Nightshade - A Bonnie Bennett Story (Vampire Diaries / The Originals)

CHAPTER TEN

"Anything?"

Klaus and Roman remained at the threshold while I technically committed a misdemeanor. We'd already searched the homes of a few Treme witches and didn't find what we were looking for. And, of course, I still didn't know what that was exactly. I made my way down the darkened hallway of the first floor. I checked the only closed door and found a vacant bathroom. I continued to the open doorway of what I assumed was a home office or library of some sort. Built-in bookcases lined the walls I could see from the hall. When I rounded the corner, I wasn't prepared for what I encountered, despite having been given a sneak preview in my vision.

"Oh my god," I whispered. On the floor in front of me were four female witches and one Original vampire. All of them had a symbol—a circle with an equal-sided cross inside—drawn in the center of their forehead in a black oil of some kind.

"Klaus, he's here!"

I kneeled down next to one of the witches to check her pulse and my heart jumped into my throat. Cass. Her pulse was still holding steady. I checked the other three witches. All still alive, but for how long? With no clue about who or what we were up against, I had no idea how much power was being sapped from them and how fast.

Elijah was another story entirely. An Original vampire could be staked straight through the heart, die, and come back to life. That's business as usual for them. In theory, if we could break the spell before he was drained of all his magic, he'd wake up like any other day. The witches didn't have that luxury. They were on a clock.

"Roman, Cass is here. She's still okay."

I went back to Elijah and placed my hands on his chest. I whispered an incantation to get a feel for the spell. As soon as I began to chant the magic-infused words, I could feel them. Not just Elijah and the witches here in the room, but every witch in all of New Orleans. Not only were they being channelled, but they were all linked together like a supercharged magical network. I could feel the energy flowing out of each and every one of them at an alarming rate and began to worry about how many witches I couldn't feel because it was too late for them. I focused, trying my hardest to pull at the current, only to find my efforts had little to no effect.

I opened my eyes and glanced around the room, trying to take in every detail and plot what to do next. I turned back to Elijah.

"Elijah, I don't know if you can hear me, but I need you to hang on."

I climbed to my feet and started frantically pulling books from the shelves around the room. I came across a grimoire and had just started flipping through the pages when I noticed a purple spark snap in the air to my left. The sight of the familiar bursts froze me in place, fear creeping its way up my spine. Another snap made me jump, giving my natural response a violent shove from flight to fight in a split second. I spun around, dropping the book in the process, and screamed out with everything I had.

"VADOS!"

A ripple of power pulsed through the room with a mighty boom. For a second, the black mist that had been forming behind me looked like it was going to explode as it swelled outward, but instead it vanished. I wasn't stupid enough to think it could be that easy. I held my breath as I waited for the other shoe to drop but it never came.

"Bonnie?" Klaus shouted to me from the doorway, unable to come in and therefore forced to let me fend for myself.

"I'm okay," I yelled out in response. "I'm okay." This time, I was talking to myself. I scooped up the grimoire I'd been examining and went back to the shelf I'd been fishing through. I grabbed every book that looked like it might be a grimoire, and once I was satisfied that I had them all, I ran as fast as my feet would carry me.

A wave of relief crashed over me when I saw the vampires' faces at the door. And then it abruptly shifted to panic as their shouts filled the air.

"Behind you!" This time, it was too big. I wouldn't be enough on my own. I dropped the pile of books, ran to the door, and clasped Klaus's shoulder. He moved to pull me away from danger and I stopped him.

"No, we need the books." I turned back to the crackling mist, making sure not to lose my grasp. "I apologize in advance." Once again, I gave it every bit of energy I had, but this time, I borrowed a bit from a one-thousand-year-old vampire.

"VADOS!"

My magic swept in a wave down the hall into the swirling, inky black cloud. This time, the veins of purple electricity faltered, as if shorting out. The mist pulsed twice, then shattered into a million pieces.

"Elijah?"

I ran down the hall just to check, but I knew what I'd find. There was no change to Elijah, Cass, or the other witches. This was far from over. I turned and ran, stopping only long enough to grab the pile of books on my way out the door.

"Let's get out of here."

"I can't leave Cass," Roman insisted.

"I assure you, there is nothing you can do for her here. Whatever that was, it's already got Elijah. You're not going to be much help to your sister if you end up like him. I need to get away from here, somewhere safe where I can put up a boundary spell. I need to think and I can't do that when a homicidal hurricane keeps appearing."

"My Compound," Klaus replied. "It's the safest place for you. We can regroup and plan our next move."

"And I can take you up on that bourbon you promised me."

"I am a man of my word."

Things were looking up already.