Clara

“Liam, what are you—” Before Clara could finish, Liam pressed the knife firmly against her skin.

“Let him go, Damon, or I’ll slit her throat,” Liam threatened. Clara winced as the knife sliced her skin.

Damon immediately released Sebastian. Sebastian seized Damon, slamming him to the ground. Clara swore she heard Damon’s bones crack.

“Stop! Please let him go! What are you doing, Liam?!” Clara screamed. Liam scoffed.

“What am I doing? Look around, Clara. Your beast of a husband destroyed almost everyone’s lives here. My mother was so badly tortured by him that she preferred death, and you’re asking me what I’m doing?! Why does he get a happy ending, and the rest of us don’t? He’s the villain, Clara!” Liam argued. Clara shook her head, aware of the knife cutting her skin, but she didn’t care.

“He’s changed, Liam. Everyone deserves a second chance, and—”

“He ruined lives, Clara. Those people he killed—don’t they deserve a second chance? He doesn’t deserve to live,” Liam retorted.

“And you really think siding with Sebastian is right? As soon as Damon is dead, he’ll wipe out our entire race…”

“I don’t give a damn, Clara! I have nothing left to live for! My mother is dead, and I…I lost you to that beast. I don’t care if I die today, as long as I watch him die,” he replied. Clara frowned.

“This isn’t you, Liam. You’re not a bad person; you never have been. Are you really willing to risk everyone’s life for revenge?” she questioned. He chuckled. Clara grimaced as he leaned close to her ear.

“If you come back to me, I can rethink helping Sebastian. Just say you’ll come back. You don’t have to love me; just let me love you,” he murmured. She shivered with disgust as he trailed his fingers up her thighs.

I can’t believe I once loved this man’s touch.

“Don’t you dare touch her! I’ll break your fingers!” Damon threatened from the ground. Clara whimpered as Sebastian stepped on his head, pressing it firmly to the ground.

“You shouldn’t be talking, bastard,” Sebastian said before repeatedly stomping on Damon’s head.

“No! Please stop! You’re going to kill him! Please stop! Damon!” Clara screamed, struggling against Liam’s hold, but he held her tightly. The others were still fighting and couldn’t help.

“That’s the point, buttercup,” Sebastian said with a sinister smile. He was about to stomp on Damon’s head again when he was shot in the abdomen.

Sebastian fell to the ground, groaning. Everyone turned toward the gunshot. Clara’s heart soared with hope as she saw her uncle and his men approaching, armed.

In the moment of distraction, Clara broke free from Liam, grabbed the knife, and slit his throat.

He stared at her with wide eyes as blood poured from his neck before he fell.

I never wanted to kill him, considering our past, but he wasn’t the Liam I loved, and I wouldn’t spare someone who wanted my husband dead.

“Say hello to your mother and father for me,” Clara said as life drained from Liam’s eyes.

She turned to Damon, lying lifeless on the ground with Sebastian groaning beside him. Clara rushed to Damon and held his body. Why was he so cold?

“Damon? My love? Please stay with me! Talk to me! Damon!” she screamed, lightly tapping his cheeks. She checked his pulse; there was nothing.

“Damon!” she screamed, panic rising. It couldn’t be! She wouldn’t let him die.

“Help! Help Damon!” she screamed, trying to lift him. As she did, Sebastian grabbed her leg, and she fell, slamming her stomach on the ground.

Pain shot through her as she screamed.

“I’m going to kill you, bitch!” Sebastian yelled, pulling her closer.

“Let go of me! Damon!” she cried out, despite the severe pain. She looked where she’d dropped Damon; he was still lifeless.

She saw her uncle and Luca running toward them.

“Help Damon! I can’t feel his pulse! Forget me and help him!” she screamed. Instead, her uncle raised his gun and fired directly at Sebastian’s abdomen.

“Do you really think your silly bullet can hurt me, human?!” Sebastian roared.

“That’s not just any bullet; it’s an antidote. The one I shot you with earlier weakened your immortality, and this one will dissolve it,” her uncle explained, still aiming at Sebastian. Clara saw Luca helping Damon.

Sebastian laughed.

“A mere human creating an antidote for immortality? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Sebastian said. Clara wanted to respond but was in too much pain.

“Uncle…”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, save your breath. It’ll be over soon. I’m sorry I’m late,” he murmured. Clara winced as she tried to get up, only for Sebastian to step on her hand with his boot.

“It’ll be over when I say it is, and it won’t be over until I’ve crushed every last one of you! I will become a god!” he roared. Clara groaned as he grabbed her hair and was about to slam her face on the ground when he let out a pained scream.

He released her hair and fell to his knees, clutching his head, screaming continuously. Clara stared in shock and noticed witches standing beside her uncle, chanting a spell that seemed to be affecting Sebastian.

“You bitch! You betrayed me!” Sebastian yelled at one of the witches.

“You betrayed everyone with your sick idea of becoming a god! You had my mother killed to fulfill your selfish goal, so I’m here to end your fucking life!” As she said that, the chants grew louder, and blood flowed from Sebastian’s nose, eyes, and ears.

“Damon, where’s Damon?” Clara murmured, weakly trying to stand, only for Sebastian to grab her again.

She turned, and her soul nearly left her body as she saw him transformed into the monster that had visited her room. He was the devil.

“I will not let you live!” he yelled. Clara closed her eyes, accepting her fate; her body was too weak to fight. All she hoped was that Damon was okay. He had to be.

She waited for pain, but none came. Sebastian’s weight lifted, followed by his scream of agony.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw Damon literally tearing Sebastian apart with his bare hands.

At that moment, Clara couldn’t decide who looked more devilish. Sebastian had the figure of the devil, but Damon looked scarier—eyes covered in blood, half his body covered in wounds. He looked near death, and yet…

“Damon…” she muttered softly, tears falling.

“Anyone who hurts my wife will die!” Damon yelled before finally ripping Sebastian apart.

Silence fell as everyone tried to understand. Had they won? It didn’t feel like it.

Damon slowly turned toward Clara, but before he could take a step, he fell, hitting his head hard. “Damon! Ahh!” Clara yelled as a sharp pain ripped through her abdomen. Looking down, she saw blood flowing down her thighs.

Her world stopped.

“My baby!” she cried, placing her hand on her stomach, but she could barely feel it, nor hear its heartbeat.

“Damon! I can’t feel the baby! I can’t…ahhh!!” she screamed as pain shot through her again.

Her uncle rushed to her and helped her up as she watched Luca and another man help Damon. He wasn’t breathing.

“No, no, no, no,” she muttered, watching them take him away.

“It’s okay, we need to get you to the hospital,” her uncle said softly, helping her down. She couldn’t lose both of them. She couldn’t.

She couldn’t feel her baby, nor the mate bond with Damon.

“Damon,” was the last thing she uttered before succumbing to darkness.