In Mystic Falls, nothing stays buried forever-especially not secrets.
Elena Gilbert always believed she was an only child. But when her long-lost twin sister, Keira, is dragged into town under dangerous circumstances, everything changes.
Raised in t...
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Twinsies, Trauma, and Therapy
I groan, my fingers digging into the back of my neck as I try to massage away the pounding ache. Cold concrete presses against my side, and I blink up at the dim overhead light flickering like it's on its deathbed. Great. Another damn cell.
"Why does this keep happening to me?" I mutter, dragging myself up—only to fail halfway and slump against the wall like a dropped rag doll.
"How did you manage to escape the tomb?" a voice asks.
I lift my head toward the cell door. Standing behind the metal bars is the raven-haired vampire from earlier—the one who launched me into a wall like I was a tennis ball. He watches me like I'm a puzzle that personally insulted him.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I snap, brushing hair off my face with a shaky hand. "Do you people get off on kidnapping?"
He opens the cell door without hesitation and steps in.
"Cut the crap, Katherine. I'm not falling for the amnesia act," he says, stalking toward me.
"You're insane," I growl.
He laughs—a sharp, bitter sound—and in the next instant, I'm slammed against the wall. Concrete cracks behind my back, and his hand tightens around my throat.
"Insane?" he sneers. "You haven't seen insane yet, kitty-kat."
And then he throws me. My body hits the opposite wall with a thud that knocks the air clean out of my lungs.
I wheeze and curl in slightly. "Stop. Please." My voice is barely above a whisper, raw from lack of blood and the lingering sting of vervain. But he doesn't care.
Before I can move, he's pinning me to the floor, straddling me, raising a stake.
"See you in hell, Katherine."
This is it. This is how I die? Again?
But just before the stake reaches my chest, he's ripped away from me—slammed into the wall with enough force to leave a dent.
I gasp for breath and push myself up on shaking arms. "Thanks for the save," I croak, not even looking at my would-be hero yet.
"Stefan, what are you doing?" the attacker snaps.
"Katherine is still in the tomb," the one called Stefan replies coolly.
The raven-haired vampire glances back at me, eyes narrowed. I'm rubbing my neck and slowly climbing to my feet.
"How is that possible?" he asks, disbelief creasing his brow.
Stefan turns to me with an expression that looks almost like guilt. "I'm sorry for the pain we've caused you."