“You’re going to regret this,” was all I could manage to say.

Gregor smirked. “Sure I will. Until then, enjoy the lovely young ladies, Derek. I’m sure you’ll appreciate them the moment you get tired of ravishing your freckled redhead.”

At that callous jibe once again thrown at Sofia, I lost all control of my temper. I sped forward right to his level, lunging toward him with so much force, the recliner he was seated on went crashing to the ground as I pinned him down.

The tension was electric as screams and nervous mutterings burst out around the hall. I was certain that much of the commotion was over a certain level of confusion over whom they were going to help—their savior or their king.

I didn’t really care. I was too busy relishing the terror in my father’s eyes. He might have been a vampire longer than I was, but I was far more powerful than he was. Cora had made sure of that.

“Understand this, Father,” I said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “If you ever touch Sofia or put her in danger or even dare speak of her in my presence again, you can be certain that I will take your throne. Without hesitation.”

“How Vivienne would roll over in her grave if she saw what you’ve become! Have you forgotten who your family is, Derek?”

“Vivienne sacrificed her own safety, her own life in order to get Sofia back to me. She would never do that for you. That’s how important Sofia is, Father. I’m pretty sure that if you asked Vivienne now who she would rather spare, she would choose Sofia.”

A bone-chilling silence followed my statement as everyone let the words sink in.

“Why?” The voice was Claudia’s. I had no doubt about it. “Why is the little freckled redhead so important?”

I rose to my feet, letting go of my father as I did. I slowly backed away from him, finding pleasure in the mixture of fury and fright in his eyes. After reaching the stand, now unoccupied by Eli and Felix, I addressed Claudia’s question.

“Sofia is the girl Cora prophesied who would help me find our kind true sanctuary. Without her, I cannot accomplish the prophecy.”

“Nonsense. You already accomplished the prophecy when you brought us to The Shade and secured it with Cora’s protective spell,” Gregor spat.

At that, I scoffed. How blind could he possibly be? “Don’t be a fool, Father. The Shade isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a nightmare.”

Gregor straightened to his full height, his eyes fixed on me. Unable to say anything in response, he looked at the council surrounding us, every single one gawking at the sight that had just unfolded before them. “I want Derek Novak arrested for high treason. His punishment will be discussed at the next council meeting.”

I couldn’t help but smirk at how delusional my father was. He really thinks that he holds the power. I didn’t know what he was expecting to happen after his announcement. Does he really expect the council to pounce on me to make the arrest? Does he expect me to panic and make a run for it? Apart from Felix making one hesitant step forward, no one else moved. I was certain that it was one of the most awkward moments the Great Dome had ever stood witness to.

My father’s breaths were coming in pants, infuriated by the fact that nobody bothered heeding his command.

“Why isn’t anyone moving?! Your king has given a command! Arrest him!”

After a few moments of stunned and motionless silence, Claudia burst out laughing. Claudia was one of the most twisted and demented people I’d ever met. She was certainly not an ally and there was no doubt in my mind that she hated my guts, but she was no fool either.

“I have no love for his highness, the prince, my dear king,” Claudia managed to say after her laughter subsided, “but no one here will ever be foolish enough to imprison Derek Novak. The only way you can get that man inside a prison cell is if he goes in willingly. Otherwise, a lot of blood will be spilled, and we love our immortality too much to see it end so quickly.”

Knowing that I had all the leverage I needed, I glared triumphantly at my father. “The abductions will stop. Understood?”

“All right,” Gregor said through gritted teeth, the expression on his face making it clear that he was admitting defeat. “This only means one thing then.”

“And what would that be?” I asked, suddenly growing anxious.

Eli stepped up nervously. “Even you knew that this would be inevitable since we put a stop to the abductions…we won’t have a supply of human blood forever.”

I was filled by an overwhelming sense of dread, knowing what my alternative to the abductions were. “You’re talking about a culling.”

The rest of the meeting flew right over my head, as the council discussed what had to be done to get the culling in order. My father kept glaring at me. I knew then that I just made an enemy out of him, though I wasn’t entirely sure if he ever truly was my ally.

Vivienne was the Seer of The Shade. She had the premonitions, but at that moment, I had a premonition of my own. And it wasn’t one that I liked.

