Damon's POV
Aria stood apart from us, pale and unreadable, her red eyes fixed on nothing in particular. She didn't know who we were. She didn't know who I was. She had completely lost her memory.
Whatever part of Aria had remained after becoming a vampire was buried so deeply that I couldn't reach her.
I took a slow step toward her, desperate to try again. Maybe if I spoke to her, reminded her of something only we could share, she might remember. Maybe the mate bond was still buried somewhere beneath the darkness.
I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, a commotion erupted outside. Roars. Howls. The unmistakable sounds of bodies colliding and claws tearing through flesh.
Rhein lifted his head sharply inside me.
Vampires.
Noah heard it too. His head snapped toward the doo
