Not About You

Chapter Six

Lucy went to the Grill with Stefan and Lexi. Damon was still off implementing the plan or whatever. She was leaning against a table to the side when Caroline found her. Lucy smiled at the hyper blonde. "Thanks for getting this together so quickly," she said.

Caroline flashed a bright white smile. "Of course. Anything for Stefan."

The girl hurried off and Lucy's lips twitched. She couldn't help but think Caroline would be so much better for Stefan than Elena. Her gaze sought out her friend at the thought of him. She frowned when she caught him mooning over Elena even while he danced with Lexi.

"Hey, Stef," Lucy said at a normal volume, hoping his name would catch his attention. His eyes found hers in an instant. He lifted his brows in question. She lifted her bottle of beer to her lips to hide her mouth behind it while she spoke. "Did I mention that Elena is the reason I was called into the station? She told them I might know where Vicki disappeared to."

Stefan's face contorted with a scowl and his jaw set. Oh, he was pissed. Lucy was thankful she wasn't the target of his rage. Her phone buzzed and she glanced at it to see a message from Damon telling her to come outside.

Lucy drained the rest of her beer before weaving through the crowd to the front door. A hand wrapped around hers before she even had a chance to look for him. He led her down the street and into an alley between a couple of office buildings. Her back pressed against the cool wall while Damon leaned over her, boxing her in with his arms.

His eyes ran over her face. "Are you sure about this?"

She nodded her head once. "If it gets the council off your back? Absolutely."

"You're too good to us."

"Remember that, Salvatore." Her breath caught as he buried his face in her neck.

He inhaled deeply and nudged her neck with his nose. Her eyes slipped closed just as his fangs pierced her neck. The thing about vampire bites was they could be extremely painful or extremely...erotic. He took two long pulls from her that she felt all the way to her core. As he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers. "Shit. You taste amazing, kitten."

Lucy's chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath. "What did I tell you about calling me that?"

The vampire straightened so she could see the familiar smirk on his face. "I can't remember." Before she could remind him of what he already knew, he wrapped an arm around her and ran her back to the Grill. He left her standing to one side and went over to yank the new vampire out from behind the dumpster. The body was limp and unresponsive.

She rolled her eyes. Of course, he hid the vampire behind the dumpster. Damon undid the rope he'd tied the other man up with and removed the gag. His attention turned back to Lucy. "Are you sure about this? He should be waking up at any moment. He turned fast. I had to break his neck."

Lucy resisted the urge to wipe away the blood she could feel running down her neck. The worse she looked the better. "I'll be fine. I'm armed if he gets out of hand."

His gaze ran over her from top to bottom and back again. "Dare I ask where you have it hidden in that outfit?"

Her little black dress left little to the imagination. "You do not," she answered. "Now go so we can get this over with."

He hurried around the side of the building and Lucy turned her eyes back to the baby vampire. She supposed she should feel bad for giving his information to Damon but she didn't. Who knew how many women he'd assaulted before she bested him. His eyes flew open and he was across the alley before she could blink. Her hands lifted automatically to defend herself, but she'd just barely held him off when he gasped and bowed backward.

The body fell to the pavement to show Damon standing where the vampire had been. She threw herself at him, playing the scared victim for the sheriff that stood a short distance away with two of her deputies. "I was so scared," she said with a sniff.

Damon ran a hand up and down the length of her back. "It's okay, kitten. I've got you."

She nipped at him where her face was buried in his chest. He hissed and she smiled in triumph though she kept her face turned into his chest.

"You're pretty handy with that stake, Damon," the Sheriff said from somewhere behind him.

He didn't turn but shifted so he could look at the other woman over his shoulder while still holding onto Lucy. "Just instinct, I guess. I couldn't let anything happen to my best friend, could I?"

"Well, good work just the same."

"Thanks. Can I take her home?" he asked.

"Of course," Liz answered.

Damon swept Lucy up in his arms. She kept her face turned into his chest as he carried her to the car. Once she was settled in her seat, he leaned over her and opened the glovebox. Pulling out a pile of napkins, he thrust them in her direction. "Don't bleed on the seats."

"Asshole," she grumbled as he shut her door and went around the car.

"I heard that you know," he said as he started the car.

"Oh, I was counting on it."

***

When they arrived back at the boarding house, Damon was out of the car and opening her door in an instant. He helped her out before sweeping her up in his arms to carry her inside.

Lucy wrapped an arm around his neck to steady herself. "You do realize that I'm not an invalid, correct?"

"Shh. I hurt you, now let me take care of you." He walked into the house at normal speed, probably to keep her from getting nauseous.

"It's a bite, Damon. It's not like I haven't had one before."

He stopped then and looked down at her, those blue eyes narrowing as they looked her over. "Who bit you?"

She met his gaze for a moment before bursting into laughter. "I assure you that a) you didn't know them and b) they are long dead."

He hummed to let her know he heard and continued his trek to his bedroom. "Did you kill him?"

"It was a her actually. And no, my uncle ripped her heart out."

His steps stuttered and he blinked at her.

"He doesn't like anyone touching those he considers his," she said with a little shrug.

"Okay then." He put her feet down on the floor just outside his bathroom. After a moment's thought he bit into his wrist. "Drink."

Lucy pushed his arm away and shook her head. "I can't. Liz saw. I have to keep the wound or they'll know."

"No. You have to wear a bandage in public or they'll know." He bit into his wrist again. "Now drink."

Again, she pushed him away with a shake of her head. "It has to scar, Damon. Don't let the plan go to shit because you're worried about a little scratch."

"Scratch, my ass," he muttered, but he must have seen her point because he pushed her into the bathroom. "Take a shower. We'll doctor you up when you get out."

"Would you grab me some clothes? Pjs are fine."

"Sure thing, kitten," he said with a smirk.

"Damon Francesco Salvatore, I will hurt you."

He narrowed his gaze. "Who told you my middle name?"

She tilted her head and gave him a look that said 'really?'. "Your brother. Who else?"

He grunted in annoyance as he turned to leave the room. "His is Antonio," he called over his shoulder as he went.