trailing rope that hung defiantly free, veils floating in the wind.

When they did arrive beside Elena, Meredith gasped. Bonnie’s

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eyes opened wide and stayed that way. Elena understood what they were

seeing. Blood was flowing freely from the cut across her cheekbone and

her blouse kept opening in the wind to reveal her torn and bloody

camisole. One leg of her jeans was rapidly turning red.

But, drawn up into the protection of her shadow, was a far more

pitiful figure. And as Meredith raised Elena’s diaphanous veil to help

keep her blouse closed and once more enshroud her in decency, the

woman herself raised her head, to look at the three girls with the eyes of

a dumb and hunted animal.

Behind them, Damon said softly, “I shall quite enjoy this,” as he

lifted the heavy man into the air with one hand and then struck his throat

like a cobra. There was a hideous scream, which went on and on.

No one tried to interfere, and no one tried to cheer the slave owner

on to make a fight.

Elena, scanning the faces of the crowd, realized why. She and her

friends had become used to Damon—or as used as you could become to

his half-tamed air of ferocity. But these people were getting their first