He chuckled. “Well, I don’t care. It just means that we get to deal with you instead of your brother.”
I swallowed hard, knowing that even though I remained a vampire and Derek was human, I was still nowhere near as intimidating as Derek. “What do you want?”
“We appreciate the quarters you provided us at the Crimson Fortress, but I have to say that the Residences seem to be far more comfortable.”
“If you want comfortable, you can leave anytime.”
It was Aiden who’d suggested that the hunters be assigned to the military bunks at the Crimson Fortress—the large hundred-foot wall surrounding the entire island. A good chunk of the wall and its towers had been torn apart when other vampire covens had attacked The Shade under the command of the Elder. Still, the hunters’ quarters were quite comfortable, especially with a full staff to cater to their needs. As far as I was concerned, they were being treated like royalty, certainly better than the other humans.
He chuckled. “You always were a feisty one, Vivienne. I have to admit it’s interesting to see you in your element.” He gestured with his arms as he looked around. “I never thought The Shade would be like this. I mean, apart from the fact that the sun never rises here, the place is rather breathtaking.”
I didn’t know how to react to him. Has he forgotten what he did to me? “How long are you going to be here?”
“For as long as they tell us to be.” He shrugged. “Look, Vivienne, I know we started off on the wrong foot, but you have to understand that back at headquarters, I was just doing what I was supposed to do.”
“You were doing what you were supposed to do?” My voice was deceptively composed, but I was fighting the urge to strangle him. “You did what you did to me out of hatred. You enjoyed it.”
His jaw tightened and an infuriating smirk formed on his face.
I wanted to hurt him. I could sink my teeth into his neck, claw through his flesh or even rip his heart out, but I wouldn’t. There was more in the balance than just my revenge.
“Now”—I sidestepped him—“as much as I’m enjoying this talk, I have better things to do.”
He grabbed my arm. “Wait a minute. You can’t just walk away from me.”
I gritted my teeth. “In case you haven’t realized, you are at The Shade. I am princess of this place. Touch me again and you will regret it.”
“Okay then, princess, we want better quarters. Do something about it.”
The nerve of this man. My fists clenched and it was all I could do not to inflict some serious pain upon him.
“You are truly a magnificent sight to behold, Vivienne Novak.” He leaned toward my ear, so close that I could feel every breath. “It grates at you, doesn’t it? Everything you fought for all these years is crumbling before your very eyes. I must say that I am honored that I’m here to see it happen.”
I was losing control. I was about to attack him, but to my relief, a familiar voice came to my rescue.
“Vivienne? Is everything all right?” I’d known Xavier for as long as I could remember. He was one of the constants of my life and, among the Elite, he was also one of the most loyal to our family.
The hunter took a step backward, letting go of my hand. Xavier stood beside me. His hand protectively settled on the small of my back.
“Is this guy bothering you, Vivienne?”
“The princess and I were just talking about our living arrangements.”
Xavier cocked his head to the side. “Why? What’s wrong with your living arrangements exactly?”
“I’m sorry.” The hunter returned Xavier’s glare. “Who are you?”
Xavier was attempting to reel in his temper. “I could ask the same thing about you, boy. You have no business talking to our princess. The next time you wish to address her, you go through me.”
The hunter began laughing. “And what do you think you’re going to do if I talk to her, vampire? Do you honestly believe that Princess Vampire here is still in control of this island?”
I went from wanting to attack him to trying to prevent Xavier from breaking his neck.
“Let me maim him,” Xavier whispered beneath his breath.
“He’s not worth it.” I shook my head. “Let’s just walk away.”
“That’s right. Walk away, Vivienne. I hope you realize that you are just as weak and vulnerable here as you were at headquarters.” He then curtsied. “I’ll leave you two alone… for now.” He walked past us and was already several feet away when he screamed. “By the way, princess, I’m not sure I ever told you my name. It’s Craig. Don’t you ever forget!”
Xavier eyed me after Craig was gone. “You know that guy?”
I couldn’t break down. I shook my head as I clung to his arm for support, hoping that my knees wouldn’t buckle beneath me. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
I wish Derek and Sofia were here, because I can’t handle this. I knew that chaos was up ahead. My dreams and visions told me as much. I also knew that I was completely incapable of handling it on my own.
I shut my eyes for a moment. Derek, wherever you are, I hope that you’re having the time of your life, but I also hope that you remember how desperately we need you back here.
Chapter 3: Sofia
The moment Derek and I arrived at California, we took a cab to the neighborhood I’d lived in for nine years, since Aiden had left me under the care of Lyle and Amelia Hudson. As we passed the local elementary school and the familiar suburban homes—all of them attached to specific memories from my childhood—I was beginning to choke up with tears. I reached for Derek, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat beside me, and he put his arm around me.
“So this is where you grew up,” he eventually said, gazing out of the window.
I tried to wipe away the tears that were brimming in my eyes and threatening to fall down my cheeks, but not soon enough.
Derek placed his hand over mine, squeezing hard. “It’s going to be all right, Sofia.”
“I know.” I smiled. “It’s just that this place brings back so many memories.”
