A Castle of Sand

by Bella Forrest

  Until the Battle of First Blood, the battle that secured us control over The Shade, I prided myself on never killing a human being—something Vivienne was also able to accomplish. As for my father and brother, I never dared ask. One thing was for certain though: after the Battle of First Blood, many humans had since died in our hands.

  Mine was a fate I was determined not to let Ashley repeat, but it was going to be an uphill battle and I knew it.

  I gripped Sofia’s hand tightly until she gasped in pain. I wanted her to know that I wasn’t about to be questioned or defied. “We’re leaving. You’ve seen enough.”

  Tears moistened her eyes. “Is there no way we can help her, Derek?”

  I shook my head. “She’s made her choice. Now, she has to live—or die—with the consequences.”

  Chapter 18: Sofia

  I sat on the red velvet couch in the living room area of my quarters in The Catacombs. It’d been three days since Ashley’s turning and I hadn’t been able to visit her. Derek simply wouldn’t hear of it.

  “Sofia,” he said through gritted teeth, “I will post guards to keep watch over you if I have to. You are not to go anywhere near Ashley. Not now. I should never have allowed you to see her turn. I…” He licked his lips and shook his head as if to wade off whatever demons were plaguing his conflicted mind.

  My heart softened at how torn he was by the whole matter and I nodded. “You don’t have to do that, Derek. I won’t go if you really don’t want me to.”

  He looked at me with blue eyes glazed, expression tender. I had to catch my breath at the way his eyes were set on me. I knew he loved me. I had no doubt about that, but I wasn’t sure he understood enough just how much I loved him. That bothered me, because as far as I knew, I’d already given him everything. It felt like I had nothing else left to give in order to prove my love.

  The tender look in his eyes was quickly replaced with a heated, smoldering one and I knew without a doubt that he wanted me. I wanted him back, so I found myself frustrated when he stepped back, bit his lip and said, “I have to go.”

  My shoulders sagged as I watched him leave. He’d been true to his word. Since he told me that he would pursue me, he never once made a move to touch me beyond the kind of affection a brother would give a sister. He wasn’t as he was before—always hanging a possessive arm around my waist, freely touching me wherever and whenever he pleased. His caresses were soft and tentative, his kisses chaste and gentle. Whenever he was around me, it was almost as if I was a fragile, porcelain doll he was afraid to break.

  For the first time since I met him, I hadn’t the slightest clue how to deal with him. What came to me instinctively before in matters that concerned Derek Novak eluded me the moment he got this idea that he needed to romance and pursue me. I wanted to reassure him, longed to let him know that I was his and would always be his, but I didn’t know how to do that without losing my own self-respect.

  Whether he knew it or not, as far as our relationship went, he was calling all the shots, and all I could do was go wherever he chose to take us.

  Sitting there that afternoon, my mind was torn between the constant ache in my chest over how I felt for Derek and how anxious I was over Ashley’s predicament. Seeing her turn triggered memories of my childhood that I long since buried, memories that I wished could’ve remained buried. After Ashley’s turning, it haunted both my dreams and my every waking moment.

  The fever raged for more days than my nine-year-old self could remember. I kept tossing and turning on my bed, calling for Mommy, but she didn’t come like I wanted her to. I couldn’t remember anything that happened before the fever. Only Daddy was there to make sure I was alright. I hated looking at him, because he had the saddest eyes whenever he looked at me. It felt like I did something wrong, but I didn’t know what it was. When I woke up one night, my entire body was so hot, my skin felt like it was about to burn up, I found Daddy crying, his face buried in his palms as he sobbed. I wanted to complain about how hot I felt, but I felt too sorry for him. That’s when I realized that something bad happened. I wished that I knew what it was.

  Seeing Daddy cry, I couldn’t fight back the tears myself. Every part of my body hurt, but not as much as the pain I felt inside as I wondered what could’ve made my wonderful father cry. I tried to hold it back, but I could no longer stifle a sob. Daddy heard it and he looked at me.

