“Have you seen what’s outside? Is there any way we can escape?!”
Question after question came at me before I could even come up with a single answer. I tried to calm and settle them down so I could answer their questions. I started with,
“I’m fine. He didn’t force me or hurt me or feed on me. And I don’t think he will. I honestly think that while we’re here at the Blood Shade, our best bet of survival is to stay in Derek Novak’s good graces.”
Chapter 14: Derek
Not long after Sofia left us to discuss whatever it was that Vivienne saw as too confidential for her to hear, my siblings took me on a tour of the island, mainly the Crimson Fortress and how they’d fortified it over the past centuries. What used to be just what it was – a wall surrounding the island – was now home to over three hundred vampire guards and scouts who sought refuge at the Blood Shade and swore to defend it.
At certain key areas of the fortress, there were large stone houses with distinct pointed turrets in front of the buildings that lined the wall. I was told that several of the men and women belonging to the Elite trained for battle and were called Knights. The homes were theirs for times when they were called to duty at the wall.
The Elite consisted of the twenty original clans who swore allegiance to our family. They were those who fought and bled with us, hunted down by shadow hunters until we finally found sanctuary at the Blood Shade. Everyone else – guards, scouts and the lodgers – came only after the wall was built and Cora’s spell was able to provide permanent protection to the Blood Shade.
“Where do most of the human slaves stay?”
“Aside from the beauties that we keep at our homes for our entertainment, all the humans stay at Black Heights.” Lucas’ eyes twinkled at the mention of “the beauties”. My brother always had quite a penchant for beautiful young women.
I raised a brow. “The mountains?”
“We divided the network of caves we found there into the Cells and the slave quarters. Prisoners and newfound human captives – before they are assigned – are sent to the Cells. Humans live at the slave quarters, which they call the Catacombs,” Vivienne explained.
“The Catacombs?” I asked curiously.
“It’s supposed to be irony.” Lucas rolled his eyes. “In the Shade, it is the living who get to reside at the Catacombs.”
I shrugged it off and eyed the height of the wall protecting us. “Everything seems alright. I don’t understand why it is necessary that I wake from my sleep.”
“Things won’t always be alright, Derek,” Vivienne enthused. “The shadow hunters are more powerful than ever. They’re technologically advanced and have the support of wealthy and influential people. The Blood Shade remains undiscovered and safe, but other covens aren’t. The Shade is no longer a secret in vampire communities and other covens have threatened to attack us or expose us unless we take them in or find them a refuge of their own.”
I frowned. These same covens were the ones that shunned us and left us out to die when we needed their help against the hunters. They were then threatening to spill our blood if we don’t save them?
“What have we been doing about this then?”
“As we’ve already told you, father is meeting with the heads of other covens. From the last we heard of him, all covens will be dispatching their leaders or at least an ambassador to arrive here so we can talk further about a compromise.”
“And I need to be awake for these talks because…?”
“My thoughts exactly,” Lucas mumbled.
I gave him a wary glance, wondering how it was possible that he didn’t mature a single bit after all this time. In his head, we were still obviously competing… for what, I had no idea.
“Aside from the fact that you command respect from all the other covens in a way none of us could, they know what you did. They will listen to you,” Vivienne said empathically. “And it’s not just that. I really don’t think that we can keep the Blood Shade a secret from shadow hunters for long. Not even with Corrine maintaining Cora’s spell. The hunters have been wondering where all these vampires have been disappearing to. And with us needing the humans and having to abduct them just to stay alive… that won’t just go away. Investigations are being done by several security agencies about all these missing people. We can’t keep this up for long.”
I clenched my fists, my muscles tensing as I tightened my jaw. “What makes you think that I would know how to fix this, Vivienne? I did my part. I brought you to sanctuary just like your prophecy said. Why can’t someone else take this on? Why not Father?”
“The prophecy was that your reign alone can provide our kind true sanctuary. The Blood Shade has been a sanctuary for a limited number of our kind, but it isn’t yet a true sanctuary until we either find all vampires a safe haven and manage a way to survive without the need of humans or…”
“Or what?” I asked, casting a stern look at my sister.
She said the blood-curdling words I knew she would say. “We have to end the shadow hunters once and for all.”
“You’re talking about war and bloodshed that we can’t even imagine. How long has it even been since the Shade’s guards have been in actual battle?”
All I got from both my brother and sister was silence.
We continued our trek through the island, leaving the issue hanging in the air. It weighed heavily on me for the rest of the time I spent with them. To say that I wasn’t burdened by what I was told was a lie. I didn’t understand why I had to stand as the leader. I was younger than a lot of the men there. That they would look to me for guidance was beyond my comprehension. The fact that it was me they looked to also gained me a lot of resentment from two people – my father and brother. I wasn’t even awake for a full day and already, I found myself exhausted and longing to once again escape.
I was ready to go home and retreat to solitude – not even willing to be around the human slaves I was supposed to keep around me. Even Sofia was a sight I did not want to see. She was so human – a reminder of what I was and who I was before I became so defined by the creature I’d become.
