I crossed my arms over my chest. I felt the guilt and shame come over me as Vivienne left me there to brood alone. I couldn’t think of anyone who could be capable of doing this to Sofia other than Lucas. But I had no proof and even if I did, I wasn’t sure that I could do anything about it. Lucas was my brother and no matter how important Sofia had become to me, blood runs thicker than water.
Chapter 19: Sofia
Corrine took her time with me. She tried to make me comfortable, giving me a drink of water, which I truly appreciated, considering how the taste of Derek’s blood was still fresh on my mouth. She took great care in making sure that I wanted to do what she was asking me to do – never pushing or ordering or commanding, which I was certain was exactly what Derek would’ve done had I been left under his care.
She gave me a fresh set of clothes to wear. I was so relieved to see that she handed me skinny jeans and an adorable-looking white baby doll blouse. It was nice to see something I would wear in normal life, instead of the dresses and skirts afforded to me at the Pavilion. Oh, they were pretty and feminine, but it felt like the sole reason I had to wear them was so that the vampires could have easy access to my body – that’s certainly what Lucas got. I put on the jeans knowing how irrational my line of thinking was. It’s not like I would’ve worn jeans to sleep in the first place. Still, the snug fit of the denim on my legs provided me a thread of comfort. At least I won’t have to feel Lucas’ hand over my legs. I shuddered, recalling the way he touched me. I knew that it wasn’t going to be the last time he would do it. What terrified me most was how helpless I felt at that time. I never wanted to feel that way again.
“Would you like to talk about what happened?” Corrine asked.
I sat over the edge of her bed as she pulled an ottoman in front of me so she could sit right across me. From her bedside table, she pointed to a bowl of fruits.
“If you’re hungry…” she offered.
I shook my head. “No, thank you.” I truly appreciated the way she was treating me. It was like she was the caring older sister I never had.
“What happened, Sofia? I promise that whatever you say, it won’t go out of this room unless you want it to.”
“I don’t remember,” I lied. I remembered every last bit of it. “I woke up and I had the cuts on my back and the lock of Gwen’s hair on my hands. I walked to the bathroom and…” I choked, recalling Gwen’s fate. “She didn’t deserve to die.”
I knew I had to protect the other remaining girls from what happened to Gwen. Lucas’ threat was still ringing in my ear. I had no doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t hesitate to destroy me and the girls the first chance he got.
“You’re right. She didn’t.” Corrine nodded. Her brown eyes then bore into mine. “Sofia, I can’t help you unless you’re honest with me. Was it Derek who did this to you?”
“He already told you earlier that he didn’t.”
“Yes, but I want to hear it from you.”
I was surprised by the protectiveness I felt toward Derek. I almost felt insulted that anyone would imply that he could do something like this.
“If Derek did this, then there wouldn’t be any fuss, would there? We’re his slaves after all. Is he not allowed to do as he pleases with us? The only reason that this is such a big deal is because someone else most likely did it and it’s a huge insult to Derek.”
Corrine smiled a self-satisfied smile, almost as if she were proud that I came up with that answer myself. It felt as if she were playing mind games with me.
“The prince seems to care a lot about you. He seemed pretty distraught to see you at the state you’re in.”
I remained silent. I felt so hurt and abused. I was scared of what was to come. I wanted to believe so badly that Derek cared enough about me to choose me over his brother, but if he had endured being a creature that he hated for hundreds of years just to save his family, what would make me think that he would choose me over Lucas?
Corrine most likely saw that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with her line of questioning, so she tried a different approach. “Is it alright if you tell me what your time at the Blood Shade has been like for you? I’m rather curious to know.”
That I saw no harm in doing and I found myself opening up to her in a way I never did to another. I spilled out every sensation still fresh in my memory, every fear, every apprehension, and even stolen moments of delight and wonder. I told her how much I missed my best friend and how worried I was about him. I didn’t know why I did it. Perhaps it was just the need for a friend, an ally, so even if I wasn’t sure I could trust Corrine, I just gave in to the need to talk to someone who could possibly understand. The only thing I kept from her about everything that happened at the Blood Shade was what Lucas did to me and the threat he gave me should I tell a soul about it.
