I rolled around on the hard ground, desperately trying to find a comfortable place to sleep. But I couldn’t. Every inch of my body hurt, as though hot pokers were sticking into my skin. My mouth tasted like sandpaper, and my limbs felt like lead.
In my half-conscious state, I didn’t know where I was, but I had the familiar feeling I’d been here before. But where? If I was in hell, at least it was quiet. But then I blinked, and noticed two points of light moving toward me.
“Well, hello there,” a voice said. I blinked again, and realized the two points of light were coming from two large, inquisitive eyes.
“Katherine,” I croaked.
“Why, yes,” she said, as though we were meeting each other on the dust-covered dirt road to Veritas Estate.
“This is a dream,” I said, more to myself than to her.
“It could be,” she said, her tone of voice light, as if I’d asked if she thought it might rain later that day. “But does it matter? We’re both here.”
“Why is this happening?”
“Some people can’t let go. It can be difficult, can’t it?” Katherine asked rhetorically.
I glanced at her eyes. They were wide, catlike, and more beautiful than ever. I remembered the hours I spent staring into them, back when I was willing to risk it all for her. And I had. I’d lost everything. But still, those eyes reminded me of what it felt like to be young and believe that love conquered all.
I wanted to ask her why she’d turned me, when she must have known that my life would be filled with sorrow. I wanted to know how she stood it. I wanted to know what I was supposed to do, now that I had lost everyone I cared about. And I wanted to know why she continued to haunt me.
“Scholarly Stefan,” Katherine said, a smile playing on her lips. “Always thinking too hard. But remember, some things can’t be understood or explained. They have to be experienced.”
“Why?” I shouted, but Katherine simply faded into the darkness.
“We need to go,” Damon said brusquely, poking my ribs with the tip of his boot.
“Now?” I struggled to my elbows before wiping sleep from my eyes. I knew from the dew on the ground that it was only a matter of time before the sky fully burst into morning.
Damon nodded. Cora stood a few paces away, her brow furrowed and arms crossed as she silently studied us.
“We’re going back to London,” Damon said firmly. “I need to find Samuel and teach him a lesson. No one bests Damon Salvatore. I’m going to beat him at his own game.”
“We can’t go back to London,” I said, my jaw clenched as I rose to my full height, standing eye to eye with my brother. “Don’t you see that? We need to stop fighting. You used to hate me; now you hate Samuel. It’ll just lead to more bloodshed. Don’t you understand?”
“Oh, I understand, brother. I understand you’d rather get yourself killed than say thanks to the brother who saved your life. I’m going to London. If you want to live in darkness and survive on sheep and rabbits, go ahead.”
“I’m going, too. I have to find Violet,” Cora said, her face pale and drawn. A glance passed between Cora and Damon, but I had no idea what it meant. Finally, Damon nodded.
“I’ll come,” I said. It wasn’t as if I could stay here. Violet was out on her own, and I had to do everything I could to honor her dying wish. I couldn’t let her become a monster. And Damon needed me, whether he knew it or not. And right now, when I had no one and no home, as much as I hated to admit it, I needed him.
I took off, leading the way through the forest to the train station. In the distance, I could hear a whistle. Freedom was only a few paces away. I sped up.
“And this time, no excuses for who you are, Stefan,” Damon said, catching up to me, Cora on his back. “You’re a vampire. When will you realize that?”
“I know who I am, Damon,” I said calmly. It was a variation of the same argument we always had, but this time, I wasn’t going to fight. I could see the train chugging into the st
ation. We had to be careful. I was sure the entire parish was looking for us, and if we weren’t ready to compel at a moment’s notice, we could be caught unaware. “I’m your brother.”
“Yes,” Damon said after a beat.
It wasn’t anywhere close to an apology, but I sensed something between us shift. If we wanted to find Samuel, we needed to work together. Maybe fighting Samuel was our only chance to stop the bloodshed that followed us. I had to believe it. I had to believe in something.
“Did you know that Samuel was a vampire?” I asked. It was a small question, but one I’d wondered in my feverish sleep. Had Damon voluntarily found a vampire society in London?
“No, I didn’t know.” Damon shook his head, his dark eyes glinting in anger. “But I do know that I will never be made a fool of again. And I also know that Samuel’s about to get a lesson he’ll never forget.”
“What if he’s an Original?” I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper.