Chapter 51

Elizabeth

The hospital smelled like antiseptic and death. That awful, sterile kind of silence filled the corridors-where even your breathing felt too loud. I didn't stop walking, didn't glance back. Damon and Elijah were right behind me, their footsteps a quiet rhythm of shadows against polished tile floors.

I rushed to the reception desk, my heart hammering louder than it had at the council meeting. "Where's Chloe the mayors daughter?" I asked, barely keeping my voice steady.

The nurse looked up, surprised by my urgency. "Room 402. ICU wing. Take the elevator to the fourth floor."

Before she even finished, I was gone.

The elevator seemed to take forever. Damon and Elijah stood quietly behind me. Neither said a word. I could feel Damon watching me-like he always did-but I couldn't read his expression. I didn't care. All I cared about was getting to Chloe.

When the doors finally opened with a soft ding, I rushed out.

And there she was.

Vanessa sat slouched in one of the chairs inside the room, her hair disheveled, face pale. Her mother, looking older than usual, sat beside her, hands clasped tightly in her lap. Through the glass wall, I could see Chloe lying on the hospital bed-pale, unmoving, tubes running from her nose, an oxygen mask covering her face. Her chest rose and fell slowly, like each breath was borrowed.

Vanessa looked up and saw me. She stood, immediately pulling me into a tight hug.

"She's stable," she whispered into my ear. "But it's bad."

I pulled away and turned to Chloe's mother. "Ma'am," I said softly, stepping closer and wrapping her in a gentle embrace. She nodded, her eyes red-rimmed and tired.

"The doctors said she's in critical condition," she said hoarsely. "But she'll live. She even woke up once. They just... they need to monitor her closely for a few days."

A wave of relief hit me so hard, I nearly stumbled. I exhaled shakily and blinked back the burn in my eyes. Chloe was going to live.

But my relief didn't last long. There was still one major problem.

I turned to Vanessa. "I need to talk to you. Outside."

She frowned but followed. The minute we stepped into the hallway and she saw Damon and Elijah waiting, her whole expression changed.

"What the hell are they doing here?" she snapped, crossing her arms. "This is not a party. They're not welcome."

I glanced at Damon-he just raised an eyebrow in that annoyingly smug way of his-but I turned back to Vanessa. "That's what I need to talk to you about. Bella... she might be here. I think she came to finish what she started."

Vanessa froze. Her mouth parted, but nothing came out at first. "You're serious ?She hurt Chloe!"

"Dead serious."

Vanessa's face twisted with fury. "That petty bloodsucking witch. She tried to kill Chloe once and now-" She shook her head, visibly trembling. "She wants to finish the job."

"That's why we're here," Damon said coolly, stepping forward. "Believe me, I've got my own reasons for wanting to stop her before she makes things worse."

Vanessa shot him a glare sharp enough to cut glass. "If anything happens to Chloe-"

"It won't," Elijah said calmly. "But we don't have much time. If she's here, we need to find her now. Vanessa, do you know a locating spell?"

Vanessa's confidence faltered. "I... not yet. I haven't learned it. I'm still getting used to everything."

Damon let out an exaggerated sigh. "Of course."

"Shut it," she snapped, eyes blazing. "I didn't exactly grow up with spellbooks and cauldrons in my living room."

"Hey," I interrupted. "Focus. We need to work with what we have."

Elijah stepped between them, voice low but firm. "I can feel her. She's in the building. Somewhere close. We should split up. Cover more ground. Vanessa, you come with me. Damon, you take Elizabeth."

Vanessa looked at me, clearly hating the idea. "You sure?"

"I'll be fine," I said, even though my stomach twisted at the thought. "But what about Chloe?"

"I put a spell on her room," Vanessa said quickly. "A ward. If any vampire or supernatural being tries to go in, we'll know immediately."

That was enough. We all nodded and split.

Damon walked beside me, quiet at first. The corridor was dim, lights flickering the deeper we went-like something was draining the electricity from the walls. The air grew colder, heavier.

I glanced at him, and the question slipped out before I could stop it. "Was your sister always like this?"

Damon's jaw tightened. For a second, I thought he wouldn't answer. But then, to my surprise, he did.

"No," he said softly. "She used to be the kindest out of all of us. Always laughing. Always trying to keep the peace."

"What happened?"

He was quiet for a moment.

"We changed. The world changed. And we had to adapt."

I frowned. "You mean when you became what you are?"

"Partly," he said, gaze forward. "But it wasn't just that. Things happened to our family. Bad things. Some of us broke... some of us bent."

I swallowed, the weight of his words settling over me. "What kind of family were you before?"

He let out a hollow laugh. "Not the happy, perfect kind. But that's a story for another time."

I wanted to know. More than I should. Something about him pulled at me in a way I couldn't explain. Maybe it was the way he carried his darkness like armor, or the fleeting glimpses of who he might have been before. It made me curious. Made me forget, for a heartbeat, that he could kill me if he wanted to.

My heart thudded faster. And not from fear.

I hated how aware I was of him. The way he moved. The way his voice settled under my skin like a whisper. Even now, walking these haunted corridors with death possibly waiting around every corner, I couldn't shake it.

I looked up at him. "Are you always this charming in a crisis?"

He smirked. "You're just lucky I'm on your side tonight."

I rolled my eyes. "That's debatable."

We passed a long hallway where the lights flickered violently-then died completely.

We both stopped.

"Here," he murmured.

My skin prickled. I felt it too. That shift in the air. Like something cold and angry had just walked past us.

"She's near," Damon said, voice low.

"Then let's find her before she finds Chloe."

He nodded. "just make sure you stay right beside me"

We continued in silence, tension tightening like a noose around my spine. I kept thinking of Chloe. Her pale face. The tubes. The way her mother looked like she hadn't slept in days.

Bella had done that.

And if she was still here...

I didn't want to imagine what might happen next.