough.

 

Dropping the ring in the bowl, Desiree lifted her hands up and closed her eyes, the candles instantly flaring as soon as she began chanting.  Damon’s eyes narrowed as he watched the ring slowly start lifting in the air, the lights flickering.  He held his finger up to his lips, knowing if Ebony even uttered a word Desiree’s concentration would be ruined.  One thing about witches was if they were disturbed during a spell, it drained a lot of their power.

 

Damon had learned that lesson the hard way.

 

A few seconds later, the ring suddenly dropped in the bowl, the candles going out completely and the lights stopped flickering. “It’s done.” She said, picking the ring up and handed it back to Ebony. “Please remember that the witch who put the spell on this ring can also take the spell away, if you abuse your newfound gift.”

 

Ebony nodded in understanding, taking the ring from her and slipped it on the fourth finger of her right hand. “Thank you.” She whispered, standing up when Damon did and couldn’t believe the gift Ashley had given her before they parted ways was now her daylight ring. “So I can really walk into the sun like you now, Damon?”

 

“Supposedly, as long as you’re wearing it.” Damon smirked when Desiree scowled, chuckling. “Yes Ebony, you’re now a daylight walker.” If Desiree only knew the things Damon had done in the daylight to abuse his own gift of daylight, she wouldn’t have agreed to do this for Ebony. “We’ll be able to test it out when the sun rises.” His eyes turned to Desiree, knowing he would have to keep his word and never bother her again. “Ebony, go out to the car.  I’ll be out in a minute.”

 

Ebony did as he said, heading out of the building and admired her daylight ring, almost if it was just given to her.  Damon waited until she was out of earshot before flying over to stand in front of Desiree, taking her hand and bringing it up to his lips, kissing the back of it.  This was goodbye and Desiree knew it, wondering why it suddenly hurt so much at the thought of never seeing Damon again.

 

“Take care of yourself, Damon.” Desiree murmured, reaching up to push a strand of black hair from his forehead, letting her hand linger on his cheek. “And watch out for her.”

 

“I will.” Damon promised, running his finger down her cheek and leaned down, their lips mere inches apart. “You are definitely a rare gem.”

 

Desiree knew it was wrong to have feelings for Damon, especially since he was supposed to be her enemy.  She couldn’t help how she felt though and this was heartbreaking to have to say goodbye.  There was a reason she did it though, not able to pine for him anymore.  She had to get on with her human life and pretend he didn’t exist before he completely destroyed her.

 

“You’re gonna miss me.” Damon stated, not even questioning it and fingered her chin gently.

 

“I know.” Desiree whispered, suddenly feeling breathless and had to be the one to step away before she ended up doing something she’d regret. “But I have to let you go, Damon, somehow.”

 

“Not tonight.”

 

He suddenly captured her lips with his passionately, feeling her melt against him instantly, his arms wrapped around her waist tightly.  Desiree moaned in his mouth as he tasted her, suddenly feeling him twist to where he sat on the couch with her straddling his lap.  Damon was definitely the best lover she ever had and Desiree figured one more romp wouldn’t hurt any, already removing her top.

 

“That’s my girl.” He growled, suddenly pushing her down on the couch, hovering over her and proceeded to give her a proper goodbye.

 

Ebony looked up nearly two hours later when Damon finally came walking toward the car, immediately looking down at her ring.  She had no idea what took him so long, but she had a pretty good idea when a scent hit her full force in the face.  Sweat and sex.  Why she felt jealous was beyond her, but Ebony reigned it in, knowing flying off the handle definitely wouldn’t do her any favors right now.

 

“Everything squared away?” She asked, once he slid behind the wheel and wrinkled her nose, thankful the windows were already rolled down.

 

“Yeah.” Damon glanced back at the massage parlor, knowing he’d done the right thing and licked a bit of blood from his lip. “Ready to get out of this city?”

 

Ebony slowly turned to face him, smelling something else and instantly felt her hunger increase. “Sure…” She nodded, buckling up and leaned back against the seat as Damon pulled away from the parlor, heading straight for the highway.

 

“You have everything right?  Everything you own I mean?” Damon asked, knowing they could never return to Chicago, at least not for a few years and flicked his turn signal on.

 

“Yes, I don’t have much.” Ebony admitted softly, looking down at her daylight ring and sighed heavily. “You killed her didn’t you?”

 

Damon nodded, putting the pedal to the metal as they started flying down the highway, a million stars in the sky along with a quarter moon. “It had to be done.  She has no children, so severing that witch line insures your daylight ring will never be tampered with.”

 

Ebony could only nod, folding her arms in front of her chest and enjoyed the night air. “So, are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” She asked, trying to spark some kind of conversation with him.

 

“A little place called Mystic Falls in Virginia.” Damon answered, deciding there was no point in hiding it from her now that she was compliant with everything. “My hometown.”

 

“Oh.” The scent was blood was slowly dissipating from Damon, but that didn’t stop Ebony from craving more. “I’m hungry.”

 

Damon chuckled, reaching in the backseat and pulled out one of the blood bags he stole from one of the Chicago hospitals, tossing it at her. “Bon appetit.” He stated, having grabbed one for himself and ripped it open, reaching over to turn the radio on.

 

Ebony knew she would have to forget everything about her human life, but the ring on her right hand would forever link her to the memories of Ashley and that’s all she really cared about.

 

Chapter 5

 

Feeling the warmth on her face, Ebony slowly opened her eyes sometime the next day, staring out the window and couldn’t help smiling.  The warmth she’d been feeling was the sun and it wasn’t burning her, it felt amazing against her skin.  She stirred a little more, moving to sit up and stretched her arms in the air, letting out a loud yawn.

 

“Looks like the ring works.” Damon commented, glancing over at her before moving his eyes back to the road. “We’re almost there, another hour give or take.”

 

Ebony nodded, cracking her neck and let out a loud groan, rubbing the back of it. “I thought I was dead, so why do I have a stiff neck?” She asked curiously, another pop echoing through the car.

 

Damon chuckled softly, opening a bag of chips he stopped to get while she was sleeping, tossing her one. “As long as you keep a healthy dose of blood in your system, your body functions pretty normally.” He said, winking when she looked at the chips skeptically. “Eating regular food helps with the craving, along with alcohol, which you will be consuming a lot.  It’s actually better than food to vampires, but if you drink too much, you will get drunk.  It takes A LOT for that to happen though.”

 

“And because we’re technically dead, we can’t get alcohol or food poisoning or anything like that.” Ebony wasn’t asking, just thinking aloud and opened the chips, deciding one couldn’t hurt. “So what DOES hurt us?”

 

“The sun, normally, but we’re different because of magic.” Damon didn’t know if he should answer this question truthfully, deciding he could trust Ebony for the most part. “There’s this herb called vervain and it burns us if we touch it.  Humans can’t be compelled either if they’re wearing it on any part of their body.  Wood is our enemy, if you’re pierced with it, it will severely weaken you.  Having your head or heart removed can also kill you instantly.  Also, I would stay away from witches if you run into any because nine times out of ten, they can cause you excruciating pain with their magic.”

 

“Wow, so we’re not as invincible as the myth makes us believe.” Ebony stated thoughtfully, looking down at her bag of chips and sighed, turning the ring on her finger absentmindedly. “Did you mean what you said?”

 

“Depends on what you’re referring to.” Damon said, chomping on more chips and smirked when they passed a green interstate sign that said fifty miles to Mystic Falls.

 

“Not being alone anymore.” Ebony looked over at him with tentative grey eyes, wondering what possessed her to ask, but had to know.

 

“Let me put it this way, you can stick around as long as you want, Ebony.  You do have a mind of your own and I’m not gonna force you to stay with me.  But I HIGHLY suggest you stick with me long enough to learn what you are and how to be in control of your hunger.” That would take some time, so Damon wasn’t worried about her leaving his side anytime soon.

 

“Of course.”

 

There was no way Ebony could survive in this world alone, not when there was still so much for her to learn.  She had no idea how long it would take her to master and hone her skills either as a vampire.  This was a whole new world for her to explore and experience.  Ebony would be incredibly stupid to leave the man who made her, not to mention he said he needed her help with a few things.

 

“What did you need me to help you with anyway?” She asked curiously, changing the subject.

 

“Don’t worry about it for now.  I’ll let you know when the time comes.” Damon assured her, effectively ending that conversation, not trusting her nearly enough to tell her everything he had planned for Mystic Falls.

 

Shrugging, Ebony didn’t let his brush off bother her and continued eating the chips while staring out into the sun.  She always used to hate the sunlight and suddenly, Ebony couldn’t get enough of it.  Maybe it was the fact it couldn’t kill her as long as her ring was on, which she planned on never taking it off.

 

“So, who is Ashley?” Damon asked, deciding to get some background information on his new creation, switching lanes.

 

Closing her eyes painfully, Ebony didn’t say anything for a few minutes, taking deep breaths to try reigning her emotions in. “She was the only person I consider family.  I met her at the orphanage we both grew up in and we were inseparable.  We got in a lot of trouble and purposefully made life miserable for any families that tried adopting us.  We didn’t want to be adopted and be separated, so we did what we had to do.  The orphanage had a policy where when you turned eighteen, you were forced to leave to make room for other kids.  Ashley was four months older than me, so she was thrown out first…” Ebony had to stop talking because her emotions were starting to become overwhelming, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. “This is ridiculous!!  I NEVER cry, NEVER!” She snapped, wiping them away frantically and bent down to put her head between her legs, gripping her hair.

 

“It’ll take time for you to learn to control your emotions.” Damon said, reaching behind him to grab another blood bag, ripping it open and handed it to her. “Breathe through it and drink this.  You need your strength.” He’d already had a bag earlier while she slept.

 

Ebony slowly looked up at him and took the blood bag, beginning to suck it down in huge gulps, acting as though she was starved.  Never in a million years did Ebony think she would be drinking human blood of all things and have it taste better than strawberry cheesecake, her favorite dessert.  This was so surreal, Ebony was still waiting to wake up and all of this be nothing more than a dream.

 

Once she sucked the bag nearly dry, Ebony finally pulled away and leaned back against the seat, licking her bloody lips, sighing in relief.  Instantly, she felt that same rush, the power filling her body, and closed her eyes to relish every second of it.  Would it always feel this incredible to drink human blood?  What was it about the red substance that stimulated a vampire so intensely?

 

“Feel better?” Damon asked amusedly, already knowing she did and was pleased when she nodded. “Now, continue with your story and remember to breathe through it.”

 

“Not much else to say about Ashley.  She had a ring that was identical to mine, only it had a moon instead of a star.  She was my moon and I was her star.  We were closer than sisters.  She died in the middle of March, two months before my birthday, brutally murdered in an alleyway…” Ebony trailed off, remembering something else that she’d been told regarding Ashley’s death, slowly looking up at Damon with narrowed eyes. “They said she’d been raped, beaten and…drained of blood…”

 

Damon didn’t seem surprised or appalled by hearing that, popping the top of his flask and took a long swallow of Vodka. “Sounds like she was dinner.” He groaned when Ebony suddenly slapped him as hard as she could upside the head, electric blue eyes flashing. “What the HELL are you thinking?!”

 

“Don’t EVER talk about Ashley like that again!!  She was human just like I used to be and didn’t deserve what happened to her!!” Ebony shouted, not caring what he did to her, refusing to back down when it came to the subject of Ashley.

 

“Listen to me right now, Ebony, you are a VAMPIRE.  What killed your precious friend was a VAMPIRE.  She was DINNER, bottom line.  You’re dead now, she doesn’t matter to you anymore.  I don’t care if you have that stupid ring to remind you of her, in fifty years she won’t even matter to you because you’ll be on your own, killing humans to SURVIVE.  Vampires are all over the place, I’m not the only one and I hope you realize that.” Damon stated evenly, his voice dropped an octave, growling. “And if you EVER hit me again, I will break your hand.”

 

Ebony turned away from him, scooting as close to the passenger door as possible and kept her mouth shut.  She couldn’t help lashing out when it came to Ashley, all of her feelings Ebony’s had bottled up over the past three years since leaving the orphanage suddenly spilling out.  As much as she wanted to hate Damon for what he said, deep down Ebony knew he was only being blunt and brutally honest with her.

 

Damon didn’t regret anything he just said to Ebony because that’s just the kind of vampire he was.  Remorseless, selfish, uncaring, blunt and definitely brutal when the situation called for it.  He took pleasure in making others suffer because that’s who he was, that’s what a vampire’s nature was.  Humans were nothing more than food, a substance for him to survive, and he took pleasure in sucking lives out of others.

 

Soon, Ebony would be the same way because he planned on turning her into a remorseless cold killer like him.

 

Pulling into a nearby motel parking lot, Damon parked and cut the ignition, turning to look at her. “We’re staying here for a few days.” He announced, stepping out of the car and slammed the door shut, heading in to get their room.

 

Ebony blinked, wondering if they were in Mystic Falls yet and looked around, the place surrounded by the woods.  Sighing, Ebony grabbed her back from the floorboard and stepped out into the sunlight, thankful her ring actually worked.  When Damon came back out a few minutes later with a key, Ebony reluctantly followed him, heading upstairs to the second floor.

 

One bed, a dresser, small television and a bathroom pretty much summed up the rundown room.  Ebony tossed her things in the corner and looked around while Damon plopped down on the bed, removing his shirt.  She sat on the opposite side and reached down to pull her shoes off, tensing when she felt Damon’s hand slide under her tank top up her back.

 

“I’m gonna go shower.” She announced, starting to stand up, only for Damon to pull her back down on the bed, hovering over her.

 

“You’re avoiding me.” He pointed out, running his fingers down the side of her face. “Mad at me, Ebony?”

 

“No.” Ebony lied, trying to look away from him, but Damon wasn’t letting that happen. “I just want to take a shower.”

 

“Not right now.”

 

His mouth suddenly covered hers and all Ebony could do was kiss him back, gripping the back of his neck.  Every sensation suddenly exploded within her, the kiss much more intense and passionate than before.  Uncontrollable moans spilled from her lips as her fingers suddenly delved into his thick short black hair, their tongues tasting each other and it made Ebony heady.

 

Damon broke the kiss and began trailing hot kisses down the side of her neck while slipping his hands under the front of her tank top this time, fondling her breasts.  His touch burned straight through the thin material of her bra and Ebony suddenly craved to have him inside of her, not caring about anything else.  It didn’t matter that he had sex with other women, Ebony was just concerned with the here and now, her hands sliding up his muscular chest.

 

Without realizing it, Ebony suddenly flipped Damon so he was on his back, straddling his lap, grey eyes glowing.  Pushing herself up, Ebony removed her tank top and bra, tossing it behind her before starting her own assault on his gorgeous body.  Damon groaned at the feeling of her hot kisses traveling down the middle of his chest, his jeans unsnapping with a flick of her wrist seconds later.

 

“I’m enjoying it this time.” She growled, remembering how Damon had made her a snack during their first time together.

 

“Uh huh…” Damon wasn’t arguing or fighting her, thoroughly enjoying the current affection she showed him.

 

Sex with Damon was stupefying and Ebony could only lay there afterwards, staring up at the ceiling.  The tingling hadn’t stopped, the stars in Ebony’s grey eyes still shining brightly, both of them slowly coming down from the intense sexual high both had skyrocketed too.  What he said to her earlier in the car was forgotten because this feeling was too incredible and Ebony wanted more, craved more.

 

Damon rolled over to lean over her, running his fingertips up and down her flat toned stomach. “Hmm seems you’re not mad at me anymore.” He commented huskily, watching as those beautiful grey eyes turned to lock with his.

 

“How can I be after that?” Ebony retorted, not pushing his hand away because every touch felt amazing. “Is it always supposed to feel this way?”

 

“What?” Damon asked, resting his head on his elbow, his eyes trailing over her beautiful frame.

 

“Sex.  Is it supposed to feel this…exhilarating and intense?  Because it didn’t feel like this when I was human.” She admitted, leaning into his hand that cupped her cheek tenderly.

 

Damon chuckled, nodding and kissed her forehead softly. “Yes, everything you used to feel is intensified, like I said.  That includes every emotion, every touch, every kiss, and especially every time you have sex.” He knew he wasn’t going to be her only partner because part of the hunt for their food was using seduction. “You’ll get used to it after a while and it won’t be as intense.”

 

“No.” Ebony sat up suddenly, pushing him down on his back and kissed him deeply. “I never want this to go away.  I always want to feel this incredible.  I’ve never felt like this before, it’s crazy.”

 

“I mean in a couple decades, it doesn’t happen overnight.  Control takes a lot of time and patience, sometimes you’ll slip and you have to be prepared for that.  You have to also push away the guilt of taking human life because it’s essential to our survival.” Damon said, his voice completely serious, while staring up at the beauty he had changed and apparently saved. “I’ll teach and show you everything you need to know, Ebony.”

 

“I know you will.”

 

Smiling, Ebony squealed in surprise when he suddenly sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist and filled her receptive body once again.  Her head instantly leaned back and met him for every thrust, gripping his powerful shoulders, his lips devouring her neck.  From the moment Damon laid eyes on her during her stripping performance, something told him this woman was special.  She had this fire about her that he knew couldn’t be extinguished, this strength that would never die.

 

So far, Damon wasn’t disappointed and had a feeling he never would be when it came to Ebony.

 

Chapter 6

 

It turned out they were on the outskirts of Mystic Falls.

 

Over the next week, Ebony was shown the ropes by Damon, pointing out her super speed and strength.  She was astonished at all these newfound abilities that she now had, trying each of them out by sparring with Damon.  Of course, he only let her tackle him once before getting serious and Ebony ended up getting beaten down.  Damon forced her to spar with him at least once a day to help build her strength, knowing that would come with time.

 

Then there was the ability of compulsion, which Ebony found to be extremely effective when it came to hunting.  It was a supernatural ability to control and manipulate the emotions of a human, as long as they weren’t wearing vervain.  So far, they had lucked out Ebony ended up compelling her prey into not screaming or being afraid, amazed when they did exactly as she said.

 

Damon was pleasantly surprised at how quickly she caught onto compulsion, though he sometimes preferred his prey to scream and struggle.  It made the hunt that much more exhilarating, not bothering to hide his animalistic side from her.  It was a good thing that Ebony didn’t have a family to remember because Damon explained to her that being a vampire meant she had immortality – the gift of everlasting life and youth.

