He chuckled. “Well, I don’t care. It just means that we get to deal with you instead of your brother.”
I swallowed hard, knowing that even though I remained a vampire and Derek was human, I was still nowhere near as intimidating as Derek. “What do you want?”
“We appreciate the quarters you provided us at the Crimson Fortress, but I have to say that the Residences seem to be far more comfortable.”
“If you want comfortable, you can leave anytime.”
It was Aiden who’d suggested that the hunters be assigned to the military bunks at the Crimson Fortress—the large hundred-foot wall surrounding the entire island. A good chunk of the wall and its towers had been torn apart when other vampire covens had attacked The Shade under the command of the Elder. Still, the hunters’ quarters were quite comfortable, especially with a full staff to cater to their needs. As far as I was concerned, they were being treated like royalty, certainly better than the other humans.
He chuckled. “You always were a feisty one, Vivienne. I have to admit it’s interesting to see you in your element.” He gestured with his arms as he looked around. “I never thought The Shade would be like this. I mean, apart from the fact that the sun never rises here, the place is rather breathtaking.”
I didn’t know how to react to him. Has he forgotten what he did to me? “How long are you going to be here?”
“For as long as they tell us to be.” He shrugged. “Look, Vivienne, I know we started off on the wrong foot, but you have to understand that back at headquarters, I was just doing what I was supposed to do.”
“You were doing what you were supposed to do?” My voice was deceptively composed, but I was fighting the urge to strangle him. “You did what you did to me out of hatred. You enjoyed it.”
His jaw tightened and an infuriating smirk formed on his face.
I wanted to hurt him. I could sink my teeth into his neck, claw through his flesh or even rip his heart out, but I wouldn’t. There was more in the balance than just my revenge.
“Now”—I sidestepped him—“as much as I’m enjoying this talk, I have better things to do.”
He grabbed my arm. “Wait a minute. You can’t just walk away from me.”
I gritted my teeth. “In case you haven’t realized, you are at The Shade. I am princess of this place. Touch me again and you will regret it.”
“Okay then, princess, we want better quarters. Do something about it.”
The nerve of this man. My fists clenched and it was all I could do not to inflict some serious pain upon him.
“You are truly a magnificent sight to behold, Vivienne Novak.” He leaned toward my ear, so close that I could feel every breath. “It grates at you, doesn’t it? Everything you fought for all these years is crumbling before your very eyes. I must say that I am honored that I’m here to see it happen.”
I was losing control. I was about to attack him, but to my relief, a familiar voice came to my rescue.
“Vivienne? Is everything all right?” I’d known Xavier for as long as I could remember. He was one of the constants of my life and, among the Elite, he was also one of the most loyal to our family.
The hunter took a step backward, letting go of my hand. Xavier stood beside me. His hand protectively settled on the small of my back.
“Is this guy bothering you, Vivienne?”
“The princess and I were just talking about our living arrangements.”
Xavier cocked his head to the side. “Why? What’s wrong with your living arrangements exactly?”
“I’m sorry.” The hunter returned Xavier’s glare. “Who are you?”
Xavier was attempting to reel in his temper. “I could ask the same thing about you, boy. You have no business talking to our princess. The next time you wish to address her, you go through me.”
The hunter began laughing. “And what do you think you’re going to do if I talk to her, vampire? Do you honestly believe that Princess Vampire here is still in control of this island?”
I went from wanting to attack him to trying to prevent Xavier from breaking his neck.
“Let me maim him,” Xavier whispered beneath his breath.
“He’s not worth it.” I shook my head. “Let’s just walk away.”
“That’s right. Walk away, Vivienne. I hope you realize that you are just as weak and vulnerable here as you were at headquarters.” He then curtsied. “I’ll leave you two alone… for now.” He walked past us and was already several feet away when he screamed. “By the way, princess, I’m not sure I ever told you my name. It’s Craig. Don’t you ever forget!”
Xavier eyed me after Craig was gone. “You know that guy?”
I couldn’t break down. I shook my head as I clung to his arm for support, hoping that my knees wouldn’t buckle beneath me. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
I wish Derek and Sofia were here, because I can’t handle this. I knew that chaos was up ahead. My dreams and visions told me as much. I also knew that I was completely incapable of handling it on my own.
I shut my eyes for a moment. Derek, wherever you are, I hope that you’re having the time of your life, but I also hope that you remember how desperately we need you back here.
Chapter 3: Sofia
The moment Derek and I arrived at California, we took a cab to the neighborhood I’d lived in for nine years, since Aiden had left me under the care of Lyle and Amelia Hudson. As we passed the local elementary school and the familiar suburban homes—all of them attached to specific memories from my childhood—I was beginning to choke up with tears. I reached for Derek, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat beside me, and he put his arm around me.