Unstoppable | The Vampire Diaries

19. Big Little Lies

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked Riley. "You're not from a founding family."

Riley rolled her eyes, her most common action around the oldest Salvatore. They'd ran into each other in the town square, both waiting for the 'Founder's Day' fireworks to start. "So what? Only founding family members are allowed to join in the fun?"

"This is your idea of fun?" he scoffed, gesturing to the crowds surrounding them. Sometimes he thought that being a member of a founding family was an unusual form of torture.

"No," she admitted, tucking a piece of brunette hair behind her ear. "I'm here on good-daughter duty. My dad's working the place tonight."

"Right," Damon nodded absent-mindedly. "And he still doesn't know about us?"

Riley sighed. "My mom would never let him find out. Trust me, you're safe."

"Good," he said, smirking at her. "Keep it that way."

Riley rolled her eyes again as a familiar face came towards them. Anna.

"There's something you need to know," she said to them in a low voice, not waiting for them to greet her. "The vampires from the tomb are planning an attack tonight. They want the founding families dead."

"What?!" Riley hissed, looking around. From what she could tell, none of the people in the town square were vampires. "When?"

"When the fireworks start," Anna replied.

"John Gilbert wants to use that invention on them," Damon told her.

Panic filled Anna's eyes. "Then we shouldn't be here."

"It doesn't work, it's been deactivated."

Riley looked down in guilt. When Bonnie first told her what she'd done (or rather, what she hadn't done), she was in favor of it. Not only would it protect them from Stefan and Damon, but the tomb vampires who'd attacked them would also be in trouble. But now that it could actually mean the deaths of these brothers, she was having second thoughts.

"Then a lot of people are going to die," Anna said under her breath, looking around. "They're already here."

Quickly, Anna walked away and Damon stalked off in the opposite direction. Riley struggled to keep up with him.

"Damon!" she tried to stop him.

"Ric," Damon called, catching up with the vampire hunter. "Long story short, this square is crawling with tomb vampires. I think we might need a stake or two."

"Yeah, got it," Ric said, running in the direction of his car.

Riley, spotting Stefan and Elena, ran to them.

"Tomb vamps are here. Get the hell out. No time to explain. They want the founding families dead."

"Wait," Stefan said in alarm. "What about you? Where are you going?"

Riley glanced around quickly, watching Damon walk into Grayson Gilbert's office.

"I have to save your brother."

She ran as fast as she could, the guilt pushing her further forward.

"Damon, wait!"

He stopped, glancing down at her in annoyance. "What?"

"Before you go in there, I have to tell you something," she said hurriedly. She couldn't let him die.

Damon rolled his eyes and walked in anyway. "I'm pretty sure it can wait 5 minutes."