Destiny Rising (14 page)

Chapter 21

E
lena, oh Elena,” Stefan said, stroking her hair, feeling the urge to pull her to him and never, never let her leave his side again. “I was so afraid that I’d lost you. That I’d failed you.”

As soon as Klaus had left the clearing, releasing the compelled stillness he’d held them all under, Stefan had raced to Elena, taking her in his arms. They were still on the battlefield, everyone nursing their wounds all around them, but he couldn’t let go of her even for a moment.

“I’m okay,” Elena said, grasping his hand and holding it against her cheek, letting him feel how warm and alive she was. She sounded bewildered. “How can I be okay, though? Klaus
cut my throat.
”

“Do you know, Andrés?” Stefan said, turning to the Guardian beside them. Behind him hovered Meredith, Alaric, and Bonnie. Bonnie was watching the werewolves across the clearing as they gathered around Chad’s body, but she lingered with the other humans, giving them some space. A few steps away, Matt and Chloe stood half in the clearing, half below the trees, murmuring quietly to each other.

“I don’t know for certain what protected her,” Andrés said slowly.

“You must have a pretty good idea,” Stefan said sharply. “Tell us.” He knew he should treat Andrés more gently; he was, after all, the only one who could help Elena through her transition to Guardianship. But Stefan was still terrified, feeling sick and hollowed out from the moment when he had seen Klaus draw his dagger across Elena’s throat. And he was
sure
that Andrés knew more than he had told them.

“I have heard that, sometimes, Guardians who have very dangerous assignments are given special protections as well,” Andrés said. The full moon lit up the clearing and he looked pale and worn in its light. “Most commonly, they are safeguarded against death by paranormal means. The Power—the Guardian Powers—can’t make them immortal, because they have to stay in tune with nature. Elena could be run over by a car or die of disease, but, if this is what’s happened, she can’t be killed by a vampire’s bite or a spell, or”—he waved a hand in the direction that Klaus and his family had retreated—“by a magical dagger.”

“If Klaus and his vampires can’t kill her,” Meredith said, starting to grin a wild, delighted grin, “then we have a weapon. Elena’s safe.”

Andrés frowned. “Wait,” he said. “They can’t kill her
by supernatural means
. If Klaus figures that out, he could kill her with a rope or a kitchen knife.” Stefan flinched, and Andrés looked at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I know. It’s hard to love someone as fragile as a human.”

A long, drawn-out howl, echoing with misery and loss, rose from the foot of the tree where Chad had fallen. The wolves had, as a Pack, raced to Chad’s side as soon as the Power holding them in place had lifted. They had been nosing at the fallen wolf’s shaggy body, whimpering and growling, trying to confirm what Stefan had known since Chad hit the ground: Chad was dead.

Not just humans,
Stefan thought bleakly.
Anyone mortal is so vulnerable to death.

“We need to take a vow,” he said, looking around at the humans’ stricken faces. “No one can know about Elena’s Powers, or about her being a Guardian. Not anyone. If Klaus finds out, he’ll find a way to kill her.” He felt sick and dizzy with panic. If Klaus found out Elena’s secret . . . He looked wildly around. With the Pack here, there were so many now who might slip and give her away.

Meredith met his eyes challengingly. “I will never tell,” she said. “On my honor as a hunter and a Sulez.”

Matt nodded fervently. “I won’t tell anyone,” he promised, and Chloe, her eyes wide, nodded along with him.

Bonnie, Andrés, and Alaric all promised, too. Stefan held Elena close to him and kissed her again before, with almost a physical wrench, letting go and walking across the clearing. Approaching the circle of mourning wolves, he called softly, “Zander.” The huge white wolf had laid his head alongside Chad’s and, at Stefan’s approach, jerked his head up to snarl a warning.

“I’m sorry,” Stefan said. “It’s very important. I wouldn’t interrupt you if it weren’t.”

Zander pressed his muzzle to the top of Chad’s head for a moment, and then stood and left the circle of wolves. Shay moved automatically in to take his place, laying next to Chad’s body as if she could comfort the dead wolf.

