Page 42 of To Vanquish Darkness

Amalie stood at the edge of the courtyard, gaping at the pastel sky mixed with dark thunderheads beyond the castle spires. It was better to look there than at the pile of weapons at her feet.

Days prior she’d catalogued the same items in Mordelles with Olivie in preparation for their attack on Theo. Now there were no torches, whistles, or bells. There was no need when the vampires were willing participants.

Theo stood ahead of her, his chest splayed and arms bound behind him with braided leather cord. Ren had laughed as he’d tied them himself and pulled the knots tight. Theo wore no shirt, only trousers, and Amalie felt sick seeing his broad chest rise and fall. The fact that guilt crept into her heart only fueled her anger.

"What the hell were you doing outside of your room?"Moments before, Theo had prowled in front of her once they were behind closed doors. His hair was mussed, his eyes wild.

Amalie had argued. "You told me my blood was masked?—"

"I told you to stay in your room!”

She wasn’t proud of how she’d reacted. She’d just been accosted by one of Theo’s vampires in the stairwell, then forcedto converse with other humans who were delighted to be fattened up for slaughter.

She’d taunted him. Needled. It wasn’t as though he didn’t deserve it, but there hadn’t been a point. Being there at the castle had made one thing clear. Amalie didn’t only hate Theo. She hated the world she lived in.

Theo glanced up at her, and the rest of their argument replayed in her head.

“You’ve made it clear you own me. Isn’t that enough?”

“That won’t matter.” Theo raked his hands through his hair, then drew a deep breath and dropped his hands.

"So this is my life. I stay locked away in my room hiding from your vampire coven who wish to kill me until I can bring you the sword?"

Theo shook his head. "They wouldn't kill you."

"More stories? To keep me clinging to you in the streets? Safe in my room where only you can access me? Does it make you feel powerful to force humans to do your bidding?”

Amalie gasped as Theo shot through the air like smoke, stopping with his chest pressed against hers. His eyes burned. "This is protection. If my coven caught the scent of your blood, they would rip themselves apart to possess you, and they're not even close to the real monsters you need to worry about."

“You should start, séductrise. The sun is nearly set.” Etienne’s voice snapped her back to the rooftop. He rubbed his hands with anticipation, and Amalie noticed the ring he wore on his finger. The same as the one Paul had been wearing in the parlor.

The courtyard teemed with members of Theo’s coven, and they all had silver glinting on their fingers. Was a simple ring what bound them? Or did they have marks on their skin like Theo? What commitments had they made to be there? Whatdid Theo offer them? By the gleeful looks on their faces, she wouldn’t call them his friends.

She turned to Theo, bound and shirtless. His pants hung low on his hips exposing the tight V of his abdomen, and the inky marks on his skin seemed darker now than they had in his bedroom.

She should have felt nothing.

But "nothing" was the opposite of what Theo brought out in her.

“I am not a seductress,” she muttered.

“You caught his attention, did you not?” Ren raised an eyebrow, then turned to Theo. “That’s difficult to do. If I didn’t know better, Theo, I’d think you’d lost hope.”

Theo clasped and unclasped his hands, the blood already struggling to force its way past the cord around his wrists. “Don’t mistake my interest for affection, Ren.” His eyes were cold as he looked up at her.

Amalie scoffed.Of course, not.Theo wouldn’t care about anyone. But what was Ren referring to? What would give a vampire hope?

She cleared her throat. “Can someone else take the lead so I can observe? I’m much more comfortable collecting evidence.” Even though the vampires now knew she wasn’t Theo’s besotted lover, she didn’t want any of them to think she was a threat.

Was that the only reason she didn’t want to wield the weapons?

Amalie’s stomach flipped. Compassion or empathy should never have entered her head, and yet she couldn’t push it away. Life wasn’t something to toy with. Suffering shouldn’t be entertainmnent, regardless of how terribly a creature deserved it.

But this hadn’t been her idea, and Theo Vallon, along with the rest of his coven, were monsters. Who knew how many timesthey’d murdered without remorse.I can’t survive without blood. Do you feel guilt?

No. She would not allow his words to prey on her mind. The Grimoire didn’t give an explanation for why Le Sombre chose to curse those he did. Perhaps they’d earned it. By the actions she’d observed, they’d certainly done their best to keep their place with the Shadow ever since.

This wasn’t survival. This wouldn’t make the cities and villages of France safer. This was entertainment.

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