The flames burned fiercely, yellow and orange with a flash of cold azure at the base. Frowning with concentration, Bonnie refused to be pulled into their hypnotic patterns. She clutched her falcon charm tight in one hand and breathed deeply, calling upon the stone's properties.

The charm Damon had given her was made of blue lace agate, which contained the properties of tranquility, and balance between mind, body, and spirit. This balance allowed Bonnie to access more Power than she'd ever dreamed of.

The falcon was cool in her palm, the sharp points of its beak and claws almost painful as she clutched it, yet somehow the little sharp pricks were reassuring. Bonnie could feel her own energy flowing into the stone and then circling back to her, calmer and steadier. After a few moments, she turned this Power outward to the flames, as easily as flipping a switch.

The flames flickered once and then went out.

Bonnie's new friends burst into applause and came up to congratulate her. Poppy squeezed her shoulders in a side hug, while Rick thumped her enthusiastically on the back. Marilise, always more reticent, hung back, but the smile on her face was one of pure delight. Bonnie smiled back at her proudly.

"Bonnie, that was amazing!" Alysia was grinning so widely that her freckles flowed together in little islands of brown across her cheeks. "I can't believe how far you've come in such a short time!"

Bonnie really couldn't believe it either. Finding her working stone had been a big step. The fact that it had come from the necklace Damon had sent her for her birthday couldn't be a coincidence. Sometimes he knew things about her; she was sure of it.

During the short time she had been with this group, she'd learned so much. Rick had turned out to know more about astrology and the influence of the stars and planets than anyone Bonnie had ever met. Marilise grew her own herbs at her cottage in North Carolina and had, in her gentle, quiet way, shown Bonnie helpful new ways of using them. And Poppy could see the future in crystal balls and cards-with more control than Bonnie had ever had over her own visions.

Tonight they, and all the other groups, had gotten a chance to demonstrate their new skills to everyone else.

Now Bonnie, full of gratitude, pulled Alysia into a spontaneous hug. "Thank you," she said. "If you hadn't talked me into coming here, I never could have done that. Every day, I can feel myself getting stronger and stronger."

Alysia's grin spread even wider, and she squeezed Bonnie back affectionately. "I'm glad you're here. You're making me look good." She stuck out her tongue playfully at an older man on the other side of the room, and he threw back his head and laughed. There was a core group of five who had organized the retreat, and each was in charge of mentoring a group of recruits. Alysia had said there was a friendly rivalry among the core group as to whose proteges would learn the most.

Bonnie glanced around the massive apartment, which had seemed so frightening at first but was now almost cozy, full of magic. It took up three floors of the building, complete with balconies and a roof deck. It felt like an expensive, grown-up version of a college dorm, Bonnie thought, communal and built for temporary living rather than someone's home.

"And now for the feast!" Alysia exclaimed, leading Bonnie to the dining room as the others followed. "It's a celebration," she explained. "So we threw together something special."

A wall of windows covered one wall of the dining room, looking out over the car headlights tracing a river of light far below. Alysia had created one of her beautiful illusions-pale flower petals falling ceaselessly from the ceiling, disappearing before they hit the floor.

The long table in the center of the room was heaped with food: a hodgepodge of everyone's favorites, from roast chicken to curry to peanut brittle to a bright pile of stir-fried vegetables. "Yum," Bonnie said and took a seat. "It's like a magic menu."

"I wish," Alysia said, rolling her eyes. "We were working on this all afternoon."

Bonnie was reaching for a platter of pork chops when her phone rang. Zander. "Oh, I need to take this. I'll be right back," she said, excusing herself and slipping out of the dining room.

"Hey," she answered, once she was alone back in the mosaic-floored living room where she had first met her team. "How's it going? I miss you."

"Sure you do." Zander's voice sounded rougher than usual, tired, but she could hear the smile in it. "That's because I'm awesome."

"Modest, too," Bonnie told him. She wandered over to a window and looked out at the streets far below. "How are things there?" Zander didn't say anything for a moment, and Bonnie tensed. "What's going on?"

"I'm thinking," Zander said. "How's witch camp?"

"Witch camp is fantastic. Soon I will be the queen of all witches. Seriously, I'm getting really strong." She wanted to go into more detail, tell Zander all the amazing things she was learning to do, but she didn't like the way he had paused when she asked him what was going on back home. His voice wasn't quite right-he sounded worried. She used her firmest tone. "What do you mean you're thinking? Give me a straight answer. Is everything okay?"

Zander sighed. "The Old One-Solomon-is getting closer. He's sent compelled humans after us. And he killed Elena's cat. Last night, we thought we had him, but we just stumbled into a trap." He paused. "He drew lighting and fire down around us."

Bonnie stiffened, feeling the blood drain out of her cheeks. Fire was one thing that the Pack couldn't fight. "I'm coming home," she said.

"No."

"You need me." She was already crossing the living room, heading for the stairs that would lead to her bedroom. She could pack and be at the airport in an hour, catch the next flight to Richmond or Washington, D.C. ... "You'll pick me up at the airport, right?"

"Bonnie, stop," Zander insisted. "Listen to me."

"I have to be there!"

"We can handle it!" Zander said loudly, and Bonnie stopped in her tracks.

"If you're in danger-"

"We've got the Pack," Zander interrupted. "We've got hunters; we've got Stefan. We've got Elena, and she's bringing her other Guardian friend out. Solomon's tough, but there's a whole superhero alliance here."

Bonnie felt like her heart was being squeezed. "You don't need me?" she said in a tiny voice.

"Of course we need you," Zander said, his voice warm and reassuring. "I need you. Even when you're not here, you're helping protect us. We're all using the charms and everything you left. But right now, you need to stay there, keep working on your own stuff. You'll be stronger than ever when you come back, and then you'll fix whatever we haven't taken care of yet. Trust me and the Pack and the others for now, okay?"

Wavering, Bonnie closed her eyes for a moment. Her friends were in danger.

But it was true that she needed to be stronger if she was really going to be useful. The agate falcon rested cool against her collarbone-it never seemed to get warm-and she tried to take comfort in its calming properties.

"Trust us," Zander said again. "We want you back, but not till you're ready. Believe me, I miss you like crazy, but it'll all be okay. We'll hold down the fort."

"Okay." Bonnie bit her lip. "I'm going to learn everything that might help us, and then I'm on the first plane back."

I hope I'm doing the right thing, she thought.