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As soon as he left Elena at her house, Stefan went to the woods

He took Old Creek Road, driving under the sullen clouds-through which no patch of sky could be seen, to the place where he had parked on the first day of school

Leaving the car, he tried to retrace his steps exactly to the clearing where he had seen the crow His hunter’s instincts helped hi the shape of this bush and that knotted root, until he stood in the open place ringed with ancient oak trees

Here Under this blanket of dingy-brown leaves, so breath to still hi thought

And for the first time since he’d come to Fell’s Church, he felt the flicker of a reply But it see, and he could not locate it in space

He sighed and turned around-and stopped dead

Daainst the largest oak tree He looked as if he ht have been there for hours

"So," said Stefan heavily, "it is true It’s been a long ti as you think, brother " Stefan remembered that voice, that velvety, ironical voice "I’ve kept track of you over the years," Damon said calmly He flicked a bit of bark from the sleeve of his leather jacket as casually as he had once arranged his brocade cuffs "But then, you wouldn’t know that, would you? Ah, no, your Powers are as weak as ever"

"Be careful, Daht I’m not in a tolerant ine You’re distressed, I suppose, because of my little excursions into your territory I only did it because I wanted to be close to you Brothers should be close"

"Youkilled tonight And you tried to make me think I’d done it"

"Are you quite sure you didn’t? Perhaps we did it together Careful!" he said as Stefan stepped toward hiht, either I only had a wizened little history teacher; you had a pretty girl"

The fury inside Stefan coalesced, see spot, like a sun inside him "Keep away from Elena," he whispered with such htly "Keep away fro her But no ret it"

"You alere selfish Your one fault Not willing to share anything, are you?" Suddenly, Daularly beautiful senerous Didn’t she tell you about our little liaisons? Why, the first tiave herself to me on the spot"

"That’s a lie!"

"Oh, no, dear brother I never lie about anything important Or do I mean unimportant? Anyway, your beauteous damsel nearly swooned into my arms I think she likesto control his breathing, Da about her, you know You think she’s sweet and docile, like Katherine She isn’t She’s not your type at all, my saintly brother She has a spirit and a fire in her that you wouldn’t knohat to do with"

"And you would, I suppose"

Daain "Oh, yes"

Stefan wanted to leap for hiant smile, to tear Damon’s throat out He said, in a barely controlled voice, "You’re right about one thing She’s strong Strong enough to fight you off And now that she knohat you really are, she will All she feels for you now is disgust"

Damon’s eyebrows lifted "Does she, now? We’ll see about that Perhaps she’ll find that real darkness is ht I, at least, can admit the truth about my nature But I worry about you, little brother You’re looking weak and ill-fed She’s a tease, is she?"

Kill hi in Stefan’s mind demanded Kill him, snap his neck, rip his throat to bloody shreds But he knew Daht His brother’s dark aura ollen, pulsing, al with the life essence he had taken

"Yes, I drank deeply," Damon said pleasantly, as if he kneas in Stefan’s ue over his lips in satisfied re amount of juice in him Not pretty like Elena, and he certainly didn’t s to feel the new blood singing inside you" Da away froraceful esture controlled and precise The centuries had only refined Da this," said Daain as tall as he was, and when he grasped it his fingers did not meet around the trunk But Stefan saw the quick breath and the ripple of muscles under Damon’s thin black shirt, and then the tree tore loose froent dampness of disturbed earth

"I didn’t like it there anyway," said Daled roots would allow Then he sthis "

There was a shione Stefan looked around but could see no sign of him