A Shade of Blood

by Bella Forrest

  I couldn’t keep myself from speaking my mind. “Protect her? What the hell are you talking about? You abandoned her!”

  “To keep her away from all this! She was safer without me…”

  “Safer?” I scoffed. “Really? You mean like she is now? Safe as that vampire prince’s slave?”

  “Slave? I was under the impression that she went out of her own free will…” Something dark and foreboding flickered in Reuben’s eyes.

  I knew then without a shadow of a doubt that Reuben would willingly burn down the entire world if it meant he could keep Sofia away from Derek Novak.

  That’s what earned him my trust. That’s what made him my ally.

  I drew a deep breath. “You don’t know Sofia. She’s naïve. She trusts people too much. You must’ve heard about what was happening when the hunters came to take Vivienne from Sofia. It was almost like the vampire was brainwashing or hypnotizing Sofia. I don’t know… they did something to Sofia on that island. She’s fiercely loyal to Derek for reasons I can’t even comprehend. After we got back from The Shade, I tried to reason with her as best as I could, but it was of no use. He had her. I don’t know if there’s anything we can do about that.”

  Fierce determination deepened the lines on his face as he sat back on the recliner. “We’re going to get my daughter out of there, and you’re going to tell me everything you know about The Shade.”

  Chapter 40: Derek

  1509

  A slight drizzle had begun over the thatched roofs and stone walls of our small village. The fresh air of the countryside was a welcome change to the city atmosphere I’d grown accustomed to since joining the hunters. However, even the comforting sight of our beloved and closely-knit farming community failed to ease the heavy burden I brought with me upon coming home.

  Though our neighbors greeted me with nods and smiles, I could tell that they were wary of me, some even fearful of me. After our mother was murdered inside our own home two years ago, I was written off as having gone mad, because I was convinced that a vampire took my mother’s life. It didn’t take long until I couldn’t bear working our farmlands anymore. I had to get away. Rumors were circulating about an order known as “the hawk”. They were hunters, determined to rid the world of vampires. I found them and I joined them. Of the several times I went home since I joined the hunters, this homecoming proved to be the most difficult, because along with it came a mission I was afraid I didn’t have in me to accomplish.

  Upon reaching the thatched roof and brick walls that made up our home, the first person I wanted to see was my twin. Vivienne joined me during my first year of becoming a hunter. She didn’t become one herself, but she assisted me in more ways than one, given her premonitions and ability to see into the future. She eventually had to go home, however, due to an illness she contracted during one of our travels. Expecting her to greet me by the door, I was surprised to find our older brother instead.

  It was midday, yet it was obvious that Lucas had been drinking. He had his arm over a giggling, sparsely clothed bar wench and a cask of wine in one hand.

  “Where’s Vivienne?” I asked him.

  He blinked his eyes several times, unsure if he was really seeing me. “Derek?”

  I brushed past him and entered the house, eager to see my sister. “Vivienne!”

  “She’s not here.” Lucas swallowed hard.

  I knew then that something was very wrong. “Where is she? What happened?” My pulse began to race, my heartbeat doubled. Something’s wrong.

  He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand and motioned to his wench to go away. Even in his drunken stupor, guilt was evident in the way he was conducting himself.

  “What have you done?”

  “I haven’t done anything!” he defended himself, arms raised in the air in surrender. “Derek… you must understand… There was nothing we could do about it…”

  “Do about what? Understand what? Where the hell is Vivienne?!”

  “Lord Maslen asked for her. She was brought to their estate only this morning.”

  Blood pounded in my veins at the information I was given. Lord Maslen was baron of the lands we were living in. His eldest son, Borys, had his eye on Vivienne for years. She told me many times that she couldn’t stand the thought of being with him. It made me sick to my stomach thinking of what they could possibly want from Vivienne.

  “You know what trouble we could get into if we defy the Maslens…” Lucas continued his defense. “How were we to say no?”

