Going down into the tomb, I reached the bottom where a mummified body trembled—and despite shaking, it still kept making the motion of cutting its own flesh.
"So beautiful… and so foolish," Caroline said beside me, picking up a blood bag.
"Are you sure about this?" Bonnie asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "She's an enemy."
"Yes, I am. From the beginning, I was unfair to her—punishing her because of my own inferiority complex toward Elena." Caroline looked sadly at the mummified body. "Because of that, she was captured by Elijah and tortured by Klaus. No woman deserves to go through that."
It seemed my woman was finally maturing.
We all agreed.
"Nik, please," Caroline said, looking at me.
I chuckled and stepped closer to the mutilating corpse, staring deep into her dried-out eyes.
"Katherine, you are free from Klaus and Elijah's compulsion."
At that moment, the body stopped hurting itself and dropped the knife.
"Ahh… ahhh… ahh…" she began making sounds that resembled crying.
She kept making that sound and trembling nonstop. I looked at the girls and picked her up in a bridal carry.
We started leaving the cave.
"Love, give me the blood bag," I said, and Caroline handed it to me. I placed the straw in Katherine's mouth.
Nothing.
She didn't even have a sucking reflex.
Which was good—meaning vampirism hadn't let her reach brain death.
I had to squeeze the bag so the blood would drip into her mouth, and even then—nothing.
She kept making that dry crying sound, with no reaction.
Even with the blood entering her mouth, she didn't seem able to swallow—or maybe didn't want to.
—++—
"Love… I don't think you're going to want to see this," I said, and Caroline understood immediately.
It was almost impossible to keep the straw in Katherine's mouth—she kept pushing everything out with her crying.
"Do it," Caroline said. "Even if I don't like it… it's partly my fault she's like this."
I filled my mouth with blood and pressed my lips against hers.
I placed a hand on her neck to cut off her air, forcing her mouth open, and used my tongue to move hers aside before letting the blood flow down her throat.
Her body reacted—and at the same time, I felt the suction against my lip.
No—she wasn't kissing me.
It was just her vampire body responding to feeding instincts.
When the blood in my mouth ran out, I pulled back and tried the blood bag again.
Nothing.
I stayed silent for a moment after hearing Bonnie.
It made sense.
A lot of sense.
I looked at Katherine… at the way her lips still trembled, how her body reacted only to something… primitive. Pure instinct.
"So this is how we bring you back…" I murmured.
Caroline crossed her arms, clearly uncomfortable, but didn't look away.
"If that's what it takes, then do it right," she said firmly, even with tension in her voice.
I approached again.
This time, without rushing.
I spread a bit of blood across my lips before pressing them to hers again.
And I waited.
One second…
Two…
Then—
The reaction came faster.
Katherine opened her mouth unevenly, still without control—but this time, the suction was stronger. More insistent.
Her body recognized it.
Not me.
But what I represented in that moment.
Life.
I held her face more carefully now, guiding without forcing.
"That's it… that's it…" Bonnie whispered.
The trembling began to change.
Still intense… but less chaotic.
Less… lost.
Katherine let out a low sound, almost a muffled moan, as her body finally began accepting the blood.
When I pulled away, she tried to follow.
Not consciously.
But she tried.
And that made Caroline hold her breath.
"She tried to follow you…"
"Instinct," Bonnie corrected, though there was something more in her gaze. "But it's a start."
I grabbed the blood bag again—and as expected—
Nothing.
No reaction.
Katherine turned her head, letting out a frustrated, almost childish sound.
As if that… wasn't what she needed.
I sighed quietly.
"Great… now I've become the mother of an ancient vampire, and instead of milk, I have to feed her blood mouth-to-mouth."
Caroline let out a small nervous laugh.
"She looks like a damn baby."
I turned back to Katherine.
This time, more prepared.
I repeated the process, now in a steady rhythm.
Give.
Wait.
Let her body react.
And little by little…
Very slowly…
The changes began.
Her skin, once gray and mummified, started to regain a faint color, flesh returning to form.
The dark veins faded.
Her breathing, once broken, became… less irregular.
But her mind…
Katherine didn't speak.
Didn't focus.
Didn't recognize.
She only… reacted.
When I stopped for a moment, she made a sharp sound of frustration, her fingers tightening around my clothes more strongly this time.
Caroline noticed immediately.
"She's… not doing this on purpose to annoy me, is she?"
Bonnie nodded slowly.
"Initial dependency. Her brain is damaged, reverting to newborn reflexes and instincts," Bonnie said with a sigh. "Her instincts think there's someone bleeding over her."
I looked at Katherine… who now clumsily tried to move closer again.
Her eyes still empty.
But there was… need there.
Raw.
"What the hell…" Caroline muttered. "Maybe it would've been better to let her die."
"Yes," I answered bluntly. "But letting her die would make you hate yourself."
I fed her again.
This time, she responded faster.
More intensely.
Less uncoordinated.
And in the middle of it…
Something changed.
Her eyes… paused for a moment.
Fixed.
Not fully.
But… more than before.
Her hand rose slowly… trembling… until it grabbed mine.
Weak.
But aware enough not to be just reflex.
Bonnie leaned in slightly.
"She's starting to form a bond… be careful with that."
Caroline fell silent for a moment… then spoke more quietly:
"When she comes back… this might not go away."
I knew.
I looked at Katherine.
At the way she clung to me as if I were… the only thing keeping her there.
"She's not coming back yet," I said. "She just… stopped falling."
Katherine let out a low sound… almost a sigh… still leaning against me.
No words.
No identity.
Just… survival.
And dependency.
And for the first time since we left the tomb…
It was clear:
We hadn't saved Katherine.
We had… recreated her.
And what she would become after this?
—++—
I left her in the guest room, and to my surprise, she didn't move—she just kept crying.
Not loudly.
Just… murmuring.
Now she wasn't a mummy anymore—she had her original appearance back.
But her eyes showed no reaction to light.
No response to pain.
It was like brain death.
And yet… it wasn't.
Because she cried.
Because she murmured.
When I tried to enter her mind to test the absurd theory that a vampire could suffer brain death…
There were memories.
Thoughts.
No—it wasn't dead.
But it was… close to what it feels like to enter the mind of an animal.
Instinctive.
Strange.
But there were thoughts in there.
So it wasn't brain failure.
"How is she?" Caroline asked.
"I don't know. It's not brain death," I said. "But there are no conscious responses—just reflex."
"Katherine," I called.
She looked at me, still with lifeless eyes.
"See? She recognizes the call, but—"
When I placed my hand on her face, she opened her mouth… waiting.
As if expecting something to fall into it.
"She associated me with feeding."
"Shit…" Caroline muttered. "The worst part is… I can't even feel angry at her."