Chapter 91
Elizabeth
The words on the stone didn’t change.
They didn’t need to.
The Key shall return.
I stared at them for several long seconds.
Something about seeing those words carved into ancient stone made my chest feel tight.
Not because they were surprising.
At this point, everyone seemed determined to remind me that I was the Key.
No.
What unsettled me was the age of it.
This tablet had been hidden beneath the mansion long before I was born.
Long before I ever stepped foot in New Orleans.
And yet somehow it was talking about me.
Or at least about someone like me.
I folded my arms.
“Of course it says that.”
My voice sounded small in the enormous chamber.
“Because apparently being hunted by supernatural creatures wasn’t enough.”
Silence.
I looked toward Damon.
Immediately I knew something was wrong.
He wasn’t looking at me.
He was staring at the tablet.
Focused.
Completely focused.
The teasing mood from earlier had vanished.
His jaw had tightened.
His silver-grey eyes were fixed on the stone.
“What?” I asked quietly.
His gaze never moved.
“That shouldn’t be active.”
I frowned.
“Active?”
Slowly he stepped closer.
The movement was careful.
Measured.
Almost cautious.
Which was concerning because Damon was rarely cautious.
“It isn’t just a record.”
His voice echoed softly through the chamber.
“It’s a lock.”
My stomach dropped.
“A lock for what?”
No answer.
Typical.
I sighed.
“One day you’re going to answer a question properly.”
His mouth twitched slightly.
“I doubt it.”
Unfortunately, that tiny almost-smile made my heart do something embarrassing.
I quickly looked away.
The underground chamber suddenly became fascinating.
Anything was better than staring at Damon.
The room stretched around us.
Ancient stone pillars rose toward the ceiling.
Glass cases displayed weapons, jewelry, books, and artifacts from another world.
Another life.
I wandered toward one of the displays.
Inside sat a beautiful silver dagger.
The blade gleamed beneath the chamber lights.
It looked ancient.
Elegant.
Dangerous.
I pointed at it.
“What does this do?”
Damon glanced over.
His expression remained serious.
“Kill people.”
I blinked.
“That’s it?”
“What were you expecting?”
I laughed despite myself.
“I don’t know.”
“Then yes.”
His gaze returned to the tablet.
“It kills people.”
“You’re impossible.”
“So I’ve heard.”
The familiar response made me smile.
Just slightly.
The chamber felt strangely peaceful despite everything.
For a moment I forgot about prisons.
And creatures.
And visions.
Then the symbol on my hand burned.
I gasped softly.
The heat shot through my palm.
Not painful.
Just sudden.
The mark glowed faintly beneath my skin.
Gold.
The same color spreading across the stone tablet.
Damon noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
His attention snapped toward me.
“What happened?”
I looked down.
“The mark.”
The glow brightened.
Something deep beneath the mansion vibrated.
A low hum echoed through the chamber.
Like stone awakening after centuries of sleep.
Damon crossed the distance between us almost instantly.
His eyes narrowed.
“Don’t touch the tablet.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“Good.”
The response came a little too fast.
A little too serious.
Which made me nervous.
The humming grew louder.
Dust drifted from the ceiling.
Several glass cases rattled.
I instinctively stepped backward.
Unfortunately, I misjudged the distance.
My shoulder collided directly with Damon.
Heat rushed into my face.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
For one horrible second neither of us moved.
Then I quickly stepped away.
Pretending it hadn’t happened.
Pretending my heart wasn’t suddenly beating too fast.
I looked anywhere except at him.
The floor.
The ceiling.
The walls.
A random sword.
Anything.
Damon remained suspiciously quiet.
Which somehow made the embarrassment worse.
When I finally risked a glance upward, one dark eyebrow had lifted slightly.
He looked amused.
Not openly.
Just enough.
“Oh my God.”
“What?”
“You know exactly why.”
A faint smirk appeared.
There and gone again.
My dignity officially left the room.
The humming deepened.
Saving me from further embarrassment.
Thank God.
