Page 16 of Sophie's Ruin
Of course he had.
“Like a coward,” I bit out.
Wren exploded, whispering harshly, “Yes, like a coward. I knew you’d say that. You’d never understand. You don’t know what I’ve been through.”
“I’ve been through worse. I almost died–”
“But you didn’t! Instead, you were granted eternal life.”
“I didn’t want it!” I seethed, raising my voice almost to a shout.
Wren opened his mouth but clamped it shut when Isabelle stirred on the sofa—we were being too loud.
“You might not have wanted it then,” Wren said low, his anger visibly deflating. “But tell me…now that you have eternity, would you go back and make a different choice?”
Though the question caught me by surprise, the answer came quickly and without hesitation.
“No,” I said vehemently, trying to keep my voice down. “I wouldn’t choose differently.”
Choosing differently would mean not choosing Henry. And I would always choose him.
Wren’s gaze darted to Isabelle as I uttered the words. Shadows crept across his features, and I wondered if the question had been more about him than me. He’d wanted to know if turning into a vampire was worth it in the end. It was worth it to me because I had Henry. Would it be worth it to him if he wanted to be with Isabelle? He was the only one who could answer that for himself.
As if sensing Wren’s gaze on her, Isabelle woke up, slowly blinking open her eyes. They were a beautiful, deep-brown hue now, not black with hunger, when she looked in our direction. Her skin was also back to a rich-brown shade instead of the sickly, ashen tawny.
Wren shifted from his spot by the wall, moving closer to the sofa.
“How are you feeling?” he asked Isabelle, stroking her hair.
“Much better,” she replied. “Thanks to you.”
One side of Wren’s mouth turned up, and Isabelle gave a small, answering smile.
The interaction was intimate, tugging at my heart because it made me think of Henry. A bitter taste pooled in the back of my mouth as I tried to imagine where he was and what he was going through. The clans would keep him alive because they wanted me and the Tear, but they wouldn’t be kind to him. There was no doubt in my mind they would unleash pain and misery on him. He was probably suffering at this very moment, while I lounged here on the floor.
Anxious and frustrated, I swiftly rose to my feet and left the living room, quickly crossing the dark and narrow hallway leading to the kitchen. I stopped in the doorway, my gaze fixed on the closed green curtains draped over the small kitchen window. My chest tight, and my muscles tense, I counted down the seconds until sunset. Closing my eyes, I imagined the daylight receding, gradually surrendering to the darkness.
When I felt the last sun rays disappear below the horizon, a soft exhale left me, as if the night made breathing easier somehow. The pressure on my chest alleviated just a fraction. My muscles were still tense, but it was now restless energy, not anxiety, coiling them tight. In a matter of seconds, I felt stronger, faster. My body came alive like it always did at sunset, my blood singing for the freedom of the night.
A soft smile tugging at my lips, I approached the window and pulled open the curtains, peering into the darkness outside. When I noticed my own fuzzy reflection in the glass, the corners of my mouth pulled down as last night flashed through my mind. I’d been so close to the world I wanted. How had it all gone so terribly wrong? I couldn’t believe I was here, and Henry was…I swallowed to relieve the tightness in my throat.
Reaching inside my pants pocket, I pulled out the Tear and looked at it. The crystal in the middle pulsed, casting a pale-blue glow around the dark kitchen. The amulet had freed us from the Dark Witches, but now it felt like a cursed object in my hand because it was causing suffering—Henry’s and mine. What if I destroyed it? My brows knitted at the thought. Destroying the amulet wouldn’t save us, I realized with a heavy heart. Even without the Tear, Henry and I stood between the clans and the current world order they were so desperate to keep. The only way to ensure our safety was to defeat the clans.
An impossible task,the world whispered.
I dismissed the warning with a shake of my head. My grandmother had begun creating the amulet that could destroy supernatural forces, and my mother had finished it. The magic of my bloodline was strong. I had to believe it was powerful enough for me to be able to face the clans and prevail.
“Good evening,” Celeste’s gentle lilt pulled me from my thoughts. “Would you like some tea?”
She lit the oil lamp on the kitchen table and began rummaging around.
“I want to learn my magic,” I said, instead of responding to her question. “As soon as possible.”
When I turned around from the window, Celeste was putting a kettle on the hearth.
Those luminous blue eyes of hers fastened on me.
“Patience,” she said calmly, and the sound of her measured voice made me clench my teeth so hard that my jaw ached. “It will be a process and will take some time.”
