He embraced me and pulled me against his chest as he whispered into my ear, “I thought I lost you, Ingrid.”
I once again felt the strength and security that I could only feel when I was around the vampire who sired me. I sobbed into his shoulder for a few seconds before whispering into his ear, “I think I know how you can get your hands on Sofia. Do you still want her?”
I could practically hear the spite and menace in his voice when he responded in a low voice, “I’ve never wanted anything more than to feel her lovely, trembling form in my arms again.”
I shuddered when I realized the hell Sofia was going to go through should Borys ever get a hold of her again. I swallowed hard as I remembered my daughter telling me she loved me. I dreaded the day that Borys would once again have Sofia within his grasp.
But it’s too late, Ingrid. You’ve already told him about her. You have no choice but to surrender her to him.
Chapter 43: Gregor
The moment I was taken from my daughter’s chambers and brought back to The Cells, I knew that I was in trouble. An odd mixture of determination to not disappoint Vivienne and pure terror began battling for the right to rule my will.
I shivered just thinking about what I had gone through in between the time when I had left The Oasis and finally returned to The Shade. If there ever was any doubt in my mind that we vampires were creatures of the dark, it was totally eradicated when I was forced to come face to face with what a dark creature I had allowed myself to become. Darkness took hold of both Borys and me in such a way I had never thought possible. It took full control.
Perhaps this is what happened to Derek before he decided to escape to his slumber. It’s the reason he was so powerful. Darkness gripped him and made him the heartless leader that saved The Shade.
Clarity had come over me the moment I had looked upon my beautiful Vivienne’s blue-violet eyes. Her unconditional love for me as her father awakened what little shred of humanity I still had left in me. I realized that the only reason I was thinking beyond the darkness’ control was because Vivienne somehow illuminated something deep within me. One small spark was all it took to light up pitch black darkness.
However, my match was quickly running out of its flame. I knew that I was about to lose myself again. I would once again forget the love I felt for my children—especially Derek.
Alone in my cell, moonlight streaming from the small, barred window, I felt like a million voices were ringing in my ear all at the same time. I knew the kind of power I was up against. I knew the hold it had over me. I knew that this was a battle I couldn’t win, but couldn’t afford to lose either.
For the first time in the past five hundred years, I realized how I, as a creature of the dark, craved so much for light. I was desperate to keep the spark inside me burning.
Traitor, a voice whispered—coming from within me rather than from my surroundings. I shuddered. I tried to fight it. I tried to summon all the will power I had within me to keep myself in control. I couldn’t do it.
My body was no longer my own, my thoughts conflicted and out of control. Claws came out of my hand, and with my forefinger, I began scratching a message on my arm. My own claw cut through my skin and it cut deep. I bit my lip against the pain as I saw the message take form.
You chose the wrong side.
Chills ran down my spine as it dawned on me exactly what it meant. At that moment, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that there was absolutely no way I could make it through the night, and yet I felt in me an unnerving calm. I was able to hold Vivienne in my arms again. I was able to see her beautiful eyes and her calming smile.
I had all the consolation I needed knowing that should I die that night, in the final moments of my life, I had chosen light.
Chapter 44: Derek
She was silent. She was soothing calm amidst a raging tempest. She peered at me through her long lashes and I found myself breathless.
Suddenly, the waves crashing over me seemed less threatening, the winds blowing at me seemed a little gentler. The storm surrounding me ceased to matter. Sofia was once again in my arms, serving as my calming center.
Her lips moved to press against mine, and I knew that if I wanted to, I could take it further. I knew her well enough to sense that she would happily give in, but I didn’t want that. Not with her. I was determined to stay true to my vow that I would not make love to her until after she’d become my wife. It was my way of setting her apart from all those other women who came before her. It was my way of honoring her.
The idea that she could be my wife—in light of the hunters’ newfound cure—thrilled me. To live a lifetime of this, being with Sofia, tasting her, loving her… It was far more than I could ever dream of, far greater than my deepest wishes even as a human. It took centuries to finally find her, but it happened… I found the woman I loved and if it was all my immortality was good for, then it was worth it.
When our lips parted and I saw her blush the moment our eyes met, I could swear my heart stopped. I had no idea how I could’ve convinced myself that I could ever stand being apart from her.
“I was a fool to leave you,” I admitted.
She slapped my shoulder. “Damn right you were. I was going crazy trying to understand why you left.” Her voice broke. “You didn’t even say goodbye.”
“You wouldn’t have let me go if I had.”
“That’s because we belong together, Derek.” She paused and looked at me like the big fool that I was. “I can’t believe you still don’t know that.”
“I couldn’t stand the idea of preying on you, Sofia.” My heart sank as I recalled my need to have a taste of her blood the moment I had woken up. I didn’t even ask her anymore. I just took what she was clearly offering.
“Does it hurt when I drink from you?” I asked, wondering why I even bothered to ask the question. Of course it hurts.
“The bite stings at first, but it’s not like I’m not used to it…” She sat up on the bed and began pulling her hair up in a high ponytail.
