As if on cue, Natalie stirred on the bed. I drew in my breath when she slowly opened her eyes, blinking several times to get a clear look at me. “Viv…”
“What happened to you? Do you know if Derek and Sofia are doing well?”
For the first time since I’d met Natalie, I saw terror in her eyes.
“They’re opening the gates, Vivienne. The Elder is opening the gates.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, but anything that involved the Elder couldn’t possibly be good.
Corrine stood, her knuckles growing white as she gripped the cup between her hands so hard it seemed she intended to break it.
“That’s impossible.” The witch shook her head, her brown locks wildly swaying behind her.
“What’s going on? What is she talking about?” I directed my eyes toward Natalie. “What does all this have to do with my brother?”
“I don’t know.” Natalie shook her head. “But I was there when Kiev and Clara wiped out an entire vampire coven because they chose to side with Derek. The Elder seems to have quite a vendetta against your brother, the cure being a threat and all.”
My knees weakened, and I leaned against Xavier, who had already taken my side for support.
“What coven are you referring to?” he asked.
“The Underground,” Natalie managed to rasp out before breaking into coughs.
“Kiev and Clara.” Corrine said the words with utter spite. “The Elder’s children.”
I asked the question I was dreading the answer to. “Do they have my brother, Natalie?”
She nodded. “I tried to stop it, but Kiev and Clara… they’re powerful. I didn’t stand a chance. They have both Derek and Sofia.”
My stomach turned. My brother was mortal. How on earth was he going to protect himself? “What would they want with…”
“They’re after Sofia,” Corrine announced. “They’re after the immunes.”
Aiden’s hands balled into tight fists, a muscle on his jaw twitching. Behind him, Zinnia stood, arms crossed over her chest, leaning against the wall, seemingly enjoying everything that was happening.
I tried to ignore how irritated I was by the little brat. “And my brother?” I was afraid for his life. They only wanted Sofia. That meant Derek, especially now that he was a human, was dispensable.
“They told me to tell you that they would return Derek alive in exchange for one thing. They want The Shade’s side of the portal activated. The Shade’s gate.”
“No. Never.” Corrine shook her head violently.
“What?” I blurted out. “What is going on, Corrine? What portal? What gate?”
“We can’t have that, Vivienne. Trust me. We can’t allow something like that to happen. The stakes are too high.”
Collect yourself, Vivienne. I breathed a deep sigh. “Something like what, Corrine?” I said through gritted teeth. “Make it clear to me what’s so important about this portal that you are willing to exchange my brother’s life for it.”
“Surely they wouldn’t kill Derek,” Corrine muttered.
“Why wouldn’t they?” Natalie said. “Derek has been a pain in their ass since he woke up. Now is the best time to get rid of him. As a human, he’s the weakest he’s ever been in centuries.”
“If they wanted him dead, they would’ve killed him when he was in their territory—when Emilia was madly in love with him.”
“There’s no Emilia now to protect him, is there?” I added. “Corrine, what is this gate?”
“I can’t tell you.” Corrine shook her head. “But it’s the only reason I ever agreed to come here, Vivienne. I need to protect that gate. It can never be opened.”
“I’m getting my brother back, witch. I will strike a deal with the Elder himself if I have to.”
“You know that I’m powerful enough to stop you.”
“Then do it. You’ll have to kill me, because that’s what it will take.”
Seeing the witch so alarmed daunted me. Corrine was so much better at keeping a calm and collected exterior than I was. We’d never been friends, but we’d always had an understanding—we were on the same side. Until now. Staring at her, I wondered if Corrine would go as far as killing me to prevent that gate from getting opened.
She eyed me, her inner conflict evident in the heave of her chest and the firmness of her expression. “There are three gates that will open a portal to Cruor, the realm of the original vampires, the Elders. And yes, there is more than one Elder. One gate is in The Blood Keep, one is here at The Shade, one is at The Underground. From what Natalie said, they already have control of The Underground. The only one left is The Shade.”
“What does that mean? Why should it matter to me that the portal be opened?”
“You have no idea what the original vampires are like. Elders. They are nothing like you. Your kind are their creation, a mere mutation of the original. Should they come to earth, then those of the other supernatural realms will come too. That means war, Vivienne. A war of supernaturals. Do we really want to be a catalyst of that?”
“Why now? Why do all these Elders want to come now after all these years?”
Corrine shrugged. “Your brother found the cure. That cure has been the greatest threat to their presence here on earth. If that cure has the potential to eradicate all vampires…”