Chapter Forty-Nine: Adam Vaziri

Present day

Outskirts of Albemarle, NC

She was never going to forgive him.

That's what played around and around in Adam's mind as he sat on the floor of the basement, his back against the freezer chest, his knees propping up his crossed arms. He hadn't even been able to bring himself to close the lid yet – not with her inside it – but it needed to be done soon. Raid could come down any second and he hadn't yet sent the message he needed to send.

He wondered if Raid would notice that the dust sheet was missing. At this point, he didn't care. He'd rested Zara as comfortably as he could inside the empty freezer – the one that had been thankfully switched off – and folded the dust sheet beneath her head. Still, he couldn't close her in. Not yet. He hated trapping her in the darkness until she woke up.

Why the hell couldn't Zara have just fought back? That's exactly why he'd uncuffed her. She'd had an easy second, from the moment he told her he'd betrayed them, to the moment he'd snapped her neck. For a vampire, that should have been enough. Had he been anyone else, it would have been enough. But the shock had been too much. She'd waited too long. Waited to hear that it wasn't true. And that moment never came. He would never forget the look in her eyes. Maybe that was for the best, since he was sure that was the last time she would ever hold any love for him. She would never trust him again.

Adam rotated Zara's phone around in his palm. Both a piece of her and a piece of the plan. He loved one and hated the other. But he didn't have long. He needed to see this through. He needed to close that lid and put Zara out of his mind for the moment. She would eventually wake up, find her phone – which Adam had stolen but intended to return back down to the basement as soon as he was done with it – and she would be okay. Possibly the only one who would be okay. The order hadn't been to kill her, so at least for that he could be thankful.

He stood. Took a moment. Then turned and looked at Zara. Reaching down, he took her hand – the last time he would ever touch her and she didn't even know it – and used her fingerprint to unlock her phone. Not a single part of him wanted to let her hand go, but he wouldn't allow himself that pleasure. He didn't deserve it. So he quickly returned her hand to her lap, raising his head and diverting his eyes as he lowered the lid over her.

He didn't waste another moment as he darted up the stone steps towards the entrance hall. Timing was everything. He'd had only a minute or two to grab the crossbow from the weapons' room, position it, take the photo, and message it to Cristian after sending Stef downstairs to deal with Lorraine. But at least he'd known where everyone was. Now he had no idea. Peaking his head around the basement door cautiously, grateful that the coast was clear, he sped towards the front door and opened it. Zara's car was outside, unmissable on the large, gritted driveway. Did he have time to move it? Not a chance. He'd have to word his message realistically – a meeting point that Zara could have run to instead of driven. Considering all the nearby landmarks, Adam then typed out the message from Zara's phone. It wouldn't take Raid long to respond, so he quickly switched off the device and pocketed it.

Seconds later, Raid came running towards the front door where Adam was still standing. "I just got a message from Zara. Where is she?"

"She's gone," Adam said solemnly, turning towards him. "You were right. I fucked up, Raid, she's gone."

Raid froze. He didn't ask how. He didn't even want to know. Then he suddenly sped towards the basement door and down the steps. He needed to see it for himself.

Adam followed him, if for no other reason than to make sure that Raid didn't discover where Zara was hidden. His heart rate increased watching Raid head over to the freezer chest, but let out a quiet breath in relief when he only inspected the handcuffs still attached to it. Perhaps he should have tried to damage them a little to make it more convincing, except he already knew he didn't have the strength for that. They were solid, designed to restrain those far stronger than humans, and the noise it would have taken would have been too big of a risk. It was just as easy to pretend that she hadn't secured them properly.

"I shouldn't have left you with her," Raid muttered, a tone of disappointment more than anger, and he dropped the cuffs so they hung again from the freezer handle. He turned towards Adam. "She sent me a message, telling me to meet her alone, two miles north of the Pee Dee River by the bridge. She admitted to threatening Stef, but said she was acting on Dimitri's orders and never intended to harm her. She wants to tell me his plan so we can stop him."

"So call her now," Adam urged, knowing for a fact he couldn't.

"I already tried. Her phone is off," Raid confirmed. He paced the room, running a hand through his hair, stressed and unsure how to proceed. "None of this makes sense. Why didn't she just tell me? Why not just take her car and keep running? What the hell can I do to stop Dimitri that she can't do herself?"

Adam had to stop Raid from ruminating over these questions before he talked himself out of meeting her. "So go and talk to her," he told him. "This is your only chance to find out what's going on. I'll stay here and make sure Stef's safe. If Zara comes back, I'll call you. You can take her car; she keeps her keys in a drawer in the kitchen." A pain tightened around his throat. He was not supposed to suggest that. It meant that he would be back within minutes. It didn't leave much time.

Raid stopped pacing. He was almost convinced. "Do you really think I should?"

