The next day, Elena decided to visit Davina again, this time without Marcel or Rebekah. She wanted to talk to Davina alone. She went up to her room above the church and knocked.

Davina opened the door moments later. "Hi."

"Hi. Can I come in?" Elena asked.

Davina nodded and stepped aside.

Elena walked inside and shut the door.

"Marcel's not with you this time," Davina commented.

"No. I wanted to talk to you alone," she said.

"About me living with you? Marcel said you guys were talking about that. I guess no one cared what I might want," Davina said bitterly. She hadn't been happy to learn that they were discussing her future without her there to decide for herself.

"I do care what you want, Davina. That's why I'm here. Yeah, we talked about it, but only to see if it was even a feasible option. We didn't see the point in telling you if it couldn't be done," Elena said.

"And can it be done?" Davina asked.

Elena nodded. She, Marcel, and her family had talked for a while last night, once the tension of Marcel trying to kill her had been dealt with. Some of her family members had some concerns about her taking on a new cause when they still had to find Freya and deal with Dahlia, but her dad was willing to back her up, so was Jenna. "My family has agreed to follow my lead on the matter. What do you think? I brought up the idea because I know it can't be easy to be cooped up in this room."

"It's not. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to go crazy," Davina said.

"Our property is large. You would have access to the entire house. I would put up a one-way boundary spell. I would make so that no one could enter without my permission," Elena said. It would be much like how a vampire needed permission to enter someone's home, only this would affect everyone with a supernatural component to them.

"It sounds nice, but how do I know I can trust you? I just met you. I believe that you're not working with the witches, but how do I know you don't have an ulterior motive. How do I know you won't want something from me," Davina asked.

"I imagine it's not easy for you to trust people these days. I can't promise that I'd never ask for your help, but it wouldn't be contingent on my protection, and if you said no then the answer would be no. The only thing I want right now is to help you, Davina. I know what it's like to be targeted. I know what it's like to be betrayed by someone who was supposed to protect you," Elena said.

"Do I have to decide now?" Davina asked.

"No. I wouldn't expect you to have an answer right away. Marcel and I are still talking too. However, there is something I need to tell you before you make your decision. You need to know because it will affect you if you come to live with us. Marcel doesn't know about it yet, and I'd like to be the one to tell him, so if you could, please keep it to yourself."

Davina nodded and took a seat on the bed.

Elena pulled up a chair. "I have my own threats. We're here because my aunt is in this city somewhere, along with my great aunt, who is a monster. She covets power and she wants mine."

"Is she a witch?" Davina asked.

"Yes. It's a long story and it involves her making a devil's bargain with my grandmother, but she took my aunt because of her power, and once she finds out about me, if she hasn't already, she will want me for the same reason," Elena explained.

"But you're a really powerful witch. Marcel has told me what you can do. You're more powerful than even the elders. You could stop her, couldn't you?" Davina asked.

"I hope so, but she's powerful too. She's been alive for more than a thousand years. I can't underestimate her power. That's why we're trying to keep a low profile, which isn't going too well. Marcel tried to kill me on day one," Elena said.

"Sorry, that's kind of my fault. I alerted him to your magic," Davina said with a sheepish smile.

Elena waved off the apology. "You were only protecting yourself. It's fine.

"Are you sure this witch is in New Orleans? It's just that I know every witch in the Quarter, and I don't know anyone like you're describing."

Elena shrugged. "Dahlia must be in hiding. I did a locator spell to find my Aunt Freya. She's definitely here. Unfortunately, I couldn't get anywhere past the city limits."

Davina thought about her words for a minute. "That usually means that the person's location itself is somehow blocked from magic."

"We thought she might be cloaked personally," Elena said.

Davina shook her head. "Nothing would come up if that were the case, especially if this witch is as powerful as you say. It wouldn't have even sent you to New Orleans. Most cloaking spells work that way. I'm guessing you've picked up on residual magic that was there before her last location blocked her. Magic can stick around for years, especially if the witch is powerful enough. However, it can't be very strong anymore if you're not getting any kind of location."

"Do you know a way around it?" Elena asked.

"Not magically, but there are few places in this city that are magically cloaked. You're sitting in one of them, and I can promise she's not here," Davina said before getting up and going to table on the other side of the room. She pulled up a map and opened it before laying it out on the bed.

Elena stood up and walked over.

"Like I said, there aren't a lot of places that could be cloaked. Witches don't tend to care if people know where they are in this town. They're too arrogant to think someone could harm them," Davina said.

"It could be an individual residence, couldn't it?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, I guess, but the second they left, the spell would be useless. That's why most people don't use locations to cloak themselves. There's something else that's bothering me. I can sense when a witch uses magic, and yours is the only magic I've sensed in months. And given now residual the magic that you used to track your aunt to New Orleans is, I'm guessing it's been even longer than that. That means they would've had to stay in the same spot for many years. I've nearly gone crazy after a few months in this room. No one could do it for years, unless they literally couldn't leave," Davina explained.

"You're saying that they're magically trapped wherever they are," Elena realized.

Davina nodded and pointed to a place on the map. "And I know only one place that fits into that category. It's called the Fauline Cottage. The witches inside are cloaked by a strong boundary spell that keeps them from leaving."

Elena frowned, "Why would a witch cast a spell like that?"

"I'm not sure. It's been like that for almost a hundred years. I don't know how it happened, but it's used as a prison now. It's kind of like the spell you want to set up for me. It's a one-way boundary spell, except that it keeps people in instead of out," Davina explained.

"You think my aunt is inside?" Elena asked.

"I certainly hope not, but it's the only place I can think of. Elena, if she's inside, you're not going to be able to get her out. She's stuck there for eternity," Davina said sadly.

Elena shook her head. "I will not accept that. I will get in there."

"Getting in isn't the problem. Anyone can get in, but you can't get out. Even the witches who run the place can't get out. It's an eternal prison. In fact, it's used to house witches who have gone off the rails. You can't go in there. You'll never get out, and the witches in there are horrible, especially the ones who run it," Davina warned her.

"Davina, my aunt has been a prisoner her whole life. I can't leave her there. I have to do everything in my power to get her out. Thank you for helping me. I'm going to do everything in my power to help you, but first I have to help my aunt," Elena said.

Davina sighed. She didn't want to see Elena trapped in the Fauline Cottage, but maybe she could get out. No witch had ever done so before, but Elena was more powerful than any witch she'd ever met. She couldn't blame Elena for trying. Davina would do it for someone she cared for too. "Be careful. Please."

"I will. Thank you," Elena said before heading for the door. She had work to do.