Chapter 99

Chapter 99
Elizabeth

My blood turned to ice.

The voice came again.

Soft.

Patient.

Almost familiar.

“Elizabeth.”

Nobody moved.

The library suddenly felt too small.

I looked at Damon.

He was completely still.

Every trace of amusement from moments ago had disappeared.

Predator.

That was the only way to describe him.

Silver eyes fixed on the door downstairs.

Dangerously calm.

“Stay here,” he said quietly.

I blinked.

“What?”

“Stay here.”

“No.”

His jaw tightened.

“Elizabeth.”

“Someone knows my name.”

“Exactly.”

I folded my arms.

“You honestly think I’m staying in the library while some creepy person calls my name at three in the morning?”

“Yes.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“It isn’t.”

“It is.”

Another knock echoed through the mansion.

Three slow taps.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Silence followed.

Then—

“Elizabeth.”

The voice sounded closer.

Like whoever was outside knew exactly where I was.

A chill ran down my spine.

Damon looked at me.

“You stay here.”

I glared at him.

He glared back.

Somehow his glare was significantly more intimidating.

Unfortunately.

I sighed.

“Fine.”

His eyes narrowed.

“You agreed too easily.”

“I can be cooperative.”

“No, you can’t.”

I looked offended.

He wasn’t wrong.

Without another word, he disappeared.

One second he was beside me.

The next he was gone.

I hated vampire speed.

It was rude.

I stood there for approximately three seconds.

Then—

I followed him.

Because obviously.

The library doors creaked as I stepped into the hallway.

The mansion was quiet.

Too quiet.

I hurried downstairs.

I could already see Damon standing in the entrance hall.

His back was to me.

The front doors remained closed.

The knocking had stopped.

I walked toward him.

“You lied,” he said.

I blinked.

“What?”

“You said you’d stay upstairs.”

I smiled weakly.

“I changed my mind.”

He looked entirely unsurprised.

“Of course you did.”

I stopped beside him.

Moonlight streamed through the glass panels beside the front door.

Outside—

Nothing.

No car.

No person.

No movement.

Only darkness.

A strange uneasiness settled in my chest.

“Maybe they left.”

Damon didn’t answer.

I looked at him.

His eyes were fixed on something outside.

“What?”

Silence.

Then—

“We’re too late.”

A cold feeling spread through me.

“Too late for what?”

He opened the door.

I immediately wished he hadn’t.

A woman lay on the front steps.

My breath caught.

She couldn’t have been much older than me.

Long dark hair.

Pale skin.

A black dress covered in dirt.

She wasn’t moving.

I froze.

“Oh my God.”

I hurried forward.

Damon caught my arm.

“Wait.”

“What?”

He studied the woman carefully.

Then slowly released me.

I rushed to her side.

She looked exhausted.

Asleep.

No.

Not asleep.

Unconscious.

“Damon.”

He crouched beside me.

The woman’s pulse was weak.

But there.

Alive.

Thank God.

Then—

Her eyes opened.

I nearly jumped.

They weren’t brown.

Or blue.

Or green.

They were silver.

Exactly like Damon’s.

The woman looked at me.

Straight at me.

As if she had expected me to be here.

Her lips parted.

“You found it.”

I blinked.

“What?”

Her gaze never left mine.

“The Temple.”

My heart stopped.

Beside me, Damon went completely still.

The woman smiled faintly.

Then her eyes closed again.

And she collapsed.

Silence.

I looked at Damon.

He looked at me.

Neither of us spoke.

Because—

What?

A moment later footsteps sounded from upstairs.

Fast.

Very fast.

Lucien appeared.

Tristan followed.

Apparently neither of them slept.

Or perhaps this family simply sensed chaos.

Which honestly wouldn’t surprise me anymore.

Lucien looked at the unconscious woman.

Then at us.

Then at the woman again.

“Oh.”

Silence.

“Oh?” Tristan repeated.

Lucien pointed.

“We have another mysterious woman.”

I stared at him.

“That’s your contribution?”

He looked thoughtful.

“At the moment, yes.”

