I was horny. By a lot.

I knew that wasn't something a lot of people wanted to hear, but I didn't care.

What I cared about was a guy I didn't even know that I had just met at the Grill was pushing me into a wall as his lips trailed down my neck, then back up as my head tilted up as my lips met his, hungrily and forcibly.

This wasn't about like the or love, but about a need that I had that wouldn't go away and that I was using a teen boy to quench the need.

I pushed him back long enough to grip the hem of his shirt and pull it over his head, and he pushed my leather jacket off of my shoulders, onto the floor.

I reached to his jeans, unbuttoning them as he took my blouse, and I reached over my head as he pulled it off, leaving me in a bra as I rushed to get to his bed, and with me on top, pressing my body against his as I kissed his lips, his jaw, his chest, and as his hands ran down my bare waist, it felt like he was touching everything at once, making it that much more good as he shimmied my leggings down.

It was pretty obvious we went further than just a hookup.

*

I was severely annoyed when Stefan's phone call interrupted, grabbing my phone from the table next to the bed, still  on top of Ken.

"What?" I demanded.

"Whatdoyoumean, 'what'? I'vebeentryingtocallyou. WheredoesAnnalive?"

"Why?" Ken tried to kiss me, so I pushed my hand against his chest to push him to the bed. "Stefan, what's wrong?"

"ShehasElenaandBonnie'smissing."

"What?" I demanded.

Oh, hell no.

*

At Anna's motel room, I kicked in the locked door, the sunlight streaming to a vampire named Ben, who didn't have a daylight ring, so he burned, screamed, and as Stefan pushed aside the window curtain, allowing even more to come in, he hid.

"Stefan!" Elena said gratefully. "Kaylin!"

"Get outside," Stefan told them, both immediately running.

I stalked toward Ben, holding his throat as I pulled him into the sunlight, making him scream. "When the sun goes down, leave town. If I see you again, I will kill you."

I dropped Ben, both of us leaving.

*

I had to change out of these clothes. They were . . .more than dirty.

But now, Damon, Elena and I at the big party going on in the woods as I followed them, Elena saying, "The Duke party. I forgot. I hope they stay clear of the church."

"Your hope, not mine," Damon said.

"Stop being such an ass," I told him as Matt and Caroline walked toward us.

"Hey, Kaylin!" Matt called, and I waved semi-awkwardly.

"Elena!" Caroline cheered. "Oh, my God, where have you been?"

I saw Caroline intertwining her fingers with Matt's, and I pressed my lips together. Ouch.

"Long story, no time to tell it," Damon said.

"I wasn't talking to you," Caroline replied snarkily.

"Sure you were."

"We haven't met," Matt told Damon, holding out a hand to him. "I'm Matt."

"Matt, there's a reason you two haven't met," I told him, pushing Damon along. Reason: to protect him.

Damon grabbed Elena's arm, dragging her along. "You and I are going that way."

Elena looked back at Matt and Caroline as we continued along. "I'm sorry, guys."

*

Damon whistled as we got to Bonnie and her grandmother and Stefan. "Brother. Witches."

He strode past with the grimoire in hand, and I rolled my eyes as I stopped a few feet from them as Damon went inside.

Elena stopped next to Stefan as he asked, "Everything okay?"

"I just want to get this over with," Elena answered.

"Are we ready?" I asked.

"I guess so," Bonnie answered.

*

Bonnie's grandmother was lighting the torches with Bonnie next to her as Stefan, Damon and Elena stood in the entrance to watch as I leaned against the left side of them, the grandma witch saying, "Air. Earth. Fire."

"Water," Bonnie finished.

She held out the water bottle to her grandmother, who took it and sprinkled it over the ground.

"That's it?" Elena asked. "Just water from the tap?"

"As opposed to what?" the grandmother asked.

"I just figured maybe it would have to be blessed or mystical or something."

The grandmother smirked at Elena, and I noticed Damon unraveling a blood bag as Stefan asked, "What's that?"

"It's for Katherine," Damon answered. "Gotta have something to get her going. Unless your girl's offering a vein to tap." He looked back at Elena, who looked back with an unamused expression, and I smirked, rolling my eyes. Damon turned to Stefan, whispering, "Admit it--You can't wait to get rid of me."

Stefan chuckled. "I can't wait to get rid of you."

"What about you, Kay?"

I smirked. "Asta la bye bye."

"Hmm," Damon hummed with a smirk.

Bonnie looked up at us from the ground. "We're ready."

*

Both Bonnie and her grandmother stood now, reciting a spell in some foreign language, their eyes closed and fingers interlocked.

"What are they saying?" Damon asked.

"Sounds Latin," I said.

"I don't think it's Latin," Elena said.

After a few more seconds of the witches reciting witchy mumbo jumbo, the torches flared up, and Elena grabbed Stefan's arm. "What's happening?"

My head turned to the sound of the tomb creaking open, the witches stopping in their chanting and looking up.

"It worked," Bonnie said in disbelief.

"Of course it worked," her grandmother told her.

"We have some fires to build," Damon said.

Stefan looked back at Elena. "I'm gonna go get the gasoline. I'll be right back."

"I'll come with," I said as we walked up together.

*

Stefan and I went to get the gasoline and started to gather the cans when we heard someone. "Dark down there?"

I looked toward Ben.

And he stood over Jeremy's unconscious body.

