"How long?" Sebastian asked hoarsely.
Elena considered. "A few days. Maybe a week if we're lucky. The curse will adapt to my magic the same way it adapted to Selene's divine power and the necklace's protective charm. When it does, it'll come back stronger than before."
"Then we have a week to find a permanent solution," Nicholas said.
"Yes," Elena agreed.
She turned to look at Lilith sleeping peacefully now, no convulsions, no blood, no signs of the horror that had been consuming her just minutes ago.
"We need to talk," Elena said quietly. "All of us. About what's really happening to your mate and what it's going to take to save her permanently."
She looked at Victoria. "I received your message. I came as fast as I could without revealing my location to the vampire hunting me. And I've been researching this curse since the moment I gave Nicholas that necklace."
"You knew," Victoria said. "You knew what was happening to her."
