A Blaze of Sun

by Bella Forrest

  “We can’t just risk some innocent, Sofia. Not after the lives that have already been lost. You know what the prophecy says. It’s me who will lead my kind to true sanctuary. That’s what I have to do now. Lead.”

  A long moment of silence followed. “Fine,” Sofia finally said, slowly nodding, with tears brimming her eyes. “I do have one condition, Derek.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I want to marry you first.”

  That took me by surprise. “Why?”

  I never would’ve imagined that she would give me the response that she did.

  “I loved you as a vampire. I want to marry you while you’re still one.”

  I didn’t think I could love her more, but I did, because she made me feel at that moment like she accepted me for everything that I was, while still looking forward to what I would become. I was in love with Sofia Claremont and the thought of her being my wife was more than anything I could ever ask for.

  “I wouldn’t want anything more than to have you become Sofia Novak.” I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my lips against hers, looking forward to the endless possibilities that came with us being husband and wife.

  Chapter 41: Sofia

  I could never quite wrap my mind around how we pulled it off, but with Vivienne and Ashley at the helm, listening to everything I requested, while Eli kept me under his watch to make sure I would fully recover in time, we managed to pull off a wedding in the span of three days.

  Those three days felt like an eternity. I couldn’t wait to become Derek’s wife, so when the evening of our wedding came, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.

  My father watched me curiously. He was quiet about the whole thing, not once letting me know how he felt about me marrying Derek Novak, while we were still so unsure that the cure would work. Though I felt guilty about it, I didn’t want to ask him, because I was afraid of what he would say. I was afraid that he would somehow change his mind about Derek and decide that we were no good for each other. I knew that Aiden’s opinion mattered to me. I wondered if he knew it too.

  When he came to my room to check on me, I was just about to put on the white dress, with Ashley and Rosa bustling around the room – already in their bridesmaid’s dresses – assisting me.

  Upon seeing him, Ashley rolled her eyes, always having been more at ease with my own father than I ever was.

  “Aiden, you’re the father of the bride and all… that’s wonderful, but this is a bad time for a private father-daughter session. We have to get Sofia ready.”

  Aiden stared at me for a while, his mouth hanging wide open. He was making me uncomfortable.

  Curious over why he was just standing there, saying nothing, Ashley began laughing at the way he was gaping at me.

  “Yes, yes, I know… She’s gorgeous.” Ashley nodded. “And she isn’t even in her dress yet. Now, go away, Aiden.”

  I blushed as I watched my father get himself together, stand to his full height, square his shoulders and shake his head at Ashley. “No. I’m going to have a talk with my daughter, and I’m going to have it now. Is that alright with you, Sofia?”

  Ashley glared at me as if to warn me to choose my answer well.

  I smiled at her, knowing that I couldn’t march down that aisle without having that talk with Aiden. I couldn’t avoid it any longer, so I nodded toward my friends, assuring them that, “We’re not going to take long.”

  Ashley huffed. Rosa just giggled, but they both made their way out of the room, leaving me with my father.

  We exchanged glances for a while before he gave me a wry smile. “You look lovely, Sofia.”

  “Thank you,” I told him, conscious of the blush on my cheeks. I took my seat over the edge of the bed and waited for him to say something. I wanted to initiate the conversation, but just being there – with all the emotions whirling in my chest – I couldn’t. I’m about to marry Derek! I’m going to be Sofia Novak. I was utterly thrilled by the idea.

  My father, on the other hand, was about to make it clear that he wasn’t as thrilled. “So you’re really going to go through with this, huh?”

  I stared lovingly at the dress. “Did you ever really think that I wouldn’t?”

  “Part of me hoped.” He nodded as he sat beside me on the edge of the bed. “I still can’t believe that my daughter is about to marry Derek Novak.”

  “I love him.”

  “I know… I know that he loves you too. I just didn’t think that this would be the kind of life that you would lead, Sofia…” His voice broke and he gave me a bittersweet smile.

