Pernicious | Kai Parker

Chapter 13

"I wish I knew how to help her."

But she didn't. Amelia had watched as Elena slipped in and out of consciousness for days, unable to stay awake longer than a few minutes. The hunger overpowered her.

Whitmore had been dismissed for their winter break, and the dorm was to be where Elena would be 'quarantined.' Bonnie had taught Liv a Barrier Spell to trap her inside, strong enough to hold the vampire in, but weak enough that Amelia could siphon at a moment's notice if something went wrong.

She hadn't joined Bonnie and Liv for lessons. The Bennett witch had been insistent that she attend, but Amelia didn't want to.

Instead, she'd gotten a job with Liv working at the main site for the Whitmore Events Catering and Bartending service, giving her something to do during the day and allowing her to get to know the mysterious blonde who either despised her, or secretly enjoyed her company but didn't know how to show it.

She was leaning toward the former option because she still wasn't sure what Liv's deal was.

"She is so fucking hard to please," Amelia told Matt in a call. "I was telling her about how I have experience working behind the bar, cleaning, waiting tables, and even cooking, and she was just all gruff and annoyed that I was listing my qualifications to her instead of the manager. Not my fault the manager literally told her to be in charge of me so she can place me where I'm most needed. I don't know what problem she has with me but at this point, we both need therapy, or something, or we'll never get along."

"Well, she helped you get the job, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but I feel like it's more so she can keep an eye on me. It's like she doesn't trust me, for whatever reason." She sighed. "Anyway, how is Damon doing?"

"Still in the Salvatore dungeons, but he'll be okay. How is it in Whitmore?"

"Stefan's still with Elena. I finished my shift just a little bit ago, so I'm meeting Caroline in Wes's lab to see if we can find anything that will make a cure. With her help, I can move the refrigerator unit and get into the place he locked the vampires in. I bet he hid some stuff in there."

"Maybe you'll find a good stash of something."

"I don't know, I don't think he's a smoker."

"Well, appearances can be deceiving. Everyone thinks you're a smoker and you're not."

"If I do find a stash of any kind, I'll be sure to give it to Jeremy for Christmas."

"And what about me?"

"Now, what kind of sister would I be if I gave you drugs?"

"The best one ever."

Amelia let out a laugh. "We'll see how it goes. I'll talk to you later, take care."

They obviously didn't find a stash of any sort of drug in the laboratory, but they did find where Wes had hidden the majority of his things. Caroline and Amelia had shoved the refrigerator aside, revealing the door that led into the dungeons of Whitmore House. Sneaking down, they came across a box of journals, which they brought up before going to the second building, where Amelia had been kept as bait so Wes could infect Damon.

Here, there was more to be found.

"We have a problem," said Caroline, pulling out a journal and Wes's tape recorder. "Elena's virus isn't the same as Damon's. Hers has werewolf venom, specifically venom from Tyler, extracted from Nadia's wound."

"Fuck," mumbled Amelia, looking over the notes Wes had made on the new virus. "This is even worse." An idea came to mind. "Well, there is something I could potentially try to help Elena and Damon have the exact same virus. The fact he used Nadia's blood to extract the werewolf venom in her system gives the second virus a magical signature. I can siphon that, and Elena won't be hallucinating, like Stefan said she was."