My head throbbed, and my body felt like it had been through a wringer. As I stirred, I realized my head was resting on something hard yet oddly comforting. Blinking through the haze, I saw Damon sitting beside me, reading Emily's grimoire. He looked down at me, concern etched on his face.
"How are you feeling?" Damon asked, his voice gentle yet tense.
"Fine," I lied, rubbing my forehead in a futile attempt to alleviate the pounding headache. "Just a headache."
Damon's arms carefully wrapped around me, helping me sit up until my back met the headboard. His touch was both soothing and unnerving.
"Did you find the spell?" I asked, nodding toward the old grimoire in his hands.
Damon nodded, not taking his eyes off me. "I'll kill him."
I sighed, sagging against the headboard. "I'm going to be fine, Damon."
"He could've killed you," he said, his jaw clenched, eyes blazing with rage and a hint of hurt.
"I know, but he didn't," I replied, trying to sound reassuring.
"He only hurt you because I hurt Elena," Damon muttered, guilt flickering in his eyes.
I grabbed his hand, searching his eyes. "She's my sister, which is weird for me to say. But she is, and he'll do anything to save her."
"All I'm trying to do is..." Damon began.
"Protect me," I finished for him. "I don't understand why you feel the need to go through with this plan, all just to kill Katherine."
Damon turned away, staring out the window as the morning light filtered in. "She killed someone I loved."
I opened my mouth to press further when Stefan burst into the room, his face etched with anxiety. I felt a pang of hurt at his presence, but his tortured expression stopped me from telling him to leave.
"Anna took Elena," Stefan said, his voice strained.
"What?" I blinked, the shock cutting through the fog in my mind.
"Yeah, I got that from your 600 voicemails," Damon said nonchalantly, but his eyes held a storm.
Stefan crossed the room towards Damon, desperation evident in his movements. "Damon, all night long, every single street in town, I've been searching. What if your blood hasn't passed out of her system?"