I was already intent on going back to my quarters when Vivienne held my arm and pulled me to hers. She didn’t provide an explanation and led me through her walkways and finally to a room. She pushed it open and revealed an unconscious woman lying at the center of the bed. “She used to be a shadow hunter – one of the newer, weaker ones. She was brought here by one of the lodgers – sort of as payment for us to allow him and his sister refuge here at the Shade.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, unable to deny that the woman splayed on the bed in front of me was attractive.
“I thought you might be tired of drinking blood from a glass and would enjoy feeding on her instead.” Vivienne smiled, pleased with herself.
She knew that the fact that this one was a shadow hunter made the prospect even more appealing.
I licked my lips and stepped forward.
Vivienne took that as approval and stepped out of the room.
“Enjoy,” she said just before she closed the door, leaving me to do as I please with her slave.
There was no hesitation on my part. The darkness in me took over. I was beside the woman, pulling her against me with my arms and sinking my teeth into her neck. The taste of fresh blood, pumping through her veins by a living beating heart, was invigorating. I drank, determined to bleed her dry. I kept on telling myself through all those years that I hated being a vampire, but it was who I was and as I drank from this woman, there was no escaping it.
I sucked the blood out of my young victim and just as I was about to drink the last drop – the one that would cause her heart to stop beating, a moment of clarity came to me. For reasons I could not understand or even comprehend – and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to – I realized that the whole time I was holding this beautiful stranger in my arms, feeding on her, it felt like I was betraying Sofia.
Chapter 15: Sofi
a
It was impossible not to know that Derek had already arrived at the penthouse. I and the girls – Gwen, Ashley, Paige, and Rosa – were in the kitchen making what we assumed would be dinner. It was hard to tell considering the lack of sunlight, but we all decided that we were starved and based on our estimates of how many hours had passed, it was dinner.
We were actually having a good time. I’d already told the girls that there was no way of escaping – at least not yet – not until we had a solid plan, so we just went through the day trying to do what Derek suggested we do – entertain ourselves. We watched TV, read books, and made plans for what I wanted to do with the extra room Derek allowed me to have. Even the guards, Sam and Kyle, seemed to be enjoying our company. They definitely made no signs of wanting to suck any of us dry.
So when Derek barged into the penthouse, screaming my name like it was bloody murder, I really had no idea what I did wrong or why he seemed so angry with me. What I did know was that I felt nothing but sheer terror as I approached him as quickly as I possibly could.
He was standing in the middle of the living room, muscles tensed, blood dripping from the corners of his lips, looking more menacing than I’d ever seen him before. The leanness of his physique bulged with his every breath as he took a few steady strides toward me.
“What happened?” I managed to squeak out in question.
In response, he grabbed my shoulders and lifted me off the ground. I inwardly groaned, pretty sure that my back was once again about to hit a wall or any surface hard enough to slam my body over. Instead, I found myself being pushed into a couch while he paced the ground in front of me, exuding intensity I’d never quite seen from anyone. I gripped the arm rests of the white leather couch I was sitting on – a way of steadying myself for what kind of outburst this brooding vampire was about to throw my way.
Watching Derek act like a bull seeing red, I wondered if all vampires were as he was. Brooding and intense and incapable of laughter or even the slightest hint of mirth… I recalled Sam and Kyle and how they seemed to be in such a light and casual mood when dealing with us girls that afternoon. I wondered why they could be so relaxed while the Novaks were so intense and uptight.
Derek finally stopped pacing and stood right in front of me. He then sat over the edge of the coffee table and rested his elbows over his knees, his hands clasped together, his eyes downcast before he spoke out whatever was on his mind.
“What you told me that night… at the Sanctuary, when you first saw me… why did you say it?”
I struggled to recall what I told him. His presence was so overpowering, so consuming, it felt like he was filling up the entire room. “I don’t recall…”
“I was about to feed on you. I told you that I couldn’t help myself. You said…”
“…that I know an excuse when I hear one and that you shouldn’t make yourself out to be the victim.”
“Am I a victim?”
I thought it was a trick question. I stared at him for a couple of seconds, wondering if he realized how insane that question sounded coming from him. Of course he wasn’t the victim! He wasn’t the one who was captured against his own will and imprisoned - in an admittedly breathtaking and lavish penthouse – but imprisoned nonetheless! He was lord of the vampires, feared, revered and admired. How on earth could he possibly be a victim?
I studied his appearance, wondering what was going through his mind. Before I could even think it through I reached out and wiped the blood off his mouth with a tissue.
“You fed on someone.”
It was almost as if he stopped breathing as his fists clenched.
“She wasn’t much older than you are. Eighteen or nineteen. She was a shadow hunter. She was the enemy. I found pleasure in sucking every bit of her blood out.” He raised his blue eyes to meet mine and the slightest of smirks formed on his lips. “I enjoyed it the same way I would’ve enjoyed you.”
I tensed, confused by what he was attempting to say. “Why are you telling me this, Derek?”
