If only | Damon Salvatore

029. REAP THE WHIRLWIND

Chapter twenty nine

"Reap the whirlwind."

It was daytime now. The man who had kidnapped Beatrix—who was still completely glamoured to look like Elena—waited quietly in an isolated parking lot. A sleek SUV drove in, cutting across the asphalt before pulling into the space directly beside him.

The kidnapper, having discarded his masquerade mask, stepped out of his car and walked around to the SUV's driver-side door. The window rolled down halfway, revealing a man wearing a low hat and dark sunglasses.

"Where is she?" the driver asked, his voice low.

"In the trunk," the kidnapper replied. "I did exactly what you said."

"Good. Put her in the back."

The kidnapper turned back to his car and popped the trunk. Inside lay an unconscious Beatrix, her appearance still perfectly masked by the doppelgänger glamour. He lifted her limp body, carried her over to the SUV, and carefully laid her down in the rear cargo area. He slammed the hatch shut and walked back up to the driver's window.

"Thank you for your help," the driver said smoothly.

"Is there anything else?" the kidnapper asked.

"One more thing. Come closer, please," the driver requested.

The kidnapper stepped forward, leaning his head in slightly as the driver rolled the window down the rest of the way. "Closer."

The moment the kidnapper leaned in, the driver lunged. With a sudden, violent strike, the vampire overpowered the man, taking his life in a matter of moments. As the lifeless body slumped to the gravel, the driver calmly wiped his mouth with a gloved hand, rolled the window back up, and sped out of the parking lot.

Meanwhile, back in Mystic Falls, the morning sun was up. Elena had woken up and immediately texted Beatrix, knowing the witch had protected her from Katherine the previous night—though she still didn't know the full extent of the risks involved.

Arriving at the high school, Elena spotted Stefan standing by his locker. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she walked up to him.

"Look, I know it must have been weird for Beatrix to have given my necklace back to you," Elena began softly. "But she didn't leave me unprotected. She gave me a different vervain necklace and put a boundary spell on my house. When I tried to leave and come after you guys at the ball, she stopped me."

As she spoke, Stefan's movements stalled. He slowly turned his head to face her, his brows furrowing deeply in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked, his voice dropping. "Beatrix didn't give me your necklace, Elena. I didn't even see her yesterday."

Elena let out a soft, confused chuckle. "But she told me when she took my necklace that she was going to give it to you. That's why I'm wearing this one, see..." She adjusted the collar of her shirt, pulling out the new pendant to show him.

Stefan's frown deepened. "Whoa, wait. You... you said Beatrix spelled you into your house last night?"

"Yeah. I tried to leave, but when I did, it felt like an invisible forcefield was blocking the door," Elena explained, her brows furrowing. "The only person who had been at my house with the capability to do that was Beatrix. She... she really didn't give you my necklace?"

Stefan's mind immediately raced back to the events of the masquerade ball. He remembered the exact moment Jeremy had burst into the room to stop the torture, shouting, "Stop! You're hurting..." Jeremy had hesitated, nearly stumbling over the name. At the time, Stefan assumed it was just sheer shock over his sister, but now the pieces were fitting together.