Page 16 of To Vanquish Darkness

The corner of Theo's mouth twitched. "Of course. From your storybooks."

"History. Fact. Not stories."

"History written by whom?"

Amalie ground her teeth. "I'm not going to stand here and argue with you."

"Then what are you going to stand here and do?" His voice rumbled through her.

Amalie dropped her eyes, busying herself with removing her dripping blanket and scanning the small room. It was sparsely furnished, with rough-hewn stone walls coated with a layer of dirt and dust. The floor was made of cold, uneven flagstones, and a single narrow bed frame without a mattress was pushed against one wall. Shelves lined with grimy jars and gardening tools hung on the opposite side, casting long shadows in the weak light.

Rainwater began to pool at her feet. Her clothes dragged on her frame, heavy and clinging. She needed to get dry. Whatever strange magic Theo was working on her, it wouldn't keep her from freezing to death. "Why did you steal me away from the road?"

"You were seeking shelter here, were you not?"

"That's not what I asked."

Theo's nostrils flared. "I hastened your journey. A bit of gratitude is warranted."

Amalie ignored his jab. "Why?" she hissed. She wanted him to say it. To admit what he'd done and give her some clue as to what she should expect. How her body would betray her. What he wanted with her.

A pit opened through her center as the past hours swam in her head. She couldn't go back.She could never go back.Theo was there because he knew what she was becoming. He might’vedone this before, or at least seen it done. She needed his answers before she lost herself.

Her family wouldn’t know what had compelled her to disappear in the middle of the night. What would Bethany think when she woke in the morning and found her gone again? What would she believe when her older sister never came back to visit? Never returned for her treatment?

What was she going to do?

Even after she got her answers—even if she could help Marcel and Olivie—where would that leave her? Amalie shivered, imagining an eternity of hunting as Theo did. Of living alone and never going near her family.

"I pulled you from the road because you’re going to help me,” Theo snapped.

"And why would I do that?" she spat. She would not allow him to feign altruism when he was the sole reason she'd had to run in the first place.

He shrugged. "I’m not a mind reader. But I assume it’s because you’d like my help in return."

Amalie gaped at him, all thoughts of her chilled skin and numb toes disappearing behind white-hot anger flaring through her middle. "Help with what?”

He motioned to the stone walls around them. “Protection. Food. Shelter. Unless you were planning to run back through Mordelles?—”

“You think I’d stay the night with you?”

“Would you rather spend it with your family?” He leveled a stare at her, his eyes cold.

She scoffed. “I’m sure you’d love that. To wait until I transformed into a dark creature like you and killed everyone I love. Is that how this normally works?"

Theo's eyes narrowed. He scanned her face, then glanced again at the wounds on her neck. Darkness flickered across hisexpression before his lips drew up in an arrogant smile. “Exactly why you need my help.”

Amalie’s skin heated under his scrutiny. She needed to say something clever, to back him into a corner so he would answer her questions, but she had no leverage. She knew nothing that could benefit him since any plans she’d had with Marcel and Olivie were moot, and her own transformation was a mystery.

Would she have power when she turned? Would she be Theo’s equal? Until she figured that out, she was at his mercy. The way Theo stepped forward, slow and catlike, he knew it.

“What will happen to me? How long will this take?”

He ignored her. “You must warm yourself. Rest. Then you’ll accompany me to safety and we’ll discuss our bargain.”

Amalie’s heart picked up speed. She didn’t want to go anywhere with him. She didn’t have time to travel, to wait until her body wasn’t her own. And if he took her far, how would she get back to Marcel and Olivie?

A protest worked its way up her throat but couldn’t quite break the surface. Theo lifted a hand, and Amalie held her breath, both dreading and wishing for his touch, but instead, he stepped back. “You’ll know more soon enough.”

---