Page 25 (2/2)

"Use the poison," Elena ly on Jack, as if a glance aside would break her power over hi the box he found inside Five needles full of the poison, each shirabbed one, unclipping it frohtly but carefully as he turned back toward Jack

Jack’s eyes fixed on the hypodermic, and his eyes widened For the first ti to slip, Daed toward hi desperately at the hypodermic with one hand, even as the rest of his body jerked at Elena’s co to force it into stillness as he raised the syringe Maybe he could inject it here, right in the vein at the crook of the elbow

He hesitated just for a split second, looking for the long blue line of the vein, and in that second Elena lost control Like his puppet strings had been suddenly cut, Jack fell forward, knocking Da away across the concrete of the plaza

Das sunk into his throat, ripping and tearing Can’t losethe other vaed at Damon’s throat as they ca to take soh that he couldn’t bite, but the other vampire’s hands fumbled at his chest They found the wound above Dahly, sloorasped in shock He could feel Jack’s long fingers inside hiray for a moment, and when the world snapped back into color, Daasp for air, but Jack was above hi

Just beside Dae Slowly, as if so it, Damon saw his own hand slide toward it and pick it up He fuain And then, with new strength, he gripped the syringe and shoved it against Jack’s neck

Everything went gray He must have lost consciousness, because when he blinked back into awareness, tiht off of hi, but he couldn’t hear what she said

And then, with the force of a sudden slap, light and sound came back into the world

"--please, I don’t think I can take it," Elena was saying Damon smiled at her It seeed bite on his throat burned, and he could feel a lukewar down his side But warmth flooded hiel "I love you," he said "Always" It seeasp, and Daritty against his cheek

"Lucia," Jack e, rank sat the wound on his own chest "You have to understand," Jack said fiercely "Someone has to knohy I did it I loved Lucia, but Siobhan loved hed, a loose hacking cough, and a stream of drool ran across his chin

"And you wanted her Power for yourself," Elena said coolly

Jack groaned and shook his head "No, it wasn’t about that Lucia got sick All the doctors said she would die I was half-crazy… Siobhan cae Lucia, wouldn’t fix her"

Jack’s lips twitched into a srin of a dying man "But I had another plan I would make Siobhan save her, and I’d ether Strong and well"

"Soh," Elena said Her voice was a little warht Elena understood why sos for love "Your plan didn’t work"

Blood trickled down Jack’s chin now, and he moaned and twitched as if he wanted to wipe it away but couldn’t raise his hands His eyes rolled fro too horrible to look at directly "I found Lucia’s poor body, she was torn apart… I was going to kill theer, better ones, and we’d hunt down Siobhan and her kind" He looked fro "I knoe’re monsters But when the vampires are dead, I’ll kill ht them Letthrough his fingers, Daht he was a hero? He had murdered Stefan, and he deserved to die

Elena wrapped her ar and vulnerable, but she was Dairl "No," she said "This is the end, Jack"

Jack choked and gagged, a harsh cough tearing from his throat "Letfit finally ended, "Please I’ breath and then his chest stilled and everything was silent

Damon took a breath of his own and stared up at the half- raw and painful Jack was dead They had their vengeance for Stefan now, and it was all over

He had thought that it would feel better, more complete But the flush of joy he’d felt had faded, and the ache was still inside him Stefan was dead He felt a slender, warm hand take his, and he turned to Elena "We did it," she said softly, and Da with relief, and Damon felt his slow heart speed up a bit as he held onto Elena’s hand "We did," he agreed, watching the soft glow of her skin in the o home"

Chapter 32

Three weeks had passed since Damon and Elena killed Jack, far away in Switzerland Since then, none of them had been able to takefor Bonnie’s wedding And noas a beautiful day for the cereether, safe and whole

The sky was blue and open, the only clouds above tiny and puffy white Birds sang in the trees--the long trill of a warbler, the three short notes of a whippoorwill Wild violets were blooer around the inside of his collar, easing where it pressed against the bandage on his throat

"Dude, if you forgot the ring, Zander’s going to kill you," Spencer whispered to Jared beside hiet Zander, Shay will kill me first She said I’d better learn to take a little responsibility," Jared et it, I just can’t find it" He was digging through his pockets frantically, shaggy hair flopping over his forehead

Matt resisted rolling his eyes He was honored to be the only non-olf in Zander’s side of the wedding party The olves were great guys for a pickup ga allies in a fight For a formal occasion? Matt felt like he’d spent the last three weeks babysitting a pack of overgrown kids The fun bachelor party had alh

"Try the inner breast pocket of your jacket," he whispered to Jared

Jared felt inside his jacket and irin "Thanks, Matt"

"Loser," Marcus whispered from his other side, and Jared snorted and smacked Marcus on the back of his head