Bloody Rhapsody (Damon Salvatore Love)

31. Vampires and Hocus Pocus

  "Does it matter?" I snarl, impatient to jump into action.

  "Yes," she insists, leveling me with her steady gaze. "If she left on her own, then I doubt she would have made it far. If she was taken however, there was probably a way of transporting her. She could be anywhere."

  Her words strike me, making my breath catch in my throat. Anywhere, how am I supposed to handle that? I begin to pace, zoning out their comments as my feet pound against the withered wood. My fingers clenching and unclenching into fists at my side as my mind urgently seeks a solution.

  "A witch!" I shout, grasping onto an idea as I turn to Stefan. "Where is the nearest witch?"

  "I thought you hated witches?" Zeke asks, making me want to groan. I know he hasn't been apart of this world for long, but I have no time to explain everything.

  "Yes," I snap, not even bothering to glance at him, "but they can track."

  "The nearest one that will help us for sure?" Stefan purses his lips as he thinks on it, "About a half days drive."

  "That's not good enough!" I roar, barely containing my rage.

  "That's already saying if we go at top speed," Stefan explains, keeping his voice cool and even.

  "Shit," I curse, what little hope I had quickly draining from me. "Shit!" I growl again, running my hands through my hair with frustration as my desperation eats away at my sanity.

  "What if we split up?" Elena offers, not ready to give up on the concept.

  "We can go have the spell performed, " Stefan continues, jumping on board with the plan, "you can start searching. Like Elena said, if she left on her own, she can't be far."

  I nod, my jaw clenching and unclenching over and over again as I work the idea out in my mind. It's not perfect, but at least it gets us working on something.

  "Okay," Elena forces a tight smile, turning to Zeke, "that's her bag right?"

  "This?" Zeke asks dumbly, pulling the purple shoulder bag closer to his chest.

  "Yea, we are going to need something of Reza's," Stefan explains, reaching out for it.

  "But," Zeke hesitates, grasping onto the material tighter, "this is important to her. She's going to want it back."

  "She isn't ever going to get it back if we don't find her!" I bark, unable to contain my impatience.

  "Isn't there another way?" he asks, looking down thoughtfully at the bundle.

  "Only other thing is a bit of her blood," Elena explains gently.

  "And I don't know about you," I interject, my eyes blazing with intensity, "but I don't carry around a vial of her blood in my back pocket."

  "Okay," Zeke relents, violent shivers coursing through his body, his lips twisting in distaste at the thought.

  I want to snatch the purse from his hands, to cling to something that belongs to Nereza, but I resist. I know my fingers are trembling, and I know that I am just barely keeping a clasp on my control.

  Stefan steps forward, gently taking the fabric out of Zeke's careful grasp. A groan rumbles in my chest, my eagerness bursting through me. I wish to rush them, to push them through the door and on their way.

  "What is so important that she needs back?" Stefan asks, opening the bag and peering inside. "If there are multiple things in here, we can try to take something else."