Chapter 36
36
M y hand trembled as I lifted the Tear off my chest and looked at it with wide eyes. It was smeared with my blood from when Henry had bitten me, and the pale blue crystal in the middle pulsed with white light.
“Power of three,” I whispered in disbelief. “Human, witch, and vampire.”
“Which are now all in your blood,” Henry whispered, understanding washing over his face.
Celeste had said before that the powerful magic of the amulet couldn’t have had come without a price. I now knew what the price was. My mother had planned to turn into a vampire so she could wield the Tear. Vincent was going to turn her. That was the ultimate sacrifice.
“Do you know what this means?” I asked Henry in a hushed tone, lifting my gaze to his.
I thought I knew what it meant, but I wanted to hear it from him. I felt a spark of hope in my chest, but I didn’t want to give life to it, too terrified the hope was false.
“I do,” he said with a soft smile as he cupped my face.
He kissed me then, and I shuddered as a wave of tears reached my eyes. I couldn’t believe I was here with him—in this moment—when we had just quite possibly found a way to our salvation. The pressure of the kiss increased as he tugged on my lower lip with his fangs. I opened up for him, and as his tongue slid over mine, desire rose again, threatening to sweep me under. I wanted to give in to it, to stay right here, in his arms, forever, letting the rest of the world fade away, but we couldn’t do that. He knew it, too, because the kiss became less demanding and more sweet—a promise of what would come if we survived. In the next moment, his mouth left mine, trailing soft kisses down the side of my neck.
“What if it doesn’t work?” I whispered. “Worse yet, what if it does work but it wipes out all supernatural, not just the Dark Witches?”
Henry’s kisses on my skin slowed and eventually stopped. He rested his head in the crook of my neck for a moment before lifting his gaze to mine.
“Have hope,” he said, looking into my eyes. “I have just found you. I am not ready to lose you yet.”
“I don’t want to lose you ,” I whispered, gripping his shoulders as if I could hold on to him forever.
We didn’t want to lose each other and the future that what had just happened between us promised.
Henry’s gaze flicked to the window where the drawn curtains hid the darkness outside, and I knew that the moment we had carved out for ourselves was over.
“We need to go to the border and tell Celeste we found a way to activate the amulet,” he said, his gaze returning to me. The rest was left unspoken—hopefully we would know what to do from there.
Do we have to go? almost escaped from my mouth but I held my tongue. I’d come so far, sacrificed so much. I would see this through, even if the future was uncertain.
I nodded, and Henry gently lifted me off him, setting me down as he rose to his feet.
“Sophie…” he said, bringing his hand up and gliding his fingers down my cheek.
“Don’t.” I stopped him with my hand on his chest. I didn’t know what he was going to say, but I had a feeling it was goodbye, and I refused to accept that. “Have hope,” I whispered as I covered his hand on my cheek with mine and turned my face to kiss his palm.
Emotions churned in his stormy blue eyes as a ragged breath left him. His other hand went up and fisted in my hair before he gave me another scorching kiss.
“I am in awe of you,” he whispered against my lips, making my heart lurch in my chest.
He pulled away abruptly as if he didn’t trust himself to linger lest we never leave this room.
“Get dressed. I will come to get you shortly,” he said before he pulled on his breeches and swept from my bedroom.
I didn’t move for a few seconds, my attention lingering on the door long after it had closed. He’d said he was in awe of me. I was in awe of him, too—of what we’d just shared and of how happy it made me feel. How happy he made me feel. I wanted more of that, more of him , wondering if I would ever be able to get enough. What we’d shared went beyond the physical. I felt him seeping into my skin and settling in my heart. I wanted to fight for him, for us, stopping at nothing. And fight I would, with my fangs and with my claws if I had to. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, though, as I caught my reflection in the vanity mirror, the amulet still pulsing on my chest.
The power of three. The answer had been right in front of me the whole time. I realized I was glad that I hadn’t known about it before now. The past few weeks had been important. I’d needed the time to get to know Henry so I could trust him to turn me and guide me through the change. He’d needed the time to show me that becoming a vampire didn’t mean becoming a monster.
Forcing myself out of my thoughts, I willed my numb limbs to move, quickly getting dressed in black pants and a black tunic. I hung the locket with the portrait of my mother back around my neck, tucking it under my collar. I left the Tear over my clothes, and it glowed on my chest like a star, still smeared with my blood. Facing the vanity mirror again, I dragged the brush through my tousled hair before pulling it up and out of my face. My cheeks were still flushed from what Henry and I had done earlier, and a shudder rolled through me when my mind flashed back to what we’d shared, to how his body had felt against mine.
As if I’d conjured him with my mind, the Lord came back to collect me, softly rapping his knuckles on my bedroom door.
When I opened it, he hauled me to his hard chest and kissed me deeply, stealing my breath away.
“It seems I can’t stop kissing you,” he murmured against my lips.