 

She would stay twenty one years old from now until eternity unless she was killed.

 

On one of the hunts, Damon ended up being stabbed with a sharp tree branch right in the stomach.  Ebony ended up pouncing on his prey, which was a young woman, while Damon pulled the stick out.  That’s the night she learned vampires also had incredibly fast healing abilities, the huge hole closing up on its own.  She remembered when she cut her hand with the razor back in Chicago, when she was still in transition, and how it healed.

 

That was also the night Damon showed Ebony his dangerous side, watching as he completely ripped the side of the woman’s neck completely out while feasting.  Ebony knew her stunt had severely pissed him off and honestly didn’t blame him, suddenly realizing all the different materials that were considered wood.  She would have to be extremely careful and cautious, one of the few downfalls of being a vampire.

 

Ebony flipped through the channels mindlessly, Damon having gone out for the day and ordered her to stay put.  He was scouting out the area before they made their way into town, though Ebony had no idea the reasoning.  The only thing she knew was they were going to visit his little brother, Stefan Salvatore, but only when the ‘time was right’, as quoted by Damon.

 

Apparently it was because the door to their motel room opened, Damon tossing her bag at her. “We’re leaving.” He announced without preamble, flying into the bathroom and tossed everything into a bag before coming back out. “I already checked us out of here.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Ebony jumped up from the bed, wearing a pair of blue jean shorts with a white spaghetti strapped camisole and began packing up her few things.  Damon had taken her shopping and bought her an entire wardrobe, but most of it was already in the trunk of his car.  That included a cell phone, something Ebony never had and he had to show her how to work it, which made her feel incredibly stupid. 

 

Walking out of the room, Ebony waited for Damon to join her and followed him to the car, seeing he was in a bit of a hurry. “What’s going on?” She demanded as soon as he fired up the ignition, barely having time to buckle up before it tore out of the parking lot at top speed.

 

“I attacked someone.” He stated, punching the gas and sped down the road, gripping the steering wheel. “Some high school girl, don’t know her name.”

 

Grey eyes widened at Damon’s confession and Ebony was having a hard time believing he did it just on a whim. “What for?” She asked in a soft voice, feeling the anger radiating from his body. “Damon, talk to me.”

 

“To send a message to my little brother.”

 

Ebony swallowed hard at the intensity in his blue eyes, not having seen him the entire day and wondered what the hell happened.  Something told her whatever Damon needed help with had to do with his little brother, though she hadn’t questioned him since the last time.  Her mind was racing with possibilities of why Damon would have to send a message to his brother by attacking a high school girl, frowning.

 

“Damon, slow down before you end up getting pulled over.” Ebony pointed out, seeing he had revved the engine way past eighty miles an hour, wondering how she could feel fear as a vampire. “What happened today?”

 

“He thought I wouldn’t find out, that I wouldn’t come back.” Damon rambled angrily, gritting his teeth and started gnashing them together. “Do you remember yesterday when I told you about the girl I saw in the cemetery and I scared her?”

 

“With the crow, yes.” Ebony still didn’t fully understand how that worked, only seeing him use it a few times and didn’t really question it. “She cut her leg right?”

 

Damon nodded, reaching in the back to grab a blood bag from his stash and ripped it open, beginning to swallow it down quickly. “She’s not just anyone, Ebony.  She’s…” He growled, squeezing the bag so tight it nearly busted right in his hand. “Never mind, it’s time to stop hiding out and face Stefan once and for all.” He looked over at her. “It’s not going to be a heartwarming reunion, I’m warning you right now, Ebony.  So if you want to run away right now, I’ll pull over and let you out.”

 

“I already told you I’m not leaving, Damon.” Ebony stated, reaching over to touch his shoulder gently. “You told me it’s my decision when I walk away and I don’t want to right now.”

 

“You will after this.” He promised in a low voice, not pulling away from her touch because it was slowly calming him down.

 

Ebony’s frown deepened, wondering why Damon loathed his little brother so much and had to confront him. “Tell me why are you’re upset with him.  It’ll help to talk about it…” She tried, moving her hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck, rubbing it. “Come on Damon, it’s time to tell me what’s going on and why we’re in this specific small town.”

 

Damon knew she was right and he hated her for it, shoving her hand away from him. “I don’t want to be touched right now.” He growled, slowing down when they entered the town, not believing how much it had changed in a hundred and forty five years. “You really wanna know why we’re here?”

 

“It’d be nice, yes.” Ebony said truthfully, not bothering to comfort him again because he was too upset and could end up hurting her. “I’d like to know what I’m about to walk into with you.”

 

She had a point, Damon thought grudgingly, and raked a hand through his black hair, taking a deep breath. “My brother and I were turned into vampires by a woman named Katherine in 1864.” He explained, his tone even because he couldn’t let his emotions overtake him, not yet anyway. “She is the reason we’re here.”

 

A woman…Ebony should’ve known it had something to do with love, though she was surprised to find out exactly how old Damon was. “So…how old were you when you were turned?” She couldn’t help asking, her curiosity burning now.

 

“Twenty four.” He answered, deciding he could trust her enough to tell her his true age. “That makes me a hundred and sixty nine years old, roughly.  Might as well round it up to a hundred and seventy.”

 

“Wow…” Ebony gaped, somehow believing he was actually telling her the truth because of the whole immortality that came with being a vampire. “And how old was Stefan?”

 

“Seventeen.”

 

Her heart instantly broke, even though it no longer beat with life, wondering what it was like to be stuck being seventeen years old forever. “I’m going to assume that Katherine was a little more to you than just the vampire who changed you.” Ebony took a chance, hoping she didn’t regret it.

 

Damon nodded, his jaw tightening at the thought of what happened all those years ago. “She was the love of my life and still is.” He stated wholeheartedly, gripping the wheel with both hands, trying not to rip it off because then they would end up crashing. “Turns out Stefan also loved her.”

 

There it was, just as Ebony suspected, though she didn’t voice anything she was thinking. “Go on.” She urged quietly, noticing the more Damon talked about it, the more he remained calm.

 

“We both vied for her affection and both wanted her, but I loved her far more than he did.  I was willing to give up my life and spend eternity with her.  I didn’t care about anything else.  She was my world.” Damon suddenly had to pull over on the side of the dirt road he turned down, the woods surrounding them, trembling slightly. “The Founding Families came up with this council that went after vampires and they started finding ways to fight back against them.  Vervain, wooden bullets, stakes…you name it, they had it.  Katherine could walk in the sun along with a few of her friends because of her handmaiden, Emily.  She was also a powerful witch that cast a spell on a bracelet for Katherine, which made her able to walk in the sun, like us.” Damon stopped talking, staring down at his ring and clenched his fist together tightly, gritting his teeth. “Our father basically forced us to go after the vampires with him, but being able to walk in the sun, Katherine and her friends were somewhat safe.  I begged Stefan not to tell father about her because I knew he would kill her instantly.  Stefan promised me he would keep his mouth shut…and instead, he ended up breaking that promise to me.”

 

Ebony covered her mouth with her hand, grey eyes widening, not moving from where she sat. “W-Why would he do that?” She whispered, flinching when Damon hit the steering wheel with his fists, looking away from him. “I’m sorry, Damon…”

 

“Because he thought our father would help us protect her and understand that she wasn’t like the others.  He was a fool, an ignorant dick!  She was caught because of it!  She ended up biting Stefan and his blood had been infected with vervain, thanks to father.  They took her away, putting some kind of contraption over her mouth to prevent her from fighting back.  Stefan tried wronging his right by devising a plan to save her.” Damon closed his eyes, remembering that night vividly and rolled the window down to get some much needed fresh night air.

 

“I have a feeling I’m going to regret asking this, but…what did they do with the vampires they caught?” Ebony reluctantly asked, seeing just how much this affected Damon and wished there was something she could do to take away his pain.

 

“They took them to Fell’s Church and locked them inside, burning it to the ground with them inside.” He whispered, the pain pouring from every inch of his body while taking this trip down memory lane.

 

“Jesus…” Ebony swallowed hard, wondering how people could be so cruel to do that to others, no matter what species they were. “Did you save her?”

 

“No.” Damon whispered, gritting his teeth as tears filled his eyes. “We managed to find the carriage that had her locked up and got her out, untied her wrists, but then we were both shot…by our own father.” He leaned back against the seat, breathing in and out, refusing to let his emotions get the better of him. “I drank Katherine’s blood willingly, so when I was shot, I died instantly and started the transition.  I didn’t realize Katherine had also let Stefan drink her blood, so when he was shot and killed, he also transitioned.  It was only supposed to be me.  I was the only one who was supposed to be turned.”

 

It sounded like Katherine had played both of the brothers for fools and turned them against each other, which didn’t bode well for this upcoming reunion. “So you’re angry with him because you think he’s the reason for Katherine’s death?” She made it sound like a question, wanting to make sure she fully understood the story.

 

Damon shot ice blue daggers at her, his head snapping toward her. “He IS the reason, Ebony.  There is no thinking about it.  He’s the reason she’s gone…” Then a smirk suddenly crossed Damon’s lips, dripping with pure wicked intentions. “But I know something he doesn’t.”

 

Ebony did not like the sound of that and had a feeling Damon wasn’t about to tell her anything more for now. “Go on.” She whispered, watching as he started the ignition and began driving down the dirt road again.

 

“There’s nothing more to say right now.”

 

Damon knew if he continued, he would say too much and Ebony would have leverage against him.  He had to be smart and get to know her better before divulging his master plan on why he had returned to Mystic Falls.  All would be revealed in due time, but right now, all he wanted to do was give his little brother a proper greeting, eyes flashing at the thought.

 

A few minutes later, Ebony slowly looked up at the huge house with wide grey eyes, blinking, wondering where they were. “Wow…” She looked at him, seeing the familiarity filtering through his eyes and knew he’d definitely been here before. “Is this…your home?”

 

Damon nodded, stepping out of the car, having parked a little ways from the house so Stefan didn’t see it yet. “Yes.” He answered, closing the door quietly and waited until she got out, both of them heading toward it cautiously. “When this goes down, I don’t want you in the room.”

 

“Okay.” Ebony agreed, watching as Damon jumped all the way to the second floor, which had an open window. “What the…?”

 

“Come on.” Damon whispered, not wanting Zach to hear them, which was his distant nephew over the Salvatore generation.

 

Nodding, Ebony closed her eyes and leapt in the air, landing on the balcony with ease, Damon catching her in his arms. “Whew, I’ll never get used to that.” She said a little shakily, walking into the bedroom and had a feeling it was Stefan’s.

 

They both heard the front door slam shut downstairs and Ebony instantly flew down the hallway to one of the vacant rooms she found, closing the door the way it was.  She listened in with her enhanced hearing, sitting on the bed and heard the crow’s wings flapping followed by Damon greeting his brother.  They exchanged words and Damon started taunting Stefan about going after some girl named Elena, which confused Ebony.

 

Suddenly, the sound of a window smashing echoed in her ears and Ebony flew out of the room, hoping Damon was alright.

 

Chapter 7

 

Flying into the room, Ebony’s eyes shot open at the sight two broken balcony doors and pieces of glass were strewn everywhere.  She heard the entire conversation and knew Damon was antagonizing his brother, frowning.  Quickly rushing over to the balcony, Ebony listened to their conversation again, keeping out of sight like Damon wanted.  That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to eavesdrop, hoping some of her questions were answered since Damon refused to open up fully to her.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, Ebony spotted something on the nearby table in the room, her eyes narrowing slightly.  It sounded as though Damon had gotten the upper hand on his little brother and the reunion had come to an end.  Pulling away from the balcony, Ebony walked over to the table and saw a picture lying precariously on top of it.  She picked it up, eyes widening at the name on the bottom of it. 

 

Katherine 1864. 

 

This had to be the woman Damon told her about that had the brothers at odds, who had changed them into vampires.  Ebony had to admit she was quite the beauty, understanding the infatuation and desire from both brothers to want her.  Something told Ebony there was far more to the story as she set the picture down on the table, head snapping up when a voice came from the doorway.

 

“Who the hell are you?”

 

Ebony’s head snapped toward the voice and swallowed hard, slowly stepping away from the balcony. “I’m…”

 

“Nobody you need to concern yourself with, Zach.” Damon’s voice sounded from behind, his eyes landing on Ebony and watched as she immediately came to his side. “Just a friend of mine that will be staying here with us for a little while.”

 

Ebony smiled, clandestinely looking him over to make sure he was alright.  Judging by the way he walked and the unctuous attitude, Damon was fit as a fiddle, wrapping an arm around Ebony’s shoulders.  They walked out of the room past a resigned Zach and headed to Damon’s room, which was also upstairs.

 

It was the same room she had hid inside while Damon reunited with Stefan.

 

“You were listening in.” Damon stated, closing the door behind him and immediately peeled his leather coat off, tossing it to the side.

 

“I couldn’t help it, this damn super hearing…”

 

Ebony chewed her bottom lip and looked around the room, which definitely suited Damon.  It was very simple with a four poster king sized bed and an area rug underneath, the room mostly brown.  His sheets were pure white along with the pillows, the comforter a dark brown to match the room décor.  The curtains were golden dark brown with white, the windows huge and had outlined small squares within the glass. 

 

As Ebony explored further, she walked into another area of the room, which was immediately deemed the bathroom.  It was huge and had a small fireplace with a white garden tub, everything very elegant.  There was also a see through glass shower and counter with two sinks.  The Salvatore’s were rich and that didn’t surprise Ebony, though she didn’t touch anything because it all looked pristine.

 

“Penny for your thoughts?”

 

Ebony slowly turned around to face him, shaking her head. “No, just looking around.  This place is incredible.  I’ve never seen anything like it.” She watched as Damon shrugged and walked around her to the sink, running the water to apparently wash his hands.

 

“This place is actually called the Salvatore Boarding House where members of the Salvatore family lived over the years.  It was built back in 1914 and currently the deed is in our nephew’s name, which you just met.” Damon explained, removing his ring to wash his hands before immediately putting it back on, after drying them. “It’s also known as one of the creepiest places in Mystic Falls.” He added, chuckling softly and hung the towel back up before turning to face her. “It’s also now your home.”

 

Ebony didn’t believe that for a second and just nodded, starting to walk out of the bathroom, but Damon stopped her, pulling her back into his arms. “I’m glad you’re okay.” She whispered, reaching up to cup his face tenderly in her hand.

 

“Of course I am.” Damon snorted, kissing her forehead softly. “There are four available rooms for you to choose from if you don’t want to stay in here with me.”

 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Ebony retorted softly, confusion registering in her grey eyes.

 

Damon shrugged nonchalantly, releasing her and pulled his shirt off, needing a shower after being sent through balcony doors two stories down to concrete. “Suit yourself, but you might want to choose your own room because there are times I’ll have other women over.” He turned the shower sprays on, no remorse in what he just said.

 

“Right.” Ebony decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have her own room since her and Damon weren’t together. “On second thought, I need my space and I’m betting you do too.  So I’ll go find one.”

 

“Sounds good.” Damon called back, removing the rest of his clothes and stepped under the sprays, effectively ending their conversation.

 

Hiding her hurt, Ebony walked out of Damon’s bedroom and closed the door behind her, seeing there was only one more room on this floor.  That meant the rest of the bedrooms were downstairs and Ebony began descending them, not seeing anyone in sight.  She began walking down the small hall from the front door and saw a huge fireplace before her with possibly the biggest living room she ever saw in her life. 

 

It looked like three huge rooms meshed into one, all dark colors for the furniture and décor.  Grey eyes looked down the small hallway to her right and Ebony headed in that direction, the floor creaking gently under her weight.  One by one, Ebony glanced into the rooms and finally chose the third one, walking inside of it, closing the door behind her.

 

It was all dark blue décor, the bedding looking as though it was velvet and she had a huge bay window with dark blue curtains.  The bed was queen sized and Ebony was pleased to find she had her own bathroom with a garden tub and shower.  Though, it wasn’t nearly as big as Damon’s, which she didn’t mind.

 

Setting her things down on the bed, Ebony began pulling the few items she owned out of the bag, picking out the black pajama pants and matching spaghetti strapped tank top.  She quickly changed and shoved everything back in the bag, placing it in the corner before climbing into the huge bed, looking around the room even more.  Ebony was used to sleeping under bridges, using cardboard boxes for shelter and never had a bed this big just for her.

 

A content sigh escaped her when Ebony slid under the comforter and snuggled down into the soft feather pillow, completely melting.  Her thoughts suddenly ventured back to the conversation she overheard between Damon and Stefan, the name Elena somewhat intriguing her.  Damon said she was a dead ringer for Katherine, so what exactly did that mean? 

 

A dead ringer meant duplicate, but there was no way there could be two of the same person, right?  Something was definitely up and she knew it had to do with this girl named Elena and Katherine.  Ebony sighed as she closed her eyes, surprisingly not hungry and felt the exhaustion slowly overtake her body, falling asleep almost instantly.

 

~!~

 

Ebony was up before anyone else the next morning, the sun barely peeking over the horizon and she was starved.  She was surprised to find a bag of blood on the nightstand, unopened, and drained it almost instantly.  They had to go out hunting tonight because, even though the blood bags were good, fresh human blood was so much better.

 

Tossing the blood bag in the small trashcan that was on the other side of the bed, Ebony decided to go do more exploring of the mansion.  She slipped on a pair of black socks before heading out, closing the door behind her, and padded down the hallway toward the huge living room.  The sun shined brightly through the windows, really showing the true worldly beauty of the mansion and Ebony felt as though she was in some kind of fairytale.

 

“Damon is still sleeping.”

 

Ebony turned around, staring at the same man that had caught her in Stefan’s room the previously night, a tentative smile crossing her lips. “I wasn’t looking for him, but thank you.” She walked over and extended her hand, grey eyes friendly. “I’m Ebony.”

 

Zach was extremely wary of her for good reason, not trusting anyone associated with Damon. “Zach.” He didn’t take her hand, walking past her with his hands clasped behind his back, heading toward the kitchen.

 

Watching him walk away, Ebony shrugged and continued looking around, finding the small bar with different choices of alcohol.  She remembered Damon telling her about how it curved a vampire’s craving for blood.  One drink wouldn’t hurt as Ebony took a tumbler and picked the first bottle of dark liquid, pouring her a small shot.

