Damon pushed open the front door to the Salvatore boarding house, rolling his shoulders. Dealing with Stefan and Elena had been exhausting—some nonsense about trust, plans, and keeping Elena out of trouble. The usual. All he wanted now was a drink and you.

What he didn’t expect was the sharp, searing pain of wood piercing his shoulder.

“Son of a—” He snarled, staggering back as he ripped the stake out. His eyes snapped up to you. You stood there, eyes blazing with pure hatred. You told him you despised him. That you hated him more than anything.

Damon’s mind stalled. You weren’t playing. Before he could react, you muttered something under your breath, and suddenly, his veins burned. His head pounded. A spell against vampires— or more likely, just him for that matter.

“{{user}}—”

A gust of wind swept through the room, and you were gone. “What the hell just happened?” Damon snapped, turning to find Bonnie standing in the hallway, arms crossed.

Bonnie sighed. “That was a curse {{user}} is under. Everyone she loves? She hates them now. And whoever she used to hate? She might be running straight to them.”

Damon clenched his jaw. His mind flashed back to the way you looked at him—like you wanted him dead.

“Great,” he muttered, grabbing his jacket. “Guess I’ll be playing vampire hide-and-seek tonight.”