Page 44 of Sophie’s Ruin (Crimson and Shadows #2)

“Ihave something that I think will help,” Henry said, letting go of my face to reach into the top drawer of the bedside table.

My eyes widened when he pulled out the locket holding the portrait of my mother.

“My necklace!” I exclaimed, my hand flying to my chest.

I’d forgotten Camilla had ripped it off my neck back at Stern’s lair. I hadn’t missed it because I’d been so consumed by the darkness, but now that the haze had lifted, it felt like there was a void in my chest, in the spot where the locket usually rested.

“You went back there? After everything you endured in that place?” I stared at Henry in disbelief.

His face became ashen before he replied, “It wasn’t easy. But for you, I would face my worst nightmares. Always. Turn around.”

I shifted on the edge of the bed to give him my back.

“Where is the Tear?” he asked, gently moving my unbound hair to the side.

“I gave it to Amelie for safekeeping. I didn’t think I deserved to wear it after…” After the monstrous acts I’d committed.

Henry didn’t say anything as he clasped the delicate chain of the locket behind my neck.

He didn’t immediately pull away, placing a soft kiss on my nape, which elicited a soft gasp from me.

As soon as the weight of the locket settled on my chest, I wrapped my fingers around it and took a steadying breath.

“She would be disappointed in me,” I said in a shaking voice as I faced Henry again.

“No, she wouldn’t,” he replied, knowing that I’d meant my mother. “You stumbled and fell, but you will pick yourself up. I will help you.”

“You will? Do you still want to be with me?” The words were difficult to get out, but I had to know. I couldn’t take another breath in until I knew where we stood. With one word, he could grant me everlasting happiness or sentence me to eternal damnation.

“Do I still want to be with you?” Henry chuckled low as if he couldn’t believe I’d asked that question.

“Sophie, with you is where I belong. I told you that you were my heart, and it’s the truth.

My heart beats alongside yours in your chest. Can’t you feel it?

If your heart ever stops, mine will stop too, for I don’t want this world without you in it.

And I don’t want this life if it’s not with you. ”

My vision blurred as tears welled in my eyes.

“I love you,” I breathed. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” I whispered, planting soft kisses on his brow, his eyelids, his nose, and his cheeks.

I briefly pressed my lips to his before brushing kisses along his jaw and his neck.

The tears fell, and a sob escaped as I buried my face in his chest. He held me as I cried, trembling in his embrace.

I wept for what felt like hours until the sobs racking my body slowed, and I relaxed in his arms. We sat in silence for a while, with him stroking my hair and placing gentle kisses on my temple.

When I felt ready, I lifted my face from his chest and looked into his eyes.

The deep blue of his gaze washed over me like calming waters, soothing my battered heart.

“I love you,” he said, cupping my cheek.

A shuddering exhale left me before my breathing evened out, along with my heartbeat. A feeling of peace descended on me, wrapping me in its warm embrace. Everything was as it should be. I was in Henry’s arms, and we were in love. I was exactly where I belonged.

My pulse quickened as my gaze dropped to his mouth. Desire crashed into me, and I had to swallow to relieve the sudden dryness in my throat. Forcing my gaze back up to Henry’s, I found him watching me, his eyes hooded.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, his voice thicker, richer.

“I’m thinking you need to rest,” I forced myself to say, but the words came out low and husky.

“Liar,” Henry whispered with a teasing smile.

“I can wait,” I lied, squeezing my thighs to tame the throbbing ache between my legs.

“And what if I can’t?” His daring smile grew. “Will you deny me?”

“No. Never. I will never deny you,” I assured him.

“Prove it,” he rasped, his eyes turning several shades darker.

“You’re injured…”

“I can handle it.”

He pulled me into the bed, and I planted my knees on either side of his hips to straddle him. A harsh groan left him when I did, the rough sound igniting my blood. I rolled my hips against him, gasping when I felt him hard against my core.

