A Blaze of Sun

by Bella Forrest

  “We need to talk in private. I’m sure Corrine will understand.”

  I cast a glance at Corrine, who looked perplexed. She was staring at Emilia as if she was some sort of rare mystical creature that we should be in awe of.

  Corrine looked my way. “There’s something about her… Something oddly familiar… and utterly horrifying… Be careful, Derek. There’s much about her that we don’t know.”

  I scowled. That doesn’t help at all. I made my way toward Emilia, bracing myself for what was to come. I walked toward The Sanctuary expecting to once again be pushed back by the force field, but then I got through. I looked back to find Corrine stepping forward in an attempt to follow me, but she was blocked by the force field.

  “It’s just you and me now,” Emilia said, before gesturing with her finger, directing me to follow her inside.

  I took one last look at Corrine, heaved a sigh and followed the young woman. The moment we were alone in the halls of The Sanctuary, I couldn’t help myself. I attacked her, pinning her against a wall, my claws sinking into her skin, right above her heart.

  At the motion, Emilia simply leaned her head back against the wall and smiled at me. “Go ahead. Do it,” she challenged. “Let’s see if you have what it takes to murder me in cold blood.”

  I knew without a doubt that she could’ve done something to hold me back, but she didn’t and that disturbed me. Why isn’t she fighting back?

  “Don’t you think I saw the images that flashed through your mind the moment you laid eyes on me just a while back?” She smirked, before brushing her lower lip against my jaw. “You want me, Derek Novak. I know it and you know it.” She pressed her lips against mine and my mind started reeling. “You can have me you know. Sofia never has to know. I’ll be the witch of The Shade and we can all pretend that you’re still in love with her and that she’s your queen, but we’ll both know that we belong together, that you belong here with me, at The Sanctuary.”

  I had no idea what was going on, but at that moment, it was as if I was losing my senses. All I could think about was Emilia and how beautiful she was and how much I desired her. When she kissed me full on the mouth, I didn’t do anything about it. I didn’t respond but I didn’t resist either. I just stood there, savoring the taste and feel of her lips and enjoying the way her body was pressed against mine. Still, my consciousness was ringing out in full alarm. This is wrong, Novak. Stop! Right now!

  At some point, I gathered up enough will to pull away from her. I backed away from her as I wiped the taste of her lips away from mine. “I love Sofia. I belong to her.”

  Anger flashed in Emilia’s eyes, fire burning with so much fury. I cowered at how menacing and intimidating she looked. “What has she done to get such loyalty from you?!”

  “She doesn’t need to do anything.” I shook my head. “I love her. If you actually knew what love was, Emilia, you’d know that once you love a person, you remain loyal to them. Get it into your head that I am in love with Sofia and that there’s nothing you can do to change that?”

  She began chuckling as she violently shook her head. “You’re wrong, Derek. You’re mistaken. You thought that she was the one that could help you lead your kind to true sanctuary, but look how that’s worked out. Look around you. Look at everything you worked for. It’s falling apart. Can she fix this?” Emilia once again shook her head to emphasize her point. “Sofia can’t fix this, but I can.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her, fighting the urge to laugh. “Need I remind you, Emilia, that it is you who contributed to bringing this chaos upon The Shade? You’re simply asking me to believe that you can fix the mess you made.”

  “So what if I created the mess? I merely exposed all the weaknesses of this place. What kind of ‘true sanctuary’ is it when only a single witch upholds it? You do realize that Corrine is the last of her bloodline? When she dies, who then will protect The Shade? This isn’t true sanctuary.”

  I grimaced. Tell me something I don’t know. “Get to the point, Emilia. I’m getting tired of this banter. What do you want?”

  “I can help you turn The Shade into a true sanctuary, Derek. Just like the prophecy said.”

  I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, unsettled by the things that she was saying. “What are you talking about?”

  “I can put the spell back up, stop my father’s vampires from attacking The Shade… Basically get all your troubles to disappear. I am even powerful enough to hold back the hunters or even distort their lines if I have to. We can definitely put up quite a defense against the hunters should they try to attack. Better yet, we can work together to destroy the hunters once and for all.”

