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↳ 012, the end of the affair pt. 1

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𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐀𝐍. He had good enough grades, was athletic when he wanted to be, and was more lucky with the women than he'd like to admit to his parents. He was skilled in football, basketball, and ice hockey. He had a soft spot for kittens and would often stop at the pet-store after school throughout middle school and high school in hopes of finally getting one of the beloved pets. He didn't want everyone to know he had a soft spot. He liked the edge he had over other people, the popularity, the clear envy.

But he was kind. He was supportive. He knew what candy his sister liked, how she took her coffee in the morning, and even how much alcohol it took for her to get drunk or even tipsy. He knew things about her that she didn't even know fully, things that she would overlook and forget about.

She knew things about him, too.

He thought drinking bourbon or whiskey was cool and made him feel like more of an adult. He liked his pizza with mushrooms, pepperoni, and extra cheese. He was a night owl and would usually never be at breakfast unless he was forced to be. His dream school was NYU as a kid and he'd always wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower in France and The Acropolis in Athens. He wanted to travel and see the world before he settled down, if he ever settled that is.

He had always been the near golden child Stella and Adam Copeman had always wanted in a son. But, he wasn't Colette and she didn't realize how much she liked that subtle spotlight over her brother until she was sitting face to face with him at the dinner table.

There was an aura of smugness around him that he was keeping hidden but Colette could smell it on him. She didn't know why she could smell the things others couldn't, she was sure Damon couldn't smell the clear lust he had for Elena because he would surely dial it down if he knew (unless he wouldn't because he's just that type of dick) but there was something that filtered in the air when she studied people and Tommy was covered in it.

"God, Cole, I can't believe all this shit is going down with Naya," said Tommy, earning a soft glare from Stella for his curse word. He reached over, grabbing a piece of garlic bread and licking the buttery goodness off from his fingers all the while not letting his eyes leave Colette's as he did so. "Do you think she's okay out there?"

Colette reached for her own slice of bread, tearing into it and feeling the steam against her fingers. It was fresh from the oven and she let it burn her with a smile. "We're going to find her, I'm sure of it."

"Naya's a fighter," he said back as Stella passed him the salad bowl. "She can get through anything."

"Tell me," murmured Colette as she forked a piece of pasta, "why didn't you come to the search? Did you really have something better to do than look for your sister's best friend?"

"Colette," hissed Stella, giving her a long look.

"What?" she asked, stabbing another piece of pasta with another force that her fork screeched across the bottom of her plate. "I'm asking a valid question."

"If you must know," said Tommy as he dipped his bread into his sauce, "I was at a job interview down at the Grill."

Adam grinned, clapping the back of Tommy's chair as he said, "And how'd it go, son?"

"You're looking at the Grill's newest server."

Stella clapped as Adam congratulated him and Colette couldn't even find the nerve to smile. She stared at her brother, the man she thought she had known so well, and wondered how long he'd been lying to her.

Was he even her brother at all? When was he turned?

She knew it must've been recently because there was no way he could've been here all this time and still be the same age as he was now. People would grow too suspicious.

"That's great," Colette finally said, trying to keep her voice from straining. "I'm happy for you, Tommy."

He looked up from his plate and smiled and she had to remind herself that this wasn't her brother. This wasn't the boy she'd grown up with. This was a man who had plotted with a woman to kill her, to keep her for themselves forever. This was a man who didn't care about anyone but himself and what would be beneficial to him.

Colette watched him wearily for the rest of dinner. She couldn't bring herself to contribute to their conversations of the upcoming football season or even what Mrs. Lockwood said to Stella while at the store about the upcoming school festivities.

When it was time to clear her plate, Colette was grateful her parents wanted to wash the dishes and put the leftovers away, giving her a chance to get to her room before Tommy tried to speak to her alone. She didn't even want to be in the same room as him. He made her skin crawl.

She had just gotten to her room, her hands on the door to shut it when a force blew into her, knocking her to the side and slamming her against the wall hard enough to shake the pictures hanging near her.

She gasped, staring in shock at Tommy who bore a snarl and fangs. She played dumb, even as his hand curled around her throat, pinning her against the wall and himself to keep her from running.

She smacked at his hand, trying to peel his fingers from her neck, her feet kicking and swinging against the ground where she stood barely on her toes. "Tommy," she gasped, playing up the role she'd been destined to play all her life. "Please, what are you doing?!"

Be pathetic. Be weak. Be exactly who you were before.