"You have your magic. You have the protection spell on you," Adam reminded him. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Raid was now completely convinced. "You're right." He turned and headed back up the stairs with Adam following behind him. It took a moment for Raid to locate Zara's keys from the kitchen as Adam waited in the entrance hall. When he returned, he placed a hand firmly on Adam's shoulder. "Look after Stef. I'll be fifteen minutes max and then I'm coming back. If anything happens in that time, you call me."

Adam nodded. A lot was going to happen in that time, but he couldn't breathe a word of it. "I will," he vowed.

The moment Adam saw his cousin drive off, he raced into action, first heading back down into the basement, leaving the phone for Zara to find when she woke up. Then he returned upstairs and headed into the library where Stef and Lorraine were seated on the Chesterfield chairs, glasses of bourbon in their hands, continuing to talk to each other.

"Raid's in danger," Adam burst as soon as he entered.

Stef immediately stood, dropping her glass, the remaining liquid spilling onto the floor. "What do you mean, he's in danger?" she panicked. "Where is he?"

Adam increased the rate of his breathing, mimicking her own alarm. "Zara's been working for the Coven. She's taken him to them."

"No, that's not possible!" Stef yelled. "She wouldn't do that!"

"She has!" he snapped back. "She sent me a message. He's gone. Her car is gone. They're heading to Mystic Falls." He strode quickly towards her. "But it's okay, we have time. He has the protection spell on him –"

"The protection spell has already worn off!" she shouted. "It only lasts twenty-four hours unless I feed on human blood again!"

Adam's surprise was real. He hadn't known that. This was going to be easier than he thought. No force was going to be necessary. "Then you're going to have to feed again."

"Feed on who, Adam?!" she snapped.

His throat constricted as he said the word, "Me." It took everything within him to get that word out. He had to hope she took him up on the offer.

Stef's voice was conflicted and twisted with pain. "I can't," she wailed. "You know how it makes me feel. I can't do that to Raid with you."

Lorraine stood from her chair, shooting a glaring look towards Adam before turning towards Stef. "Look, I don't know what the hell is going on here – or what a damn 'protection spell' is – but if Raid's in trouble, I want to help," she insisted. "What do I have to do?"

"You have to let her feed on you," Adam said to Lorraine, returning her earlier glare.

"That won't... turn me into a vampire, will it?" she asked cautiously.

Adam was getting really fed up with Lorraine's games. "Don't be fucking stupid, Lo!" he snapped. "Now, do you want to help Raid or not?"

Lorraine shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not a stranger to a little pain... besides, I'm kind of curious."

Stef felt a knot in her stomach. Lorraine was certainly the better choice, but she wasn't even sure she could keep any blood down right now. She knew Lorraine was on vervain. That wouldn't be a problem for the feeding – Stef was immune to the effects of vervain on vampires – but what if it was a problem for the spell? Both Raid and Adam needed to be free from vervain before she could cast the protection spell on them, but she didn't think that also applied to the blood supply. What if it didn't work and it was all for nothing? The decision was tearing her apart and she didn't have time for this. Every second she wasted was a risk to Raid's life. Still, Lorraine had a right to know what the feeding would do to her – what it would do to both of them. "You don't understand. It would be pleasurable, not painful." She added nervously, "It would feel... sexual."

"Oh, honey," Lorraine scoffed. "I've already agreed to this; you don't have to keep selling it to me." She stepped in front of Stef, wrapping her thick auburn hair away from her neck.

Stef forced back her hesitation. This was for Raid. This was to protect him. As soon as it was over, she could find him and save him. He would understand why she had to do this, wouldn't he? She had no other choice but to hope he would. Sliding her hand around the back of Lorraine's neck, she gently pulled her in, closer to her mouth. "Thank you," she breathed against her neck, right before she drew out her fangs, bit down, and fed on her.

The first hit of blood to Stef's throat was euphoric, but thankfully not the kind of pleasure she experienced when feeding on Raid. It was drug-like, intoxicating, warm, and oddly numbing, slowly sending her into a drunken stupor. She drank more, the second and third swallow becoming hotter and hotter.

The fourth swallow hit her in an overwhelming burn to her throat. Scorching, scratching, constricting. She released her fangs. Suddenly she couldn't breathe. The numbing sensation was coursing throughout her until she slipped limply down Lorraine's body and onto the floor.

Lorraine took a step back and crouched down in front of Stef, who was on all fours, violently coughing, desperately trying to draw air into her lungs. "Actually, it's you I need to thank, Stefanie, for being so darn gullible." She then stood and watched Stef gasping, her tearful eyes looking up at Adam imploringly, silently begging him for help. Lorraine followed her gaze towards Adam, who remained in place across the room, clearly battling an internal struggle to help. She returned her sight back onto Stef. "I wouldn't expect Adam to save you," she teased. "He was so easily compelled. I did it the moment I found out he wasn't taking vervain. Serves him right for not listening to my advice."

Stef's arms weakened, no longer able to hold herself upright. She collapsed onto the ground, using the last remaining strength in her limbs to roll herself onto her back. She couldn't let Lorraine out of her sight. "You're... a vampire," Stef gasped, her throat raw, her voice barely recognizable.

