She made her way to my side, kneeling on the ground by the bed, so that she could look into my eyes. “I’m sorry, Derek. I should’ve told you what I knew, but I just…”

“Shhh, Sofia. I understand why you didn’t tell me.” I tried to look around the room we were in and immediately surmised that we were at the Sanctuary. “We’re alone?” I asked.

She nodded. “Corrine’s in the other room developing an anti-serum. Liana and Sam went to check on Cameron and the others. Ashley and Kyle went to the chilling chambers to get you some blood.”

“What happened to Cameron? And what do you mean ‘the others?’”

She told me what Cameron and the rest of the Elite did to show their support toward me and all I could think of was how humbling the whole thing was. At the same time, I sensed the pressure that came with it. The immensity of the prophecy and everything it meant hit me full force. I had no idea if Sofia realized it, but lines had just been drawn. We were at war.

“Don’t worry about them for now…” She tried to soothe me. “Just get yourself healed.” She squeezed my arm tightly. “They’re taking forever. You need blood.”

Something sparked in that pretty little brain of hers and she quickly shoved her wrist in front of my mouth. “You can have my blood. It will help you heal, won’t it?”

I chuckled wryly. “I’m not going to drink your blood, Sofia.”

“Why not?” she insisted indignantly. “You’ve made me drink yours more times than I can count.”

“Do you have any idea how much control I need to have over myself in order not to feed on you? Tasting your blood will be the end of us, Sofia.”

The end of us. I could remember the desperation in her eyes when she thought that I’d turn my back on her. Are you thinking about the future at all, Sofia? Do you dread losing me as much as I dread losing you?

Based on her response, it was as if she was reading my mind. She lowered her wrists, seemingly accepting that nothing she said could ever make me agree to drinking her blood. She gave me a pensive, longing look. “I thought I lost you back there, Derek,” she admitted. “I don’t know what your father was talking about, Derek, but if Ingrid Maslen really is my mother…”

“…it won’t matter,” I assured her. “I know you well enough to know that you could never have been in league with her all this time. What we have is real, Sofia…no matter who your parents are.”

I couldn’t help but wonder what she thought about the possibility of the Maslens’ baby vampire being her mother. It didn’t even seem to be bothering her at the moment, but I couldn’t really blame her. So much was going on. I doubted she had time to let the revelation sink in.

She kissed me gently on the lips. “I adore you for what you did for me back there, and I hate that you’re in so much pain because of it.”

“I’ll be better in no time, Sofia. I’ll get a drink blood when Ash and Kyle get here and I’ll be as strong as I was before.”

“You lied to me. You said that you would heal. You knew that you wouldn’t.”

“I wanted to assure you that everything was going to be alright, and it will be, Sofia.”

She was silent. I wondered what was going through her mind, but I was afraid to ask.

“You love me still, don’t you?” I asked instead, longing to hear her assurance before what I was about to reveal to her.

“Always,” she assured me.

I believed her, but still, I was afraid of what her reaction would be to what I was about to tell her. “The culling is tomorrow, Sofia.”

She gulped. I could see the wheels inside her mind turning as she let the news sink in. “You’re just going to let it happen?”

I hated that we didn’t stand on the same ground regarding the matter, but all I could do was be honest with her. “I don’t know what to say, Sofia. Blood is seen as a necessity at The Shade.”

She shook her head. “I understand where you’re coming from, Derek, but it doesn’t mean I think a culling is alright. You know how I stand regarding this matter.”

I was expecting her to look at me like I was a monster, advocating a bloody massacre, but all I saw was a quiet resignation, an acceptance that she couldn’t change my mind no matter how she tried. I saw sadness, perhaps even a trace of disappointment, but no less love than there was before. I also realized then that though she wasn’t saying it out loud, she was still determined to fight the culling with everything that she had.

“Tell me what you really think, Sofia.”

“I think you’re better than this, Derek.”

“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted. “I don’t know how on earth I’m going to fulfill Vivienne’s prophecy. How on earth am I going to provide my kind true sanctuary, bring all the covens together and fight against the hunters when war is brewing right here within The Shade?” I could feel my senses waning as the worrisome thoughts began to take over my consciousness.