"You think you can just walk away after what you did," he snarled, the views underneath his eyes pulsing, his eyes a horrible blackish red. "You should be so lucky to have gotten away alive."

"Wh-what?" She panted against him, gasping for more air. She huffed and puffed, hoping her face was getting redder by the second.

"Naya will come back for you and finish what she started," he barked, leaning closer to her face and she was horrified to think what would happen if she truly were human. Would he bite into her? Would he tear her apart and put her back together again as if nothing had happened? Had he done that to her before? "You hurt her feelings."

Colette tried to shake her head the best she could. "What are you talking about?" His brows furrowed as she continued to speak. "Naya's gone, she's–she's missing!"

He loosened his grip only slightly, cocking his head to the side like an animal. He stared at her, forcing her to make eye contact with him as he spoke slowly as if to try and compel her. "Tell me what you remember."

"I remember getting drunk," she said in a soft voice, keeping her face neutral. "I remember passing out in one of the Salvatore guest rooms."

"Do you remember the car crash?"

She shook her head. "What crash? Naya's accident?"

He loosened his grip entirely, letting her feet touch back down onto the ground as he rubbed his face. He looked tired here in the dim lights of her room. He also looked anxious. When he turned back to face her, he grabbed her by the shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. "You will forget everything that happened here. I only just came in to say goodnight."

He let go of her and she faked a dazed look before crossing the room to go to her bed. She tried to make her breathing even again so she picked up one of her blankets, keeping her back to him. If he had known, with his hand around her throat, that she was no longer the malleable piece of clay for him to work between his angry fingers, she was sure he would've killed her.

"Cole, how're you doing?" Tommy said and she glanced behind her, acting startled to see him leaning against the doorframe. "You know, with everything that's happened to Naya?"

"I'm fine," she said, folding the blanket against her chest.

"Really?" He sounded surprised.

"Yes," she said slowly. There was nothing she could grab in front of her that she could use as a weapon. If she had been on the other side of the room, she could have snapped the leg off her dresser and used it to kill him but she wouldn't be able to move fast enough without him stopping her.

"You can be honest with me, Cole."

She placed the blanket down on the corner of her bed, smoothing it out under her fingers. "Can I?"

"Of course you can."

She sighed, turning to face him as she sat down on the edge of her bed. She crossed one leg and leaned against her hands with a small smile. It was time for answers. She didn't care if he knew the truth, only if he was far enough away to keep from killing her she was fine with it. "Then, I've got to let you know it's a real shame I can't be compelled anymore. I'm honestly really broken up about it."

She watched the horror streak across his face and her smile grew. She could smell the fear. The true anxiety. He wasn't the strongest in the room anymore, not by a long shot. He opened his mouth to speak but she stopped him, holding up a hand and shushing him so she could speak.

"Not yet," she murmured, blowing out a steady stream of air from her mouth. "I have some questions first, if you don't mind."

The veins under his eyes began to throb, rising to the surface of his cheeks.

"What I just can't figure out is when you were turned," she said, motioning with her head for him to close the bedroom door and was glad to watch him do it. "Were you always this much of a dick or did it happen a year ago? Two? Three?"

His jaw clenched and he growled out, "Two."

"Two!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "How'd it happen, brother mine? Forced to drink blood? Killed in an accident? Nearly burned to death? Come on," she grinned, "tell me how you almost died, maybe we can swap horror stories. See who's had it worse."

"You're lucky I don't kill you where you sit–"

She threw her hands in that air, chuckling as she said, "Oh, no, I'm so scared! Please, brother, don't kill me. I've been a good, good girl. I'm just a helpless, pathetic, loser who can't hurt anyone, not even a fly–"

He was in front of her before she could take another breath, his hand clamped around her throat.

She smiled, meeting his gaze and said in a slightly strained voice, "I think it'd be best if you let go of me before I decide to do something really bad."

He released her throat with a puff of air, his hand going to his side but she watched both hands curl into fists. "I was turned by a passing vampire," he said in a slow voice and she could tell how hard he was fighting himself to stay calm. The veins in his eyes settled and the color returned to normal as he continued to speak. "They were high, drunk, I don't know and decided to have some fun and turn the kid on a college tour."

Colette narrowed her eyes. "That was when you went to NYU over that spring during your junior year, wasn't it?"

He nodded. "Was at a party and they took me into a backroom and...well."

Colette looked at him for a moment, giving him the tease that she cared before saying, "What a pity that must've been. Truly horrible. You poor, poor soul."

