As I left the Crimson Fortress, the smile faded from my face when a quick mental image of Sofia Claremont flashed through my mind along with the clear-spoken command: She must be destroyed if Derek is to come back as a child of the darkness. I realized then why I loathed the lovely redhead so much.
She was Derek’s choice. She was the light that he chose over the darkness.
Chapter 15: Derek
“What is going on here?” I demanded the moment I saw Corrine at The Catacombs.
After finally escaping the confrontation at the dome, I immediately sought out the witch who was crucial to the ongoing survival of The Shade. I found that of all the human leaders established by Sofia to represent the human population of The Shade, only Gavin and Ian showed up. They explained to me that Corrine was still at The Catacombs; thus, I was forced to visit the network of caves located in a vast mountain range at the northernmost part of the island known as the Black Heights.
Corrine was seated at the living room of the quarters that I had prepared for Sofia when she had moved to live with the other humans at The Catacombs. The witch barely even batted an eyelash at the sight of me. “You’re here,” she said flatly.
“This island is going to fall apart unless we all do the work necessary for its survival,” I spat out, immediately cutting to the chase after losing most of my patience back at the dome. “Why are you supporting this lockout?”
“I’m not supporting it.” She shook her head. “I’m just here to make sure these people don’t end up killing each other. Do you have any idea how chaotic it’s been in your kingdom since you disappeared?”
My jaw tightened. “I’ve been told.”
“Where is Sofia?” It seemed the witch wasn’t one to beat around the bush either.
“I left her with the hunters.”
“You’re up against more than you can handle here, Derek. Apparently, you just declared civil war within The Shade. The Naturals are at one another’s throats… Never before has The Catacombs experienced such a high crime rate. And if I’m not mistaken, there are also rumors of a threat of an attack from covens outside The Shade. It’s anarchy and war all at the same time.”
I had no idea how to respond other than with sarcasm. “Well, thank you for giving me such a wonderful recap.”
“I’m serious, Derek.”
“Don’t you think I know all of that, Corrine?!” I was thankful for the privacy given us by the humans and vampires who accompanied me to The Catacombs, because if there was anybody at The Shade I felt safe losing my temper with, it was Corrine. I knew that she could easily placate me with a single spell.
“You never should’ve left Sofia. You are weakest when you are apart from her.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” I explained. “Keeping her with me would’ve destroyed her. Even now, whenever I think of her—just the image of her in my mind—it makes me crave her blood so much. All I can think about is how good it felt to drink her blood.”
Corrine’s eyes grew wide with shock. “You’ve had a taste of Sofia’s blood? How? Why?”
The recollection made me swallow hard. “She fed me her blood to save me. Borys had been torturing me. We needed to escape The Oasis. I tried to object, but Sofia insisted. She cut her wrist and let the blood drip into my mouth… I healed quicker than I ever had before.”
Corrine sat up straight and moved forward so that she was practically sitting on the edge of the couch. “That’s it? Never again did you…”
I shook my head. “I craved her so much after… She willingly let me drink from her neck when we were in hunter territory.”
“Derek, how could you…”
“Don’t.” I shook my head. “I do enough of beating myself up over that. I don’t need you to add to my guilt.”
She remained pensive for a couple of seconds before finally asking. “What did it make you feel to have her blood running inside of you?”
It was exhilarating just to think of Sofia’s blood coursing through me. I smiled at the thought, almost feeling guilty over the reality that there was nothing like it. “Honestly? It made me feel powerful beyond measure.”
Corrine stared at me, the expression on her face impossible to decipher. She opened her mouth to say something, but then Rosa entered the room. Her eyes widened with surprise at the sight of me.
“Derek! I had no idea you were back…”
Rosa’s face reddened, almost as if she’d been caught guilty doing something she ought not to do.
I squinted my eyes at her and frowned. “You don’t seem very happy to see me, Rosa. Is something wrong?”
With everything going on, I was actually pleased to see Rosa. Always antsy and careful with what she said around me, she reminded me of the days back at my penthouse when she, Ashley and Sofia had still lived with me. I felt a sense of responsibility toward her and I found myself eager to know how she’d been doing since I had left. Knowing how much she mattered to Sofia, I couldn’t help but give her a moment’s attention in spite of the deluge of problems flooding my way.
Rosa stood still for a couple of seconds as she tried to figure out if I was upset with her. She then shook her head and looked to Corrine for help. Corrine rolled her eyes. “You’re scaring her, Derek.”
I chuckled and the young girl sighed with relief. “How have you been, Rosa?”
She blushed and nodded. “I’m fine.”
“Rosa’s been taking care of Sofia’s quarters,” Corrine explained. “We didn’t know what to expect, but it’s been over-crowded here at The Catacombs lately, so I recommended that they move here.”
My brow quirked up. “Who are they exactly?”
“Well, Rosa’s been here all along, but now, so is Gavin and his family—Lily and the children. Ian and Anna have moved in too.”
