Page 13 (2/2)

"I don’t care," Bonnie told her "Did you find so "I couldn’t--" she licked her lips nervously "I couldn’t bear to throw out Stefan’s shirt, or wash it So I just stuffed it in the back of our closet"

"Oh" Bonnie looked down at the bag and then hesitantly opened it and pulled out the black shirt Elena reht, how soft it had been against her cheek the last time he held her in his ar smell wafted across the table Elena flinched That sh now that it was festering

"You really think you can use the blood to bring hiht Klaus back?" she asked, her voice sounding thin and stretched to her own ears

Bonnie bit her lip "I don’t think so," she confessed "I don’t want you to get your hopes up too high Ethan had to use the bloodlines of all the vampires Klaus had made--that’s why he needed Stefan and Damon, because they as left of Katherine’s line But Stefan never , though Maybe we can bring him back, at least for a little while Or contact hiood-bye," Elena said softly Tears were for I can" Bonnie put the shirt down on the table and reached out to squeeze Elena’s hand "Is it okay if I cut this shirt? Just to get a piece with soo of her hand and picked up the shirt again, along with a pair of silver scissors to snip at it

Taking a glass of water from the counter, she dunked the cloth into it, and they watched as the water gradually turned a cloudy reddish-brown Tiny flakes of dried blood floated to the bottolass

"Now I need so up a black-handled knife frolass Elena arched an eyebrow questioningly but held out her ar as Bonnie drew it quickly across Elena’s arlass so that a few drops of Elena’s blood fell into the water and ht red of the fresh blood spiraled through the browner liquid

"Okay, don’t freak out, but I’ to put some of this on you," Bonnie said Elena nodded Bonnie dipped her finger in the liquid, and Elena squeezed her eyes shut as Bonnie lifted her finger to Elena’s face The water was cold, and Elena shivered as Bonnie’s finger traced lightly over her cheekbones, ular symbols on her forehead and below her eyes

"We want to call hiain to see Bonnie tracing circles and runes on her own cheeks with the thin mixture of blood and water When she had finished, she placed the glass on the table and lit the five black candles Their flickering light highlighted the wet brownish streaks on her cheeks, an priestess "Give me some Power"

Elena took a deep breath and tried to let her Power expand Blinking, she could see her own golden aura entith the rose-pink of Bonnie’s Then Bonnie began to chant in a language Elena didn’t recognize, so, and picked up the candle at the peak of the pentacle Shielding the flanited the mixture of herbs inside the brass bowl

There must have been soht, because flareen at their base

"Koma!" Bonnie said firr! Leita Stefan Salvatore!" The flalass over the out the mixture of blood and water The fla up a plume of black srow darker A chill crept up Elena’s spine There was a breathless feeling all around them, as if so to speak

Stefan? Elena strained her eyes, watching the shadows Bonnie slipped a cold hand into hers, and they waited Elena’s heart was pounding, and she held her breath

He was co closer, she was sure of it She could feel hi that Stefan was so he was around the corner, just out of sight Elena’sfaded After a ain Soh breath, her hands shaking It hadn’t worked, she realized Whatever had hovered at the edges of the room had departed Elena sed hard It hadn’t worked Nothing was going to work, she realized, coldness spreading through her Stefan was gone Forever

Bonnie looked at Elena, her eyes wet, and took a great gasp of air, letting go of Elena’s hand "I’e of the table and closed her eyes She shouldn’t have hoped, she knew But, just for a minute, Stefan had seemed so close Her eyes burned with tears, and one slid from beneath her lids and trickled down her cheek

Immediately, she felt Bonnie’s arms twine around her neck "I’

"I know," Elena said, bending to rest her face against the sirl’s shoulder "It’s okay I’h "I’ed her tighter "I know," she said, her voice thick with tears of her own

Chapter 16

Meredith watched carefully as two of Jack’s vampires sparred After a series of hunts, they were back in the warehouse where she’d first found Jack and joined his teaed at each other Jack had asked her to help hters, and she hoped itto trust her, to depend on her She was conscious of Jack shadowing her as she walked around the fighters Even when she wasn’t looking at Jack, she was hyperaware of hi her know that his dark eyes were fixed on her

Soon, maybe, he’d be ready to tell her his secrets

Broad-chested, stocky Conrad went in with his fists as she’d expected, telegraphing his moves so obviously that anyone could have seen them from about a hundred miles away Nick, lanky and alert, blocked each blow easily and repeatedly

"Stop," Meredith said She’d seen enough Sliding between them, she put a hand on each side of Conrad’s face "You’re looking where you’re planning to strike Keep your eyes on Nick’s, and he won’t be able to guess your next move so easily Trust your peripheral vision"

Nick smirked at Conrad, and she stepped back so she could talk to both of theile now, you need to trust that" She showed them how to do a roundhouse kick and watched as they tried it out, nodding approvingly when Conrad landed a solid blow, sending Nick stu backward, and Nick returned a solid kick "Good"

She told the and watched with satisfaction as Conrad slipped a punch past Nick’s blocking--they were learning fast