Page 11 of To Vanquish Darkness

Her uncle shuffled his feet, and a slow heat began to crackle. Like dead coals fed with a fresh gust of air.

She clenched her jaw. “You told me I was crazy.”

“I never said that.”

“You made mefeellike I was crazy.”

“I—“

Amalie’s voice built in strength. “You told me we had nothing to fear. You told me that Marcel was spreading hate, that he was deluded by old myths. You told me my mother's death was an accident. You told me thatwe were safe.”

“Amalie, Bethany is sleeping.” Maurielle’s voice was gentle. She was right. Her little sister was sleeping in the room next door, and yet she still wanted to throw herself against the door. To lash out.Was that the monster inside her talking?

Amalie paled, stumbling back from the door.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Uncle Oren’s voice was ragged. “We've always had protections in place. For hundreds of years, our family has been kept safe. I planned to tell you everything on your eighteenth birthday, but you left.“

Amalie dropped to her mattress. What? Her aunt and uncle had never mentioned anything about this. She’d come back to visit twice, hadn’t she? Why hadn’t they told her then? “I don’t believe you.”

“Amalie—”

“You could’ve told me any time in the past four-and-a-half years, Uncle. What was keeping you from telling me when I came back at Christmas? Or during my treatments?”

Since she was a child, she'd been warned that her blood didn't clot and heal the way it should. Uncle Oren told stories of her mother refusing to take the needle and then nearly bleeding out from a scrape on her knee. So even though she had run away, she came back for her infusions. Always arriving during the day when she knew Oren was away. Maurielle had given them to her. Why hadn’t she said something?

“You know very well what was keeping us.” His voice was low.

Amalie clenched her jaw. “You’re blaming this on the Pourfendeurs?”

“I couldn’t trust you. As long as you were working with them?—”

“Couldn’t trust me? With what? I already knew the truth. I’ve been learning the history and training to fight! Who else would be better to hold your secrets?”

Her uncle was silent. There was another murmur from Maurielle. Amalie blinked back tears from her eyes. What good was this now? What could her uncle possibly say that could help now that she was turning intoone of them?

“Amalie, your mother?—”

“What about my mother?” Amalie snapped. Her lungs refused to expand.

“I know you disagree with my methods, but our rules were there for a reason. Your mother went out after dark. She spoke to a man she did not know.”

Amalie's stomach twisted. What man? She'd never heard anything about this. She'd never seen her mother with anyone other than her brother and Maurielle, and of course, herself and Bethany. The three of them were always together.

Not after dark.Amalie and Bethany had been in bed after dark.

“She kept him a secret,” her uncle continued. “She met with him, she?—“

His voice broke, and Amalie's eyes burned.Theo Vallon.Her mother had known him. Was it true? She’d met with him, spent time with him, andthenhe had killed her? That low burn flared and threatened to consume her whole.

“That's why we moved north. He was still out there. He and who knows how many others. I left my estate. I left my job. We took you, and we moved to the opposite side of the region. We changed our name, we did everything we could to keep the two of you safe. I was going to tell you everything when you were old enough?—”

"Youliedto me." Amalie wrapped her arms around herself to keep her guts from spilling out. How would this have been different? Had her aunt and uncle told her the whole story, would she have sought out Marcel? Would she have rebelledagainst Oren's rules and left if she'd known they were there because of a threat?

It wasn’t even a question. Yes. She would have. Because even though her own family had worked to keep the truth from her, she'd known it all along.

But would she have been more cautious?

Would she have had to do it alone?

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