The pulsating warmth of the blood he drank surged through him. He was stronger, the raw power was back. He had almost forgotten what it was like. And the hunger he had for so long was momentarily quenched. He had been so thirsty, so incredibly thirsty.

It was almost unbearable, living with it every single day. He always had to eat. And once he'd eaten a rabbit or a squirrel (definitely not his favorite), he'd be hungry again, only a little less but it was always there.

He could never control himself. It's why he had to stop completely, no more human blood, he'd told himself so long ago. Cut it off, right at the source, like a dead limb to keep it from spreading. Only he still wanted it, all the time and after he had tasted Elena's blood that night, the night Frederick had almost killed them both, it started all over again.

The cravings were uncontrollable.

He'd had nightmares recently, about himself, about Damon, drinking Elena dry, killing her, the girl he loved. Hell, if he was honest, the girl they both loved. And then in the dream she would wake up, pale as a ghost, dead and she would point at him and call him a monster.

And now, all he remembered was the girl that moments earlier had been standing in front of him, blonde and pretty. She was so afraid when she realized he wasn't human. He could taste it in her blood, smell it on her, in the air. And her blood was so sweet.

Why did he do it? Why did he kill her? He could have blamed it on Klaus, but that was too easy. He couldn't lie to himself anymore and Klaus must have known that it was inevitable.

He got distracted as the vibration went off from his phone. He reached in his jacket to retrieve it. A text message from Elena.

It read: Damon is alright. Where are you?

The tightness he had felt in all his muscles relaxed and calm rushed over him. That's all that mattered at the moment. His brother was safe and wouldn't die a horrible death. Damon didn't deserve that. He had a duty to him, to protect him and he had fulfilled it. It was an unspoken promise he'd made long ago, he owed it to him. After all, he was the one who forced Damon to turn into a vampire.

He could kill Klaus for what he'd done. Elena's aunt, Jenna, was now dead. Klaus had made sure of that and Elena would be dead too if it wasn't for Bonnie's magic.

His hands fisted tightly at his sides as he remembered the girl again, he looked down at the dead body, her long, blonde hair spread out around her like a soft fan. For a moment he wanted to touch the silken mass to see if it was real. He studied her face, only for a moment. Her blue, glassy eyes that were so full of terror only seconds earlier now had no expression. They gazed at some empty space that didn't exist.

All the life she had was now in him, surging through his body and he'd taken it willingly, without caring at all who she was. He thought of resisting but it was just too easy to take her. Much too easy, almost unfair. But life wasn't really fair anyway. Who was he kidding?

His only thought the moment he gave in to the craving was that her blood belonged to him. All of it.

He tried to reason with himself.

"Stop fighting it, just take her!" the voice in his head screamed at him when he tried to resist as he stood in front of the girl. At that point he told himself he was only curious, for her safety. Yes, that was it.

But then the blood was seeping down her neck, calling out to him. It filled the air, his lungs, he could almost taste it. Almost.

"There's no turning back now, it's who you are." That voice said to him again, only in a tone that calmed him. It's who he was. He was a vampire.

Something in his throat clenched so tightly, he had really killed her. What would Elena do if she saw him now? She would know the truth at last; it would only confirm what she knew all along. He was a cold blooded killer. He didn't deserve to walk the earth and he was still… here. Not alive but most certainly not dead in the ground.

But Damon was okay, he'd done his duty to his brother. He knew Elena would be okay too. Damon would protect her, of that he was sure. He knew Damon would do anything to protect Elena. Yes, he'd made the right decision in leaving with Klaus. He'd done the right thing.

Another surge of heat washed over him, deep in his belly. The blood was working in him, waking him up, from that deep, horrible sleep.

He couldn't believe it, but there it was, the animal that lived inside him was stirring again and a dead girl was crumpled at his feet. No matter. It was too late now, no turning back.

The corners of his mouth lifted slowly. Stefan Salvatore, the ripper, was back again, and the beast had to be fed.

Please review if you'd like more!