“You would never deny me?” he ground out, grasping my thighs to pull me closer to him. “Are you sure you want to be making a promise like that? We have a very long life ahead of us.”

“And I can’t wait to spend every moment of it with you,” I said as I lowered my head to claim his mouth.

To my surprise, he stopped me before I could kiss him. Fisting my hair at the nape of my neck, he held me in place, moving away a few inches so he could peer at my face.

“Truly?” he asked, as a strange expression settled into his features.

“Yes,” I told him, staring into his eyes. The raw vulnerability I’d witnessed before had returned.

“Then…will you marry me?” he asked, his voice hoarse with emotion.

“Yes.” The word flew from my lips. I didn’t need to think about it. I was as sure as I’d ever been of anything in my life. Saying yes felt natural, like breathing. The easiest answer I’d ever had to give.

“Yes?” he whispered, his eyes wide and glistening with tears.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, as a startled laugh burst out of me.

I couldn’t believe I’d gone from having the lowest point of my life to this pure moment of utter happiness and bliss in a matter of a few hours.

The feeling was surreal, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it because Henry kissed me, stealing my breath away.

His lips and tongue moved over mine with burning fervor as if he was trying to pour all his love into the kiss to show me how happy he was I’d said yes.

Before long, he was tearing at my clothes while I fumbled with his pants.

I was trying to be careful with his chest, but he didn’t seem to care, his movements hungry and desperate.

He wanted to claim, to take what was his, and I let him.

For he was mine, too, and soon I would take him as my husband for all eternity.

After Henry had made love to me, wringing out every last drop of pleasure, he’d fallen into a deep sleep, his large body wrapped around mine as if he’d wanted to ensure I’d never leave the bed.

I didn’t want to leave, but there was something I needed to do, so I carefully untangled his heavy limbs from around me and slipped out of his hold.

He stirred but didn’t wake, which told me he was still on the long road to recovery.

I left the bed and picked up my pants and tunic that Henry had cast to the floor a few hours earlier.

I shrugged the clothes on and lingered by the bed, fighting the urge to crawl back into it to stay with Henry.

Exhaustion pulled at my bones. It wasn’t just the physical exertion, but also the emotional one.

All my resources were depleted, and it felt like I could sleep for days, wrapped in Henry’s arms. Or perhaps I just wanted to sleep for a long time because I secretly hoped that once I woke up, the horrible acts I’d committed would be a thing of the past. That I, along with everyone else, would be able to forget what I’d done.

I couldn’t run away from it though. I would have to live with it, but I refused to let the shadows of the past hold me back from enjoying my future with Henry.

My mind made up, I left the bedside and walked to the vanity, where I quickly dragged a brush through my tousled hair before slipping from the room.

Fighting the heaviness in my sore muscles, I set off to a run in the direction of the Black Forest. I only had an hour at most before sunrise, and glimmering would be faster, but I didn’t dare use my magic, fearful that the darkness would latch on to me again and drag me back to its side.

So, I ran, darting through the woods until I reached the clearing where Celeste’s cottage sat, bathed in the glow of the moon.

“I’ve been expecting you,” the witch said, when I skidded to a halt by the front porch, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Of course you have,” I said simply, once my breathing evened out.

“Sit with me.” Celeste pointed to the chair next to hers.

With a nod, I lowered into the rickety piece of furniture. We sat in silence for a few minutes as I let myself relax, my gaze gliding over the forest before me.

“I’m sorry,” I finally said, without looking at Celeste. I could feel her intent stare on me.

“I’m sorry, too,” she replied, surprising me. “I should have paid closer attention.”

My gaze shot to hers.

“It’s not your fault. You tried to warn me. I just…” I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. “You were right when you said that my love for Henry blinded me. The feeling…it scares me sometimes,” I admitted.

Celeste’s expression turned empathetic—something I’d never thought I’d witness on the witch’s face. “There is no reason to fear it. Love is like magic—an incredibly powerful force. It can either save you or ruin you. It saved you this time.”