 

Bringing it up to her nose, Ebony inhaled and tossed it back in one swallow, closing her eyes as the burning sensation rushed down her throat.  Her eyes opened and, surprisingly, the hunger for blood had somewhat decreased.  She took three more shots before putting the liquor away, leaving her glass there for later on and continued on her exploration.

 

Suddenly, she heard the creaking of the front door and immediately flew to the first room she could find, which was the dining room that was just off the huge living room.  A female voice pierced the silence and Ebony slowly poked her head around the corner, watching as the crow flew into the room followed by Damon appearing.  Ebony could hear how fast the girl’s heart pumped and covered her mouth with her hand when she realized who it was, eyes widened.

 

“You must be Elena.” Damon greeted politely. “I’m Damon, Stefan’s brother.”

 

“He didn’t tell me he had a brother.”

 

“Well, Stefan’s not one to brag.” Damon said, guiding her into the living room and parlor with a charming smile. “Please come, I’m sure Stefan will be along any second.”

 

Elena?  THAT was Elena?  She was the spitting image of Katherine!  What the hell was going on here?  Ebony didn’t move an inch, hearing them enter the living room/parlor, overhearing everything they were talking about.  Damon brought up Katherine, confusing Ebony, because the way he sounded the previous night, he was in love with her more than Stefan. 

 

This was very confusing; Ebony knew if she was human she would have a migraine by now.  She heard Stefan walk into the room and basically ordered Elena to leave, in a polite way, and heard the shuffling of shoes as the front door closed.  Why would Damon purposefully bring up Katherine to Elena, calling Katherine Stefan’s ex-girlfriend?

 

“Someone had to go clean up your mess.”

 

They were talking about someone being in the hospital and Ebony knew instantly who it was.  The high school girl from last night that Damon attacked to send a message.  He left her alive?  One thing Damon taught Ebony was that, if she was leaving her prey alive after feeding, to make sure to erase their memory.  Apparently, Damon hadn’t done that and she was curious why, wondering what kind of game he was playing just like Stefan.

 

Ebony slowly walked out of the dining room, after more words were exchanged between the brothers, a frown on her face.  Both Stefan and Damon turned to face her, Stefan’s eyes slightly wide while Damon stood there with a smug look on his face.  Stefan looked back at Damon and then the strange woman he wasn’t aware was staying here, folding his arms in front of his chest.

 

“Care to explain, Damon?”

 

“She’s a friend of mine.” Damon shrugged, sounding nonchalant and walked over to pour himself a shot of bourbon. “Brought her home with me.  I figured you were lonely and could use the company, brother.”

 

Stefan didn’t buy that for a second, slowly heading toward the raven haired beauty and extended his hand. “We haven’t had the chance to meet, I’m Stefan.” He said, feeling her hand take his and shook it firmly.

 

“Nice to meet you, Stefan.  I’m Ebony.” She replied, pulling her hand away from his and walked over to where Damon was, needing another drink. “You didn’t tell him I was staying here?”

 

“Why would I?” Damon retorted, raising a black eyebrow. “This is my house just as much as it’s his, if not more.  I AM the older brother after all.”

 

“Technically, this is Zach’s house because it’s in his name.” Stefan corrected, walking over to sit on the couch and ran a hand through his hair. “Does she even know the reason you’ve returned to Mystic Falls?”

 

Damon smirked, stirring his drink a little with ice and sipped it thoughtfully. “Even if she did, she wouldn’t tell you.” He assured Stefan, draping an arm around her shoulders. “Though, I’m sure Elena could use another friend in her little group.”

 

Stefan’s eyes narrowed upon hearing that, gritting his teeth. “Stay away from Elena, Damon.  I’m warning you.  It doesn’t have to be this way.”

 

“Don’t worry Stefan; I’ll stay away from Elena.” Ebony assured him, ignoring Damon’s sudden glare and poured her used tumbler full of whiskey. “And I have no idea why Damon came back here, just so you know.  I’ve been wondering that myself actually.” Her grey eyes were cool as she spoke, sipping her whiskey much like Damon had. “Though, she does sound like a sweet girl.”

 

“She is.” Stefan agreed, wondering if Damon realized that by making a vampire, he could no longer compel this girl to do his bidding. “Make yourself at home, Ebony.”

 

“Already have.”

 

Ebony raised her glass and downed the rest of it before walking out of the room, heading for the kitchen.  She was starving and wanted to forget all about this Elena/Katherine business for a little while, hoping they had something good to eat.  Halfway through making some pancakes, Ebony felt a presence in the kitchen and didn’t bother turning around, flipping one in the pan.

 

“So, are you ready to tell me what the hell is going on?  Because, I could’ve sworn I just saw Stefan’s new girlfriend, who looks exactly like Katherine.  And it’s making my head hurt trying to piece everything together.” Ebony felt him fly over to stand besides her, gripping her chin and forced her eyes to meet his, her lips pursed tightly together.

 

“All you need to worry about, precious, is being friendly with Elena.” Damon said in a sweet voice, though his eyes were pure eyes. “Because if you don’t,” His grip tightened on her chin, almost to the point of breaking it. “I will end you.  You find out things when I TELL you and not a second before then.  You are here to help me, remember?  Now finish cooking and get your ass to school because, as of today, you are a student at Mystic Falls High School.” Releasing her chin, Damon walked out of the kitchen and left Ebony standing there in shock.

 

Chapter 8

 

Looking up at the huge building, all Ebony could think was she wanted to run in the opposite direction.  She was twenty one years old and being forced to go back to high school of all places, this was wrong!  Ebony never went to a regular school because the orphanage had their own schooling program and, nine times out of ten, she was tossed out for misbehaving.

 

Apparently, Damon had been busy throughout the night planning everything for her while she slept.  He bought a black bag that went over the shoulder with notebooks, pens, pencils, a binder and folders.  Damon also bought her some jeans, shorts, tank and short sleeved tops, tennis shoes, a gym uniform, socks, panties, bras and even some hair accessories along with makeup.

 

How Damon managed to do all of this in LESS than twelve hours was beyond her.

 

Currently, Ebony wore a dark pink baby doll top with a white camisole underneath and black shorts, white sneakers on her feet.  Her hair was straight and left down with a huge black hairband pushing her hair back since she had no bangs.  She had simple black eyeliner on and clear gloss, foundation to help bring some color to her pale skin.

 

“Damon, you do remember I’m twenty one, right?” She asked, looking over at him and sighed when he nodded.

 

“You don’t look twenty one though.” He stated, reaching over to open the door for her. “Now get in there and start making friends with Elena.”

 

Ebony wanted to tell him that her and school never mixed well together, but the determination in his icy eyes made her keep her mouth shut. “Fine, whatever you say, master.” She snorted, hissing when he grabbed her upper arm tightly.

 

“Just do what you’re told and you won’t get hurt.” Damon said, his voice barely above a whisper and released her arm, patting her on top of the head. “Better hurry before the bell rings.  You have your schedule, right?”

 

Ebony nodded stiffly and stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut. “Damon…”

 

“Have a good day, sweetheart.”

 

Ebony watched as he sped away and groaned, feeling like she wanted to rip her hair out of her skull. “This is ridiculous…” She muttered under her breath before reluctantly heading into the building, pulling the schedule out of her back pocket and glanced over it. “History first, wonderful…”

 

Everyone looked up when the door opened and a beautiful raven haired girl walked in, looking extremely nervous.  William Tanner, the history teacher, looked over at her and smiled, figuring this had to be his new student.  Ebony chewed her bottom lip and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, remembering to learn to breathe because she was still a new vampire with hunger issues.

 

“Everyone, this is Ebony Salvatore.  She’s new from Chicago and a junior.” William announced, placing a hand on the small of her back. “Take a seat, Ebony, we were just about to get started.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Ebony smiled and quickly scanned the classroom, spotting a desk that was empty right next to Elena, taking it without preamble.  She set her bag down on the side of her desk, pulling out a notebook and folder while the teacher got her a history book.  Opening the page he announced, Ebony pretended to pay attention and glanced over at Elena, who was sneaking glimpses at her.

 

Elena didn’t know Stefan had a sister, cousin or whoever Ebony was, question marks swirling through her brown eyes.  Where was Ebony when she went over there earlier in the morning to talk to Stefan?  Damon had seemed decent enough, very polite, but there’d been no sign of Ebony anywhere.

 

She wasn’t the only one who was staring at Ebony with confusion and wonder because Stefan was sitting on the other side of Elena, also stealing glances at Ebony.  What the hell was Damon doing?  Ebony had made it clear she was going to stay away from Elena, only now she was here at school with them, sitting right next to his girlfriend.  Stefan had to do something and fast before Damon completely destroyed everything he had going for him.

 

If Stefan had to bring Ebony down as well, he would without thinking twice.

 

“Hey, do you have a pencil I can borrow?” Elena asked, deciding to make some kind of conversation with her and ignored Stefan for the moment.  He had some serious explaining to do when class was over with. “I can’t find one in my bag, it’s such a mess.”

 

Ebony smiled back at her and nodded; thankful she didn’t have to be the one to talk first. “Sure.” Pulling out a pencil, Ebony handed it over with ease, grey eyes staring at her friendly. “Here you go.”

 

“Thanks…” Elena looked over her shoulder at Stefan, silently asking him what was going on and all he did was shrug, giving her yet another vague answer. “You said your name was Salvatore?”

 

“Yeah, I’m Damon and Stefan’s cousin.” Ebony lied smoothly, having already gone over the whole family angle with Damon while she got ready after eating some pancakes. “I just got into town last night.”

 

“Oh.” Elena suddenly didn’t feel so put out anymore and extended her hand. “I’m Elena Gilbert, Stefan’s girlfriend.”

 

Ebony took her hand, shaking it. “Nice to meet you.  Damon told me you stopped by this morning, but I was busy getting ready for my first day here.” They were talking because Mr. Tanner had to step out for a second to take a phone call.

 

“Yeah, that was my first time meeting him.  He’s nice, though Stefan doesn’t like him as much.” Elena half-joked, not really understanding what was so terrible about Damon.

 

“Brothers will be brothers.” Ebony commented, looking up when the teacher walked back in and class resumed.

 

The bell rang, signaling class was over and Ebony packed up her things, starting to head out the door behind Elena and Stefan.  However, she was stopped by the teacher, wondering what he wanted and stayed behind like a good student.  Mr. Tanner waited until everyone exited the class before walking over, closing the door so they had complete privacy, turning his eyes on her.

 

“Did you understand everything today?” He asked, walking back over to sit down behind his desk. “Because I don’t want you falling behind since you haven’t been here the whole semester.”

 

“I took notes, it’s pretty self-explanatory.” Considering she was twenty one years old posing as a high schooler, Ebony had already learned all of this because of the orphanage. “I’ll catch up.”

 

“You sound pretty confident.” Mr. Tanner observed, folding his arms in front of his chest, eyes narrowing slightly. “My class isn’t that easy to get through, Ebony.”

 

Ebony knew if she mouthed off, she would have to deal with Damon’s wrath later, so she just bit her tongue for the time being. “I understand, Mr. Tanner, and will do my best to catch up.” She said as politely as she could, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable.

 

“Well, I could definitely make it easier for you to catch up, if you want.” He offered in a lower voice, a predatory gleam coming over his eyes as he stood up from his chair, towering over her. “VERY easy.”

 

Ebony had been around the block a few times and knew exactly what that look in his eyes implied, squaring her shoulders with pursed lips. “I don’t think so.” She took a step back, only for him to take one forward, smiling uneasily. “Mr. Tanner, I’m going to be late for my next class, so I really need to go…”

 

“I’ll write you a tardy note.” He assured her, watching as she finally hit the chalkboard and boxed her in so she couldn’t get away from him. “I’m not done talking to you yet, Ebony.”

 

Ebony closed her eyes as his head bent down to smell her, feeling sick to her stomach and could feel the tears burning her eyes. “Mr. Tanner…”

 

“Ssshhhh…” He slowly ran his finger down her cheek to the side of her neck, suddenly gripping her breast through the thin material of her baby doll. “Mmm so firm…”

 

That was all Ebony could take as she brought her hands up, shoving him as hard as she could away from her and ended up sending him flying on top of the desks.  Her grey eyes shot open, suddenly remembering her enhanced strength and knew she had to get out of there before he could regain his bearings.  Opening the door, Ebony ran down the hallway and into the nearest bathroom, occupying the first available stall.

 

Tears instantly poured down her cheeks as Ebony pressed her forehead to the stall door, feeling her knees buckling and hit the floor, her bag slipping from her shoulder.  What the hell kind of school was this where teachers touched their students the way Mr. Tanner just did to her?  Ebony didn’t care about the consequences of going home on her first day of school. 

 

Damon could stake her if he wanted to, but she was NOT staying here after what just happened.  Wiping her tears away, Ebony took a few deep breaths before pushing open the stall, thankful everyone had cleared out.  She turned the faucet on and splashed some cold water on her face, not caring if her makeup was destroyed.  Ebony had stripped naked for money in front of men, but she was always in control with everything she did, never having a man actually assault her the way Mr. Tanner did.

 

The bathroom door opened suddenly as Elena walked inside along with another blonde girl, both stopping at the sight of her. “Ebony?” Elena frowned, walking over to her and could clearly see she was upset about something. “Are you okay?”

 

“No, I’m leaving for the day and going back to the mansion.” Ebony muttered, looking away from Elena as she patted her face dry.

 

Elena didn’t understand what could’ve happened and suddenly stopped Ebony from leaving, grabbing her arms to keep her still. “What happened, Ebony?” She was Stefan’s family, which meant she was automatically someone Elena cared about, concern in her eyes. “Talk to us.”

 

“I don’t even know you, Elena.” Ebony whispered, tossing the damp paper towel in the trashcan, trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible. “Just like you don’t know me from a hole in the ground.” If the girl only knew who she really was, Elena would’ve walked away in a split second.

 

“Well this is Caroline, one of my best friends.  You’re Stefan’s family, so that automatically makes you my friend, even if you don’t realize it yet.” Elena stated, grabbing both of Ebony’s hands and squeezed them gently, cracking a hesitant smile. “Before you leave school, tell me what happened.  Maybe we can fix it so that way you don’t miss your first day.”

 

This girl trusted far too easily, Ebony thought, but the deep brown eyes of Elena were hard to resist. “Mr. Tanner asked me to stay after to talk to me about what I thought was schoolwork, but he ended up…making a pass at me…and touching me…” She looked away in shame, raking a hand through her hair and ended up pulling the headband out in anger.

 

Elena’s eyes shot open, along with Caroline’s, both of them sharing shocked expressions. “What?” Mr. Tanner was a lot of things, but Elena never thought in a million years the man was actually capable of being a pedophile and felt sick to her stomach just like Ebony.

 

“You have to get her out of here, Elena.” Caroline stated, pity filling her blue eyes. “She looks very pale…”

 

Elena nodded, already pulling her cell phone out and sent Stefan a quick text. “I am, I’m taking her back to Damon and letting Stefan know what’s going on.  She can’t be here right now.” If that happened to Elena, she would definitely not be able to stay in the same school as the teacher that molested her. “Caroline, don’t call your Mom yet, okay?”

 

“Wasn’t planning on it, but this really should be documented.” Caroline pointed out, picking up Ebony’s books and slid them back in her bag, handing it over to Elena. “I’ll get the homework for both of you that you miss.”

 

“Thanks Caroline.” Elena smiled appreciatively at one of her best friends, guiding Ebony out of the bathroom, a firm arm around her shoulders. “Hold on, Stefan is texting me back.”

 

What happened?  Stay where you are, I’m on my way.

 

Elena wasn’t waiting for Stefan to get out of class, needing to get Ebony home before they ran into Mr. Tanner again.  There was no way she was making that up, she was trembling far too much to be lying.  They walked outside and Elena found her car, heading over to it, pressing the unlock button.

 

“You don’t have to do this…” Ebony whispered, slipping in the passenger seat and immediately stopped talking when Elena held her hand up.

 

“Don’t worry about it.  Just try to relax.” Elena assured her, buckling up and waited for Ebony to do the same thing before peeling out of the high school parking lot.

 

Stefan groaned when he saw Elena’s car drive off with Ebony and immediately went after them, running as fast as he could through the woods.  All Elena’s text said was something had happened to Ebony, which was incredibly vague.  Whatever it was, it had to be some kind of plan for Ebony to get Elena alone to talk to her, his eyes narrowing as several different scenarios popped in his head.

 

“Damn it.” He cursed, picking up speed and knew he could only go so fast since he didn’t live off of human blood unlike Damon.

 

“What exactly happened, Ebony, if you don’t mind me asking?” Elena asked, wanting to make sure she got the full story, glancing over at the shaking girl. “You can tell me, I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me too.”

 

“Mr. Tanner asked me to stay after class because he had to talk to me about something.  I figured it was because I just started in the middle of the semester.  He said that he could help me get ahead, if I knew what he meant.  Then he backed me up against the chalkboard and started sniffing me like a bitch in heat.” Ebony grit her teeth, tears instantly stinging her eyes again and had to look away to stare out the window, closing her eyes. “Then he ran a finger down my cheek and neck and grabbed my boob.  I shoved him away and got the hell out of there before something else happened.”

 

Elena couldn’t believe this was happening, knowing Mr. Tanner always was a little strange, but never someone that would deliberately force themself on an innocent girl.  She was angry, punching the gas harder down the dirt path that lead to the Salvatore mansion.  If Ebony never stepped foot in that high school again, Elena wouldn’t blame her a bit, gripping the steering wheel tightly in her hands.

 

They pulled up to the mansion a few seconds later and Ebony instantly got out, not waiting for Elena as she rushed to the front door.  Damon opened it just before she could touch the door handle, blinking as Ebony flew past him straight to her room, black eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  Then he spotted Elena running up to the door, instantly letting her inside and had a feeling something bad happened at the high school with Ebony.

 

“What happened?” He demanded, closing the door behind Elena and stood there while she told him everything Ebony had said, eyes narrowing with every word he heard.

 

William Tanner was officially living on borrowed time.

 

Chapter 9

 

Stefan showed up a few minutes later and flew into the house, stopping at the sight of her talking to Damon.  Big brother did not look happy either.  Damon looked downright deadly and Stefan could only imagine what happened to make him look like that.  Slowly walking over, Stefan stood beside Elena and shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, raising an eyebrow because Elena immediately stopped talking.