I did make myself a promise as I was having that conversation with Corrine. I promised myself that Lucas wasn’t going to get away with what he did. He will pay for what he did to Gwen and me.
Chapter 20: Derek
I rose to my feet the moment the door swung open. I breathed out a sigh of relief when Sofia’s lovely form stepped out of the room, a tentative smile forming on her face at the sight of me. If only out of sheer relief, I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss her right then and there, but I fought the urge to do it in fear of scaring her. So I held back and allowed her to set the pace. I doubt she was aware of the effect she had on me when she walked toward me, grabbed my hand, her thin, dainty fingers intertwining with mine before she lifted my hand and placed a soft kiss over the back of it.
I didn’t fully understand why she did it, but I took it as assurance that she still felt safe around me, that she was choosing to trust me. I was both humbled and pressured by the gesture. I stared at her for a moment, taking in the sight of the splash of freckles on her cheeks and the natural red blush on her cheekbones. I let my eyes feast on the delicateness of her facial features, adoring every bit of her as I squeezed her hands, treasuring the warmth she exuded.
My perusal of my beautiful captive was interrupted when Corrine cleared her throat. “May I speak with you in private… Prince?” She tacked on the title as if it were a taunt.
I grimaced, hating that I had to let go of Sofia’s hand, but was overcome by curiosity over what the witch would have to say.
I motioned to a guard to come stand near Sofia and then turned toward her. “You’re going to be alright?” I asked in a choked whisper.
She nodded. “Go.”
I entered Corrine’s chambers and she closed the door behind us.
Corrine began to busy herself in one area of the room, which based on the bottles and spices and little what-nots located there, seemed to be where she created her potions, or whatever it was that she did with her time. She gave me a quick glance and smiled, most likely sensing my impatience. “I must admit I didn’t see what you saw in her at first. I couldn’t understand what was so special about Sofia Claremont to make you so taken by her, but I get it now.”
I leaned forward, interested in what she had to say.
“I’m not certain, but I believe she has a condition that I would like to look into further. I’d like to have her come to me daily… It won’t take long. All I require is an hour or two a day.”
I didn’t fully trust the witch, but was intrigued by her sudden interest toward Sofia. “What condition?”
“It’s nothing to be concerned about. It’s nothing deadly or anything to worry over. If I’m right about her, however, then you’ve found yourself quite a catch in the young girl. There aren’t many like her.”
She was telling me what I already knew. I doubted that there was anyone at all like Sofia. Much as I wanted to hear more about this “condition” Sofia supposedly had, I was more concerned by the immediate matter at hand.
“Did she tell you who did it?”
“She claims not to remember.”
“Do you believe her?”
Corrine
shook her head. “No. She’s too smart, too aware, not to remember. She’s protecting something… someone.”
“Why would she protect whoever did this?”
“Maybe it’s not her assailant that she’s protecting.” Corrine shrugged and stood to her full height, giving me an expression that meant business. “I suggest that you make sure she’s protected at all times. I also suggest that you not bombard her with questions about what happened. If she’s ready to tell you, I’m pretty sure she will. Stop forcing her to do things just because you’re the ruler of this bloody Kingdom and your word is law. Respect her by making her feel like she has a choice!”
I wanted to defend myself, tell Corrine that I never forced Sofia to do anything against her will, but I knew what Corrine was trying to say. I wasn’t exactly doling out pleases and thank yous Sofia’s way either. I spoke to her in orders and commands, taking advantage of her obvious fear of me to make her cooperate. I kept convincing myself that I saw humans as equal if not superior to vampires, yet I didn’t exactly treat Sofia as an equal. I treated her just as everyone else in the Blood Shade did – a captive, a slave.