"Don't waste your breath stating the obvious," Lorraine dismissed. Seeing a faint and diminishing glow appear in the hands that Stef could hardly lift from her chest, she added, "And don't waste your energy trying to use any of your magic or vampire powers. Cristian already figured out that you're allergic to vampire blood. That became perfectly obvious the moment you lost your vampire strength after consuming a tiny drop of Phoenix's blood. He told me everything."

"Who... are... you?" Stef was becoming dizzy. So very dizzy.

"Who am I?" Lorraine toyed, happy at the question. "I'm the vampire working for Dimitri. I'm the one who turned Flick. I'm the one who wore down your compulsion on Raid and Adam by slipping them vervain, even compelling the damn barista in Atlanta to put it in their drinks until you came along. Realizing that one of them was a witch and discovering they both took part in a ritual was how I found out Cristian was never involved. So I guess I'm the one who ruined all your hard work." She said this proudly. "But, more importantly, I'm someone you betrayed, Stefanie. I'm someone Raid betrayed. I'm someone your family betrayed. The moment you saw me, I knew you recognized me, but how you must have struggled to figure out who I was!" She sat down on the Chesterfield chair, her elbows on her knees, looking down at Stef. "Allow me to refresh your memory, dear Sorcha. My name is Lana Peters. My daughter died to save your former life. A life you lived happily with the killer of my daughter." She leaned forward, hissing the final words venomously, "You. Broke. My. Fucking. Heart."

Lana? Sorcha's lover? This had nothing to do with her! Stef released her words in a desperate cry. "It wasn't me!"

Lorraine straightened. "Oh, you may look a little different with those despicable Salvatore and Gilbert genes now, but you're still the same. I, on the other hand, look exactly the same. The settler witches were all dead before they had time to burn my body, and what was a broken neck from hanging going to do? I was already a vampire. Winifred made good on her promise to save me by coming to my cell and feeding me her blood before our trials. I had already transitioned." Lorraine then laughed. "You have no idea how long I had to wait for Gabe and Winifred to finally leave this house before I could make my move. Can you imagine if they'd recognized me?"

"Please," Stef begged. She was losing the fight. All she cared about was Raid's safety. If Lorraine had any feelings for him, surely she would care too? She emitted the only word she had the energy left to say: "Raid..."

"Oh, I don't care about Raid," Lorraine tittered in amusement, swishing her hand dismissively. "Though he was incredible in bed." She slipped down from her chair, kneeling on the floor beside Stef, her eyes wandering over her face. "But is he as good as I was, darling Sorcha? Or can't you remember?" Lorraine's hand tenderly stroked back Stef's hair, ignoring her flinches. "I wish I had the privilege of not remembering. I wish I had something left to love the way you love him. But, by the time I had grieved the death of my daughter and learned to cope with my blood cravings so that I wouldn't be a threat to you, you were already with him: the killer of my daughter, the thief of my one true love. Yet I was kind enough to let you have that happiness, and so I travelled the world seeking the only family I had left. Hundreds of years I searched, only to discover that your family took that away from me too."

Stef's entire body was numb, she had so many questions, but she struggled to speak and Lorraine hushed her attempts to try, continuing to stroke her hair. What did she mean? Stef never knew of her until now. Her family never knew her. Had they ever spoken of a Lorraine Pieterse? A Lana Peters? No, she was certain they hadn't. They had told her everything. Not once had they ever mentioned either of those names.

"I know, I know," Lorraine cooed. "You don't understand. I never told you about my father because I never met him. All I knew of him was that one minute he was having an affair with my mother, and the next he was killed. He was dead before I was even born. But it didn't mean I had no family remaining, even after my mother died." Lorraine continued to hush Stef's panicked whimpers after biting into her own wrist, exposing more of her vampire blood. "You need more blood, Stefanie. I didn't expect you to hold on this long. Raid will soon be back from the wild goose chase I sent him on, and I can't have him finding you like this. But, don't worry, I won't leave you without answers." Lorraine sighed, wishing they had more time. "I never told you my real name – the name I took from my father – but every name I had was always so similar. Pieterse derives from the name Peters, you see? Peters was the name I picked up from Western Europe after travelling there from the southern borders of Wallachia. Do you know which country bordered Wallachia?"

Stef shook her head. Why was any of this relevant? She knew nothing about Wallachia.

Lorraine smiled tenderly. "Bulgaria, my love," she answered. "And what's the Bulgarian equivalent to the name Peters?"

Stef's eyes widened. This was extremely relevant. She knew exactly who had come from that country. Knew exactly which relative of Lana's her family had killed.

With the only breath left in her body, Stef spoke the name like it was a curse.

"Petrova."

Lorraine's smile disappeared. "Now you understand," she finished, and she shoved her wrist into Stef's mouth, forcing the blood down her throat until she fell unconscious.