To Vanquish Darkness (Le Sombre #1)

Chapter 31

31

1824 BLOIS, FRANCE

R achel laughed, the sound bubbling up from her chest. "Do you ever take a break? Let loose?" Her breath clouded the stars overhead.

Florent reached for her hand. "Only when I'm with you." She rolled her eyes, but warmth spread through her at his words. "How are Amalie and Bethany?"

Rachel's heart swelled at the mention of her daughters. "Amalie is more stubborn by the day.”

“Shocking.”

Rachel elbowed his ribs. “Bethany refuses to leave the kitchen. Our poor cook.”

“She wants to help?”

Rachel laughed. “She wants to take charge, and don’t say it.” Florent grinned down at her, moonlight bringing out his high cheekbones.

Florent sighed. "I caught a cat in the bedroom last week. It seemed to think it owned the place.”

Rachel burst out laughing. “Another squatter at Place Deaumont. You should’ve brought him home! The girls would’ve died with delight.”

“Animals won’t come within ten meters of me. He hasn’t been back.”

Rachel’s eyes widened. “So you’ve never made a cat purr?” Florent shook his head. “Well. That’s tragic.”

He laughed. “At least I don’t have to worry about fleas.”

They walked on in silence, listening to the babble of the river.

"It's hard to believe summer's almost over,” Rachel murmured.

A shadow passed over Florent's face, but he quickly masked it. "Paris, then.”

“Paris.” She didn’t know what she wanted Florent to say then, but she held her breath. Something. She hoped he wanted something more than just these last few weeks.

When they reached their hollow in the trees, Florent pulled Rachel into his arms. “I’ve always loved Paris.”

“Have you?”

He grinned, brushing the hair from her face and dropping his lips to hers. Rachel’s stomach flipped. She loved his kisses. Soft and gentle in some moments and desperate in others.

Rachel sighed against his mouth, reaching up to thread her fingers through his hair. Florent pulled her backward, dropping to a soft patch of grass near the water's edge and pulling her over him.

Florent's hands roamed over her back, tracing patterns that sent shivers down her spine. She arched into him, pressing closer. It had been over a week since they’d last been able to get away, and her body was impatient.

His lips moved to her neck, and she gasped, heat pooling low in her belly. Rachel nipped at Florent's earlobe, delighting in the way he groaned against her skin. His hand slipped under the fabric of her blouse, and heat shot down her thighs.

She wanted him—all of him. To feel him completely, to understand what he'd been hiding from her all these months. With trembling fingers, she began to unbutton his shirt, exposing the smooth planes of his chest.

Her breath hitched when she saw the rune etched into his skin, glowing faintly in the moonlight. "Florent," she whispered, brushing her thumb over the intricate design. "What is this?"

Florent's muscles tensed beneath her touch. "It's nothing.”

Rachel frowned, brushing her thumb over the design again. "It doesn't look like nothing."

His chest rose and fell against her ribs. “Runes tell our story.”

“You had someone place this here?”

He shook his head. “They appear throughout our life.” He pushed up on his elbows, and Rachel rolled to the grass at his side. “This is a symbol of Le Sombre. Of our origins.” He paused, seeming to weigh his next words carefully. "It represents my past—who I was before this life.”

“It looks like the sea.”

“I worked on a fishing boat.”

Rachel followed the curves of the dark lines. She wanted to comfort him, but how did you make this better? How did you glorify a curse? "I'm sorry," she whispered, pressing her palm flat against his chest. "I didn't mean to pry."

Florent shook his head. "No, you have every right to be curious. It's just difficult to talk about sometimes." He dropped his hand from her back, and Rachel shivered.

“That’s why you’re strong. Why you know how to fix things.”

Florent gave a mirthless laugh. “Strong. If only.”

Rachel frowned. “What do you mean?”

He sat, draping his arms over his knees. “I used to have strength you couldn’t imagine.”

She swallowed, pushing up and settling next to him. "Do all vampires start out strong and then lose their abilities over time?”

Florent's eyes flicked to hers. He watched her a moment, then sighed. "I'm not sure where to begin." Rachel bit her lip, not wanting to say anything that would stop him from sharing more. “When humans are changed, they are gifted a portion of the vampire’s power who changed them.”

Rachel frowned. "They aren’t given the power of Le Sombre?”

“All power comes from the Shadow. But it flows through us.”

She nodded. “So if you change someone, your power is given? Shared?”

He huffed a breath. “Taken is more accurate.”

She watched him, the moon reflecting in his eyes. “You didn’t know this? When you changed someone?” He shook his head, and Rachel didn’t know whether to cry or clutch her stomach. The idea of Florent’s mouth on someone else’s flesh made her want to vomit.

“Can you ever get that power back?”

He turned to her, his eyes liquid. “I believe there is a way.”

She put a hand on his arm. “What is it?”

He shook his head turning back to the river. “It’s not an option.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s not something I can do myself. It’s something another has to do for me.”

Rachel put out a hand and turned his face to hers. “All you have to do is ask.”