 

“What’s going on?” Stefan demanded, wrapping a protective arm around Elena. “What happened to Ebony?”

 

“I’ll handle it.” Damon refused to bring little brother into this, walking away from both of them to go check on Ebony.

 

Scowling, Stefan turned his eyes down on Elena, running a finger down her cheek. “Tell me what’s going on.” He requested softly, frowning when she simply took his hand, pushing it away.

 

“I can’t, Stefan.  It’s not my place to say and Damon said he’ll handle it.” Elena hated leaving Stefan in the dark, but it was really for the best right now. “I really have to go.  If Ebony needs to talk, tell her to call me.”

 

Stefan nodded, walking Elena out to her car and decided to trust her judgment for the time being, promising to call her later.

 

While Elena reiterated what happened, Ebony was busy packing up her things, not able to do this anymore.  There was no way she was going back to that school and looking William Tanner in the eye.  He wouldn’t have a throat anymore, she would bleed him completely dry after what he did to her.

 

No matter how hard she tried, Ebony couldn’t stop the tears from pouring down her cheeks, every part of her body trembling with barely repressed anger.  She could already feel the veins popping out on her cheeks, her sclera’s turning red and her fangs sliding out, trying to take deep breaths like Damon taught her.  How could she calm down after what just transpired with that lowlife teacher?

 

Damon could hear shuffling through the door and turned the knob, pushing it open.  He didn’t say a word and just watched as she rushed around the room, flying right past him to the bathroom.  Sighing resignedly, Damon shut the door behind him and walked inside the bathroom, leaning in the doorway with his arms folded in front of his chest, waiting patiently for her to realize he was there.

 

Ebony looked up from what she was doing and froze at the sight of Damon. “I’m leaving.” She stated, swiping what was hers from the bathroom counter into a bag. “You told me I can leave whenever I want and that’s what I’m doing.  You’ll have to do whatever this plan is on your own or kill me.”

 

“I’m not going to kill you, Ebony.” Damon said, pushing away from the doorway and grabbed her upper arms, forcing her to stop for a few seconds. “Relax…”

 

“NO!!” Ebony suddenly broke free and used all of her strength to push him away, sending him flying back against the wall. “Do NOT touch me, Damon.  I’m not your little bitch!  I’m NOBODY’S bitch, you got that?  I am touched when I WANT to be touched!!”

 

Damon knew she was extremely upset and he had to calm her down because Stefan would be able to hear everything she said. “Ebony, you have to calm down.” He flew back over to where she stood, but didn’t touch her, knowing that would only upset her. “I’m not gonna hurt you.  What happened today isn’t your fault and it will be dealt with.”

 

Sniffling, Ebony lowered her eyes away from him, feeling her shoulders slump as all the anger drained from her system. “I didn’t…” She didn’t push Damon away when he pressed a finger to her lips, cutting her off.

 

“I know, its okay.” Damon took a chance and grabbed her hand, slowly pulling her against him, wrapping one arm around her waist. “You can’t leave yet, Ebony.  I know you want to after what happened, but there’s so much I haven’t taught you.  I don’t think of you as my bitch, you’re so much more than that.” Because he turned her, Damon felt an unshakeable bond with Ebony, one that would be hard to break.

 

“Then what am I to you?” Ebony looked up at him, her grey eyes still filled with unshed tears. “Why did you bring me to Mystic Falls?”

 

Damon sighed, pressing his forehead to hers and suddenly captured her lips with his in a passionate kiss, burying his hand in her hair.  Suddenly, visions flashed through Ebony’s mind that had to do with an amber stone in an iron antique setting.  As Damon deepened the kiss, another vision flashed through her mind, this time of some old church ruins that looked decayed and in shambles somewhere deep in woods. 

 

Ebony completely opened her mind to him, knowing Damon was sending these visions to her and buried her fingers in his black hair, seeing another vision.  There was an African American woman that Damon was talking with, the conversation talking about the amber crystal that was around Emily’s neck.  Damon was begging her to save Katherine, to name her price and he would do it, no questions asked.

 

Emily wanted her family’s lineage to survive and Damon agreed as long as Katherine was saved, the church ruins suddenly flashing in her mind again.  So there was a hidden magical tomb beneath these ruins.  Ebony felt his hands run down her body and lifted her up with ease, her legs wrapping around his waist, the kiss never breaking.

 

Another vision showed Damon saving lives that Ebony knew had to be Emily’s family, possibly her children.  Ebony felt her back press against a wall and felt Damon grind against her, neither of them needing air to breathe because they were technically dead.  Yet another vision entered her mind that involved Emily, the amber stone and a comet that showed in the night sky.  It basically showed her how Emily cast the spell to seal Katherine and all the vampires in this tomb.

 

“Did you get all of that?” Damon murmured once the kiss finally broke, his blue eyes slightly darkened and cloudy. “Or do I need to show you again?”

 

“I got it, but…I need to make sure I understand what you just showed me.” Ebony replied softly, running her fingers down the side of his face. “Where can we talk so nobody will overhear us?”

 

Damon smirked, slowly lowering her down on the bathroom floor and peeled his shirt off. “Shower.  The water will drown us out.” He spoke quietly, undressing quickly and flew over to start the shower sprays.

 

Ebony smiled and undressed, joining Damon in the huge glass shower, the sprays cascading down their bodies. “So let me see if I got this right…” She cringed when Damon pressed a finger to his lips, pressing her against him.

 

“Speak quietly.  Even though we’re under the water, others might still be able to hear us.” Damon informed her, running his hands down her back and knew she thoroughly enjoyed him touching her.

 

“Sorry.” Ebony murmured softly, loud enough for him to hear and that was only because of the enhanced hearing. “So, I know you told me a little about Katherine and how she was caught.  Is that what Emily did then?  She saved Katherine from being burned in the church with all the other vampires?”

 

Damon nodded, grabbing the body wash and loofah sponge, beginning to lather it up. “Yes.” He turned Ebony around and began washing her back, his mouth right by her ear. “She had to save all the vampires in the church with that spell, it couldn’t just be Katherine.  And in turn, I promised to make sure her lineage survived, which it did.”

 

“So, what’s with the comet you showed me then?” Ebony couldn’t help leaning back against him, especially when he began kissing down the side of her neck.

 

“Emily had to use the comet in order to cast the spell.  It was considered a celestial event and, without it, she couldn’t generate enough power to save everyone in the church.” Damon explained, moving her wet black hair over her left shoulder, pressing soft kisses to her shoulder while continuing to wash her. “The comet is passing over tonight, which we will be attending.  I need you to keep Elena distracted while I work a little magic with her friend, Caroline.”

 

“The blonde?” Ebony turned around to face him, grey eyes narrowed slightly. “Why her?”

 

Damon smirked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not jealous, are you, Ebony?”

 

“Of course not.” Ebony shot back indignantly, folding her arms in front of her chest. “What do you need her for?”

 

“She’s a Founding Family member and I need her to invite me to the Founder’s Party because that’s where the crystal is.” Damon said, running a finger down her cheek and kissed her softly. “It’s going to be held at the Lockwood mansion in a couple of nights.”

 

“The amber stone, right?”

 

Damon nodded, tapping her head very gently with his fingertip. “That crystal is the only way to open the tomb and free Katherine.” Deciding it was time to set things straight, Damon fingered Ebony’s chin, his eyes locking with hers. “I need you to understand that Katherine is the only woman I will ever love.  She’s the only one I want.  I’ve waited a hundred and forty five years to free her so we can be together, that’s why I need your help to make sure nothing stands in my way.”

 

Ebony hid her pain well and nodded, finally understanding exactly why Damon had turned her, plastering a smile on her face. “I understand, Damon.  She’s the love of your life.  I’ll help you get her back, but then I’m gone, so you can be happy with her.”

 

“Ebony…”

 

She simply pressed a finger over his lips, silencing him this time. “You’ll be able to teach me a few more things before I leave.  In the meantime, I think I’ll have a little fun of my own.”

 

Winking, Ebony opened the shower door and stepped out, wrapping a towel around her body after towel drying her hair.  Ebony knew there was no way she would ever have Damon as her own, so there was no point in hoping for it.  She would help him as promised, but once he had Katherine back in his life, he would never see her again.

 

Ebony was a fool to fall in love with him, but she couldn’t help it, knowing she could never tell him the truth.  He used his blood to turn her, there would always be that intense connection with him, but hopefully in time it would fade.  Walking into the bedroom, Ebony laid down on the bed while Damon finished up in the shower, snuggling into the pillow.

 

Whistling, Damon walked out a few minutes later with a towel slung very low on his hips and decided to join Ebony in bed. “I was only being honest with you.  I wasn’t trying to be cruel.” He said, his way of apologizing, wrapping one arm around her waist. “I just didn’t want you thinking something could happen between us in a romantic sense.”

 

“I get it.”

 

Ebony felt him turn her over on her back, staring up at him and moaned as soon as his lips covered hers.  How could he kiss her like this and not feel anything?  He was not making this easy on her and all Ebony could do was endure everything Damon gave her, refusing to push him away.  Her leg curled over his while he hovered over her, their kiss never breaking.

 

“Damon…” Ebony suddenly pushed him off of her and sat up, breathing heavily. “I said I would help you, but I refuse to be your sex outlet.  Go find Caroline Forbes and have your way with her.” She whispered, slipping from the bed and walked over to her closet to pick out the outfit she would wear tonight.

 

“She’s not the only one I’ll be going after, just a fair warning.” Damon said, standing from the bed as well and wrapped his arms around Ebony’s waist, smirking when she tried pulling away from him again. “You know you enjoy me touching you, so why fight it?  Why not enjoy it while you can?”

 

“Because I refuse to be used by you or anyone else.” She broke the embrace and turned in his arms, holding some clothes. “If you want me to go to this comet thing, I need to get dressed and so do you.”

 

Damon backed away with his hands in the air, deciding to give her the space she wanted and bowed mockingly. “Whatever you say, Ebony.” He walked back into the bathroom to retrieve his clothes before heading out the door past Stefan. “Trying to eavesdrop on our conversation, brother?”

 

“Is she okay?” Stefan immediately asked, wondering if this was all a hoax like he originally assumed. “Because if that was all a plan to get Elena alone…”

 

Damon snorted, pouring himself a drink at the small bar in the parlor. “I’m a little more creative than that, Stefan.” Damon assured him, slamming the shot back before pouring another one.

 

“Then what the hell happened?”

 

“Nothing you need to worry about.” Damon replied, walking past him after downing his second shot, feeling much better. “Don’t you have the comet to get ready for?  It’s tonight, I’m sure Elena would LOVE to see you there.”

 

“Damon…”

 

Grinning, Damon brushed Stefan’s warning tone off and headed upstairs with an extra kick in his step, glad he finally had Ebony on his side.  Things were about to change in Mystic Falls and it was going to start with the girl he attacked in the woods.  Stefan thought he was slick and his little mind compulsion actually worked feeding strictly on human blood.  Damon tried warning him, but little brother was very stubborn when he wanted to be.

 

Pulling out a short sleeved black shirt, Damon pulled it over his head followed by a pair of dark blue jeans, drying his hair a little more.  He never put any product in it, the messy style suiting him, and pulled his leather coat on.  Straightening his collar, Damon grabbed his car keys and wallet before heading back downstairs, waiting for Ebony to finish getting ready.

 

Ten minutes later, she walked out in a pair of blue jeans and grey short sleeved top that had a V shaped neckline.  Her hair was still damp and hung down her back straight, refusing to do anything with it.  What happened with Mr. Tanner still bothered her, but Ebony had to get over it and keep focused on the main goal: Helping Damon open the tomb to get Katherine back.

 

“You look…nice.” Damon figured she could’ve dolled up a little more, so that was the best compliment he could come up with.

 

“Thanks, ready to go?” She asked, walking out the front door with him following suit, both of them having agendas. “So, why exactly am I going to this comet thing again?”

 

“To keep Elena distracted and have fun while I take care of a few things.”

 

Ebony nodded, looking out the window as they pulled away from the mansion, heading into town.

 

Chapter 10

 

Everyone in Mystic Falls came out to watch the comet pass through the sky.

 

Ebony stood there in the grass as the sun slowly began lowering on the horizon, looking everywhere for Elena reticently.  Damon had dropped her off and went on his way, leaving her to fend for herself in the swarm of people.  He also explained that the comet was the only thing that could give the crystal its power and he only had a certain amount of time to get it before the power vanished.

 

“Hey, do you have a candle?”

 

Ebony turned around and stared into a pair of kind baby blue eyes, a soft smile spreading on her lips. “No, I don’t.” She took the candle he handed her, which had a small glass holder so she didn’t get burned by the flame. “Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome.” He flashed a soft smile, using his already flaming candle to light hers, the candlelight reflecting in his eyes, making them practically glow. “What’s your name?”

 

“Ebony.” She answered, taking the hand he extended to her, shaking it gently. “What’s yours?”

 

“Matt Donovan.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Matt.” Ebony turned her eyes away from him while holding the candle, the cool breeze blowing through her hair.

 

Matt could tell she was lonely and for some reason that bothered him, so he didn’t leave her side. “Are you here with anyone?” He asked, trying to strike up another conversation with her.

 

“No, just figured I’d try to get to know this town a little better.  I recently moved here.” She said softly, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear, acting shy.

 

“No wonder I haven’t seen you around.  You’re far too beautiful to not be noticed.” Matt stated, grinning when she flushed slightly and looked back up at the sky, the moon slowly starting to come out. “If you don’t mind, Ebony, I’d like to hang out with you tonight so you’re not alone.”

 

Raising a slow eyebrow, Ebony considered his offer and finally nodded, deciding Matt Donovan would be her distraction from Damon. “You’re very sweet.” She commented, turning to fully face him, giving him her attention. “What’s the catch?”

 

Matt chuckled softly and tapped her nose with his fingertip, blue eyes sparkling. “No catch, a beautiful woman shouldn’t watch the comet alone.” He was being completely truthful, which surprised Ebony.

 

“That’s the second time you’ve called me that.” She pointed out with a smirk, wondering what it was about blue eyes that attracted her so much. “Don’t you have someone here to share the comet with?”

 

Matt shook his head, a frown suddenly marring his handsome face. “No, I recently broke up with this girl I practically grew up with next door.  You know the whole girl next door scenario.  It just didn’t work for her and now she’s dating someone else.  It sucks seeing them together, not gonna lie, but they’re good together and I’m happy for her.” He knew he probably just opened up a whole can of worms by saying all of that, but Matt was a blunt truthful person, always had been.

 

Yet another guy who wanted another woman. “You have a good night, Matt.  Thanks for the candle and good luck.” Ebony walked away from him, refusing to deal with another situation that was like Damon’s, for the first time feeling completely alone.

 

Matt frowned, watching her walk away and mentally cursed, trudging off in the opposite direction. “Stupid.” He muttered, kicking the ground angrily and headed away from the park to Mystic Grill, knowing his sister Vicki was there.

 

Tossing the candle to the side, Ebony had a feeling she wouldn’t run into Elena and decided to go hunting on her own.  Damon had told her not to go on her own, but Ebony was tired of following and obeying, trying to stem the anger currently flowing through her.  She could hear people heading into the woods and went in that direction, grey eyes glowing as the darkness surrounded her.  All she wanted was a taste and then she would erase their memory, they wouldn’t know what happened.

 

“Hey Mattie!” Vicki greeted her younger brother, walking over to him with a huge white bandage on her neck. “I was wondering where you were.”

 

“Just had to get away from the crowd for a bit.” Matt said, sitting at the bar and ordered a soda, scrubbing a hand down his face. “How are you feeling?  You should be at home resting after that attack, Vick.”

 

“I’m never better.” Vicki assured him, thanks to some pills that Jeremy Gilbert had given her, she was definitely pain free. “I was just getting my schedule for tomorrow.” She worked as a waitress for Mystic Grill and had missed a few days because of her animal attack.

 

“Are you sure that’s smart?” Matt didn’t want his sister pushing herself too much, frowning when she just waved him off. “Fine whatever, just be careful, Vick.” Standing up, Matt walked out of the grill and headed back to the comet sighting.

 

Vicki smiled and turned around, heading to the back to finish checking over her schedule.  Once she wrote it down, she walked back out and headed for the exit, stopping at the sight of a man sitting at the bar.  Her eyes became confused, staring at him a little harder and decided to say something, not really thinking straight.

 

“I know you.”

 

Slowly, the man’s piercing electric blue eyes locked on her while he nursed a glass of scotch. “Well that’s unfortunate.”

 

Fear suddenly entered Vicki’s body and she had the impulse to get as far away from this man as possible, tears shining in her eyes “S-Sorry excuse me…” She rushed to the woman’s bathroom, needing a minute to recollect herself and ended up popping a few more pills from the stash Jeremy gave her earlier.

 

That was the last thing Vicki remembered.

 

Meanwhile, Ebony had finished her meal of the night and wiped the blood from her lips, sighing in contentment.  She leaned over the man she had seduced, running her thumb over his still lips and pressed a soft kiss to them.  He’d gone into the woods alone with a bottle of Jack Daniels and ended up sharing a few shots with her.

 

It was almost too easy. “You won’t remember this happening.  You came into the woods alone and finished the bottle of Jack Daniels on your own.”

 

“Came into the woods alone.” The man replied in a trance.

       

Biting her wrist, Ebony pressed it against his mouth, letting a few drops enter his system, the bite mark instantly vanishing from his neck. “You will go straight home and sleep off your hangover.  I don’t exist to you.  And you will call a cab because drunk driving is bad.”

 

“Going home to sleep off my hangover.  Calling cab because drunk driving is bad.”

 

Ebony smiled and nodded, kissing his forehead softly, taking what was left of the Jack Daniels bottle before vanishing.  She watched from behind several trees out of sight as the man did exactly what she said.  Taking the last shot from the bottle, Ebony tossed it over her shoulder and felt exceptionally better, the power of human blood flowing through her.

 

“There you are!” Elena called out as soon as Ebony made her way out of the woods, smiling. “I’m so glad you came!”

 

“Yeah, I’m here.” Ebony smiled back, taking the candle Elena handed her and followed her over to the spot where they would watch the comet.

 

“How are you feeling?  Are you okay?” Elena asked, lighting Ebony’s candle, not realizing it was her second one of the night. “I’m surprised you came after what happened.”