  “It’s easy, Lucas. You just utter the word. No.” I stared at my older brother in disbelief. It was amazing to me what kind of a spineless coward he always proved to be.

  “As if that would’ve done any good! These are the Maslens we’re speaking of. They could have our heads if we just look at them the wrong way. It’s not like we can just go against them by withholding Vivienne from them.”

  “Why the bloody hell not?! She’s our sister! She’s not some piece of property they can have at their whim. We’re not their slaves!”

  “They have all the power.”

  “Only the power that we give them, Lucas. No more than that.”

  “It’s not that simple.” Lucas shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “She’s Borys’ betrothed… She’s come of age… They said it was time to give Borys what was his.”

  “Betrothed?!” I spat, a subsequent slew of curses escaping my mouth.

  “Without our knowledge – and even hers – father promised Vivienne to Borys Maslen in exchange for a generous dowry…”

  I froze. Generous dowry… When our mother died, we were deep in debt and about to lose the farm. I tried to contribute by working as a bard at the local tavern. Vivienne too was attempting to contribute, working as an apprentice for a local merchant. Even Lucas did more than his typical bare minimum with his chores at the farm. Even with all of us pulling our own weight, we were still about to lose the farm. Then suddenly, father had come by a huge sum of money to pay off our debts. He refused to let us know where the money came from. Now I knew where he got it. He sold his own daughter to that demon.

  “Derek, we had no choice…”

  “To hell with that. There is always a choice.” I brushed past him and headed out, determined to find my father. I knew that there was only one place to look. Muscles flexed, fists balled and ready to make a hit, I marched through the muddy roads of our village. I wanted to strangle my father.

  Fear and worry grated at me, the uncertainty of what my sister was going through in Borys Maslen’s hands was overwhelming my senses. Passersby who happened to stand in my path quickly stepped aside in order to give way to me. Even at eighteen, I’d already grown a reputation as someone no one ought to mess with and my demeanor as I charged past them toward the village tavern was far from welcoming.

  I pushed the tavern’s door open and immediately laid eyes upon our father. When I found him, tipsy and laughing with some of his comrades, I saw red. I lunged for him, tackled him to the ground and began hitting him on the face.

  “How dare you do that to your own daughter! How could you send Vivienne there!”

  I’d already thrown several blows when my father was able to hit me back. With a few swift moves, he managed to roll me over so that he had me pinned to the ground.

  “Watch who you pick fights with, boy.” He spat the blood on his lips out on the floor beside me. “Your sister belongs to Borys Maslen now. There are far worse places to be for a young woman. Being the wife of a future baron – a very wealthy one about that - isn’t such a bad thing, is it now?”

  I stared up at my father, fighting back the tears, terror filling me. “You say that because you don’t know Borys Maslen. You just gave your daughter up to the devil.”

  At that, my father only laughed at me. “Why so tightly wound up, son?” He lightly slapped his palm over my cheeks as he staggered upwards, letting go of me. “The lad may be a self-absorbed brat, but he’s no devil. Have a drink, Derek. It
might loosen you up.”

  I watched with disgust as my own father brushed off the thought of having given away his own daughter to the nobleman’s son. I gritted my teeth, knowing fully well that the Maslens were far from noble.

  As I rose to my feet, I made a promise to myself that I was going to rescue Vivienne from the Maslens. I couldn’t explain to my father why the thought of Vivienne being with the likes of Borys Maslen made my stomach turn. I knew he would only laugh at me and brand me a fool just like he did the last time I tried to tell him about my theories on how our mother died.

  I couldn’t tell my own father that he’d just given his daughter up to a vampire. A vampire I was assigned to kill.

  I was able to rescue her from the grips of Borys Maslen five hundred years ago. And yet I wasn’t able to do anything to save her now. I was well aware of what hunters did to vampires once they were caught. No vampire had ever returned after being caught by hunters. No matter how much I wanted to believe that Vivienne was alive, I had to let go.