It didn’t take long before we pulled over in front of the Hudsons’ house—one that contained so many of the memories I held dear, memories of my best friend, Ben, whom I’d been in love with for most of my teenage years. Ben was the only one who’d ever posed a threat to my love for Derek. He was that important to me. And now he’s gone.
As Derek paid the driver, I swallowed hard when my eyes settled on an estate agency sign in front of the yard that said, “For Sale.”
I sat frozen for a couple of minutes before the sign registered. “They’re no longer here.” The Hudsons might not have been the kind of family I’d always dreamed of having, but they’d been good to me. “I want to see the house one last time, if that’s okay with you.”
“Of course.” Derek looked at me sympathetically.
We got out of the car and walked toward the house. I was expecting it to be locked, but when I twisted the knob, the door opened. A middle-aged woman with brown hair, glasses and a beige suit skipped down the stairs toward us.
I swallowed hard at the familiar scent and homey atmosphere that came with standing in the Hudsons’ hallway before focusing my attention on the woman.
“You must be the Millers! Oh my goodness, you are such a lovely couple!” she exclaimed before shaking our hands. “I didn’t think you’d be so young! Are you ready to tour the house?”
I was momentarily speechless. The woman looked from me to Derek, awaiting our response.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m Monica Andrews. I’m the real estate agent. We talked over the phone. We had an appointment for you to check out the house? You’re actually an hour late.”
Derek and I exchanged glances. It seemed the Millers had ditched her.
“So?” Monica asked. “Shall we start?”
Derek shrugged a shoulder, his blue eyes still on me. “Sure. Why not?”
So, for the next half-hour, Monica gave us a
tour around a house that I knew far better than she did. I was still doing pretty well around the living room and dining room, but when our tour reached the second floor I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to keep myself together.
The moment I stepped inside my old bedroom—now empty—vivid memories of times spent with Ben came flooding back. Every cherished memory I had with him: charming and funny, endearing and sometimes lonely. I could practically imagine their faces inside—his and his younger sister, Abby’s. We’d had so much fun in that room, but all the feelings of loss that I’d struggled with since Ben’s death returned to me at full blast.
“He used to call me Rose Red,” I whispered to Derek, memories of Ben’s kisses making my lips tingle. I was clinging to Derek’s arm so tightly, my knuckles were growing white.
Derek nodded and whispered back, “I know. Sofia, if this is too hard for you, we don’t have to go through this…”
Monica was talking about how marvelous the rooms were. She was showing us the cabinets and the wide windows and all I could think of was that I’d spent hours with Ben in that room.
Derek kept one hand on the small of my back. “Still up for this, Sofia?”
Monica spun around and froze when she saw me close to tears. “Oh. What’s the matter? Is something wrong?”
Derek forced a smile. “The room just reminded her of someone important to her. That’s all.”
Monica gave me a sympathetic glance but she obviously had no idea how to handle the situation.
“We’re just going to get a breath of fresh air,” Derek said, before gently tugging me to follow him before I could break down in tears.
We were in the front yard when the waterworks began. I buried my face into Derek’s chest, my arms wrapping around his waist. Guilt was taking hold of me. After the funeral, I’d kept telling myself to give the Hudsons a call, but there had been just too much going on. I owed Ben and his family more than I could ever give them.
Derek seemed to be reading my thoughts. “Sofia, we both know everything that happened after Ben’s funeral. I’m sure they will understand that you weren’t able to communicate with them. I’m sure Ben would’ve understood.”
“I know, I know…” I tried to get a hold of myself as I pulled away from Derek.
He began gently wiping my tears away. “What do you want to do now?” He cupped my face with his hands. “We are still on our honeymoon.”
I gave it some thought. Monica had just stepped out of the house, locking the front door behind her. She had probably realized that there was no way we were going to buy the house. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and looked at Derek. “I’m not sure if I’m being insensitive here, but would you maybe want to check out another house?”
Derek looked at me. I shrugged. “Why not?”
The smile on Derek’s face said that he loved the idea of exploring homes with me. He turned toward Monica and said, “Do you have any beachfront homes available?”
Monica’s shoulders perked up. “Yes, actually… however, I have to warn you that most of those homes are outside the budget range you gave me in our initial conversation…”
That charming grin I loved so much appeared on Derek’s face. “Let’s just say our finances have improved.”
Monica looked as if she’d just hit the jackpot.
Chapter 4: Derek
The six-bedroom oceanfront villa was situated on the edge of a cliff and had one of the most breathtaking views I’d ever seen. The home was already fully furnished and I could see myself building a life and starting a family here.
“You like it, don’t you?” Sofia asked as she took a step into the master bedroom’s terrace with me.
It was the third home that Monica had brought us to, not counting the Hudsons’ house, and so far, this was my favorite. I nodded enthusiastically. “Don’t you?”
Sofia gave me a smile as she breathed a deep sigh and nodded. “I do. I love it actually. It’s bigger than what I’m used to, especially for just the two of us, but…”
I smiled at her suggestively. “Well, it’s not going to be just the two of us forever, is it, Sofia? I can see our kids running all over this place.”
