Page 55 of To Vanquish Darkness

She strode to the door and flung it open to find Clémentine on the other side.

"Not a scared little mouse." Clémentine smoothed the fabric clinging to her hips. She wore a black gown with straps like string over her shoulders and a deep “V” revealing the swell ofher breasts. Her skin was creamy white and so smooth it looked like velvet. "Breakfast in the hall. Interested?"

This was what vampires wore to breakfast? Amalie's stomach grumbled despite eating what Henriette brought for her, then twisted as she parsed out Clémentine's meaning. Why would a vampire be inviting her to a meal?

Has he fed yet?

Amalie shivered. "I'm exhausted."

"I can see that." Clémentine put out a hand and her manicured nails scraped her skin as they tipped Amalie’s chin up. "Low blood sugar. Iron deficient. Your skin is sallow."

Amalie flinched and pulled away. "I’m fine." The assessment felt oddly personal, even though she was sure it was automatic. It was the same as her inspecting an apple.

Clémentine gave her a look, then pointed down the hall. "Lie to me and yourself if you want. I know better than you what your body needs." She turned and took a few steps, then looked back over her shoulder. "I've never seen any human challenge our males like you did on the roof. I don't think I've ever been so aroused."

Amalie’s mouth fell open, making Clémentine grin wider. She quickly recovered. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping? I didn’t think your kind was interested in daylight.”

Clémentine stretched her arms like a cat. “Last night was raucous. I’m barely winding down.”

A party? Was that why Marx was out on the rooftop?

Clémentine spun and strode past Amalie, lifting her hand and rapping on Theo's door. "Theo, darling, if you think this charade will absolve you, you're fooling yourself!" She sighed, tossing her sleek hair over her shoulder. "It happens to all of us. We get this idea in our head that wecouldchange things. Be something we're not. It's astage. His is just lasting longer than most."

What charade? Theo hadn’t wanted to participate in Ren’s challenge any more than she had. Looking in Clémentine’s eyes, Amalie realized that wasn’t the show she was referring to. Amalie was still there in the castle. Alive.

A chill swept down Amalie’s spine. “Will the other humans be at breakfast?”

Clémentine shrugged, then stalked closer and leaned in. "Can you give him a message for me? Tell Theo that if you're only interested in pain, I can provide plenty of pleasure." She brushed her lips over Amalie's cheek, then hissed a breath through her teeth. "I’ve always been excellent at sharing.”

Amalie’s lungs burned as Clémentine turned and swayed down the hall.

The vampire lifted a slender arm into the air. “Don’t worry, doll. He’ll be thirsty soon enough! Then you’ll get plenty of attention.”

She needed air.Not the window. Where could she go without risking discovery? Without risking her life?

The castle walls seemed to draw closer, squeezing the air from the hallway. Amalie vaguely realized that her mind wasn’t functioning properly as she retraced her steps to the staircase and climbed to the roof. She knew it wasn’t safe, but in that moment, she simply didn’t care.

Let them discover her blood. Let them consume her, possess her. At least then she wouldn’t have to keep fightingeverything.

As soon as the cool night air hit her face, she gulped it in and dropped to sit on the cool stone. She stared up at the last twinkling stars and the sliver of pale moon, buried in thoughts that layered through her mind like laminated dough. She couldn't pull one from the next without making a mess of the whole of it.

Vampires were evil. They were darkness.She pulled the words out and stretched them like toffee. What she'd seen sinceleaving Marcel and Olivie blurred the edges of her belief. Just as she'd slammed the stake down on Uncle Oren's desk, Theo had opened her eyes to a cold reality she wished she could forget like everything else in her history.

Vampires were prisoners. They were bound to their fate. Her blood had been created to meet their curse, to prevent human suffering.

And where had her people gone? Where were they now?

Those questions tilted her world on its axis, and the ground was still shifting beneath her.

Vampires were evil, and yet it was her bloodline who'd disappeared and allowed them to begin feeding on humans again. It was her own family that hid the truth of their past, who'd opted to live in shadow.Why?

A breeze whispered over her cheeks, making her skin prickle as the door to the stairs pushed outward. Amalie pushed to her feet, ready to bolt, but it was Theo who stepped onto the roof. He walked out into the sunlight, his eyes locking onto hers.

"Save your breath. I know. It's not safe for me to be wandering alone." Amalie had meant it to be a dig, but she was too tired to put any force behind her words.

"I thought it would take you longer." Theo's voice was soft. He lowered his head and crossed the roof to stand along the wall, far enough from her she still couldn't make out his face.

“For what?”

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