A painful expression twisted his features as he began to fumble with his fingers. He shook his head slowly before responding, “Because I don’t want to enjoy it. I actually miss being the victim, but that night... you saw me as someone playing the part of a victim. Why?”
I gave it some thought. Why did I say that? At that time, all I really wanted was for him not to kill me, but I could’ve said so many things. Why that? I dared grab his hand before answering.
“Because I don’t believe that you are a slave to what you’ve become. I don’t believe that you simply can’t.”
He looked at me with so much intensity, I began to wonder if I’d said something wrong, so I was relieved when his face somehow relaxed and he lifted a hand to brush a stray strand of hair off my face. “You are a marvel.”
At that statement, I had to smile. “I doubt I’m much of a marvel…at least not compared to you.”
“What do you mean?” He seemed taken aback.
“The guards told us about how you’re a Blood Shade legend, savior of the vampires. It all sounded very impressive.”
He looked away, almost as if he was disturbed by what I said.
I found that strange. After an accomplishment that massive, I would expect a guy to be proud, to gloat over it, to puff out his chest and have that look on his face letting everyone know that it was indeed him who did that. It’s definitely how Ben would’ve reacted. Not Derek.
“Savior of the vampires…” he scoffed. “I’m supposed to rule over our kind. They say my reign will bring the vampires true sanctuary. I’m not even sure if we deserve to get saved. After everything we did… After everything we’re doing…” He gave me a long, meaningful gaze and pulled his hand out of my grasp. “Look what we’re doing to you.”
To that, I didn’t know how to respond. I missed Ben so much. There wasn’t a waking moment since I got there that he wasn’t at the back of my mind, that I wasn’t wondering what he was thinking about or how he was dealing with my disappearance. I wondered how many of the humans they took here were separated from loved ones. To my relief, Derek didn’t seem to be interested in a response.
“My father was a farmer,” he began. “That’s what we did before we became this. We farmed wheat and grew vegetables. It was a humble existence, but we were happy. Then one night, my father and Lucas were out in the city to trade our goods. Vivienne and I went out for wood. When we returned, our mother was dead, her blood sucked dry.”
I swallowed hard as I listened and imagined how that would’ve felt.
“Vivienne swore it was a wild beast. They ridiculed me but I knew it was a vampire. I was just thirteen at the time, but I was so sure that a vampire murdered my mother, so I found a way to join the shadow hunters. For five years, I was one of them and I killed many, many vampires. So imagine my surprise when on my eighteenth birthday, my father came home and he was a vampire. I should’ve killed him. I really should’ve, but I couldn’t. He was still my father. He turned Lucas, Vivienne and me that night. I became the very creature that I hunted, the creature that I hated.”
“If you hate vampires so much, why fight to save them? Why establish the Blood Shade?”
“It was never about saving the vampires. The next hundred years after I was turned were all about saving my family. It just so happened that I couldn’t save them without also saving the others who helped us survive. I never thought that the Blood Shade would become what it is now.”
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what those years were like for him, how tormented he must have felt, but if he wanted me to acknowledge that he was a victim to his own existence, I wasn’t about to give him that. He was too strong, too powerful, and too influential to play the part of a victim.
“I’m sorry for what you had to go through, and I’m…honored that you would tell me these things, but you’re strong and you’re a leader – whether you like it or not. If anything, you seem to be the only one here who has the power to
change things...for the better.”
“I don’t know how to do that.”
“Well, who ever said that you have to figure it all out tonight?”
I grabbed his hand, stood up and pulled him up. I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I nudged him toward the larger couch, enjoying the curiosity in his eyes as I sat on the space beside him. I heaved a sigh before pulling his arm over my shoulder and snuggling against him.
“We’ve already had too much drama for one night, don’t you think?”
“True.” His tone seemed lighter, more relaxed as he ran his fingers over my bare shoulder. “Now that I’ve embarrassingly spilled my guts to you, perhaps it’s time you told me more about you.”
I groaned. “And delve into my drama? I don’t think so. Let’s spend tonight introducing you to today’s version of entertainment.”
I reached for the remote control and switched on the flat screen TV. I couldn’t help but smile at the fascination that sparked in his eyes.
“What on bloody earth is that?” he asked.
“A magic mirror,” I teased before explaining to him the best way I could what exactly a television set was. I asked if he wanted to watch a movie, recalling the extensive DVD collection we’d found earlier that night. I asked him to pick a movie and he returned with two interesting picks: Chicago and the Godfather. It was almost a reflection of the kind of person that he was – a musician and a killer whose loyalty to family stood above all else – either way, tormented, with darkness constantly looming over him.
Since I wasn’t up for watching either movie, I smiled, remembering his request and how Vivienne managed to have her minions see that it be done immediately. “I have a better idea.”
I was amused by the questioning look he gave me as I stood up, laid the DVDs he chose on the center table, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the music room. The sheer delight in his eyes when he saw the room was almost endearing – like he was a boy shown a roomful of his favorite toys. “Vivienne did it so quickly…”
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