  Nothing I could say to myself or to anyone else could rationally defend the idea of gathering our forces to get my sister back. Even Xavier and Liana, two of Vivienne’s closest friends, kept telling me that the hunters never kept a vampire alive for long. I knew they were telling the truth, that I would only risk the lives of many of our kind if I went ahead and stormed the hunters – wherever they were – in a vain attempt to rescue Vivienne.

  She was gone. And I needed to accept that.

  As was customary for those among us who had fallen to the hunters, we held a memorial ceremony in the town square. It’d been centuries since The Shade suffered such a loss and for that loss to be Vivienne Novak was grief felt deeply by every citizen of The Shade.

  It was Liana who took care of all the preparations. I wanted no part in it. Just thinking about the loss was already too painful. I was expecting our father to return for the memorial ceremony, but he sent word that he couldn’t arrive. Other matters seemed to always get ahead of his family. I even expected Lucas to show up, but I knew that he was too much of a coward to ever show his face to me. Not even his own sister’s death – if he even knew about it – could make him risk his own life.

  I couldn’t shake off the anger I felt toward myself as everyone present was given lanterns in order to release into the cold night air. I should’ve been there. I could’ve saved her. But I wasn’t there. I was too busy protecting The Shade, I was unable to protect my sister.

  As I stared at the lantern I was holding in my hand, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain at what it represented. Vivienne had always been particularly fond of lanterns. It felt like letting go of the lantern would mean letting go of her.

  Sofia was standing a few steps away from me, her eyes downcast as she held the lantern in her hands. I wondered what was going on in her mind as she began to whisper something toward the lantern. I strained to hear what she was saying:

  “Wherever you are, Vivienne, I hope you’re alright.”

  After we let go of the lanterns, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Sofia. I realized then that I had no idea what I would’ve done without her. Over the past few days since she got back, she’d once again taken on the guise of my slave, even though she was anything but. She was the only person keeping me sane.

  I bridged the gap between us and admired the mixture of sorrow and fascination on her face as the lanterns rose up into the starlit sky. Noticing my eyes on her, she looked at me and gave me a sorrowful smile. Her delicate fingers gently brushed against my arm before her hand found mine. She squeezed tight – her way of saying she was right there for me.

  Indifferent to what anyone around us would say, I placed my arm over her shoulder and pressed my lips against her temple. I then whispered into her ear, “I can’t begin to explain to you how much it means to me that you’re here.”

  She gently caressed the hand I had above her shoulder before her eyes focused on the lanterns rising up to dot the night sky. “I’m sorry you lost Vivienne, Derek.”

  Lost Vivienne. The words were painful. The thought of being alone that night seemed more than I could bear. “Stay with me tonight, Sofia.”

  With Lucas no longer a threat, she’d been staying in one of the spare bedrooms in my apartment since she arrived. Paige and Rosa had already moved back into my penthouse to accompany her. They’d been asking me about what was to happen to Ashley, but I couldn’t even bring myself to think of the girl.

  “Derek…” Her face paled at what she knew I was suggesting – that she stay in my bedroom like she used to.

  The hesitation she had over my request was understandable. The girls were giving her a hard time over her loyalty to me, but I wanted to be around her. I craved her warmth. She was healing balm to the wound Vivienne’s disappearance left behind.

  “Sofia, please…” I could’ve just demanded it of her. I was still prince of The Shade and in the eyes of everyone else, she was still my slave, but her approval of me mattered – perhaps more than it should. Nothing else pleased me more than the idea of her being with me out of her own choice.

  She turned her gaze from the night sky to me before exhaling. She nodded. “Okay.”

  The memorial dragged on… Pleasant words were given in memory of Vivienne. When I was asked to speak, I refused. I didn’t want to even think about the loss I was suffering, much less talk about it. I was relieved when it was all over. I left with Sofia as soon as I could. I didn’t want to stick around for condolences.