"Thought I told you to leave," I said.

"I considered it," Ben said. "Then I thought, screw you."

We heard Anna's voice behind us. "Hey, hero, blondie." Stefan and I turned to face her. "I'm going down there to get my mother."

"I can't let you do that," Stefan disagreed.

"Well, Ben's about to make a main course out of Elena's little brother. So, you can stop me or him. Your choice."

Stefan took a step toward Anna, but I grabbed his arm as she rushed into the tomb, and we turned back to Ben.

*

"Do you really think she cares about you?" Stefan asked Ben. "Hmm? You're disposable."

"I don't care," Ben answered. "She already gave me what I want."

"Are you gonna say 'eternal life'?" I asked. "You really that stupid?"

Ben took a step closer. He looked at either of us. "You know, I've heard about you. You don't feed. You're not strong enough to beat me."

I smirked, Ben rushing to me, and I thrusted my arm easily, knocking Ben to the ground. "I might not feed on live, warm, living, breathing human bodies, but I still drink human blood, asshole. So, yes, I am strong enough to beat you."

Behind me, I could feel Stefan picking up the hose connected to the gasoline can as Ben got up and looked at me. "Is that all you got?"

"No," I said simply. I shrugged. "I got my brother, who has this:"

I sped out of the way of the hose and behind Ben, raising a foot to super-kick him toward Stefan, who ignited the torch and set Ben on fire.

Ben screamed in pain, flailing around, before finally falling to the ground, dead.

I smirked, looking toward Stefan.

*

Stefan and I finally walked back down, Stefan looking around and asked, "Where is Elena?"

"Damon took her inside," Bonnie answered.

"What?" Stefan demanded.

Stefan ran toward the tomb, and the grandmother grabbed his arm. "Stefan! If you go in there, you won't come out."

I looked at Bonnie and Sheila in confused suspicion. "What did you do?"

"Opening the door didn't remove the seal, it just opened the door," Sheila answered.

"What's the seal?" I asked.

"Some seals keep vampires from entering. This one keeps them from coming out."

"Elena is  human," Stefan said. "She can leave."

"Anna and Katherine can't," I said. I blinked. "Damon can't."

"You were never planning on breaking the seal, were you?" Stefan asked Sheila.

"I told you," Sheila said. "I will protect my own. Elena can get out. That's all that matters."

*

In the tomb, we heard the echos of Elena's screams, and Stefan immediately disappeared inside, and I rushed to the edge. "Stefan!"

"Kaylin!" Bonnie said as the grandmother blocked our way.

Bonnie tried to pull me back as I said, "Move out of my way."

"Kaylin, don't," Bonnie said. Bonnie looked at her grandmother. "You can't just leave him him in there, Grams!"

"He made his choice!" the grandmother replied.

"No," Bonnie said. "Here." She turned away, picking up the grimoire and looking desperately at her Grams. "Just show me what to do. I'll do it."

"We are not strong enough," Sheila told her. "Even if we were able to bring the seal down, there's no guarantee that we could get it back up again."

"You said it yourself, many things can feul a witch's power. Help me or I'll do it alone."

*

Finally, Elena got back to me, Bonnie and her Grams.

"Elena, Stefan . . ." I trailed off.

"He's right behind me," Elena said. She turned back to Stefan standing in the doorway, not moving, with worry. "Stefan, what are you doing?"

"It's gonna be okay," Bonnie said. "We'll fix it."

"What is it?" Elena asked.

"I can't," Stefan said.

"Can't?" Elena repeated. "Can't what?"

"The spell's still up," I said. "They can't get them out . . . Yet."

Elena turned back to Stefan. "You went in there not knowing if you can come back out?" He looked down. "Oh, my God."

He nodded. "I heard you scream."

Oh, my God, I thought. Damon.

"We can't leave him in there," I said. "We promised him, all of us."

Stefan nodding, agreeing, "I know."

"Even if we're able to break the seal, we won't be able to hold it for long," Bonnie's Grams explained.

Stefan nodded,  and left, going to get Damon.

And I wasn't going to leave both of my brothers in there for all of eternity. 

*

I caught up to Stefan as we found Damon looking around in frustration, kicking dirt. "She's not here."

"Damon," I said.

"She's not here."

"What?" Stefan asked.

Damon pulled out the blood bag as he yelled, "She's not here!"

He threw it at the cement wall, blood splattering as we looked at Damon's anguish.

*

"Damon, we need to get out of here," Stefan told him.

"It doesn't make sense," Damon said. "They locked her inside."

"If we don't leave now, we're not getting out," I told him.

"How could she not be in here?"

"It's not worth spending all of eternity down here," I told him. "She's not worth it!"

"No!" Damon yelled, angrily pushing Stefan away.

We turned around when we heard someone run closer.

Elena. "Damon! Please."

The surprise was enough for Damon to finally listen, leaving, with Stefan, Nicola and I following.

~

The last torch was extinguishing when Damon, Stefan, Elena and I finally came out, Elena running into Stefan's arm.

Damon's one love, and she had never been in the tomb to begin with. 145 years of trying to free her, to be with her . . .wasted.

I couldn't even imagine.

*

In the parlor, no one spoke.

Damon sat down on the couch, staring blankly at the fire as I sat next to him, Stefan sitting between us, all of us in absolute stillness and silence.