  I knew that his upbringing and the way he’d lived his life over the past years still made it difficult for him to just accept what was to come.

  “I don’t understand how this is going to work…”

  I didn’t know how to respond to him. I just felt my heart breaking over the whole matter. I realized then how much I wanted my father’s approval. The idea of not getting it was painful to me.

  “I don’t want to disappoint you, Aiden, but I know that this is what I want. And it feels right. I’m at peace with this.”

  He smiled as he forced back the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. He nodded reassuringly. “You can never truly disappoint me, Sofia. You’ve become far more beautiful, more wonderful than I could’ve ever hoped… and…” he heaved a deep sigh, “trust me when I say that I know you’ve thought about this and that this isn’t just some crazy teenage whim. I think I’ve seen enough of who you are to know that you wouldn’t be doing this if you didn’t think it was the right thing. I was just hoping that you would wait until the cure is discovered. What if you marry him and he tries out the cure and…” He paused.

  I knew what he was thinking. I’d be a young widow. He’s afraid of what that would do to me. I grabbed his arm and squeezed tight. “Thank you.”

  He gave me a quizzical glance. “For what?”

  “For being a father to me. For not trying to stop this. For making me feel like I have your blessing.”

  Aiden laid his arm over my shoulder and pulled me closer. “I want you to be happy, Sofia, and I know that no man in this world can make you happy the way Derek does. For that, I am grateful to him.” He kissed my temple and then my cheek. “No matter what you decide, I’ll be right here to support you. We’re family, and if you want Derek to be your husband, then vampire or not, he’s my family too.”

  I couldn’t keep the tears from streaming down my face. I had no idea if he realized how much that meant to me. I twisted toward him and kissed his cheek. “Thank you… Dad. It means the world to me to hear you say that.”

  We pulled away from our embrace and he then chuckled wryly as he looked me over. “You’re about to marry a five-hundred-year-old vampire, Sofia – one of the most powerful ones. I would think you’d be a little more nervous.”

  It was my turn to chuckle. Marrying Derek was a decision I knew I would never regret. “I don’t have a reason to be nervous,” I told him. “He is who he is and I am who I am and even if we were born centuries apart, I know that we belong together.”

  My father’s face softened and he kissed me on the forehead. “Derek Novak is a lucky man to have you, Sofia.”

  I smiled, amazed at the sense of worth I was able to build throughout the time I spent in The Shade, because I actually believed it when I responded to my father saying, “Yes. He is. He’s just as lucky to have me as I am to have him.”

  Chapter 42: Derek

  The Sanctuary’s lush garden was a sight to behold. The bright moon shone down on the gazebo, its white façade shimmering with an almost ethereal glow. The stone pathway was lined with white roses from Vivienne’s greenhouse. Wooden seats cushioned with red pillows were positioned on either side of the pathway.

  Everything about The Sanctuary was breathtaking that night. Everyone had been working hard the past three days to make this wedding happen and now, it was here.

  Sofia Claremont was about to become my wi
fe.

  As I stood at the end of the pathway, wearing a crisp black tuxedo, images of Sofia walking down the aisle filled my mind. She was about to become mine. My lovely, vibrant, stunning Sofia… The idea that I was about to marry her caused a whirlwind of ecstasy to surface within me.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Ashley stepped next to me, a smug smile on her face.

  “Breathtaking,” I admitted before checking her over from head to foot. She was wearing a loose pink top and jeans. “You’re wearing that for my wedding?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Rosa and I were busy getting Sofia prepared when Aiden showed up for a father-daughter talk. I thought I’d take the time to check if everything is as it should be in here. There’s so much to do, I didn’t have time to get ready myself.” She then looked me over. “I gotta say… you clean up well, Novak.”

  The compliment fell on deaf ears. I swallowed hard at the idea of Aiden possibly talking Sofia out of the wedding. I cleared my throat.