  “Hey, baby…” he whispered, his voice hoarse and dry. “How are you doing? Why are you crying?” He walked up to me and touched my forehead. He withdrew his hand in surprise. A bad word came out of his mouth. I never heard him talk that way before. “You’re burning up, Sofia.”

  He looked angry. It made me feel bad that my body was so hot. I couldn’t understand what was going on. I was in so much pain, with no idea how to let him know, so I just let the sobs rack my small body.

  “Hush…” he whispered in an attempt to comfort me, but he too was in pain I could tell. After I recovered from the fever, I realized why Daddy was so sad. Mommy was gone. Daddy told me that she went off to another home, where they could take care of people like her—people who’d gone crazy.

  When Daddy left me with the Hudsons, I cried myself to sleep for weeks. Only Ben saw me crying.

  “Why do you cry every night?” he asked me once.

  I heaved a sigh and stared into the distance. “My mommy went crazy. Do you think my daddy left me because he thinks it’s my fault?”

  Ben stared at me for a few moments, his blue eyes wide and thoughtful as he tried to comprehend what I had just said. In response, he shrugged and squirted his water gun at me.

  At that memory of Ben, I couldn’t help but smile. He always did have a way of making heavy situations feel a lot lighter than they were. I looked around me and held back tears as I realized how much The Shade had changed him—how much it changed me.

  “What’s with the weird half-smile, half-frown expression on your face?”

  I looked up to find Gavin leaning against my doorpost, arms crossed over his chest. His tousled red hair and the boyish smirk on his face were enough to lift my spirits.

  I smiled. “I just remembered my best friend…Ben. The memory of him makes me both happy and sad at the same time.”

  Gavin’s brows rose in surprise as he strode toward me. He then plopped himself on the couch beside me. “Wow. So there were actually other men in Sofia Claremont’s life before the great Derek Novak.”

  “Just Ben.”

  “He must be quite a guy to compete with the likes of the prince.”

  He tried to compete. He failed miserably. My smile was bittersweet. “I miss him.” Or at least the version of him before The Shade destroyed him.

  “Does Derek know that? I might have to report you for dreaming about other men while he’s so enamored by you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Much as I love the banter, Gavin, what exactly are you doing here?”

  “You’ve been in The Catacombs for more than three days. I’d given you all the time to rest and adjust. It’s time to get your ass to work. Contrary to Derek’s opinion, you’re no princess of The Shade.” He paused and raised his brows as he gave his last statement some thought. “At least not yet.”

  Gavin saw the frown in my face before I could conceal it. “What? Don’t tell me that you thought you’d be sitting pretty here all night long…everyone in The Catacombs works. You have to earn your keep, and considering how glorious your keep is, you’d better be good at what you do.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to work. I just…” I heaved a sigh. My stay in The Catacombs wasn’t exactly one that received a warm welcome. I’d already made attempts to make friends with some of the Naturals, but though they were all polite and treated me with respect, I couldn’t help but sense their resentment. “The idea of having to face the Naturals…”

  “What’s wrong with us?”

  “Nothing…it’s just that I can’t help but feel like I’m resented…”

  Gavin
spread his arms, gesturing at my quarters. “Can you blame them?”

  “No…still, it doesn’t feel good to be treated with a superficial respect, only because of what I have with Derek.”

  At that, Gavin scoffed. “You think anybody here cares that the prince is professing undying love to you? Vampires are fickle creatures. It’s only a matter of time until you bore him, especially considering how you didn’t allow him to turn you into one of them.” He gently tapped his palm over my thigh. “You poor, clueless thing.”

  I frowned at him in question.

  He quickly explained, “My point is that no one’s really threatened by Derek’s pronouncement that he will wreak havoc on the lives of anyone who touches you. We live every single day knowing that it could be our last, knowing that any vampire out there could freak out and destroy our lives at any given moment. If anything, the prince’s love for you makes you tempting for some Naturals to mess with—especially Naturals who are tired of living the way we are. You know—ones who have a death wish, and trust me…there are many of those.”

