Olivia sat back on her chair, the book balanced in her lap as her eyes scanned the page again.
There, near the bottom in small script, almost like a footnote:
"Those uncertain of their path may seek the Bloodmark. If the mark awakens, so too does the truth."
Her fingers slid beneath the page, where the parchment had thickened. It had been folded together, hiding something. Carefully, she pulled it apart and revealed a hand-drawn diagram.
A small ritual was described. A circle made of ash and salt, a prick of blood on the palm, and a single phrase spoken aloud.
"If the mark glows, the witch remembers."
Her breath hitched as she read it. The words were in foreign language but it did not look strange to her.
Don't do it, a voice whispered in her mind. But her hand was already moving.
"Olivia." her breath hitched and she shut the book with fear. Damon was watching her and the book. His expressions were cold for some reason when he was the one who had left her here alone.
