Book Two: Aquiver (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Sixty-Seven

Greta is chanting the next part of the spell which dispels the ring of fire surrounding Jenna. Jenna looks on, frightened. Elena, teary-eyed, watches on.

"No" Elena begs.

"Your turn," Klaus tells Jenna.

"No, Jenna, no!" Elena attempts to get to Jenna, but the fire around her flares up. Jenna looks over at her.

"It's alright, Elena. I know what I have to do." Jenna tells her. After a moment of shared silence between Jenna and Elena, Jenna vamp speeds to Greta and ferociously bites her neck. Greta screams. Klaus vamp speeds over to Jenna and stakes her in the back, pulling her off of Greta, who has fallen to the floor. Jenna gasps and Klaus releases her. Jenna falls to the ground. Elena starts to cry.

"Jenna, no!" Jenna looks up at Elena, tears in her eyes. "Just turn it off. Jenna. Turn it off. You won't be scared anymore." Klaus flips Jenna over onto her back and hunches over her. Jenna seems less frightened when Klaus stakes her in the heart. "No! Jenna! No! Jenna!" Elena cries in earnest now. Jenna's body starts to become grey and decayed. Klaus releases the stake from his grip and stands up. Jenna lays lifeless on the stone with the stake through her heart. Greta begins chanting the next part of the spell. Klaus is by her side. Stefan wakes up and feels the piece of wood in his back. He tries to reach it but is not flexible enough to do so. Stefan looks up at Elena and sees her tear-streaked cheeks. He looks over towards Greta and sees Jenna's dead body with the stake in her chest.

"No" Stefan whispers. Greta pours Jenna's blood into the ceremonial bowl. "I'm so sorry." Elena places her finger to her lips and shushes Stefan.

"Are they going to kill him?" Elena whispers to Stefan who nods.

"Yes," He whispers back. Klaus approaches Elena.

"It's time." The circle of fire disappears from around Elena. Elena looks up at him. Klaus extends his hand towards her. Elena gets up from the ground and walks past Klaus, ignoring him. Elena makes her way to the altar and looks down at Jenna's body. Klaus follows her up to the altar and grabs Elena's face in his hand. Below them, Stefan struggles to get up from the ground. Klaus turns Elena's face so she is looking at him. "Thank you, Elena."

"Go to hell." Stefan continues to struggle up, but falls back to the ground, too weak to move. Elena stares out, blankly, as Klaus sinks his fangs into her neck and starts to drain Elena of her blood. Stefan watches on, helplessly. Klaus holds Elena tightly as his eyes start to sprout more veins. Elena's eyelids flutter and her eyes roll into the back of her head and she dies. Klaus releases her and Elena falls to the ground. Blood drips from Klaus' mouth and the flame in the bowl is extinguished. Elena's body lays lifeless and Stefan stares at her, sadly, and lowers his head to the ground. Klaus breathes heavily and walks down the stone steps.

"I can feel it. It's happening." Klaus looks up at the full moon. Suddenly, his bones begin to crack and he starts to transform. His eyes are yellow like a werewolf's, but he still has the veins under them, like a vampire. "Yes, yes!" Suddenly, the entire quarry begins to shake and tremble. A quake is fired from the hill and hits Klaus, sending him flying through the air. The flames in the bowl reignite, startling Greta. Greta hears and sees Diana coming down the hillside, her hands held out over the ground, and quakes forming from her hands. Bonnie follows behind her, chanting a spell. Before Greta can react, Damon sneaks up behind her and snaps her neck. Damon kneels down and picks up Elena's body. Klaus looks up and sees Bonnie. "No! You were dead!" Bonnie continues to chant her spell and nods to Diana, she smirks darkly and throws out her hand, Klaus' body suddenly contorts into painful shapes caused by Diana's quake, he screams. Meanwhile, Damon carries Elena's body towards Stefan and lays her down next to him. Stefan gently grabs her arm.