I didn’t know how, but I could sense his dark delight at my surrender, at my acknowledgment that I was a lesser being than he.
“Listen to me carefully, Camilla, because I will say this only once. You are never to refer to yourself as Ingrid again. You are to play the part of Camilla Claremont. You will earn back the love of your husband and daughter. You will do everything in your power to get back into their good graces. Do you understand me?”
I wanted to object. I wanted to say no, but all I could do was nod.
He didn’t seem to be convinced by my agreement, because before I knew it, something hit me on the arm like a thick whip, burning my skin the moment it touched me. I screamed at the pain and began whimpering, afraid that he would hit me once more. “Wh-what are you?” I stuttered. The response I got was another lash – this time on my thigh, breaking the leather of my pants and burning my skin beneath it. I stifled a scream and bit my lip instead, drawing blood from it.
“Speak again and there’ll be more,” he warned, as he watched me shake beneath him.
I could feel his eyes on me, delighting in watching me suffer.
“You have to get it into your head, Camilla, that Borys Maslen is gone, and with him, Ingrid Maslen. You will serve me better as Camilla Claremont than you ever will as Ingrid. You will heed to my command and use every feminine and maternal instinct you have to once again be a part of the Claremont family.”
I wanted to ask why, but I was afraid to speak. The searing pain in my arm and thigh reminded me that remaining silent was a safer option.
It seemed I didn’t need to ask, because he had a ready answer. “You will be my eyes and my ears once you get them to trust you, and when I command you to, I want you to be ready to kill Sofia. Do you understand?”
I nodded as I tried to stifle the smile that formed on my face, surprised by my own delight and eagerness to kill my own daughter. What an evil creature you’ve become, Camilla.
The dark presence controlling me seemed pleased. I, on the other hand, felt as if I were going crazy.
“You are vulnerable against Aiden. You’re in love with him,” the voice scoffed. “Remember that it doesn’t matter what you feel for him anymore, Camilla. After everything you did, he could never really love you again.”
I feared what he was saying. I already told myself the same thing many times over, but hearing someone else say it out loud was like a slap in the face. Despite my desire to remain strong, I began sobbing. My tears seemed to annoy my new master, because I immediately felt a cold slap on my face – one so powerful, my head began reeling.
He then gave me his final command and threat. “Get a hold of yourself. You’re my slave now, Camilla. Do as I say and you will stay alive and powerful, and I will make sure that your power will increase as your usefulness to me increases. Of course, cross me and it will be the end of you and everyone you love. We both know that there are only two people you love. Aiden Claremont and yourself. So, let’s make things simple: I will kill Aiden Claremont and I will make you watch him die a slow and excruciating death. After watching the man you love die, I will then kill you.”
His laughter echoed in my ear, inside my head, so loudly I was sure my head would burst. Even while his presence was long gone and the moonlight was once again streaming through the window, I could still hear his laughter ringing in my ears. There was no mirth or even amusement in his laughter. All I heard was hatred and spite.
I didn’t know what I’d just encountered. All I knew was that I was a slave to the dark presence and that whoever or whatever it was, it was pure evil.
Chapter 5: Derek
How is this possible? How are they coming at us without getting detected by the human world?
I stood on top of one of the Crimson Fortress’ towers, my eyes fixed on what we were up against. Over the horizon, I could see the boundary that separated where the spell stopped and where it started. I could see the human world outside The Shade where the sun still shone. I realized that the sun hadn’t risen yet. They meant to attack in the wee hours of the morning. My gut clenched. All the while, we’d been expecting them to attack at night.
I was surrounded by my most powerful warriors, who had spent centuries fighting for the safety and protection of The Shade. We were all well aware that on this day, we were up against forces far more powerful than ones we had fought before. Helicopters were approaching – about five of them – ready to fly over the fortress and land on the island.
“We’re not properly equipped for this,” Xavier, one of The Shade’s strongest warriors, stated the obvious.
I frowned, wondering how on earth we could take the helicopters down before they landed on the island. We had firepower on the island, but none of it could take down a helicopter. I realized the danger we were in. They brought guns to a swordfight.
“They most likely have witches working for them. That’s how they’re avoiding human detection,” Cameron said from behind me.
I was taken aback by this. Witches were known to resist vampires. That was why Cora, the original witch who agreed to protect The Shade four hundred years ago, was such an exception. Because she was in love with me, she became the first among the witches to ever side with our kind and all her descendants followed her lead. It’s what made The Shade so unique. If the other covens had witches under their wing, why didn’t they just create sanctuaries of their own that their witches could protect? Why go to all this trouble trying to take over The Shade?
Of course, I didn’t have time to figure out their motivations and intentions. Helicopters full of vampires were coming toward The Shade at full speed. I was beating myself up since I wasn’t prepared for this.
I braced myself for what was ahead and began pointing at people and barking out commands. “We need to assemble squads for every helicopter that’s coming our way. We need to be there whenever they land, wherever they land. Xavier! Cameron! Yuri! Claudia! Lead one squad each. I will lead another one. We can’t have them take over the fortress! Liana, make sure Vivienne and Sofia are safe!”
