Bonnie's POV

I stomp out of the kitchen in hunt of the stupid vampire. 'Oh, when I find him, I'll turn him into a toad!' I bitterly think to myself. Kissing me, then disappearing? Oh no, not this girl. I quickly turn around the corners and trot down hallways, stopping once I finally get in front of his door. Without even bothering to knock, I barge in.

"You stupid hooker!" I growl, storming into his room and standing in front of his seated form.

"What the hell are you doing in here?!" he yells back, quickly standing up off the bed. "Ever heard of knocking, wart face?"

"I'm not the one screwing around with my emotions! You're an asshole!"

"Screwing around with- what? You just now realized I'm an asshole? You're slow as molasses, McCollough. Definetly slow."

His insults drive me up the wall with anger, and I have half a mind to slap him. "You're just a stupid player!"

He laughs, but the sound is rough. "Like you're one to talk, dumb tease!"

Finally, I've had enough. I growl and smack Damon right across his perfect little face. The movement shocks him for a moment, because he just lets his head turn to the side and he blinks in surprise. But then I realize my mistake. He's glaring at me. If looks could kill, I'd have been pile of ash on the floor in seconds.

"What. Do. You. Think. You're. Doing."

Then he attacks me.

I yelp in shock when the enraged vampire snags me around the waist, picks me up and tosses me down on the bed.

"You're really one to talk, spoiled brat," he snaps at me. "Look at you. You're impossible."

His violence had really shocked me. I sat there dumbly, looking up at him. I hit him first, so I should have expected it, but Damon's never made an attempt to hurt me. Well, he didn't really hurt you. Just kind of shut you up, my inner voice reminds me. I sigh internally and peek up at him. He's looking down at me with a look I've seen only once before. His usual anger, mixed with just a bit of concern. I curiously wonder what he's thinking, when he leans down over me. I scuttle back on the bed, putting my back against the wall. He leans over me further, resting his palms on the wall I'm up against.

"Bonnie..." he whispers softly, our lips just a hair width apart.

Then our lips meet.

This kiss is different, it's soft and sweet, something I never expected Damon to be capable of. A shiver goes down my spine from the gentle searing kiss, and I lean up more towards Damon to feel him against me. He pulls me close, never breaking the kiss. I melt against him, and he pulls away to let me breathe. While I focus on catching my breath, he turns his kisses to my cheek and ear, nuzzling me softly. I blink at how out of his normal self he seems, not sure how to react to a side of Damon that I didn't know existed. A side that probably should have died along with everything else all those years ago.

Elena's POV

We're dragged back into a small holding cell, the blonde and I. I look at her curiously, attempting to catch my breath even though I didn't do much of the fighting.

"Who are you?" I ask, when I finally have a moment to speak.

"I'm Sylla," she says back, completely calm from the fight.

"What are you doing here?" I inquire.

"I- I don't want to talk about it..." she trails off, and I understand.

"That's- that's okay. Um, here, let's sit down." I take a place on the floor, and she sits across from me. The cell is small enough that if we were to put our toes together, our knees would be bent up.

"I need to get out of here..." I mutter.

She looks at me sadly. "There's no escaping here. Even if you could get out of just this cell, it leads straight into the arena. There's always a battle happening. Bloodshed doesn't rest.'

I hit the floor hard and sigh, putting my hand to my head and thinking. "Stefan... I hope you're fairing better than I am..."