The Bourbon Diaries ✢ The Vampire Diaries FanFiction ✢ TVD FanFic ✢ TVDU FanFic

Chapter Sixty-Two - Stefanie Salvatore

One week later

Mystic Falls, VA

"Raid, quick, get him to apologize. She's going to kill him," Stef begged, grabbing him by the arm as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Her first tug got her nowhere. The man felt like a damn immoveable fortress ever since she became human again. She tugged again, this time adding a pleading whine.

Raid rolled his eyes and allowed Stef to lead him into the living area of Morelli Manor called the Great Room, which lived up to its name in both size and grandeur. The manor was twice the size of the safe house and it was Gabe's primary residence on the outskirts of Mystic Falls, where Adam was staying while he was... adapting... to his transformation. Raid entered the room and immediately halted to the sight of Adam on the floor, Zara standing over him, pressing her sharp heel into his neck. It might have been a worrying sight, if his cousin weren't grinning widely from ear to ear, despite the pain being inflicted on him. Raid rotated his slackened neck sideways at Stef, unconcerned. "He looks like he's enjoying it."

Stef elbowed him. "He suggested moving up the wedding. Do something!"

Zara glared at Raid through narrowed eyelids, awaiting his intervention. Daring him to get involved.

Raid stared back at her, crossing his arms and returning the same piercing look. Adam had both his hands around her heel, clearly not fancying being impaled, but also clearly enjoying the dominance since he was making no attempt to push her away. Did vampires have a limit on how often they could heal themselves? If they did then Adam was certainly close to using up his quota. Zara had been more than a little rough with him lately, but he always bounced straight back up and irritated her some more. Like a drug, he couldn't get enough of it. Raid opened his mouth to speak, saw Zara press her heel further into Adam's neck, then swung his response back to Stef. "I think I should explain something," he ventured. "They're just fighting because they can't fuck until they're married. It releases tension."

"Exactly why I want to..." Adam rasped the final words incoherently, losing breath, "muv up dwudding."

Zara glared down at her fiancé. "Life is so much better when you can't talk."

Taking that as a challenge, Adam grabbed her by the ankle, ripped her shoe from her foot, and threw it across the room. Kicking off the other shoe for stability, she tried to run, but Adam caught up with her, pushing her against the wall and trapping her between his arms. "Is that because all I can damn well think about is kissing you, but you don't want to hear it because you feel exactly the same?"

Zara's breathing was heavy. She was watching his lips. She was denying herself his lips. She really hated it when he was right.

"As vampires, your emotions are heightened," Stef warned them.

Both heads turned towards her, glowering, both spitting out angrily, "We KNOW!"

Stef raised her arms defensively. "I'm just saying."

Adam returned his attention back on Zara, watching her lips quiver in anticipation. Her eyes darted over his face. She was ready for him, but she wasn't sure she was stronger than him, not when it came to this. "Habibti, I know this is going to fuck up the arrangements you've already made, but, please, move up the wedding. We can be married within the month. We'll have another wedding in Iraq on the date originally planned. We can visit your parents. I've already called them---"

"You've spoken to my parents?!" she shrieked.

Adam looked confused. "It's tradition to ask them."

Zara shoved him back, raised her leg, and kicked him in the chest, sending him stumbling across the room and onto the floor. "I'm not that fucking traditional," she hissed, infuriated, keeping her distance as she watched Adam push himself to his feet. If she got any closer, she'd break his neck. He'd done that to her once---he was owed it. "If I wanted to be around my parents, I would have compelled them to stay in the country after they were hounded about the disappearance of Fawzi Butti---"