Page 38 of Sophie's Ruin
“You’re a fool,” the witch said, advancing more in my direction.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Waylon and Wren step out of the woods as well. They were all closing in on me, trying to trap me like a wild animal.
I will show them wild,I thought, as another roll of thunder sounded, now closer to us.
“No, you’re a fool if you think that you can stop me,” I hissed, baring my fangs.
Isabelle hissed, too, crouching before me, her white teeth and claws a startling contrast against her dark skin and clothing.
“Ladies,” Wren said in a warning tone, as he slowly approached where Isabelle and I were facing off against each other. “Let’s not get carried away.”
He didn’t want Isabelle to get hurt, I could hear it in his voice. He cared about her just like I cared about Henry. He, of all people, should understand why I was doing this.
“Sophie, I know you’d do anything for those you care about, but we care aboutyou.That’s why we’re trying to help,” came Waylon’s measured voice from my left.
He stood a few feet away, his muscles tense and his forest-green eyes trained on me.
“You can help by staying out of my way,” I growled as I glanced at him.
“We can’t do that,” Celeste interjected, throwing her hands out to cast a spell.
Everything slowed as I watched her power ripple through the air toward me. I knew if it reached me, I would be immobilized like I’d been the other night in the woods by the border. Panic set in as I drew on my own magic, quickly gathering it in my chest, in my very center, like Damien had taught me. I imagined my power as a beam of light and flung it into Stern’s lair, to where Henry was, but before I could step onto it, the magic bridge I’d created dissipated into swirling black smoke.
Your power is wreathed in shadows,Celeste’s earlier words floated up in my mind. Perhaps it wasn’t light that I needed to glimmer. Maybe I could use shadows to get to where I wanted to go. Embracing the darkness like an old friend, I let it gather me up in its wispy tendrils and take me out of the Forest. The world faded to black for a moment, and when the light returned, I was in Stern’s lair, standing next to Henry’s limp form on the floor.
20
HENRY
Moreau had paid me a visit not long after Camilla had left. He had chosen the serrated knife that time, and I’d had to suffer through yet another torture session. After he had left, satisfied with the damage he’d done, I had begun slipping in and out of consciousness. Each time I retreated into my mind, it was harder to bring myself back to reality. Here, pain and despair awaited me. There, I could be with Sophie, reliving our brief time together as memories flashed through my mind…
“Good evening,” Sophie’s voice pulled me from my slumber.
I blinked open my eyes and found her watching me from where she sat on top of my bed, hugging her knees to her chest.
“Good evening,” I replied, as I ran a hand down my face to wake myself up.
I couldn’t believe I had fallen asleep. The last three nights must have taken more out of me than I’d thought. At least Sophie was more lucid now, having overcome the bloodlustlast night. Had I dropped my guard any time before then, she would have ripped out my throat and escaped, I was sure of it. Now, she seemed in control of the darkness, albeit sitting unnaturally still and rigid, not used to this new body of hers. She was wearing one of my tunics and seeing her in my clothes was strangely intimate. I had wanted to borrow Isabelle’s clothes, but Sophie had been desperate to shed her blood-covered dress. She had also made me change the sheets after she’d spilled blood on them.
“How did you sleep?” I asked her, letting my gaze roam over her features.
Her tousled hair spilled over her shoulders, and I could see her creamy skin where the tunic didn’t quite cover her legs. Gods, she was beautiful.
“I was dreaming about you…” she started, but trailed off, her brows knitting.
I didn’t need to ask what kind of dream it had been. There was no mistaking the notes of remaining desire I could detect in her scent. My throat dried when I picked up on it, and I shifted in my chair as arousal spiked. I immediately tried to tamp it down, hoping Sophie’s heightened senses weren’t keen enough yet to detect it. She looked concerned about the dream, and I didn’t want to make it worse. If anything, I wanted to put her at ease.
“You were dreaming about me because I’m the one who turned you,” I explained. “There is a special bond between a vampire and their sire. Perhaps that’s how our bond is manifesting. The dreams don’t mean anything. They will pass.”
My brows pulled together as I felt a niggle of disappointment at my own words. I caught myself wishing the dreams wouldn’t pass, but wishing for that was selfish of me. Sophie’s life and everything she knew had just changed. She was frightened and confused, and I would not add to that stateof confusion. I was here to help her, not make it worse. So she would never know about the thought I’d just had, just like she would never know I had seen her in my dreams. She didn’t need to know, because as I’d told her, the dreams would pass, even if I didn’t want them to.
Sophie’s frown deepened at my words, and she opened her mouth to say something, but I interjected, desperate to change the subject.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, watching her closely.
She looked as if she wanted to go back to the previous conversation, but then decided not to.
“I’m hungry,” she said simply, and I knew she was—her eyes were black, not the beautiful hazel hue I was so fond of.