“But not before it almost ruined me,” I pointed out.

“In the end, what could have happened doesn’t matter. It wasn’t your first trial, nor will it be your last. Hold on to your love. It is a weapon, not a weakness.”

My brows climbed my forehead as I studied Celeste’s features. Was she speaking from experience?

“Did you ever have someone you loved and were desperate to save?” I asked.

The witch sighed, giving the impression she’d been expecting the question. She didn’t seem irritated by it, though. If anything, she looked relieved I’d finally asked, so she could get it off her chest.

“What I know about love and loss is not about romantic love like yours, it’s about family ties.”

“You had a family? Someone you lost?” I asked in a hushed tone.

Celeste inclined her head. “My sister Antaris.”

“The head priestess?!” I exclaimed, staring at her with wide eyes. Antaris had been Xanthus’s main follower, and perished with the rest of the Dark Witches when I’d destroyed them.

Another nod. “She succumbed to the darkness years ago. I tried to bring her back to the light, but sometimes the ones you care about the most are beyond saving.”

All words left me as I sat there, staring at the witch. Henry could have given up on me, but he hadn’t. He’d kept coming for me, risking his own life to save me from myself. I would atone for what I’d done, even if it took me an eternity to do so. As long as it was an eternity by his side.

Silence stretched for a few minutes as Celeste and I were both lost in our thoughts. The witch broke it first by saying, “So, tell me, why did you run here instead of glimmering?”

I tilted my head to the side. Was she seriously asking me that question?

“I’m scared to use my magic. I don’t want to make it easy for the darkness to sink its claws into me again. I don’t know if I’ll ever use my powers again.” Admitting that was difficult. Even now, as I sat here, my skin tingled slightly from the magic humming just below the surface.

“You’re a witch. Magic is a part of you. You can’t deny its pull. It would be like denying your vampire side craving blood. You can only fight it for so long,” Celeste said calmly.

“I know you’re right, but I…” I trailed off, unsure how to put what I was feeling into words.

“Fear is good,” Celeste continued, “You are finally learning respect for your magic.”

“Do you think I could use it for good? Without going insane?” I asked, and held my breath.

My magic was my legacy. I wanted to be able to use it so I could feel closer to my mother and my ancestors who’d come before her, but I would stifle my powers forever if it meant not making myself a danger to Henry and others.

“You’re the girl who defeated the Dark Witches,” Celeste said, matter-of-fact. “Surely if you put your mind to it, you can do anything.”

A smile tugged at my lips. “Will you help me?”

“Are you going to listen this time?” She arched a white brow.

“I will,” I promised as my smile grew. A heartbeat later, it faded. “What are we going to do about Damien?”

“Leave him up to me.”

“Just you? You can’t fight Xanthus alone.”

“Xanthus?” The witch looked at me incredulously. “The one you have been dealing with is not Xanthus.”

“He’s not?” I asked, confused.

“No.” Celeste shook her head. “Xanthus can’t enter this realm. The one who has been tempting you with dark magic is one of the minions who serve Xanthus. A demon.”

“A demon?” I tried the foreign word on my tongue. “And you can take him on by yourself?”

The witch nodded. “I have a plan.”

A feeling of foreboding crept into my chest.

“Are you sure you don’t need help? I learned the hard way that fighting the darkness alone is not a good idea.”

“I’m sure. I have seen my fair share of darkness through the years. It hasn’t prevailed over me yet. Besides, don’t you have a wedding to plan?”

I couldn’t fight another smile as it lit up my face. Of course she would know about Henry’s proposal through the threads.

“I do, but we’re not in a rush to get married,” I told her.

A thought occurred to me then, and I shifted in my seat, nervous but also excited.

“Speaking of which...You said you would help me with my magic. Do you mind if we start soon? I have an idea for something, but it involves using my powers.” Celeste gave me a skeptical look.

“Using them for good,” I assured her. “To create something beautiful.”