I gave Corrine a long look before nodding. “Thank you. She’ll be back tomorrow…” I headed for the door and paused just before twisting the knob open. “That is, if she wants to.”
I could sense the witch’s smile – a show of approval perhaps. “Have a good day, Derek.”
Chapter 21: Sofia
The moment our eyes met, he looked away, almost as if he were embarrassed over something. It was actually… cute – a word I never thought I’d use to describe Derek Novak. As we walked back to the Pavilion, he remained silent, deep in thought, never even looking my way.
“You said that you wanted to teach me how to defend myself…” I eventually said, breaking the silence, detesting the wall that seemed to be building up between us.
“Yes,” he nodded. He then paused as if to catch himself. “But if you don’t want to…”
I frowned. Since when does he care what I want? I decided not to make a fuss over it.
“I want to.”
The heaviness in our conversation was weighing on me. I wanted to go back to how comfortable and light and casual our interactions were before things took a turn for the worse. Before Lucas happened. I was still shaken, still afraid of what Lucas was capable of, but dwelling on woes really wasn’t one of my strong suits. It was one of Ben’s major influences on me. He never allowed me to dwell on self-pity. So I slipped my hands into Derek’s, getting used to how cold it was, hoping to let him know that what happened didn’t change my view of him.
“I’d like it if you let the other girls join in too,” I suggested, squeezing his hand.
The gesture seemed to lighten his mood a bit. His shoulders relaxed as he gave me a fond look.
“Of course.” He nodded.
He then stopped walking and took both my hands in his. He heaved a sigh. It seemed like he was weighing every word he spoke carefully.
“I’m thinking that you should start sleeping in my chambers from now on.”
I was taken aback. Then a teasing smile crept over my lips.
“Don’t you think we’re moving a little too fast?”
I joked, squinting an eye at him. I was making fun of his proposal, but the truth was that I had quite a handful of reservations about being in the same bedroom – much more the same bed - with a blood-sucking vampire.
He gave me a funny look, perhaps wondering if he should take me seriously or not.
“I mean it, Sofia. I understand you have reservations, but I promise I won’t try anything with you. I just want to make sure that you’re safe.”
I really made a conscious effort to keep my jaw from dropping. Was he actually asking for my consent? He wasn’t just ordering me to sleep in his bed? Have we gone past the no questions asked because his oh-so-royal word was the say all and be all of my entire existence? I gave it some thought. The idea of even going back to my bedroom at the penthouse sickened me. I wasn’t sure if I trusted Derek enough to keep his word and not actually try to jump me, but then the alternative of being alone in a room, and the chance of once again having Lucas climb into my bed in the middle of the night was a far less attractive option.
I nodded and looked up into those bright blue eyes of his.
“I can trust you, can’t I, Derek?”
The expression on his face and the way he responded was enough to tell me that he wasn’t taking the situation lightly.
He nodded. “Yes, Sofia. You can.”
In the days that followed, he proved his words true. Derek never did anything or even said anything that would violate my trust. It seemed he took extra care in making sure that I wanted to do what he was asking me to do, but that really was the major difference. He actually began to ask. It seemed so unlike him at first… almost unnatural, but as time passed, we became a lot more used to having each other around. Or at least I did.
Days – or in the Blood Shade’s case - nights fell into routine. We started off with breakfast before he brought me and the girls to the Crimson Fortress to train using weapons of defense against vampires. Much to his siblings’ horror, he actually gave us each wooden stakes of our own. He, however, warned us sternly that those were for self-defense and nothing else. Should we use it for any other purpose, he made it clear that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill us himself. It was a reminder that the fierce and menacing part of him was still in there – no matter how caring and gentle he could be around me.
After training sessions, he would have Sam and Kyle bring the girls back to the penthouse to prepare lunch while he brought me to Corrine. I had no idea what he did while I spent a full two hours with Corrine, but it didn’t really bother me all that much. I began to treasure times I spent with the witch. She was definitely far better than the other psychologists I’d been forced to meet with. It didn’t take long for her to have a diagnosis of what my mental condition was.