  “If what you’re saying is true, why hasn’t anyone messed with me yet?”

  “Because of Corrine.” Gavin shrugged.

  “Corrine?”

  “Yes, Corrine. The only reason anybody here treats you with any respect, and not pure disgust, is because the witch seems to think highly of you. Corrine’s opinion is deemed valuable in The Catacombs. If she says you’re okay, then you’re okay. Still, people resent you because of Derek and this extravagant display of love for you.” Gavin once again scoped our surroundings. “I still can’t get over how great this place looks.”

  “You guys can move here if you want…you, Lily…the kids…you can have the master bedroom and I can move in with the girls…”

  “Yeah, right…Derek’s going to love that.”

  “It’s my home. I can do whatever I want.”

  “Uh-huh.” He placed both his palms over my face and said, “If you want to last in The Catacombs, my dear innocent, realize that nothing here is yours. Everything you are, everything you own…the vampires can take away anytime they please. For your own good, Sofia, don’t make decisions regarding this place without Derek’s consent. Nobody knows what could possibly set off his fuse and make him turn off his conscience.”

  What Gavin was saying was beyond anything I could bring myself to comprehend, much less accept. I pried his hands off my face. “How can you guys live this way?” Always in fear. Always looking behind your backs for the next time a vampire loses its mind?

  Gavin shrugged. “One day at a time. Now, are you going to work or not? I mean, seriously…do you really care what anybody here thinks of you? Just suck it up and make yourself useful, lazy.”

  “I’m not lazy.”

  “Well, good then.” Gavin stood up. “The Catacombs is no place for lazy people. It’s no place for the sick or the weak either, for that matter.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Gavin gave me a long, thoughtful look as if wondering if I ought to know what he was about to tell me. “For us normal humans at The Shade, we have to work hard to prove our worth on this island. If you prove useless, you might die in a culling.”

  I didn’t want to hear the answer to my next question, but I asked it anyway. “A culling?”

  Anger sparked in his eyes as he explained, “They drain the blood out of humans they deem worthless for storage and future consumption.”

  My face paled at the idea. “That’s a massacre.”

  “If you haven’t noticed, Sofia, death is a pretty common thing on this island.”

  “How many times has this happened?”

  Gavin’s fists clenched before he shrugged. “As far as I know, once, and hopefully it will never happen again.”

  Chapter 19: Derek

  Whenever I wasn’t at the Penthouse or The Catacombs with Sofia, or at the Crimson Fortress getting The Shade’s army prepared for war, or conducting drills in case of an attack, I was at Vivienne’s home, maintaining her greenhouse. She loved that place. It was her sanctuary, the same way the lighthouse was mine. If only to honor her memory, I made sure it was well-maintained and that all the plants were still blooming with life. Liana often came to help me out.

  That day, however, I was alone, marveling over the pure white roses that had just begun to reach full bloom. I missed my sister, I missed her wisdom and serenity. I missed how understood I felt when she was around.

  I plucked a rose, careful not to get pricked by its long, thorny stem. Brushing my fingers over its petals, I couldn’t help but let my mind speak to my beloved twin, part of me still hoping against all hope that she was still alive.

  Viv, you put yourself at risk in order to get Sofia back to me. Now, I’m afraid I’ll lose her. How could a beauty like her ever remain true to a beast like me? What if she realizes that she’s better off living her life as a normal human being, marrying a man worthy of her? A man not plagued by this curse…

  Before I could once again lose myself in my own melancholy, my ears tingled as I heard the sound of footsteps on Vivienne’s hardwood floor.

  “Your highness? Are you here?” A familiar voice came from outside the greenhouse.

  “Sam?”

  The door to the greenhouse creaked open and an uncomfortable-looking Sam peered through it.

