Love Bites

I sat up in my bed my neck aching and pulsing to come face to face with Elena who was sitting beside the bed.

“Erin! Are you okay? How are you feeling?” I felt my cousin’s hands tighten around my arm causing me to laugh almost ironically at the whole entire situation.

“I don’t know Elena, I got assaulted, my neck just got bit by some crazy ass cannibal, I almost died, I have boy problems, and I think a hangover might be coming on…other than my non-important issues, I think I’m feeling great” Elena’s concerned expression fell into doubt, anger, and what seemed like sadness and a whole array of other emotions I didn’t understand.

“I’m sorry I got you into this” I cocked my eyebrow in thought before I smiled and nodded my head jokingly.

“Yes Elena, you are to blame for all of MY problems that I caused”

“Erin! This is serious, because of me, you have been put in danger” Once Elena finished her sentence I watched as Damon, Stefan, and Jeremy crowded into the room.

“Hey how are you feeling?” Stefan questioned walking over beside me as I sat up trying to move my neck.

“Sore, but I think I’ll move on” I looked toward Jeremy who was staring at me knowingly as if we shared a secret that might be an answer to all my questions and problems.

“Now, since you were more awake through this whole thing than I was, Damon can I ask…What in the hell happened tonight?” Damon paused before he took a deep breath glancing at Stefan than Elena.

“We should tell her” Damon focused most of his attention on Stefan who glanced at Elena.

“I don’t think we should” Elena interfered glaring harshly at Damon before she looked back at Stefan.

“We need to erase her memory then” Stefan stated quietly making Elena stare at him nodding her head.

“Don’t you think that will put her at more risk if she’s oblivious to what’s going on around her?” Damon questioned defensively.

“What are you guys talking about?” I asked loudly watching all three of them arguing about what they were going to do to me.

Elena became quiet and she glanced at Stefan letting her head fall slightly before Jeremy interjected angrily.

“Damon has a point in this one, she’s at risk if she doesn’t become aware of her surroundings, I vote to tell her” Jeremy walked and sat next to me on the opposite side of
where Damon was sitting.

“Knowing puts her at risk too you know?” Stefan told Elena quietly still leaving me completely out of the loophole.

“Knowing gives her a chance to fight back” Damon argued causing Stefan to stare back at him as if he were annoyed.

“Stefan we should tell her” Jeremy stated causing Stefan to nod and glance at me sighing out.

Finally after all the arguing Elena nodded in agreement looking toward Stefan shaking her head slightly giving him the okay, then he spoke words I never expected to hear in my lifetime.

“Look the guy who grabbed you tonight, he was a vampire” I laughed quietly looking at all three of them who weren’t joining in on the joke.

“Why aren’t you guys laughing? Come on it’s reality, not Twilight what kind of lame joke is that” I laughed again looking toward them for a sign of a smile or something. But the room was silent as I cocked up an eyebrow sitting up in shock. Damon grabbed my arm pushing me to keep me sitting up straight as it sunk in.

“He isn’t the only vampire, were ones too” Stefan spoke quietly making me crack a smile.

“Damon and I are both vampires” I glanced at Damon who stared at me quietly waiting for a reaction or an answer to what Stefan had said.

"Minus the whole girly sparkling thing" Damon stated a quaint smirk appearing on his lips causing me to slightly chuckle.

"Oh yea and I'd like to think I am MUCH more better looking than Edward" Damon continued making me stare at him and sigh a small smile on my lips entertained at Damon's reaction to my comment.

“There is more to all of this, but I think it would be best for you to find out little by little as needed. Knowing too much puts you in danger, but we want you to know enough to stay out of it. Obviously you’re at risk now that you have relation to Elena, but we will take care of you and I promise nothing will happen” Stefan continued on glaring at Damon who smiled at his brother knowingly.

“Now that you know, it would be best not to be anywhere empty in the middle of the night, don’t talk to strangers, and most importantly don’t invite anyone in” Damon spoke up lifting his eyebrows before he nodded toward the water.

“The water has vervain in it, so if a vampire were to bite you, it will more than likely be an unforgettable moment for them” Stefan commented as I sipped the water. I didn’t know how to process all of this information and news that was being thrown at me. I didn’t know how to connect the fact my long lost ancestor has written about all of this in his old ratty journals that now Jeremy had locked away, but finally it made sense. The way Damon moved in the parking while fighting him, the way he survived that stab wound, the strength, the bite, it all made sense, and suddenly I felt okay with all of it.

