Page 37 of Break Her Heart
So now we were walking through the castle because August had an idea.
We walked up several flights of stairs, passing only servants until we came to a large set of double doors, and I paused just beyond the threshold. The room was massive, lit with soft golden light spilling from the daylight that streamed through large, arched windows high on the walls. The beams of sun caught the dust in the air and painted the room in soft, hazy gold. Seeing so much sunlight eased something in my chest. I knew then that any vampire lurking nearby would think twice before stepping inside. Shelves stretched high above my head, filled with old leather-bound books, scrolls, and strange artifacts.
Then I heard it—a quiet shuffle off to the side.
I turned quickly, pulse spiking, only to see a man stepping out from between the rows of towering shelves.
“Forgive me, Bronwen. I didn’t mean to startle you.” It was Benedict.
I had only caught glimpses of the siblings in the great room since Lavina tried to kill me. Dinners with them had stopped, and they seemed to avoid us entirely.
“What are we doing?” I whispered to August even though I knew Benedict could still hear me.
“I told you I had an idea.”
My mouth fell open. “You told him what we’re doing?”
August nodded. “I trust him more than the others.”
I wasn’t sure if that was comforting or terrifying.
I crossed my arms. “So you think he can help us?”
“Benedict has never left,” August said. “He’s lived here all along. He knows the castle. He knows Carrow. I’m hoping he’ll help.”
My gaze flicked back to Benedict.
As if sensing the doubt still clinging to me, his eyes softened. “Carrow has terrorized us all. Some more than others.” He glanced at August. “If there’s any way to stop him, I want to be part of it.”
This Benedict and the one at dinner every night felt like two entirely different people.
August reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the journal that had given me more truth than he ever had. I wondered if I could have read it myself, if I could have prevented all of this.
He handed it to Benedict who opened it and stilled when he realized what it was.
“I see you have been doing your own research already,” he mumbled as he flipped through the pages.
“What did you think I was doing all this time?”
Benedict glanced at me, his gaze flickering down, and he snorted.
“Benedict,” August warned.
“I knew you were planning something. But bringing her into this mess made no sense—until our last dinner.” Benedict’s eyes flicked to me and he smiled before he turned back to August. The amusement didn’t carry. He looked down at the journal again, fingers brushing the page. “Where did you find this?”
August shrugged. “Near where the first spell was completed. I can’t read it all, though.”
“Of course you can’t. That is what happens when you leave before your schooling is finished.” Benedict’s tone was stern, one similar to the one I had heard from Papa countless times. My heart lurched at the thought of him, but now wasn’t the time. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind as I tried to focus on the conversation before me.
“Schooling?” I asked.
“I told you that vampires are more civilized than you think.”
I rolled my eyes and looked back at Benedict. “You were here during the last Blood Moon ritual?”
“Yes, but I wasn’t at the ritual. Only a select few that Carrow trusts the most are allowed at that.”
August nodded toward the table in the center of the room. “Let’s get started. Time isn’t exactly on our side.”
