Page 37 of Sophie's Ruin
Henry smirked in response. “You are not on the winning side now.”
“Says the one bleeding out on the floor,” Camilla hissed.
“It doesn’t matter what happens to me. It only matters what Sophie does, and I hope she uses the amulet to wipe the vampires out of this world.”
My heart seized in my chest at his words. I’d suspected that Henry might feel that way before, and now I had the confirmation. Briefly closing my eyes, I let the words wash over me before dissipating into thin air. I didn’t let them sink in—I couldn’t. If that was truly what Henry desired, I couldn’t give him what he wanted.
“You know what I think?” Camilla purred, dropping to her haunches by Henry’s side. The hem of her gown dipped in the pool of his blood, the fine fabric quickly absorbing the crimson. “I think if Sophie was going to use the amulet to destroy us, she would have done so already.” Her ice-blue gaze roamed over Henry’s face as she continued, “I heard what you told her before the witch spirited her away from the study.You are my heart.How romantic.” She cringed in disgust. “Your words made me realize something, though. Sophie might be a vampire, but her heart is still human, and it beats for you.”
“Don’t underestimate her dedication to her people,” Henry bit out through his blood-stained teeth.
“You mean the humans?” Camilla smirked. “She might have been devoted to them in the past, but I think she is now devoted to only one creature above all else.” She paused, bringing her lips to his right ear. “You,” she whispered, seductively low.
Henry’s eyes fluttered closed as he suddenly looked defeated. Was it because he knew she was right? I knew she was, and I wasn’t ashamed of it. I didn’t feel regret about my feelings for him, only resolve.
“So, you see.” Camilla’s red-hued lips stretched in a malicious smile. “She will come for you. It’s only a matter of time.”
She reached up and dragged her index finger through one of the lacerations on Henry’s chest, eliciting a hiss from him. Rising to her feet with preternatural ease, she brought the finger to her mouth and sucked off the blood. Then she was gone, the stir of air rippling the flames in the dozens of candles illuminating the cave.
I woke up with a gasp, my eyes darting around the dark house. If one could still call it that. The doors and windows were missing, and while the walls still stood, they were rotten and on the brink of collapse. I’d half-expected them to crumble down on me while I’d slept. The only reason I’d still stayed was because I knew that, as a vampire, I would survive if that happened, and because I had nowhere else to go. After I’d left Celeste in the woods, I’d run until I’d found the decrepit structure Henry and I had sheltered in when we’d been stranded in the Black Forest before.
Three days I’d been here, refusing to go back to Celeste’s cottage. On the first day, I’d barely gotten any sleep as I’d watched the sun rays crawl over the warped wooden floor, hoping they would stop before they could reach where I was tucked away in the corner in the heart of the house. On the second day, I’d been able to sleep once I’d made sure the daylight wouldn’t reach me once the sun rose. Tonight, on my third day here, I’d finally seen Henry in my dream.
Not a dream—a vision,I corrected myself, my brows knitting.
Everything that I’d seen had truly transpired; I was sure of it. It seemed I’d finally established my connection to the world around me and had been able to tap into the constant current of information. I’d been able to grasp the threadconnected to Henry, and it had led me to Stern’s lair in the Southern region, where Henry was being kept…in the pool of his own blood, chained to the wall next to the table holding the rusted instruments being used to make him bleed and suffer. My stomach churned, and I rested my head against the wall, breathing through the nausea.
“I’m coming for you,” I rasped, talking to Henry.
Tonight was the night. It had to be. I’d been practicing my magic every night since I’d gotten here. My powers had grown stronger over the past three days, though the art of glimmering still eluded me. Damien hadn’t found me during all that time. Celeste hadn’t come for me, either, which was very unsettling. She had to know where I was. After all, her connection to the threads was much stronger than mine. She hadn’t come to collect me because she was planning something. That was the only explanation for why she’d left me alone.
I knew I was making it easy for her to find me by staying in the same spot, but I hadn’t wanted to risk not being able to find another shelter in the woods before sunrise. Besides, I couldn’t hide forever. My hope was that I would become strong enough and go after Henry before Celeste or anyone else could stop me. Thirst was also becoming a problem, but I’d been brushing it aside. Henry was experiencing it, too, and the increasingly growing gnawing ache in my gut was nothing compared to what he was going through. He was suffering, so I would suffer, too. I refused to let hunger deter me from my mission.
I scrubbed my face to wake myself up fully and rose to my feet, my muscles sore from sleeping sitting up on the floor, my back against the rough wall. I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders in preparation for another night of practicing my magic. My power answered my call almost instantly now, especially if I channeled my loathing for the clans to bring it forth. It lit up my veins with liquid lightning, making me feelexhilarated and alive, and giving me a rush I could only compare to what I experienced when drinking blood or being in Henry’s arms as he made love to me. My pulse quickened at the thought. I couldn’t wait to practice my magic, to feel that rush again until I could feel the other kind—the one elicited by Henry.
Buzzing with excitement, I quickly crossed the run-down house and stepped outside. My muscles tensed as I halted right on the other side of the threshold. Celeste had finally come for me…and she wasn’t alone. Isabelle and Wren were here, and Waylon, too—an intervention, then. I balled my hands into fists at my sides and lifted my chin, preparing for what was to come. Would they use force or try talking to me first? Whatever they did, I would not go down without a fight.
“Sophie, we need to talk,” Isabelle said, separating from the tree line and stepping toward the house. Dressed in black, she blended in with the night, which was darker than usual because of the heavy rain clouds obscuring the moon.
“If you’ve come to tell me to take it slow, save your breath,” I told her, surprised to find my voice steady even as my temper rose.
“Henry is my brother. You know I want to save him,” she replied, coming closer.
“Then let me do what I need to do to get stronger.”
I stepped away from the house to meet her halfway. It was my way of showing her that I didn’t consider her an enemy. Not yet.
“Sophie, please,” Isabelle said, her eyes pleading as I stopped before her. “Celeste told us what happened in the woods. Your power is?—”
“Growing,” I interjected. “And it’s scaring her.” I jerked my chin at Celeste, who’d also entered the clearing, stopping a few feet away from Isabelle.
“Your power is wreathed in shadows,” the witch declared, her voice ringing out in the darkness. Thunder rumbled deep in the forest behind her after she’d uttered the words. “I know you feel it, too.”
“What I feel is power. Raw and beautiful. It will help me fight the clans and save Henry.”
“But at what cost?” Celeste challenged, taking a step toward me.
“Whatever it takes. No price is too high.”
