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Then Jack huffed, a short, ah so that the world blurred around him, Matt felt himself lifted and rushed across the warehouse Jack slaainst the wall so hard that Matt was knocked breathless once more

"Now, tell me why I shouldn’t keep you both?" Jack asked

Matt felt sick Jack wouldn’t really keep theulped quickly, nervously He had to think "Jasmine has to tell the others what happened," he said "You won’t get Daet Damon if they think you can’t be trusted to trade ood faith"

Jack pursed his lips thoughtfully "Good point Sadie, get over here and unlock the cuffs"

The blond girl hurried over and took the cuffs off Jas her away fro, hard, and she reached out for Matt, her hands tre "Please…" she said, her voice strained "Let hly into the place where Jasan to lock the cuffs around his wrists, yanking his arms up with a vicious twist that et out while you can, sweetheart," Jack said, indifferently, and pushed her away "Sadie, take her hoan to pull her away, Matt took one last look at Jasmine Her beautiful liquid brown eyes were full of tears Trying to fill his own gaze with all of his love and all the confidence he didn’t feel, Matt told her, "It’s all right I’ll see you soon"

Jasht, as Sadie pulled her away At least they had touched one last time

Chapter 27

"This is it," Elena said, herwith anticipation Siobhan’s trail had led theh into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains And now, here they were, staring at a s cavern stretched further than she could see They’d have to crawl to get through it Elena cringed at the thought ofdown all around them

But they didn’t have a choice Siobhan’s bloodred aura, the color of death and violence, led straight into the cave Despite her reluctance to crawl into the dark, Elena’s Guardian Poere straining inside her, urging her forward There was someone evil here, someone she was duty-bound to destroy

No Elena closed her eyes for a second and willed herself cal to kill Siobhan, not yet Not until they had found out what she knew about Jack

"I’ll go first," Daue, and he raised an eyebrow at her challengingly

Just then Elena’s phone rang Jasmine, the display told her Elena frowned Jasood news about her research on Meredith’s blood

"Hello?" she said, picking up I, harsh sobs coood news, after all "Jasmine? What is it? What’s happened?" Beside Elena, Dah and panicked "He wants to trade hi on him, and he’s only there because of me"

For a , but he didn’t have special Power or protection, not like she did Not like Damon did, or Bonnie, or Meredith

Not like Stefan had, and Elena’s sto, his expression of shock fading into blankness, flashed through her ain There was no way Matt could survive Jack, not if Stefan hadn’t

Da, of course "We’ll get your boyfriend back," he said soothingly into the phone "Once we take care of business here, find out the best way to handle Jack, we’ll be right there" He paused to listen to Jasmine’s reply, but Elena couldn’t hear what she said "They won’t kill hi Elena’s "Not if Jack wants to trade hiain, his dark eyes unreadable He’d been looking at her like that a lot, ever since they’d kissed a few hours ago Unthinkingly, Elena touched her lips and felt herself flush as Da," he said abruptly "It appears that your friends can’t keep themselves out of trouble for even a couple of days without us" Crouching down, he conte about the high defensive line of Damon’s shoulders, the pale skin at the nape of his neck made Elena say, impulsively, "We wouldn’t trade you, Damon Not even for Matt"

Damon looked back over his shoulder at her and flashed a brief, brilliant sh the ht she carried, Elena followed

The stone was cold and rough against her hands and knees, and it was difficult to hold on to the flashlight, which showed her little more than Damon’s heels He could see in the dark as well as a cat, Elena knew, but her own vieas restricted to the sht, and the red strands of Siobhan’s aura, strands as thick as Elena’s wrist, leading her steadily on

Just as Elena began to feel that she couldn’t take the sensation of the stone walls pressing in on her from every direction, the tunnel opened up into a wider cavern She straightened up with relief, her back and legs aching fro crawl

Siobhan wasn’t in this part of the cave, either, she realized immediately The bloodred trail of her aura led further on, disappearing through another opening in the rock wall Elena stood shoulder to shoulder with Daht

The stone walls were rough and dark, glittering in places with old It was daround

"I smell blood," Damon said, very quietly "Human blood Which way does the trail lead?" Elena pointed, and he nodded gri, they followed the bloodred aura Soerly inside Elena--find her, finish her, eli her Powers under control Don’t attack unless you have to, she told herself The Guardians wanted Siobhan dead, but Elena needed her alive