Page 50 of Sophie's Ruin

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is, it worked. I was able to save Henry.”

“But at what cost?”

“Do you still not understand? The price doesn’t matter. I would do anything for him.”

“You are blinded by your love for him.”

“No, I see more clearly now. My ancestors suffered so much and for what? I rid the world of the Dark Witches, but thehumans are still not free. I will free them when I destroy the clans.”

“Don’t masquerade your thirst for revenge as a noble cause.”

“Why can’t it be both?”

“Because only one will set you free. The other one will make you a prisoner to the darkness.”

“What do you know about the darkness, witch?” I challenged.

“Enough to know it’s tempting you. Don’t give in to it, Sophie. Because if you do, there will be no going back.”

“See, that’s the problem with you, Celeste. You always tell me what Ishouldn’tdo. Always imposing limits.”

“Limits are what keep this world in balance.”

“Limits almost cost Henry his life! I almost lost him!” I shouted.

“But you didn’t. Though now, you are at risk of losing your soul.” Celeste said. Her voice was still measured in spite of my outburst.

“I’m a vampire. Who knows if I still have my soul,” I pointed out.

“Don’t be so eager to condemn yourself.”

“You’re the one condemning me.”

“No, I’m the one trying to save you from yourself.”

“I don’t need saving!” I threw the words in her face as I summoned my shadows.

“Sophie, wait!” Celeste lunged for me. She grabbed my tunic, but I shook her off and glimmered out, leaving her behind in the woods.

When I appeared on the tallest peak in the Maivayan Mountains, my skin instantly prickled with awareness. The sunrise was approaching; I could feel it. My breath caught as I took in the view below me, my gaze gliding over the tapestry of valleys and peaks bathed in the glow of the moon. The light from the stars sluiced over the steep slopes and sharp, jagged ridges. Ilifted my eyes to the night sky. It stretched indefinitely, making me feel infinite as I stood on the peak, barely feeling the harsh wind whipping around me.

My gaze trained on the horizon, I thought about Henry. I wondered how he would feel if he could watch the dawn from this height. It had to be devastatingly beautiful from this vantage point as the sun crested the horizon, open and unobscured. I wished that Henry could experience it. What I wouldn’t give to see his face bathed in the first rays of a new day. But while my new powers made me feel limitless, some things were still out of my reach.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” I heard Damien say to my left.

“You lied to me.” I glanced at him.

“About some things, yes. I didn’t lie about your power. You feel it, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“And now you know who I am.”

“I do.”

“Does it scare you?”

I thought it over for a moment.