Page 24 of Sophie’s Ruin (Crimson and Shadows #2)

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 feel exhilarated 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.”

“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 about you. 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.