Status: incomplete
This Is What I Want
12.
For most of the next day, Damon and I stayed in the bedroom. I had no desire to face Elena, and Damon had elected to stay with me. I didn’t really care what she would think.
“Damon?” I asked. We were sitting against the headboard, Damon’s arm wrapped around me. I watched the little dust motes floating through the air in the ray of sunshine that made its way in.
“Hmm?”
“How did you and Stefan become vampires?”
I looked up at him. His eyes were distant, his fingers still running up and down my arms. His brows were low and I was struck again by his beauty. He didn’t answer.
“You promised we would have another conversation,” I reminded. His jaw was set, and he looked on the verge of not answering my question.
“In 1864, Stefan and I met a beautiful woman,” he began after a long pause. “Her name was Katherine and she was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. She was an orphan and a run away. We ran a boarding house and allowed her entry. How could we not? We couldn’t just leave the girl out in the world with no place to stay. She stayed with us for many months and in that time, both of us fell in love with her. She revealed to me that she was a vampire, and I was enthralled. I did not shy away from her. In fact, her vampirism drew me in. She would bite me and feed on my blood. Somehow, this didn’t bother me at all.
After about a year, the town found out that there were vampires living in and near Mystic Falls. The founding families went on a rampage, my father included. Word got out that Katherine was a vampire, and when the town found out, they took her to burn along with the rest. Stefan and I tried to rescue her but were shot dead, by our own father, before we could help her. I watched helplessly as they took her away, my life’s blood draining from my body. Despair filled my heart as I watched them drag her away.” He paused as he mulled over his thoughts.
“How did you guys turn? I mean, what happened?”
“I awoke sometime later, confused and disoriented. Why was I still alive? I looked down at my shirt which was covered in my own blood. Stefan was still lying where he had fallen a few feet away. I sat up, confusion still swirling in my mind. Emily Bennett, Katherine’s friend and hand maid, also conveniently a witch, showed up in that moment. She explained that Katherine had been feeding me her blood for weeks in case this ever happened. I was in transition.”
“What’s transition?” I interrupted.
“It’s when you’re transitioning from human to vampire.”
“Does the transition complete on its own?”
“No.”
“How does it finish?”
“I was told that I needed human blood to finish my transition or I would die. I didn’t think that’s what I wanted. I was determined to let myself die. I was never meant to live the life that vampirism would bring. It was Stefan that forced me to feed, completing my transition in the end.”
“Why did he do it?”
“I don’t think he could stand to see me die. He had completed his transition while I was contemplating and was enthralled with all of the power that it brought. I had no intention of completing the transition, but he brought me a human as an offering, eager for me to finish. There was blood on her neck where he had bitten her and it drew me in. Before I knew what I was doing, I was drinking her blood. My transition was final. When I realized what I had done, I was disgusted with myself. I didn’t think I could live with what I had done, what I had now become. Over the centuries, I came to terms with my new state and learned to control myself.”
His voice faded away. I thought about everything he had told me and carefully stored the information away. I sat up and looked him in the eye.
“Do you regret it?”
“You’re not turning.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“You’re not turning.”
“Damon.”
“Delaney.”
I looked into his eyes and didn’t break eye contact. I narrowed my eyes and waited for him to answer my question.
“I can do this all day.”
He sighed. “No. Not usually.”
I opened my mouth to speak again but he cut me off.
“I’m not going to turn you Delaney. That is not an option I want for you.”
“That’s not what I was going to say, Damon!”
He gave me a look and I glared right back.
“It’s not your decision to make! It’s mine!”
“It’s not happening.”
“Fine,” I huffed and hopped off the bed.
“I’m going to take a shower. I need to think.”
I walked into the bathroom, Damon’s footsteps following mine.
“Damon?” I asked. We were sitting against the headboard, Damon’s arm wrapped around me. I watched the little dust motes floating through the air in the ray of sunshine that made its way in.
“Hmm?”
“How did you and Stefan become vampires?”
I looked up at him. His eyes were distant, his fingers still running up and down my arms. His brows were low and I was struck again by his beauty. He didn’t answer.
“You promised we would have another conversation,” I reminded. His jaw was set, and he looked on the verge of not answering my question.
“In 1864, Stefan and I met a beautiful woman,” he began after a long pause. “Her name was Katherine and she was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. She was an orphan and a run away. We ran a boarding house and allowed her entry. How could we not? We couldn’t just leave the girl out in the world with no place to stay. She stayed with us for many months and in that time, both of us fell in love with her. She revealed to me that she was a vampire, and I was enthralled. I did not shy away from her. In fact, her vampirism drew me in. She would bite me and feed on my blood. Somehow, this didn’t bother me at all.
After about a year, the town found out that there were vampires living in and near Mystic Falls. The founding families went on a rampage, my father included. Word got out that Katherine was a vampire, and when the town found out, they took her to burn along with the rest. Stefan and I tried to rescue her but were shot dead, by our own father, before we could help her. I watched helplessly as they took her away, my life’s blood draining from my body. Despair filled my heart as I watched them drag her away.” He paused as he mulled over his thoughts.
“How did you guys turn? I mean, what happened?”
“I awoke sometime later, confused and disoriented. Why was I still alive? I looked down at my shirt which was covered in my own blood. Stefan was still lying where he had fallen a few feet away. I sat up, confusion still swirling in my mind. Emily Bennett, Katherine’s friend and hand maid, also conveniently a witch, showed up in that moment. She explained that Katherine had been feeding me her blood for weeks in case this ever happened. I was in transition.”
“What’s transition?” I interrupted.
“It’s when you’re transitioning from human to vampire.”
“Does the transition complete on its own?”
“No.”
“How does it finish?”
“I was told that I needed human blood to finish my transition or I would die. I didn’t think that’s what I wanted. I was determined to let myself die. I was never meant to live the life that vampirism would bring. It was Stefan that forced me to feed, completing my transition in the end.”
“Why did he do it?”
“I don’t think he could stand to see me die. He had completed his transition while I was contemplating and was enthralled with all of the power that it brought. I had no intention of completing the transition, but he brought me a human as an offering, eager for me to finish. There was blood on her neck where he had bitten her and it drew me in. Before I knew what I was doing, I was drinking her blood. My transition was final. When I realized what I had done, I was disgusted with myself. I didn’t think I could live with what I had done, what I had now become. Over the centuries, I came to terms with my new state and learned to control myself.”
His voice faded away. I thought about everything he had told me and carefully stored the information away. I sat up and looked him in the eye.
“Do you regret it?”
“You’re not turning.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“You’re not turning.”
“Damon.”
“Delaney.”
I looked into his eyes and didn’t break eye contact. I narrowed my eyes and waited for him to answer my question.
“I can do this all day.”
He sighed. “No. Not usually.”
I opened my mouth to speak again but he cut me off.
“I’m not going to turn you Delaney. That is not an option I want for you.”
“That’s not what I was going to say, Damon!”
He gave me a look and I glared right back.
“It’s not your decision to make! It’s mine!”
“It’s not happening.”
“Fine,” I huffed and hopped off the bed.
“I’m going to take a shower. I need to think.”
I walked into the bathroom, Damon’s footsteps following mine.
♠ ♠ ♠
xoxo