Tristan crouched beside us.

The moment he saw her face—

He froze.

Completely froze.

I noticed immediately.

So did Damon.

Tristan looked… shocked.

Genuinely shocked.

I had never seen him look like that.

Ever.

Damon’s expression hardened.

“You know her.”

Not a question.

Tristan slowly stood.

Still staring at her.

The silence stretched.

Finally—

“I thought she was dead.”

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

I looked between them.

“What?”

Tristan’s voice sounded distant.

“She died twenty years ago.”

Silence.

I blinked.

Then blinked again.

Because I had clearly heard that incorrectly.

She looked twenty-two.

Twenty-three, maybe.

“Twenty… years?”

Tristan nodded once.

The woman looked exactly the same age as me.

My brain stopped functioning.

Lucien looked disturbed.

Actually disturbed.

Which was somehow even worse.

“Well,” he said quietly. “That’s terrifying.”

I agreed.

Very much.

Damon’s gaze remained on the unconscious woman.

“Who is she?”

Another long silence.

Then Tristan answered.

“Aurelia.”

The name meant nothing to me.

Apparently not to Lucien either.

Because he frowned.

“Who’s Aurelia?”

Tristan looked at him.

Then at Damon.

Then at me.

I suddenly had a very bad feeling.

The kind that usually came right before my life became significantly more complicated.

Finally he spoke.

“She was one of Arian’s disciples.”

Silence.

Complete silence.

I forgot how to breathe.

The Arian?

The witch who created the prison?

The witch who separated the worlds?

That Arian?

I looked down at the unconscious woman.

No.

Absolutely not.

No.

Because that was impossible.

She looked my age.

Maybe a few years older.

Not ancient.

Not centuries old.

I looked at Tristan.

“You’re joking.”

He didn’t answer.

Which was answer enough.

I stood.

“No.”

Still nothing.

“No.”

Damon looked grim.

Very grim.

Lucien looked fascinated.

Which was concerning.

Tristan looked like he’d seen a ghost.

I looked back at the woman.

Then at them.

Then at the woman again.

This was insane.

Absolutely insane.

Then the mark on my hand burned.

Hard.

I gasped.

Instantly everyone looked at me.

The mark glowed gold.

The unconscious woman’s hand twitched.

Then—

Her eyes snapped open.

Silver eyes.

Sharp.

Focused.

Ancient.

She sat upright.

Far too quickly for someone who had supposedly collapsed.

I scrambled backward.

Damon immediately moved in front of me.

The woman looked at him.

Then me.

Then the mansion.

A strange expression crossed her face.

Relief.

Then fear.

Then urgency.

She stood.

Unsteadily.

“You have to leave.”

Silence.

Nobody moved.

She looked directly at me.

“They know where you are.”

The room seemed to grow colder.

Damon’s voice was calm.

Dangerously calm.

“Who?”

She looked at him.

Then answered with one word.

“The Watchers.”

I frowned.

The what?

Apparently everyone else was equally confused.

Because nobody reacted.

Aurelia looked horrified.

“You don’t know?”

“No,” Lucien said. “Which is generally why people explain things.”

She ignored him.

Her eyes found mine again.

“You need to come with me.”

“No,” Damon said immediately.

She looked annoyed.

“You don’t understand.”

“No,” he replied. “You don’t understand.”

Silver eyes met silver eyes.

Neither looked remotely friendly.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Then—

The windows exploded.

Glass shattered everywhere.

I screamed.

Something dark crashed through the mansion.

Fast.

Huge.

A shadow.

It landed in the center of the entrance hall.

Everyone froze.

I stared.

And forgot how to breathe.

It looked human.

Almost.

Tall.

Covered in black markings.

Its eyes glowed gold.

The same gold as my mark.

The same gold as the Temple.

The creature looked at me.

And smiled.

A horrible, unnatural smile.

Then it spoke.

In a voice like grinding stone.

“Found you.”

Silence.

One heartbeat.

Two.

Then Damon stepped in front of me.

The air around him seemed to change.

Predatory.

Deadly.