A Shade Of Vampire (The Mate)

by Bella Forrest

  “You killed a vampire – a guard at that.” Lucas eyed Sofia curiously. “For her.”

  “You’ve heard.”

  “Pitchy and his squeaky voice have been chirping about it all morning.” Lucas took a seat beside Sofia.

  It didn’t take a lot of perception to see that she was uncomfortable around him. I wondered why. Knowing my brother, I wouldn’t have been surprised to find that he tried to pull something with her.

  Lucas set his eyes on her as he laid an arm over the back of her seat.

  “So what makes Sofia – stunning as she is – worth the life of one of our own, Derek?”

  “She’s mine,” I repeated, giving Sofia a pointed look. “The guard assaulted her, tasted her blood. He had it coming.”

  My brother’s left brow quirked at the mention of the guard having tasted Sofia’s blood. I was certain from the expression on his face that he wasn’t thrilled by the news. The reaction drew my curiosity. Does he want Sofia?

  “I see how that could’ve been a problem. This one has something about her that just makes us vamps crave her.” Lucas’ gaze traveled from her face to her body. “The pathetic loser wouldn’t have been able to resist.”

  The lust was unmistakable. He was practically undressing her with those eyes and I could tell that Sofia felt it based on how she sat there tense and unmoving.

  I wanted to tackle my brother to the ground, but was certain that it would only serve to earn Sofia his ire.

  “Why are you here, Lucas?”

  That effectively snapped his attention back to me.

  “As much as I would like to say that I missed having you around, little brother, I really didn’t.” He sighed. “Vivienne asked that we meet. No better time than today to let you know what you’re up against now that you’re awake.”

  “What exactly am I up against?” I raised a brow, leaning back on my seat as I took another sip from my glass of blood. “And where is Vivienne?”

  “Busy doing heaven knows what.” Lucas fished for something from his pocket and threw it my way.

  I caught it and stared at it. It looked like a metal slate of sorts. What it was for, I had no idea.

  “What is this?”

  “It’s a cellphone. You use it to call people, text them. A communication device.” He once again laid his eyes on Sofia. “I’m sure your teenage lovely here is perfectly capable of teaching you how to use it.”

  He brushed the back of his hand against Sofia’s jawline and she instinctively moved away from his touch. Of course, that only amused Lucas. The moment I saw this, an unmistakable fury boiled up within me. I tried to control my temper.

  “I’d appreciate that you not touch her. As I’ve already made clear this morning, I do not like it when others mess with what is mine.” There was an edge to my voice – one that I knew my brother was very familiar with.

  The amused expression on Lucas’ face disappeared and the atmosphere immediately tensed.

  “And if I continue to take liberties with her, what exactly will you do, Derek? Would you really go against your own brother for her sake?”

  I knew what he was playing at, testing my loyalties, but I knew how to play this game. I wanted to believe that we were still gentlemen after all.

  “Give me this courtesy, Lucas. I do not know why, but I’m drawn to her. Consider her your gift to me.”

  Lucas backed down. “It’s only appropriate I guess. After all, it was me who found her.”

  He took one last look at Sofia and removed his arm from her seat. He set his focus straight on me. “And what exactly do you plan to do with my gift?”

  I looked at Sofia and knew from the way she was gazing at me that she too wanted to know the answer to that question.

  “I expect her to school me in whatever I missed during my sleep. She’s of great value to me in that aspect. I also plan to take her to the Crimson Fortress to train her to fight.”

  “What?!” It wasn’t only Lucas who reacted, but also Vivienne, who had just stepped into the room. Apparently, they felt quite free to enter my quarters whenever they pleased.

  Vivienne gave Sofia a wary glance as she took a seat beside me. “Why would you train her to fight? She’s a slave, Derek. That makes no sense.”

  “I intend to keep her for a long time. If she’s to stay with me, she needs to know how to defend herself.”

  “How can you trust her not to use that against you?” Lucas shot at me.