  “Then why don’t you just do it, Emilia?” I shrugged a shoulder. “Why don’t you just help without anything in exchange?”

  “Why? Because I want something in exchange for it… I love you, Derek. That’s why I can’t just let you go off with Sofia when I know that it’s me you belong to… I need to do this in order to get us both to where we belong.”

  My jaw tightened as I stared right at her. “What exactly do you want in exchange for making all of this go away?” My stomach turned at the notion that she could possibly ask for me or maybe even Sofia in exchange.

  I shuddered at the way she smiled. I felt like a piece in a game and she was the game master controlling my every move. Her request, however, was something I couldn’t quite comprehend.

  “Let me prove my love to you, Derek. Give me one week. All I want is one week with you, Derek. One week where I can have you all to myself.”

  I couldn’t help but crease my brows in surprise. “Just one week?”

  “Yes. One week with me. At the Blood Keep…”

  “The Blood Keep?”

  “The Elder’s castle.”

  I knew it was a trap, but when another explosion rocked the kingdom, I knew that it was a trap I was finding hard to resist. The bait she set in front of me was far too good. At that moment, staring at the lovely, but terrifying woman in front of me, all I could think of was, don’t do anything you will regret, Derek.

  Chapter 22: Sofia

  My jaw dropped the moment I stepped into my father’s cell. I’m ruined for life was the first thought that came to mind when I saw Aiden making out with Ingrid in one corner of the cell. In the midst of all the chaos going on in The Shade, my parents were busy kissing and making up.

  When they realized I was there, my father’s cheeks turned red as a beet as he exclaimed, “Sofia!”

  If vampires could blush, I was sure that Ingrid would already have been blushing as much as Aiden was.

  I stood frozen on my spot as I stared at them, trying to remember why I was there in the first place.

  Sam, who was standing behind me, cleared his throat, successfully bringing me back to my senses. “Sofia, the hunters…”

  I snapped out of my surprise and blinked my eyes so I could get back to my senses. “Is your tracker on?”

  “What’s going on?” Aiden creased his brows.

  “Just answer my question,” I snapped at him.

  “Yes,” he nodded. “It’s always on.”

  “I need you to make a call to the hunters to figure out if they’ve located The Shade. Try and hold back any attacks they’re planning to throw on The Shade for now.”

  “I thought you said that the island’s protective spell will keep them from detecting the tracker.”

  I swallowed hard, wondering if I ought to trust my father with the information I had at hand. Realizing that I didn’t have much of a choice, I just blurted it out, “The spell is down. The Shade is under attack by the other covens and apparently, the original vampire is also involved. If the hunters attack now, it’s the end of The Shade.”

  I looked at him, searching for any sign that that was exactly what he wanted to hear – for The Shade to end, but I was surprised when he took one look at my mother and immediately nodded toward me. “I’ll make the call.”

  As if that w
eren’t enough of a surprise, Ingrid approached me. I couldn’t help but flinch when she brushed her fingers over my cheek and looked at me with concern. “Are you alright, Sofia?”

  No, I’m not alright! The Shade is under attack and Derek is facing off with a crazy witch vampire woman he is admittedly deeply attracted to and you and Aiden are acting like a weird couple. You’re acting like actual parents for crying out loud. A muscle in my jaw twitched as I nodded at Ingrid. “I’m fine. I’m not sure I should be trusting either of you though.”

  At that, Aiden smiled bitterly. “Can’t blame you there, but I won’t let you down.”

  Sam handed him a phone and Aiden quickly dialed a number. I listened as he began talking on the phone.

  “Zinnia? It’s me, Aiden. I’m fine… Do you know where I am right now? Are you able to track me down?” He paused and waited for a response. “Ok, great. I need you to hold off on all plans to attack The Shade… Because I said so… Well, I’m talking to you now… I’m alive and well, and as far as I know, that means I’m still in charge… so do as I say and tell them that all plans to attack the island is on hold…” Aiden’s eyes widened with fury before he sealed his lips tight.