  “What happened?” I asked him. “Is there something wrong with Ashley?”

  “Ashley is recovering quite well, but she is craving human blood desperately. She almost attacked one of the Naturals when Kyle brought her back to his home, but we were able to hold her down. It wasn’t easy. The adrenaline rush is making her strong.” Sam paused and gave what he was saying some thought. “She’s not why I came here though.”

  Panic surged within me as I stepped forward. “Sofia?”

  Sam quickly shook his head. “As far as I know, Miss Claremont is perfectly fine, though I doubt she’s going to be very happy about the news I’m about to give you.”

  I was growing impatient. “Just spit it out, Sam.”

  “Three young women were brought into your penthouse. A gift from your father. Three new slaves to replace the ones you lost.”

  “Slaves?” I already knew the answer to my next question, but I asked it anyway. “And where did these girls come from?”

  “Your father has once again allowed human abductions.”

  “Unbelievable!” I hissed, storming past Sam, my blood pounding with so much fury. “Does he have any idea how much risk he’s putting The Shade in by doing this?”

  “Their reasoning behind it is that we’ve been doing it for years without getting caught.” Sam was trailing behind me, knowing fully well how against abductions I was.

  “Pure dumb luck!”

  “What are you planning to do, sir?”

  “Stop this.”

  I headed straight for the Great Dome, a large, round hall located at the Crimson Fortress. The large space at the topmost level of the fortress’ west tower was the site of all governmental, judicial and military strategic gatherings at The Shade.

  The dome was one of the places on the island that was close to my heart, because just before she was taken by the hunters, it was the last place Vivienne had re-designed and modernized. She did a wonderful job and being there still reminded me so much of her.

  Since my father’s return, however, there hadn’t been much reason for me to visit the dome. He never really did ask for updates on how the military trainings were going and he never summoned me for any of the council meetings with the Elite either.

  After what Sam had just told me, that’s exactly what I found myself walking into—an Elite council meeting. The moment I pushed the large double oak doors open, it was my father who I first saw. He was seated on the throne at the front end of the room, on the balcony, towering three feet above ground—above everyone else.

  At the center of the room, the round stage that served as the stand was occupied by Eli, the island’s re
sident scholar, and Felix, a vampire I mistrusted to say the least.

  The hushed whispers and nervous glances that went around the amphitheater-styled hall made it clear that I’d just walked in on something very important—something that they would rather keep hidden from me.

  “What’s going on?” I demanded, my eyes glued to my father as I marched right up to the stand.

  All eyes shot toward Gregor, who had a bored look on his face. He was looking at me like I was just one of the many annoyances that he had to bear with in his life. “Good of you to pry yourself away from your redhead and join us, Derek,” he drawled.

  “Could someone explain to me why we’re once again abducting people? Did I not make it clear that this has to stop?”

  “I overturned your decree,” Gregor shrugged. “I’m king of the island, Derek. Learn your place.”

  An audible gasp came from all present. Never before had my father challenged me in that manner. He may have been king of the island, but he wasn’t a fool who would underestimate how much sway I had over the citizens of The Shade.

  “Why?” I asked, trying to reel my anger in. Ripping my father’s heart out wouldn’t really do anyone any good. I found myself longing to have Vivienne there even more. She was always the bridge between us Novak men. Without her, we would’ve killed one another a long time ago. “You realize how much risk you’re putting The Shade in whenever you bring these teenagers here, right? And for what?”

  “I am under no obligation to explain my decisions to you, son.”

  I hated the patronizing tone his voice took on. I knew then that it was a challenge. Every single person in that room was watching me for a reaction. Was I going to fight back? Was I going to defy the king? There was no doubt in my mind that should I defy my own father, more than enough vampires would side with me. I could’ve easily taken Gregor Novak down many times before, but I chose not to. I chose to honor him because he was my father, but at that moment, I was never more tempted to take him down.