 

“Damon talked to me and told me he would handle everything.  He wanted me to have a good time tonight.” Ebony said softly, having honestly forgotten about what happened with the history teacher.

 

Elena nodded, deciding to change the subject because she had a feeling this was the last thing Ebony wanted to talk about.  Turning, Elena came face to face with Stefan and smiled, lighting his candle without even realizing it.  Suddenly, nothing else mattered as they started talking while Ebony stood there, once again alone, though her mood was about to change drastically.

 

“Hey, have any of you seen my sister?” Matt asked, jogging up to them.

 

Elena frowned, both her and Stefan turning to face him. “No, not since earlier at the grill.”

 

“She’s missing, I can’t find her.” Matt looked worried, running a hand through his short blonde hair. “Will you guys help me look?” His blue eyes turned to Ebony, knowing she was probably upset with him after what he said earlier and he would fix it, but not now. “Please?”

 

“Sure, of course.  Ebony and I will go with you and Stefan…” Elena blinked when she turned around, seeing Stefan nowhere to be found. “Will be somewhere else.  We’ll find her Matt.” Elena placed a hand on his shoulder, all three of them walking away together to find Vicki.

 

So Elena was Matt’s ex-girlfriend.  Ebony could tell just by the way Matt looked at her that she was the girl he’d been talking about earlier.  First Katherine and now Elena…Ebony was starting to wonder what was so special about these women that made men fawn over them.  Ebony suddenly stopped when she heard crying from a distance, looking over her shoulder and watched as Stefan flew in the direction of it.

 

“No, no please!!”

 

“You two keep looking, I’ll go this way.” Ebony quickly said, not giving Elena and Matt a chance to stop her, heading in the direction toward a building.

 

Looking up, her grey eyes widened at the sight of Damon with a sobbing woman, acting as though he would drop her.  Had Damon completely lost his mind?  Ebony flew over to the side of the building and scaled it the way Stefan had, though she kept out of sight. 

 

The woman looked petrified as Damon shoved her off the ledge right into Stefan’s arms, ripping off the thick white bandage from her neck.  She had to be the girl Damon attacked in the woods to send Stefan a message and now he was tormenting her.  He had told her Caroline Forbes wasn’t the only woman he was going after and was proving it now.

 

The more Ebony watched, the more she wanted to do something to stop this from happening, her heart going out to the girl. “I’ve had it.” She whispered and suddenly flew over, pulling Vicki away from Damon. “Enough.”

 

Damon blinked, wondering how Ebony knew where he was. “What the hell are you doing?” He demanded, taking a step toward her, but Stefan blocked him.

 

“Get her out of here, Ebony, please.” Stefan requested, his eyes never leaving his brother. “Take her back to Matt, he’s been looking everywhere for her.”

 

Ebony nodded, looking over at Damon with such disappointment in her grey eyes. “I will…” First, Ebony had to do something and cupped Vicki’s face, already feeling the compulsion working. “You won’t remember any of this.  You were meeting someone here and they didn’t show up.  Your brother is waiting for you, he’s down the street from here.  Go.” Releasing her hold, Ebony watched as Vicki rushed over to the stairs and began descending them, going as fast as she could.

 

As soon as Vicki was out of sight, Damon flew over to where Ebony was and backhanded her, sending her flying in the air before landing with a thud. “Little girl, you WILL learn not to-” The breath was suddenly taken from his body as Ebony kicked him as hard as she could between the legs, sending him flying back this time.

 

“You were saying?” Ebony shot back, her fangs flashing in the parking lot lights, grey eyes darkened with anger. “I told you I’d help you.  I didn’t say ANYTHING about watching you torment the innocent, Damon.  Enough is enough.”

 

Damon recovered quickly, slowly making it to his feet and glared ice daggers at her. “This is the thanks I get for everything I’ve given you?!” He spat, squaring his shoulders while dusting his leather jacket off.

 

“You didn’t give me anything you didn’t want me to have.”

 

Damon suddenly flew over to her, but didn’t strike her again, their eyes locked. “I could rip your heart out without blinking.” He threatened, folding his arms in front of his chest.

 

“But you won’t.” Ebony replied confidently, rubbing her jaw from his backhand. “I told you, I’m not your little bitch, but I will help you.” She wasn’t saying anything more because Stefan was still standing there, listening intently to everything they were saying.

 

“So you think.” Damon’s eyebrows furrowed, not believing the audacity of this woman to actually stand up to him. “You seriously overestimate your use to me.”

 

Ebony snorted, placing her hands on her hips. “If you wanted to truly kill me, I would be dead already.  Enjoy the rest of your night.” Turning, Ebony smiled as she flew from the top of the building to the bottom, heading over to where Vicki had reunited with her brother, Matt. “Oh you found her, thank god!”

 

Elena nodded with a smile, meeting Ebony halfway and hugged her tightly. “I was starting to worry about you.  Are you okay?” She asked after pulling back, grabbing her shoulders gently.

 

“Yeah I’m fine.” Her grey eyes moved to Matt, who was holding his sister, their eyes meeting. “Is she okay?” Ebony asked, walking over to him somewhat timidly.

 

Matt nodded, running his fingers through Vicki’s hair. “Yeah, she said she took some pills that Elena’s brother, Jeremy, gave her and was meeting someone, but they never showed up.” He reiterated what Vicki had told him, pulling back to stare down into her eyes. “Come on, time to go home.”

 

Vicki nodded, exhausted from the night’s events and groaned because her stitches had been ripped open. “Can we stop for some ice cream on the way home, Mattie?”

 

“Hey Matt, wait up!” Ebony stopped them from walking away, deciding she really needed a distraction from Damon before she completely lost her mind. “Here.” She took his hand, pulling a pen out of her pocket and scribbled something on it, folding his fingers to cover it. “I hope to see you again.”

 

Clearing his throat, Matt could already feel the blood rushing to his cheeks as he looked down at his hand, seeing a phone number on it. “Thank…” He blinked when he didn’t see her standing in front of him anymore and then looked back at Vicki, chuckling to himself.

 

“Come on Mattie, ice cream!!” Vicki was definitely stoned and really needed something to eat, leaning against her brother as he dragged her to his car.

 

Ebony watched from a distance, leaning against a tree and then looked up at the sky, the comet still in sight.  It was so beautiful and Ebony could feel the amount of power emanating from it.  No wonder Emily needed the comet in order to cast the spell for the tomb, that had to take a lot of magical energy and power to perform.

 

Her grey eyes moved from the sky and noticed the blonde walking out of Mystic Grill, heading toward her car.  Ebony rolled her eyes when Caroline dropped her keys and Damon appeared right in front of her, both of them exchanging words.  A little piece of her died inside as she watched Caroline and Damon leave together, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

 

Chapter 11

 

Reluctantly, Ebony went back to school, keeping the same history teacher.  Maybe it was morbid curiosity to see if he would try making another pass at her, Ebony honestly didn’t know.  She was already planning on sinking her teeth into his carotid artery if he laid another finger on her.  Surprisingly, Mr. Tanner just taught the class and avoided eye contact with her, not bothering to call on her for any questions. 

 

Mr. Tanner was famous for trying to catch students off guard with random questions, making sure everyone was paying attention to what he was teaching.  He was also the coach for the Mystic Falls High School football team, the Timberwolves.  Ebony found out a few things about Mr. Tanner, but nothing about being a pedophile.

 

So either the teacher was very crafty about his extracurricular activities or the girls he did go after were screwing him willingly.

 

Either way, Ebony wasn’t about to touch him with a hundred foot pole, fighting the urge not to rip his throat out.  She could do it; Ebony knew she would enjoy every single second of it and would probably end up bleeding him dry.  The mere thought made shivers rush down her back, though she suppressed them for the most part and tried just focusing on finishing the day out, focusing on her schoolwork.

 

Once school was over, Ebony hitched a ride with Elena, who was going over to the mansion to see Stefan.  They had become really fast friends in the span of a few days, which was very uncommon for Ebony.  The only friend she had in her life was dead because a vampire, which she now was.  It was tragically ironic, but there was no point in dwelling in the past.

 

“So, I heard Matt has a thing for you.” Elena commented with a smile, stopping at a red light, turning her head to look at Ebony. “Do you like him?”

 

“He’s a nice guy.” Ebony knew this was a trap and wasn’t about to get caught in it, keeping eye contact. “He seems to be really family oriented.”

 

“You have no idea.” Elena suddenly sighed, guilt consuming her. “We used to date.  We grew up together next door and figured we’d try taking our friendship to a different level, but it didn’t work.  He had everything figured out with his life, all these plans, and I didn’t want any part of it.  Then my parents died and that just drove us further apart, almost to the point of ruining our friendship.  But then Stefan came into the picture recently and…Matt deserves to be happy and I want that for him.  He seems to like you, so if you were worried about getting my ‘approval’, I say go for it.”

 

“I wasn’t seeking any approval because he hasn’t even called me.  I gave him my number and nothing.” There was no way Ebony could ever have a full blown relationship with the likes of Matt Donovan, but playing with him for a little while sounded appeasing. “Oh well, no sweat off my back.”

 

“He will, just give him a little time.” Elena assured her, reaching over to pat her hand gently before pulling down the dirt road that lead to the mansion. “I think you two would make a really cute couple.”

 

Ebony raised a brow at that, looking a little bewildered and suddenly decided to just say what she’d been thinking. “You trust people too much, has anyone ever told you that?” She somewhat blurted, folding her arms in front of her chest.

 

Elena merely shrugged, a smile once again appearing on her face. “More than you can probably imagine, but the way I see it, why not trust a person until there’s something about them that’s deceitful?”

 

“That’s a good point.  Never thought of it that way.” Ebony murmured thoughtfully, not able to argue with that statement at all. “If Matt calls, I’ll definitely go out with him because being cooped up in this mansion when school isn’t in session is driving me BONKERS.”

 

Elena laughed, completely understanding that. “Hey, there’s a football game tonight and Matt will be there.  He’s actually the quarterback of the football team.” She nudged Ebony’s arm, winking. “Why don’t you come?  Stefan recently joined the team and it’s his first game.  It’ll get you out of the house too, which is something I know you need.”

 

“I’ll think about it.”

 

Ebony was already planning on going, even before Elena mentioned anything, because it was at night and the perfect time to hunt when almost the entire town was gathered in one spot.  The blood bags were holding her over, but nothing compared to the taste of human blood fresh and warm, the thought sending tingles through her body.  Someone was bound to be in the woods drinking and talking trash about the football team, that was a given.

 

“Okay, just let me know and we can meet up.” Elena said, pulling up to the mansion and cut the ignition, both girls stepping out.

 

“Will do, thanks Elena.”

 

Ebony headed inside to go do her homework, deciding if she was posing as a high school girl, she might as well go all the way.  Stefan watched Ebony pass him and greeted Elena in the hallway, kissing her lips softly.  They were spending a little time together before the big game later on that night.  Elena was extremely excited for him and couldn’t wait to cheer her man on.

 

“Everything okay?” He asked, walking up the stairs with Elena and was glad she wore the necklace laced with vervain he gave her earlier that day at school.

 

It would keep Damon out of her head in case he tried compelling her for whatever reason.

 

“Yeah, just a little girl talk.  Nothing you need to worry about.” Elena said, shoving Stefan down on the bed and giggled when he immediately turned the tables.

 

Damon overheard Stefan and Elena, which meant Ebony was home, flying down the stairs to see what she was doing.  He stood in the doorway of her bedroom, watching her go through her bag and walked over to quickly wrap his arms around her waist, locking her arms at her sides.  Ebony could only smile coldly, feeling his nose brush against her ear and neck, gritting her teeth.

 

“Hello Damon.” She greeted evenly, closing her eyes when he pressed a kiss to her pulse point. “Something I can help you with?”

 

“Mmmhmmm, you can explain to me why you stopped my fun with Vicki Donovan.” Damon rumbled huskily, his mouth right by her ear and reached one hand up to rest on her throat. “And give me one good reason why I shouldn’t rip your throat out.”

 

“Idle threats won’t win you any points.” Ebony retorted smarmily, feeling him whip her around and shoved her down on the bed, immediately pouncing on her. “Shouldn’t you be playing with your Barbie doll?”

 

“What makes you think I’m trying to win points with you?  I want answers, Ebony.” Damon growled, having given her one day to think about her actions against him, including the kick to his lower regions. “What you did was very BAD.”

 

Ebony snorted, suddenly flipping him over on his back with her straddling his lap, their fingers laced together. “What can I say?  I’m a BAD girl, Damon.” She maintained a healthy dose of human blood in her system, which was the reason she could overpower him. “I don’t owe you any explanations.”

 

This woman was getting under his skin and Damon wasn’t sure if he liked it or not, her fighting back irritatingly hot. “Yes you do because you ruined my brother bonding moment with Stefan.” He flipped her back over, this time applying pressure to her throat. “Your job was to simply keep Elena occupied, which you didn’t.”

 

“That’s because I refuse to do what you want me to.” Ebony shoved him off of her, sending him crashing against the wall and rolled off the bed, cracking her neck. “What did you think was going to happen once you turned me into a vampire, Damon?  Did you think I was going to be your little bitch, your errand girl?  I’ve got news for you, I’ve been hunting without you and have a lot of human blood in my system.  So don’t screw with me or you might get hurt, I don’t care how old you are.  You want an explanation?  How about you go to hell instead?” With that said, Ebony walked into the bathroom and didn’t bother closing the door, removing her top.

 

Growling, Damon suddenly flew into the bathroom and grabbed Ebony’s upper arm, whipping her around to face him.  His electric blue eyes glowed with intensity and anger while he stared down into defiant grey orbs, suddenly wanting her in the worst way.  Damon suddenly gave into his desire and smashed his lips against hers, burying his hand in her black tresses, squeezing to apply a little pressure. 

 

Ebony hadn’t expected this and kissed him back for a few minutes, molding her body to his, both of them releasing some much needed sexual tension.  She would be lying if she said this didn’t feel amazing, hating how deep her feelings for this man ran and wished there was a way to just turn off her emotions for him without losing all of her humanity.  Though, when Damon unsnapped her jeans and was about to remove them, Ebony’s brain instantly clicked on as she shoved him away from her, effectively breaking the kiss between them.

 

“No.” Ebony stated, licking her swollen lips and held her hand up when he came at her again. “Go find Caroline and take your aggression out on her.  It’s not happening with me, Damon.”

 

“Why the hell not?” Damon demanded, making a grab for her again, only for Ebony to fly to the other side of the bathroom, standing in a black lace bra and blue jeans. “I’ll end up tearing her to pieces with how I’m feeling right now, Ebony.  You’re more durable.”

 

“I don’t care.  When you proclaimed your everlasting love for Katherine, you severed what we had together.  I’m not being used, Damon.  Now go find your Barbie doll and take it out on her, be with her.  I have my own man I’m about to take to bed and he’s not you.” Ebony smirked viciously when Damon’s eyes flashed, wondering if she just saw a flicker of jealousy pass through them. “Hmm.”

 

“Oh you mean Matt Donovan?” Damon laughed, shaking his head. “Let’s get one thing straight, Ebony, he’s nowhere NEAR being a man.  He’s a little boy begging to become a man.” Did she seriously think Matt could please her the way he could?

 

Shrugging, Ebony walked over to start the shower and unsnapped her bra, pulling it off right in front of him with an innocent smile. “Just like Caroline Forbes is nothing but a little girl begging to become a woman.  Exit the way you entered, Damon.” Slipping out of her jeans and panties, Ebony stepped into the hot shower sprays, not surprised when he joined her moments later. “What do you want now?”

 

“Are you going to the football game tonight?” Damon decided since she didn’t want to have sex, he would just get straight down to business.

 

“I was thinking about it.” Of course she was, though Ebony wasn’t about to cater to his needs unless it had to do with opening the tomb Katherine was sealed in. “Why?”

 

“Because I am.  Did you know that I had a very interesting dinner with Stefan at Elena’s last night?” Damon smirked when Ebony’s eyebrow rose, giving him his answer. “Hmm Elena didn’t mention it eh?  Well it was a DELICIOUS meal and I brought Caroline, both of us uninvited of course.  So do you know what that means?”

 

“No, why don’t you enlighten me?” Ebony snorted, wondering what any of this had to do with the football game.

 

Damon leaned down to where his mouth was mere inches from hers, reaching around her for the shampoo. “I’ve been invited in.” He watched as her grey eyes widened slightly and chuckled, the sound dripping with pure evil intentions. “It was supposed to be this intimate dinner with just Elena, her little friend Bonnie and my brother, but of course I had to crash the party with my Barbie doll.”

 

“Damon, why are you trying to torment Stefan when what you really want has nothing to do with Elena?” Granted, her and Katherine could be identical twins, but that was beside the point.

 

“Because I promised my brother a lifetime of misery.” Damon stated simply, washing his hair and stepped under the sprays with her to rinse it out. “And it’s fun watching him squirm, wondering what I’ll do next to his little minx.”

 

“You need to focus on getting Katherine out of that tomb and nothing more.  You’re tormenting innocent people when there’s no reason for it.” Ebony said, not understanding what Damon’s motives were and probably never would, sighing heavily. “Do what you want, but when Stefan finally snaps and retaliates against you, just remember you deserve everything that happens from here on out if you keep screwing with Elena.”

 

Damon chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist while he took over washing her raven locks. “Sounds to me like you’re growing soft on me, Ebony.” He sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case because Damon really would hate to kill a vampire he created.

 

“No, I’m just thinking rationally unlike you.  I’m being smart and I can tell how protective Stefan is of her.  You really need to back off because, if you don’t, something bad is going to happen.  I can’t explain how I know it will, it’s just a feeling I’m getting, a vibe.  I don’t want to see anything happen to you, Damon.  Believe it or not, I do care about you.” That was the closest Ebony would ever come to actually revealing how she truly felt for him, keeping her thoughts blocked off so he couldn’t delve into her mind.

 

“I’ll back off when I’m damn good and ready.” Damon stated, pushing her a little more under the sprays and rinsed her hair out. “So, Matt Donovan.”

 

“So, Caroline Forbes.” Ebony shot back, folding her arms in front of her chest. “You have no room to judge me.”

 

“I’m only with her to get the crystal, you know that.” Damon said, loving the feel of her black hair running through his fingers, even wet. “Being with you is so much better, she can barely last five minutes in the bedroom.”

