She said the blood-curdling words I knew she would say. “We have to end the shadow hunters once and for all.”
“You’re talking about war and bloodshed that we can’t even imagine. How long has it even been since the Shade’s guards have been in actual battle?”
All I got from both my brother and sister was silence.
We continued our trek through the island, leaving the issue hanging in the air. It weighed heavily on me for the rest of the time I spent with them. To say that I wasn’t burdened by what I was told was a lie. I didn’t understand why I had to stand as the leader. I was younger than a lot of the men there. That they would look to me for guidance was beyond my comprehension. The fact that it was me they looked to also gained me a lot of resentment from two people – my father and brother. I wasn’t even awake for a full day and already, I found myself exhausted and longing to once again escape.
I was ready to go home and retreat to solitude – not even willing to be around the human slaves I was supposed to keep around me. Even Sofia was a sight I did not want to see. She was so human – a reminder of what I was and who I was before I became so defined by the creature I’d become.
I was already intent on going back to my quarters when Vivienne held my arm and pulled me to hers. She didn’t provide an explanation and led me through her walkways and finally to a room. She pushed it open and revealed an unconscious woman lying at the center of the bed. “She used to be a shadow hunter – one of the newer, weaker ones. She was brought here by one of the lodgers – sort of as payment for us to allow him and his sister refuge here at the Shade.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, unable to deny that the woman splayed on the bed in front of me was attractive.
“I thought you might be tired of drinking blood from a glass and would enjoy feeding on her instead.” Vivienne smiled, pleased with herself.
She knew that the fact that this one was a shadow hunter made the prospect even more appealing.
I licked my lips and stepped forward.
Vivienne took that as approval and stepped out of the room.
“Enjoy,” she said just before she closed the door, leaving me to do as I please with her slave.
There was no hesitation on my part. The darkness in me took over. I was beside the woman, pulling her against me with my arms and sinking my teeth into her neck. The taste of fresh blood, pumping through her veins by a living beating heart, was invigorating. I drank, determined to bleed her dry. I kept on telling myself through all those years that I hated being a vampire, but it was who I was and as I drank from this woman, there was no escaping it.
I sucked the blood out of my young victim and just as I was about to drink the last drop – the one that would cause her heart to stop beating, a moment of clarity came to me. For reasons I could not understand or even comprehend – and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to – I realized that the whole time I was holding this beautiful stranger in my arms, feeding on her, it felt like I was betraying Sofia.
CHAPTER 15: SOFIA
It was impossible not to know that Derek had already arrived at the penthouse. I and the girls – Gwen, Ashley, Paige, and Rosa – were in the kitchen making what we assumed would be dinner. It was hard to tell considering the lack of sunlight, but we all decided that we were starved and based on our estimates of how many hours had passed, it was dinner.
We were actually having a good time. I’d already told the girls that there was no way of escaping – at least not yet – not until we had a solid plan, so we just went through the day trying to do what Derek suggested we do – entertain ourselves. We watched TV, read books, and made plans for what I wanted to do with the extra room Derek allowed me to have. Even the guards, Sam and Kyle, seemed to be enjoying our company. They definitely made no signs of wanting to suck any of us dry.
So when Derek barged into the penthouse, screaming my name like it was bloody murder, I really had no idea what I did wrong or why he seemed so angry with me. What I did know was that I felt nothing but sheer terror as I approached him as quickly as I possibly could.
He was standing in the middle of the living room, muscles tensed, blood dripping from the corners of his lips, looking more menacing than I’d ever seen him before. The leanness of his physique bulged with his every breath as he took a few steady strides toward me.
“What happened?” I managed to squeak out in question.
In response, he grabbed my shoulders and lifted me off the ground. I inwardly groaned, pretty sure that my back was once again about to hit a wall or any surface hard enough to slam my body over. Instead, I found myself being pushed into a couch while he paced the ground in front of me, exuding intensity I’d never quite seen from anyone. I gripped the arm rests of the white leather couch I was sitting on – a way of steadying myself for what kind of outburst this brooding vampire was about to throw my way.
Watching Derek act like a bull seeing red, I wondered if all vampires were as he was. Brooding and intense and incapable of laughter or even the slightest hint of mirth… I recalled Sam and Kyle and how they seemed to be in such a light and casual mood when dealing with us girls that afternoon. I wondered why they could be so relaxed while the Novaks were so intense and uptight.
Derek finally stopped pacing and stood right in front of me. He then sat over the edge of the coffee table and rested his elbows over his knees, his hands clasped together, his eyes downcast before he spoke out whatever was on his mind.