The Good Daughter

Six

I laid on a boulder.

This test wasn't going well. So many of the wolves had died. Nik was throwing his tantrum and Stefan had gone off to track down Ray.

"I did everything I was told!" He raged, and I saw the body of a wolf sail over me.

The doppelgänger.

Oh shit.

Ugh. And my knowledge that she was still alive would only confirm Nik's suspicions. Why did I have to go with Stefan to see Damon?!

But we'd told him that I'd stayed in the car, it would be entirely plausible that I didn't know she was alive.

Unless he did a head dive, which would be even worse, he'd see Tyler.

Oh god.

That would be mortifying.

"Nik," I sat up. "What if Esther made it so that you had to kill the doppelgänger, but in doing so would prevent you from making hybrids. I mean, have you tried just turning a regular vampire since breaking the curse?"

He paused. "That sounds like something my mother would do." Nik moved to one of the humans, a woman, and bit his wrist before shoving it against her mouth.

She screamed, struggling against it, but inevitably, she had to breathe and that was her downfall.

Nik swiftly snapped her neck, and she collapsed against the dirt.

It was a gruesome sight.

I crossed my legs, leaning back on the palms of my hands. "What do you think we should eat for dinner tonight? Aside from my bag of blood, which I still haven't gotten, I'm feeling pizza."

"I'm a little preoccupied, sweetheart."

"Yeah and I'm hungry." That annoyed muscle in his cheek switched. Was it wrong I felt a smidge vindicated? Even if I knew I was pushing it? "And bored. Can I go find Stefan?" He was at least mildly entertaining.

"Absolutely not. There is an unstable hybrid out there and I will not have you harmed because you've decided you're bored."

"Fine." I let out in an exaggerated breath, and found an empty bottle to mess with.

As long as we were throwing things...

The girl woke with a gasp. Nik dragged a different human over and fed her the blood. She greedily latched on, and just the sight had my own fangs descending.

I was starving. "Can't I just have one of the humans, as a snack?"

"No."

We were literally in the middle of nowhere. If I were to start a ripper binge, then I wouldn't get very far. "This would be a good exercise in control. You'll be right there the whole time."

He seemed to consider it. "No."

"Mean."

"It's not mean if it stops recovery, now is it."

I tutted. "You and Elijah both with that threat." Nik took a step toward me, something challenging in his eye, and I immediately threw my hands up. "I give, I give."

"What is recovery?" Stefan emerged from the trees. "I keep hearing it."

"None of your damn business."

"You'll have to excuse her moodiness, she's hungry." Nik removed the newly turned vampire and set her on her feet, examining her. "Where is my hybrid?"

"I uh- had to put him down. He attacked me."

Here it comes.

Nik grasped a beer bottle from the ground, and threw it as hard as he could. "I killed the wolf. I killed the vampire," His tone was deceptively calm. "I killed the doppelgänger..."

The effect was almost immediate.

Could Stefan be any more obvious?! His expression was entirely guilty as hell.

"You look horrible."

Stefan glanced down, as if remembering. "I'm kind of dying."

"Holy shit." I stood.

A wolf bite.

"And you would like me to heal you? After you've killed Ray."

"Nik!" As if he hadn't killed the rest of the failed hybrids.

"I failed you." Stefan winced. "I had to take him out, I didn't have a choice."

God, I hoped this wasn't one of Nik's lessons. He simply stared at Stefan, eyes narrowed.

"Morgan, be a dear and give me that bottle."

I let out a breath, and quickly did as told, just in case he changed his mind.

Nik bit into his hand, allowing it to drip into the bottle. "We all make mistakes." He passed it over expectantly.

Now that was some bullshit. He was doing something. I didn't know what yet. Was he suspicious? If he was, he wouldn't let anyone know about it until it was too late.