Protecting Them (Only His Series: Book 3) *NEW VERSION*

Chapter 36

Alex's P.O.V

Lily was quick to lead us through some tunnels under our house with a lamp in her hand. She wore a smile the whole way while Damon and I shared a few worried glances. We stopped in our track when we saw six desiccated vampires, to the point of immobilization, sitting around a table. Lily moved to stand next to one of them.

"Everyone, meet my son, Damon, and my daughter, Alexandria," Lily introduced us. "They're here to take us home."

I looked at the sight horrified. Out of everything that could have happened while we were here, my mother having a den of desiccated vampires was not something I imagined. Damon and I looked at each other with concern before we turned back to Lily. She was now putting on a jazz record, via a gramophone player, while my brother and I both continued to stare in horrid confusion.

"Mother, have these vampires been here with you the whole time?" I asked her.

"We went everywhere together. They happened to be on the boat that night, poor souls," Lily answered, solemnly.

"These...poor souls...don't happen to have the same affinity for rolling heads, do they?" Damon asked.

"On the contrary." She moved to stand behind them. "These people saved me from the part of myself. I was banished here because I was a monster. I drank with no remorse from whatever human I could sink my teeth into. But, locked in this cage, I was forced to confront the animal I had become," Mom explained and affectionately fixed up the handkerchief in one of her male friends' pockets. "And as we ran out of resources...my friends sacrificed their rations for me." I crossed my arms in discomfort and swallowed a lump in my throat. How noble. "And I knew that if I drank everything, as every bone in my body demanded...there wouldn't be enough to wake them. So I learned to control my bloodlust." Lily moved around the table again to stand in front of us. "For them. These people made me feel human again. I'll fetch the rest of the blood, so we can revive them."

Lily made her way out of the room as I let out a shaky breath. I slowly wandered further into the room, and to the desiccated vampire at the end of the table. I bent over a bit, held up a finger, and waved it back and forth as I watched the man's eyes follow it. Ok, that's creepy.

"Not only is she a Ripper -" I looked at my brother as I stood up. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "She's an insane Ripper!" Damon yelled.

"Agreed. Let's snap her neck and find Bonnie and Kai quickly. We can't let her-" I began to trail off when a little box caught my eye. I walked over to it and picked it up. "Bring them back." I turned around and showed Damon the box. "Is this the Ascendant?" I asked him and he looked at it confused, then looked over his shoulder to make sure Lily was coming back.

"Yeah," He answered and I opened it in my hand while studying it.

"Why isn't Bonnie here?" I asked him.

"Because Bonnie isn't looking for the Ascendant, Alex," Damon said quietly. I knitted my eyebrows together before I realized what he meant. Bonnie was getting revenge on Kai.

"Then we need to leave, now," I stated. Damon and I rushed back to the house and started to put our coats on quickly. "Mother," She turned around to us. Lily was ready to leave. "Sorry, to burst your bubble, but your vampire-menagerie are going to have to take the next train out because we're a witch down," I informed her and she shook her head in disbelief.

"You want to leave them behind?" Lily asked, surprised. "No, Alexandria, you can't save me without saving them."

Damon sighed, "We'll come back for them. Promise." Which was a complete lie. "Let's go." I saw the Aurora Borealis outside and turned back to Damon. Well, there's our ticket out of here.