After our conversation everyone left the room except Elena who closed the door laying down beside me. Then I don’t know what happened, but I began thinking about Stefan and Damon and how everything worked, the whole vampire thing.

“So they drink blood?” Elena sat up for a second before nodding and shrugging.

“Stefan keeps his energy by drinking animal blood, Damon sticks with human blood in order to have full access to all the strength and speed a vampire should have” I nodded before I slid up slightly on the pillows trying not to move my neck too much.

“So he’s a murderer” My voice came out blank as Elena paused and nodded slowly.

“Kind of, before he had no hope, but now I see something in him, a good that I thought was non-existent, but at least he’s trying”

“That’s always important” I closed my eyes feeling slightly tired from the blood loss.

“So what perks come with the whole vampire thing?” I slightly turned to face Elena who laughed raising an eyebrow.

“I’m so happy you took this so lightly and quickly, it makes me happy when I get to talk to people that know this, I feel like I’m not lying or hiding things, but do you really want to know all this after JUST finding out?” I nodded my head causing Elena to stop and think before she continued.

“Speed, strength, immortality in most cases except when you’re actually TRYING to kill a vampire, and the power to compel not exactly my favorite” I raised an eyebrow a smile tugging at my lips.

“Compelling? What the hell is that?”

“If you aren’t wearing anything that prevents you from being “compelled” a vampire can tell you to do something anything, they basically put thoughts in your head” Elena continued, my heart stopped as I laughed.

“Seriously? Give me an example” Elena nodded before she shrugged in thought.

“They bite you, and tell you that no one bit you and an animal attacked you, and that’s what you remember and what you KNOW happened. That’s why I gave you that necklace, to protect you from getting compelled”

I paused and nodded my head before closing my eyes. I don’t know at which point I fell asleep, but it was only minutes after I felt Elena get up and leave, and suddenly I was surrounded my dream world. That was until I woke up to a pair of familiar eyes a smile coming on my lips.

“Hello” I smiled meekly as Damon placed a kiss on my lips I tried to sit up to be closer to him but he shook his head no lying beside me.

“Don’t move, you might hurt yourself” He ran his finger over the bandage on my neck making me laugh lightly.

“All of you worry too much, I’m a tough girl” Damon nodded in agreement hovering over me as he kissed my face trailing his lips along my cheek.

“I’m sure you are, but you aren’t dealing with normal humans anymore” Damon stopped by kissing the corner of my lips. Then he just watched me carefully, analyzing my face.

“I worry about you Erin” Damon whispered smoothly bringing a smile on my lips.

“Why? You barely know me” I spoke quietly as Damon brought his lips close to my ear.

“Because I like you, care for you, and I want to protect you” I nodded closing my eyes before
Damon kissed me again making me smile.

“I’ll let you sleep Erin” Damon stood from the bed but I grabbed onto his hand sitting up quickly pulling him close.

“No don’t go, stay please?” I watched as he paused and laid back down beside me putting his arms around my shoulders. We stayed like this for a few minutes, something different than how he normally was. But after what felt like a couple of hours, Damon stood up and hovered over me kissing my forehead.

“I have to go, I’ll see you again, I promise” He placed one soft kiss on my lips, but before I
could say anything Damon grabbed my shoulders softly and stared into my eyes.

“None of this happened, it was nothing but a dream” I raised my eyebrow laughing lightly as Damon’s face fell.

“What are you talking about?” By this point Damon’s eyes widened and he stood up straight staring at me again.

“I said none of this happened, and it was nothing but a dream, you’re confused that you keep dreaming about me, but you do” Damon at this point shook my shoulders lightly but still nothing happened but me laughing. Then it clicked, like a slap to the face I jolted from my bed and sat up staring angrily at Damon.

“You’ve been using me?” I watched as his eyes widened and he shook his head no trying to grab onto my shoulder.

“I can’t believe, that you have been compelling me!” Damon by this point stopped in his tracks before he raised his eyebrow.

“Elena told you?”

“I don’t understand why you would do this” I yelled angrily before Damon grabbed a hold of my shoulder reaching for my necklace. Then it all made sense, all the times I “dreamt” about Damon I hadn’t had the necklace Elena gave me. Now I felt an anger toward Damon that I couldn’t describe. I didn’t understand if I was more or less angry at him for making me remember all of this as a dream, or sad at the fact he only wanted it to be a dream

I watched Damon, staring at him carefully as he pinned me to the wall.

“If you compel me Damon, I’ll never forgive you” I spoke emotionless as his hand clenched tightly around mine grabbing a hold of the necklace watching me carefully. Then again…I blacked out.