『18』

Elijah remained unconscious as Matt left his body in the backyard. Caroline, having completed her part, headed back home, leaving Matt alone with the unconscious Elijah. Matt noticed a leftover bottle of vodka that Kelly had abandoned earlier. He indulged himself, grabbing the bottle and taking a seat while watching Elijah's seemingly lifeless form.

As Matt sipped on the vodka, he couldn't help but appreciate Elijah's good looks and well-built physique. Time passed, and Matt waited patiently for any signs of life from Elijah. After about 20 minutes, Elijah suddenly gasped back to consciousness, startling Matt.

"Well, well, look who decided to come back to life," Matt remarked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Elijah slowly got up, dusting himself off, and looked at Matt with confusion and suspicion.

"Who are you?" Elijah questioned, sizing up the stranger before him. Still nursing the vodka bottle, Matt nonchalantly replied, "Just a person who helped you out. I could have left you in that abandoned house, you know. But here you are. Come inside."

With a hesitant curiosity, Elijah followed Matt into the house

"So, I'm guessing you know all about the sun and moon curse, or should I say the hybrid curse placed on Niklaus," Matt remarked, taking another sip of vodka. Elijah couldn't help but be impressed and asked, "How did you figure it out?" with a slight smile.

Matt chuckled, "Well, for one, I'm needed in the ritual apparently, and two, witches talk." Elijah shot him a questioning look, silently conveying, "You're the incubus, aren't you?" Matt's eyes flashed silver, and he confirmed, "Sure am."

Closing the distance between them, Matt approached Elijah and placed a hand on his face, asking as he infused his chi, "What do you know about incubi?" Elijah moaned in response, revealing, "We knew your ancestor Agustus when we were human. He often visited my mother."

Matt's silver eyes gleamed with intrigue as he channeled his energy into Elijah. "Agustus, huh? Small world," he mused, his touch leaving a lingering warmth on Elijah's face.

Still affected by the incubus' influence, Elijah found himself compelled to share more. "He was charismatic, charming, much like you," Elijah admitted, his gaze locked with Matt's intense eyes. "But he disappeared one day, leaving my mother with more questions than answers."

Feeling a hungary, Matt glanced at Elijah and casually suggested, "How about we continue this conversation in my room?" Elijah responded with a smirk, silently agreeing to the proposition. He followed Matt as they headed upstairs.

Elijah wasted no time, swiftly tearing Matt's clothes off and passionately pressing his lips against his. The room was filled with the sound of their heated kisses and Matt's appreciative moans as Elijah trailed a series of peppering kisses across his body. Matt tilted his head back in pleasure, and Elijah, with predatory grace, descended to nip at Matt's neck, sinking his fangs in to drink.

As Elijah fed, Matt's moans intensified, a mix of pleasure and a subtle exchange of energy. . Matt gently pushed Elijah away and brought their lips together once more. As they kissed, Matt fed off of Elijah. Elijah gasped, feeling the surge of energy, a blend of pleasure and the mysterious force that bound them.

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As Matt awoke, he found Elijah's absence and sighed in mild frustration. Determined to shake off any lingering thoughts, he got up and headed for the kitchen. Casually enjoying a bowl of cereal, Stephanie glanced up at him and remarked, "You really need to soundproof your room. No offense, but I don't need to hear your nocturnal activities."

Matt chuckled, realizing the unintentional disturbance he had caused. "Fair point," he conceded, pouring himself a cup of coffee. Stephanie rolled her eyes with a playful smirk. Mat got himself ready and left.

As Matt went outside, Stefan was already at his doorstep, about to knock. Matt raised an eyebrow and quipped, "What do you want, hero hair?" Stefan chuckled, running a hand through his hair, and replied, "Rose is at the boarding house with information about the ritual. Since you're a part of it, and Elena wants you there, I figured you might have some answers."

