Bloodlust (The Vampire Diaries 15)

"Does it matter?" she said, her voice sharp.

"No, I suppose it doesnt. " I touched the edge of the photo. "W

hy do you keep it?"

She sighed. "Its a connection to the past--to who I used to be before I was"--she gestured down the length of her body--"before I becamethis. Its important not to lose that final thread of attachment to humanity. " Her gaze grew serious.

I knew what she meant: Remaining connected to her humanity was how she maintained control and why she made the choice to feed only from animals.

"So, are you ready to save him?"

As usual, Lexi didnt wait for an answer, and I had to hustle out the door behind her. Together, we walked in silence toward Gallaghers place under the cover of the inky night.

Fifteen minutes later we turned the corner onto Laurel Street and the house came into view. A tall man with salt-and-pepper hair was climbing the stairs of the white structure, tapping each step with a gold-tipped cane. Behind him were two black-suited men. The three were engaged in intense conversation.

Lexi put her hand on mine. "Gallagher. "

The men paused on the porch. "Im telling you, the vampire I have is the real thing. I could have him killed and sell you his blood. Youd make a fortune marketing it as the fountain of youth or an elixir of life," Gallagher said roughly.

My stomach plummeted. Damons body was being divided before he was even dead.

"Blood," a stocky man mused, rubbing his bald head as if it were a crystal ball. "Im just not sure people would try that. But how much would you sell the fangs for?"

The men entered the home, shutting the wooden door with a definitive thud.

I sniffed the air. The cloying scent of vervain burned my nose, but I didnt sense Damon anywhere.

Lexi pushed the gates open and stepped onto the lawn.

"What are you doing?" I hissed. "I dont think Damons here anymore. "

"Yes, but you need to know exactly who and what youre up against. The more you know, the better you can gauge what the best course of action will be," she said.

I nodded, and together we stole in the shadows toward the main house. We ducked under a window ledge and knelt in order to escape notice; we could just make out the scene unfolding in the parlor at the back of the house. Gallaghers voice drifted through the open window as he took a seat in a maroon leather club chair, his feet up and a glass of port already in his hands. He wore a large gold ring on his finger.

In the far corner, Callie Gallagher sat in a pair of weathered overalls and a white linen shirt. Her red hair fell down her back in a vervain-laced braid, and her head was bent as she pored over a ledger book. A garland of vervain was strung along the marble mantle, and I noticed a few vampire muzzles--the same sort that my father had used to subdue Katherine--tossed carelessly on an end table.

"I have something else that might interest you," Gallagher said, locking eyes with the elderly man while the other sat, silently. "I didnt want to bring it up out on the street. "

"Yes?" The man leaned forward. His voice sounded disinterested, but he rubbed his stubby fingers together eagerly.

"The monster wears a ring. Its an unusual one. Silver with a blue stone, but it seems to give him additional power. None of my men have been able to get it off his finger, but when hes dead "

"Father!" Callie interjected. The two men stared at her.

"Yes, girl?" Gallagher asked, his voice dangerously low.

"Ive been looking over the books, and well make a fortune if hes kept alive. Its the best for the show. " Though her expression was all business, her tone didnt actually sound mercenary.

"My boss. " Gallagher laughed ruefully, but from the way the vein in his temple throbbed, I could tell he didnt appreciate Callies interjection. "Girl, can you get us some brandy?"

Callie stood up and stalked out of the room. I was surprised to feel a sliver of sympathy--and kinship--with her. I knew what it was like to have a headstrong father. Id wanted nothing more than to please him, but Giuseppe Salvatore always thought he knew best. I dared to disagree only once, and he killed me for it.

"As I was saying, the ring " Gallagher said. I snapped back to attention.

"You kill that monster and Ill buy it all. The fangs, the blood, the ring. Everything. And Ill give you a very good price," the elderly man said in a trembling voice, barely concealing his excitement.

Before I could pounce, shattering the glass that separated me from the man who was trying to sell my brother in bits and pieces, an iron-firm grip clasped my arms behind me and dragged me back out to the street.