 

“Pity.” Ebony sighed almost wistfully, the sarcasm dripping in her tone and turned around to face him with emotionless eyes. “Even after you’re done with her, don’t come crawling to me.  Have a good time tonight with your little cheerleader and give her my best.” Stepping out, Ebony wrapped a towel around her body and walked out to get ready for the night’s festivities.

 

Damon could only watch her walk out and shook his head, suddenly very attractive to this new take no prisoner’s attitude Ebony had, wondering how far he would have to push her before she gave into him again.

 

Chapter 12

 

Deciding to dive into the school spirit, Ebony wore a long sleeved dark red shirt that had three buttons, all of them undone.  She had a black camisole underneath that had lace hemming on the top and bottom with a sweetheart neckline.  One thing she had to give Damon credit for was he did have good taste in clothes, even though most of them were dark or neutral.  She wore simple black pants and steel toed boots, deciding not to wear heels because she was going hunting first.

 

She curled all of her hair before pulling it up in a high ponytail, curling the small strands to just rest against her forehead.  She went a little wild with her makeup, black eyeliner with dark red eye shadow that stretched out in an Egyptian style, making her grey eyes pop.  She painted her lips with dark red gloss and clipped a black diamond shaped onyx stone around her neck.  It hung from a silver chain with matching studs that coordinated with the necklace.

 

Satisfied with how she looked tonight, Ebony grabbed her a twenty out of her stash, slipping it into her pocket and a key to the mansion Damon gave her.  She turned around, nearly running into Damon and folded her arms in front of her chest, trying not to notice how handsome he looked.  His look was relatively simple with dark blue jeans, black shirt and patent leather jacket, his hair the same messy style it always was.

 

“What do you want?” Ebony asked resignedly, leaning against the dresser. “I’m going to be late for the game.”

 

“How are you getting there?” Damon somewhat demanded, a smile on his face, though it didn’t touch his icy blue eyes.

 

“I was going to walk.” Ebony replied evenly. “Why?”

 

Damon snorted and grabbed her hand, guiding her out of the bedroom toward the front door. “Don’t be stubborn, I’ll give you a ride.” He felt her rip her hand out of his, turning to face her with narrowed eyes. “Look, I’m going hunting before heading to the game and I’m pretty sure you were gonna do the same thing.  So, like I said, stop being stubborn.”

 

Ebony could only roll her eyes. “I can hunt by myself.” She had definitely gotten the hang of being a vampire fairly quickly.

 

“Not tonight.” Damon shoved her toward the front door, daring her to try running from him because he would quickly catch her.

 

Ebony didn’t bother running and just walked to his car, slipping into the passenger seat with a scowl on her face.  She hated when Damon turned controlling, except in the bedroom.  That was the only place she didn’t mind him being completely dominant over her.  A few minutes later, they were on their way to the football game and Ebony refused to look at him, her arms folded in front of her chest.

 

“Hey, there’s no reason for you to be mad at me.” Damon pointed out, one hand on the wheel while reaching over to place the other on her thigh. “I’m being relatively nice right now.”

 

“Go be nice to Barbie.” Ebony shoved his hand off her thigh, wondering what kind of game Damon thought he was playing with her. “Don’t bother trying to be the ‘good’ guy because it doesn’t suit you.”

 

“You sound incredibly jealous, you realize that right?” Damon stated, raising a brow when she just kept her eyes on the window. “Ebony…”

 

“Don’t Damon, just don’t.”

 

Groaning, Damon was finally starting to understand where this sudden attitude from Ebony was coming from, sighing. “Christ, you’re in love with me.” He grunted, never intending for that to happen.

 

“Oh yes, Damon, I can’t live without you.  You’re the wind beneath my wings, the air I breathe, my everything.” Ebony said in a high pitched voice, clasping her hands together and batted her eyelashes at him before laughing. “Damon, you seriously need to get over yourself.  I PROMISE I am nowhere near in love with you.  I think you might be in love with me though.” She lunged forward when the car suddenly screeched to a halt, knowing that statement had definitely hit a few nerves.

 

“You know damn well that’s not true.” Damon growled, turning to fully face her, gritting his teeth. “I’m in love with ONE woman and it’s not you, Ebony.”

 

“Good, we’re in agreement then.  So you can stop with the nice guy act and go back to being the controlling, manipulative, enjoy tormenting other people asshole that I know you are.” Ebony said simply, opening the door and stepped out, leaning into the window. “I’ll walk from here, have a nice night, dick.”

 

Before Damon could say anything, Ebony was gone, flying through the woods as fast as she could to do her own hunt.  She didn’t stop until she was near the high school, the night quickly surrounding her.  Tears stung her eyes, but Ebony refused to let them fall, blinking them back and could hear someone talking on their cell phone nearby.

 

Squaring her shoulders, Ebony made her way through the trees and stopped a few hundred feet away from the girl crying on her cell phone.  Probably a heartbreak judging by the way she stood, what she was saying and how she was crying.  Ever since Ebony became a vampire, she was more observant and could read body languages a lot better, which was a definite advantage.

 

Ebony waited until she hung up with whoever was on the cell before heading toward her, a friendly smile on her face. “Hey, can I use your cell phone?” She asked politely. “I’ve been walking through these woods for over two hours now, got kinda lost.”

 

“S-Sure…” The girl sniffled, handing over her cell phone and wiped her tears away, turning her back to face the raven haired beauty.

 

This was too easy.  Ebony smirked as she turned the cell phone off and dropped it on the ground, flying over to stand right behind the girl. “I’m done.” As soon as the girl turned around, Ebony placed both of hands on her shoulders, grey eyes beginning to the compulsion instantly. “Don’t scream or move.” She ordered quickly, looking around to make sure it was the two of them. “Don’t be afraid either.”

 

The girl stood completely still, not moving an inch and closed her eyes as Ebony brushed her hair from her neck.  Feeling the veins form on her face and her sclera’s turn red, Ebony leaned down to sink her fangs right into the girl’s neck.  The warm red liquid filled her mouth instantly and Ebony gripped the back of the girl’s head, pleased the compulsion was preventing any kind of struggle, carefully drinking.

 

Pulling back, Ebony closed her eyes and felt the power fill every part of her body, being careful not to get blood on her clothes.  She took the napkin out of her pocket she always brought with her and wiped the blood from her mouth, feeling much better.  Biting into her wrist, Ebony held her wrist up to the girl’s mouth and forced a few drops in her mouth, watching as the bite mark on her neck instantly healed.

 

“You will not remember any of this.  You will get out of these woods because it’s extremely dangerous and do whatever you were going to do from your phone call.” Ebony watched as the girl nodded in the trance and flew away from her, breaking the compulsion.

 

A few minutes later, Ebony arrived at the school and saw the football game hadn’t started yet, deciding to track down Matt.  She made her way through the people, grey eyes scanning areas quickly and finally spotted him over by the fence.  Taking a deep breath, Ebony walked over to him and tapped his shoulder, watching as he turned around to face her.

 

“Hey, just wanted to say good luck tonight.” She said sweetly, trying not to laugh when his baby blues shot open at the sight of her.

 

“You actually came.” Matt smiled, hoping he would see her again and felt bad that he hadn’t gotten the courage up to call her. “Look, I was gonna call you…”

 

Ebony waved him off dismissively, already knowing what he was going to say. “You’re scared, I get it.  Believe me, I understand probably better than anyone around here how it feels to be in love with someone who is out of your reach.” She had lied to Damon earlier when she said she wasn’t in love with him and could’ve gotten an Oscar for her performance.

 

“You do?” Matt raised a brow at hearing that, his full attention on her. “You’ve been in love with someone before who didn’t want you?” That was impossible, Ebony was a beautiful woman that any man would be lucky to have.

 

“Yeah and it sucked, but I got over him and moved on.  You’ll do the same with Elena.” Ebony stepped closer to him, fingering the front of his football jersey with a smile. “Look, I’m not looking for a full blown relationship and I know you’re not either.  That doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun together though, does it?”

 

Matt swallowed hard, not expecting to hear a proposition like that. “Uh no, no definitely not.  I mean I’d love to have fun with you, Ebony.” Now he was sounding like a complete idiot stumbling over his words. “I think it would be good for both of us.”

 

“Me too.” Ebony was so glad they were on the same page and she didn’t even need to use compulsion to sway his decision. “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Matt Donovan.”

 

Smiling charmingly, Matt couldn’t agree more and suddenly pulled her into his arms, staring down in those haunting grey eyes. “Is this too forward?”

 

His lips suddenly captured hers and Ebony instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his.  Just because they couldn’t be in a relationship didn’t mean they couldn’t have fun and vent their sexual frustrations out.  That’s what Ebony really needed was someone who wasn’t clingy and who she could have fun with to distract her from Damon Salvatore.

 

“Mmm not at all.” Ebony whispered as soon as Matt broke the kiss, reaching up to wipe a bit of the dark red gloss from his lips, tapping his nose gently. “You have my number, don’t disappoint me again.  If you want to get together tonight, call me.”

 

Matt had to admit her offer was very tempting, not having any other plans after the game. “I will.” He promised, refusing to back down now that he knew she was interested.

 

“Be careful, see you later.” Ebony disappeared through the crowd to get something to eat at the concession stand.

 

Matt spotted Stefan walking from the parking lot toward the field, deciding to go meet him because there was something he had to say.  As much as it pained him to see Elena moving on with another guy, Matt couldn’t help noticing how happy he made her.  He stopped in front of Stefan and rubbed the back of his neck, not quite sure how to say what he wanted.

 

“Look man, I just wanted say that I’ve known Elena a long time and I’ve always looked out for her, but I can clearly see how happy she is with you.” This was hard for Matt to admit, especially when he was still very much in love with Elena and probably always would be. “And we’re lucky to have you on the team.” He added, extending his hand and nodded when Stefan shook it firmly, both of them having an understanding.

 

“Thanks, man.” Stefan said, meaning that and watched as Matt walked away, his jaw instantly tightening when slow mocking applause sounded behind him.

 

Ebony saw Matt approach Stefan and decided to go eavesdrop on whatever they were talking about, thankful she had.  As soon as Matt walked away, there was Damon in all his obnoxious glory, trying to ruin the night for Stefan once again.  This obsession to make his little brother miserable was getting old and fast. 

 

Her grey eyes widened when Damon said something about Stefan giving Elena vervain in a necklace.  She suddenly remembered spotting the necklace around Elena’s neck earlier that day on the ride home, but didn’t think anything of it.  What did Damon try doing to Elena and where did Stefan get vervain from?

 

When Damon threatened to seduce Elena the old fashioned way or just simply eat her, Ebony felt sick to her stomach.  He was doing it again.  Why couldn’t Damon just leave Elena alone?  Ebony was angry as she suddenly stepped out of the shadows she’d been hiding in, walking over and stood beside Stefan.

 

“You’ll have to go through me to do that, Damon.”

 

Ebony ignored both of their shocked expressions, grey eyes narrowed.  Ashley had been the last person she considered a friend until Elena came around.  Both Damon and Stefan blinked at the sight of Ebony, knowing she had overheard their entire conversation.  This was the SECOND time Ebony had stuck her nose in their business and Damon was getting tired of it, his eyes clearly cautioning her to walk away.

 

“Stay out of this, Ebony.” Damon warned, his voice low and dark.

 

Ebony shook her head, refusing to back down from Damon. “Elena is my friend and I’m not saying that to try tricking anyone.  I’m saying it because it’s the truth and nobody hurts a friend of mine.” She could only hope Stefan believed her, though Ebony didn’t take her eyes from Damon in case he tried attacking her. “Just stop this, Damon, please.  You have some humanity deep inside of you, I know you do.”

 

Her pleas were falling on deaf ears as Damon suddenly wrapped his hand around her throat, yanking her against him, trembling slightly. “You will learn your place, little girl.” He suddenly threw her against the parking wall of the school, watching her crumple to the ground.

 

Stefan shoved Damon away, switching sides so he was blocking Ebony and knew it would take her a minute to get up. “You’re just angry because you know she’s right!  You do have humanity and it’s your hatred for me because of Katherine’s death!”

 

“Salvatore!” Mr. Tanner shouted from behind, his arms stretched out. “What the hell?  We have a game to play!”

 

“If that’s my humanity,” Damon paused, a smirk crossing his lips. “Then what’s this?”

 

Suddenly, Damon lunged at William Tanner, sinking his fangs as hard as he could into his carotid artery and bled him to death, acting like a ravaging beast.  Ebony watched the whole time, already back on her feet and was glad she fed because it healed her quicker, tears filling her eyes.  Normally she would’ve stopped Damon from attacking someone like that, but honestly that pedophile had it coming.  She watched as Damon dropped him like a sack of potatoes on the ground, blood running down his chin, looking very demonic.

 

“Anyone, anytime, anyplace.” Damon growled, wiping the blood from his mouth and vanished, leaving Stefan there to once again clean up his mess.

 

Ebony had vanished as well, no longer able to stay at the game and went back to the mansion, tears flowing down her cheeks.

 

Chapter 13

 

On the way back to the mansion, Ebony started thinking about everything that happened with Damon since she met him.  He was unstable, in love with a woman who was stuck in a mystic holding cell for the past century and a half, enjoyed tormenting others along with his little brother and refused to leave Elena Gilbert alone.  Damon Salvatore was dangerous and Ebony knew she should leave to let him go through with his plan alone, but something was stopping her.

 

It baffled Ebony that she actually meant everything she said tonight to Damon about Elena.  The girl had befriended her when nobody else would and trusted her completely.  That was a very rare quality to find in humans these days, which Ebony no longer was, thanks to Damon.  Ebony started wondering if maybe she shouldn’t tell Stefan and Elena about Damon’s plan, having an inner battle.

 

Half of her did because she didn’t want Damon and Katherine to reunite –Yes, Ebony admitted she was selfish-, but a bigger part of her didn’t trust this tomb to be opened.  Damon was hiding something from her about it and Ebony couldn’t figure out what it was, which drove her crazy.  Then there was the other half of her that felt she owed Damon for changing her into a vampire, for opening her up to this incredible world she now lived in, and saved her from making more mistakes in her human life.

 

Ebony was definitely torn on what to do, wrapping her arms around herself and jumped slightly when her cell phone began ringing through the woods.  She pulled it out of her pocket, leaning against a tree and felt a small smile flit across her lips at sight of Matt’s name flashing on the caller ID.  The game had been effectively cancelled due to Coach Tanner being murdered, but nobody besides her and Stefan saw who did it.

 

Chewing her bottom lip, Ebony flipped the phone open and held it to her ear. “Hey handsome.” She greeted, immediately frowning at the upset tone of Matt’s voice.

 

“Ebony, where are you?” Matt demanded, sitting in his truck with tears in his eyes, not believing what happened tonight.

 

“I’m on my way home, Matt.  What’s wrong?” She asked, acting as if she didn’t know what happened to Mr. Tanner, trying to stop a smile from forming. “Are you okay?”

 

“The game was cancelled…” Matt had to stop talking for a second, letting a few tears fall, still in shock over the coach’s sudden death. “Our coach was attacked tonight and…he’s dead, Ebony.  Mr. Tanner is dead.”

 

Ebony gasped, covering her mouth while she continued walking through the woods, already knowing she would be laughing as soon as this conversation ended. “Oh my god, Matt…” She sounded sympathetic, playing the part perfectly. “I-I’m so sorry.  I had to leave early.” Lying was starting to become a daily life trait. Thankfully, Matt didn’t ask the reason why she left, which Ebony was grateful for and could hear him sniffling, rolling her eyes. “Do they know who attacked him?” She asked, already knowing the answer to the question, but figured playing on his emotions was the way to go.

 

“No.  He was found out by the parking garage.” Matt said, watching as the ambulance loaded Mr. Tanner’s body into the ambulance and gritted his teeth. “I can’t believe he’s gone…”

 

“Yeah, that’s a shame.” Ebony lied, ducking under a huge branch and knew she wasn’t far away from the mansion. “Is there anything I can do for you, Matt?”

 

“I don’t know…” Matt whispered, lowering his head as he rubbed his temples. “Part of me just wants to go home and part of me wants to see you.”

 

“Come over.” Ebony didn’t care if Damon was home or not, she had needs just as much as he did. “We can talk and try to get your mind off of it.”

 

The sound of her voice was very soothing and heartfelt, Matt was quickly learning that it was very hard to deny Ebony anything. “Alright, I’m on my way.  How do I get there?” He asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

 

Ebony gave Matt the directions on how to get to the mansion, jumping over the huge fence and landing gracefully right in the driveway.  Damon’s car was nowhere to be found, which Ebony was grateful for.  She looked up at the balcony that lead off of Stefan’s room, not hearing anything and knew she had the mansion to herself.  Zach was at a council meeting that was scheduled right after the game, which was probably going on right now after Mr. Tanner’s attack.

 

Unlocking the door, Ebony quickly flew to her room to get ready for Matt’s arrival, knowing it wouldn’t take long for him to get there.  She changed out of her pants and shirts into a black spaghetti strapped nightgown that went to her knees.  Taking her hair down, Ebony flipped it forward to shake it a little and stood back up, hair flying back. 

 

It was somewhat wild and curly, framing her face, which is what she wanted.  She darted into the bathroom to wash off her makeup, deciding to go natural for the night so it would look like she was upset over the pedophile’s death.  Walking out of her room, Ebony tossed a black robe on and tied it loosely around her waist before darting over to the mini bar, pouring each of them a healthy dose of whiskey.

 

Ten minutes later, a knock sounded at the front door and Ebony plastered on a frown before flying over to answer it, sad blue eyes staring back at her. “Oh Matt…” She whispered, instantly reaching up to wrap her arms tightly around his neck, hugging him close. “I’m so sorry…”

 

Matt couldn’t help returning the embrace, burying his face in her loosely curled raven hair, her scent instantly soothing him. “I know…” He whispered, feeling her pull back before grabbing both of his hands, guiding him inside the mansion, the front door closing behind him. “I can’t stay long.”

 

Ebony pressed a finger over her lips, guiding him into the living room/parlor and gently but firmly shoved him down on the couch. “Just relax.” She said softly, grabbing both tumblers and joined him moments later, sitting beside him. “Drink this, it’ll make everything better.”