Gavin and Ian were both Naturals—born and raised at The Shade. When Sofia moved to The Catacombs, it was Gavin who took her under his wing and introduced her to life within the caves. Lily was his mother and he had two younger siblings, Rob and Madeline. At some point, Gavin introduced Sofia to Ian, who was at the time, one of the rebel leaders at The Shade. Together, the three of them spearheaded a protest against a culling of all humans deemed to be useless.
“Who’s Anna?” I asked, not really familiar with the name.
Corrine and Rosa exchanged uncomfortable glances. Rosa tentatively took a seat on a wooden chair near her as if to grab support for what Corrine was about to reveal.
“Anna was a Migrate. She was Felix’s slave. For a time, it seemed that he was actually in love with her. He had everyone convinced, but then, eventually he tired of her and just kind of abandoned her here at The Catacombs. We don’t really know exactly what happened between them, but she went insane…”
“So you have a crazy woman living in Sofia’s quarters?” I frowned.
Corrine glared at my nonchalance. I found the story heart-breaking, but it was standard fare at The Shade. Anna was lucky that Felix kept her alive. I wasn’t glad that she went crazy, but what was I to do when for hundreds of years, death was something common to The Shade?
Rosa was, of course, oblivious of this reality and was quick to explain. “Well, you see… Gavin and Ian already suspected that some of the men here at The Catacombs were…” she paused and swallowed hard “…taking advantage of Anna. I’m not sure about the details, but Ian and Kyle got into a fight with some of the older Naturals over her. Since then, both of them have had this weird rivalry over who gets to protect her. That’s why Ian insisted that he move here with Anna, something Kyle’s not very happy about.”
Kyle was one of two guards that I really trusted. He and Sam weren’t part of the Elite—mostly composed of families who fought with me in order to establish The Shade. They moved to the island much later, seeking The Shade’s refuge against the relentless pursuing of the hunters. They’d proven to be loyal and worthy of my trust. They were also good friends with Sofia.
Sofia. Suddenly, looking aro
und me, it felt like I was surrounded by her. These people I was with were her friends. The Catacombs was her world. I was sitting inside her home. I was suddenly so aware of her absence, causing a heavy weight to settle on my chest.
I swallowed hard just in time to catch a glimpse of Corrine staring directly at me, as if knowing exactly what I was going through.
“You’re not going to survive without her. You can try, but apart from her, you’re out of depth, Novak.”
“What do you want me to do, Corrine?”
“Get Sofia back here. There’s no other way.”
Chapter 16: Ingrid
The morning after Aiden and I made love, he found me cowering in a corner, trying to get as far away as I could from the sunlight streaming through his large bedroom windows. I could swear I heard him snicker when he saw me. I couldn’t help but shoot him a look of thankfulness, however, when he pulled the heavy drapes over the windows, once again allowing us to be in the darkness.
He pulled a robe over his body before turning to look at me. “No one can know this happened.”
That hurt. I wondered if he even had any idea the kind of effect he had on me. I wondered if he had even the slightest clue what it did to me when he took me in his arms the night before and held me like he did before—like I was Camilla. It felt like forgiveness, like redemption, like acceptance.
You’re such a fool, Ingrid. He used you. That’s what he did.
He began gathering my clothes and placed them over the bed. “Get dressed,” he instructed, worry creasing the lines on his forehead. He then walked to the bathroom. Minutes later, I heard the shower running.
My knees were still shaking as I stood to my feet. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the sunlight or the fact that the full reality of what had just happened dawned on me. I never actually enjoyed sharing the marriage bed all those years I was with Aiden. I tried my best to please him, because I loved him, but to me, it was my duty as his wife and not necessarily something I relished.
This time, however, I found myself giving into him with abandon in a way I never did before. Perhaps it was the time and the distance that kept us apart for a good part of a decade. I wasn’t sure why, but I wanted him as much as I felt he wanted me. I gave myself to him without inhibition. I was surprised by my own response.
Is it because I was with him as Ingrid and not as Camilla?
I didn’t have much time to process all the questions and emotions coursing through me. I barely just finished slapping my clothes on when he stepped out of the shower, dripping wet, a robe over his muscular form.
He stared at me momentarily. I would’ve given anything to be able to read his mind at that moment. His face was one big blank.
My heart broke when he flatly said, “Let’s go. You can wash up back in your room.”
I thought that was it. I was sure that Aiden thought that everything that had happened between us was just one big mistake, a lapse of judgment on his part. I was certain that it would be the last time something like it would ever happen.
Thus, I was surprised when in the middle of the night, he arrived in the bedroom I shared with Claudia, bringing with him our nightly ration of animal blood. He handed both Claudia and me our respective containers before uncomfortably shuffling on his feet. I took my container and stared up at him, wondering why he wouldn’t just leave.
After what had happened, I wasn’t very thrilled to have him around and strange as it was, the idea of drinking blood in front of him felt wrong.
He must’ve noticed how I was staring at him, so he explained, “I need to speak with you.”
“Let’s speak then.” I placed the container on my bedside table.
