Chapter 102

Elizabeth

What if something was trying to find me?

The thought settled in my chest like ice.

Nobody spoke.

The creature’s smile slowly widened as it watched my expression.

It knew.

It knew exactly what I was thinking.

“Oh,” it said softly. “Now you understand.”

“No,” Damon said sharply.

The creature looked at him.

“No?”

His voice was calm.

Dangerously calm.

“No.”

Silence.

Then, with terrifying speed, Damon crossed the room.

He grabbed the creature by the throat and slammed it against the wall.

The entire entrance hall shook.

I jumped.

The creature didn’t even seem surprised.

Its gold eyes remained fixed on me.

Not him.

Me.

Always me.

I was honestly getting tired of being the center of every supernatural crisis.

“You will stop talking to her,” Damon said.

The creature smiled.

“I don’t take orders from kings.”

Damon’s eyes flashed silver.

“Then let me rephrase.”

The smile disappeared.

“You will stop talking.”

Silence.

For one brief moment, the room felt predatory.

Like two ancient things sizing each other up.

Then the creature laughed.

Actually laughed.

“Now I understand the stories.”

Damon’s expression remained unreadable.

“The Wolf King has teeth.”

“How observant.”

The creature’s gaze shifted to me.

“You should tell him.”

I frowned.

Tell him what?

The creature smiled.

“The memories.”

I blinked.

What memories?

Then—

Smoke.

Screams.

Blood roses.

The burning city.

The flash from earlier slammed into my mind again.

I gasped.

Damon looked at me immediately.

“Elizabeth?”

I put a hand to my head.

Another flash.

Stone towers.

A woman with dark hair.

A child crying.

The red door.

Then—

A man’s voice.

Protect her.

Everything vanished.

I blinked.

The entrance hall returned.

Everyone was staring at me.

Wonderful.

Again.

“Elizabeth.”

Damon’s voice was lower now.

Concerned.

I looked at him.

“I saw something.”

The creature looked delighted.

“Oh, this is progressing faster than expected.”

“Be quiet,” Adam said.

The creature ignored him.

I swallowed.

“I saw…” I frowned.

The images were slipping away.

Like trying to remember a dream.

“A city.”

Silence.

“It was burning.”

Aurelia went completely still.

I noticed immediately.

“There were roses.”

Her face somehow became even paler.

“And someone said…” I paused.

The voice echoed in my mind.

Protect her.

I looked up.

“Someone said, ‘Protect her.’”

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

Then—

“No.”

Aurelia’s voice.

I looked at her.

She looked terrified.

Actually terrified.

“What?” I asked.

“No.”

“What?”

She looked at me as though she were seeing a ghost.

Then she whispered:

“You remember the Fall.”

The what?

Lucien frowned.

“The Fall?”

Tristan’s expression changed.

He knew.

Adam did too.

I could see it.

I looked between them.

“Oh, come on.”

Nobody answered.

I threw my hands up.

“Why does everyone keep doing that?!”

Lucien looked sympathetic.

“To be fair, this is how I feel in most family meetings.”

Nobody acknowledged him.

Rude.

I looked at Aurelia again.

“What is the Fall?”

Silence.

Then Adam spoke.

Quietly.

“It was a war.”

I blinked.

“A war where?”

A long pause.

Then—

“Our world.”

Silence.

The other world.

The supernatural realm.

The place Damon and his family came from.

I frowned.

“Okay…”

Aurelia looked at me.

“The prison wasn’t created in peace.”

My stomach tightened.

“It was created during war.”

Silence.

“A war so devastating that entire kingdoms disappeared.”

I stared.

Kingdoms?

Kingdoms?

Damon had kingdoms?

I looked at him.

He looked entirely too calm.

I decided to question that later.

Probably.

Aurelia’s eyes remained fixed on me.

“The red door was created to separate both realms.”

I nodded slowly.

I knew that part.

“But before the separation…”

She hesitated.

Then:

“There was one final battle.”

The room was quiet.

“The Fall.”

Smoke.

Screams.

The burning city.

I felt cold.

“The city…” I whispered.

Aurelia looked at me.

“You saw it.”

Not a question.

A statement.

I swallowed.

“I think so.”

Silence.

Then the creature laughed softly.

“Not think.”

Its gold eyes gleamed.

“Know.”

I hated it.

Very much.

The creature looked at me.

“You remember because you were there.”

Everything stopped.

No.

No.

No.

I laughed.

A short, nervous laugh.

“That’s impossible.”

Nobody joined in.

I looked around.

Nobody.

“Oh, that’s not reassuring.”

The creature smiled.

“The Door remembers every age.”

I knew that.

It had already told me.

“But some memories…”

Its smile widened.

“…belong to you.”

Silence.

No.

No.

Absolutely not.

I was twenty-one.

Not ancient.

Not centuries old.

I looked at Damon.

He looked grim.

I looked at Adam.

Grim.

Tristan.

Grim.

Aurelia.

Utterly horrified.

Wonderful.

Absolutely wonderful.

The mark on my hand suddenly flared.

Pain shot through my palm.

I gasped.

And then—

A voice.

Not outside.

Not in the room.

Inside my head.

A woman’s voice.

Soft.

Broken.

Find me.

I froze.

The room disappeared.

Not another vision.

Something stranger.

I was standing in darkness.

No red door.

No corridor.

Nothing.

Just darkness.

Then—

A woman appeared.

She looked around my age.

Dark curly hair.

Brown eyes.

Pale skin.

Pretty.

Very pretty.

I blinked.

Because—

She looked exactly like me.

No.

Not exactly.

Her clothes were different.

Ancient.

But her face…

My heart stopped.

She smiled sadly.

“You came.”

I couldn’t breathe.

Who—

Who was she?

“You took your time.”

My voice shook.

“Who are you?”

The woman’s smile faltered.

For a moment she looked heartbroken.

Then she whispered:

“You don’t remember me.”

I took a step back.

She looked like me.

She sounded sad.

And somehow—

I felt like I knew her.

No.

Not knew.

Missed.

My chest hurt.

I had never seen this woman before in my life.

So why did I feel like crying?

“Who are you?” I asked again.

Silence.

Then—

“I was the first.”

The world seemed to stop.

No.

No.

“The first what?”

She looked directly at me.

“The first Door.”

Silence.

The darkness trembled.

And then she said the one thing I never expected:

“And your name…”

A pause.

A sad smile.

“…wasn’t always Elizabeth.”

Everything shattered.

I gasped.

The entrance hall slammed back into focus.

I nearly fell.

Damon caught me.

Again.

His hands steadied me.

“Elizabeth.”

I stared at nothing.

Couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t think.

“Elizabeth.”

I looked at him.

Silver eyes.

Concern.

Real concern.

I swallowed.

The room was silent.

Everyone watching.

Waiting.

I looked at Damon.

Then at Aurelia.

Then back.

My voice came out as barely a whisper.

“I saw her.”

Silence.

“Who?” Damon asked softly.

I looked at him.

A shiver ran through me.

Because I already knew the answer.

Somehow I knew.

I looked toward the creature.

Its gold eyes gleamed.

And I whispered:

“The first Door.”

Silence.

Then the creature smiled.

Slowly.

Triumphantly.

And said:

“She’s awake.”