An Elemental Difference - FIRE - Book 2 (Stefan Salvatore)

Chapter 67 - That was me; that was my scream.

GILBERT HOUSEHOLD

Aella entered her bedroom and handed Elena the drink she'd just made, a warm mug of hot chocolate.

She turned back to the door, muttering an incantation under her breath with her eyes closed. "Phasmatos veras nos ex malom. Terra mora vantis quo incandis per vasa quo errum signos."

A bright flash of green light flickered past Aella's eyes as the Bennett Sealing Spell settled upon the room. "Let's see the all-powerful Jonas beat that spell," she muttered to herself before turning back to Elena.

"Don't let it go cold, E; it has my secret ingredient in it, you know, that only comes out on special occasions," Aella said, gesturing to the steaming drink.

Elena managed a strained smile. "Special occasions? More like whenever one of us is the target of a madman."

"Potato, potahto," Aella shrugged, taking a seat beside her friend on the bed. She nudged Elena playfully. "Hot chocolatey goodness with a secret ingredient I will take to my grave."

Elena looked up from the drink and dryly replied, "You mean cinnamon and vanilla essence?"

Aella gasped dramatically. "How did you know?" She glanced around the room in mock suspicion. "Did you put a microphone in here to hear my secrets?"

Elena chuckled softly. "And listen to what you and Stefan get up to? No, thanks." Her smile faded as she continued, "The last time one of us cooked with spices, Jeremy ended up in the emergency room. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the cinnamon and vanilla were for."

Aella looked genuinely surprised. "Wow! Maybe you should become a cop instead of a doctor."

Elena shrugged. "I think I've got the bedside manner suited to a doctor rather than a cop." She glanced up at Aella. "Good at keeping secrets, bad at admitting I was wrong."

Aella grimaced, her cheerful demeanor faltering. "So we're going to talk about it." She busied herself around the room, straightening objects unnecessarily.

"I don't think there's a better time," Elena said softly, setting her hot chocolate down. "You've locked us in here for god-knows how long. What better time for you to admit you hate me for lying to you?"

Aella dropped what she was doing and turned to Elena in shock. "Hate you? I could never hate you, Elena."

Tears welled up in Elena's eyes. "I wouldn't blame you if you did. You've done nothing but try to keep me alive, yet I decided to keep Damon's secret and risk everything you've done." She gestured to the sealed door. "All this, with Jonas and Luka, could have been avoided if I'd told you Damon's plan, and we stopped him from daggering Elijah."

Aella bit her lip, her expression conflicted. She moved to sit opposite Elena on the bed. "What you did didn't help things," she admitted. "But Damon, Luka, and Dr. Martin... that's on them. We'll never know if Elijah's plan would have worked, but the Martins' actions are their own. You shouldn't feel responsible for Luka or what Jonas did either."

Elena managed a grateful smile, but her relief was short-lived when she heard voices outside the room. Aella reassured her, "Don't worry, he can't get through the barrier. Plus..." Aella closed her eyes and whispered a spell too low for Elena to catch; when Aella's eyes, the green brighter than previously, the teen smiled softly, "It's just Bonnie, Jeremy, and Anna."

Elena relaxed slightly, but she couldn't shake the feeling of unease.

As Aella began to pull away, Elena grabbed her hand and held her there. Aella tensed at the unexpected touch.