Chapter 86
Elizabeth
“There’s a price.”
Of course there is.
There is always a price.
Every spell.
Every answer.
Every solution.
Every single thing connected to this supernatural nightmare seems to come with some horrible catch.
The hope that had filled the library moments ago disappears immediately.
Vanessa’s grandmother looks at us grimly.
Nobody speaks.
Nobody breathes.
Finally Chloe breaks the silence.
“Can we have one thing without a horrifying consequence?”
The old woman simply looks at her.
“No.”
Chloe sinks back into her chair.
“Honestly, I respect the honesty.”
I would have laughed if my stomach wasn’t currently tied in knots.
My eyes return to the map.
The red door sits at the center of the parchment.
Waiting.
Watching.
Mocking me.
The symbol on my hand tingles.
I hate it.
I hate that every time I look at that door it feels familiar.
Like somewhere deep inside me I already know exactly where it is.
Damon notices my expression immediately.
Of course he does.
The man notices everything.
His silver eyes remain fixed on me.
“Elizabeth.”
I look up.
“What?”
“You know something.”
Not a question.
A statement.
My heart skips.
Because the worst part?
He’s right.
Ever since the vision I haven’t been able to shake the feeling.
The door feels real.
Not like a dream.
Not like a prophecy.
Like a memory.
And that makes absolutely no sense.
I look away quickly.
“I don’t know anything.”
A lie.
Not a complete lie.
But close enough.
Damon’s gaze lingers on me.
He knows.
I can tell he knows.
But thankfully he doesn’t push.
Not this time.
Vanessa’s grandmother points toward the map.
“The prison can be reinforced.”
The room focuses immediately.
Finally.
Actual information.
“The ritual requires three things.”
Adam crosses his arms.
“Which are?”
The old witch hesitates.
Never a good sign.
Then she says:
“The blood of the Key.”
Everybody looks at me.
Wonderful.
Love that.
My blood apparently has more responsibilities than I do.
“The magic of a Bennett witch.”
Vanessa groans.
“Oh come on.”
Her grandmother ignores her.
“And…”
She pauses.
The room stills.
“And the original seal.”
Confusion sweeps through the library.
Even Damon frowns.
“The original seal was destroyed centuries ago.”
“So everyone believed.”
The grandmother’s eyes narrow slightly.
“But Arian was clever.”
A smile slowly appears on Lucien’s face.
Uh oh.
Whenever Lucien smiles during dangerous conversations it means things are about to get significantly worse.
“Hidden treasure hunt?”
Adam groans.
“I hate you.”
Lucien looks delighted.
“I know.”
I rub my temples.
“Can someone please explain?”
Vanessa’s grandmother points to the map.
“There is another location.”
My pulse quickens.
Another location.
Finally.
Movement.
Adventure.
Something besides sitting in libraries reading ancient books.
The old witch traces a finger across the parchment.
Toward a symbol near the edge.
The room leans closer.
“What is it?” Chloe asks.
The grandmother’s expression darkens.
“A temple.”
The room goes quiet.
Not because temples are scary.
Because everyone else’s reaction says this one is.
Adam immediately shakes his head.
“No.”
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Even Damon doesn’t argue.
Which is concerning.
“What temple?” I ask.
Nobody answers.
Wonderful.
Again.
Then Tristan finally speaks.
“The Temple of Thorns.”
A chill runs through the room.
Okay.
That’s definitely a bad name.
A terrible name, actually.
You don’t name things “Temple of Thorns” if happiness happens there.
Lucien sighs dramatically.
“I hated that place.”
“You hate everywhere,” Adam says.
“That’s because everywhere is awful.”
Honestly?
Fair.
Vanessa’s grandmother points to the symbol again.
“The original seal is there.”
The room becomes quiet.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Planning.
Then Chloe raises her hand.
Like she’s in class.
The fact that she does this during life-threatening conversations never stops being funny.
“Question.”
Nobody even looks surprised anymore.
“What?”
“Why hasn’t somebody grabbed it before now?”
Excellent question.