When Zander was standing before Stefan, he stiffened and then writhed, his muscles contracting and expanding. Patches of bare skin began to show between the tufts of his thick fur, and he staggered up onto his hind legs as the direction of his joints reversed with a cracking noise. He was changing back into a human, Stefan realized, and the transformation looked painful.

“It hurts to change back when the moon is still full,” Zander said gruffly, once he was standing before Stefan in human form. His eyes were reddened with grief, and he drew his hand roughly across his face. “What do you want?”

“I am so sorry about Chad,” Stefan said. “He was a loyal member of your Pack and a valuable ally to the rest of us.”

Chad had been a nice kid, Stefan thought, earnest and cheerful. His chest tightened as he remembered that Chad’s death was ultimately Stefan’s fault: Klaus had come to this part of the world to avenge Katherine, who had followed Stefan. Years of Stefan’s own history, leading to the death of a skinny, friendly nineteen-year-old werewolf who had never done anyone harm.

“It’s a risk we take when we fight—we all know it,” Zander said shortly. His usually open face was closed off: Pack mourning was not for outsiders. “Is that all?”

“No, I need your word. Elena’s Guardian Powers are the only reason Klaus couldn’t kill her tonight,” Stefan said. “I need you and your Pack to promise not to tell anyone she’s a Guardian.”

“Wolves are loyal,” Zander said. “We won’t tell anyone.” He turned away from Stefan and took two long strides back toward the circle of wolves, his body changing as he went.

Huddled together at the edge of the clearing, Matt took Chloe’s hand and noticed she was trembling, a small, tight shiver running through her body. He was cold, but vampires didn’t get cold, did they?

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

Chloe pressed her free hand against her chest, as if she was having trouble breathing. “It’s just that there were so many people,” she said. “It was hard to concentrate. The blood—I could smell everyone’s blood. And when the wolf died . . .”

Matt understood. Fresh blood had leaked from Chad’s nose and mouth as he died, and Matt had felt Chloe stiffen beside him. “It’s okay,” he said now. “Let’s head back to the boathouse. You just weren’t ready to be around such a big group yet, especially with everyone’s pulses pounding from the battle.”

Watching Chloe closely, he saw her jaw shift shape as her canines involuntarily descended.
No talking about pounding pulses,
he thought.

Chloe turned her head aside, trying to hide her lowering canines, and Matt noticed something else. There was a long streak of blood along Chloe’s jaw, near her mouth. “Where’s that from?” Matt asked, hearing the sharpness in his own voice as he let go of Chloe’s hand.

“What?” Chloe asked, alarmed, skating her fingers over her own face. “I don’t . . . I don’t know what you mean.” She was looking away, though, avoiding Matt’s eyes.

“Did you feed?” Matt asked, trying to calm down, to not scare Chloe. “Maybe from Chad after he died? I know it wouldn’t have seemed as bad with him in wolf form, but werewolves are still people.”
And jeez, when did that become something I believed?
he wondered.

“No!” Chloe’s eyes flew open wide, the whites showing all the way around her pupil. “No, Matt, I wouldn’t do that!” She wiped roughly at her face, trying to erase the mark. “We were together the whole time!”

Matt frowned. “Not the whole time,” he contradicted. “I lost sight of you during the fighting for a while.” Chloe knew they’d been separated. Why would she say differently?

Chloe shook her head hard. “I didn’t feed from anyone,” she insisted. But her eyes jittered nervously away and, with a sickening swoop of his stomach, Matt realized he had no idea what to believe. Chloe sighed. “Please, Matt,” she said quietly. “I promise I’m not lying to you.” Tears shone in her big brown eyes. “I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to become something to be afraid of.”

“You won’t,” Matt promised her. “I’ll keep you safe.” Chloe leaned her face against his, forehead to forehead, and they stayed that way for a while, breathing quietly.
I will,
Matt promised himself silently.
I can help her.

Chapter 22

S
tefan held Elena close to him, ran his fingers through her silky hair, and felt her heart beating against his chest. When their lips met, he could feel her fear and weariness, as well as her wonder at her new Powers. Elena was sensing his own mixture of love and fear, and his delight at the new protection Elena had. She was sending him a constant stream of love and reassurance, which he returned in kind.