He gritted his teeth and she heard the sound. It drove something strange through her.

Pleasure? Desire? Something stronger than both?

She took pleasure from the pain she was inflicting. The inner torment running rampant in his mind. It's what he deserved, of course.

"Did they drain you? Or was it more violent?" she asked, tilting her head to the side like she were the wolf and he was the rabbit. The lion and the lamb. "Did you scream? Cry for help?"

She could get off on this type of torture.

"It was quick," he said, his eyes leaving her to stare at the floor by her window. He was ashamed. Good. "I woke up the next morning with a daylight ring on my chest." He held out his hand, flexing it and showing her the ring she thought he'd been given by their father.

It seemed that was just another lie. Another compulsion.

"Boring," she sighed, crossing her leg over her knee and bouncing her foot. "Want to know how I died?"

He let his hand drop back down to his side and she heard the delightful sound of his teeth churning together.

"No? I'll tell you anyway." She perked up. "I died in that car accident with Naya. The car caught fire and I burned before I could drag myself out. Do you know how hard that is? When you're trapped in your seat and there's glass and shit everywhere and your body is on fire?" She watched him shift from foot to foot. "I dragged myself out and into the stream. I choked on my own blood. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't quick. I laid dying for at least an hour before the gods finally took me."

His eyes met hers quickly. "The gods?"

She ignored him, what was there to really explain? There were greater beings than them. They created the beasts. Did he really think his singular God would've been capable of creating someone like her? Someone like the mindless, bloodthirsty monsters? His God was not the first, there were more of them lurking and waiting to meddle.

They always did like to play with their food.

She scoffed. "You really thought you could just get away with murdering your sister? What did you expect when you and Naya fed me the blood, hmm? That I'd just walk away and join whatever twisted crusade you've gotten yourselves into?"

Tommy narrowed his eyes. "There are worse things at play, Colette. Bad things are coming to Mystic Falls."

"So you thought this would protect me?" She barked out a laugh, shaking her head. "This wasn't something I wanted. I didn't want to fucking die, Tommy. I wanted to have kids when I got older. I wanted to be happy and married. What the fuck did you think this was going to accomplish?"

"Colette–"

"I don't give a shit about this big bad thing coming here," she hissed. "It would never have involved me until you did this. Now I'm forced to play." She stood, glowering. "I'm going to be your own personal worst enemy, Tommy Copeman, and you better tell your little witch whore the same thing."

"Original vampires are going to come here," snapped Tommy, trying to reach out to her but stopping. He looked worried. "They're bringing something with them that will damn us all. Naya saw it–"

Her brows furrowed and she played along. "Saw it?"

"She could predict things," he rushed out. "She could see things that could happen, she saw things that would happen to you."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Sure, okay, and I'm supposed to believe that? Naya wanted me as her personal slave. She wasn't saving me from anything besides a happy life without her." She pointed to the door and snarled, "I think it'd be best if you left."

"Colette, you're not going to survive this without her, without me–"

"I never needed either of you." She crossed her arms. "And I certainly don't need you now."

"If they don't kill you first, Naya will."

"I'm so scared."

Tommy went to the door slowly, looking over his shoulder to stare at her. "You're my sister and I still love you but don't think I'll let you live if anything happens to her."

"Go fuck yourself, Tommy."

He opened the door and smiled. "The car wreck won't be the last time you'll die, Colette, I'm sure of it." His smile widened to something horrific. "Naya's not as forgiving as me, remember that." He left her bedroom and the door shut softly behind him.

She watched the door, her heart racing in her throat and when she heard his feet hit the stairs, her arms uncrossed and she relaxed. That could've ended bloodied and she was thankful it didn't. She was also glad about the new information she'd learned. It seemed that Tommy had only been turned two years ago, a pathetic turn at that. He was still her brother, that she knew of, and he still somewhat loved her if he wasn't so blinded by whatever Naya was giving him.

It also seemed Klaus would be returning to Mystic Falls sometime soon but what she didn't like was the fact that Tommy had said originals as in plural. She didn't like the idea of more than one almighty and powerful vampires running around.

She took out her phone and looked through her contacts. He answered on the second ring with a drawl, "Is there a reason you're calling me right before I have my dinner, parrot?"

She quickly told him about her encounter with her brother and Damon sighed into the phone.

"Seems like we've got to get Stefan home sooner than we were thinking."

"And you said he's in Chicago?" she asked, referencing a text she'd gotten from him earlier today. She fiddled with the necklaces around her neck, running her thumb over the fang as the pair spoke.

