"You called me, Salvatore?" Klaus asked him. He laid a hand on Stefan's shoulder companionably.
"I wanted to talk," Stefan said, keeping himself from flinching under Klaus's hand. "I have an offer for you."
"Let me guess." Klaus's smile widened. "You think we should settle our differences like gentlemen?" He sounded delighted. His fingers tightened on Stefan's shoulder like a vise, and Stefan's knees buckled. Klaus was so strong, even stronger than Stefan had remembered. "While I appreciate the blood you and your brother gave to bring me back, I hold all the cards in this game, Salvatore. I don't need to play by your rules."
"Not all the cards. You can't kill Elena," Stefan blurted, and Klaus cocked his head to one side, considering.
"Are you going to tell me how?" he asked. "Tired of your lady fair already? I did wonder why she's still human after all this time. You're leaving an out from eternal love, aren't you? Clever."
"I mean, she can't be killed," Stefan said doggedly. He lifted his head proudly, trying to project confidence. Klaus had to believe him. "Kill me instead. I'm the one you hate most."
Klaus laughed, his sharp canines showing. "Oh, not clever after all," he said. "Noble and dreary instead. So Elena's the one with the out, then. She'd rather grow old and die than live forever in your arms? Your great romance must not be as strong as you thought."
"I was the one you blamed for Katherine's death," Stefan went on steadily. "I tried to kill you back in Fell's Church. You can do anything you want with me: kill me, have me join your army of followers. I won't fight you. Just leave Elena alone. You won't be able to kill her, so just let her go."
Klaus chuckled again. Suddenly, he yanked Stefan closely against him and sniffed deeply, pressing his nose against the other vampire's throat. His own scent was overwhelming, the sweet, rotting stench turning Stefan's stomach. Just as quickly, Klaus shoved Stefan away again. "You stink of lies and fear," he said. "Elena can be killed, and I'll be the one to do it. You know it, and that's why you're afraid."
Stefan made himself look Klaus squarely in the eyes. "No. She's untouchable," he stated as firmly as he could. "Kill me instead."
Klaus struck him almost languidly with one hand and Stefan felt himself flying through the air. With a loud crack, he slammed into a tree and slid to the ground, gasping for breath.
"Oh, Salvatore," Klaus said chidingly, towering above Stefan. "I do hate you. But I don't want to kill you, not anymore."
From where he lay on the ground, Stefan managed to raise his head and grunt inquiringly. What, then?
"Better to kill Elena and let you live, I think," the older vampire said, his white teeth gleaming in the sunlight. "I'll kill her right in front of you, and make sure the image of her death haunts you forever, anywhere you go." His smile widened. "That'll be your fate."
Klaus turned deliberately and sauntered out of the clearing, purposely not using his vampiric speed. Just before passing out of Stefan's sight, he looked back and gave a little two-fingered salute. "I'll be seeing you soon," he said. "You and your lady love."
Stefan let his head flop back down onto the forest floor. His spine was still cracked from where Klaus had thrown him into the tree. He had failed. Klaus was convinced that there was some way to kill Elena, and he wasn't going to give up until he found it.
As soon as he could, Stefan would return to Elena and the others, give them their best chance of fighting Klaus. But a cold, dark misery was blossoming inside him and, just for the moment, Stefan let himself sink into that darkness.
Chapter 28
Bonnie was padding across campus in bare feet, her ice-cream-cone pajama bottoms flapping around her ankles. Oh, great, she thought dismally. I forgot to get dressed again.
"Are you ready for the test?" Meredith said brightly next to her. Bonnie stopped and stared at her suspiciously.
"What test?" she asked. "We don't have any classes together, do we?"
"Oh, Bonnie," Meredith said, sighing. "Don't you even read your email? There was some kind of mix-up, it turns out, and we all have to pass a big high-school Spanish exam we missed, or we won't really have graduated."
Bonnie stared at her, frozen in horror. "But I took French," she said.
"Well, yeah," Meredith said. "That's why you should have been studying all this time. Come on, we're going to be late." She broke into a swift-footed run, and Bonnie stumbled after her, tripping over the laces of her Converse high-tops.
Wait a second, she thought. Wasn't I barefoot a minute ago?
"Hang on, Meredith," she said, drawing to a halt to catch her breath. "I think this is a dream." Meredith ran on, though, straight and sure down the path, her long, dark hair flying out in the wind as she left Bonnie behind.
Definitely a dream, Bonnie thought. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've had this dream before. "I hate this dream," she muttered.
She tried to remember the conscious-dreaming techniques she'd been talking about with Alaric. This is a dream, she told herself fiercely. Nothing is real and I can change whatever I want. Glancing down at herself, she made her sneakers tie themselves and changed her pajamas into skinny blue jeans and a black top. "Better," she said. "Okay, forget the exam. I think I want . . ." Possibilities were flying through her mind, but then she forgot them all, because suddenly in front of her was Zander. Wonderful, darling Zander, who she missed with all her heart. And Shay.