  I couldn’t help but wonder what Zinnia, his right-hand person at hunter territory, could’ve said to cause such a reaction in him. During the time I spent at hunter headquarters, Zinnia was almost like his little pet. She did everything he told her without question. Now, it seemed like she was no longer under his every beck and call.

  When Aiden hung up, I knew immediately that we were in deep trouble. He shook his head. “Zinnia said she’s going to have to ask my superiors regarding my command. She’ll call me back when she hears word from them.”

  So much for not letting me down. I heaved a sigh, hating the idea of going back to Derek with this news. “We can’t afford an attack from the hunters, Aiden. Not now,” I said with as much conviction as I could mutter. The earth once again shook after another explosion. The battle raging outside the Black Heights was enough indication of the trouble The Shade was in.

  “I know Sofia, and I’m going to try and do everything I can to hold the hunters back, but I can only do so much.” Aiden shrugged. “They think that I’ve gone weak, that I’m now siding with the vampires.”

  “Are you?” I couldn’t help but ask, wondering how much sway The Shade now had with Aiden.

  “No. I can never side with the vampires, but I’m no longer on the hunters’ side either. I’m on yours. I’m siding with my family.”

  I didn’t miss the way his hand sought after Ingrid’s and I didn’t miss seeing the sorrow in Ingrid’s eyes when their fingers clasped together. I don’t understand what’s going on. For a moment, I stared at my parents holding hands, wondering what could’ve happened to bring about this change. I looked at Ingrid, hope surging within me. Could it really be possible that she wants to change? That she wants to become Camilla again? I shoved the thoughts away, knowing that I didn’t have the luxury of wallowing in my family drama.

  I turned toward Sam. “Take me to Derek.”

  Sam pointed at Aiden and Ingrid. “And them?”

  I faced Aiden and looked at the phone. I wanted to see Derek. I wanted desperately to know what was going on at The Sanctuary, but as much as I hated to admit it, I still couldn’t trust Aiden. Half of me still believed that he would divulge every secret, every weakness he learned about The Shade in order to further compromise it.

  “You can trust me, Sofia,” he assured me after noticing my hesitation.

  It broke my heart to do it, but I shook my head. “I should be with Derek right now or even fighting alongside the citizens of The Shade, but I can’t. I want to trust you, but I’ve heard you say that before and then you stabbed me in the back right after.”

  It wasn’t so long ago when Aiden told me to trust him, to believe that the cure the hunters found was legitimate, only to find out that he had lied to get into The Shade and figure out its weaknesses, perhaps even end Derek through it.

  I could see the hurt in his eyes at my refusal to trust him, but this was his doing, not mine and he also knew that, so Aiden just nodded and sat back on the cot, Ingrid sitting beside him, their hands still clasped together while Aiden toyed with the phone using his free hand.

  I shifted my weight from one foot to another, unsure what to do. To ease my tension, I began fidgeting with my fingers and tried to make small talk with Sam. “I feel like I have to be out there doing something… anything…”

  “You’re in here doing what you can do, Sofia,” Sam assured. “The vampires can hold their own ground without your help.”

  I laughed wryly at his statement. Of course they can, but can Derek really say no to this attraction he feels for Emilia? I was desperately trying not to be paranoid. I meant it when I said that I trusted him, but if she was as powerful a witch as she seemed to be, then could she not somehow control him and make him return her affections? Who knows what she wants?

  I practically jumped at least a foot from where I was standing when the phone began to ring. Aiden picked it up and just listened, his facial expression growing grimmer and angrier by the second. “This is unbelievable, Zinnia…” he muttered in a calculated and controlled tone that was more menacing than I’d ever heard him speak before. “After all those years I’d given to the order, you just turn away from me like that?” Zinnia must’ve said something that lit up his fuse because he began muttering one curse word after another. “Don’t give me that crap, Zinnia! I deserve more than that!”