  Apparently, after everything we’d been through, Ashley knew me well enough to tell when I was anxious about something. “Eh, don’t worry your pretty little head about that, Derek. I doubt anything can be said or done to convince that crazy girl not to marry you.”

  “So you think Aiden is convincing her not to go ahead with this?”

  “He’s Reuben, one of the most powerful hunters of all time. Aiden wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t at least try.” She heaved a sigh before tapping me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Everything will be alright.” She clicked her tongue over the roof of her mouth and nodded. “Looks like everything is all set up here. I’m gonna go get dressed. Hopefully, by the time I’m done, Aiden and Sofia’s father-daughter drama is over.”

  As Ashley walked away, I found myself wanting to ease my nerves so I walked over to the grand piano and began playing the first tune that came to mind. Every note brought back memories of Sofia… The first night she spent with me in the Music Room of my penthouse, the look on her face when she showed me the Sun Room, the surprise in her eyes when I asked her to marry me.

  “So this is it, huh?” a gentle, familiar voice spoke up. I looked up to find Vivienne leaning against the piano, a smile on her lovely face. “My brother is finally getting hitched.” She took the seat on the bench beside me. “Took you long enough.”

  “You made this possible, Vivienne. You brought Sofia back to me so many times.”

  A smile crossed her face as she nodded. “You two were meant to be together. It’s funny that it took hundreds of years before you finally found your soul mate, Derek. I just wish Dad and Lucas were here to be a part of it.”

  I paused and stared at her. Neither my father or brother would’ve wanted me to marry Sofia. But she’d always seen the goodness in them and I wasn’t about to ruin that. So I just nodded before grinning at how clueless my sister was. “You’re going to find yours too.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Xavier, looking rather debonair in his gray suit, coming into the venue. I couldn’t keep the smirk off my face. “Truth be told, Vivienne, I think you’ve already found him. You’re just too blind to realize it.”

  Even with her being the Seer of The Shade, my sister was far from being all-knowing, especially when it came to matters of the heart.

  “What do you mean?” she asked me in bewilderment.

  I chuckled and shook my head. “You’ll realize soon enough, Vivienne.”

  I knew she was about to pry but a foreboding form suddenly caught my attention. Aiden was approaching us. I knew I should’ve talked to him during the past three days, but I intentionally avoided him. I didn’t want him to try to talk me out of marrying Sofia. I didn’t want to go into the whole thing with apprehensions circling my mind. It seemed Sofia felt the same way, but then here he was… This was inevitable.

  “May I have a word with you, Derek?” he asked just before he took the final step toward the piano, drumming his fingers over its surface.

  Vivienne, eager to get out of the tense situation, nodded her head. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.”

  “Aiden.” I bowed my head slightly, never before feeling more tense around a human than I did with him.

  “It seems you’ve been avoiding me.”

  I coughed. I knew there was no use in denying the truth. “I have… I meant to ask for your blessing, Aiden, but I was afraid you wouldn’t give it… I love Sofia. I will do everything in my power to protect her and to make her happy.”

  He chuckled wryly. “I fear that I’m not at all confident in your ability to protect my daughter, Derek. Even as the most powerful vampire, you’ve gotten her in all sorts of trouble. What makes you think you can protect her as a human – assuming that the cure even works?”

  I swallowed hard. I had no idea what to say to that. It was true. Sofia’s life had been terribly endangered ever since she had met me.

  Aiden then grinned and smacked me right over the shoulder. “But get that horrified, guilty look off your face, Novak. It doesn’t suit the king of the vampires to look that way. I don’t think any man can protect her completely – even I failed in that. I do know that no one can make her as happy as you can.”

  I breathed an audible sigh of relief.

  “All I ask is that you be faithful to her, love her… and as much as you are able, do try to protect her. It won’t be easy considering all the trouble she seems to entangle herself in.”

  I nodded even as I tried to chuckle at his remark. I couldn’t hide my relief. “So I have your blessing?”

