My heart pounded as I scanned the room, shrouded in darkness by the storm outside. Panic surged within me, my breath coming in rapid gasps. The bedroom door creaked open, and I whipped around to see Damon walk in, shrugging off his drenched leather jacket.
"Hey," he said softly, moving over to the bed.
I curled into his side, feeling his cold skin soothe my racing heart. "You're safe here," he murmured, wrapping his arms around me.
"Why were you outside?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Had to board up the broken windows," he replied, brushing my hair over my shoulder.
"Oh," I said, still trying to calm my nerves.
"Elena's here," he said.
"Because of the vampires."
Damon nodded. "And because Stefan told her about the tomb vampires,"
I pulled back, watching his face to hint at what he wasn't saying.
He winced, guilt flashing in his eyes. "I might have...possibly...made a deal with Pearl."
"Anna's mother?" I blinked, feeling a surge of anger.
He nodded, and I pushed myself off the bed, moving to the chair where my jacket hung. I threw it on and sat down to pull on my combat boots.
"I know it sounds bad," Damon said, trying to placate me.
"It is bad, Damon," I snapped, standing up and heading for the door.
I walked out into the hall, my footsteps soft on the carpet. Heading down the stairs, I could see Elena and Stefan standing in the living room, their expressions tense. I stopped beside Elena, offering a small, tired smile. Damon followed me, moving past us to lift a board, preparing to cover a broken window.
Elena leaned in, whispering, "Do I even want to know?"
"I'll tell you later," I muttered, watching Damon hammer the board into place.
