Page 63 of To Vanquish Darkness

No.Exploring anything with Theo was a terrible idea. She would only allow him to feed when it was necessary. To protect the people unlucky enough to live beyond the castle walls.

With a deep breath, Amalie gathered her long, dark hair back from her face and tied it up with the swan fabric tie since she no longer needed it for her neck. She needed food, something substantial, to regain her strength, and she wasnotgoing to go begging Theo to help her.

If she stood in her doorway, she could hopefully catch Henriette as she passed, and it would be easy enough to close the door if she needed to. Amalie crossed the room and turned the knob. She hadn’t even pulled when the door swung open, and Amalie yelped, jumping back.

Theo lay sprawled out on the floor, his head now inside her room. He bolted up, his eyes blinking and his hair tousled.

For a moment, Amalie stood frozen, trying to make sense of it. Why was Theo sleeping against her door? Was he guardingher? Trying to force her into compliance? She clenched her jaw at the surge of annoyance in her chest, the echo of his snide farewell the night before still lingered in her ears.

“Afternoon.” He cleared his throat.

“What are you doing here?”

He blinked, and his dark lashes splayed over his cheek. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“I was looking for Henriette.”

He assessed her. “Why?”

Her grip tightened on the door knob. "To find food."

"I can help you with that." Theo ran a hand over his face, and as he turned, Amalie’s breath caught. He was practically glowing in the morning light filtering through the glass at the end of the hall. He looked vibrant. Fresh.

Because of her blood.

"I don’t need your help. I can wait for Henriette.”

“Henriette isn’t here today.”

Amalie’s stomach plummeted. “Theo, if she?—”

“She’s with her family. It’s her day off.”

Amalie swallowed, wetting her lips. “Oh. Good.”

Theo motioned for her to walk with him down the hall. She closed the door and followed. At the end of the hall she turned left, and Theo snagged her elbow.

“Wrong way.”

She yanked her arm back. “Don’t touch me.”

“Don’t turn the wrong way.”

She glared at him, only realizing then that they’d both stopped. “Please. Lead me, oh great one.”

The corner of his mouth turned up. “That’s more like it. Someone told me recently that gratitude was a virtue?—”

Amalie growled in exasperation. “You’re a bastard.”

“Vainbastard. Don’t forget the qualifier.” He led them down another hall, then through a door that opened to a descending spiral staircase.

Amalie kept her mouth shut. She had nothing else to say to him. She would get her food, then escape to her room and figure out what in the world she was going to do next.Theo still wouldn’t let her in on something.

That knowledge made her insides squirm. It had to be something terrible. Something that would change her mind, and since he already knew she hated him, she couldn’t imagine how anything he told her could make things worse.

But the whispers wouldn't stop. It was the feeling of hairs lifting on the back of her neck. Like the buzz in the air before a storm.

Something was there.She'd been collecting slivers of information the best she could. Flashes of memories. The threads she felt ebbing and waning within her. By the way he soured whenever it was brought up, his secrets had something to do with his promise.

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