  That night, I found that the only source of solace I had was Sofia. Her kisses, her whispers of comfort, her smile, her arms around me and the warmth she exuded… For the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to become vulnerable in front of someone else. Holding Sofia in my arms, I broke down, and she didn’t say anything to console me. She didn’t have to and somehow she knew it. She just held me close.

  When sleep finally stole her attention away from me, I stared into her peaceful, sleeping form and allowed myself to entertain a thought of Vivienne – just enough so I could thank my dear sister for paying the ultimate price in order to give me Sofia.

  Chapter 41: Sofia

  I woke up to find him staring at me. Waking up next to him felt right in a way it never did waking up next to Ben. I eased myself into his arms. I’d found his chest comfortable enough to be my pillow during the night. I smiled. It was the first time I could remember that a nightmare didn’t wake me up in the middle of the night.

  “I’m sorry you had to see me that way…” I never thought I’d see him look so embarrassed.

  It took a moment for it to register what he was apologizing for. I shook my head and snuggled closer to him. “Don’t be, Derek. You never have to pretend around me.”

  I could swear I felt his heart quicken a beat. His arms around me tightened. We lay there comfortably for a few more minutes before we fell into routine. I noted the ease we had about us as we both got dressed. I’d forgotten how natural it came to us – being around each other. We just knew how to move, how to act, when to stay out of each other’s private spaces and when to move in.

  Something, however, changed in our routine. After we got dressed, I often went to the kitchen to prepare my breakfast. Often, a glass of blood would already be waiting for him on the dining table. That much didn’t change. What changed, however, was the fact that he actually started talking to me – and not just about mundane things that didn’t really matter, but about how he was going to spend the day, what his plans were for The Shade… things that I never was privy to when I was still his “personal slave”.

  “I’ll be at the training grounds today,” he informed me. “The training must go on for the vampires of The Shade.”

  “Corrine told me about the draft…” The topic left a bitter taste in my mouth. “She said you wanted all vampires to be battle-ready. Why?”

  “We’ve grown weak. Should the hunters attack us, we won’t stand a chance. I can only imagine the technological ad
vancements they’ve developed over the years. They’re leaps and bounds ahead of the way they were four hundred years ago.”

  “Maybe so, but how on earth will the hunters even find the island, Derek?”

  “It’s just a matter of time, Sofia. Our defenses grow weaker by the minute… I’m surprised we were able to keep the secret this long.”

  I quietly stared at the piece of toast I just dabbed with jam and butter before finally admitting something that’d been bugging me. “Ben joined the hunters, Derek. He wanted me to go with him, but I didn’t.”

  Derek stiffened at the mention of Ben. He took a drink from his glass of blood before slowly raising his eyes to meet mine. “Why didn’t you?”

  Because of you. I shrugged. “It didn’t feel right.”

  It seemed he wanted to ask another question, but thought better of it. Instead, he nodded. “I have to go soon… What will you be doing?”

  “I want to visit Ashley at the Cells. I’m thinking of visiting the Catacombs too.”

  Blue eyes widened in surprise. “The Catacombs?”

  “Is that going to be a problem?”

  He paused and gave it some thought. “No. I’ll find you there later. I’ll make sure a guard accompanies you.”

  “When is this trial with Ashley going to happen, Derek? You can’t keep putting this off…”

  His face grew grim. “She’s a hunter, Sofia.”

  “What?” I frowned. “How would you…”

  “The tattoo on her back. The hawk. It’s the mark of a hunter.”

  “But…”

  “Look. I’ll strike you a deal. If you can get her to cooperate and give us all the information she knows about the hunters, then I’ll release her.”

  “That’s not fair, Derek. She was defending me after you…”

  “Don’t go there, Sofia.” His tone was stern, making it clear to me that I was about to cross a line I had no business crossing. “I know what I did, and I regret it deeply, but I am prince of The Shade. She was going to kill me. She almost killed you. My offer to release her is more generous than you give me credit for.”