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It was getting late, and the stars were shining brightly overhead

"This has been the best wedding ever," she said

"Totally unbiased opinion there," Matt said behind her, and everyone laughed

Everyone she lovedWhen they’d slipped out of the tent, Mrs Flowers had been deep in conversation with friendly, freckled Alysia, who’d worked with Bonnie to help her reach her full ical potential Bonnie’s older sisters, Mary and Nora, shared a slice of cake at the same table, Bonnie’s baby nephew peacefully asleep in Nora’s lap

The whole Pack had been there, and the High Wolf Council had co Rick, Marilise, and Poppy, whoo, had coe whoh school Bonnie’s parents had danced to Motown, and her Scottish grand and happy married life

Almost everyone she loved Her heart ached a little for Stefan, who should have been with theot married," she told Zander, her voice full of awe

"I know," he said solemnly "Crazy, huh?"

"Do you feel any different, Bonnie?" Elena asked, a her head back to look up at the stars Her hair had co strands tickled her shoulders "Happier"

"Me too," Zander said softly

There was aoverhead, filling the air with their sweet, heady scent Bonnie considered the tree for a ling her toes into the cold da the soil beneath

Every kind of life was connected Everything in the universe had its oer If there was one truth Bonnie had learned, it was that Cupping her hands into the shape of a ht of the distant stars, and lifted

On the tree branch above, a ht Another one lit, and then another, until the whole tree was gently glowing Alaric let out a low sound of appreciation

Bonnie flicked a finger, and a blossom detached itself froently into the sky Another followed, thenblossoms, like little lanterns, floated up above the trees They hovered and dispersed, sailing off in all directions

"Wow," Matt said Bonnie looked at hiently lit by the glowing blossouys," she said softly But she sently kissed her cheek

It was all going to work out No er threatened, she and her friends would never lose each other Somehow, in that moment, Bonnie was sure of it

Chapter 33

Still in her bridesown, Elena turned onto Maple Street and stopped the car in front of her childhood hoht it for her

Stefan She curled into herself for a ainst the coolas she looked at the house

She had always intended to marry Stefan She had felt like she was already ether in all the ways that ht about it idly: herself in an elegantly siaret in the periwinkle-blue that brought out her eyes Stefan, handso with joy

She’d counted on that wedding But when you knew you had forever, there wasn’t a lot of iht away

Then Stefan had died, and forever was over

Elena straightened up and wiped at her eyes with both hands They’d gotten their vengeance, she and Damon They killed Stefan’s murderer Jack had died in terrible pain, and at their hands

It didn’t h, not to the way Elena felt They’d come home from Zurich, and the wound left by Stefan’s death was still raw inside her, a constant gnawing ache After they’d killed Jack, she’d expected to feel better, to feel like she’d given Stefan soood-bye to Stefan Bonnie had tried so hard, but they hadn’t been able to find hi with the brides to the hts of Daround in that Swiss courtyard, blood strea from his wounds, and told her he loved her Damon, hom she’d always had a special bond, even before the Guardians had eous, sardonic, clever Damon

Stefan’s brother

She couldn’t love him back Not the way he wanted her to, the way that maybe she wanted to, as well Not while Stefan was still waiting for her, somewhere out of reach

She sat perfectly still in the driver’s seat for a rown up

When she thought of home, her true hoether, where Damon now slept on the couch It was here, the house she’d lived in for the first part of her life, until after the Salvatore brothers had coed

When this is over, we’re going to go everywhere, she re I’ll show you all the places I’ve been, and we’ll find new parts of the world together But we’ll have your house, the place you grew up in, to coether