Chapter 34
34
M y eyes drifted closed, and my heartbeat danced in my chest as I waited for Henry to kiss me. To my surprise, his lips didn’t brush mine. They glided over my cheek and my jaw, eliciting a shiver from me. I didn’t move, didn’t breathe, as a pleasant curling sensation stirred in my lower stomach. My lips parted as I waited for him to claim my mouth. Growing impatient, I was about to sink my fingers into his hair and seal my mouth to his when a knock sounded on the front door.
My eyes flew open, and Henry jerked his head back, stiffening above me. We both turned toward the entrance, catching the scent of who was on the other side of the door. For a long moment, Henry didn’t move, but then he shifted off me, rising to his feet. He reached down, and I placed my hand in his, letting him pull me up even though I didn’t need his help. He didn’t let go of my hand once I was on my feet, and I threaded my fingers through his as we walked to the door.
Celeste stood on the other side, under the bright glow of the moon. She looked calm and collected as she said, “Dark Witches are preparing to attack.”
My breath left me as my heart stuttered and stopped before speeding up in my chest.
“How much time do we have?” Henry asked as his hand tightened around mine.
“A couple of hours at best,” Celeste replied. Her gaze dropped to our joined hands before darting to me. Her luminous blue eyes were curious as she stared at me. “I see you have changed,” was all she said. She didn’t sound judgmental, but it wouldn’t have mattered even if she did.
“I have.” I lifted my chin.
I wasn’t ashamed of becoming a vampire. I was proud that I’d had the courage and the strength to do it. To become something I’d loathed so I could try to save my people. Even though I was now different from them, humans were still my people. They always would be.
“Here.” Celeste handed me the amulet. “We haven’t found a way to activate it.”
My heart dropped as I let go of Henry’s hand and took the Tear, hanging it around my neck. All this time, I’d still held out hope that the White Witches would find a way and we would be able to avoid a war.
“Thank you for trying,” I said, my voice hoarse.
“We didn’t find a way to activate the amulet, but we will help you fight in the war,” Celeste said, and Henry and I exchanged a look.
Having the White Witches fight alongside us didn’t guarantee a victory, but it was still a big relief to have them join us.
“Thank you,” Henry said with sincerity, echoing what I felt in my heart, and Celeste nodded.
“I am going back to the border to prepare. We will see you there,” she said before walking away.
Closing the door behind her, Henry turned to me. My heart pounded in the silence that followed. There was so much to say, but suddenly, it felt like words would never be enough.
“So, it is finally here,” Isabelle said, appearing in the foyer.
Henry reluctantly dragged his gaze away from me and turned to her.
“Finally?” he asked, raising one dark brow.
“Yes, finally.” Isabelle exhaled. “I swear it felt like I’d been holding my breath for two weeks, waiting for the Dark Witches to attack. Now, the wait is over. I might die tonight, but at least I won’t have to endure any more dread and uncertainty.”
I found I agreed with her on that. Tonight, it would all be resolved—one way or another.
“I’m going to gather the clans,” Isabelle said, and Henry nodded.
“I will change and then go to the border. Sophie will come with me,” he told her.
“Take your time,” Isabelle said low, looking between Henry and me. Her mouth twitched as if she were fighting a smile before she disappeared through the front door, stirring my unbound hair on her way out.
I looked at Henry, and our gazes locked again and held, the air between us becoming strangely charged. His features were impossible to read as he stared at me. My gaze dropped to his mouth, and I found myself wishing we could somehow recapture the moment we’d shared before Celeste had shown up. I knew we wouldn’t, though, when Henry’s face sharpened, becoming harsher and more unyielding. I knew at that moment that he had put what had happened between us behind, focusing on the issue at hand.
“We need to get ready and head to the border,” he said, his voice rough and thick. “I will come to get you after I change,” he added, turning to head upstairs to his bedroom.
I opened my mouth to say something, but I wasn’t sure what, so I clamped it shut and stalked out of the foyer. Once I was in my bedroom, I stopped before the vanity mirror, stalling. I knew I needed to change, but I couldn’t bring myself to move as I stared at my reflection, illuminated by the soft glow of the lamp on the bedside table. The room was dim, but I could see clearly as if it were brightly lit because of my new abilities. My hazel eyes were big with fear, and my lips were almost white, pressed in a thin line. I looked beautiful, as all vampires did, my already attractive features brought to nearly flawless perfection when I’d turned. I still felt flawed, though, as my gaze dropped to the amulet resting on my chest.
If only my blood had worked. All this could have been avoided. There would be no Dark Witches or war. There would be no vampires, I realized with a pang in my chest as my gaze lifted to the ceiling, where I could hear Henry moving around in his bedroom. I’d come to care about him deeply, and the thought scared me as much as it excited me. Perhaps everything happened for a reason, and our story was supposed to unfold this way.
Not all was lost.
Not yet, I hoped as I lowered my gaze back to my reflection. My hands trembled as I untangled the delicate chain of the amulet from the necklace holding the locket with the picture of my mother. Opening the locket, I looked at the miniature portrait stored inside. I loved my mother so much. Everything I’d done had been for her, my father, and others like them—my people. I knew my father was proud of me, and I had a feeling my mother would be, too, if she were still alive. Closing the locket with a heavy sigh, I took it off my neck and set it on the vanity. When I looked at the Tear still hanging on my chest, my father’s words from earlier floated up in my mind. You have vampire strength, but your heart is still human, and there is magic in your blood.
“What if…” I murmured, reaching up to unclasp the chain holding the amulet from my neck. I halted when I heard Henry right outside my door.
Holding my breath, I waited. He seemed to be waiting, too. For what, I wasn’t sure. I could hear him standing there for a moment before he exhaled roughly, resting his forehead on my door with a soft thud.
My heart turned over in my chest. What were we waiting for? We were wasting precious time. We might not survive tonight, and there was so much to say, to do, to… feel.
“Sophie,” Henry breathed when I opened my bedroom door.
He was still shirtless and wearing the same black breeches, making me wonder if he’d spent all that time upstairs trying to find the courage to come talk to me.
When our gazes locked, everything stopped, and I was falling, swimming in the deep blue waters of his eyes.
I wanted to tell him how grateful I was for everything he’d done for me. How I’d never seen him as a monster, not truly. How thrilled I was to be like him now, so we didn’t have to part. All those words rushed to the surface, dancing on the tip of my tongue, but none of them came out.
“I want you,” was all I said.
The moment I uttered the words, panic set in. What if he didn’t feel the same way about me? But then I saw raw emotion etched into his striking features, and that almost brought me to my knees.
He moved then, and his mouth was on mine. He kissed me deeply, desperately as if he’d waited for ages, and now that his restraint broke, there was no holding back. I didn’t want to hold back, either, instantly lost in an all-consuming rush of desire. The world faded away as his tongue slid over mine, leaving only him and me in this moment.