  “She won’t. I can trust her.” I stared pointedly at her. “Can’t I, Sofia?”

  It was more a statement than a question. She gave it a moment’s thought and though I knew neither my brother nor sister were convinced she was telling the truth, I fully believed her when she said, “You can.”

  CHAPTER 13: SOFIA

  I will never forget that conversation at Derek’s dining table on my first “morning” at the Blood Shade. For one, it was the first conversation I sat through where the people surrounding me talked about me and my future as if I wasn’t present. Only a day ago, I was really not much of anything other than Benjamin Hudson’s shadow. In the span of about fourteen hours, I was sitting there, having two vampires argue over which one of them I belonged to.

  I wasn’t thrilled about “belonging” to anyone, but I’d be a freaking liar if I didn’t admit that I was flattered. However, it wasn’t the brothers’ showdown when it came to who had control over me that made such a distinct impression on me that morning. It was the look on Derek’s blazing blue eyes when he asked if he could trust me.

  I didn’t know why I did it, but then and there, I decided that he could. Still bent on escaping captivity, I wondered to myself how I would pull that off while still maintaining Derek’s trust. I realized that if I were to escape, breaking his trust was inevitable. While I was still within the confines of the Shade, however, it was clear that the safest place to be in was with Derek.

  After my botched escape attempt that morning, I came to realize that I wasn’t about to leave the Blood Shade any time soon. If I were to escape, I had to have a plan. I couldn’t just leave. Despite my hunger, I was barely able to bite through my breakfast. Lucas’ presence was that unnerving. Whenever he was around, I could still remember the way he touched me back at the dungeon. There was no doubt in my mind that without Derek or even Vivienne to reel him in, he would have no reservations about doing what he pleased with me. He terrified me and in the few hours that I’d been there, I could immediately see why Derek was a better man.

  Vivienne eyed me warily at that breakfast table and I couldn’t help but feel as if she was measuring my worth. She licked her lips before looking at Derek. “We need to discuss something very important about the Blood Shade, something she can’t hear. I don’t trust her as much as you seem to.”

  Derek’s eyes lingered on me for a couple of seconds before heaving a sigh. “You may leave, Sofia.”

  “And do what?” I couldn’t keep myself from asking.

  “Entertain yourself, explore… No… do whatever you wish, but stay at the penthouse. You can have the other girls at your disposal. Find something to do to amuse yourselves.”

  I raised a brow, surprised that he would trust me after I’d just tried to escape and surprised at myself for sensing the urge to honor my captor’s trust. “Vivienne said that there are still rooms we can… decorate? May I have one room?”

  He seemed curious to find out what I needed an extra room for, but most likely saw no harm in it.

  “Of course. I’m sure Vivienne will see to it that you will have all you request. Isn’t that right, Vivienne?”

  Vivienne nodded after giving me a quick, irritated look. “Of course.”

  That’s when I realized how influential Derek was at the Blood Shade. Even Lucas and Vivienne balked at his command. I wondered why. What made them fear and honor him so much? I wasn’t about to find my answer then, so I bade my leave, eager to get away from my captors. I weaved my way through the walkways to find where they
kept the other girls. It didn’t take long for me to find it, because guards were stationed outside their doors.

  “The prince sent me,” I told them.

  They exchanged glances. One nodded toward the other and the guard made his way to Derek – or so I assumed. I had no choice but to wait for him to get back after receiving instructions from Derek himself. I eyed the guard left there with me. “May I ask you a question?”

  He raised a brow, perhaps surprised that I would even speak with him. “Go ahead.”

  “Who is Derek Novak exactly? Why is everyone so afraid of him?”

  “I would think that after you did the impossible and won his favor in the span of one night, you’d know more about him than anyone else. You must’ve pleased him so much last night that he would actually kill a guard for you.”

  I found myself uneasy at what he was trying to imply. “What do you mean please him? Do you think…”

  “What else would you have done since you got here?”

