My Return (Vampire Diaries) (Book Seven)

Gods and Monsters

I was driving down the road in Matt's truck with Matt in the passenger seat.

I was focusing on the links between Stefan, Damon, Caroline and me.

Stefan and Damon were outside of the Armory.

Caroline and Bonnie were driving on the road.

They were all on the phone with Enzo.

"You haven't heard from him?" Stefan asked.

"Nope," Damon answered. "Which means, to absolutely no one's surprise, Donovan failed, and now Nikki's huntressing in the wild."

"All right, well, where is she now?" Bonnie asked.

"Coming after one of the three vampires we're talking to right now, love," Enzo answered. "Where else? Weren't you meant to be on a plane?"

"Flights got cancelled because of the storm," Caroline told them. 

"Where are you?" Bonnie asked.

"We're in solution land, baby," Damon told them.

"According to the shaman that activated Nicola as a Huntress, there might be something in the Armory that can help Nikki find a middle ground," Stefan told them.

"You mean the place I put away under lock and key because there's something evil inside," Bonnie told them.

"We know, Bonnie, but this is Nikki's only shot," Stefan told her.

"Jeremy went through something like this before," Caroline told them. "He made Bonnie his emotional connection to stay connected to his humanity. What about Tyler? He can be an emotional connection for Nicola."

"You mean the boyfriend that dumped her because she couldn't let go of her murderous vampire family?" Enzo asked. "Somehow, I don't think that Tyler can bring Nicola back to her sanity this time around."

"Are you forgetting the other problem that's in there?" Bonnie asked.

"Oh, you mean the ambiguously terrifying monster from the vault?" Enzo asked. "I'm on it. Perhaps once it's less ambiguous, it will be less terrifying."

"Bonnie, we just need you to unseal the vault," Stefan told her. "It's the only chance Nikki has, and you know it."

"You know those scars you all have link her to all of you," Bonnie told them. "She can probably hear what we're saying right now." She sighed. "Fine. I'll get you into the Armory."

"Thank you, Bonnie," Stefan told her.

I pulled out of their conversation to focus on driving.

Matt was tied up next to me. "So, what's it like when you see them?"

"I get snippets of conversations," I answered. "Some visuals. But mostly, I can feel them. Their emotions. They're scared. And they should be. The urges are getting stronger. I can feel it taking over. I don't want to hurt them."

"Then untie me," Matt told me. "Let me help you, okay? I can stop you."

I chuckled without humor. "I know in my heart that I should. Sorry, Matt."

        ~~~~~~~ 

I could tell that I was gaining on Caroline and Bonnie, calling them, putting it on speaker.