“You’re not going to drink that?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I’m not that hungry…”
“Very well.” Aiden nodded for me to follow him. Thus, I obliged and followed him out of the bedroom, not knowing what to expect. He immediately took me to the elevator and we were soon headed for the basement. I took note of where we were passing through, noticing that whichever way we went, nobody was around. No guards, no other people at all. Just us. I paid attention to the direction we were going and it wasn’t long after when I realized that we were walking through a network of secret passages in the headquarters’ underground. Eventually, we reached a short flight of stairs that led up to a latched opening. Aiden pushed it open and we stepped into a garden which I assumed was somewhere south of the main estate. Headquarters was quite a long walk away from us.
The moment I stepped out of the underground passages, Aiden took one long, yearning look at me before grabbing me by the waist and kissing me. For a moment, I was too stunned to respond or even react. After I gathered my wits about me, however, I responded with abandon. I realized that night that I had him. I had Aiden Claremont in the palm of my hands.
I also discovered a way to destroy Sofia—and perhaps, in the process, destroy Aiden and any love I had still felt for him.
The sense of power I felt that night, knowing that everything seemed to be falling into place, was unlike anything I had felt before. Snuggling into his arms and looking up at his beautiful green eyes, I smiled up at Aiden and he smiled back.
“I don’t think I could ever stop loving you,” he admitted.
My heart leapt at what he said. “Neither I you, Aiden,” I responded. That’s exactly why I need to ruin you. Just imagine how powerful I’ll be once I no longer have love holding me back.
Chapter 17: Claudia
I couldn’t keep Yuri out of my mind—not since I left The Shade. I realized then that he was the one constant in my life, that ever since the first day I had met him, no day had passed that he hasn’t been, in one way or another, a part of my life—that was until I became stupid enough to leave.
I pushed back the tears as fond memories of him came to mind, one of my favorites being the first day I met him.
Once every week, my master, the Duke, would send me to market. That day was my favorite, because it meant I could take the long walk past the woods off to the town, away from the horrors of the Duke’s manor. I was his favorite. He never shared me with anyone else, but being the Duke’s favorite was not something to be envied. From the moment I was brought to him, I was pitied by everyone in the manor. I even pitied myself, and I hated that.
Why am I not still used to this? My mother was a whore and now, so am I… As I walked past the woods that would lead me to town, I wondered why I hadn’t yet resigned myself to this fate, a fate I was sure was my own.
That afternoon, I found out why. That was the afternoon I met Yuri for the first time. He seemed to just pop out of nowhere. I figured he had been by the nearby brook and saw me walking along the lonesome pathway and he had apparently decided that he had wanted to get to know me. So he just began walking in stride with me.
“Hello. I’m Yuri,” he said, flashing me a smile, while keeping both his hands clasped behind his back. “Might I have the honor of knowing your name, miss?”
I stared up at him and decided to ignore him. I didn’t trust men and he was no exception. I slipped one hand into a hidden pocket in my dress where I always kept a dagger. I was willing to use it on him if I had to.
After a prolonged silence, he just narrowed his eyes at me and said, “So you’re not going to give me your name, huh? That’s fine. Are you off to town? That’s where I’m headed too. Mind if I walk with you?”
I remained silent, unwilling to have even the slightest small talk with a complete stranger. I couldn’t deny, however, how attractive I found him. He was at least six inches taller than me, with a lean, lanky build and a charming dimple that appeared whenever he smiled. His nose was slightly crooked but in a way that I thought added to his charm. He had a certain boyishness about him that drew me in. He was nothing like the Duke at all. Many would say that the Duke was far more handsome than Yuri, who would look like a wimp next to the Duke. Many women thought the Duke was the perfect specimen of a man.
I knew better. The Duke caused me nothing but pain.
I was so busy studying Yuri’s features and losing myself in melancholic thoughts of how powerless I was against the Duke that I barely noticed Yuri was still waiting for a response from me. When he didn’t get an answer, however, he didn’t leave like I had expected him to. He just kept walking beside me and talking.
“Hmm… I’ll take your silence as you not minding me walking beside you,” he piped up. “We just moved into the village recently. Me and my older brother, Eli. He got work as a tutor for the Maslens. He’s really smart you know and he wants to be an inventor someday. I think he can do it. I wasn’t pleased about moving here with him, but I figured this place is as good as any to hone my art. When we got here, I was so disappointed…that is until I saw you last week. I was hoping you’d allow me to paint you. Is that alright with you?”
For some reason, I wanted to say yes, but knew that being around Yuri would just get me in trouble with the Duke, so once again, I just kept silent. Again, he didn’t seem to mind. Apart from me shaking my head when he asked me if I was either deaf or mute or maybe both, I didn’t respond to most of his talk. He talked on anyway.
That was the way it was every week. He would always show up and just tell me about his week, how he and his brother were doing, what new art project he was out to do, which new friends he had made. I would often try to hide a smirk or a scowl whenever he would mention a name that I would recognize—a face I’d already seen at the Duke’s brothel. Still, I never talked to him. I kept silent, and satisfied myself with listening to him—something I found I was delighted in.
I hadn’t realized the effect Yuri had had on me until one day when I came home from the market and the Duke questioned me about why I always had a smile on my face after returning from my errand at the market. I lied and told him that it was because I enjoyed the long walks.
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