Chapter 79
Elizabeth
“They came for you.”
The words settle into the room like smoke.
Heavy.
Impossible to ignore.
Damon’s arm remains around my waist, holding me upright while the others stare at me like I might suddenly explode or open another dimension in the middle of the hallway.
Honestly?
Fair.
The mansion is eerily quiet now.
Too quiet after what just happened.
The shattered windows let cold night air drift through the corridor while flickering ward symbols glow faintly along the walls. Somewhere deeper in the house, old pipes groan softly.
But the shadows are gone.
For now.
My pulse still hasn’t slowed.
I pull away from Damon carefully, needing space to breathe, to think, to process the fact that shadow creatures apparently broke into a vampire mansion specifically looking for me.
Fantastic.
Chloe is the first to speak.
“No offense, Liz,” she says slowly, “but your life is getting aggressively terrifying.”
A shaky laugh escapes me despite everything.
“Trust me, I noticed.”
Vanessa still looks pale beside the staircase, one hand pressed unconsciously against the mark on her neck.
“This doesn’t make sense,” she whispers. “The shadows attached themselves to me. Why would they suddenly want Elizabeth?”
Damon’s expression darkens.
“Because she’s the key.”
The hallway falls silent again.
That word.
That horrible word that has somehow managed to ruin my entire existence.
Adam leans against one of the columns, arms crossed tightly.
“The ritual amplified the connection,” he says calmly. “Before, the door could sense Elizabeth.” His gaze sharpens slightly. “Now whatever is behind it can too.”
Cold dread crawls into my chest.
“What exactly is behind that door?” I ask quietly.
No one answers immediately.
Which terrifies me.
Because silence usually means the truth is worse.
Damon looks away first, jaw tightening.
Chloe notices instantly.
“Oh my God,” she says. “You know.”
“I know enough.”
“That’s not an answer,” I snap.
His silver eyes return to mine slowly.
Dangerous.
Guarded.
“It is the only answer you’re getting tonight.”
Frustration flares hot inside me.
“There are shadow monsters trying to crawl into this world and apparently I’m supernatural bait!” I shout. “I think I deserve a little honesty!”
The air in the hallway suddenly stills.
Damon steps toward me slowly.
Not angry.
Worse.
Controlled.
“You deserve survival,” he says quietly. “And right now those are not the same thing.”
My heart stumbles strangely against my ribs.
God, I hate when he talks like that.
Like every word means three different things at once.
Vanessa suddenly winces softly.
We all turn toward her instantly.
Her hand flies to her neck.
“The mark,” she whispers.
The black symbol beneath her ear glows faintly beneath her skin.
Not bright.
But enough.
Enough to make fear tighten in my chest again.
Damon notices too.
His expression hardens immediately.
“Adam.”
Adam moves instantly.
“Already on it.”
He disappears down the corridor while Chloe rushes to Vanessa’s side.
“You okay?”
Vanessa nods too quickly.
Which means no.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re literally glowing evil,” Chloe says bluntly.
Vanessa glares weakly at her.
“Helpful.”
I move closer carefully.
“Vanessa…”
She looks at me, and for the first time since I met her, I see real fear in her eyes.
Not fear of danger.
Fear of herself.
“She said dark magic leaves a connection,” Vanessa whispers. “What if it gets worse?”
My stomach twists.
No one answers because none of us know.
And honestly?
That’s the scariest part.
⸻
An hour later we’re gathered in the mansion library.
Apparently this family handles supernatural crises with expensive books and whiskey.
The library itself is massive—towering shelves stretching from floor to ceiling, filled with ancient leather-bound texts, candles flickering against dark wood walls.
Under different circumstances I would’ve loved this place.
Right now it feels suffocating.
Rain begins tapping softly against the windows outside, thunder rumbling somewhere far away.
Perfect horror movie atmosphere.
Chloe sits curled up on one of the couches, clutching a blanket dramatically.
“I miss when my biggest problem was algebra.”
Adam hands Vanessa a small cup filled with some dark herbal mixture.
“Drink.”
She eyes it suspiciously.
“What is it?”
“Something to slow the spread of the mark.”
Her eyes widen slightly before she drinks it immediately.
Good choice.
Damon stands near the fireplace, flipping through an old book with frustrating calm while I pace the room restlessly.
Finally, I stop.
“I’m tired of everybody talking around me.”
Damon doesn’t look up.
“That sounds exhausting for you.”
I glare at him.
“Can you not be insufferable for five minutes?”
One corner of his mouth lifts slightly.
“No.”
Chloe snorts quietly into her blanket.
Traitor.
I cross my arms.
“You said whatever’s behind the door can sense me now. Fine. Explain.”
Damon closes the book slowly this time.
The room shifts instantly.
More serious.
Even Adam looks up.
Damon’s silver eyes settle on me.
“There are things in the supernatural realm that should never cross into this world.”
“Things like vampires?”
Chloe points at herself.
“Rude.”
Damon ignores us both.
“The realms were separated for a reason,” he continues. “Not to protect humans from creatures like us.” His voice darkens slightly. “To protect both worlds from what came before.”
A chill runs through me.
“What came before?”
For the first time all night—
Damon hesitates.
And that alone terrifies me more than anything.
Adam speaks instead.
“There was a war.”
The room falls silent.
“A long time ago,” Adam continues quietly. “Before the realms split, humans and supernatural creatures shared the same world.”
I remember the library research.
The witch Arian.
Salem.
The killings.
But Adam shakes his head slightly.
“That wasn’t the beginning,” he says. “That was the aftermath.”
Thunder cracks outside.
The fire flickers violently.
“There were creatures even vampires feared,” Damon says quietly.
My stomach drops.
“What kind of creatures?”
His gaze locks onto mine.
“The kind that feed on realms themselves.”
Cold fear slides through me.
“That’s impossible.”
“No,” Damon says softly. “Unfortunately, it isn’t.”
The room suddenly feels too small.
Too cold.
Vanessa grips the edge of her cup tightly.
“And the door?”
Damon’s jaw tightens.
“The door was not created to connect realms.”
A horrible feeling creeps into my chest.
“It was created to imprison them.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even Chloe looks speechless now.
My pulse pounds loudly in my ears.
The red door from my visions flashes through my mind instantly—bleeding, shaking, calling to me.
Something very bad is behind it.
I knew it.
“I saw it,” I whisper suddenly.
Everyone looks at me.
“The door,” I continue quietly. “In my vision.” My throat tightens. “I could feel something behind it.”
Damon watches me carefully.
“What did it feel like?”
I swallow hard.
“Hungry.”
The fire crackles loudly.
No one speaks.
Because they all know.
That answer means something.
Something terrible.
Adam suddenly stands.
“We have another problem.”
His gaze is fixed toward the window.
We all turn.
At first I don’t see anything except rain and darkness beyond the glass.
Then lightning flashes across the sky.
And silhouettes appear outside the mansion gates.
Several figures.
Tall.
Still.
Watching the house.
My stomach drops instantly.
Wolves.
Even from this distance I know.
One of the figures steps forward slowly.
A woman.
Long dark hair whipping in the storm.
And glowing gold eyes.
Chloe curses under her breath.
Vanessa stiffens beside me.
Damon’s expression turns ice cold.
“Well,” he says quietly.
The woman outside smiles faintly.
Predatory.
Like she already knows something we don’t.
Then she raises one hand slowly—
And points directly at me.
My blood runs cold.
Because somehow…
The wolves know too.