Taking a moment to consider the opportunity to get involved with the Scooby Gang, Matt agreed, "Sure, let's go." He hopped into Stefan's car, and together, they headed to the boarding house.

Matt strolled into the boarding house and nonchalantly went towards the liquor cabinet, poured himself a bourbon, and sat on the couch. As he settled in, he couldn't help but notice the curious and perplexed looks he received from Elena, Rose, Damon, Caroline, and Bonnie. Undeterred, Matt casually remarked, "Don't stop on my account. Continue."

As Rose continued recounting her backstory and the connection to Katherine Pierce, Damon impatiently interjected, "What does this have to do with the ritual?" Rose shot him a pointed look and replied, "If you hadn't interrupted me, you would know. As I was saying, the sun and moon curse has to be broken by the doppelganger and him," she added, pointing towards Matt, who was casually downing bourbon.

"Hmm, I'm curious about how you discovered me. I get Elena; she has that copy-and-paste face,?"

He approached Rose and gently clasped her hand, infusing it with his chi. She couldn't help but release a soft moan and uttered, "Your blood carries a much sweeter scent than any other human's. Trevor hazarded a guess, and fortunately for you, he was correct. Otherwise, we might have ended your life."

Stefan asked, eager to find a solution, "How do we stop the ritual?" With a laugh that caught everyone's attention, Matt raised his glass and said, "You don't stop it. Klaus is hell-bent on breaking it."

Damon, clearly frustrated, vampirically moved over to Matt, grabbing him by the neck. In response, Matt used his magic to send Damon flying and coolly retorted, "If you had asked nicely, I would have let you know. As Rose said, Niklaus, or as you know him, Klaus, is an original, much like his sibling."

Sensing there was more to the story, Bonnie questioned, "There's more?" Matt nodded, taking a sip of bourbon, "Yep, a whole family. There's Niklaus. You killed Elijah earlier, but he's back." Damon, bewildered, spoke up, "What do you mean alive? We shoved a coat rack into his heart." Matt, shaking his head, responded, "You think someone who has lived for a thousand years can be killed by ordinary wood going through their heart? No, he's still alive, and I'm guessing he knows that Elena and I are here, still around town."

The room fell into a heavy silence as Matt's revelation sank in. Now on his feet and visibly agitated, Damon demanded, "So, what's the plan? How do we deal with Klaus and this ritual?"

"Simple. Let him complete the ritual. I'm not the one dying, so I don't care," Matt stated coldly.

"Matt, how could you be so heartless?" Elena spoke up, her disbelief evident in her tone. With a cynical edge to his expression, Matt smiled and replied, "I'm not your caretaker, nor am I your boyfriend. Figure out how to survive. This is the supernatural world. It's either you survive or die. If you don't want to die, I suggest you do what Katherine did and become a vampire. If not, then sucks to suck, I guess." His words hung in the air.

Looking both frustrated and desperate, Elena retorted, "We're supposed to be a team, Matt. We help each other, especially in moments like this."

Matt shrugged indifferently, unmoved by Elena's plea. "Teams fall apart, alliances shift. In the end, you've got to look out for yourself. No one else will."

Damon, his patience wearing thin, chimed in, "Enough with the tough guy act, Matt. We're in this together, like it or not."

"I don't think so, Damon. Last time I saw you, you tried to kill me, so figure it all out," Matt retorted, meeting Damon's gaze with a steely resolve. He turned to Caroline and said, "Let's go, Care Bear," inviting her to join him.

Looking at Bonnie, he asked with a sly grin, "You wanna come along? We're gonna have some fun." Caroline stood by Matt's side, and Bonnie hesitated, torn between loyalty and the prospect of a different path.

"I have to help Elena," Bonnie finally said.

"Well, have fun," Matt replied casually, "but call me when you want to have some real fun." With that, Matt and Caroline left the boarding house, 

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VOTE, COMMENT, FOLLOW 

- Elena has some audacity to question MAtt like that!! 

How many lives does Rayna have until she dies permanently?