Chapter 40

Morning light filtered through Vanessa's grandmother's small but cozy cottage, but it did nothing to warm the cold dread sitting in my chest. My mind felt heavy, a whirlwind of thoughts swirling so fast that I couldn't settle on just one.

I shouldn't be here.

That thought alone made me sick.

I wasn't supposed to exist in this present? I had come from another world? Another realm? How? Why? And if I hadn't crossed over, would those people still be alive? Bodies turning up dead-was it all because of me?

Vanessa must've sensed where my thoughts were going because she reached out and squeezed my hand. "Hey, don't start blaming yourself," she said softly.

I swallowed hard. "If I hadn't crossed over, maybe people wouldn't be dying." My voice cracked.

Rachel, who had been watching us both closely, leaned forward in her chair. "You don't know that," she said. "And blaming yourself for what's already happened won't help you now. The important thing is that you both stay safe. The supernatural beings that crossed over are here now-there is nothing that can be done to send them back. Not yet."

Not yet.

That meant there was a way.

But before I could ask, Rachel stood, signaling that our conversation was over. "Stay out of trouble," she repeated.

Vanessa sighed, clearly not satisfied with that answer either, but she didn't argue. "I'll come by again after school," she promised.

Rachel smiled at her granddaughter. "I'll be here."

As we walked out to the car, the weight in my chest still hadn't lifted. Vanessa was quiet too, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as we pulled out onto the road.

"There has to be more we can do," she muttered, voicing what I was thinking. "I knew something was off about the Elvadors. Especially Damon."

I stiffened at his name. Rachel had said his family wasn't human. Did that mean they were... vampires? The very idea sent a chill down my spine, but it also explained so much. The way Damon moved, the way he seemed to appear out of nowhere, how he felt different from everyone else.

Vanessa kept talking, more to herself than me. "I mean, come on-have you ever seen them eat? Or, like, act remotely normal?"

I barely heard her. My thoughts were still stuck on Damon.

If he was a vampire, I needed to stay away from him.

But I also needed answers.

How had I gotten here? Who was I before I arrived in this world? The only people who might have those answers were the Elvadors, and Rachel had just confirmed they were the ones I should be avoiding.

So what the hell was I supposed to do?

I exhaled slowly. "Maybe Rachel's right. Maybe we should just stay safe."

Vanessa shot me a look. "And let them do whatever the hell they want?" She scoffed, shaking her head. "No way. If there's a way to fix this, I want to find it."

I sighed. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

That shut her up for a moment.

Finally, she nodded, though she didn't look happy about it. "Fine. We stay safe. For now."

⟡⟡⟡

The rest of the school day passed in a blur. I wasn't sure how I even made it through my classes, my mind completely elsewhere. When philosophy rolled around, I was already exhausted-but then I saw him.

Damon.

Sitting in front of me.

Like fate was laughing in my face.

I clenched my fists under the desk, my mind screaming at me to ignore him. Pretend I didn't know what he was. Stay away. But it was impossible.

Because the more I told myself to stay away, the more I wanted to know.

And that scared me more than anything.

As soon as class ended, I practically bolted from the room. I didn't want to give him a chance to corner me, to say something that would pull me in further.

I headed to the sports field, one of my favorite places to clear my mind. The breeze was cool against my skin as I settled onto the bleachers, flipping open my laptop.

And then I did the most desperate, stupid thing I could possibly do.

I started Googling.

Vampires. Witches. Is there another world besides this one?

Yeah, because Google was definitely going to have answers to my supernatural identity crisis.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. This was ridiculous.

"You researching witches now?"

The voice behind me made me jump, my fingers instantly slamming my laptop shut.

But it was too late.

Damon had already seen.

He smirked, hands shoved into the pockets of his black leather jacket. "I mean, it's a little cliché, don't you think?"

I could feel my heartbeat in my throat. "It's none of your business."

His smirk widened. "Someone looks unhappy today."

I scowled. "Why do you keep following me?"

Damon tilted his head, pretending to think. "Who said I was following you, Elizabeth? Maybe this is my favorite place too."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please."

His amusement only grew, which somehow made me even angrier.

"You know what? Just stay away from me," I snapped. "You can have the damn bleachers. They're yours now."

I turned to leave, my temper boiling over. Lately, it felt like my emotions were slipping out of my control, like I was missing some vital part of myself. And right now, that anger was stronger than ever.

I barely noticed when Damon reached for my arm.

"Elizabeth-"

"Don't touch-"

But I never finished the sentence.

Because the next thing I knew, I was falling.

I must have stepped too close to the edge of the bleachers, my foot slipping out from under me.

The air rushed past me.

I didn't even have time to scream before everything blurred-

And suddenly, I wasn't falling anymore.

I was in his arms.

My body was pressed against his chest, my breathing ragged, my heart racing like I'd just run a marathon.

I slowly looked up.

Damon was staring at me, his expression unreadable.

And that's when it hit me.

He had caught me.

Not in a normal way. Not in a human way.

I should be dead right now. Or at the very least, in a hospital with a broken leg.

But I wasn't.

Because he moved too fast.

Because he wasn't human.

My fingers curled into the fabric of his jacket. "What... what are you?"

He didn't answer.

But the look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know.