"Yeah," muttered Damon, not sounding pleased. He groaned. "We know he has a brother but we haven't seen Elijah since the sun and the moon curse was broken."

"Think he ran off to round up the rest of the Mikaelson siblings?"

"Fucking hope not," he ground out. "If they're as powerful as Klaus, we're going to need more than just one of their special daggers." There was a pause and he said, "What time are you getting to Chicago tomorrow?"

"I don't know, why?"

"I think it's time I take you on your first original hunt, don't you think?"

She smiled, letting her eyes fall on her closed door. "What could be better than you, me, and Elena taking on the biggest, baddest, and worst vampire of our time besides Dracula?"

"I think a lot of alcohol could," he muttered and all she could do was laugh.

Tommy was going to reap the day he turned against her and she couldn't wait to show him how wrong he was about her. Colette Copeman was not a damsel. She was not a wimp. And she certainly wasn't a coward.

She was given a gift. The gods had chosen her, she could feel it in her core. She was nothing like she was before and she couldn't wait to show the world what was cooking up inside her. She was an oven of potential.

For ruin.

That night, Colette didn't sleep. She sat in her bed and watched her bedroom door as the hours ticked away. She wouldn't be shocked if Tommy slipped into her room as she slept soundly. It's what she would've done.

She watched the closed door until it was the morning where she finally allowed herself to close her eyes for a few minutes. She gave herself an hour before getting up, taking a long pull from her blood bag, and packing a small overnight bag. She had promised Nik she'd come to Chicago today and also promised Damon she'd meet up with him after she was finished.

She was sure Nik would have to get back to his usual business and she didn't want to bother him for long, as intoxicating as it would've been to spend an entire day and night with him. She'd decided, during her long night of sitting awake and thinking, that she would catch the bus instead of driving herself. That way if Naya or even Tommy swung by the house, they'd think she was home and not getting whisked off her feet with a wooden stake in her hand.

Colette would only ever admit this to herself but she hated big cities and she realized it more than she'd like once she stepped off the bus and had no idea where the hell she was. Yes, she knew she was in Chicago and yes, she knew she was in the right area according to Nik's message but the people moving every which way had her confused. This was the only place the bus stopped and she wished she could've gotten back in the vehicle if she hadn't seen him first.

She swung her bag over her shoulder and felt a strange flutter move through her chest. He looked just as handsome as he did the first night she'd seen him. He was wearing a black v-neck that showed off exactly what she liked and his hands clasped behind his back as he began to smirk.

It felt almost like her old life, seeing him here and approaching him.

But she definitely liked this better because once she neared him, he reached out and took her by the face. His hands were like fire against her neck and cheeks as he brought her face to his to kiss her.

His lips were soft and his stubble scratched at her skin. She wanted to part her lips, to take him in deeper but they were in public and he was already gently pulling away.

"What was that for?" she whispered, her lashes fluttering as she looked up at him. He smelled good, musty almost like the forest would smell like in the morning.

He ran a few fingers through her hair, brushing it from her face as he murmured, "I've missed you is all."

"Mhmm," she hummed, the sound vibrating in her mouth, "I bet you did."

He took her hand, walking her towards wherever he had parked. It was funny, she doesn't think she's ever seen his car before, much less seen him drive one. It made her think for a moment as he led her through the small parking lot and towards a black car that she never even saw a car the night he came over to see her at her home.

"I'm glad you made it," he said, unlocking the car. She opened the passenger side door, getting in and finding that it still had that new car smell of fresh leather. "I was afraid we weren't going to find time."

"As if I'd miss the chance for you to chauffeur me around the city," she cooed, finding herself not caring for a seatbelt as he started the car and left the lot. "Where are we going? You didn't let on too much."

"I've rented a small apartment for the time being," he explained, glancing at her as he drove with one hand on the wheel. "It's strictly for business while I'm in town with my partner but I think it'll be quite perfect for a day with you."

She crossed one leg over her knee, resting her elbow on the arm rest as she regarded him. The sun hit him perfectly through the window, casting a summertime glow to his skin. He caught her looking at him and broke out into a smile, letting out this breathless laugh that sent such a strong current of warmth through her she could've keeled over and died on the spot.

"You ever going to tell me what you really do for work?" she asked. "All you've ever told me is that you're trying to find your place in the world."

"I don't want to bore you."

"Come on," she pestered, "I'm a good listener and I'm curious."