I breathed out a sigh, hoping that we could freeze that moment and just stay cocooned in my bedroom. I hoped that we could just forget all the concerns that I needed to deal with. Of course, I knew that was impossible. Right at that very moment, I could hear people shuffling outside my room, waiting for me to emerge. I guessed that it was some of the Elite—perhaps present to discuss our severe lack of blood supplies. Just the thought of having to deal with all the drama going on made me groan out loud.
Sofia, who was already up and about the room, getting herself ready for the day, looked my way and chuckled, seeming to already know what was going through my mind. She leaned over my side of the bed and kissed my cheek. “We’re together again, and that’s all that matters right now.”
I didn’t know how to respond as I watched her step into the bathroom and close the door behind her. I loved that about Sofia. I loved how she seemed to take the heaviest of situations and somehow make it feel lighter.
My ray of sunshine was back and I wanted to kick myself for allowing things to go any other way.
By the time we both got ready and stepped out of the bedroom, we found a group of people waiting for us in the dining room—Cameron, Liana, Xavier, Eli, Yuri and to my surprise, Vivienne.
“Aren’t you supposed to be resting? Sofia and I were just planning to visit you…” I asked my twin.
“Liana came over and told me about the dilemma regarding the island’s blood supply. What are we going to do about that?”
I gave Liana a cold glare for worrying Vivienne over matters of the island. “That’s what we’re about to figure out today, Viv.” I pulled out a chair for Sofia beside mine before taking a seat at the head of the table. “Before I ask to what I owe the pleasure of this invasion, do you have any suggestions regarding how we’re going to fix this mess?”
I was greeted by a tense silence. There was a time when the answer would’ve been to abduct humans to feed on or to hold a culli
ng—killing off all the weak and useless humans and draining them of blood that we could preserve at the chilling chambers. Now, none of us had any idea how to replenish the blood supply at such short notice. Until Sofia stated the obvious as she stared into space and shrugged. “I don’t see what the problem is.”
All eyes turned to her.
Xavier seemed irritated. “Do you have any idea how thirsty I am, Sofia? I only had one packet blood left and I had to give it to…” He bit his lip and caught his words as he glanced at Vivienne “…Not that I regret it of course, but not all of us have a fresh supply of blood like Derek seems to enjoy since you came back.”
My gut clenched as I followed the direction of Xavier’s eyes on the bite marks on Sofia’s neck.
“What Xavier’s trying to say is that if the vampires don’t get their blood, we won’t be able to keep them from attacking the humans at The Catacombs. We’re going to have another riot and considering that the hunters are coming and so are the other covens, we can’t afford that,” Liana summarized before taking in a deep breath.
“Yes. I get the dilemma,” Sofia said. “I just don’t know why you can’t see the solution when it seems pretty obvious.”
“Just tell us what you have in mind, Sofia. We’re all ears,” I said.
“For one thing, you could always live on animal blood. Vivienne has survived all these years on that.” Sofia raised her hands in the air before anyone could object. “Yes, yes. I know what you’re going to say. Not everyone can do what Vivienne is doing. I get that. I do have another idea. I’d like to believe that through the past year, we’ve already established some sort of rapport between the humans and the vampires. I don’t see why the humans wouldn’t agree to donate their own blood to feed the vampires.”
“You mean like the humans voluntarily letting vampires suck their blood?” Yuri scoffed.
“I think what Sofia is saying is that we replenish the stocks by getting blood from the humans the way hospitals and blood banks do.” Eli glared at Yuri.
“Do you really think the humans would agree to that?” I asked Sofia.
“I don’t see why not…”
“One problem there…” Vivienne sat up. “The vampires will end up craving whoever donated blood to them.”
Sofia shrugged. “Well, it’s a temporary measure, is it not? If the cure works, then it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Ah, yes… The cure…” Liana nodded. “That’s why we came here. So much seems to be hanging on to whether or not this cure works.”
“Well, if this cure is for real.” Cameron straightened up on his seat. “Then Sofia’s right. We really wouldn’t have to worry about blood supplies at all.”
“More than that,” Liana added, “we won’t need the protection of The Shade anymore. The other covens can attack all they want… It won’t really matter. They can even turn back into mortals if they please.”
“The hunters won’t have to hunt us down anymore.” Yuri leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest, his brows furrowing in deep thought.
“A cure just might end all of this,” Liana concluded.
Finally, Cameron got straight to the point. “I guess what we’re trying to say is that we think we ought to look into the faintest possibility of this cure being real, because it is far better than a full-on war with both vampire covens and hunters.”
My jaw tightened. They were listing all the advantages of the cure being real, advantages I’d been mulling over since I had heard of the cure. Sofia and I exchanged glances and I could tell that she was feeling the pressure upon hearing how much was hanging on this cure the hunters claimed to have found.
“So I guess we’re going to let more hunters into the island? We’re going to risk that?” I directed my attention toward Vivienne. “What do you think, Vivienne?”
My sister shook her head. “I don’t know. I’d be lying if I said that I trust the hunters, because I don’t.”
