Ron watched Liz's car speed off and didn't bother with Damon anymore. Right now, he had no intention of appearing before ordinary humans—who knew if they viewed people with powers the same way they did vampires or witches? Without hesitation, Ron accelerated and disappeared down the street.
Another reason for his sudden retreat was the faint glow pulsing in his mind—another of his spell seals had just unlocked. Eager to test it, Ron used his Rabbit Charm to sprint home, moving with incredible speed.
He leapt into his room, sat cross-legged on his bed, and focused his attention on the twelve spinning seals glowing faintly in his consciousness. Four of them were now illuminated. The newest one pulsed with the shape of a serpent.
"Not bad," he murmured. "The Snake Charm doesn't block scent or heat signatures, but invisibility itself? That's a tempting ability. Perfect for ambushes."
He focused on recalling the exact function of the Snake Charm, then got off the bed to test it. Picking up a few small objects, Ron activated the charm—and to his delight, the items vanished along with him.
He grinned. That's perfect. With this, even if he fired a gun from a few meters away, no one would see it coming. But then another thought hit him—why not use a crossbow instead? Quieter, deadlier. With the Rabbit Charm's speed and the Snake Charm's invisibility, even a dozen vampires wouldn't be able to find him before being whittled down.
As his excitement cooled, he began to wonder how the Snake Charm had unlocked in the first place. "Maybe it triggered after I killed that vampire," he thought.
Then his expression darkened. "If Damon's still hanging around tomorrow, I'm ending him for good. Not just to test the theory—but because he's seriously pissing me off."
The next morning, Ron activated both the Rabbit and Snake Charms, sprinted to where he'd parked the previous day, and then drove straight to Stefan's house.
"Anybody home?" he called out, knocking loudly on the door.
"Ron?" Stefan opened it, looking surprised.
"You're still here? Where's Damon—he around?" Ron asked immediately.
"I don't know. I've been trying to find him. He took Elena." Stefan's voice was tight with worry.
"Oh, really? Well, if he's not here, maybe you should get moving too—go find him or something." Ron waved casually, clearly uninterested in dealing with either Salvatore brother today.
He left right after that, feeling surprisingly good about not seeing Damon for once.
At school, Ron decided to make the most of the calm day. He'd missed enough classes lately thanks to all the vampire drama. If not for his carefully arranged cover identity, his "guardian" would've been blowing up his phone by now.
After wandering around a bit, he realized he didn't have any classes scheduled and decided to check out the library—he hadn't been there yet.
The moment he entered, he heard an argument.
"You're joking—there's no such thing as vampires," Jeremy was saying.
"There's no official record, sure," said a girl beside him, "but there have been rumors since the Civil War. My grandpa told me stories his own grandfather passed down."
"Yeah, and those were metaphors—vampires represented bad people," Jeremy countered.
The two continued debating, and Ron couldn't help but chuckle. He was about to leave when something on the girl's hand caught his attention—a ring.
The same design Damon and Stefan wore.
He frowned. That ugly, over-decorated thing? You can't miss it.
"Sorry to interrupt," Ron said casually, walking up.
"Ron?" Jeremy blinked, recognizing him. After all, Ron was Caroline's boyfriend—or at least, that's what people believed.
"Hey, Jeremy. Not bad. You gonna introduce me?" Ron teased with a grin.
"This is Anna—she's homeschooled, came here to look up some research," Jeremy explained.
"Nice to meet you, Anna." Ron shook her hand, smiling politely.
"Mind if I take a look at your ring?" he asked smoothly. "A friend of mine used to wear one just like that. I've been trying to find a similar design—if it matches, I'll pay well for it."
Anna hesitated, looking uneasy. "Sorry… this ring's a family heirloom. I can't sell it."
"Oh, what a shame," Ron replied, still smiling. "At least let me take a look? I'd be happy just to see it up close."
"I'm afraid I can't," Anna said apologetically. "Family tradition—it can't be taken off except when passing it to the next generation."
"Ah, I see. That's unfortunate." Ron stepped back. "Well, I won't keep you two. See you around, Jeremy. Anna."
He left the library—but not really.
The moment he was out of sight, Ron reactivated the Snake Charm and doubled back invisibly.
Later that evening, he tracked Anna and Jeremy to a bar. He waited impatiently until they finally left. When Anna walked down a quiet alley, Ron struck.
"Don't move," he hissed, wrapping one arm around her neck while pressing a wooden stake to her back. "You move, and this goes straight through your heart."
"Ron?" Anna gasped, shocked—she hadn't sensed him at all.
"You turned Logan, didn't you?" Ron asked coldly. "That ring you're wearing—only the Salvatore brothers have them. What's your game?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Anna replied, feigning confusion.
"Fine. Have it your way."
He dropped the stake momentarily and drew his car key, stabbing it into her arm.
"Now," Anna hissed, seizing the chance. She shouted a name—"Ron!"—not to him, but to someone nearby. In an instant, another vampire appeared, grabbing Ron and hurling him down the alley.
When he scrambled up, both of them were gone. Their speed was inhuman—definitely not newborn vampires. They'd been around a century or two, maybe longer, and definitely fed on human blood.
Ron exhaled sharply, pocketing his key. Without their kind of super-hearing, he had no way to track them. Frustrated but composed, he turned and headed back toward his small cabin.
Tonight's hunt was over—but he knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.