The corners of his mouth turned up in a small smirk. "I'm doing a bit of...genetic work."

"Oh?" This surprised her.

"I've been attempting to see if two different species can be combined and still be able to thrive," he explained with a wave of his hand. "I just about had it all together but there's a piece missing, something is stopping it from working."

"What species?"

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "I work strictly with predators."

She pursed her lips. "I didn't peg you as a...type of scientist."

"What?" he chuckled. "Don't think I'm smart enough for the job?"

She shook her head. "No, it's more that I thought you were, well, some type of nomad." He laughed harder and she continued to shake her head. "I thought you were some free spirit looking for a lost family, I don't know. The way you made it seem in the bar that night, I thought you were just another lost soul."

"You make me sound very poetic."

"Well, I guess you could say I'm trying to find the perfect story for my golden knight."

"Golden knight, eh?"

She nodded, looking away from him to keep her eyes on the road. They were leaving the worst of the city to the outskirts and she liked it better out here. She liked the trees and the fields. "If you haven't realized, Nik, you've got a very big mysterious hero complex."

She felt his eyes on her as he said, "You think I'm a hero?"

"What?" she laughed. "Think of yourself more as the villain?"

There was a small pause as he got off at their exit before he spoke again. "I don't think anyone has ever considered me a hero before."

"If you want," she murmured, leaning over and facing him again, "we can play villains. Screw the heroes, fuck the good guys."

He glanced at her, the wisps of a smile across his face. "You're different, you know that?"

She sat back. "How so?" Did he know? Did he sense her change?

He shrugged, an act so casual it almost didn't seem right coming from him. "I don't know, you just seem...freer. Like a weight has finally been lifted from your shoulders."

She looked away from him, looking out her window as she said in a slow voice, "In a way, I think you're right."

"Is it from Naya being gone?"

Hearing her name come from his mouth sent something rancid through her and she gritted her teeth. She didn't like it when he said her name. He parked the car in the small lot in front of the apartment building and she got out to avoid answering him.

It wasn't because Nays was gone, it was because Naya fucking killed her and the thought made her blood boil.

"Colette?"

His voice was soft and she turned, shutting the door to face him across the hood. He looked good here, as if he were the carefree one and not her.

"Hmm?"

"Is this all because of her?"

She looked towards the building, noticing the nice architecture and the way it was structured. She knew it would be nice inside but she wouldn't have even minded if it didn't. She would've gone anywhere with him and that was a problem.

"If I tell you the truth, don't think I'm a bad person," she murmured, looking at him and noticing his intent on listening. She sighed softly and finally nodded, a perfect little lie. "It's easier with her gone but I can't help but feel guilty."

She didn't feel guilty. She felt righteous.

"She's gone and, well, I'm here," she said with a shrug. "I should be out there searching the woods for her but I just..." I don't care, I don't care, I don't care.

Naya was hiding somewhere, swimming in all the attention she was getting and Colette hoped that would be a good enough distraction for the time being.

"She could still be alive," she said finally, "and I'm terrified of what will happen when she comes back."

"And if she doesn't?" he asked, walking around the car to approach her.

She looked up at him, reaching out to run a hand up his chest. "She will, trust me."

He leaned down closer, murmuring nearly against her lips, "How are you so sure?"

She smiled, feeling the warmth she'd felt when looking at him in the car earlier. It burned her up inside almost like the fire that had consumed her had been swallowed down instead. "Naya would never let me go so easily."

She kissed him so he couldn't respond and it seemed that he didn't mind that one bit. He was so kind and gentle with her but ever since dying and the whole 'you're supposed to drink blood' thing had made her yearn for the violence she was born from.

"I think you should take me inside," she said, breaking away to kiss the corner of his mouth and down to his jaw, "or you'll be forced to take me here."

He didn't argue and in a swift moment, he lifted her in his arms and walked her towards the apartment. She was inside his apartment before she even realized they had gone through the lobby and down the hall.

He lowered her back to her feet as the door closed behind her and she took in the little place. It wasn't anything special but it reminded her of him, in the quaint calmness of it all. She knew there was a beast inside him but this place was the opposite. There was a small easel by the window and a small stack of books on a coffee table that she recognized to be a bundle of old classics.

She crossed the room, going to the painting that was in progress and smiled, tempted to touch the dried paints. "I didn't know you painted," she said in such a soft voice it sounded more like her old self than the new one building.

