[ 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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THE GILBERT FAMILY lake house had always been a refuge for Erin. A home away from home. An escape from the hectic life of being a Founding Family member in Mystic Falls.
There were expectations when they stayed within its walls. They were free to spend time with each other in solitude with marathon games of charades and Monopoly, taking a swim in the waters of the lake, or fishing on the wooden dock with her father. Erin had nothing but good memories of the place, and she wanted to keep it that way.
So when Bonnie suggested they invite Elena to help Jeremy begin to grow passive in her presence, Erin was a little apprehensive. Her Hunter brother wanted nothing more than to kill her vampire sister, and they would be under the same roof together. A roof that once shielded her family from the summer storms.
Erin just didn't want anything to go wrong. She didn't want the place to be tainted by her brother trying to murder their sister. But what choice did they have? Jeremy couldn't live his life trying to kill Elena at every chance. They would never be together again, and she couldn't deal with that. She couldn't.
Besides, Erin, Bonnie, and Damon were more than capable of separating the two if something happened.
Erin rested in one of the rocking chairs on the front porch, watching Jeremy chop wood across the yard. She hardly kept her eyes off him since they arrived, making sure he remained in his right frame of mind.
After all, they hadn't been back to the lake house since Jenna forced them to go shortly after their parents died. Erin didn't know how the trip would affect his already fractured mindset, and the last thing she wanted to do was make it worse.
But so far, Jeremy seemed fine. At least, fine enough for a seventeen year old hellbent in killing vampires.
Erin drew in a breath and looked to the girl at her side. "Are you sure this is gonna work?" she questioned.
Bonnie turned from where she occupied another rocking chair and replied, "Shane has been using hypnosis to help me use magic again. Even after our first session, it worked. I'm sure it'll work for Jeremy."
Erin sighed, spotting movement down the gravel driveway. Damon's blue car rolled toward the home. "I hope you're right." Her attention shifted to Jeremy, who paused in his chopping. His stare fell to the vehicle as it came to a stop. She noticed his body grew rigid as he stepped away from the split wood with his grip tight on his axe.
Here they go.
Erin shot up from her chair and hurried to where her brother stared heatedly toward Damon's stopped car. She slowed her pace as she approached his side. "Jer," she voiced lowly to not spook him.
