The Vampire Diaries: The Shadow Bloodline [Vol.I]

Chapter 1

Over the course of his century-and-a-half existence, Damon had developed a fondness for several things, including his blue 1969 Chevy Camaro Convertible, J.Buckley Bourbon, black leather jackets, and murder. But none of these things compared to the sight of Elena, clad in a baby-pink tank top with white lace peeking out at the level of her cleavage, her long legs bare thanks to the denim skirt she chose to wear on this beautiful summer day.

Even the sun, as blinding and unpleasant as it was, despite the daylight ring that Damon had to wear as a vampire, could not take his gaze away from Elena's ethereal beauty. She mesmerized him on another level, both sexual and nonsexual.

"What?" She smiled at him, her snowy teeth visible and her brown eyes illuminated by the sunlight.

Damon itched on the inside to kiss her, to take her face into his cold hands, and claim her completely to himself, but he knew that he shouldn't. His decision to retain a healthy distance wasn't solely motivated by his brother's affection for the girl. Stefan's feelings weren't as important to him as his own. Elena was single — nothing stood in Damon's way of getting with her but Elena herself. She had this magnetic aura of kindness and love — something Damon could not claim of himself.

Whenever Elena entered the room, it immediately grew brighter and more alive. However, whenever Damon appeared, it felt as if all the candles had been put out and the blue had vanished from the sky. Damon emanated darkness with a handful of enigma, whereas Elena was always open and radiant. The thought of touching something so pure terrified him, but like a moth, he couldn't resist her light. He wanted to be as near it as possible.

He raised his dark eyebrows, a crooked smile playing on his lips. "Nothing. I am simply loving this. . . very grown-up tea party." He slouched in his chair, tapping his ring against the table while inspecting the surroundings of the Mystic Grill restaurant.

Caroline straightened her back at his comment, her eyelashes fluttering as she spoke, "Well, you're the one who invited yourself to come along, so if you'd rather be doing something else, be our guest."

Damon listened to her yapping, but his attention got ensnared by some movement behind the nearby trees. He could've sworn he spotted a shadow, which wouldn't have surprised him if it had been attached to an actual person, but none came to view. He was certain the shadow glided along the grass all by itself.

"Damon!" Caroline's shriek brought him back to the conversation they were having.

He shot her a polite yet mocking smile and rose up from his chair. "Excuse me for a moment."

Elena was going to say something, but her human reflexes were too slow for Damon. Her mouth hung wide open as he vanished, leaving only a gentle gust of wind to remind her of his absence.

Damon's eyes narrowed into slits as he examined the rectangle of grass where he thought he spotted the sole shadow. His senses became heightened, alert to every movement or even the slightest sound, yet he couldn't see or hear anything except for grass blades and tree leaves humming imperceptibly for any human. The area was still.

A curious but dissatisfied groan raced up his throat.

"What are you doing?" Caroline stood in front of him, arms folded across her chest.

Damon had a tendency to forget Caroline was now a vampire, so her abrupt appearance shocked him a little, but he didn't let his emotions pour out onto his face. Instead, he dipped his head to the side with a sardonic smirk stretching his mouth. "Sightseeing," he said mockingly, brushing past her, hoping she'd leave him alone.

Like a phantom, she materialized in front of him anew. "Damon?" she persisted.

"Fine," he spat out, staring into her blue-green eyes. "I'm looking for Klaus. Have you seen him around?" He smiled again, knowing she wouldn't delve deeper after this comment.

Caroline's cheeks flushed slightly, and her gaze lost its interrogating spark as she felt hesitant. "No, I haven't." She shook her head, snapping out of whatever state Damon's remark had put her in. "Just get back to the table. Elena's waiting for you." Her commanding voice rang out in the air.

Damon pondered about the shadow. There was no way he could entertain their tea party any further after what he saw. At least not without a glass of bourbon, which Elena wouldn't appreciate at such an early hour. You make us look like alcoholics. She'd most likely say, and he didn't want to hear that right now.

Right now, his head was filled with confusion. Could he have hallucinated the whole thing? He had serious doubts that. His vampire instincts rarely failed him. Plus, for the past few days, he'd been feeling uneasy, as if someone was incessantly watching him. Even his own shadow appeared different — unusually lengthy and detached, as if it were a passenger rather than a projection.

"Tell her I've had other things to do." He gave Caroline a grimace as he referred to her prior statement, then disappeared before she could stop him, his shadow stayed behind.

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Please let me know what you think! I'm really excited to be writing a Vampire Diaries fanfiction. I hope I depict the characters well in their mannerisms!