The silence was deafening.

You woke up on the cold stone floor, your wrists bruised and bound with vervain-soaked rope. Your head ached. The last thing you remembered was someone calling your name—and then nothing. Just blackness.

Candles flickered around the edge of the room. You weren’t alone.

Footsteps echoed.

“Finally awake,” a voice sneered from the shadows. You couldn’t see them, but the scent of old blood and damp earth filled your nose. A vampire—one you didn’t recognize. “Took me a while to catch one of the Salvatores. But you? You’ll do.”

You struggled, but the vervain burned.

Back at the boarding house, Stefan had already realized you were missing. Damon was furious—his anger masking something closer to panic.

“She’s not just our sister,” Stefan growled. “She’s family. And they’re going to regret touching her.”

Meanwhile, in the church, the stranger crouched beside you, brushing hair from your face.

“Don’t worry,” they whispered. “Your brothers are coming. I want them to.”