“If we survive tonight, you’ll never have to stop,” I breathed.
He pulled away then and looked into my eyes.
“Whatever happens tonight…I want you to know that what we shared earlier was one of the best moments of my entire life,” he rasped.
“Mine too,” I whispered. I knew that my nineteen years didn’t come remotely close to his two hundred, but I still wanted him to know.
He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts before his gaze swept over me.
“You should wear armor, just in case,” he said. He was already wearing his.
In case the Tear doesn’t work, he didn’t say, but his gaze dropped to the amulet pulsing on my chest.
My heart twisted as emotion seized me, and I clasped his face, claiming his mouth, realizing this might be the last time I got to do so. This might be our very last kiss, so soon after we’d had our first. I wanted more firsts with him. I would do anything for it.
My mouth moved over his with desperation I felt in my bones, and we were both breathless when I pulled away and rested my forehead on his.
“We have to go,” he said low and thick.
“I know,” I whispered, inhaling his fresh and woodsy scent before I pulled away. “I’m ready,” I said, surprised to find my voice steady.
I was ready—ready to find out if my mother’s creation truly worked.
Several minutes later, we appeared on the border, hand in hand, both clad in leather and iron. The other clans were already here, and I caught a few curious glances in our direction as Henry and I made our way to the wall. I’d been the first vampire turned to join the clans since the Red War, so I could understand the others’ interest in me. I was proud to be a part of the Duval clan and took my new role seriously, planning to help Henry and Isabelle carry on the legacy Vincent and Rosalind had left behind. I would also carry on my mother’s legacy. I hoped I would get a chance to learn the magic in my blood and do all the great things my father had spoken about before he’d left.
Henry was still holding my hand when we made our way to the top of the border wall, where we joined the clan leaders. Isabelle was there as well, her black armor blending in with the night. Her nostrils flared as we neared before she smirked, giving me a knowing look. I almost rolled my eyes as a smile tugged at my lips. Camilla stood by her, clad in white armor, the color matching her hair, and she chuckled low as her ice-blue eyes dropped to where Henry held my hand. Thankfully, she chose not to say anything as her expression turned serious, and she trained her eyes on the impenetrable darkness of the Black Forest looming on the other side of the border.
I looked past Camilla and saw Celeste and the other White Witches, all dressed in blue cloaks. There were only about fifty of them, and my heart broke all over again as I thought about the fate of their kind. My kind, I reminded myself. It was truly a miracle that the White Witches were here, joining our fight, even though only so few of them remained.
Celeste was looking at the Black Forest when I found her in the crowd, but then her eyes darted to me as if she could sense I was here. And perhaps she could; perhaps the world whispered it to her. Her gaze fastened on the amulet on my chest before she lifted her eyes to mine, her eyebrows raised in question. I nodded, and the witch moved, walking hurriedly toward me.
“How did you do it?” she asked low when she approached.
“Power of three,” I whispered as Henry squeezed my hand in quiet support. “Power of all three species,” I explained.
“Which you now possess,” Celeste surmised, understanding dawning on her.
Isabelle and Camilla exchanged a look, standing a few feet behind the witch.
“How do I use it?” I asked urgently, not sure how much time we had.
“It should just follow your will,” Celeste replied just as horns blared from several locations along the wall.
Everyone spun toward the Black Forest as unearthly silence settled over the border. I gripped the stone ledge with my free hand as darkness poured out of the woods, spilling into the air and onto the ground.
There were hundreds of them. They moved like smoke, creeping toward the border, their shadows thick and murky against the black of the night. Within minutes, they were almost to the border, and the entire stone wall seemed to shudder. My heart dropped as I looked around me. White lighting crackled at the end of Celeste’s fingers as she ducked her chin, preparing for battle. Isabelle and Camilla crouched down, their fangs bared in a snarl and their fingers ending in sharp claws.
I looked at Henry then and found him watching me. He wasn’t looking in the direction of the Black Forest. He was looking at me, deep sorrow etched into his features. “I have just found you,” he’d told me earlier. Now, his look conveyed, “I have just found you, and we are out of time.”
Panic flared as my heart lurched in my chest. I whipped my head back to the other side of the border. The Dark Witches halted a few feet from the wall, creating a sea of churning darkness that stretched all the way to the Black Forest. There were so many of them that I knew once they moved, they would swallow New Haven like a tide of pain and destruction. My mind was instantly filled with images of people dying and being captured for sacrifices.
Once New Haven fell, the Dark Witches would spread like a plague until they reached the Northern region where most of our people were, where my father was currently heading. They would consume the entire Empire, plunging it into darkness and suffering. My heart seized as my eyes filled with tears. I blinked them back as I stared at the black mass of Dark Witches, waiting for the attack. The witches stood unmoving at the border, and in a few seconds, I knew why.
