Pernicious | Kai Parker

Chapter 7

"So, where's the ancient boyfriend-stealing bitch?"

Tessa was here, and she wasn't happy. Amelia could hear her coming downstairs, and she straightened up as Damon and Elena brought her into the cellar.

"That'll be all," the witch said, as a sign that she wanted them to leave. Amelia darted out, but Elena put her finger over her lips, and the two girls remained by the door, listening.

"Well," Tessa began, "if it isn't the face that launched a thousand doppelgängers. A little birdie told me you aren't enjoying your immortal life." There was a squeak, and amelia could tell that Tessa had grabbed Amara somehow. "Two thousand years, you have nothing to say to me? No apology?"

"I'm sorry," Amara managed.

"What was that?"

"I'm sorry. That's what you want to hear, isn't it? How I have suffered, how every moment of my life has been a living hell? It has! My sin was falling in love, and I've learned my lesson. You win. You won. Now, please, kill me. Please. Please kill me!"

"Don't worry," Tessa crooned. "When I make someone else the anchor, I will, and since you're nothing more than a non-supernatural human, you'll pass on while Silas is trapped on the Other Side, and then you and Silas, you're gonna spend eternity apart and that is gonna be kind of fantastic for me. Selfishly speaking."

Tessa opened the door, ostensibly not caring that Elena and Amelia had been eavesdropping. "I was told you're helping me," the woman said to the siphoner. "Show me the room that you prepared for me."

Nodding, Amelia skipped up to one of the drawing rooms, revealing the table cleared and the candles lit around the room. After a moment, Caroline came in, with Katherine Pierce behind her. "The cute one's here," announced the other doppelgänger, waving at Tessa.

"She's all yours," said Caroline, pushing Katherine into the room before going to get Elena and Amara.

"Let me guess," said Tessa, waving her finger at Katherine. "You must be... who now?"

"Let's be clear," said Katherine in her usual bitchy tone. "I don't care about Bonnie Bennett or the Other Side going away or Elena getting her best friend back."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "You want something. I'm shocked."

Katherine took a step toward her. "I had the cure you created running through my veins, and when Silas sucked it out of me, I started aging faster than normal. So basically, I'm dying, and I need you to fix me. You made the cure. Now, make something that stops the aging. Otherwise, no blood for you."

"Fine," Tessa agreed. "When the ritual's finished and Bonnie is the anchor, we'll find a way to stop you from dying."

"Thank you, said Katherine, looking relieved. She shot Amelia a look that said, 'Tell anyone, and I'll tear your pancreas out.'

When Caroline returned with the other two, Tessa gestured for Amelia to hand her something. Having heard what else she wanted as part of the spell, she went to retrieve Bonnie's grimoire, setting it at the center of the little round table.

"What is that?" said Amara, staring at it.

"It's Bonnie's grimoire," explained Elena kindly.

"A grim— what?"

"It's a magic spellbook," Katherine snapped. Under her breath, she added, "idiot."

"It's a talisman," Tessa stated. "Since Bonnie can't be here, her grimoire will have to do. Hands in, palms up."