"There's a lot you don't know," he said behind her, his lips tickling the shell of her ear and his warmth surrounding her. His hands went to her hips, pulling her back against him and she smiled at his directness.

"Show me who you really are," she breathed, reaching back to run her hands over his. "I want to know every inch of you."

"How badly do you want it?" he purred, his scruff brushing against her neck. She could feel his own desperate need pressed against her and she wanted to feel all of him. She wanted him to lay himself bare. He ran his lips against the tender spot on her neck, his hands moving over her hips and to her stomach, finding the button on her jeans. "Tell me, Colette," his voice tickled, "how badly do you want me?"

"Horribly," she breathed, "terribly, completely."

He smiled against her and suddenly her button was undone and her zipper simply nonexistent, the flaps of her jeans open. "Then take off your pants."

She moved her hands over his as they settled back on her hips. He didn't move away to allow her the space to undress but she liked him close. She could feel him, his weight, his protectiveness, and she could almost feel this sense of old power pulsing around him. His aura was thick with lust, she could smell it all around them. But it wasn't just lust pulling off him in slow, throbbing waves.

It was something so powerful it was intoxicating to inhale.

She wanted to drown in it. To drown in him.

She gripped the open flaps of her jeans and slowly pulled them down, bending over and pressing herself even further against him, his hand finding its way to her back. His fingers found the exposed skin, trailing over the small of her back like he'd found treasure in her skin. She kicked off her pants, sending them flying against where she dropped her bag, not realizing she'd even brought it in with her, that's how mesmerized she was.

"Spread your legs," he murmured into her ear, his voice like silk and his fingers like velvet as they played with the trim on her underwear.

Slowly spreading her legs apart, she could feel the heat between her legs grow more feverish when she felt his fingers dance closer and closer above the fabric. He was teasing her. And right as his finger was about to stroke her, they were gone and moving up her hips to her shirt. He ran his hands up her sides until he was brushing against her bra, pulling her shirt up and over her head.

She didn't watch where he threw her shirt because his fingers were now moving over her stomach, sending little shivers over her. She opened her mouth to speak but was near breathless when she said, "It's hardly fair that you're still dressed."

"I don't think any of this is fair," he said, finding the hook on her bra and slowly undoing it. He slid the straps down her arms, letting it fall into a heap by her feet. And before she thought he was going to run his hands over her breasts, his fingers had hooked themselves in her underwear and she gasped when he tore them off, the fabric ripping. She was bare to him, completely, and she had no ounce of fear or insecurity. She would've been terrified if she had been human.

She was always scared. Always on guard.

"Is this okay?" he asked after a moment of no longer even touching her and she nodded, feverishly. "I should've asked before–"

"You're fine, perfect actually," she said with a soft laugh. "I did say I wanted you to take me."

"So," he murmured, touching her tentatively on the hip, "is this okay?"

She nodded.

"And this?" His hand moved lower, running down the outside of her thigh. She nodded again and his hand moved, curling in and his fingertips brushed the inside of her thigh. "And this?"

"Yes," she breathed, his slow movements driving her wild.

His hand slipped between her legs and the first stroke against her made her knees want to buckle. "And this?"

She nodded, reaching back and hooking her own fingers in his belt loops to keep him close to her as she said, "Yes."

He continued to stroke her and she knew how wet she must've been. Just by the first touch, the first kiss, she was gone. He slowly pushed a finger inside her and her thighs clenched to keep from trembling and he whispered into her ear, "And what about this?"

"God," she breathed as he pumped his finger in and out so dangerously slowly she thought she would simply collapse from the contact. He removed his finger but it wasn't gone for long before he was slowly slipping in a second, stretching her just slightly to build up a beautiful pain that made her gasp out and press back against him.

"Keep doing this," she moaned, "and I'll fall apart right now."

He chuckled, the sound vibrating against her neck where he kissed her softly. "Isn't that the point, love?"

Tear me apart. Rip me in two. Please, please, build me anew.

His fingers worked inside her, curling just the slightest to send a choir of noises rippling from her mouth. He kissed down her neck, suckling on the soft spot on her collarbone, leaving a trail of wet desire over her shoulder as if he were leaving his own mark. Whoever would smell her would know she was his.

God, she was his before she was even his, truly.

Pressure began to build up inside her, her stomach contracting, her thighs tensing as she knew the oncoming relief would leave her weak. She knew he felt her tense around his fingers and they began to pump quicker, his thumb going to her clit and rubbing slow circles that made her see stars when she finally came undone, moaning so loudly she thought for sure she could've broken glass.

