Page 38 of To Vanquish Darkness

Amalie chanced a look. There, sitting on embroidered armchairs in a room with windows overlooking the sea at high tide, were two of the women she'd seen clinging to the vampire Theo had called Etienne in the courtyard. They were giggling, their heads thrown back as they whispered to each other.They were alive.

They were also facing the hall. There was no way she could cross without being spotted.

A third woman stepped into the frame, her hair a riot of red curls, her skin so pale it was almost translucent. She was draped in a gown that looked like it belonged in a painting from the Renaissance. The fabric clung to her curves, the neckline plunging dangerously low.

Amalie's stomach churned. Had she been the one talking? Had she already lived here three nights?

Perhaps if she moved quickly, purposefully, they wouldn’t be able to stop her.

She was about to straighten and skitter across the open archway when two men crossed behind the chairs. One with his hair shaved close to his scalp. He wore a tunic and breeches that accentuated the well-formed muscles in his arms and legs. The other had fair hair, almost white. He was taller, his frame lean.Who did they all belong to?

"Excuse me, but who are you and why are you spying on us from the hall?"

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1836 NORTHERN NORMANDY, FRANCE

Amalie froze. The women were staring directly at her. She pulled back, then realizing she couldn’t pretend she hadn’t been noticed, stepped out into the archway. "I was only passing by."

The first woman motioned for her to come closer, and Amalie glanced down the hall. “I need to?—”

"You're the woman we saw arriving last night. With Theo?"

Amalie nodded. She needed to get out of there. But the idea of being rude to humans who were most likely going to be dead by morning made her queasy. Though, they'd survived this long, hadn't they?

"Theo is so mysterious." The first woman raised an eyebrow. "I’m Marie, this is Sarah and Penelope. Have you gotten to know him yet?"

Amalie tapped her foot on the stone. "No. I've been resting. In fact?—"

"It's exhausting isn't it?” The woman with red curls, Penelope, gave her a knowing smile. “The journey alone. Then settling in to someone else's room. Did you know Ramon has a closet filled with costumes? Suits and frills for every occasion. After our time together last night, I suggested we throw amasquerade. Just so I can see him wear something other than a tunic and slacks."

Marie winked. "I'm surprised you're up and about after the first night. I still don't leave Etienne's bed by choice."

"Especially since I’ve joined you." Sarah laughed, and Amalie thought she might be sick. When would he kill them? Would he do it one at a time or make the other watch?

The man with the close-cropped hair turned from a painting he was admiring. "Has anyone seen Clémentine recently?"

"Or Everly?" the second man asked.

Amalie clenched her jaw, nearly biting her tongue.Careful.But she was so angry, her hands were trembling. Knowing vampires lured humans into their beds and seeing the reality of it playing out in front of her were two very different things.

They were entranced. Obsessed.And it wasn't their fault.

"You spent the night here." Marie leaned in conspiratorially. "So tell us. How was he?"

Amalie wanted to scream. To shake them. To tell them to run. To get as far away from this place as possible. But she couldn't. Not unless she wanted to announce that she was different, that she knew exactly what she was walking into. It seemed like the worst possible choice since she wasn’t supposed to be out of her room in the first place.

"Excellent. He was an attentive lover." Her voice was tight, her cheeks on fire. “Anyway, it was nice to meet?—”

"I'll make sure to give him that glowing report."

Amalie spun to find Ren, Paul, and Etienne behind her in the hall. She scurried back, closer to the other humans as they entered the room.

Their glamours rippled through the space, and Marie, Sarah, and Penelope reacted as if they’d just been plunged into the copper tub she’d used the night before. Their eyes rolled back in their heads, their breath slipping between their lips in a soft hiss.

“I missed you.” Marie rose from her chair, but Etienne motioned for her to sit. She did so instantly.

Amalie exhaled, forcing her mind to focus. Four vampires. She’d left her room once and run intofour vampires.If one of them didn’t kill her, Theo surely would. Stay calm. She only had to pretend she was socializing, there was nothing wrong with that.

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