Chapter 104

Chapter 104
Elizabeth
“We closed those doors.”
I stared at the library.
He was right.
I remembered hearing the doors shut earlier.
I remembered because the sound had echoed through the entire hallway.
And now—
They were open.
Not wide open.
Just enough to reveal darkness beyond them.
A thin strip of moonlight stretched across the floor.
Everything else was shadow.
The mark on my hand grew warm again.
Not painful.
Just… expectant.
Like it knew what was inside.
Beside me, Damon became very still.
I had learned something about Damon over the past few months.
When he got quiet, something was wrong.
Very wrong.
“You don’t like this,” I said softly.
He didn’t look away from the doors.
“No.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
I swallowed.
The whisper returned.
Come.
The voice wasn’t frightened this time.
It sounded calm.
Patient.
Waiting.
I looked at Damon.
“I can hear her again.”
His jaw tightened.
“The first Door?”
I nodded.
Silence.
Then he sighed.
“Of course you can.”
I blinked.
“Why do you say everything like the universe personally offended you?”
That finally earned me a glance.
There was the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes.
“You ask dangerous questions.”
“I ask normal questions.”
“You really don’t.”
A small smile tugged at my lips.
Then the library doors creaked.
Both of us froze.
They hadn’t moved.
And yet…
I was certain I had heard them.
The mark on my hand pulsed once.
Damon stepped slightly in front of me.
Again.
I noticed.
Again.
I ignored the strange flutter in my stomach.
Again.
“Stay behind me.”
I folded my arms.
“You know, one day I’m going to listen to you.”
He looked at me.
“I sincerely doubt that.”
Fair.
Very fair.
Slowly, we approached the library.
Each step felt unnaturally loud.
The mansion was silent.
No wind.
No voices.
Nothing.
Even the others downstairs had gone quiet.
It felt like the entire house was holding its breath.
The whisper returned.
Closer.
I stopped.
We were standing directly outside the doors now.
I looked inside.
Bookshelves.
Chairs.
The fireplace.
Everything looked normal.
Except—
A single candle burned on the desk.
I frowned.
“No.”
Damon looked at me.
“What?”
“That candle wasn’t there.”
Because it wasn’t.
The library had been dark earlier.
Completely dark.
Now one candle flickered softly in the center of the room.
Damon noticed it too.
His expression hardened.
“Stay here.”
I looked offended.
“No.”
Without waiting for my answer, he stepped into the room.
I followed immediately.
He sighed.
“You are impossible.”
“You’ve mentioned.”
“I’ll mention it again.”
The candle flickered.
The flame wasn’t orange.
It was gold.
The same strange gold as my mark.
The same gold as the creature’s eyes.
I didn’t like that.
Not one bit.
The whisper came again.
The desk.
I stared.
The desk?
There was nothing on it except the candle.
I walked forward.
“Elizabeth.”
I looked back.
Damon was watching me carefully.
“I think she wants me to go to the desk.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
“You’ve been staring at it for thirty seconds.”
Oh.
Right.
I looked away awkwardly.
Wonderful.
The candlelight reflected in his silver eyes.
I looked away even faster.
The man was unfairly attractive.
Especially in mysterious libraries lit by candlelight.
That seemed highly inconvenient.
I reached the desk.
Nothing.
I frowned.
“This is anticlimactic.”
The whisper returned.
Open it.
I blinked.
Open what?
Then I noticed it.
A small drawer.
I was almost certain it hadn’t been there before.
“Okay, that’s new.”
Damon appeared beside me.
He looked at the desk.
Then at me.
“I don’t like magical furniture.”
I laughed softly.
He looked mildly offended.
“I’m serious.”
“I know.”
I pulled the drawer open.
Silence.
Inside lay a key.
Not a large key.
Not ancient-looking.
Actually…
It was beautiful.
Silver.
Delicate carvings spiraled around it.
At its center was the same symbol from my hand.
