“What if you went to live in the Asylum?” I asked Cora, the beginnings of a plan forming in my mind. It was risky, but it was the only thing I could come up with.
Fear flickered in Cora’s eyes. “What do you mean, live?”
“Not forever,” I said hastily. “Just for a few days, to see what really goes on there. We’d make sure you were protected. I saw the way you performed in the park. If you could do that, they’d never suspect you. And then we could figure out how Samuel is connected.”
“It’s not a terrible idea,” Damon said grudgingly. “But what if Samuel recognizes her?”
I paused briefly. I hadn’t considered that. “What if he does recognize her?” I asked, thinking out loud. “He’ll think she left the warehouse when he fled London looking for us and ended up on the streets. In his mind, she’d be just another wayward girl. He doesn’t know she’s with us,” I said, hoping it were true.
“A wayward girl?” Cora wrinkled her nose. “My whole life in London, I’ve been trying to prove that’s not who I am.”
“You don’t have to do it. I was just talking off the top of my head,” I offered. Maybe it was asking far too much from her. “I want you to be safe.”
Cora shook her head. “Damon’s right. It’s not a terrible idea. And if it helps save other girls from being compelled…” She shivered. “We’ll all go tomorrow. You can say you found me in the street by the Ten Bells. I’ll put dirt on my face and…”
Just then, steam began erupting from the teakettle in the center of the fire.
“I made you tea,” Cora said shyly, interrupting herself. “Do you drink tea, or only blood?”
“I’d love some,” I said. I wasn’t thirsty for tea, at least not the human kind. But despite myself, my heart went out to Cora for trying. She reminded me of Violet, always trying to see the bright side of things and never seeming depressed for long.
Not to be outdone, Damon nodded in agreement. “Is there anything you can’t do, Miss Cora? You’re our secret weapon,” Damon said in an exaggerated Southern drawl.
I smiled. After a moment, Damon sat down next to me. It was a tiny détente, but it was something. I took a sip of tea, and as the hot liquid warmed my blood, I didn’t think about feeding.
“You know, Katherine always thought I was a gentleman,” Damon mused, glancing at me. “Except during a few choice activities.” I stiffened. It was the verbal equivalent of a crack of thunder, a sign that Damon wasn’t interested in keeping the peace between us.
“Katherine?” Cora asked, her face registering confusion. “She was the beautiful vampire?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said.
“Apparently, she’s the reason we’re all on the run from Samuel,” Damon said at the same time. “She fell in love with me, and Samuel couldn’t deal with it.”
“Damon, let it go.” My impatience was getting the best of me. “It doesn’t matter what happened twenty years ago or who loved whom more. Katherine’s gone. She can’t love anyone.” I knew he was looking for a fight, but I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.
“She was mine,” he said, seething.
“Really?” Cora’s voice cut through the tension. She stepped between us. “That’s what you plan to do? Fight each other over some long-dead vampire while a live one is terrorizing the streets, not to mention framing Damon for murder and holding my sister captive?”
“No,” Damon said contritely. “I just don’t like it when my brother disrespects me. If Stefan minds himself, then we’ll be fine.”
“Right,” I shot back. “And if no one bruises Damon’s fragile ego, we’ll be best friends.”
Cora opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it. She glanced between the two of us. “Fine. But if you keep fighting, then I’m leaving. And I’m not sure any of us would survive on our own.”
Without another word, she swept off into the darkness of the tunnel, leaving Damon and me alone.
The firelight flickered on the dirt wall, making our shadows loom large and ghostly over us.
“Katherine was the one for me,” Damon said petulantly, lost in his own world. “Why can’t you accept that?”
“She didn’t love either of us,” I said flatly.
“Maybe she compelled you,” Damon said. “But with me…”
“Stop it!” I exploded, springing up and shaking his shoulders. I stared into my brother’s eyes. The whites were bloodshot, but the irises were dark and huge in the light from the fire, the pupils dilated. I held on to his shoulders even as I sensed Damon’s muscles twitching beneath my grasp. But he didn’t try to break free.
He raised a dark eyebrow. “Stop what? Stop telling the truth?”
I roughly pushed him away. “Stop bringing up the past,” I said, balling up my fists. “It’s pointless. Katherine is dead. And you will be, too, if you don’t give up this ridiculous vendetta. Cora’s right—we need to worry about the vampires that are still alive. We need to save Violet, and then leave London. Can we at least agree on that?”
“Whatever you say, brother,” Damon bit back, standing up and stretching his arms over his head. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to feed.”
Once his footsteps had faded, I lay down quietly to sleep.