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"We have to get in there right now," she said urgently She slarunting in frustration when the latch held "Helpleap and kicked the door open It hit the wall behind it with a crash, bouncing back toward thee

At first, the rooh the s, falling on an e in the air, heavy and overwhel

Elena turned--and froze in horror

For a moment, she wasn’t sure what she saw There was just a pattern of reds and flesh tones against the white wall

As Elena’s vision cleared, the abstract bloodred shapes resolved to a hanging figure A young girl, maybe fourteen years old, chained to the wall She had been torn open, bright blood everywhere Dark, glazed eyes stared unseeingly from a bloody face Her hair was a honey shade of brown Elena’s heart twisted with pity She irl, once

Elena reached out and ran a hand lightly across the girl’s brow, as gently as if the girl could feel it As if gentleness would do any good now, Elena thought bitterly, and bit her own lip hard to keep froirl was still warain, Elena was too late

"Let , sure hands running over the girl’s body Pulling off the ropes, she got her down from the wall and started CPR, but Elena kneas useless After a few minutes, Jasmine stopped and kneeled back away from the body "He ripped her apart," she said, her voice loith shock "This wasn’t just for food Whatever happened… he wanted to hurt her"

Matt frowned "Forget about talking to hi an attack"

Elena looked around the roo walls, wooden floor A stone fireplace at one side of the room, cold now but blackened with the smoke of an earlier fire It was so familiar Not Hansel and Gretel, but Snow White

"Not him," she told them, her voice a harsh whisper "The vainal vampire is Siobhan My Guardian task"

It was late afternoon when Damon landed on the sill of Elena’s bedrooe, his talons digging into the wood, and tapped hard with his beak on theElena was in there, he could feel her, and he was too tired to wait

The Power ani as he’d hoped, not as long as a real er on hu and he felt dizzy and sick He hadn’t wanted to change back while he was out, in case another attack came He wasn’t confident he would have the Power to turn into a crow again

Elena’s quick steps crossed the room, and she yanked theopen "Da her face with his longest wing feather as he passed, and landed on the wide soft bed before letting hi out on Elena’s smooth white sheets, he rested his head on her pillow

Elena’s face softened with surprise "You’re as pale as a ghost," she said "Where have you been?"

Dahed "The fake vampires found otten rid of the his eyes, didn’t elaborate He wasn’t sure if the false va him, or if there were just a lot of them around, but whenever he’d been teness Da his shoulders back; he was terribly tired

"Are you all right?" The mattress shifted as Elena sat down on the bed next to him After a moment, her hand stroked softly over Damon’s arm "You need blood," Elena said firmly, and Damon opened his eyes to peer at her

This still felt like so he shouldn’t be allowed to do, not with Stefan dead But Elena scooted closer and lay down beside hi creamy line of her throat Da her closer, he thening, aching with anticipation, and he kissed her neck gently before he laid the tips of his teeth against it His canines were so sensitive that he shuddered with pleasure as they touched her

Elenasound, and Daainst his teeth, and then they plunged through, blood bursting rich and hot into his mouth

With the blood ca able to do so, that sa Da her all the reassurance he could: He was fine, more than fine when he ith her like this Soht all he needed was this, was Elena and his connection to her He let hiainst the skin of her neck Elena Elena Elena

And then, unbidden, Meredith’s face swam up behind his eyes, and Elena twitched beneath his lips He was usually better at shielding his thoughts than that; he’d had centuries of practice He’d gotten distracted too easily

Private, Da as he arched away, his teeth al her throat He could feel Elena’s confusion echoing through her blood and their bond There was a sudden coldness between theo She began to pull away, and he tugged her back, close and warainst him, his ariven his word, Daentleers coy, and worked his canines gently in and out of her throat, encouraging the flow of blood Letting his ain But she was holding back now There was a strange hollow ache inside hier

As she pulled away fro him sated and ith new blood, Elena wiped one hand across her neck Dale drop of blood toward her shoulder When their eyes