Love In Shadows

27. Inescapable choices

I found myself lying near the chairs, where I was sitting. I felt a slight irritation on my arms and part neck. When I touched my arms, I felt a thick red liquid oozing out from everywhere. My light blue dress was stained by my blood. Some pieces of glass were dug deep inside my skin.

It hurts.

The last thing I remember was Elena falling on the floor after that sudden outburst. I looked around and found some people crying in pain. Alaric was holding Jo- who looked rather pale- in his arms. Seemed like everything just flipped. Once again.

My eyes were about to close once again before a tall figure towered over me and crouched down to me. A pair of hands held my face and then, a voice echoed, "Samantha! Samantha! Stay with me. Wake up, Samantha!"

I slowly opened my eyes to see Stefan looking at me with a worried expression. I slowly lifted my hand to hold his arms for support to sit up, feeling a bit drowsy. "Whe- where is everyone?" I mumbled.

"Is E- Elena okay? I saw her...", I trailed off. My eyes flooded with tears as I was about to recall that incident. Stefan lowered his gaze before meeting my eyes again and said, "I'll tell you everything but before that, I have to make sure that you are safe."

I nodded and saw Caroline approaching us. She was about to give me a hand but then, both of their necks got snapped and they slumped down to the floor. "Oh, God!" I gasped, nearing them to see if they could wake up. Now they were just lifeless bodies for a while.

"Nothing personal, but this is a family matter now." A familiar voice said from behind. I turned back to see the same face who came out the thin air and murdered his sister. Kai Parker. He was staring at me with a gentle smile on his face. My heart began to beat faster by his presence.

There was something different about him. Maybe it's his facial hair that was defining his jawline more prominently, Making him look more mature and... Enticing?

But soon, my eyes fell on Elena who was lying unconscious on the floor. Damon was sitting beside her, her head was on his lap as he was trying hard to wake her up.

"Guess, Who is the maid of honor?", Caroline squealed.

Oh, Elena.

I sudden cold sense of touch on my cheek made me look at him. His eyes softened at me and it seemed like a sense of relief washed over him. His smile grew broad as he continued grazing my cheeks further. I got goosebumps when I felt that Jo's blood is on my cheeks now so I footed back instantly to maintain some good distance between us.

My eyes flickered between him and Damon who looked like he was on the verge of falling apart.

"Guess, Who is the maid of honor?", Caroline squealed.

They don't deserve it.

I trudged back and ran toward Damon in a rush to help him. I noticed how Kai's face got quizzical perhaps, dejected too but it wasn't one of my priorities right now.

"Hey, Wake up, Elena. Baby? Stay with me." Damon kept mumbling, his voice almost breaking. He wasn't aware of my presence even after being a vampire.

I placed my hand on his shoulder for some comfort. "She is not waking up. Why isn't she waking up?" He looked at me with his dampened crystal blue eyes. He looked defeated. I managed to crouch down at his level and held his forearm as I said, "Damon, You should- "

"Are you okay? What happened to your hands? There is blood...", He started asking questions regarding his concern towards me.

"Don't worry about me. Let's get her out of here " I responded. He slowly nodded and after that, I helped him take Elena outside the hall.