Clara tightened her arms around Damon for what felt like the hundredth time. Damon chuckled.

“I’m not going to disappear, Clara,” he murmured, kissing her forehead.

“Well, I won’t be seeing you for a week, so pardon me for wanting to get into your skin,” Clara murmured. He chuckled lightly but said nothing. A few minutes later, Luca announced, “We’re here.” Clara’s arms reflexively tightened around Damon.

“It’s okay, baby. I’ll stay a little while before leaving. Okay?” he said softly, caressing her face. Clara sighed and nodded.

They had been on the road for hours. Although she didn’t want the trip to end (it meant Damon would leave), she was glad for a chance to stretch her legs. They climbed out of the car, and Clara’s eyes widened at their destination. She’d expected a small hut, given Damon and Luca’s secrecy, but it was a large, heavily guarded mansion.

“Isn’t this mansion a little too big?” she asked as they walked through the gates.

“I want you to be comfortable, Clara. Besides, it doesn’t matter; no one will get to you here. This territory belongs to a close acquaintance of mine. He owes me a favor, so he was happy to let you stay. Several years ago, he hired the most powerful witch to place a cloaking spell on this territory, making it invisible to the outside world. You’ll be safe here,” Damon explained. Clara’s eyes widened. She grabbed his hand.

“Then why don’t you just hide out here with me? We can stay until they give up searching for you. Delilah, your parents, everyone can come here, right?” she asked hopefully, staring into his eyes. He smiled slightly and placed his palm on her face.

“If it were the past, I’d totally agree, because I was selfish and only cared about myself. But you’ve made me a better person. And what will our children think if they hear their father abandoned his people when they needed him most?” he asked. Clara pouted.

“A smart man who wants to protect himself?” she retorted. He chuckled and pinched her cheek.

“Stop being such a stubborn little devil. I’ll be okay, I promised you, didn’t I?” he asked. Clara sighed and nodded.

“You did,” she replied. He smiled.

“Then trust me, hmm?” he said softly. She sighed and nodded.

“I trust you,” she murmured. He smiled, kissed her forehead, and interlocked their fingers as they walked toward the mansion.

“Where’s your friend—your acquaintance?” she asked as they approached.

“He’s away on a business trip; he should be here tomorrow. He’ll check up on you, so tell him if you need anything,” he said. Clara raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t expect you to be okay with a man seeing me without you,” she said. He chuckled.

“Well, he’s gay, so I don’t mind. Although, now that I think about it, he’s probably never met a woman as beautiful as you before. You might make him straight,” he said with a straight face, making it hard to tell if he was serious.

“Damon, you’re being cheesy again,” Clara said with a grin. He chuckled.

“You bring that out in me. Let’s go in so you can get settled,” he said, pushing open the door.

Clara gasped. She was shocked, not only by the beauty of the house but by who was inside.

“Aunt Amelia?!” she shrieked, running to hug her aunt tightly. Amelia laughed.

“Calm down, child, my bones aren’t as strong as they used to be,” she joked, but Clara didn’t let go. It felt like years since they’d last seen each other.

“What are you doing here?” Clara asked, pulling away. Amelia turned to Damon.

“He didn’t want you to be bored and alone, so he had me brought here to keep you company and help with your pregnancy,” she explained. Clara turned to Damon, who smiled.

“Thank you,” she mouthed. He shook his head.

“Let’s check around before we leave,” Damon said, walking away.

“You’re worried about him,” Aunt Amelia pointed out.

“I can’t shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen to him, and it’s eating me alive. I just want him to be okay,” Clara said. Amelia sighed.

“Well, there’s nothing you can do. You’ll just have to trust him. Besides, he won’t be alone; the werewolves and his other allies will back him up,” she said. Clara scoffed.

“Damon has more enemies than allies, and most werewolves are against him because of his past. But you’re right, he asked me to trust him, so I’m going to,” she said. Amelia smiled.

“That’s more like it. By the way, I forgot to tell you that…” Before she could finish, they heard Damon’s loud growl followed by a wolf’s whisper.

Why did that sound familiar?

Without delay, they rushed out to investigate the commotion.

“Damon, what’s going on? Did you… Liam?” There, on the ground, lay Liam, covered in bite and claw marks.

“I’m going to kill him,” Damon said, starting toward Liam when Aunt Amelia ran in front, shielding him.

“I brought him here, so if anyone deserves punishment, it’s me. Don’t kill him, I beg you!” she pleaded. Clara frowned. “Damon, that’s enough,” she said. He frowned but visibly calmed down.

“But…”

“It’s okay. Why would you bring him here, Aunt Amelia?” Clara asked. Amelia sighed.

“He… Liam is sick. He doesn’t have much time left. I swear I didn’t want to bring him, but he wanted to apologize to you before he died. Please understand,” she explained. Clara’s eyes widened, darting to Liam, who was still groaning in pain.

Liam was dying?