What followed was complete and utter chaos. We were nowhere near prepared for this. I shuddered at the slightest idea of what kind of weapons our opponents had brought with them.
I rounded up my own squad of warriors and began pointing out to each leader which helicopters they were in charge of. I kept my eye on the helicopter assigned to us and began following its direction. It was headed right for a wide open field. I immediately sped toward that area, trusting that my squad was following right after me.
It landed on the field and dozens of vampires began jumping out of the chopper onto the ground below.
Two vampires – one of them shooting a wooden stake at me from a crossbow, while the other was geared up for hand-to-hand combat – immediately attacked me. I caught the wooden stake shooting toward me and threw it right back at the vampire who had aimed it. The wooden stake dug deep into his heart. I then set my attention on the other vampire attempting to rip my heart out. Using my high agility, I was able to get a hold of his wrist before he could dig his claws into my chest. I looked right into his eye before I returned the favor and ripped his heart out.
I watched one of the vampires shoot one of our warriors with an ultraviolet ray gun, similar to the ones used by hunters. I sped toward the vampire holding the gun and broke his neck, maiming him into unconsciousness.
I could sense something was wrong after about my fifth kill. This is too easy. I looked around to check if someone else was attacking me and froze when I saw a familiar face. Emilia. Her hands were raised in the air in surrender even as one of The Shade’s vampires pushed her onto the ground in a kneeling position.
The Shade’s warrior, Pierre, one of our Elite, was about to stab Emilia right through her heart. “Wait! Don’t! She’s surrendering!” I yelled at him.
He immediately heeded to my command and I could swear that I saw Emilia smirk. I hated how my stomach fluttered at the sight of her. The sight of h
er was breathtaking. She was even more beautiful in person than she was in my dreams.
Why are you thinking this way, Novak? I grimaced as I approached her. I stood over her kneeling form and watched as she raised her eyes to meet mine.
She flashed a smile at me. “I knew it. You couldn’t let me die.”
I wanted to wipe that self-confident smirk off her face, but I knew it was true. The idea of watching her die didn’t sit well with me. Why? She’s the original vampire’s daughter. She’s most likely made of pure wickedness. Why wouldn’t I want to see her die? Frustrated by my own thoughts, I held her by the jaw and twisted her neck in one powerful motion. I heard her bone crack and I found my gut clutching at the sound. How could she have this effect on me?
I watched her paralyzed body fall to the ground. They were going to drag her into prison before returning her neck into place. Then she would heal and return to consciousness. It usually took a couple of hours before a vampire with a broken neck could come back to their senses.
I found myself watching as they dragged Emilia away from the field.
“Word is that the other squads are also finding it easy to take down the attackers from the other choppers.” Pierre stood beside me, his eyes set on the chopper on the field. “What are we going to do with that?”
I shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” I momentarily glanced at the chopper before turning back to see Emilia’s body being dragged away. There’s just something about her. We have a connection and I can’t deny it. I couldn’t keep my eyes off Emilia until I saw another breathtaking sight coming toward me.
Sofia.
No matter how many times I’d seen her, Sofia still took my breath away and that moment was no exception. The realization relieved me, because despite the connection I felt with Emilia, catching my breath upon seeing Sofia running toward me was enough assurance that the connection I had with my lovely redhead was far greater than the one I had with the intriguing brunette.
Sofia threw herself into my arms and I held on to her tight. “We won, Derek,” she whispered into my ear, her breath hot against my skin.
“Yes…” I nodded before kissing her on the cheek. “We did. We won.” I stated the words without any hint of triumph or pride.
She pulled away from me and looked up at my face. She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t seem happy at all. Why?”
I tried to make sense of what just happened. “I don’t know. I’ve fought many battles before, Sofia. This win seemed too easy. I might sound crazy, but it’s almost as if they wanted us to win this one.”
From the expression on her face, I knew that something was bothering her about the battle too. She began to look around the field. We barely lost any of our men, but we practically annihilated all of those who attacked.
Sofia wet her lips as she once again gazed up at me. “Why on earth would they let us win?”
I shrugged at Sofia, but I couldn’t help but look in the direction where they had dragged Emilia. I have a feeling it has something to do with her.
Chapter 6: Sofia
The romantic setting of the top floor of the Lighthouse was dangerous and I knew it. Surrounded by candlelight and having Derek all to myself, feeling his passionate kisses on my lips and his hands on my body, I knew we were in danger of once again going too far. I couldn’t allow that, because I knew Derek well enough to know that he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.
So when things were getting heated, I was the one who pulled away. When he gave me a questioning look, I simply smiled and said, “You know why.”
He understood immediately and nodded at me before stealing another peck on the lips.
After making sure that everything was in order after the battle, Derek suggested that we both spend the night at the Lighthouse, something I eagerly agreed to.
The Lighthouse was the only man-made structure outside of the Crimson Fortress. Only recently did anyone aside from me and Vivienne find out that it existed. It served as our escape from the troubles of The Shade. It was where we always went to when we didn’t want to be found. This time, however, there were people who would know how to find us if they wanted to, but it was already a given that if Derek and I decided to spend time at the Lighthouse, it was because we didn’t want to get interrupted. The citizens of The Shade respected that so we were never interrupted when we were there.