She fell back against him when he finished riding out her high, his hands against her hips to keep her upright. He chuckled and she felt the sound against her back.

"You're not done quite yet," he said before letting go of her. She felt him take off his shirt, his bare skin against her back just enough to send her into a light headed daze. She heard his belt come undone and the sound of his clothes joining hers on the floor. "Here or the bed?" he asked, pressing a kiss to her ear before finally pressing against her in a way that made her gasp.

The hard length of him was warm against her, his tip touching her back. She made a move to reach back and touch him but he grabbed her wrist, tsking.

She opened her mouth to demand why he stopped her when he captured her lips with his, craning her head to the side. Against her lips, he whispered, "I'm here to worship you."

"Let me touch you," she begged.

He shook his head, kissing her deeply before saying, "The only one being touched today is you." He kissed her gently this time and pulled away, her eyes meeting his as he asked, "Here or the bed, Colette."

She swallowed thickly. "Here."

"Beg."

In her other life, she probably would've been embarrassed, mortified even to have to plead. But this new life was different, like most things were now and she couldn't wait to get what she wanted, the fire burning so intensely inside her she knew it would only be quenched by him and him alone. "Here, please, Nik," she murmured as he pressed himself against her again.

"That's not enough."

She pouted and he grinned, running a hand up her back and winding it in her hair.

"Tell me how much you want it," he said, giving her hair a playful tug.

Her head craned back, exposing her neck as she gasped. "Please," she mewled, finding it hard to speak any louder than she was. "Nik, please, I need–"

"What do you need?" he mused and she felt the very tip of his brush up against her and it made her body tremble. "Tell me, love, what do you need?"

"I–" She shook her head. Speak, you idiot. Speak and crumble. "I need you to fuck me, Nik. I need you to fuck me–"

He pushed into her with only one long hard thrust and she cried out, falling forward against the couch he'd begun to pin her against. She gripped the leather, the feel of him inside her so strong she had no idea it would've been this powerful. She could feel all of him, the silkiness of his length was something like magic as he allowed her to adjust.

He leaned over her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "Alright?"

She nodded, trying to move back to get more of the desperate friction she needed but he'd pinned her to a point she couldn't move. He chuckled at her need, resting his devilish hands on her hips as he began to move, so slowly it made her nearly want to sob.

He worked her like clay, like she was this moldable thing in his hands that only he could change. His movements were hard, his thrusts so powerful that the noises that came from her every time he pushed back into his fullest she would cry out like an animal. When he'd pull her hair, exposing her neck to him so he could kiss her there, she would find herself smiling.

He would whisper her name against her skin and his would come flying from her mouth like a curse. Maybe they were both cursed, she certainly was. But that raw power she could feel foaming off him made her think, between the dizzying euphoria, that he too was something dangerous. That he was just as powerful as she was, more so.

She doesn't know how long it was, if it was mere minutes or thirty or an hour but her body was trembling and she could barely hold herself up. Her thighs were shaking and her knees were threatening to buckle, truly this time. She felt her build up approaching and he knew, tightening his grip on her hips and sending such powerful thrusts into her at such a perfect pace she thought this time around she would actually have tears running down her cheeks.

Her inside's clenched and she saw stars, his name falling from her mouth in a long moan as he worked her through it with the near blinding pace of a god. He came undone moments later, murmuring curses against the slick skin of her neck, saying her name like she was the god instead of him.

When it was done and he stilled inside her, allowing them both to catch their breath, she laughed. "I don't think I'll be able to walk for a second."

She felt him pull out of her and she let out the smallest gasp, missing the way he'd made her feel whole. He kissed her shoulder, so gently that it was almost like a complete reversal of how hard he'd been fucking her. She was sure her back was littered with love marks and little bruises on her hips. She was almost sorry they'd vanish by the time she would turn around and kiss him.

She wanted to be marked. She wanted to be claimed.

"Then I guess I'll have to carry you," he said into her ear before spinning her around in one swift moment, lifting her into his arms like a bride. He looked into her eyes and it was the first time she'd seen his face truly since they'd arrived and she was always shocked at how handsome he was. "Bed or bath?"

"Bath," she said, her heart still racing inside her chest. She wanted to be enveloped in the warmth of something other than arms and blankets. She wanted to be on fire again.

He crossed into the small bedroom and into his bathroom. The bathroom was the only room that had a door, the rest of the apartment open to everything. He entered the room and sat her down on the counter to turn and fill the beautiful tub with water so hot she could see the steam rising already.

