A Million Reasons [ S. SALVATORE ]

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Sheriff Forbes has tossed the compass so that both of his hands are free to hold the musket. He aims it towards the darkness of the hall, and places himself in front of Adelaide, her shield and protector. His hands are steady, his aim locked -- there's hardly an ounce of fear in him. And Adelaide knows he's dead. She's knows it in her bones, just as she knows who lurks unseen before them.

          And she prays to a God she hasn't believed in since the days of her lost childhood.

          "Stay back, Mrs. Hughes." His voice is gruff, commanding. But his bravery won't save them. Adelaide wants to shout, to demand that he fire the weapon into the abyss of darkness, but there's no time. The movement is too quick for her eyes to follow, but she sees the blurry figure dart into the room before retreating once again.

          At first, Adelaide doesn't understand what she's witnessed until Sheriff Forbes drops to the ground. His knees hit first, before his body follows, his head obscenely twisted too far to the right. The gun clatters to the ground beside his corpse. He never stood a chance.

          The breath feels as it's been sucked from her lungs and she stumbles backwards, desperate to put distance between herself and the evil that now haunts her home.

          Then, she hears that beautiful chiming voice ring out. "I've always loved the color black. Pity it's reserved for widows." A clever taunt, a reminder of what Adelaide had thought she kept secret. The newest widow of Mystic Falls, and she will soon join her husband in death. Maybe they'll say she died of heartache.

          A pale face shines through the darkness as Katherine steps forward. There's rage burning in her eyes even while the rest of her is so calmly held together. Always dignified, always charming, even with murder on her mind.

Perhaps it comes with Katherine revealing herself, but a strange sense of calm begins to settle over Adelaide. Because it was always going to come to this, she realizes. One of them has to go, and Katherine had certainly never intended to go with grace. Even if she's lost, she would never let Adelaide win.

They'll go down together.

Knowing this, knowing what's to come, Adelaide is able to make peace with it. Stefan will be okay, and that's what she wanted. She had wanted to save him, just as she told her sister. That was her duty as a friend, as a woman in love.

Her only regret is how she's failed her sister. But damn did she try. Until the very end, she's always tried to protect her sister.

So Adelaide will die young, and burning up with the love that has fueled her brief life. And she'll die happy for the two she's loved the most, who will grow old and gray. Hopefully, they'll tell stories of her one day to her nephews and nieces who will never get the chance to know her. Hopefully, in this way, she'll never truly die.

          "You've ruined everything." Katherine's voice is low, dangerous, as she prowls towards Adelaide. She steps over the body of the fallen Sheriff, pays him little heed. Her eyes remain trained on Adelaide who presses her back against the wall. It offers the support she needs remain standing tall. Katherine won't see her grovel.

Adelaide tries to speak to her, starts by saying her name, but she's quickly cut off. Katherine has no interest in what she has to say. There will be no reasoning, no bargaining, not tonight. Tonight, she has come for blood.

         "Stop talking," Katherine says calmly. There is vervain hidden in Adelaide's locket, tucked into her corset, and pumping through her blood. Katherine cannot compel her but Adelaide immediately falls silent. The vampire moves like a serpent, head cocking to the side as she observes her.