  The father of my bride nodded. “I want my daughter happy, and I would give the world to always see the way her face lights up when she looks at you. Do good by her.”

  “Yes, sir.” I nodded. And just like that, I had his blessing.

  He then smirked before looking me over. “But don’t think this means I trust you or like you, vampire.”

  I chuckled. “It would be strange to have it otherwise.” I realized then that I liked the tension between Aiden and me. He kept me on my toes, always reminding me how precious Sofia was. She deserved that.

  I looked around. The place was beginning to fill up. My breath hitched. This was it. Nothing could explain the joy I felt inside as the ceremony began. It was surreal. I wanted to pinch myself to find out if it was all really happening.

  All of it… all those years in battle… all of those years fighting for the survival of those I loved, fighting for the fulfillment of a prophecy that I did not even fully understand… all of it boiled down to this one moment, standing at the end of a long pathway, right beside a magnificently lit gazebo, watching my beautiful bride come to me.

  When she showed up, everything and everyone else faded into a blur, dimming against the radiance of her light. Standing on the other end of the aisle, holding her bouquet of lilies, she was breathtaking in her intricately embroidered gown. When she raised her downcast, green eyes to meet mine, I was done for. She had me breathless and captivated – even more so when that brilliant smile began to light up her countenance. Her glistening eyes were fixed on mine as she winked at me before beginning her march down the aisle.

  It felt like an eternity waiting for her to come to me, to be in my arms, but watching every single step was absolutely worth it. I wanted to freeze that moment in eternity. That tantalizing vision of her in that white dress, looking more ethereal than ever before, would forever be etched in my mind.

  When she took that final step toward me, taking her father’s hand, so that he could bring her to me, one truth hit the very core of my being. I was racking my brain for the past three days wondering how to express myself once we exchanged our vows, but when it came time for that, I knew exactly what to say.

  I could barely look at her as I said the words. It was a strange emotion I wasn’t well-acquainted with. I was about to gush over my love for her and despite all the acclaim and the power I had as Derek Novak, the king of The Shade, in that moment, eighteen-year-old Sofia Claremont ma
de five-hundred-year-old me feel like a boy.

  “You saved me, Sofia. You rescued me from myself. You gave me room to feel again, to love again, to once again believe in goodness and kindness and the possibility of light even in the darkest of nights. I’ve lived under the shadow of the prophecy about bringing my kind to true sanctuary. The cure might be my kind’s true sanctuary, but I know now that it’s not mine, Sofia. Your smile, your heart, your life, your love… You, Sofia, are my true sanctuary.”

  Chapter 43: Sofia

  Chills ran down my spine as I listened to him utter each word of his vows. I had no idea if I was just seeing things, but I could swear that he was blushing. I wasn’t even sure if it was possible for a vampire to blush.

  “I will protect you with my life, Sofia,” he proceeded to say, his hands clasping mine.

  I was trembling, overwhelmed by the emotions coursing through me. I didn’t know that I could be capable of loving someone this much. “I will love you and support you and do everything that I can to make sure that I too become your sanctuary as surely as you are mine.”

  When he finally raised his eyes to look directly at mine, a lump formed in my throat. Then a tear ran down my cheek. “I love you,” he mouthed to me and I responded in kind.

  I tilted slightly to the side and smiled at him. “You already are my sanctuary, Derek.” He caught his breath and I couldn’t help but do the same as I brushed my thumb against his hand. “You have been since the day I met you. I am who I am, because you brought out the best in me. You challenged me to become all that I could possibly be and continue to challenge me to live life that way. We are our strongest selves together, our weakest apart. I can’t imagine a life without you and on this day, I hope you know without doubt that my life, my heart, and my love is yours.”

  When his brilliant blue eyes began to moisten, I couldn’t stop the waterworks. I didn’t want to cry anymore, but the emotions were so gripping and strong, so overwhelming. In my attempt not to sob, I laughed nervously, and I guess he felt the exact same way because he began to laugh too.