“Surrender,” Antaris said, her voice full of slithering shadows. She separated from the sea of darkness, stepping closer to the wall and looking up at where Henry and I stood. “Our numbers are too great. You will not prevail,” she hissed as wispy tendrils of smoke pulsed all around her.
She was right. We wouldn’t win this war. Not unless the amulet worked.
“It is now or never, Sophie,” I heard Henry say.
I looked at him and he met my gaze, his features hard with resolve.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” I whispered.
“Whatever happens, I am right here with you. I will follow you into the void if that is our fate,” Henry said fiercely.
Our fate.
I was the master of my fate, not the other way around, I thought, closing my eyes and bringing my hand up to my chest.
I covered the amulet resting there, letting my fingers curl around it. The pale-blue crystal burned like ice, frostbite branding the skin of my palm. I heard Henry’s sharp inhale as his grip on my other hand tightened, letting me know he was here with me, by my side, like he had been in the past few weeks.
Releasing a controlled breath, I let my instincts take over as I concentrated on the Tear in my hand, my brows pinching. I imagined my mother standing behind me, her hand on my shoulder, guiding me. Suddenly, I was engulfed in her love, so deep and unconditional. And love blossomed in my heart. Love for my parents and for my people. For the one standing next to me, holding my hand.
I blinked open my eyes and realized I wasn’t on the border anymore. I was at the Mayfair Park with Rory. The sunlight seeping through the twisted tree branches told me all of this was not real. It couldn’t be, because I was now a vampire and couldn’t be out in the sun. And because Rory was dead. Still, I lifted my face up to the sunlight, reveling in the feeling of it on my face, before I lowered my gaze to Rory.
“What do you hope for?” I asked her, just like I had that day in the park shortly after the Selection.
“A bright future where I feel safe,” she replied, her big brown eyes sparkling and bright.
I knew what I needed to do then as I looked down at the amulet in my hand.
It should just follow your will, Celeste’s words floated up in my head.
I wanted a future where humanity was safe. A future where Dark Witches were no more, but White Witches still lived, free and out of hiding. I wanted a future…for Henry and me.
I felt it then. My mother’s magic. And my grandmother’s. The magic of my entire bloodline stored in the amulet. It coursed through me, filling me as if I were an empty vessel.
The white light in the pale-blue crystal was pulsing brighter and brighter, but it wasn’t just the amulet glowing—I was glowing with it. The bright light pulsed in my chest until it filled my entire body, saturating my every pore and spilling outward into the world around me. The light kept building inside me, and with it, I felt impossible power, so pure and beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. It built until I knew I couldn’t contain it anymore. Squeezing my eyes shut, I released the light and, with it, the power into the night with a shout, burning like the brightest star, illuminating the dark world around me. The outburst was blinding, painting my vision in white even through the closed eyelids, and for a few minutes, I couldn’t see anything, but I felt at peace, as if calm, clear waters were pulling me under.
“Sophie,” Henry’s soft whisper brought me back to the surface. “Look at me.”
My eyes fluttered open, and I saw his face. Had he followed me into the void like he’d promised?
“Are you okay?” he asked low, his worried eyes searching my face.
“Yes,” I breathed, my gaze wandering to the starry night sky above him.
This didn’t feel like the void. I was lying in his lap, staring up at him. Frowning, I sat up slowly, my mind a bit hazy, and looked around. We were surrounded—human guards, White Witches, and vampires all stood around us, watching me with wide eyes.
“What happened?” I turned to Henry.
“You did it,” he whispered, his lips curling into a hesitant smile.
With his help, I scrambled to my feet and dashed to the stone ledge of the wall, leaning out. The Dark Witches were no longer on the other side of the border, ebbing and flowing like a sea of churning black water.
“You destroyed them all,” Henry said low behind me.
He sounded like he couldn’t quite believe it. I couldn’t believe it, either, but he was still here, and so was I.
“Is everyone else?—”
“Unharmed.” I heard Celeste’s voice behind my back.
Shocked, I looked down at the amulet on my chest. It no longer pulsed, the pale-blue crystal dull and cold. Closing my eyes, I released the longest exhale of my life, feeling like I’d been holding my breath for eons. Then, I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with air of a new world. The world where Dark Witches no longer existed.
“What happens now?” Henry asked, and I turned around to face him.
His eyes shone with admiration, affection, and a myriad of other emotions that brought me to tears with their intensity. I also noticed a faint shadow of apprehension, as if he weren’t sure what I would say.
“Now, we give the humans their world back and slink back into the shadows where we belong,” I told him and held my breath.
Did he want that? He’d said he did in the past, but had that changed? More importantly, did he want that with me ?
A smile broke across his face, stunning in its warmth and beauty.
“Yes,” he breathed, cupping my face. “I don’t care where we belong. As long as we’re together.”
I didn’t care, either, I realized, looking into his eyes and seeing my future. As long as I was with Henry and the humans were safe.