  I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks, flushing as red as the blood running through my veins.

  “That’s not… I would never!” Here I was, a virgin, being rumored to have given the newly awakened prince a pleasurable night in bed.

  He furrowed his brows, an amused glint in the corners of his eyes. “You mean you didn’t…”

  My eyes widened. “No! I’m not that kind of girl…”

  “I’m sure you’re not, but can you blame us for thinking that he would be the kind of man who’d be able to make you do things you wouldn’t normally do?”

  I was rendered speechless. My mouth opened to say something in my defense, but none came out. I then creased my brows, because the first thought that came to my mind once I got over my shock was, Derek’s not that kind of guy.

  To my relief, the guard seemed over the whole thing. He chuckled, seemingly amused by my shock.

  “I’m Samuel,” he introduced himself, an easy smile forming on his lips. The blonde man with a lean build and short stubble was only a couple of inches taller than I was, though I figured he was somewhere in his twenties when he got turned.

  I knew I would be a fool to trust him immediately, but it felt like I’d found a friend in him. I flashed him a small smile. “Sofia.”

  “Like I don’t know that,” he winked. “The prince is known to be picky with women. The fact that he’s giving you the attention you’re getting practically makes you a celebrity here.”

  I wasn’t sure how to react to that. I was used to being obscure and invisible. Being told that I was known by everyone was a sensation I wasn’t used to, but found rather… flattering.

  “To answer your question, you’re owned by a legend. Derek Novak made the Blood Shade possible. Many vampires survived the shadow hunters because of his leadership. He found this island, built the Crimson Fortress and won Cora, the most powerful witch of their time, over to our side. He is the most powerful and revered vampire of the Blood Shade.”

  I held my breath, taken aback by the information. I knew Derek was somehow important to the coven, but I wasn’t expecting him to have all that legendary history backing him up.

  “Wow.”

  “Wow is right,” Samuel nodded.

  Right about then, the other guard came back. He shrugged. “The prince instructs us that as long as it doesn’t involve allowing them to leave the penthouse, we are to do whatever she says.”

  Samuel grinned at me. “Looks like we have a new princess.” He then pushed the door open to reveal the other girls.

  “Sam, dude,” the other guard said, “I don’t think making friends with the prince’s muse is good for your health.”

  “Relax, Kyle. She’s alright.”

  I raised my eyebrows and gave them a funny look. I was going to like those two. I stepped inside the girls’ quarters, not quite knowing what to expect. Four pairs of eyes fell on me as I entered. I was surprised to find that they all looked relieved to see me.

  I realized I didn’t even know their names and they didn’t know mine, but it was almost as if we were long lost friends, because all four girls began throwing their arms around me.

  “Are you alright?”

  “What did he do to you?!”

  “He didn’t… force you, did he?”

  “Do you know what they’re going to do to us?”

  “Will we ever get home?”

  “Have you seen what’s outside? Is there any way we can escape?!”

  Question after question came at me before I could even come up with a single answer. I tried to calm and settle them down so I could answer their questions. I started with,

  “I’m fine. He didn’t force me or hurt me or feed on me. And I don’t think he will. I honestly think that while we’re here at the Blood Shade, our best bet of survival is to stay in Derek Novak’s good graces.”

  CHAPTER 14: DEREK

  Not long after Sofia left us to discuss whatever it was that Vivienne saw as too confidential for her to hear, my siblings took me on a tour of the island, mainly the Crimson Fortress and how they’d fortified it over the past centuries. What used to be just what it was – a wall surrounding the island – was now home to over three hundred vampire guards and scouts who sought refuge at the Blood Shade and swore to defend it.

  At certain key areas of the fortress, there were large stone houses with distinct pointed turrets in front of the buildings that lined the wall. I was told that several of the men and women belonging to the Elite trained for battle and were called Knights. The homes were theirs for times when they were called to duty at the wall.