As usual, Sofia knew exactly what to say to make me believe that I was still capable of good. Just before I once again drifted into unconsciousness, I could still comprehend her assuring whispers, practically lulling me to sleep, “All the answers to the questions you’re asking are right within you. You were meant to fulfill that prophecy and you will. You’ll find a way.” She paused and gently pressed her soft lips against my forehead. “You’re Derek Novak. You’ll find a way.”

CHAPTER 31: SOFIA

The culling is tomorrow.

When Ashley and Kyle returned with the blood, I felt confident enough to leave Derek’s side and entrust him into Corrine’s capable hands. I had to warn Gavin and the others about the culling. What they planned to do with the warning was entirely up to them, but whatever they did, I was determined to support them, trusting that Derek would understand my reasons for doing so.

“Where are you going?” Ashley asked when I bade my leave.

“Back to The Catacombs.”

She exchanged nervous glances with Kyle, who stepped up and said, “That’s probably not a great idea right now…”

“Why? What happened?” I asked anxiously, dread coming over me based on the uncomfortable looks on their faces. That’s when I realized that the expression on Ashley’s face was beyond discomfort. It was of pure heartbreak. “Tell me, Ashley.”

She licked her lips. It was clear to see that she was fighting back tears. “The king was livid after what happened. He hit the only people he could in order to hurt you.”

I sucked in a breath steeling myself against what they were about to tell me. “Go ahead.”

Tears began to brim Ashley’s eyes. “Paige and the three new girls…they’re dead. Felix and his men…while everything was happening at the town square…they went to your quarters and killed everyone they found there. By order of the king.”

“They planned on doing it even before everything that happened at the town square,” Kyle continued to explain when Ashley broke into a sob. “It was their back-up plan in case what Gregor wanted to happen at The Shade—turn Derek against you—didn’t push through.”

“A last-ditch attempt to hurt me.” I nodded with understanding, tears beginning to fall down my cheeks. Gregor definitely knew how to hurt me. “Rosa?” I asked.

“She was visiting with Lily and the kids when it all happened,” Kyle said the words reassuringly in hopes of giving me a thread of comfort.

I wanted to break down. I wanted to just crumble and give in to the despair that I felt over the loss of four innocent lives, but even as tears flowed down my face, beyond the grief, what I felt was anger. Paige and the girls had nothing to do with Gregor’s hatred toward me. They had nothing to do with what had happened at the town square. If I’d just dragged Derek into a war with his father, at that moment, I hoped with everything that I was that Derek could someday find it in himself to actually kill his own father.

What had to happen now—however—was for the deaths to not be in vain. I shoved the urge to give in to the grief and instead focused my thoughts and energies on making martyrs out of my friends.

Upon my return to The Catacombs, I met with Gavin, Ian and the rest of those who were planning a revolt.

“The culling is tomorrow,” I announced. “During the unexpected events that occurred at the town square, they murdered four of my friends here at The Catacombs. Tomorrow, they plan to murder more people.”

“Let’s get straight to the point, Red.” Ian stood to his full height—standing at least half a foot taller than me. Even with his lanky build, he was a rather intimidating sight, considering the fury blazing in his eyes. “Is your prince going to help us stop the culling?”

I shook my head. “He’s unconscious. We’re on our own on this one.”

“We can’t just let this happen…” Gavin sat up straight in his chair. “There’s got to be something we can do.”

It was perhaps the anger I felt over what they did to my friends, over every atrocity that I’d seen happen at The Shade. It was perhaps the righteous indignation I felt over losing Ben and Gwen and Paige and those three young innocents taken from their homes just like I was to become slaves at The Shade. At that moment, however, I didn’t care if I lived or died. I wasn’t just going to stand back and let them drag the weak and defenseless to their deaths. Not while I was there, not when there were thousands of human beings in The Catacombs capable of fighting back.

I knew that blood was going to be shed. I was also very much aware that the blood could most likely be mine, but I really didn’t care anymore. I was tired of running, tired of being afraid. If I was the girl who was going to help Derek fulfill the prophecy, then I was going to do it fighting for what I believed in and hoping that he would someday find it in his heart to forgive me.