The night felt electric. Every flicker of candlelight in Stefan’s room, every rustle of the trees outside, every faint beat of his heart—it all pulsed in your veins. Being a vampire was overwhelming in a way you hadn’t expected. Even standing close to Stefan made your body buzz like it was going to combust.

He watched you carefully, as though you might break despite the fact that you were now just as unbreakable as him. His hands traced over your arms, slow, hesitant, his touch featherlight.

“Stefan,” you said, your voice low, almost impatient.

He tilted his head. “I’m not going to rush you. This is different now. I don’t want to push—”

You cut him off with a kiss, hard and unrelenting, pressing your body flush against his. The growl that rumbled in his chest told you everything: he was holding back. He always had. For you.

But you weren’t fragile anymore.

Your fingers twisted in his shirt until it tore apart in your hands, the sound of fabric ripping making your fangs ache with need. Stefan’s eyes burned darker, his breath ragged.

“I don’t want gentle anymore,” you whispered against his mouth. “Not tonight.”

For a moment, he just stared, like he was making absolutely sure you meant it. Then something in him snapped.

In less than a breath, your back hit the wall. Stefan pinned you there with his body, his hands gripping your thighs and hiking them around his waist. His lips crashed onto yours, rough and bruising, his tongue demanding entry. You tasted him, savored the metallic edge of blood on his lip where you’d bitten him, and it made you moan into his mouth.

He moved with speed and strength he’d always kept tucked away, slamming into you with a hunger that mirrored your own. His hips ground hard against you through your clothes, and the friction was maddening, every nerve in your body lit on fire.

“Careful,” you teased breathlessly, biting at his jaw, “I might like this too much.”

His response was a low growl against your throat. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.” His fangs grazed your skin, making your whole body shudder. When he finally sank them in—just barely—it was like a bolt of lightning down your spine.

You cried out, gripping him harder, your own fangs snapping down instinctively. He groaned at the sound, thrusting harder, faster, the bed creaking as he carried you over to it and threw you down with vamp-speed.

This wasn’t Stefan the careful lover anymore. This was Stefan Salvatore unchained.