Redamancy | Elena Gilbert

Chapter 22

Klaus was gone in the morning.

Rosalind had no shame as she walked downstairs past the other Originals, who all craned their necks in confusion to get a good look at her while she exited the house. Every single one of them was confused as to why she'd spent the night. She didn't care. Her inner wolf was quiet and it finally felt like she had a clear head.

She made sure to check that her aunt was home before she drove to the Lockwood Mansion. Once there, Carol had to invite her in, looking sad that Rosalind hadn't consulted her on her decision to become a hybrid, but making no comments because she could see her niece was content with her choice.

"How will things work for you now?" Carol asked gently while they were having breakfast. Rosalind knew that as a vampire she didn't need to eat (or sleep for that matter), but she could never say no to pancakes. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"I'm not going to feed on people from the vein," said Rosalind. "Probably steal from the Salvatore blood bag stash. Or maybe I'll pull a Mikael and feed from evil vampires so that they won't be a problem anymore. Ridding the world of vermin one meal at a time."

Carol winced, but Rosalind smiled, "It was supposed to be funny."

Her aunt managed a weak laugh. "And what about full moons? You no longer have to turn, right?"

"Precisely. As soon as Tyler's back and confirms with me that he's broken the sire bond, I can try and get started on doing it for myself. But I probably need to hold off on that for awhile just until I can gain more of Klaus's trust. He's going to be watching me like a hawk, evaluating me. He said he wouldn't invoke the sire bond but it's present, inherently. My priority is helping the other hybrids, not myself."

"Sweetheart, just don't do anything that'll get you hurt. You have to care about yourself, too."

"I do care about myself. But I'm the Alpha of a Pack now, and the Pack's safety has to be something I put above my own. Don't worry, I'm going to be careful. The point is to give them enough free will so they don't put themselves in danger unless they want to. In which case we fight together. As united hybrids who actually care for each other's safety, we can defeat any enemy."

"Klaus won't be coming by the house... will he?"

"No, I don't want him to. I'll probably go to his house. He wants to train me, to teach me to fight properly. I did sparring in the past with my dad but never anything like this. It could help me a lot and if we're going to damage anything in the process, I'd rather it not be done here. Don't worry... you and Tyler will be safe."

Carol took her hand, squeezing it. She almost seemed to tear up because it felt different. "I just hope he doesn't turn on you."

"He wouldn't risk it," said Rosalind. "The pack will be thrilled when they find out I'm the other Alpha. In a custody battle for our fellow members, they're siding with me."

She went for a run around the neighborhood once she'd eaten, taking a moment to practice her new speed, and controlling when she sprinted normally (at least, normal for her athletes when she did drills with them) and when she sprinted at her maximum hybrid speed. She took detours through alleys, jumping onto walls and rooftops, practicing her landings. At last, she ran past the Gilbert House, and decided to stop and see if Elena was home.

"Hey," said Elena when she opened the door. "How are—?"

Rosalind had tried to walk in, but collided with the invisible barrier in the doorway. "Oops," she said sheepishly. "Forgot about that."

"You turned," said Elena softly. "Come in."

"I did," replied Rosalind, stepping inside. "It feels a lot better, knowing I won't have to turn tonight. But soon, of course... breaking the sire bond will require succumbing to that pain."