6 parts Complete Lily's breath hitched as she slammed her foot on the gas pedal. She couldn't afford to stop-she knew he wasn't far behind. He never was.
Her trembling hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. The crowd she had just driven through blurred into a smear of faces, but one stood out. Klaus. His piercing eyes locked onto her car
The look on his face was like a dagger to her chest-anger so potent it scorched her soul, hurt so raw it twisted her insides.She couldn't escape him.
She had pissed off Klaus Mikaelson-her best friend. No, she corrected herself, former best friend.
Now, he wanted her dead. Or worse.
The thought made her stomach churn. She didn't fear death-no vampire truly did-but the prospect of Klaus's revenge, the torture he was infamous for... that terrified her. She had seen what he could do to his enemies, the cold efficiency with which he broke them, both body and spirit.
The man she had once trusted above all others, the one person in the world who had made her feel truly safe, was now the source of her deepest fear.
A painful ache bloomed in her chest as memories of him flooded her mind-the way he used to smile at her in his rare moments of peace, the way his presence had been a shield against every fear and doubt she'd ever had.
Part of her wanted to surrender. She thought about it often during her five years on the run. Would it be easier to face him and accept whatever punishment he had planned? After all, hadn't she earned it?
She longed for just one more moment in his arms, for him to hold her as he used to, to remind her that she was safe.
It was a foolish wish. He would never forgive her.
She doubted he was even capable of forgiveness, not with the weight of all his centuries of pain.
She barely noticed the sign ahead until it loomed into view, its bold letters illuminated in the headlights. Mystic Falls.
Would Klaus find her here? Of course, he would. He always did.
And this time, she wouldn't run.