 

Matt stared at her somewhat skeptically and held the glass up to his nose, inhaling. “Whiskey?” He questioned, watching her nod and blinked when she downed hers in one huge gulp. “Wow, you’re a drinker.”

 

“Something like that.” Ebony leaned her elbow on the back of the couch, brushing her fingers very lightly across the back of his neck and could hear his heart rate pick up slightly. “Drink, trust me.”

 

Deciding he really needed to take the edge off, Matt slammed the shot of whiskey back, grunting as it burned down his throat. “Thanks.” He muttered, setting the tumbler on the table and watched as Ebony sat up on her knees. “Ebony…”

 

Once again, Ebony pressed a finger to her lips and slowly untied the black robe, letting it slide from her shoulders and down her arms, grey eyes locked on wide baby blues.  She smiled and swung one leg over, settling on his lap with ease and felt Matt’s hands instantly grab her waist, which is what Ebony wanted.  The nightgown had a nice dip and showed some of her cleavage, which was nearly in Matt’s face at the moment because Ebony wasn’t fully straddling him yet.

 

“Let me help you forget.” She whispered, running her fingertips down the side of his neck to his Adam’s apple. “Let me be your friend, just like we talked about, Matt.”

 

Their lips were inches apart and Matt could practically taste them again, the kiss he’d given her earlier somewhat mind-blowing. “What did you have in mind?” He asked in a low husky voice, running his hands up and down her back through the thin silky material of her nightgown.

 

Smirking, Ebony pressed herself closer to him and barely brushed her lips against his before suddenly getting off of him. “Come with me and find out.” She stated, extending her hand, throwing down the gauntlet to him.

 

Matt didn’t hesitate this time, slipping his hand into hers and felt him guide her down the hallway, looking behind him to make sure nobody else was there.  Ebony lead him into her bedroom and suddenly shoved him back against the door, effectively closing it, her lips smashing against his. Groaning, Matt instantly buried his fingers in her black tresses, turning the kiss with an equal amount of passion.  Never breaking the kiss, Matt moved to where her back was pressed against the door and lifted her with ease, feeling her legs instantly wrap around his waist.

 

Ebony was determined to forget all about Damon Salvatore for one night, running her fingers through Matt’s dishwater blonde hair while they continued kissing heatedly.  Her hands reached down to run up his football jersey, pulling it over his head and tossed it to the floor, breaking the kiss only for a second.  Instantly, his lips found hers again and Matt felt feverish, needing this woman like he needed air to breathe.

 

“Bed.” Ebony growled softly against his lips, feeling Matt maneuver her from the door, her back hitting the soft comforter moments later. “Mmm much better…”

 

Matt nodded, his lips trailing down her jaw to her neck while his hands began massaging her inner thighs, making Ebony’s head whirl.  Her hands frantically reached down to unsnap his jeans, pushing them down his muscular legs and smirked at the white briefs he wore.  She pushed Matt away a little to lift her nightgown over her head, tossing it to the floor before pulling him back down on top of her, the kissing resuming once again.

 

Growing impatient, Matt reached around to unsnap her bra and pulled it from her body, immediately cupping her breasts in his strong hands.  Ebony moaned, arching her body into his touch and hissed when he tweaked her nipples with his fingers, reciprocating by raking her nails down his chest.  Matt growled, lowering his head to start running his tongue down the valley of her breasts while still massaging them.

 

This was definitely the perfect distraction as Ebony’s fingers gripped his short blonde hair again before moving to his shoulders, spreading her thighs.  Matt looked up at her with hunger burning in his now darker blue eyes, hooking his thumbs in the waistband of her panties and slowly slid them down her beautiful legs.  Her arousal instantly wafted in the air and Matt groaned, sitting back on his haunches, staring down at her for a few seconds to admire the stunning sight before him.

 

“Taste me, Matt.” Ebony encouraged, her black hair strewn and fanned all around her, feeling his hands slide up her outer thighs.

 

“Whatever you want, beautiful.” He murmured huskily, not able to deny her anything at this point.

 

Starting kissing along her waist where her panties had been moments ago, Matt focused on the task at hand, knowing what he was doing in the bedroom.  He wasn’t a virgin by any means, especially being the captain of the football team.  Pleased with her moans, Matt knew he was doing everything right and ran his tongue along her right inner thigh, nipping it gently for a tease.  Ebony groaned, gripping the comforter now as her nails dug into the material, knowing she could hurt Matt if she touched him right now because of her strength.

 

Once Matt thoroughly teased both thighs to the point of nearly driving Ebony into madness, he finally took pity on her.  Ebony bolted off the bed as soon as Matt’s tongue ran up the length of her throbbing sex, eyes rolling in the back of her head.  It’d been so long since a guy actually took his time to do this and wanted to cherish every second of it.  Matt groaned at her sweet essence on his tongue and decided to go in for the kill, thrusting inside of her as deep as he possibly could, her cries of delight pure music to his ears.

 

Before long, Ebony began cumming in waves, stars exploding before her eyes from the intensity of her orgasm.  Matt Donovan was definitely surprising her tonight and Ebony decided she would be keeping him around.  Once he pulled away, after having his fill, Ebony kissed him with a fiery passion that made an inferno erupt between them.  She pulled back, running a nail down his chest and turned around on all fours, showing him exactly what position she wanted him to take her in.

 

Licking his lips hungrily, Matt had no problem doing whatever she wanted and instantly gripped her hips, positioning his throbbing shaft against her sensitive sex.  What Matt didn’t know was that sex to a vampire was almost as good as feeding on a human.  Every single sensation and feeling was intensified more than a human’s, so a vampire orgasm would probably destroy a human.

 

“Don’t go slow, pound me.” Ebony ordered breathlessly, flipping her black hair over her left shoulder, preparing herself for what she was about to experience.

 

A cry spilled from her lips when Matt snapped his hips forward, burying his shaft as deep inside of her as he could, just like his tongue, though this felt ten times better.  Ebony was pleased he didn’t stop to let her adjust and just began pounding into her receptive body, every nerve-ending igniting.  Matt loved the feeling of her tight pussy wrapped around him, milking him for everything he was worth and didn’t slow down, only increasing the speed of his thrusts.

 

Ebony held on this time, refusing to release until Matt did and screamed out as he poured his seed inside of her.  Her orgasm triggered instantly, both of them riding each other with every ounce of energy they had in their bodies.  Matt was perspiring while Ebony was perfectly pristine, though she was definitely breathless.  They both collapsed on the bed in a heap, Matt on the side of her, staring into each other’s eyes.

 

“Thank you.” She whispered, patting his cheek gently with her hand and kissed him softly, laying there completely naked while they both came down from their sexual high.

 

“I should be the one saying that.” Matt half-joked, pulling her closer and kissed her a little deeper, rubbing his nose against hers. “Thank you, Ebony.  I needed that.”

 

“I know.” Ebony chuckled, extracting herself from his arms and knew it was getting late, already grabbing her clothes from the floor along with his, tossing them at him. “You should get going.  We do have school tomorrow.”

 

“Yeah.” Matt agreed, knowing there was no way he could stay over with her because that would imply they were in a relationship, which wasn’t the case.

 

Silently, both of them dressed and Ebony grabbed Matt’s hand, guiding him out of her bedroom down the hall.  She didn’t stop at the sight of Damon walking through the front door, completely ignoring him, grey eyes sparkling.  Damon hadn’t expected Matt Donovan to be in his house this time of night, but the scent that wafted in the air clearly told him what they had done.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, blue eyes.” Ebony said, tapping his nose gently and accepted a good night kiss. “Drive safe.”

 

“I will, sweet dreams.” Matt murmured, walking away from the door and headed to his car.

 

Ebony sighed in sheer contentment and closed the door, turning to face Damon with the biggest smile on her face. “Good night.” She said, walking past him and went straight to her bedroom, feeling more alive than ever.

 

All Damon could do was watch her walk down the hallway, wondering why he suddenly felt the need to go snap Matt Donovan’s neck for touching Ebony and immediately shook it off, pouring himself a much needed drink.

 

Chapter 14

 

Stretching her arms over her head, Ebony’s body slowly came to life, feeling very exhilarated and flourished.  After her workout with Matt, Ebony slept like a log and had possibly the best night sleep ever, something she didn’t have in a long time.  Slowly opening her eyes, Ebony couldn’t help smiling and reached over to grab her cell phone to turn the alarm off on it, only to realize she wasn’t alone in bed.

 

“WHAT THE HELL?” Ebony’s peaceful morning was officially destroyed because she ended up jumping back a little too much, falling to the floor. “What are you doing in my room, Damon?!” She exclaimed, getting to her feet quickly and flew over to where her robe was hung, tossing it on. “How long have you been in here?”

 

Damon couldn’t help outright laughing as she tried covering herself up, his arms folded under his head, bare from the waist up. “You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before, Ebony.” He reasoned amusedly, not bothering to sit up or move from the bed. “And only a few minutes.”

 

“That’s not the POINT, jackass.” Ebony growled, glaring angrily at him. “What are you doing in here?” She hadn’t forgotten what he did the previous night at the football game and folded her arms in front of her chest.

 

“I wanted to talk to you.” Damon thought that was obvious and slowly sat up in the bed, patting the spot beside him. “Come sit next to me.”

 

“No.” Ebony stayed right where she was, lips pursed tightly together. “Whatever you have to say to me, just get on with it and get out so I can get ready for school that you forced me to attend.”

 

Damon touched his chest, almost looking hurt. “You wound me.” He snorted, rolling his eyes and suddenly flew over to where she stood, pushing her gently against the wall. “And here I thought you would thank me for what I did last night.”

 

Had Damon lost his mind? “Why would I do that?” She demanded, refusing to let him get under her skin again, even though being this close to him was already making her weak in the knees.

 

“So you’re not happy that I ripped that teacher’s throat out after what he did to you?” Damon retorted, arching a thick black eyebrow and smirked, stepping away. “That’s what I thought.”

 

“You didn’t do it for me.” Ebony stated, trying to maintain her cold exterior against him, but it was hard to do. “You did it to show Stefan you have no humanity, for your own selfish reasons…”

 

“And yet, I targeted the same teacher who put his hands on you.” Damon shot back, looking around the room and finally sat back down on the bed, facing her. “I could’ve easily killed a random person to make my point, but I didn’t.  And it wasn’t coincidence either, so don’t even try throwing that at me.  I knew that coach was coming to grab Stefan, I heard him coming while he was talking to…Matt Donovan.” He couldn’t help gritting that name out, still not able to grasp the concept on why Ebony would sleep with HIM of all people.

 

Eyeing him skeptically, Ebony felt a wave of satisfaction crash over her because of how Damon spit out Matt’s name.  Was that jealousy she sensed?  Good, it served him right after professing his undying love for a woman who probably didn’t even want him.  That was fine, Ebony had never been in love before and chalked up her attraction to Damon because of their shared bloodline.

 

“So what exactly are you trying to tell me?” Ebony questioned, wondering if she even wanted to know the answer and slowly walked toward him.

 

“I killed him because of what he did to you.” Damon’s eyes locked with hers, completely stone faced and hoped she believed him because he was telling the truth. “I killed him for YOU, Ebony.”

 

Ebony didn’t want to believe it and lowered her eyes from his, the intensity too much for her to handle at the moment.  She was close enough to where Damon could reach out and grabbed her hand, pulling her to stand between his legs, but still refused to look at him.  This man confused and baffled her with his behavior.  One minute Damon was attacking her and the next he was being sweet, it messed with her mind to say the least.

 

“What did you do to Elena last night?” Ebony demanded in a soft voice, finally looking up at him, doing everything in her power not to show him the emotions she currently felt.

 

“Tried compelling her to kiss me.” Damon answered shamelessly, a smirk curving his lips. “But my brother was smart and gave her a necklace with vervain laced in it.  Now she can’t be compelled unless the damn thing is removed.”

 

Scoffing, Ebony ripped her hand out of his and went to walk away, only for Damon to pull her right back against him. “Let go of me.” She ordered, sucking her lips in tightly when his face buried in her neck.

 

“Now we both know you really don’t want that.” Damon rumbled in her ear, satisfied that she’d taken a shower right after Matt left because she didn’t smell like him currently. “Why does it bother you so much that I’m playing with Elena?”

 

“Because she doesn’t deserve it.” Ebony broke away from him, flying to the other side of the bed to put space between them. “I meant what I said last night, Damon.  You’ll have to go through me to hurt Elena.  She’s my friend and I’m not gonna stand by and let you play with her the way you’ve been playing with Caroline.  Leave her alone or else.”

 

Damon chuckled grimly, his eyes suddenly flashing at her as he flew over to where she stood, gripping her chin tightly in his hand. “Please tell me that was not a threat.” He said, pulling her closer to him, eyes narrowed. “Because if it was, I will end you, Ebony.  You’ve really pissed me off lately and I’m getting tired of it.  I will do what I want to whoever I want, WHEN I want and you won’t get in my way again.”

 

“Then end me.  Rip my heart out, stake me, light me on fire, knock my head off, do what you have to do, Damon.  I’m not going to let you hurt Elena.” Ebony stated stalwartly, refusing to be afraid of his idle threat and felt the grip on her chin tighten slightly. “Go ahead, do it.  You supposedly have no humanity inside of you, so I’m sure it would be easy for you to kill me.”

 

Growling at her insolence, Damon released her chin only to wrap his hand tightly around her throat, acting as though he might kill her. “You’re driving me crazy, you know that?”

 

His lips suddenly smashed against hers, moving his hand from her throat to the back of her head, quickly wrapping an arm around her waist so she couldn’t escape him.  Ebony whimpered against him and instantly hated herself for it, her body completely betraying her as it melted against him.  Damon was satisfied with the response and ripped his lips from hers, the anger still burning in his eyes and was still sorely tempted to kill her, but for some reason he couldn’t.

 

“Just tell me the real reason you’re in here, Damon.” Ebony muttered, disgusted for allowing him to get under her skin again and wiped her lips with her hand, trying to get the feeling of his off of hers. “Because if not, get out so I can get dressed and ready for school.”

 

“The mayor announced that, despite the teacher’s death, they are still going to have the Founder’s Party.” Damon announced with a smile, hopping back on the bed again and watched as she walked over to the dresser to retrieve some clothes. “I expect you to be there, just in case.” Stefan was still in the house, so Damon hoped Ebony caught onto what he was referring too.

 

“I’m sure I’ll be there.” She sighed when Damon flew over to stand behind her, turning her to face him.

 

“I NEED you to be there, Ebony.” Damon stressed, running a finger down her cheek. “If I don’t get what I want, there’s a lot of people that will get hurt.  You seem to have the football player wrapped around your finger, do what it takes to make him invite you.  This is our only chance.” He kept his voice low, not taking any chances.

 

The amber crystal is what Damon was talking about, but Ebony wasn’t sure if she wanted to help him anymore, not with everything he’d done lately. “I’ll do what it takes, on one condition.” If Damon needed her help that badly, surely he would be open to a little compromise.

 

“What?” He growled, not releasing her arm.

 

“You won’t hurt Elena.  Tell her whatever you want, but you will not physically harm her or I’m not helping you.” Ebony bartered, tugging her arm out of his suddenly tight grip and turned back around to pull out some pants. “Agreed or not?”

 

Damon clenched his teeth, starting to regret forcing Ebony to become friends with Elena because she’d taken it to another level. “Fine.” He ground out, trying not to gnash his teeth and stepped away from Ebony before he ended up smashing her head against the mirror. “I won’t hurt her…physically.” That still left emotionally and mentally open, which Damon was satisfied with.

 

Smiling widely, Ebony nodded and tossed a shirt on the bed before removing her robe. “Good, now get out.” She refused to change in front of him, wanting to slap the sudden smirk off his arrogant face.

 

“Have a good a day at school.” Damon said lewdly, walking out the door and closed it behind him, feeling more confident now that him and Ebony were on the same page again.

 

Now, he just had to get Caroline to invite him to the party.

 

Pulling on a black long sleeved top with light blue jeans, Ebony quickly brushed her hair and decided to leave it down before heading out.  She was running late because of Damon’s incessant talking, still not believing she had to negotiate with him to leave Elena alone.  Ebony wasn’t born yesterday, she knew exactly what she made him agree to, but it was better than nothing.  It wouldn’t stop Damon from messing with her mental and emotional state, but at the very least Elena would be safe from physical harm.

 

Thanks to her super speed, Ebony tore through the woods toward the high school in record time, arriving about ten minutes before the bell.  She immediately went on the hunt for Matt, needing to talk to him about the Founder’s Party.  Retrieving the crystal was the key to opening the tomb and Damon was determined to get it.  As much as Ebony didn’t want to help him, she knew a lot of bloodshed would happen and figured giving Damon what he wanted would be easier for everyone.

 

Ebony smiled when she felt a presence behind her and stopped walking, turning around just as Matt reached for her. “You really need to learn to sneak up on people better.” She remarked softly, wrapping her arms around his neck when Matt’s encircled her waist.

 

“I’ll work on it.” Matt chortled, dipping his head to capture her lips in a searing kiss, both of them sighing.

 

“Mmm what was that for?” Ebony asked as soon as he pulled away, grey eyes sparkling up at him.

 

Matt shrugged, releasing her waist to wrap his arm around her shoulders. “Just wanted to, I guess.” They started walking slowly toward the entrance of the school, knowing the bell was going to ring soon. “Hey listen, I wanted to ask you something before we go inside.”

 

Ebony raised a brow as Matt turned to fully face her, taking both of her hands in his. “Okay, what is it?” She asked somewhat anxiously, hoping he wasn’t going to end things between them because that would not bode well for Damon’s plan.

 

“Look, last night was amazing and I don’t want this to stop.  I’m not saying I want a relationship, but…what we did last night definitely wasn’t friendly either.  I don’t wanna hide from people, you know what I mean?” Matt knew he probably wasn’t making sense, but one thing he was never good at was words and talking out his feelings. “I want to take you to the Founder’s Party.  I know you’re new in town, but it’s a pretty big deal around here and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather go with.  It’s not just about what we did either, just so you know.”

 

Relief instantly filled her and Ebony suddenly had the biggest smile on her face, nodding emphatically. “I’d love to go with you, Matt.  I heard about the Founder’s Party and I was actually going to talk to you about it later.  I feel the same way you do, I don’t want to hide from anyone either.” She honestly meant that, reaching up to caress his face with the back of her hand and wished she could’ve fallen in love with someone like him instead of a monster like Damon.