It was a marvel to him always, the way the world stopped, however bad things were, when Elena was in his arms. This human girl was his light and his touchstone, the one thing he could rely on.

“Sleep well, my love,” he said, reluctantly releasing her. Elena kissed him one more time before going into her dorm room and shutting the door. Stefan hated to see her go; he couldn’t erase the image of Klaus slicing her throat. Still, Bonnie and Meredith would be there. Elena had always been strong and independent and now she had Power of her own. He would be only a couple of floors above if she needed him.

Stefan trudged up the two flights of stairs between Elena’s room and his own and unlocked his door. His room was dark and peaceful and he thought that although he would not sleep, he might lie down and let the world turn without him for a few hours.

As he closed the door behind him, he caught sight of a flash of white out on the balcony.

Katherine
. His slow-beating heart seemed to stop for a moment. She was leaning gracefully against the balcony’s railing, looking deceptively young and delicate in a long, white dress. She must have flown up, and waited for him just outside.

His first thought was to barricade the door to the balcony, to keep her out. His second was to arm himself with a stake and attack her. But she could have easily come in already: he wasn’t alive; there was no barrier preventing a vampire from entering his room. There was no point in attacking her when she would see him coming, her eyes steady on his through the glass of the balcony door.

“Katherine,” he said, stepping out onto the balcony, keeping his voice neutral. “What do you want?”

“Dear Stefan,” she said mockingly. “Is that any way to greet your first love?” She smiled at him. He didn’t know how he could ever have thought she and Elena looked alike. Their features were similar, certainly, but Elena’s were firmer, her hair more golden, her eyes a deeper blue. Katherine seemed waiflike and frail in the style of her times, Elena more muscular and strong. And the love and warmth he saw in Elena’s eyes was nothing like the malice Katherine’s held.

“Did Klaus send you?” he asked, ignoring her comment.

“Where’s Damon?” Katherine asked, playing the same game. She tilted her head flirtatiously. “You two were getting along so well the last time I saw you. Trouble in paradise already?” Stefan didn’t answer, and her smile grew. “Damon should have taken my offer. He would have been happier with me.”

Stefan shrugged, refusing to let Katherine see she’d gotten under his skin. “Damon didn’t love you anymore, Katherine,” he said, adding vindictively, “You weren’t the one he wanted.”

“Oh, yes,
Elena
,” Katherine said. She came closer to Stefan and traced her fingers along his arm, glancing up at him through her eyelashes.

“Leave her alone,” Stefan snapped.

“I’m not mad at Elena anymore,” she said softly. “I had a lot of time to think. After she killed me.”

“Really,” Stefan said dryly, stepping away from Katherine’s lingering touches. “So being dead gave you time to get over your jealousy of Elena?”

Seeing that he wasn’t responding to her pseudoinnocent flirtations, Katherine straightened up, her face hardening. “You’d be surprised how much you learn, being dead,” she said. “I saw
everything
. And I see what’s going on with Elena and Damon. In fact”—she smiled, her long, pointed canines shining in the moonlight—“it seems Elena and I have more in common than I ever knew.”

Stefan ignored the pang he felt thinking of Elena and Damon together. He trusted Elena now, and he wasn’t going to fall for Katherine’s games. “If you hurt her, or any of the innocent people here, I’ll find a way to kill you,” he said. “And this time, you’ll stay dead.”

Katherine laughed, a soft, bell-like sound that took him back for a moment to the gardens of his father’s palazzo, many lifetimes ago. “Poor Stefan,” she said. “So loyal, so loving. I’ve missed your passion, you know.” She reached up and brushed one soft, cool hand across his cheek. “It’s good to see you again.” Stepping backward, she changed, her delicate form rippling in her white dress until a snowy owl spread its wings on the railing and quickly rose into the night.

Bonnie stared out the window of Zander’s dorm room. It had been a long night, but now dawn was breaking, pink and gold, over the quad. She had come over an hour before, as soon as Zander had called her to tell her he needed her. When Bonnie had arrived, Zander had taken her in his arms and held her close, his eyes tightly shut, as if he was blocking everything else out, just for a moment.

Now the rest of the Pack was gone and Shay and Zander were hunched over Zander’s desk behind Bonnie, sketching battle plans on scraps of paper.

