Damon rose unsteadily behind her.
His eyes were gray again, but black veins still marked his throat.
"Vespera. Get to the doorway." He said, his voice strained and I looked at him.
"Not without you." I said.
"Please, for once in your life, do what you're told." He said.
"You're asking the wrong woman." I said.
He managed a weak, infuriating smile. Then the darkness beneath the floor reached for him.
A tendril wrapped around his ankle and dragged him backward.
I lunged, catching his wrist before he disappeared into the fissure. The force nearly pulled me off my feet, and my fingers slipped against his skin.
"Damon!" I yelled as he grabbed my forearm with his free hand.
"Let go!" He said.
"Absolutely not!" I said.
The mark around my wrist blazed violet. The darkness recoiled and