“I wish we could get some sort of musical instrument up here,” Derek mused, as he leaned back on the couch and motioned for me to sit on the space beside him and snuggle against him, a request I quickly obliged.
I leaned my head on his shoulder, smiling at his love for music and the skill by which he was able to handle any instrument he got his hands on. “Why not? We could have a guitar up here or even a violin…”
“You like it when I play?”
“I love it when you play.”
He grinned, knowing full well that I meant it and that I wasn’t just trying to flatter him. Of course, he wasn’t exactly the kind who needed to be flattered. “Of course you do. How could you not? I’m amazing.”
I hit him on the face with one of the pillows. “You’re awfully humble.”
“I think it’s the victory getting into my head.”
Questions and doubts began to surface in my mind with Derek’s mention of the battle. I wanted to talk about it, but I didn’t want to dampen the light mood we were both in.
It seemed Derek didn’t want to discuss the battle either, because he heaved a sigh and said, “Since I’m refusing to make out with you any more, what are we going to do now?”
I raised a brow at him and chuckled. “You’re refusing to make out with me? Really now?”
“Stop insisting, Sofia.” His face was deadpanned. “It’s not very becoming of a lady like you.”
I rolled my eyes, trying to hide how amused I was by his sarcasm. Before he could stop me, however, I jumped to my feet and spun around to face him, taking both his hands in mine. “We should dance.”
“Dance?” He raised a brow.
“Yes. Not like the sweet, slow dances we usually have. I want to dance.” I began to shake my hips and raise my hands in the air.
He began to laugh. “Who dances like that?”
I widened my eyes and threw my hands in the air in a waving gesture. “Uh, everyone?”
He was looking at me like I was crazy. It took a moment for it to register in my head that Derek lived his teenage years centuries ago. Of course he has no idea how teenagers today dance.
“Okay… We can’t do those silly medieval dances you did in your time… You need to learn how to dance like an eighteen-year-old in a bar.”
I coaxed him to stand up and he hesitantly obliged, laughing at my excitement.
“We don’t have music, Sofia,” he reminded me.
“Didn’t you tell me once that you always have background music playing in your head?” I began humming an upbeat song. I was surprised when he actually began mimicking the beat of a drum with his mouth as he caught on to the tune of the song.
A vampire that can beatbox. Who would’ve thought? I grinned. “That’s great. Now, we can dance.”
For the next half hour, we were dancing to our own music, laughing at how silly both of us sounded and looked. I loved the sound of his laughter. I loved all those moments when we could just spend time together and have fun. I recalled all those times that made me fall in love with Derek Novak and realized how much of my heart he held.
At some point, he just grabbed me by the hips and pulled me against him and kissed me full on the mouth. I was putty in his hands as I responded to the kiss.
When our lips parted, I was surprised by what he said. “Marry me, Sofia.”
I laughed as I raised my ring finger, showing I was already engaged. “Uhh… I already said yes to that before. Don’t you remember?”
He held my raised hand and began thumbing the ring on my finger. “Yes.” He nodded, smiling at the memory of the night I
finally agreed to marry him. “Then let’s do it, Sofia. Let’s get married.”
I frowned, searching his face, wondering if he was actually being serious.
He grinned and shook his head, as if having read my mind. “I’m not joking, Sofia. Let’s get married. Let’s tie the knot. Tomorrow if you want!”
I wanted to marry him more than anything, but something about the rush didn’t feel right. I couldn’t help but voice out my apprehensions, despite my desire to keep the night light and free of any serious talk. “I’d love to do that, Derek, but why the rush? Why all of a sudden do you want to do this? We’re in the middle of a war. Is it really the best time to toss this into all the chaos?”
His smile widened as he cupped both my cheeks with his large hands. “That’s the thing, Sofia. As you said, we’re in the middle of a war. All of this could end any time soon. I want to live life to the fullest and if this moment is my last with you, then why not, Sofia? Why can’t we get married now? We want to be together. Why can’t we just give this to ourselves?”
The look in his eyes and his exuberance was my complete undoing. All I can think of was, “Yeah… why not?” and I found myself voicing the words out.
I tried to drift off to sleep, snuggled against him inside the Lighthouse, however, I couldn’t help but feel as if something was amiss, as if he was keeping something from me. I hated that I felt that way, but I couldn’t deny it either. It wasn’t like Derek to just jump into the idea of a wedding while in the middle of a war. I wasn’t sure if I was buying into his reason about living in the moment, simply because to do something so drastic wasn’t exactly the Derek that I knew.
I tried to fend off the thoughts bugging me that night, but it was impossible. I was disturbed by the idea of rushing into marriage. Is it because you’re afraid he might never become mortal? Is it because you fear there might not be a cure after all?
I shook my head. That wasn’t it. I was certain that there was a cure and that we could find it. It was just a matter of time. I stayed up way into the night, asking myself why I wasn’t excited about marrying the love of my life.
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