“Tristan’s not as strong as he should be,” Shay was saying. “If we flank him with Enrique and Jared, they can compensate for his weak left forefoot.”

Zander made a low, thoughtful sound. “Tristan pulled a hamstring back at the beginning of the year, but I thought he was almost healed. I’ll work out with him and see if he can get back up to speed.”

“Until then, we’ll need to make sure he’s covered,” Shay said. “Marcus is strong, but he has a tendency to hesitate. What should we do about that?”

Before tonight, Bonnie hadn’t quite understood what it meant that Zander was the Alpha. The Pack had mourned Chad tonight, first as wolves and then, as the moon set, as people. There had been howling and, later, speeches and tears, remembering their friend. And throughout, Zander had taken charge, guiding his friends and supporting them through their grief.

And now, the night over, he and Shay were strategizing the best ways to keep their Pack safe in the future. They were always focused on the good of their Pack.

Bonnie now understood exactly why the High Wolf Council had chosen an Alpha female for Zander when they were younger, not just as a mate, but as a partner.

Bonnie turned as Zander stood up. “Okay,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “Let’s call it a night. We’ll get the guys together this afternoon, see how they’re doing.”

“I’ll head back and call you in a few hours when I’m up,” Shay said, getting to her feet. They hugged and she clung to him for a minute. Separating from Zander, she gave Bonnie a stiff nod. “Later, Bonnie,” she said coolly.

As the door closed behind Shay, Zander stretched out his arms to Bonnie. “Hey there,” he said, and gave her his long, slow smile. Even paired with the pain in his eyes, that smile was devastating, and Bonnie went to him, twining her arms around him.

But even as she held him close, it didn’t feel quite right. Zander must have sensed a stiffness in her because he pulled back, his wide, blue eyes searching hers. “What’s up?” he said softly. “Are you okay? I know things are really hard.”

Bonnie’s eyes stung, and she had to let go of Zander with one hand so that she could wipe at them. It was just like Zander: his friend was dead, he’d spent the night comforting and protecting his Pack, and now he was worried about how
Bonnie
was doing?

“I’m fine,” she said. “Just tired.”

Zander caught her hand. “Hey,” he said. “Seriously, what is it? Tell me.”

Bonnie sighed. “I love you, Zander,” she said slowly, and stopped.

Zander’s eyes narrowed and he half frowned. “Why does that sound like there’s a
but
at the end?” he asked.

“I
love
you, but I’m not sure that I’m good for you,” Bonnie said miserably. “I see you and Shay together . . . taking care of each other, fighting side by side, looking out for the Pack together, and I can’t do that. Maybe the High Wolf Council is right about what you need.”

“The High Wolf . . . Bonnie, what do they have to do with this? They don’t decide what I want,” Zander said, his voice rising.

“I can’t be that for you, Zander,” Bonnie said. “I don’t know. Maybe we both need some time to figure out what the future holds. What’s best for us. Even if it’s not . . .” Her voice broke, and she swallowed hard before continuing. “Even if it’s not being together.” She was looking down at her clutched hands, twisting them, unable to look Zander in the eye. “I do love you,” she said desperately. “But maybe that’s not all that matters.”

“Bonnie,” Zander said reasonably, stepping between her and the door. “This is ridiculous. We can figure this all out.”

“I hope so,” Bonnie said. “But for right now, I know I’m not the one you need by your side.” She was trying to sound reasonable, but she heard her voice crack as she spoke.

Zander grunted a denial and reached out for Bonnie again, but she ducked away. She had to leave his room before she lost her nerve. She was sure that this was the right thing, the best thing—Zander had responsibilities, he needed someone who could understand them and be a true partner for him—but if she didn’t leave right now, she was going to fall flat on the floor and wrap her arms around his legs, begging him not to let her go.

“Bonnie,”
Zander said as she pushed by him. “Stay.” She kept moving toward the door without answering. After a moment of silence, she heard Zander sit heavily on the bed.

Bonnie tried not to look back, but she couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Zander as she closed the door behind her. He was hunched over, miserable, as if he was protecting himself from a blow. Maybe she was doing the right thing, or maybe she just ruined the best thing that had ever happened to her. She just didn’t know.