The Vampire Diaries: The Salvation: Unseen by L. J. Smith, Aubrey Clark Page B

already out the door registered that she’d said something a moment before.
    “What?” he asked. Jasmine arched her brows meaningfully and wiggled the necklace a little. “Oh.” Matt moved her heavy fall of hair out of the way so he could work the catch. Her skin was honey golden and very smooth, and she smelled sweet. He stroked the back of her neck, once, twice, watching the tendrils of hair fall back into place around his fingers. “Why are you getting dressed up?”
    Jasmine frowned. “Because we’re going out.” At Matt’s blank look, she rolled her eyes. “Honestly, where is your mind today? I swear, you haven’t heard a thing I’ve said in the last hour.”
    Matt could feel his cheeks flushing, his ears getting hot. She was right; he hadn’t been listening. “I’m really sorry,” he said awkwardly. “I promised to meet Elena and Stefan tonight.”
    “That’s okay,” Jasmine said, shrugging. “I’d have liked to have you to myself, but I haven’t seen them in ages.” Looking at Matt’s expression, her face fell and she added hesitantly. “If that’s all right?”
    “I’m sorry,” Matt said. Her mouth trembled, and he hastened to add, “It’s just, there’s some stuff going on with them. They wanted to talk to me alone about it. Just this time.”
    “Oh.” Jasmine wrapped a finger in her long curls, tugging them straight. Her mouth was still soft and hurt. “Okay, well, call me tomorrow.” She said it breezily, but Matt could tell she was upset. She knew he was lying, he realized.
    “I’ll see you later,” Matt said, his stomach tying itself in knots. He hesitated in the doorway. There was a cool wind blowing, and the full moon shone, heavy in the sky. He wanted to stay, wanted just to wrap himself up in her, in her honey skin and soft smile. Jasmine tilted her face up toward him and he kissed her gently.
    “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said, his heart aching just a little bit.
    And then he was on his way out into the night, shutting the door behind him.

    “This customer’s voice mailbox is full. Please try again later. Thank you,” an electronic voice chirped. Elena pushed her phone’s off button a little more violently than necessary.
    Why hadn’t Damon listened to any of her messages? He must have ignored every single one for his entire mailbox to be full.
    “I’m worried about Damon,” she told Stefan through the balcony doorway. He was pacing back and forth across the balcony, scowling at the tops of trees as if he could see straight through them to find someone lurking below.
    “Damon’s fine,” he said absently.
    “I don’t think so,” Elena said. “He’s worried about something. I think he might be in danger.”
    Whenever she reached out to Damon through their shared connection, all she felt was a sort of grim anxiety. She closed her eyes and concentrated on their bond, but she couldn’t get any clear picture, just images of forests and cities. It felt like he was running from something.
    “If Bonnie were here, she could use a spell to contact him,” she said, frustrated. “I wish … I can’t
do
anything.”
    Stefan finally looked up to meet Elena’s gaze. His face softened, and he took the few steps across the balcony to stand before her. “Elena,” he said, reaching out to touch her cheek. “Just because Damon isn’t responding to you doesn’t mean something’s wrong. He’s always been hard to pin down. He’ll get in touch in his own time.”
    Elena shook her head. “This time is different. I’m worried,” she said.
    Tilting her chin up, Stefan gazed into Elena’s eyes. “I know,” he said. “But with everything going on here, Damon’s probably safest of all of us. And even if he
is
in trouble, Damon’s very, very good at taking care of himself. I wish he were here, too, but only because he could help protect you from Solomon.”
    “I’m not helpless, Stefan,” Elena said sharply.
    Stefan blinked in surprise at her tone.