The carved symbols beneath the tablet began glowing brighter.
One after another.
Ancient runes illuminated across the stone.
I stepped closer despite myself.
The symbols looked familiar.
Not recognizable.
Familiar.
Like something seen in a dream.
My pulse quickened.
“Damon.”
His attention immediately sharpened.
“What?”
“I think I’ve seen these before.”
His expression darkened.
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
Which was the truth.
That was the frightening part.
I didn’t know.
The symbols felt familiar in the same way the red door felt familiar.
Like a memory I couldn’t quite reach.
The mark on my hand burned hotter.
The tablet suddenly shifted.
Stone scraped against stone.
The sound echoed through the chamber.
I jumped.
Damon moved immediately.
Placing himself slightly between me and the tablet.
Not enough to make a scene.
Just enough that I noticed.
The gesture made something warm flutter unexpectedly inside my chest.
Which was inconvenient timing.
Very inconvenient timing.
The chamber trembled.
A crack appeared across the center of the stone.
Thin.
Jagged.
Golden light leaked through.
Neither of us spoke.
The crack widened.
The light intensified.
The air itself seemed heavier.
Harder to breathe.
Then words began appearing beneath the original inscription.
Slowly.
Carving themselves into the stone.
My eyes widened.
The Key shall return.
And beneath it—
When the Mark awakens.
Silence.
Complete silence.
I swallowed.
“What does that mean?”
Damon’s expression had become unreadable.
Which usually meant he didn’t like the answer.
“I don’t know.”
That frightened me more than anything.
Because Damon always seemed to know something.
Always.
The chamber shook violently.
A deep grinding noise echoed beneath our feet.
Then a voice filled the room.
Not loud.
Not angry.
Certain.
Ancient.
“CONFIRMED.”
The word struck through me.
Everything vanished.
Darkness swallowed the chamber.
The mansion.
Reality itself.
Gone.
I stood alone in a vast black space.
Shapes moved around me.
Tall figures.
Silent figures.
Watching.
Waiting.
I couldn’t see their faces.
Only outlines.
Shadows within shadows.
One stepped forward.
My pulse thundered.
“Who are you?” I whispered.
The figure stopped.
For a moment nothing happened.
Then a voice answered.
Cold.
Ancient.
Recognized.
“You were not meant to awaken yet.”
Fear crawled down my spine.
“I don’t understand.”
Silence.
Then—
“You opened the mark.”
My hand burned.
I gasped.
“I didn’t open anything.”
The figure tilted its head.
Almost curious.
“You did.”
The darkness shifted.
More shapes appeared behind it.
Hundreds.
Maybe thousands.
Watching me.
Waiting.
My stomach twisted.
“What are you?”
The answer came immediately.
“We are what remains.”
A chill shot through my entire body.
The darkness cracked.
Reality shattered.
And suddenly—
I was falling.
Strong arms caught me before I hit the floor.
The chamber rushed back into focus.
Stone pillars.
Golden light.
Ancient artifacts.
Damon.
His hand gripped my arm firmly.
Steadying me.
My breathing came fast.
Uneven.
The vision still echoed through my head.
The figures.
The voice.
The words.
Damon searched my face.
“What happened?”
I swallowed hard.
“They spoke to me.”
His jaw tightened.
“What did they say?”
I hesitated.
Then answered.
“They said I opened the mark.”
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
Damon looked toward the cracked tablet.
His expression hardened.
For the first time since I’d met him—
He looked uncertain.
Not weak.
Not afraid.
Just uncertain.
Like something had happened that wasn’t supposed to happen.
Then a loud crash echoed somewhere above us.
Both our heads snapped upward.
The sound came from inside the mansion.
A second crash followed.
Closer.
Much closer.
Damon’s eyes darkened instantly.
The uncertainty vanished.
Replaced by something far more familiar.
Predatory focus.
Without another word he grabbed my hand.
And pulled me toward the stairs.
Fast.
Very fast.
Whatever had just entered the mansion—
It wasn’t waiting anymore.