“You don’t have any of the disorders those doctors diagnosed you with, Sofia,” she explained. “What you have is often confused with other disorders, because it’s hard to detect, but I honestly think that you have “Low Latent Inhibition”, also known as LLI. Latent inhibition is what allows people to shut down other things so that they can focus on selected things. It’s what allows us to not have to deal with all this external and internal stimuli at the same time. After all, the brain can only take so much. You, however, don’t have a lot of latent inhibition. That’s why you’re constantly fully aware of everything going around you. You can’t just shut down and focus on one thing. It can get overwhelming, because you’re always open to new stimuli.” She paused. “I think it’s what your mother had. She wasn’t able to handle it… hence, what happened to her...”
I bit my lip. “Does that mean I could end up like her?”
“Most people who have LLI do end up going crazy, Sofia… unless they have a high enough IQ to handle it. You’re one of those lucky few. Most people who are able to handle LLI have high levels of empathy and are often very perceptive of others. They’re creative geniuses.”
At that, I scoffed. I doubted that I was much of a creative genius. Yet, a lot of what Corrine said about LLI made sense to me. It was perhaps the reason why I was so attuned to all my senses. I’d just assumed that it was normal for everyone to be that way. Maybe I was wrong.
After sessions with Corrine, I spent the rest of the day with Ashley, Paige, and Rosa. We were often guarded by several alternating guards assigned to us, but we decided that we liked Sam and Kyle best. Those afternoons we mostly spent with them helping me finish my project in that extra room Derek provided me at the penthouse. We still talked about escaping, but we had no clue how to pull it off, it almost always ended up being a complete downer, so we tried to avoid talking about it unless ideas of how to pull it off came up. They asked me a lot about that night and what happened. I tried to avoid answering them as best I could. I didn’t want to scare
them.
I managed to convince Derek to allow us to hold a memorial service in honor of Gwen and he eventually allowed it. It was the Blood Shade’s first ever memorial service held in honor of a human.
I spent most dinnertimes alone with Derek. Sometimes, he talked to me about what happened throughout his day after he left me with Corrine. Most of the time, he just listened. He kept me up to date on investigations regarding my attack and Gwen’s murder. I honestly think that he suspected Lucas; he just couldn’t admit it to himself. It only served to strengthen my resolve not to test his loyalties by telling him.
Over the course of several days, I was also finally able to teach him how to use his cell phone. He gave me one of my own and the first thing I tried to do with it was call Ben. Apparently, whatever was keeping the Blood Shade secret also blocked any calls and messages from leaving the island. Whoever Cora was, I both admired her and loathed her for making the Blood Shade so secure.
If not for Lucas, I could honestly say that I was beginning to like living at the Shade. It was harder for him to get to me, with all the security measures Derek had built up around me at night, but there were still moments when he caught me alone and off guard. Lucas never failed to remind me that a time would come when I’d be his. I never did have an encounter with him that didn’t leave me feeling shaken and violated. I hated Lucas with every fiber of my being. It seemed he knew that and the knowledge only made the whole thing more amusing to him.
Ultimately, it was Derek that made life at the Blood Shade worth living. I began to treasure nights spent with him. We spent most of it with me trying to introduce a new piece of technology to him, one at a time. Introducing him to the camera was pretty fun. We spent the night snapping pictures of each other and mostly just goofing around. It was the first time I could remember hearing him laugh.
Life at the Shade almost took on a lethargic pace and the life I lived before being taken there felt like it belonged to a completely different lifetime. I was mostly worried about the girls and how they were coping but they seemed to have accepted that this was their life for now. Occasions where we got to leave the penthouse and see other parts of the Shade were ones that allowed us to see how other vampires treated their human slaves. It was evident that it was to our advantage that we got to be under Derek’s care.
A Shade of Vampire Page 9