Chapter 20

You know that whole saying about not starting what you can't finish? Yeah well I'm going to finish what the spirits started. 

Sheila was laid on my couch, still unconscious with Bonnie still fretting over her. The girl hadn't calmed down since, it was understandable seeing as how she just got her back. 

"You need to calm down Bonnie." I said, causing the girl's head to snap towards me. 

"Calm down? You just told me that my grams was possessed by an ancient witch who was being backed up by other witches because they're angry at her for siding with you and want to kill you! I don't know how you can even be calm!" She ranted, her frustration evident. 

"That's because despite what they want you to think, they're not all powerful. The only reason they're able to make it look like that is because they're all channeling each other and no magic in the world can challenge that." Except mine and though I left that part unsaid, I'm sure it's swirling in her mind. 

Sheila might not have wanted Bonnie to get mixed up in all this but it wasn't like this was my fault, right? She was the one who got possessed and went all Voldemort on me. 

It should be a humbling thing for them that even after gathering the power of over a hundred dead witches, they can't even come close to the amount of magic I possess. 

Putting my hands on Bonnie's shoulders, I give it a small rub. "She's going to be fine after a bit of rest. Channeling that amount of magic is tiring after all."

While her eyes were red and puffy, the tears hadn't fully started falling and that is exactly what I don't want. I'm not exactly great at consoling people so I simply pulled her into a gentle hug. 

Apparently that did it, as I felt her shaking subside a bit and the tears finally fell, wetting my shirt. 

"I just got her back. I don't want to lose her again." She sobbed. 

"You won't." I replied, rubbing small circles into her back as I held her. 

A man's work is his pride and Sheila is the product of my work that the spirits are messing with. If nothing else, that was more than enough reason for me to push back, you know, other than the obvious attempt on my life. 

Xx-Xx-Xx

Crying was tiring so it was no surprise that Bonnie fell asleep fast, after which I set her to bed in my room while I headed out. I made sure the wards around the house stood strong before leaving.

My destination was the woods and it didn't take me long to find what I was looking for, or rather, who I was looking for. 

"Good, you're here." I said, coming into a small clearing where Pearl was waiting. 

"Of course I did. You have my daughter's life in your hands, don't you?" She bit back. 

"Lighten up. The only reason for that is to make sure you don't suddenly wake up and decide that mystic falls is too crowded with humans. It's not like I've asked you to go sunbathing without your ring." As I said that, the very idea of it made her blanch for a moment before she smothered her reaction. 

"I still don't know what you plan to achieve. Your 'request' was a little odd." She admitted, gesturing to the unconscious woman who lay by her feet.

"You're welcome to stay for the show." I said, going down to inspect the body. Pulling out a piece of herb, I let it graze her skin, a sizzling sound filling the air. Good. 

Legilimency allowed me to read people's minds but in this case, Ayana is a soul without a body and I can't exactly see it working on her so I decided to fix that. I had Pearl turn a random woman from the other side of town and bring her here. 

If the witches want to be brought back so badly, I'll give them their wish. But first, I pulled some stray pieces of wood to me, dipping them in a can of vervain. 

As for where I got vervain, the sheriff needs to secure her stock better. 

Laying the newly turned vampire on her back, I made a quick gesture, the vervain soaked wood flying into her palms and nailing her to the ground. Despite the undoubtedly painful sensation, she didn't wake. 

"Did you snap her neck?" I asked Pearl who merely nodded with a shrug. 

That would explain it. She's temporarily 'dead' so she won't feel all this until she wakes up. Good for her. 

Pulling the pendant out of pocket, I stood over her. Letting it fall, I made it hover just in front of the 'dead' vampire's face as I pulled out a small container that held some salt. 

Sprinkling the salt over the corpse, I began chanting. "Helbred brannsår, belaste hjerte, begynn på nytt."

As soon as I finished my incantations, a pass erupted from the crucified woman as she woke up with a violent start. Retrieving the pendant, I squatted down to meet her face to face as she struggled to gain her bearings. 

"Hello Ayana, we really have to stop meeting like this. People are going to get the wrong impression." I said, watching her eyes widen in recognition, then fear. 

Whatever she was going to say was cut off as the stinging sensation from the vervain drenched pieces of wood caught up to her, forcing her to hiss in pain. 

"I wouldn't move around too much if I were you. You're a vampire now and as you know, vervain is toxic to vampires." If her eyes widened anymore, I fear they'd pop out of her skull. 

A witch's worst fear was becoming a vampire and for someone like Ayana, it was purely devastating. 

"W-why?" She barely managed to ask, causing me to almost scoff in disbelief. 

"You're seriously asking that after your little stunt on my porch." I could only let out a small laugh. "Anyways, I didn't bring you back for a good old chinwag. Let's see what secrets lie in that judgy mind of yours."

Without waiting for her to respond, I dove into her mind with the intent to reap every scrap of knowledge she had. 

-[Liz Forbes]-

What the hell was going on?

First it was the Wickery bridge sign that got taken, now it was part of her stash of vervain. How did she know that someone took it?

There was a note written 'Thanks for the tea' where she kept the vervain. Whoever it was only took a small amount but the fact that someone was able to get to it without her noticing was very disturbing. 

Maybe she was overthinking it. Was it one of her deputies that took it, actually thinking it was herbal tea? Not all of them were aware of vampires, just the ones that knew how to shut their mouths. 

Either way, she'd have to be on guard. She'd also have to get some more vervain from Damon, the saint that the boy was. She couldn't imagine what they'd do without him.