  The Elite consisted of the twenty original clans who swore allegiance to our family. They were those who fought and bled with us, hunted down by shadow hunters until we finally found sanctuary at the Blood Shade. Everyone else – guards, scouts and the lodgers – came only after the wall was built and Cora’s spell was able to provide permanent protection to the Blood Shade.

  “Where do most of the human slaves stay?”

  “Aside from the beauties that we keep at our homes for our entertainment, all the humans stay at Black Heights.” Lucas’ eyes twinkled at the mention of “the beauties”. My brother always had quite a penchant for beautiful young women.

  I raised a brow. “The mountains?”

  “We divided the network of caves we found there into the Cells and the slave quarters. Prisoners and newfound human captives – before they are assigned – are sent to the Cells. Humans live at the slave quarters, which they call the Catacombs,” Vivienne explained.

  “The Catacombs?” I asked curiously.

  “It’s supposed to be irony.” Lucas rolled his eyes. “In the Shade, it is the living who get to reside at the Catacombs.”

  I shrugged it off and eyed the height of the wall protecting us. “Everything seems alright. I don’t understand why it is necessary that I wake from my sleep.”

  “Things won’t always be alright, Derek,” Vivienne enthused. “The shadow hunters are more powerful than ever. They’re technologically advanced and have the support of wealthy and influential people. The Blood Shade remains undiscovered and safe, but other covens aren’t. The Shade is no longer a secret in vampire communities and other covens have threatened to attack us or expose us unless we take them in or find them a refuge of their own.”

  I frowned. These same covens were the ones that shunned us and left us out to die when we needed their help against the hunters. They were then threatening to spill our blood if we don’t save them?

  “What have we been doing about this then?”

  “As we’ve already told you, father is meeting with the heads of other covens. From the last we heard of him, all covens will be dispatching their leaders or at least an ambassador to arrive here so we can talk further about a compromise.”

  “And I need to be awake for these talks because…?”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Lucas mumbled.

  I gave him a wary glance, wondering how it was possib
le that he didn’t mature a single bit after all this time. In his head, we were still obviously competing… for what, I had no idea.

  “Aside from the fact that you command respect from all the other covens in a way none of us could, they know what you did. They will listen to you,” Vivienne said empathically. “And it’s not just that. I really don’t think that we can keep the Blood Shade a secret from shadow hunters for long. Not even with Corrine maintaining Cora’s spell. The hunters have been wondering where all these vampires have been disappearing to. And with us needing the humans and having to abduct them just to stay alive… that won’t just go away. Investigations are being done by several security agencies about all these missing people. We can’t keep this up for long.”

  I clenched my fists, my muscles tensing as I tightened my jaw. “What makes you think that I would know how to fix this, Vivienne? I did my part. I brought you to sanctuary just like your prophecy said. Why can’t someone else take this on? Why not Father?”

  “The prophecy was that your reign alone can provide our kind true sanctuary. The Blood Shade has been a sanctuary for a limited number of our kind, but it isn’t yet a true sanctuary until we either find all vampires a safe haven and manage a way to survive without the need of humans or…”

  “Or what?” I asked, casting a stern look at my sister.

  She said the blood-curdling words I knew she would say. “We have to end the shadow hunters once and for all.”

  “You’re talking about war and bloodshed that we can’t even imagine. How long has it even been since the Shade’s guards have been in actual battle?”

  All I got from both my brother and sister was silence.

  We continued our trek through the island, leaving the issue hanging in the air. It weighed heavily on me for the rest of the time I spent with them. To say that I wasn’t burdened by what I was told was a lie. I didn’t understand why I had to stand as the leader. I was younger than a lot of the men there. That they would look to me for guidance was beyond my comprehension. The fact that it was me they looked to also gained me a lot of resentment from two people – my father and brother. I wasn’t even awake for a full day and already, I found myself exhausted and longing to once again escape.