Page 73 of To Vanquish Darkness

Amalie pressed her lips together, staying silent. She couldn’t admit she knew the name. If what Ren said was true, Theo had known her family was in danger and had kept information from her. Again.

It didn’t make sense.

Ren’s explanation didn’t make any sense, but she couldn’t think of a better one.

Unless.

Theo still held his secrets. Had he brought her here because he knew something more about her family? Had he plucked her out because he needed her and believed they were in danger?

Her heartbeat felt like thunder before a storm.

She should stay here behind the wards. She should listen to Theo and wait until he returned.

She should stay in after dark. She should stay away from Marcel and the Pourfendeurs.Should, should, should.

She should’ve done so many things. But she hadn’t.

That night would be no different.

Amalie sat on the edge of her bed with a small satchel in her arms, her toes tapping on the floor. Voices echoed along the castle walls, the sun had already dropped over the horizon. This was not her moment. But she was taking it anyway.

Quietly, she rose from the bed and tiptoed to the window, praying that no vampires would be on the lower terrace. The salty sea air greeted her as she opened it, sending a shiver down her spine. She peered out, her eyes scanning the roof outside her window. It was a precarious route, but it was her only option.She couldn’t afford running into any member of Theo’s coven inside, especially since Ren was on high alert.

Amalie took a deep breath, her senses skittish. With one last look around her room, she climbed up onto the window ledge. The rough stone dug into her palms as she steadied herself. Her heart raced, but she forced herself to stay calm. She had to move now, or she’d lose her nerve.

At least she’d already had practice with sneaking out a window once in the past week. It was becoming an unfortunate new habit.

She swung her leg over the ledge and carefully lowered herself onto the roof. She hadn’t counted on the mist. The tiles hadn’t felt precarious when she’d stepped out the other day, but now they were cold and slick under her boots. She took a moment to steady herself, then hissed as her sole slipped.

For a heart-stopping moment, she teetered on the edge, her arms pinwheeling for balance. Her heart skipped a beat and she bit back a gasp as the tile cracked and a piece of it skittered off the edge of the roof. She dropped into a crouch, waiting for any sign of life on the terrace. After she caught her breath, and nothing moved in the shadows, she stayed low, moving quickly but silently.

The rest of the castle loomed above her as she took calculated steps, keeping to the wall. She couldn’t afford to make another sound. Vampires had heightened senses, but with the number of gulls nesting on the roof, she hoped her scuffs wouldn’t attract attention.

Sweat beaded on her brow as she reached the edge of the roof and peered over. On one end of the terrace, a set of stone stairs led down to the cobbled street. She steeled herself, then swung over the edge, lowering herself down. Her feet hit the ground softly, and she let go.

Amalie dropped to her stomach, rolling away from the windows, then crawled toward the stairs. When she finally arrived, she lowered into a crouch, then began to descend.

She kept low until she reached the street, then darted between the buildings. She stepped lightly, her footsteps silent on the cobblestone. Traveling in solitude made her skin itch. It was only days since she’d run through Mordelles and found Theo on the path to the shed.

They could be out there. Any of them. She wouldn’t even hear them coming.

Amalie pressed on. She tried to remember the path they’d taken when Theo had brought her through these streets. Hard to grasp, considering the situation. Her mind flashed back to his firm grip on her arm as he guided her up the winding alleys. They had passed a graveyard and a small chapel with a crumbling facade and stained glass, of that she was certain. Amalie turned left and followed the street down, hoping it would lead her to the front gates.

The wind whispered through the narrow passages, rustling the leaves of ivy that clung to the stone buildings. With adrenaline coursing through her veins, she picked up on everything. The distant crash of waves against the shore, the creak of a wooden sign swinging above a shop. Every sound made her shoulders tense.

Her family wasn’t safe.Amalie quickened her pace, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. What a mess. How had she gotten here? She wanted to retrace her steps and figure out which one she’d gotten wrong, but even when she stretched to her childhood, each pinpoint in time seemed to tumble into the next.

Her father’s death. Her mother’s loneliness. Her uncle’s deceptions. Amalie’s desperation. If she’d been different as a child, would her mother have been a target? If she’d stayeduntil her eighteenth birthday, would Uncle Oren have told her everything?

Had she known then what she did now, she would’ve acted differently, wouldn’t she? She would’ve gone to Oren if he’d been honest with her, they could’ve had warning—they could’ve fled.

But Oren was a guardian, too. He only knew as much as his lifetime allowed. As much as their history and stories told him.

Theo had seen her. He’d known her. He hadn’t died and forgotten.

She swiped the tears from her cheeks as she passed under an archway, spotting the church ahead. As she neared the edge of the abandoned village, anxiety clawed at her throat. Soon, she'd pass through the doors and stand exposed on the flats.

She’d checked the tide. She should have an hour at least before the water rushed back in. Amalie paused at the last building, pressing her back against the cool stone. She allowed herself two breaths, then scanned the area ahead, looking for any signs of movement, any hint of danger.

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