“I don’t trust them either,” Sofia said. “But…”
“…the cure may be our last hope,” Eli finished for Sofia. “A war would end us.”
“How are they even going to do it?” I couldn’t help but blurt out. “I can’t even wrap my mind around how the other covens plan to attack us without being detected by humans. A war would definitely attract attention, perhaps end us all.”
Eli lifted his glasses over the bridge of his nose as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair, rubbing his neck as he did. “I can’t be sure, but…” he hesitated.
After it seemed he wasn’t going to continue, I narrowed my eyes at him. “But what, Eli?”
“I don’t know… It’s just… I don’t think we’re up against just the covens.”
At this, Xavier, who seemed unable to pry his eyes off of Vivienne the whole time, snapped to attention. “What are you saying?”
“The other covens wouldn’t dare risk something as big as this. That’s what kept us safe from them all these years. You forget that a lot of vampires who migrated to The Shade—coming from other covens—warned us that the other covens were, for decades, covetous of what we have here. A full-scale war isn’t something anybody would risk unless…”
“…unless there’s a greater influence backing them up.” Vivienne nodded.
“Exactly,” Eli said.
I froze, every part of my body seeming to tense at the implication. “You can’t possibly mean…”
Eli and Vivienne exchanged glances.
In her typical sage and serene manner, Vivienne said the words that sealed my fears. “Great darkness is behind this.”
I swallowed hard, realizing that I was against a power far above what I could possibly handle. I knew whom they were referring to, but it almost seemed impossible—utterly surreal.
“I don’t understand…” Sofia silently voiced out, searching me for an answer.
“They’re referring to the original.”
“The original?”
“The very first vampire.”
Chapter 45: Sofia
As soon as the words came out of Derek’s mouth, someone began pounding at the front door. Derek and I stood in unison, worry creasing his face as sure as it was mine.
When the door swung open, we found Sam looking breathless and distraught. “You’re going to want to see this…the town square.”
“What’s going on?” Derek asked, wary of any more bad news being thrown his way.
“It’s your father.”
Derek immediately shot a look at Vivienne. “Stay here, Vivienne.” He then cast a commanding glare at Xavier. “Keep an eye on her.”
Xavier nodded, looking as if he would rather die than ever let Vivienne out of his sight. Derek took my hand and pulled my body against him in a tight embrace so he could speed from the Pavilion to the Vale where the town square was. The moment we arrived, I wished he hadn’t brought me with him. It took every ounce of my will power to keep myself from vomiting at the grotesque sight in front of me. Right in the middle of the town square was Gregor Novak’s corpse, impaled on a stick that went right through his heart. His heart, still beating was right at the tip of the stick.
I could barely stand on my own feet, so when Derek’s knees buckled at the sight, we both sank to the ground.
“Who would do this?” I muttered under my breath. That’s when I noticed that something was scrawled on his arm, which looked like it was already in the process of rotting.
Derek, who didn’t seem to have the stomach to approach his own father’s lifeless form, turned toward Sam. “What’s written on his arm?”
Sam hesitated before responding. “It says, ‘You chose the wrong side.’”
I couldn’t understand what that could’ve possibly meant. Whichever side Gregor was on, it certainly wasn’t Derek’s. Did Gregor somehow cross someone else other than Derek? I was certain that Derek couldn’t have had anything to do with this grotesque crime.
Corrine emerged among the gathering crowd in the to
wn square. Her brown eyes locked with Derek’s, a grim expression marring her lovely face. From the very moment I first met Corrine, nothing seemed to shake her. She seemed unafraid of anything. I always saw her as some sort of strong tower, a refuge of calm. At this moment, however, she looked horrified.
Her olive skin seemed to pale and for the first time since I had met her, I was certain that we were up against a force that was more powerful than her.
Chills ran down my spine and dread unlike anything I’d ever felt before swept over me. I stared up at Derek, somehow knowing deep inside that both of us would break before we could be made whole again.
Alarm was in Derek’s eyes when he broke gaze with Corrine in order to look at me. “Sofia, you’re trembling.”
I wasn’t aware of how tightly I was squeezing his arm. I shook my head, not knowing how to articulate to him what was going through my mind. Even if I could, I didn’t know if it would be wise to voice out the fears I had coursing through me.
I once again caught sight of Gregor’s body—which was now being pulled from the pole it was impaled on. Despite all my apprehensions, I nodded my head resolutely. I needed to have faith. I couldn’t afford not to have it. “We’re going to make it, Derek.”
When he pulled me closer to him and pressed his lips against my temple, I took it as reassurance that I was right.
The rest of the morning wore on with Eli and Liana working with Gavin and Ian, trying to figure out how to make the blood drive among the humans happen. Xavier, Cameron and Derek saw to arrangements about Gregor’s body. Last time I caught a glimpse of Yuri, he was taking a walk with Claudia—something that I found delight in. On the other hand, I was left to deal with my father and all the questions he had about what went on between Derek and me throughout the night.
“You let him drink your blood again, didn’t you?” was the first thing he asked me the moment I had settled myself in the dining room of my chambers at The Catacombs.
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