"You need to stop following me around." It was making me nervous how it was lunch time and I didn't have a blood bag.

According to Elijah's rules, I was due for a feeding.

Was I supposed find him?

"I wouldn't have to if you'd just text me back."

"Tyler I swear if you get murdered because Elijah sees us together, I'm going to kill you."

He grasped my arm and pulled me into a secluded corner. "I don't like that we have to sneak around."

"Yeah well at the moment that's keeping you alive. So."

Tyler's thumb brushed against my bottom lip. "I'm not scared of them."

"You should be."

His hand came to rest against the side of my face. "They're not here now." His lips met mine. He was like a man obsessed.

I grasped his jacket, bringing him closer.

His hands dropped to my waist, thumbs stroking my sides.

Tyler was sweet. Too sweet for me. Warmth spread in my chest, eagerly fed by his attention. I basked in it.

All too suddenly, he was ripped away from me.
For one, heart stopping second, I thought it was Elijah.

Instead I was met with the disinterested gaze of Stefan. "Now what were the two of you doing?"

"I can explain." I touched my tingling lips.

Stefan stood firmly between Tyler and I. "Please. I'm sure Klaus would love to know when I report back to him."

Shit. "You can't tell Nik about this."

"He gave me two jobs. Protect the doppelgänger and protect you." He put his hands in his pockets. "I'm guessing allowing whatever this is continue, isn't what he wants."

"Stefan, please. Tyler is your friend."

"And Klaus compelled me to do whatever he says. That includes updates on his favorite little whatever you are to him."

Fuck.

Fuck.

"Still waiting on that explanation, Morgan."

My phone rang. A part of me feared it was already Nik. That he knew. I checked it and closed my eyes.

Elijah was here for my meditation.

I wanted to chuck my phone as hard as I possibly could. Wanted to watch it shatter against the wall.

FUCK.

I sped forward and snapped Stefan's neck, watching as his body hit the floor. "We have a serious problem."

"What? That Stefan is gonna tell? Klaus isn't in town."

"Oh he will be. He'd turn right around for this." I ran a hand through my hair. "Just as everything was going well."

"We can take him to the old Lockwood cells. It holds me during a full moon, it should hold him."

"Tyler I could kiss you."

He grinned. "You know we could... after."

I snorted and gestured toward Stefan. "Mind helping?"

"Right." Tyler scooped Stefan off the floor, throwing him over his shoulder. I threaded our fingers together and used my speed to take us to the Lockwood property.

c[]xxxx[]::::::::::::> <::::::::::::[]xxxx[]o

Tyler snapped a cuff on Stefan's limp wrist.

"Alright, this will help." I crouched beside my brother, a thick syringe of vervain in my hands. "Under no circumstances is he to have blood. It'd help clear out his system faster."

"I'm planning on just leaving him."

"Maybe I should hide you." It's inevitable that they find out about him. "I've seen what they do to the men that Rebekah has so much as looked at in interest."

"I'm not going into hiding."

"Tyler they're not just going to kill you. If they find out that you've touched me, well Nik is particularly gifted in torture."

For the first time, I saw fear in his eyes.

Good.

He offered his hand and I took it, using it to stand. "I'm not going anywhere, but I can see the advantage of dialing it back. I was so excited to be with you, I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay, I know. And we can continue in private. In public though, we're only friends."

Tyler nodded.

"You know... I've already missed the last couple of classes and I'm going to be in trouble anyway." I pulled him further away from Stefan. "I don't hear your mom. Maybe we can continue what we started at Elena's party."

"You can hear that far?"

"With the proper training, yeah."

"You are so cool." He grinned.