Page 46 of Sophie's Ruin
Please.The word nearly undid me. Closing my eyes, I took a breath, wanting to give in. The muscles of my neck and back relaxed at Henry’s proximity as I breathed him in. Perhaps he was right. We were back together now. He was safe.
Safe?the darkness whispered.How can he be safe when they are still out there?
My heart sped up in my chest as my eyes flew open. I stepped away from Henry, and his fingers, which had been brushing my cheek, curled into a fist around thin air. His blue eyes dulled, and he looked defeated, his mouth wan and his face ashen.
“I have to go,” I told him, my voice cold and detached. “And if you’re not going to help me, I know someone who will.”
That got Henry’s attention, and his head snapped up, his eyes boring into me.
“Who?”
“I’ll be back as soon as it’s over,” I told him, as I called upon the magic in my blood.
“Wait, who is going to help you? Answer me, Sophie!”
Sensing that I was about to make my escape, Henry lunged for me, but it was too late. My entire body tingled, wreathed in obsidian flames as my magic pulled me from the bedroom. I felt weightless for a moment, floating in the void, before I came out on the other side—in the Black Forest. Glimmering had come easier this time, but I was still unsteady on my feet after they’d hit the solid ground in the woods. Bracing my hands on myknees, I focused on my breathing as I tried to tame my frantic thoughts along with my racing heart.
How could Henry not want retribution for what the clans had done to him?
I don’t want to make them pay. I just want to stay here. With you.His words floated up in my mind.
He loved me…I closed my eyes, my heart sinking. I loved him, too. I hadn’t said it back, but actions spoke louder than words. I would prove my love to him by making the clan leaders pay. I’d claimed him as my own, and I would stop at nothing to protect what was mine.
24
HENRY
She disappeared, wreathed in smoke and shadows. When my fingers closed around thin air after I’d lunged for her, I roared in frustration and smashed my fist into the vanity, splintering the mahogany wood.
Breathe,I ordered myself as I dragged a hand through my hair. My eyes burned, so I squeezed them shut. We had been separated for only a few nights, but it had felt like an eternity. Not only because of the torture I had endured, but because I had been away from her. Tonight, we had reunited, but now she was gone again. I opened my eyes, staring into the space before me, my chest painfully tight. I had told her I loved her…she hadn’t said it back. I knew her feelings for me ran deep. I could see it in her eyes. I could see it on her face, but I still wanted to hear her say it. The three little words. It was selfish of me to want her to say them. Gods, it was selfish of me to even want her to love me because I didn’t deserve it. Would she still love me if she knew about my past? About the monstrous things I’d done?
A ragged breath escaped as I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I needed to focus if I wanted to help Sophie. And she needed my help even if she didn’t realize it. Her magic…it was not like the magic of the other White Witches. I knew little about their powers, but I could tell that hers was different. It hadn’t been white lighting running down her arms when she’d called upon her magic in Stern’s lair—it had been dark shadows slithering like snakes.
A shudder rolled through me at the thought. Whatever her magic was, I had no doubt it was the reason Sophie was not acting like herself. Her thirst for justice had always been strong, but it wasn’t justice she was after now, it was vengeance. She was out for blood, and that wasn’t the Sophie I knew and loved. That Sophie would have stayed with me. That Sophie would have told me she loved me. I clenched my jaw and headed for the door—I would bring that Sophie back.
The fresh smell of rain hung heavy in the air when I stepped outside, and I inhaled deeply, grateful that my ribs had healed enough to allow the movement. Being out here and being free felt surreal. I couldn’t believe Sophie had rescued me. I couldn’t believe she had thought I was worthy of saving.
Don’t go there,I told myself as I rolled my shoulders. She had saved me, and now I would save her, even if I had to save her from herself.
Stepping back with my right foot, I set off to a sprint, running toward the Black Forest. When I entered the dark woods, the forest creatures swarmed, but I kept moving, unbothered by their presence. I was the Alpha in these woods. I knew it, and they knew it, too. The wet soil squelched under my booted feet as I ran, and my shirt quickly got drenched from the water stored in the tree canopy when I disturbed it rushing by.
Celeste’s rustic cottage appeared sooner than I had expected. The witch was outside, and so were Isabelle, Waylon, and…Wren. My upper lip curled in a snarl as I headed straight for the fucker. Sophie had almost died twice because of him. I thought she’d killed him. I didn’t know how he had survived, but he wouldn’t stay alive for long because I would tear him to shreds. A vicious growl escaped at the thought as I kept running toward him. He stood with his back to me, and I was almost on him when he whirled around, his pale-blue eyes wide in panic and shock. Suddenly, Isabelle’s face replaced his in my line of vision, and I skidded to a halt before her.
“Move,” I snarled at her.
In the back of my mind, I knew this wasn’t the reunion we both deserved, but I didn’t care at the moment. I only cared about getting to Wren.
“No,” Isabelle declared, squaring off against me.
When I growled at her, she growled back. Why was she protecting him? She was acting as if she were protecting something that was…hers. My nostrils flared as I detected their intermingled scents. Disbelief surged through me as I stared at her with wide eyes. Her eyes were pleading as she stared back, but her jaw was set in determination. She would fight me if it came to it, but she hoped it wouldn’t, her look conveyed. Gods. Of all people, why did it have to be Wren? It truly didn’t matter, I realized, as my fury deflated. I couldn’t rip out Wren’s heart like I wanted to, because then I would be ripping out Isabelle’s heart, too, and I would never forgive myself if I hurt her. Erasing the snarl from my face, I sheathed my claws. Isabelle did the same, relief washing over her features.
“Henry,” she breathed, closing the distance between us.
She wrapped her arms around me, squeezing tight, and I embraced her back, resting my chin on top of her head. We stayed like that for a few minutes until Isabelle pulled away.
“You’re alive,” she stated the obvious. “And well,” she added, her gaze quickly scanning me from head to toe.
“I am,” I assured her. “Sophie rescued me.”