“Oh really?” She blushed.
I gave her a nod as I placed my hands over her waist and pulled her slim form against me before claiming her lips with mine. After all this time, I still wasn’t used to how fragile she felt in my arms, like I could snap her in two if I wanted to. Even without being of a vampire, I was still a lot stronger than she was. Yet, in so many other ways, she was stronger than I was.
When she pulled away from me, her milky skin was flushed red and her lips were swollen. I can see why Ben called her Rose Red.
“Derek,” Sofia muttered, motioning to our guide.
Monica cleared her throat. I suspected she was starting to think that she was wasting her time with us. After all, Sofia and I looked like two teenagers way in over our heads when we’d decided to get married at such a young age.
So, without thinking it through, I decided to ease her doubts. “We’re going to buy the house, Monica.”
Her face lit up with delight. When she told us the price of the property, Sofia’s jaw dropped. “Derek, what are you doing? How on earth are we going to afford this?”
I couldn’t help but smile at Sofia’s naïveté. “Sofia, do you really think we could run a place like The Shade if we didn’t have money? Besides, your father told me to look at houses if the chance presented itself. In case you have forgotten, your father is a multi-millionaire.”
Sofia’s face was priceless. Queen of The Shade or not, she was one wealthy young woman.
“When shall we discuss payment, Mr. Miller?” Monica asked.
“It’s Novak. The name is Derek Novak, and this is my wife, Sofia. We have no idea who the Millers are. For all we know, they showed up at the house wondering why their agent didn’t show up.”
Monica looked taken aback, but then said, “Oh, it doesn’t matter. I’m just honestly relieved to make a sale today!”
“Uhm… Could we give you a call tomorrow?” Sofia stepped forward. “I’d like to talk it over with my husband first.”
“I thought you said you liked the house, Sofia.”
“I do, but Derek…” She gave me a sharp look before muttering beneath her breath. “I don’t understand why we’re buying the home. What for? Our home is The Shade, isn’t it?”
The truth was that I wanted this. I wanted to forget The Shade and live a life with her. I wanted to be the father of her children and to see them grow up to have normal lives, away from hunters and vampires. I was exhausted. I’d been bearing the weight of being the ruler and savior of The Shade for centuries. Now we had found the cure, wasn’t my role done? I had brought my kind to true sanctuary.
Wasn’t it time to find a sanctuary of my own?
Chapter 5: Sofia
Back in our hotel room, I snuggled against Derek on the king-sized bed. His fingers brushed over my bare shoulders.
“Don’t you want that, Sofia? A home, a family, a safe place for our kids to grow up in? Away from all the wars and…”
“Derek, do you honestly believe that we can get away from all that? My father tried to give me a shot at normalcy, and look where I ended up. And we can’t abandon The Shade. This time away has been wonderful, but people we care about are back at that island, and as much as I’ve tried not to worry, I’m anxious over what’s going on back there. Aren’t you wondering?”
“Of course I am, but…” Derek heaved a sigh. “Sofia, we’ve done it. We brought the vampires to true sanctuary. We found the cure. Maybe it’s time someone else took over the burden of ruling The Shade.”
“And who would do that, Derek? Would you abandon Vivienne? She’s still trying to pull herself together after what the hunters put her through. She needs a life of her own too.” Sitting on his lap, I looked him straight in the eye. “I know you, Derek. You care about The Shade. You care
about everyone there. Don’t even deny it. No matter how much we both want to start a family together, we can’t just turn our backs on The Shade.”
It was so unlike him to even think of running from the responsibility of ruling The Shade. I adored him for wanting to build a family with me, and I wanted to dream right along with him, but I also knew that running away from everything… it wasn’t him. It wasn’t us.
“You dream, you know. Every night since we left The Shade. You begin mumbling stuff about the island. What’s going on, Derek? This isn’t you.”
His face softened as his eyes glistened. “I guess I’m just tired, Sofia. I feel like we’re going to return to complete chaos, and… I’m human now. Ruling The Shade as a powerful vampire was difficult enough. Stepping up to that responsibility as a human… it feels like I’m just putting myself, you and our future children in danger.”
I swallowed hard. I’d never thought about it that way. In my eyes, Derek was just as powerful as a human as he had been as a vampire.
He sat up, leaning back against the headboard. He ran his hands over my thighs and let them settle over my hips. “I don’t know if this is a risk I want to take.”
It didn’t take a genius to know that we had trouble ahead. I wouldn’t be surprised if trouble was already happening back home at The Shade as we were gallivanting around the globe on our honeymoon. The one month we’d asked for was already selfish. Still, I never would’ve imagined that Derek could entertain the idea of abandoning the island entirely.
“Tell me about the dreams you’ve been having, Derek. What do you think is up ahead?”
He pried his eyes away from me and let them settle on my kneecap while his hand slid down from my thigh to my knees. A mischievous grin appeared on his face and he began tickling me.
He was trying to distract me and it was working. I screeched and tried to get away from him. Of course, that was futile, considering his strong grip. By the time he was done, I was lying on my back on the bed, unable to control my laughter. He was kneeling on the bed, looming over me.
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