[ BOOK ONE ]
Erin Gilbert believed the worst thing that could ever happen to her was the death of her parents. But when the Salvatore brothers waltz into town, she finds herself longing for the sorrow-filled days of the past.
All too soon, Erin's n...
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EVERY INCH OF SPACE within Erin's skull buzzed as she stood before her open locker. The constant chatter throughout the school halls didn't cause it, nor did the loud bangs of small metal doors when they were slammed closed.
No, the persistent sensation came with her rapid thoughts. A bombardment of recent memories that played through her head on a loop. Erin wanted to deny them. She wanted to say they were figments of her imagination, but they weren't. They were real. They happened and continued to happen.
After all, Erin couldn't very well drop such a large bomb on her sister without confirmation. Without definite proof that Elena was actually sired to Damon.
For the better part of the night, Erin tried to talk herself out of what she discovered with the help of Elijah. She didn't want to believe her sister held the same mindless connection that Klaus had with his hybrids. The hybrids who failed to even think for themselves without breaking every bone in their bodies a hundred times over, just to sever the bond.
Erin didn't want that for Elena. Her transition had already been hard enough, a sire-bond between the man she held feelings for would certainly make it worse.
Before she even brought up the mere prospect of Elena being sired, Erin needed proof. She didn't know how she would get it, but the concept needed to be concrete before any word of it reached Elena.
And with Elijah being the only one she spoke with about it, that wouldn't be an issue.
Erin slipped the book she would need for her next class into her bag when Caroline and Bonnie walked up to her side. "Hey," she greeted them.
"Hey. Good to know you're not ditching like Elena," Caroline voiced, coming to a stop by the row of lockers.
Erin's brows furrowed, adjusting her bag to rest more comfortably on her shoulder. "Elena's not ditching. She's just running late," she replied.
Her sister had texted her halfway through first period to say she would be there soon. She didn't give a reason, and Erin didn't care to ask. They drove separate cars for a reason.
Alaric's SUV couldn't sit in their driveway forever. So now, Erin and her siblings each had a vehicle and no longer had to rely on one another for a ride.
Caroline perked up at that. "Oh. Uh, did she say why?" she asked in return.
"No." Erin turned her way and pushed her locker closed. "You can ask her when she gets here."