Blood will be shed.

Two things stayed at the forefront of my thoughts: how to protect Sofia and how to keep her mine. I was once again afraid of losing her, because I doubted she could ever forgive me if a human culling actually took place.

After the council meeting ended, my first urge was to immediately locate Sofia. I knew that after the stunt I pulled, she wouldn’t be safe from my father. I knew Gregor Novak. He wasn’t just going to just sit there and take that kind of humiliation without striking back. It was clear to see that striking Sofia would be equivalent to striking me where it hurt the most. Upon reaching The Catacombs, I found her wearing muddied-up clothes. She was laughing over something the Natural boy, Gavin, said. A pang of jealousy hit me, but I shoved it away.

I cleared my throat to catch her attention.

She looked my way and a brilliant smile formed on her face. “Derek!” she exclaimed before throwing herself at me in an exuberant embrace. “I had a great day. How was yours?”

“Can we talk in private, please?” I eyed Gavin warily. I wasn’t thrilled about what I had to reveal to her.

Worry traced her green eyes as she pulled herself away from me. She turned toward Gavin and smiled sheepishly. “Thanks for everything, Gavin.”

The boy nodded his head toward her and curtly bowed his head in my direction. “Tomorrow again, Sofia,” he said. “If you’re still alive by then.”

She snickered at the statement, so I figured it was some sort of inside joke they had between them—an idea that grated at my nerves.

I was relieved when Gavin was finally gone and I had my girl all to myself, but any pleasure I felt in her company was overshadowed by the news I carried with me.

“What’s wrong, Derek?” she asked pensively as I held her hand and pulled her to a seat on the couch.

“My father reinstated the abductions…”

“What?” Her alarm was immediate. “But why? I thought…”

“I have three new girls at my penthouse. I have no idea what to do with them. I’m thinking of sending them here with you. They’ll be more comfortable with you I think…”

My suggestion seemed to go way over her head. “Why would your father do this?”

“We don’t stand on the same ground when it comes to these things, but after I found out, I went to the dome and found them having a council meeting. I made sure that there would be no more abductions from here on out.”

Sofia sighed with relief as she brushed both hands against her auburn hair. “Still…those poor girls…”

That was a hard blow to my gut. Of course she feels sorry for them…they have to live through what she lived through under my hand. I caught myself before sinking any further into my wallowing. Since when did you become such a dismal sap, Novak?

She must’ve noticed the look on my face. “Thank you for putting a stop to the abductions.”

I forced a smile, but I swallowed hard at what I was to say next. “Not having abductions may mean something worse…”

The color from her face drained away and I could sense that she already had an idea of what I was about to say.

“They’re discussing another culling.”

“Oh dear heavens…” She gasped, clamping a palm over her mouth as she furiously shook her head. “No….no! Derek, no…you have to do something. There’s got to be something you can do…”

How was I going to tell her that it was me who originally proposed the possibility of another culling? “I don’t know if there’s anything I can do about this, Sofia…if I could…”

“You’re Derek Novak! Of course there’s something you can do!”

“My father is king, Sofia.” I hated giving out that reason, because after what just happened, it was clear to me and every other member of the Elite that my father’s position meant nothing when held against me. “Standing against this would mean civil war. We do need to survive, Sofia. We need human blood.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this. Are you actually defending the need for a culling, Derek? Seriously? Don’t give me that reason, Derek. You don’t need human blood. You crave and prefer human blood. There are plenty of beasts in this island for you vampires to feed on. I was just at the farm! There’s an abundance of animal blood coming from the livestock there…” Desperation marred her beautiful face. “Derek, there’s got to be something you can do to stop this.”

“Do you fully understand what you’re talking about, Sofia? Going against this would mean me waging outright war on my own father.”

Sofia was unmoved. Calming down and giving me the sternest look I’d ever seen coming from her—or any teenager for that matter—she made her stand clear. “A culling is a cold massacre. It is wrong and you know it. I will fight tooth and nail against this, Derek Novak.”

I knew that she meant every word and that she would stand true to them. I hated the thought that began eating at me at that point. Could the blood that had to be shed be Sofia’s?