Pamiętniki Wampirów 03: Szat

Blurb

This book begins with the newly "turned" Elena watching Damon and Stefan engaged in a fight to the death. Initially she does not recognize the brothers due to her confused state, having recently died and risen as a Vampire, but soon a flicker of memory causes her to realize the one she loves is hurt and needs her help. The reader is led to believe she is referring to Stefan, whom she has had a passionate relationship with throughout the first two volumes, but instead Elena attacks him, and fully intends to kill him for hurting Damon. Stefan, upon recognizing Elena, doesn't fight back and allows her to clumsily and savagely bite him. Damon eventually commands her to stop and takes her in search of human blood. Stefan intervenes, worried about the attention more dead bodies may bring. Stefan explains to Matt what has happened to Elena and convinces him to let her feed from him so she will survive her first few days as a vampire. Afterwards Damon hides her in Alaric's attic and once she has rested, her disorientation begins to lift. Elena is deeply upset about the way she attacked Stefan and sneaks out of Alaric's house, overhearing a conversation on her way which indicates the new history teacher is more than he appears. While wandering, trying to process all the new information, Elena stumbles upon her own memorial service. The great distress she feels watching this draws both Stefan and Damon to her. Stefan is relieved when Elena remembers their love and Damon is enraged, but the three are distracted by the strange behaviour of a large pack of the towns pet dogs. The dogs are all sitting, as if waiting for a command, until the owner of one of the dogs tries to approach her, the pack suddenly turns on him and he is only saved by Stefan's intervention. More strange events lead the three vampires, with the help of Bonnie, Meredith, Matt and Alaric, to conclude that the same Power which forced Elena off of the bridge is still stalking the town and is targeting specifically Elena's loved ones. It transpires that Katherine, the vampire who turned Damon and Stefan, faked her own death some 500 years before in a vain attempt to bring the brothers closer so they could be her eternal companions. Her plan failed, and the brothers, hating one another more than ever, killed each other and, as they had both ingested Katherine's blood, they rose as Vampires. Katherine was infuriated by the brother's continuing feud, so she fled to Klaus, the one who had turned her into a vampire on her death bed. Under his teaching, Katherine became more powerful and quite unstable. When she learns that Stefan has fallen for Elena she plots an elaborate revenge, beginning with the systematic torture of Stefan. She eventually has the three vampires tied up in an underground, crypt where she plans to torture and dispose of them all. As Katherine debates the most preferable order and method of their deaths, Elena manages to free herself, forcing Katherine into a shaft of sunlight and tearing off her protective lapiz lazuli necklace. Elena holds Katherine there until the older vampire disintegrates and is badly burned herself as Katherine had already removed the protective ring from Elena's hand. Stefan pulls Elena back into the shadows but it is too late, Elena dies in Stefan's arms after making him promise to take care of Damon. The book ends with a diary entry from Bonnie, who admits that although Elena was not perfect nor a saint, she made the ultimate sacrifice to save the town.