The grandmother’s expression hardens.
“Because nobody comes back.”
Silence.
Yep.
There it is.
There’s the catch.
I knew it was coming.
An hour later I’m standing alone on one of the mansion balconies.
The rain has finally stopped.
The city below glows with evening lights.
New Orleans stretches endlessly beneath the darkening sky.
Beautiful.
Ancient.
Alive.
Usually the view calms me.
Tonight it doesn’t.
My thoughts won’t stop spinning.
The door.
The creature.
The map.
The temple.
The seal.
Everything is moving too fast.
And underneath all of it—
That horrible feeling remains.
Like something is getting closer.
A soft voice breaks through my thoughts.
“You always come out here when you’re worried.”
I turn.
Damon stands in the doorway.
Black shirt.
Dark jeans.
Silver eyes.
Infuriatingly attractive.
Seriously.
It’s becoming a problem.
He walks toward me slowly.
The air immediately feels different.
More charged.
More dangerous.
I hate that I notice.
He stops beside me.
Close.
Not touching.
Just close enough to be distracting.
For a while neither of us speaks.
The city sparkles below.
The silence isn’t uncomfortable.
Which somehow feels worse.
Finally Damon says:
“You’re afraid.”
I laugh softly.
“That’s the understatement of the century.”
A ghost of a smile touches his mouth.
There and gone so quickly I almost miss it.
“I’ve noticed something.”
His voice lowers.
My stomach betrays me immediately.
“What?”
“You only joke when you’re terrified.”
Rude.
Accurate.
But rude.
I look away.
The city lights blur slightly.
“I saw its eye.”
The words leave before I can stop them.
Damon goes still.
“I know.”
“No.”
My voice shakes.
“I don’t think you do.”
The memory crashes back instantly.
The thing watching me from behind the door.
The intelligence.
The hunger.
The certainty.
“It knew me.”
Silence.
Damon doesn’t immediately dismiss the idea.
Which tells me everything.
His jaw tightens.
“You are connected to the prison.”
My stomach twists.
“But why?”
For the first time—
He doesn’t have an answer.
And somehow that’s worse.
Much worse.
The wind stirs around us.
Cool against my skin.
The city glows below.
And for a brief moment I forget everything.
The monsters.
The visions.
The supernatural chaos.
It’s just me and Damon standing beneath the night sky.
Then his hand brushes mine.
Barely.
An accident.
Maybe.
Neither of us moves away.
My heart immediately starts acting ridiculous.
The silence stretches.
Dangerous.
Electric.
His gaze drops briefly to my lips.
Heat rushes through me.
Oh no.
Not this again.
Not when my life is falling apart.
His eyes lift back to mine.
The world suddenly feels very small.
Very quiet.
Very focused.
Then—
“DAMON!”
Lucien’s voice echoes from somewhere inside the mansion.
The moment shatters instantly.
Damon closes his eyes briefly.
Annoyed.
I almost laugh.
Almost.
“DAMON!”
Lucien again.
Louder.
“IF YOU’RE BROODING ON A BALCONY AGAIN WE HAVE A PROBLEM!”
The tension evaporates.
Just like that.
Damon sighs.
“He ruins everything.”
I smile despite myself.
“You say that like he’s wrong.”
“He usually is.”
Another shout echoes through the mansion.
This time from Adam.
“Damon. Now.”
The amusement disappears immediately.
Because Adam sounds serious.
Very serious.
Damon’s expression hardens.
Mine too.
Something’s wrong.
Again.
Together we head inside.
And when we enter the library—
Everyone is standing.
Vanessa.
Chloe.
Adam.
Lucien.
Tristan.
Even Vanessa’s grandmother.
All staring at something spread across the table.
The map.
Only now—
The map is changing.
My blood runs cold.
Because new lines are appearing across the parchment.
Drawing themselves.
Moving.
Like invisible ink coming to life.
Nobody speaks.
We just watch.
Watch as the lines slowly form a path.
A route.
A destination.
And at the very end of that path—
A single word appears.
Written in blood
BEGIN