Barely A Memory

Chapter 12

Throat tightening, Stefan kept his eyes locked on hers. There was a long silence in the room, filled with nothing but unblinking looks and hot, suffocating tension. Finally, he spoke. "Damon won't do it."

She smirked. "Do what?"

"Turn me," Stefan replied instantly. "He won't turn me."

Looking amused, Katherine sauntered past Stefan and made her way into the mini kitchen, where she reached for a knife. She ran her finger along the dull end of the blade before lifting her sultry eyes to meet his. "Do you know how you become a vampire, Stefan?"

He shook his head.

Knife in hand, Katherine came a little closer, still treating it like a prized possession. It was almost threatening, but Stefan didn't mind; maybe it was adrenaline. She spoke again, her concentration still on the blade. "You have to drink vampire blood." She paused, before her eyes met his. "And then you have to die." Still, slowly, Katherine was getting closer and closer to Stefan, waiting for his reply. He did not respond. "Do you want to be a vampire, Stefan?"

"I don't want to care," he answered surely. Now, Katherine was inches away, her hands on his chest. She pushed with slight pressure, and he followed her until his back came in contact with a wall. His heart rate spiked.

"Well..." She outstretched her wrist. "I'll let you make that decision. Until then, there's no harm in getting halfway there, right?" She raised an eyebrow, grinning at Stefan, who was currently frozen.

Leisurely, Katherine raised the knife and drew the blade over her wrist until the deep red liquid began to well. She offered it. Stunned but suddenly fearless, Stefan held her arm with both hands and clasped his lips around the wound. Then, hesitantly at first, he began to drink. Katherine gasped at the action, pulling herself a little closer to tell him it was alright. She exhaled, running her free hand through his messy hair. She was immensely enjoying the sensation of having her blood drawn out by him; she wanted him to continue until she was bled dry. She hadn't felt this closeness with anyone since 1864. But suddenly, an idea came to her, and without Stefan even noticing, she wrenched one of his hands off of her arm, extended her fangs, and bit into his wrist deeply. Then, he let go of her arm completely to wrap it around her waist. When Stefan groaned in response, Katherine closed her eyes. Mission accomplished.

He was not prepared for the sensation that was flowing through his veins. Something about the fact that her blood was flowing through him, and his blood was flowing through her was enough to make his heart nearly jump out of his chest. He didn't know if what he was feeling was real, –he hardly even remembered who he was sharing blood with, and quite frankly, he didn't care—all that mattered was that this incredible, sensual experience was completely overtaking his mind and body, and he didn't want it to end. When she yanked her wrist away from his lips, he did the same with her and placed his head against the wall, remembering that he did in fact need to breathe. He closed his eyes for a long moment, and when he opened them, he was gazing deeply into Katherine's brown eyes.

Right, Katherine, he remembered, a twinge of disappointment tugging at his chest. Had he imagined that it was someone else? That would be absurd!

The feeling quickly faded when Katherine pressed her lips against his own, and he was once again overwhelmed by that incredible rush when he tasted his blood on her lips. How strange, he briefly thought... but he didn't really care. She pushed Damon's leather jacket off of his shoulders, and he let her. This felt wrong, -he knew it was wrong- but right now, his body was acting over his heart and mind. Stefan wrapped his arms around Katherine and pulled her closer than ever, getting lost in the feeling of unity she had falsely imprinted within him.