Matt ran a hand down Jasmine’s back, reassuring himself that she was solid and real and not hurt. He was heavily aware of the unconscious vampire, his face turned toward them, soon to awake again.
“You’re not safe,” he murmured, almost to himself, and felt Damon’s eyes on him. “None of us are safe, not while Jack and his vampires are after us. ”
Part of Matt wanted to rush Jasmine away. If none of them were safe here, wasn’t the solution to get away? Jack didn’t want Jasmine, didn’t want Matt. He was after Damon.
But Matt knew that Elena, whose dark blue eyes were fixed intently on Damon’s face, would never agree to leave him. And he could tell just by looking at Jasmine, capable and strong once more, that she wouldn’t either.
“Not until we figure out a way to kill them,” Damon agreed. He nodded to Jasmine. “That’s where you come in. ”
Something in Matt hardened. The only thing that mattered was protecting Jasmine.
“You have to keep experimenting on him,” he told Damon, looking at the young face of the vampire in the cage, slack in unconsciousness. “If we want this to end, we’ll have to finish them. ”
Chapter 11
“More coffee, hon?” The waitress refilled Bonnie and Elena’s cups before moving on to the next table. The little diner halfway between their apartments was busy, bright, and cheerful, as it always was on a Sunday morning. They hadn’t been here in a while, but Bonnie thought bright and cheerful was exactly what Elena needed right now.
“Sounds like Jasmine’s tougher than I thought,” Bonnie said, swiping cream cheese across her bagel. Elena had been filling her in on the latest in the quest to discover the truth about the synthetic vampires. “Has Meredith found out anything from the hunters down in Atlanta?”
Elena sighed, resting her chin on her fist as she stared into her coffee. “She hasn’t returned any of my calls. I got a text saying she was okay, but that’s it. ”
“Yeah, same. She’s probably busy,” Bonnie offered. Meredith was pretty good at looking after herself. Right now, Bonnie was more concerned about Elena.
Elena had been distant lately, caught up with Damon and with her new Guardian task. Bonnie was glad that she had something to focus on. Elena was still pale and solemn, but she didn’t seem as stunned with grief as she’d been right after Stefan’s death.
Bonnie ripped open a sugar packet and poured it into her coffee. Mostly to get the sad, distracted expression off Elena’s face, she asked, “How’s the search for Siobhan? Any luck?”
Elena scowled. “I haven’t had any leads on her since I lost her aura at that drive-in. I keep dreaming about her, but I can’t find her. ”
Munching her bagel, Bonnie listened to Elena describe the dreams—a dark-haired woman in a cabin, a bloodred aura, nothing much happening, but a sense of dread overhanging everything—and tried to offer helpful suggestions. “Maybe she’s up in the hills? There’s a lot of hunting cabins up there. ”
Elena leaned back in the booth, her shoulders slumping. “I thought of that. I tried walking through the hills, but I didn’t feel anything. My Guardian Powers are supposed to lead me to her, I guess I have to trust that they will when the time is right. ”
The waitress slapped the check on their table as she walked by. Bonnie was reaching for it when Elena sat up straighter and frowned at her. “Anyway,” she said briskly, “we’ve talked about my problems, but what’s going on with you? You seem stressed. ”
“I do?” Bonnie asked reluctantly. She’d been trying to act normal, to make Elena feel better. Elena nodded, and Bonnie rested her temple in her hand. “I guess… Zander’s been strange lately. He’s always on the phone with the rest of the Pack, but he never tells me what they’re talking about. It’s like he’s got secrets with them that he doesn’t want me knowing. He’s never been like that before. And then with how weird he was about the Pack not helping defend us all against Jack. ” She glanced up at Elena, who nodded in confirmation. “I can’t help wondering—”
As she talked, she thought about how Zander had stayed out late the night before, long past when she had gone to bed, with no explanation, and she could hear her own voice getting higher and softer, like a little girl’s, “—wondering if Zander maybe doesn’t like me so much anymore. ”
Elena laughed. “Listen, Bonnie, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that Zander’s crazy about you. Seriously. You two are perfect together. ” Her smile faded, and Bonnie knew she was thinking about Stefan.
“Maybe,” Bonnie said doubtfully, poking her finger through the puddle of coffee left in her saucer. She couldn’t really put what she was worrying about into words, and certainly she couldn’t explain to Elena, who had not just Stefan but even Damon eternally, endlessly, death-will-not-part-us in love with her. But people did fall out of love, all the time. There was something in Zander’s eyes when he looked at her—something sad, and faraway. It wasn’t the way he used to look at her. “I’ll see him later today, at least. We’re going to have lunch and catch a movie. ”
“See?” Elena told her. “Talk to him, and you’ll work it out. ”
“Maybe,” Bonnie said again. They paid the check and walked out into the bright glare of the sunny parking lot.
Elena hugged Bonnie hard before she got into her car. “It’ll be okay,” she said reassuringly.
Bonnie smiled and raised a hand in farewell as Elena pulled away. Just as she turned to head to her own car, her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a text from Zander.
Sorry, can’t make it for lunch. Catch up with you later. XO
Glaring down at the phone, Bonnie felt her cheeks getting hot. Six years together, and he wouldn’t even tell her why he couldn’t meet her? He just blew her off?
It was so frustrating. The sunlight dimmed, and she wondered if she was the one doing it. She could feel her Power gathering within her, ready for her to call on nature, work her will. She could ball this Power up and fire it off at Z
ander, find out once and for all what was going on with him.