Free The Struggle by L. J. Smith Page B

them.
    “So
that’
s why,” she whispered. It still didn’t explain how she’d known, though. It was as if the knowledge had been put into her head from some outside source. Then she realized something else.
    “You took me across the bridge. You can cross running water.”
    “That’s because I’m weak.” It was said flatly, with no emotion behind it. “It’s ironic, but the stronger your Powers are, the more you’re affected by certain limitations. The more youbelong to the dark, the more the rules of the dark bind you.”
    “What other rules are there?” said Elena. She was beginning to see the glimmer of a plan. Or at least of the hope of a plan.
    Stefan looked at her. “Yes,” he said, “I think it’s time you knew. The more you know about Damon, the more chance you’ll have of protecting yourself.”
    Of protecting herself? Perhaps Stefan knew more than she thought. But as he turned the car onto a side street and parked, she just said, “Okay. Should I be stocking up on garlic?”
    He laughed. “Only if you want to be unpopular. There are certain plants, though, that might help you. Like vervain. That’s an herb that’s supposed to protect you against bewitchment, and it can keep your mind clear even if someone is using Powers against you. People used to wear it around their necks. Bonnie would love it; it was sacred to the druids.”
    “Vervain,” said Elena, tasting the unfamiliar word. “What else?”
    “Strong light, or direct sunlight, can be very painful. You’ll notice the weather’s changed.”
    “I’ve noticed,” said Elena after a beat. “You mean Damon’s doing that?”
    “He must be. It takes enormous power to control the elements, but it makes it easy for him to travel in daylight. As long as he keeps it cloudy, he doesn’t even need to protect his eyes.”
    “And neither do you,” Elena said. “What about—well, crosses and things?”
    “No effect,” said Stefan. “Except that if the person holding one
believes
it’s a protection, it can strengthen their will to resist tremendously.”
    “Uh … silver bullets?”
    Stefan laughed again shortly. “That’s for werewolves. From what I’ve heard they don’t like silver in any form. A wooden stake through the heart is still the approved method for my kind. There are other ways that are more or less effective, though: burning, beheading, driving nails through the temples. Or, best of all—”
    “Stefan!” The lonely, bitter smile on his face dismayed her. “What about changing into animals?” she said. “Before, you said that with enough Power you could do that. If Damon can be any animal he likes, how will we ever recognize him?”
    “Not any animal he likes. He’s limited to one animal, or at the most two. Even with his Powers I don’t think he could sustain any more than that.”
    “So we keep looking out for a crow.”
    “Right. You may be able to tell if he’s around, too, by looking at regular animals. They usually don’t react very well to us; they sense that we’re hunters.”
    “Yangtze kept barking at that crow. It was as if he knew there was something wrong about it,” Elena remembered. “Ah … Stefan,” she added in a changed tone as a new thought struck her, “what about mirrors? I don’t remember ever seeing you in one.”
    For a moment, he didn’t answer. Then he said, “Legend has it that mirrors reflect the soul of the person who looks into them. That’s why primitive people are afraid of mirrors; they’re afraid that their souls will be trapped and stolen. My kind is supposed to have no reflection—because we have no souls.” Slowly, he reached up to the rearview mirror and tilted it downward, adjusting it so that Elena could look into it. In the silvered glass, she saw hiseyes, lost, haunted, and infinitely sad.
    There was nothing to do but hold on to him, and Elena did. “I love you,” she whispered. It was the only comfort she could give him. It was all they