My breath caught.
The mark burned.
The candle flame rose higher.
The library lights flickered.
Then—
The key glowed.
Gold light filled the room.
I jumped.
Damon did not.
Show-off.
The whisper sounded one last time.
Finally.
Then it disappeared.
Completely.
Silence.
I looked around.
Nothing.
The first Door was gone.
A strange sadness settled in my chest.
I didn’t know why.
I had met her for approximately five minutes.
And yet…
It felt like saying goodbye.
“You look upset.”
I looked at Damon.
“I’m not.”
He raised an eyebrow.
I sighed.
“Maybe a little.”
His gaze softened slightly.
“You lost the connection.”
I blinked.
“How did you know?”
“You have a face.”
I looked offended.
“I always have a face.”
He almost smiled.
“I mean an expression.”
“Oh.”
A pause.
“Apparently, I have one of those too.”
That earned me an actual smile.
Small.
Brief.
But there.
My heart did something embarrassing.
I ignored it.
With great effort.
I looked back at the key.
“What is this?”
“I have no idea.”
Not reassuring.
Again.
I carefully picked it up.
The moment I touched it—
A vision exploded behind my eyes.
I gasped.
Stone.
Moonlight.
A garden.
Black roses.
A woman.
The first Door.
She looked exactly as before.
Curly dark hair.
Brown eyes.
Pale skin.
She stood beside a fountain.
Smiling.
In her hand—
This key.
She looked directly at me.
“Keep it hidden.”
Her voice echoed softly.
“From who?”
Her smile faded.
“Everyone.”
My stomach dropped.
“What does it open?”
Silence.
Then—
“When the time comes…”
She pressed the key into my hand.
“…you’ll remember.”
No.
No, I hated remembering.
Remembering always brought chaos.
The garden began fading.
The first Door looked at me sadly.
“You have his eyes.”
I blinked.
“What?”
But she was already disappearing.
“Wait!”
She smiled one last time.
Then whispered:
“Trust the wolf.”
The vision shattered.
I stumbled.
Strong hands caught me.
Damon.
Again.
I looked up.
Silver eyes.
Concern.
Real concern.
“You need to stop collapsing,” he said quietly.
I blinked.
“Oh.”
“Yes. Oh.”
I looked down.
I was practically leaning against him.
I immediately stepped back.
My face felt warm.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
I tucked a curl behind my ear.
Avoided eye contact.
Focused very hard on the key.
Anything but him.
He looked suspiciously amused.
“I didn’t faint.”
“I didn’t say you did.”
“You were thinking it.”
A smile appeared.
Small.
Dangerous.
“I was.”
I narrowed my eyes.
He looked entirely too pleased with himself.
Then he noticed the key.
His expression changed.
“What happened?”
I looked at it.
The silver carvings glimmered in the candlelight.
“The first Door gave it to me.”
Silence.
“And?”
I swallowed.
“She said to hide it.”
He became very still.
“From who?”
“Everyone.”
A pause.
“That includes you.”
Silence.
Then—
“Rude.”
I blinked.
Then laughed.
Actually laughed.
He looked offended.
“You think this is funny?”
“A little.”
“I’ve been insulted by a ghost.”
That made me laugh harder.
To my complete shock, he laughed too.
A real laugh.
Warm.
Low.
The sound filled the quiet library.
I stared.
He stopped.
“What?”
“You laugh.”
He looked mildly annoyed.
“I do occasionally.”
“I didn’t know.”
“I wish I hadn’t shown you.”
I smiled.
For a second, neither of us looked away.
The candle flickered.
Moonlight streamed through the windows.
Everything felt strangely quiet.
Strangely normal.
Then—
The key grew hot.
Both of us looked down.
The carvings glowed.
Words slowly appeared across the silver surface.
Ancient letters.
Then they shifted.
Changed.
Into English.
I read them.
And forgot how to breathe.