 

“Great minds think alike, I guess.” Matt chuckled, placing his hand over hers and couldn’t help pulling her closer to kiss her again, her lips his new addiction.

 

They just stood there outside of the school kissing and the bell was the only thing that brought them back to reality, both of them laughing.  People could think whatever they wanted, neither cared.  Clasping their hands together, Ebony and Matt headed into the school, parting to go to class and promised to meet up for lunch.

 

“So, you and Matt huh?” Elena teased, walking up alongside Ebony and nudged her, the biggest smile on her face. “I knew you two would hook up.”

 

“We’re just friends.” Ebony reasoned, knowing if she was human her cheeks would’ve been crimson by now.

 

Elena snorted, shaking her head. “Friends don’t kiss like that.” She argued promptly, though pure amusement was in her tone. “I’m happy for you both.  Though I’m not sure what Damon and Stefan are going to say about it.”

 

Damon didn’t like it, Ebony knew that already, but she had no idea how Stefan was going to react.  She hadn’t really thought about that, more concerned with what Damon thought.  Even when she was with another guy, he still invaded her thoughts and Ebony wondered what it was going to take to completely forget him.  Once Katherine was out of the tomb, they would run off into the sunset together and Ebony would be left alone, so she had to figure out a way to get him out of her head once and for all.

 

“Hey, are you going to the Founder’s Party tomorrow?” Elena suddenly asked, grinning when Ebony nodded. “Fantastic!” They walked into class and took their seats, focusing on schoolwork for the time being.

 

Chapter 15

 

Staring in the full length mirror, Ebony couldn’t help thinking she looked incredible, picking the perfect dress for the Founder’s Party.  It was a simple black lace strapless dress that went to mid-thigh and had a square neckline.  It molded to her body like a second skin and was very simple yet seductive all at once. 

 

Her black hair was swept up on top of her head in what felt like a million spiral curls, with even more bobby pins keeping it in place, and doused with half a can of hairspray.  Not even the strongest wind would be able to muddle up her hair, which is what Ebony had aimed for.  Ebony clipped on a simple black diamond necklace with a matching bracelet and of course her daylight ring, especially since the party started before the sun went down.

 

Ebony turned around, only for Damon to be standing right there in front of her.  She hated when he did that and knew it would take time before she learned how to sense another vampire coming.  He looked incredibly handsome in all black, the dress shirt long-sleeved with the top three buttons undone.  Damon had a black suit coat over it, the collar folded to perfection, along with simple black dress pants and black shoes.

 

Damon was busy undressing her with his eyes very slowly, that dress definitely sexy and left plenty of the imagination.  The lace overlay is what really enticed him, but then again he had seen her in less than this during her stripper performance.  Anything she wore ever since then was redundant, but the dress she wore tonight came in at a close second favorite.

 

“You look stunning, if it wasn’t obvious.” Damon complimented, finally breaking the silence between them.

 

“Thanks.” Ebony sat on the bed to slip her two inch black open toed heels on, fastening them and didn’t realize she had given Damon a nice shot of her cleavage. “What do you want, Damon?”

 

“Just wanted to make sure you were ready and go over the plan with you.” He had to look away from her chest before both of them never made it to the party, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

Ebony arched a perfectly plucked brow, her grey eyes outlined in black with natural tan eye shadow and clear gloss on her lips. “What plan?” She asked, standing up from the bed and pulled her dress down a little.

 

Damon smirked, standing behind her a second later and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, his nose buried in her the crook of her neck. “The crystal.” He whispered, knowing Stefan hadn’t left to retrieve Elena yet.

 

“What about it?” She whispered back, looking at him through the reflection in the mirror, planting her freshly manicured nails on the dresser.

 

“I know I shouldn’t trust you with all you’ve done lately, but I am anyway.” He suddenly turned her around and lifted her on the dresser, standing between her beautiful legs. “Can I trust you, Ebony?” Because if she so much as attempted betrayal of any kind against him, Damon wouldn’t think twice about ripping her heart out.

 

“Yes.” Ebony answered without hesitation, grey eyes shining with truth. “I already told you I would help you get into the tomb.” Her voice remained low and quiet to where only Damon could hear her. “Why are you asking me that anyway?”

 

“Because what I’m about to take out of the Lockwood’s I’m entrusting you with.” Damon stated, hoping she cottoned onto what he was saying and watched as her eyes suddenly shot open, nodding. “I need your word that, no matter what happens tonight, you will keep it safe and hidden from my brother.”

 

Now Ebony was worried, stopping him from walking away by grabbing his arm, pulling him right back where he was. “What’s going on, Damon?” She demanded, not liking the way he spoke because it sounded very ominous.

 

“My little brother tried spiking my favorite Scotch with vervain earlier.” He said gruffly, trying not to think about it because Caroline would be in for a long night if his temper flared. “He’s trying to stop me from what I came back here for and it’s not going to happen.  I need you more than ever tonight, Ebony.”

 

Ebony swallowed hard, seeing the amount of intensity burning in his aquamarine eyes and nodded, cupping his face with her hand. “You can trust me, I won’t betray you.” She promised, knowing how much this meant to him and Damon had left Elena alone like they agreed on, physically anyway. “I got your back tonight.  If Stefan tries something, I’ll stop him.  I won’t let him hurt you.”

 

Smiling genuinely, Damon gently brushed his lips against hers, already knowing she would do her best to protect him. “I’m trusting you, Ebony.” He murmured against her mouth, slowly pulling away as their eyes locked. “Don’t make me regret it.”

 

“I won’t.” Ebony had to learn how to breathe again because she hadn’t expected him to kiss her that tenderly, watching as he exited her bedroom.

 

After regaining her composure, Ebony quickly redid her gloss before grabbing her small black purse and headed out, knowing Matt would be there to pick her up momentarily.  She watched as Stefan walked down the stairs and stopped, plastering on a smile.  He looked handsome as well in a black suit with a dark blue buttoned up dress shirt, his hair slightly spiked up.

 

“You clean up nice, Stefan.” Ebony said by way of greeting, taking his hand when he extended it and felt him kiss the back of hers. “Quite the gentleman too, unlike your brother.”

 

Stefan chuckled softly, not disagreeing with that statement. “You look beautiful, Ebony.  Is Matt picking you up?” He asked cordially, having no issues with this woman that had come into their lives and defended Elena constantly.

 

“Yes, he should be here any minute.” Ebony answered softly, leaning against the small table in the hallway. “You better get going, don’t want to keep Elena waiting since it’s your first date and all.”

 

“Right, wouldn’t want that.”

 

Stefan wondered briefly if he should inform her what he was planning to do to Damon.  Something held him back though and he knew it was a trust issue because she came here with Damon.  Damon turned her into a vampire, which meant she would automatically feel a sense of loyalty to him, even if they were at odds.  No, he couldn’t risk it, Damon had to be stopped before he ended up hurting Elena.

 

“Have a good evening, Ebony.”

 

She nodded, watching him walk out the door and knew Damon had already left to pick up Caroline.  A few minutes later, a horn blared outside of the mansion and Ebony grinned, knowing it was Matt.  She walked out of the house, the biggest smile on her face and could tell just by the way his eyes devoured her that she definitely picked the right dress for tonight.

 

“Wow.” Matt rumbled, already stepping out to open her door, stopping her before she could slide in. “You look breathtaking.”

 

“So do you.” Ebony pulled him down gently by the front of his suit jacket, kissing him softly, needing the feel of Damon’s lips off of hers. “We’ll have plenty of time for this later, but we need to get to the party before we’re late.”

 

Matt smiled and kissed her one more time before reluctantly closing the door, driving off moments later.  They made small chatter about how their day was and Matt told her a few things to expect at the party.  There would be a lot of old history memorabilia out for the town to see, so if she had any questions, she could always ask him.  Ebony appreciated that, holding his hand the entire time and sincerely enjoyed talking to him, his voice smooth and naturally husky.

 

They arrived at the party about fifteen minutes later and Matt parked, opening the car door for her, extending his arm.  She took it without hesitation, both of them walking toward the front of the mansion, the sun slowly beginning to set.  She watched as the mayor’s wife, Carol Lockwood, greeted them, inviting them inside.  Ebony sighed with inner relief when they both stepped through the double open doors without any problem.

 

Ebony was intrigued by all the old artifacts that formed most of this town’s history, everything so antique and beautiful.  Matt was very informative and explained as best he could, answering any questions she had.  When they arrived at the Salvatore Family, Ebony slowly ran her eyes over every single item and looked up at a very old parchment with names scrawled on it.

 

“Look it’s the original guest registry.” Elena pointed out, walking up with Stefan, also interested in it. “Ebony, you look amazing!” She suddenly crowed, once she noticed who was standing beside her, both girls sharing an embrace.

 

“So do you.” Ebony couldn’t believe how stunning Elena looked in the sunrise colored dress she chose that slightly shimmered. “Is that what this is called?”

 

Elena nodded, pointing at the parchment and noticed some of the familiar names on it. “Look at all these familiar names: Sheriff William Forbes, Mayor Benjamin Lockwood and…is that Damon Salvatore…?” Her voice trailed off, slowly looking up at Stefan inquisitively. “And Stefan Salvatore?”

 

“The original Salvatore brothers.” Damon said from behind, walking in arm in arm with Caroline, smiling. “Our ancestors.  Tragic story actually.”

 

“We don’t need to bore them with the stories of the past.” Stefan intervened, shooting a look at his brother that clearly told him not to go any further.

 

“It’s not boring, Stefan.” Elena insisted softly. “I’d love to hear more about your family.”

 

“Me too.” Ebony piped in, clasping her hand with Matt’s and wondered when Damon wanted to put his plan into motion regarding the crystal.

 

“Well I’m bored.” Caroline stated, not afraid to tell everyone how she really felt. “I wanna dance and Damon won’t dance with me.”

 

“Time to get you on the dance floor.” Matt stated, flashing a charming smile at his gorgeous date and began pulling her away from the group.

 

Ebony and Damon both shared simultaneous looks, having the same idea in mind. “Actually, I need to use the restroom.  Elena, can you keep Matt company for a few minutes?” She suggested softly, pulling her hand out of his. “I won’t be long.”

 

“Sure, of course.” Elena smiled easily, looking over at Stefan and looped her arm through Matt’s. “Come on, I’ll dance with you and Caroline can dance with Stefan.”

 

Stefan was getting a sinking feeling something was going on as Ebony left the room while Damon pulled Caroline in the opposite direction, wondering what was going on.  He wanted to go after Ebony, but Elena wasn’t letting him, already pulling him out of the room toward the back doors that lead to the dance floor.  Matt didn’t think anything of it and just went along, though he hoped Ebony was alright.

 

Damon waited until he knew Stefan was dancing with Caroline, which is exactly what he wanted to happen, before going to track down Ebony.  He saw her waiting for him just outside the room by the spiraling staircase, heading in her direction.  Ebony saw him discreetly point his finger to the stairs, silently telling her to head up and he would follow and did so, not looking back at him.

 

Looking around to make sure nobody saw them, Damon ascended the stairs and grabbed Ebony’s hand, guiding her down the hallway to a room. “This is going to look very strange considering we’re supposed to be family.” She whispered half-jokingly, feeling him squeeze her hand and smiled, knowing they wouldn’t get caught.

 

“I know, but we won’t get caught.” Damon assured her, bringing her hand up to kiss the back of it, smirking.

 

“You know where it is, right?”

 

Damon nodded as they walked inside the room and Damon stopped, looking down at her. “Stay right here.” He ordered, releasing her hand and walked around her to pick up a wooden box, setting it on the nearby table.

 

Ebony watched him lift the lid and then pulled open the bottom of it, being quick and swift.  A few seconds later, a beautiful amber crystal with an iron antique setting was in Damon’s hands, the same one Damon had showed her through mental images.  She didn’t go toward him, watching as he slowly turned to face her, wondering if he would really trust her with something so valuable and irreplaceable.

 

Handing over the crystal he had waited a century and a half to retrieve wasn’t easy, but Damon knew it had to be done. “This is it.” He murmured, handing it over to her reluctantly. “That’s the only way Katherine will be released, I hope you realize that.”

 

“I do.” Ebony nodded, gently taking the amber crystal and gazed down at it for a few seconds, admiring the historic beauty it possessed. “It’s beautiful.”

 

“And extremely powerful.” Damon added softly, running his fingertip over the smooth surface. “I hid it in that very box a hundred and forty five years ago when Emily gave it to me.  Guard it with your life.”

 

“I will.” She began walking away, after tucking it in her purse securely and sighed when Damon stopped her, turning her face to him. “You can trust me, Damon.”

 

“I know.” He believed that, which is why he decided to let her in on some other vital information. “If I suddenly disappear and you can’t find me, go to Caroline immediately.  I will be able to summon her wherever I am and you go with her.  I need you to keep your guard up and focused because I know Stefan is going to try pulling something fairly soon, especially after that incident today.  Something tells me Zach is involved too.”

 

Ebony fully understood, loving this man too much to let anyone, including his little brother, take him away from her.  Katherine had his heart, but that wasn’t going to stop Ebony from protecting him, not wanting to see him get hurt.  Suddenly, Ebony looked behind her to make sure they were still alone and pulled Damon to the side out of sight, pulling his face down to hers, passionately kissing him.

 

Damon pulled away after a few minutes, holding both of her wrists with his hands. “What was that for?” He asked, running the pad of his thumb across her lips.

 

“Just in case.” Ebony whispered, pulling away from him and headed out of the room with the amber crystal safely in her possession, needing to find Matt.

 

Damon headed out a few minutes after her, not wanting it to seem conspicuous that he was with Ebony the whole time.  He watched from the doorway as Ebony greeted Matt on the dance floor and smiled when Caroline appeared at his side, holding her drink.  Walking away from her, Damon never took his eyes off of Ebony as she swayed in Matt’s arms, suddenly wanting it to be him as he downed a much needed shot of bourbon.

 

Chapter 16

 

Elena, Caroline and Ebony all went to the bathroom together, needing to freshen up a little.  While Elena and Caroline were washing their hands, Ebony just stood off to the side, having already finished up.  She noticed Elena was looking over at Caroline, more importantly, her neck, but didn’t say anything as she applied more gloss.

 

“So how are things with Stefan?” Caroline asked innocently, pulling her gloss out to touch up her lips a little.

 

“Great, just great.” Elena replied with a soft smile, looking at her friend through the reflection.

 

“Really?” Caroline didn’t sound convinced, leaning forward. “Well my radar must be off because I was getting all sorts of other vibes.”

 

While Caroline was leaned over, her scarf slowly rode up on her neck, the barest hint of a bruise showing. “What’s that?” Elena suddenly pulled the scarf up to get a closer look at her neck, eyes widening. “Oh my god, Caroline, what happened?!”

 

“It’s nothing okay!” Caroline pulled away from her, shaking slightly.

 

“That is NOT nothing.” Elena argued, eyebrows furrowed in both confusion and rage. “Did somebody hurt you?”

 

“No!  Okay?  It’s...nothing...” Caroline said, her voice barely above a whisper and leaned forward again to smooth her gloss out on her lips.

 

Elena didn’t stop and pulled the white slip down from Caroline’s shoulder, eyes widening more. “Did Damon hurt you?” She exclaimed, blinking when Caroline instantly pulled it back up.

 

“NO!  Of course not…” Caroline lied horribly and Elena saw right through it, reaching out again to pull the white slip from Caroline’s shoulders. “Just leave me alone, okay Elena?!” She stormed out of the bathroom, leaving Elena and Ebony standing there.

 

“Elena…” Ebony began to speak and sighed when she just merely stormed out of the bathroom, determination on her face. “This is not good.”

 

Leaving as well, Ebony followed Elena to where Damon was standing on the stairs just outside of the dance floor.  Her eyes widened when Elena actually shoved Damon hard in the chest, hoping they didn’t cause a scene.  Of course she knew Damon was feeding on Caroline and, honestly, Elena had no right interrogating the blonde the way she had. 

 

If it was Ebony, she would’ve probably popped Elena in the face, but luckily it wasn’t.  Ebony listened as Elena threatened Damon that if he didn’t stay away from Caroline, she would go straight to her mother, who was the sheriff of Mystic Falls.  Damon looked floored, his eyes locking with Ebony and immediately headed in her direction, wanting to know what the hell happened in the bathroom.

 

“Ebony, mind telling me what happened in the bathroom, hmm?” Damon somewhat demanded, pulling her on the dance floor and wrapped his arm around her waist, slowly swaying with her.

 

“Elena forcefully pulled up Caroline’s scarf and saw the bite marks you’ve been leaving on her.” Ebony spoke quietly, wishing she didn’t have to defend the blonde, but in this case it was necessary. “Caroline told her it was nothing and that it wasn’t you, but Elena didn’t believe her.  She got flustered.  It was actually pretty pathetic to witness.”

 

“Remember what I said.” Damon whispered, suddenly twirling her away from him to land right in Matt’s arms, heading off the dance floor to find Caroline.

 

Ebony watched him walk away, frowning and reluctantly looked back at Matt, plastering on a smile. “I was about to come look for you.” She said, leaning up to brush her lips against his softly.

 

“Everything okay?” Matt asked, both of his arms wrapped around her waist while they continue moving to the music.

 

“Yeah…” Ebony knew she didn’t sound convincing, but a bad feeling was creeping into her stomach and it couldn’t be ignored. “No, actually, I’m not.” Her eyes suddenly locked with his, hating to use compulsion, but it was the only way. “Leave the party.  Get in your car and go home.  There’s something you need to check on.  Forget I asked you to do this and call me tomorrow.” Breaking the compulsion, Ebony kissed him quickly before leaving the dance floor, going to hunt down Damon.

 

Meanwhile, Caroline struggled as Damon dragged her to the side of the house, where nobody else was, and began rambling about what happened in the bathroom with Elena.  Her entire body shook with fear of what he was going to do to her, staring straight ahead while he slowly walked behind her, placing his hands on her hips while resting his head gently against hers.  She felt him move her blonde hair to the side, revealing her neck and swallowed hard, her heart rate increasing rapidly.

 

“You make me crazy you know that?” He rumbled huskily, rubbing the side of her neck soothingly, trying to calm her down a little. “It’s okay, I forgive you.”

 

“I swear I didn’t say anything…” She whimpered, slowly turning her head to look back at him.