Christopher’s and Samantha’s bodies? The campus officers were al over the crime scenes before the police got there.”
“We can check it out tomorrow, certainly,” Damon said casual y. “If it wil make you feel better.” His voice and expression were almost disinterested, provokingly so, and once again, Elena felt the strange mixture of desire and irritation that Damon often sparked in her. She wanted to shove him away and pul him closer at the same time.
She had almost decided on shoving him away when he turned to look her ful in the face. “My poor Elena,” he said in a soothing murmur, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. He ran a soft hand up her arm, shoulder, and neck, coming to rest gently against her jawline. “You can’t get away from the dark creatures, can you, Elena? No matter how you try.
Come to a new place, find a new monster.” He stroked her face with one finger. His words were almost mocking, but his voice was gentle and his eyes shone with emotion.
Elena pressed her cheek against his hand. Damon was elegant and clever, and something in him spoke to the dark, secret part of her. She couldn’t deny that she was drawn to him—that she’d always been drawn to him, even when they first met and he scared her. And Elena had loved him since that winter night when she awoke as a vampire and he cared for her, protected her, and taught her what she needed to know.
Stefan had left her. There was no reason why she shouldn’t do this. “I don’t always want to get away from the dark creatures, Damon,” she said.
He was silent for a moment, his hand stroking her cheek automatical y, and then he kissed her. His lips were like cool silk against hers, and Elena felt as if she had been wandering for hours in a desert and had final y been given a cold drink of water.
She kissed him harder, letting go of his hand to twine her fingers through his soft hair.
Pul ing away from her mouth, Damon kissed her neck gently, waiting for permission. Elena dropped her head back to give him better access. She heard Damon’s breath hiss through his teeth, and he looked into her eyes for a moment, his face soft and more open than she’d ever seen it, before he lowered his face to her neck again.
The twin wasp stings of his fangs hurt for a moment, and then she was sliding through darkness, fol owing a ribbon of aching pleasure that led her through the night, led her to Damon. She felt his joy and wonder at having her in his arms without guilt, without reserve. In return she let him feel her happiness in him and her confusion over wanting him and stil loving Stefan, her pain at Stefan’s absence. There was no guilt, not now, but there was a huge Stefan-shaped hole in her heart, and she let Damon see it.
It’s all right, Elena, she felt from him, not quite in words, but in a rock-solid contentment, like the purr of a cat. All I want is this.
33
Ethan was, Matt observed, totaly freaking out. The guy’s usual cheerful composure had worn off, and he was supervising the initiation arrangements with the intensity of a dril sergeant.
“No!” he snarled from across the room. He darted over and slapped the leg of a girl who was standing on a chair and weaving roses through the welded metal V at the top of the central arch.
“Ouch!” she yel ed, dropping the roses to the floor.
“Ethan, what is your problem?”
“We don’t put anything on the V, Lorelai,” he told her coldly, and bent to pick up the flowers. “You must respect the symbols of the Vitale Society. It’s a matter of honor.
When our leader final y joins us, we must demonstrate to him that we are disciplined, that we are capable.” He shoved the roses back into her hands. “We don’t do that by draping garbage al over the symbol of our organization.” Lorelai stared at him. “I’m sorry. But I thought you were the leader of the Vitale Society, Ethan.” Everyone had stopped working to watch Ethan’s melt-down. Noticing that he was the center of attention, Ethan breathed deeply, clearly trying to regain his composure.
Final y he addressed them al , biting off his words sharply. “I am trying to prepare you al , and to prepare this chamber, for the initiation ceremony. For you.” His voice was steadily rising as he glared around at them. “And this is when I learn that, despite al your promise, you’re a bunch of incompetents. You can’t even place a candle or mix some herbs without my help. We’re running out of time, and I might as wel just be doing everything myself.” Matt glanced around at the other pledges. Their faces were shocked and wary. Like him, al along they had been looking up to Ethan and were flattered and encouraged by his praise. Now their role model had turned on them, and no one seemed to know how to react. Chloe, setting out candles by the arch, was anxious, her lips pressed together tightly. She looked quickly at Matt and then away, back toward Ethan.
“Just tel us what you want us to do, Ethan,” Matt said, stepping forward. He tried to keep his voice level and soothing. “We’l do our best to make everything perfect.” Ethan glowered at him. “You couldn’t even get your friend Stefan to join us,” he said bitterly. “One simple task, and you failed.”
“Hey,” Matt said, offended. “That’s not fair. I got Stefan to come talk to you. If he’s not interested, that’s his decision. He doesn’t have to join us.”
“I question your commitment to the Vitale Society, Matt,” Ethan said flatly. “And the conversation with Stefan Salvatore is not over.” He walked straight past Matt, glancing briefly at the rest of the pledges gathered around him. “There’s not much time, everyone. Get back to work.” Matt could feel the beginnings of a headache starting at his temples. For the first time, he wondered if maybe he didn’t want to join the Vitale Society after al .
“I could have this door open in a single second,” Damon said irritably. “Instead we stand here, waiting.” Meredith sighed and careful y wiggled the bobby pin in the lock. “If you force the door open, Damon, they’l know right away that someone broke into the campus security office. By picking the lock instead, we can keep a low profile. Okay?” The bobby pin caught on something, and she careful y slid it upward, trying to turn it to catch the pins of the lock so she could move the tumbler. Then the bobby pin bent, and she lost the angle. She groaned and dug into her bag for another bobby pin. “Twenty-seven weapons,” she grumbled. “I brought twenty-seven separate weapons to col ege and not a single lock pick.”
“Wel , you couldn’t be prepared for everything,” Elena said. “What about using a credit card?”
“Being prepared for everything is sort of my job description,” Meredith muttered. She sat back on her heels and stared at the door. The lock was pretty flimsy: not only Damon but either she or Elena could have easily forced it open. And yes, a credit card or something similar probably would work just fine. Dropping the bobby pin into her open bag, she took out her wal et instead and found her student ID.