  When he hung up, I didn’t need him to tell me what was going on. The hunters were coming for us. We had to face the inevitable.

  I reached my hand forward, palm up. “Give me the phone…”

  “Sofia, I tried…” Aiden croaked out, most likely surprised by what happened. “I did what I could.”

  I nodded. It was hard for him to realize that he wasn’t indispensable to the hunters. He gave his entire life to the cause of the hunters and they screw him over. He’s loyal to them, but the hunters seem to be loyal to no one. “I know you did, Dad, but right now, we have a lot to deal with… Please give me the phone.”

  He handed the phone over to me. I was just about to ask Sam to take me to Derek as quickly as possible, but I found myself hesitating, knowing that my father deserved more than what I was giving him. I stopped to kiss him on the cheek and whisper a thank you to him before Sam and I headed off, leaving them at The Cells.

  When we arrived at The Sanctuary, we came to find Corrine standing alone outside the temple-like structure that’d been Corrine’s home since she arrived at the island.

  “What’s going on?” I asked the witch.

  Corrine shrugged. “I don’t know. Emilia demanded time alone with Derek and he’s been there with her for about a half an hour. I don’t know what’s going on inside.”

  “You don’t have your powers?”

  “I’m not sure. I still have them I believe, but Emilia’s using some sort of suppression spell on me. I’ve been trying to fight it, but she’s too powerful.”

  “We’re going inside,” Sam decided, and to that, I nodded in agreement.

  Corrine shook her head. “She has the building protected by a force field. No one can get in unless she allows them to...”

  The witch hadn’t yet finished her sentence when Derek emerged from the doors, anger evident on his chiseled face. His face softened when he saw me waiting there.

  “The hunters?” he asked with so much hope, it broke my heart to break the news to him.

  I shook my head. “They’re coming. It seems his connection with me lost Aiden his position with the hunters.”

  Derek heaved a sigh before he did the last thing I was expecting him to do. He grabbed my waist, pulled me against him and kissed me full on the mouth. I returned the kiss – passionate but hesitant at the same time, confused by why he was kissing me while everything around us was falling apart. When our lips parted, I couldn’t he
lp but look at him questioningly.

  “You know I love you, right?” he asked, desperation evident in his bright blue eyes.

  I held my breath. This can’t be good.

  He gripped my hands tightly and nodded toward The Sanctuary. “Come. We have a lot to discuss.” He began leading me toward the building before turning toward Corrine and Sam, who were about to follow us there. “Just us.”

  Corrine didn’t seem happy about being kept out of her own home, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Sam, on the other hand, just nodded before another explosion wracked The Shade.

  Worry flashed through Sam’s eyes – the same look of anxiousness I’d been seeing every time we heard an explosion.

  Derek nodded toward him. “Go,” he instructed. “You’re of better use there than here.”

  Sam didn’t need to be told twice. He was out of there in a breath. I gave Corrine a faint smile before Derek led me to the building where Emilia was waiting.

  I didn’t miss the spite in Emilia’s eyes the moment we entered her chambers, but I knew she couldn’t touch me – not in front of Derek. When they told me what Emilia was asking for in exchange for the safety of The Shade, I didn’t know how to respond other than to turn my eyes toward Derek. “What do you want to do?”

  Derek shrugged and shook his head. “I think I don’t have a choice, Sofia, but I need to know that you’re okay with this.”

  At that, Emilia rolled her eyes and scowled, but she didn’t say anything.

  “I don’t know what to say, Derek,” I admitted. “It feels like I don’t have a choice either.”

  “You know the dreams, Sofia. I told you everything. If you’re not up for this...”

  “I’m scared of losing you,” I admitted, my shoulders trembling.

  Derek cupped my face with his large hands and shook his head before kissing me on the forehead. “That’s impossible. You will always have me.”

  At that, Emilia seemed to have had enough of our melodrama. “This is boring,” she spat out. “Do I get my demands or not? The way I see it, I think you’re getting the better end of the deal. You get The Shade back and all I get is one week with the man I love. Hardly seems fair…”