Elena reached up and traced the edges of the bulging veins under his eyes. He stood still for her, not even sparing the energy to breathe. His eyes stared directly at her, but she knew they didn’t see her, not really.
Her hand came back with blood smeared on her fingertips. She brought her pointer finger to her mouth and began licking it clean.
The idiot must’ve been on ecstasy or something, because his blood tasted heavenly.
She saw in real time as Elijah’s eyes suddenly focused, narrowing on her finger in her mouth.
Before she finished licking the blood away, he’d moved them into the bathroom, shoving her against the tiled wall. He said nothing, just held her against the wall as she moved onto the next finger. Occasionally, his nostrils flared as if taking in the scent.
Elijah tugged her arm and forced her out of the house. “That is enough, Aurora,” he snapped, pulling her toward his car.
She growled and wrenched her arm from his hold. “It is not!” she insisted. “They tried to kill you! I should-”
“You should let your husband take the lead.” He opened the passenger door and forced her into the seat. “We will handle them later,” he promised, “but as of now, a deal has been broken and I am going to collect what I am due.”
“And just what are you due, then?”
Her eyes widened marginally, and he remembered that he had not told her, exactly, what they were doing in Mystic Falls. Or, rather, he had, but he had ordered her to stay out of it.
He would have to put that one back into place, once he had time.
“Do you know what’s happening right now?”
He tilted his head, looking very much like a confused dog. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Stefan rolled his eyes. “Permission to push our luck?”
“No.” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and setting her chin atop her folded hands. “Do you know why you’re currently sitting on your knees in front of two people who tried to kill your brother a few months ago?”
He blinked. “Because you told me to.”