There was something about watching him work, his body bare to her in a way she'd never seen with a man. The muscles in his back and sides were enough to send anyone's mouth full of drool. He had a tattoo Colette doesn't truly remember seeing the first time they were together in bed. But it was a feather, pieces of it floating its way around his chest and turning into birds.

When he stood back up and returned to her, she ran her fingers over it. She'd wanted to get a tattoo when she was younger, but Naya had told her off, like she did with most things. So she allowed herself to marvel at him as he stood between her legs.

"Can you walk?"

She met his eyes and smiled. "I don't want to. I think I want you to carry me like that everywhere."

He smiled and she watched the gleam meet his eyes as he said, "Your wish is my command."

He picked her up effortlessly and she wondered if she weighed anything at all to him as he spun them around. Approaching the tub, he slowly lowered her to her feet, allowing her to dip her toes in and she sighed happily. The water was scalding.

"Was worried it'd be too hot," he chuckled, noting the smile on her face as she left his arms to sink down into the water.

"It's perfect," she replied, meeting his gaze from where she'd sunk down to her neck. "But you better come in now before I take all the warmth with me."

She sat up, scooting forward. He got in behind her, the water sloshing around her as he settled back with her between his legs. She ignored the way he was still slightly hard behind her, pressed against her back and she liked him that way. Always wanting her.

"How can I persuade you to stay until tomorrow?" he asked as she leaned back against him and his arms went around her middle.

"Tell my ride to stay the night and I just might," said Colette with a small laugh.

He ran his hand up her arm. "Who do I need to call?"

She pursed her lips, resting her head back against his chest, his head leaning against her own. "I don't think he'll be very happy if I change our plans."

"He?" Nik laughed. "Should I be jealous?"

"God, no. He's a total pig."

"Who is this pig and how do I tell him you're mine and here to stay?"

"His name is Damon and it's probably better if I stay on his good side," she said, noticing the strange feeling emitting from Nik at the mention of Damon. His arm tensed just for a second and there was a strange smell in the air. Anger? Disbelief?

"He's here?" asked Nik. "In Chicago?"

She nodded. "He's looking for his brother."

"His brother?" mused Nik, shifting in the water. "Is he lost?"

"No," she said, brows furrowing at the questioning. Did Nik know something she didn't? "He's just...run off, I guess. Damon, he's trying to keep him off a bad path, I don't know. He offered to drive me home so I took him up on it." She looked behind her, catching Nik's cautious eye. "Why? Know something I should?"

He shook his head with a small smile playing on his lips. "Just curious, that's all."

"More like suspicious," responded Colette with a light shrug. "Damon might be a pig but he's harmless to me and to you." She stretched her neck to kiss him gently on the jaw. "There's nothing to worry about."

He nodded but as she pulled away, she could see a calculated look in the way he was staring at the water. He wasn't telling her something and it sent her heart thumping loudly in her chest. When she was human, she wouldn't have questioned it. She would've ignored her instincts.

She would do that no longer.

"Tell me," she said, sitting up.

"Tell you what?"

"Something is obviously bothering you."

"Just thinking if this is the same Damon I know," he said with a shrug. "I knew one, from a couple of months ago. I had...work in Mystic Falls and he and I crossed paths."

"Did you know his last name?"

He nodded. "Salvatore. Damon Salvatore."

Colette's lips parted. "Wow, small world."

"So, it's the same?"

She nodded but she knew he already knew. There was something in the way he was speaking and looking at her that told her he always knew who Damon was from the first mention of his name.

"Funny," she murmured, leaning back against him slowly. She would not show him she was suspicious. There was so cause for alarm, yet. "I go to school with his brother, so I guess you could say we're friends."

"Small world indeed." He kissed the side of her head and that was that.

A few hours later of lounging in his apartment and watching him paint and flipping through his small collection of books, Nik asked her to accompany him to a bar. She agreed, thinking a drink would do her good as she'd found herself slightly more paranoid of him than she should've been.

It was just Nik. Kind, loving, romantic Nik.

Wasn't it?

AUTHOR'S NOTE━━i....i really tried my hardest w that sex scene so pls forgive me if its HORRIBLE OH MY GOD anyway this one was for you guys : elisb0red -whiteoak

collette is gonna the worst awakening in these next few chaps...just get ready!!! hope you guys are enjoying it and let me know you think!!!!!

as always vote/comment and ill come ask for your hand in marriage