The surviving leaders of the twelve clans that composed The Shade’s Elite were all gathered around Aiden and me at my dining room table. When Derek and Sofia had left for their honeymoon, they’d left her father, Aiden, and me in charge of The Shade. We’d been tasked to “cooperate with the hunters” who’d been sent to “guard” the island. Little had we known what the hunters had in mind.
“The hunters are taking over The Shade. We can’t keep living this way. They’re calling all the shots. Did they even consult you and Aiden when they shut down the Port?”
The Port was the main entry point to the island. Recently, the hunters had placed it on full lockdown. No one was allowed to enter and no one was allowed to leave without their express permission. We were prisoners in our own home and the only explanation was a cryptic, “Orders.”
“We can take these hunters down, Vivienne,” Claudia hissed.
“That may be true, but at what cost? We can take down those who are present here at the island, but we stand no chance against a full-on attack from the hunters. We all know that.”
“Vivienne’s right.” Aiden nodded. He was the only human among us vampires, but if anybody knew how the hunters worked, it was him. “Under no circumstances can we afford to retaliate against them.”
“The problem is that they know that.” Cameron spoke up. “They’re using that knowledge against us.”
“They’re provoking you,” Aiden explained. “They want you to retaliate. They want you to lose your cool so that they have a reason to destroy you. These are hunters with decades of vendetta against vampires. Make no mistake about it—most of these hunters hate you with every fiber of their being.”
“Well, that’s comforting.” Claudia grimaced. “They can do whatever they want with us and there’s nothing we can do to make them stop.”
“Not if you want to maintain peace with the hunters, and that’s exactly what Derek wants us to do,” Aiden reiterated.
“It’s just one month,” I added. “We already have a week down. We’re immortals. What’s three weeks to us? Derek and Sofia will be back from their honeymoon and he can iron things out with the hunters.” That silenced everyone.
I felt ill at ease with the position Derek had placed me in. After having been captured by the hunters, imprisoned, tortured and brainwashed at their headquarters, I’d lost a huge part of who I was and everyone could tell. I wasn’t in the best condition to be running a kingdom waiting to implode or explode—depending on who was going to light the fuse.
I’d spent the greater part of five hundred years living in The Shade. Our coven had been founded and ruled by my family—the Novaks. After the deaths of my father, Gregor, and my older brother, Lucas, the weight of ruling The Shade had fallen entirely on Derek’s shoulders.
I was the Seer of The Shade and I’d always known that Derek was destined to rule. He was prophesied to bring our kind to true sanctuary. With the help of Sofia, he’d found a cure, a way to turn vampires back into humans.
This cure, we believed, was our true sanctuary. Derek longed for it. He’d never wanted to be a vampire, so he’d turned his back on immortality and become human again the first chance he got—right after he’d married Sofia. They deserved their happy ending, but happily ever after wasn’t easily achieved. Not in real life.
When Derek had left for his honeymoon, some saw the move as selfish. I saw it as a well-deserved break, but of course their reprieve came at a price for those of us who were left behind. Now, while Derek and Sofia enjoyed their honeymoon, the island was overrun by hunters.
None of us trusted the hunters. Aiden’s experience alone was a testament that we could not put our faith in them. Because of his love for Sofia, he’d sided with his daughter and for that, even after he’d given his whole life to the cause of the hunters, they’d turned their back on him.
After discussing other matters, the council left the penthouse and, feeling suffocated by the loneliness of my home, I decided to take a breath of fresh air. I strolled past the giant redwood trees which supported the Residences.
The Residences used to be one of the most beautiful areas of The Shade, but after the Elder had attacked the island, many of the homes had been destroyed, along with half of the Crimson Fortress and the entirety of the Vale.
I looked up at the homes at the Residences still intact, now being shared by several vampire clans. At the thought of everything that we’d been able to establish at The Shade—everything that was now threatened—a wave of melancholy came over me. Everything I loved about The Shade was about to disappear. I swallowed back the tears.
“Well, if it isn’t Vivienne Novak,” a voice from behind me cooed.
I didn’t need to turn around to recognize the voice. Memories returned to me. Of all the hunters who’d come to my cell to torment me, he was the worst. Chills ran along my spine, settling at the nape of my neck, as he began to circle me.
“What do you want?” I snapped.
He stopped circling and stood in front of me—too close—crossing his arms over his chest. “I heard you were in charge of this island while your brother is out frolicking around the world with his new wife. Kind of selfish of him, don’t you think?”
“My brother is a lot of things. Selfish isn’t one of them.” Avoiding eye contact, I gazed at the tattoo of a small blue star on his temple.