Chapter 45 - Damon’s Sacrifice

When we got home, the members of the council were gathered in the foyer. It was Luke that ran towards the passenger door and carried Damon over his shoulder.

"What happened, was he attacked?"

"Y-yes," I stuttered, fumbling with my dress so I would not trip," he came to rescue me from a vampire in Somber Forest, but there was too much silver, he almost died-"

"What the hell were you doing in Somber Forest?"

I did not get a chance to respond because the others had rushed to help Luke and eventually, they all disappeared into the meeting room. Maria and Tessa were both staring at me wide eyed.

"Go prepare the waters," Maria hissed at Tessa," now."

Tessa did not argue, she ran off immediately and Maria darted to where I was standing.
"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine-"

"You're bleeding everywhere."

"Not all of it is mine-"

"Dr. Norman is upstairs in the bedroom, I told you not to go! I told you it's a deathwish!"

"I thought that there would be no vampires left inside, that they all would have escaped!"

Maria released a sigh after a few seconds," well, did you get it?"

"No, but I know where it is now-"

"There is no way you are going back!" she screamed out at me," go upstairs, the doctor needs to check your wounds for infections! I'll meet you up there in a few minutes with some water and food."

I could not help but head to the meeting room instead. I needed to know what was going on and if Damon was going to be alright. I pressed my ear up against the door to listen.
"The doctor will be here soon, but it doesn't look like he's too badly injured."

"No, I'd say he needs some rest to recuperate after the exposure to silver."

"Somber Forest is filled with silver, not everyone would have made it out alive-"

"What the hell was he doing there anyway?! We needed him at the gallery!"

"I have no idea but we were lucky the hybrids showed up when they did, or else we would have all been dead!"

"Where was our alpha when we needed him! It was Luke that took charge, Damon disappeared-"

Suddenly, a voice so firm it stilled the air," that's Alpha Damon to you, Gregory," said Damon, finally waking from his state of unconsciousness," get me that damn bottle of whiskey."

Before he was able to sniff me out, I hurried back up to the bedroom.
After Dr. Norman treated my wounds, I stirred anxiously in bed. I tried to steer my thoughts in the direction of the silver, now that the prison was truly empty, I knew I had to go back as soon as possible to collect whatever silver I could get before the council figured out a way to shut it down. I thought of how terrified Evan must be, if he was even still alive. I felt my chest sinking at the possibility.

My thoughts were led by the actions of Damon. He had saved me, twice tonight. Firstly from the vampire at The Gallery, and then at Somber Forest from the trickster vampire.
How did he know I was there?
Why had he come all that way, and abandoned his people to rescue me? He had risked his own life, he was willing to die from exposure to the silver and at the hands of the vampire just to save my life.

I was even more confused, how can Damon kill thousands of humans but risk his own for mine?
I thought of the look in his eyes, he wanted me to run and leave him.
I felt as if I could never figure him out.

Damon marched into the room sometime around four am. I was still up of course but I pretended to sleep. I felt his side of the bed stir. I felt his eyes on me while he took his place on the right side of the bed. I opened my eyes to look at him, he seemed surprised that I was awake. I took in the patched up areas on his arms, legs and torso.

"What were you doing in Somber Forest?" he asked me quietly.

"How did you know I was there?"

"I tracked the car. What were you doing there?"

During the midst of a blood bath between the vampires and the wolves, Damon had taken the time to track the car to find out where I was?
"I took the car because I panicked and I got lost-"

"I had to abandon my entire pack tonight to come save you!"

"I-I know, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd do that."

I don't understand why you did. I thought you didn't care.

"I almost died because of you, you've been more of a liability than anything else!"
I flinched at the intensity of his tone.

"I'm sorry."

But I saved you too. I could not let you die, no matter how badly I wanted to.
Damon did not respond. He turned to face the other side of the bed. The loss of blood I had occurred was catching up to me, I felt light headed and fell asleep shorting after.
The next morning I woke up to an empty bed. Damon was gone, and Maria had burst in with pills and some water.

"Take these for the pain," just as she had said it, I felt a migraine develop.

"How many days," I groaned out as I sat up," do we have left for the potion-"

"Shhh!" she hissed and peered around. She slammed the door shut and sat on the bed," we have four days."

"I can go back today-"

"Are you insane? The council is already sending a squad to Somber Forest, you can't be within ten miles of silver right now!"

"Fuck!" I felt my eyes tearing," fuck fuck fuck! I had it, it was right there!"

"It was a stupid idea, you're lucky to be alive-"

"What's the point? They're going to kill Evan."

The look on Maria's face told me that she already knew.
"They're going to kill everyone, not just Evan," she said," Akbur Hills is next."

I sat up even further," what? What do you mean Akbur Hills is next?"

"After the attack last night, the council had a meeting. They're trying to kill off as many vampires in town as possible, so they will gas Akbur Hills next."

"They can't do that, my father-"

"Even if we had the silver, there is nothing we could have done. There's no more time."