“But he spared you. I don’t know what you told him, but you got to him in a way no other person was ever able to. Not our father or our brother or myself or even Cora was able to get through to him the way you did…”

I swallowed hard as I tried to make sense of what she was trying to tell me. I couldn’t bring myself to accept what she was implying. “I am not the girl Cora was speaking of, Vivienne.”

Vivienne gazed at me with what could almost pass as affection. “Sofia, look me straight in the eye and tell me that you don’t feel anything for my twin.”

My lips pursed and my jaw twitched. Even if I tried to lie, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to fool her. There hadn’t been a day that passed since I left The Shade that I haven’t thought of Derek in one way or another.

Vivienne’s smile was bitter as she understood clearly what my silence meant. “I thought so.”

I clutched the armrests of the couch I was seated on and steadied myself over its edge. I wasn’t about to let her win just like that. “I care about Derek, Vivienne, but that doesn’t really mean anything. That doesn’t prove that I’m some girl destined to help him fulfill some sort of prophecy.” A wry, sarcastic laugh escaped my lips. “Besides, why on earth would I help Derek save your kind? After everything you put me through, after everything you put Ben and so many others through…”

“Because as you said, Sofia, you care about him…” Her blue-violet eyes glistened as she spoke. “He needs you.”

It was impossible for her to say something like that without it meaning anything to me. She was his twin… she knew him better than I ever did… Her words had weight, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around someone like Derek needing someone like me. Who am I? Still, her words were enough to trigger all the pent-up longing I had to be with him again, and I found myself asking, “How is he?”

“The darkness came for him the moment you left. It’s taking away the man that he became when you were there.”

I could feel my face lose color, and my lips parted as I drew a breath. “The darkness is coming…” I muttered under my breath.

It seemed the words meant something to Vivienne, because her eyes flickered with recognition.

“What did you say?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.” I wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of revealing to her all the nightmares I’d been having. My phone began to vibrate over the coffee table. I glanced at it, but decided not to check the message. I took another sip of my not-so-hot-anymore latte. I found myself overcome with worry for Derek. If my nightmares held any meaning, then… I gulped.

“How are the girls?” Guilt claimed me the moment I thought of Ashley, Paige and Rosa. They were my friends and I just abandoned them, did nothing even to help rescue them from The Shade.

When Vivienne told me that Derek attacked Ashley in the Sun Room, that he drank her blood almost enough to kill her, I had no idea how to recover from both the guilt and the shock. I felt like it was partially my fault, because I never did anything to get Ashley and the other girls out of The Shade, but I was always secure that Derek would keep them safe. I couldn’t even wrap my mind around the idea that Derek could be capable of something like that.

That’s nothing like the Derek I knew.

“I don’t know how long my brother can keep himself from hunting her,” Vivienne kept clasping and unclasping her fingers. “Now that he’s had a taste of her blood, I’m pretty sure he’s craving her. Even though she’s living with Kyle now, she’s still too close. He would still be able to sense her.”

The news she brought was more than I knew how to handle. “Why are you telling me all this, Vivienne?” Tears were threatening to spill down my cheeks.

“Remember the night when you arrived? When you were in the dungeon? I told you that you were nothing but a pawn.”

I could still remember her exact words and how mortified she made me feel: "Understand, girl, that you are nothing here. You’re nothing but a pawn, a piece used to make the board move. Your best chance at survival and proving your significance is to win Derek’s affections. Considering everything I know about my brother, I’m not sure that’s even possible."

I smiled bitterly. “How could I forget?”

“I was wrong.” Vivienne, in all her grace and beauty, looked me in the eye and said, “You’re not a pawn, Sofia. You’re the queen.”

Before I could fully make sense of the words, the vampire’s eyes widened with horror, as if she had just seen something behind me that gave her cause for terror. I looked back and saw nothing but a group of people having their coffee.

“Vivienne, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting strange ever since…”

“It doesn’t matter.” She cut me off. “The hunters are here. You need to go back to The Shade, Sofia. There’s no other way. You can stay at my home. You won’t go back as a slave. I’m going to give you some of my memories along with instructions on how you’re going to get to The Shade. They’ll know I sent you.”

“What are you saying?! How on earth are you going to give me your mem –“

She grabbed both my hands and I had to shut my eyes as a deluge of images flooded my brain, channeling from her to me. Vampires being burned at the stakes… A smile and a kiss on the hand from a handsome young man… The same man screaming as he was tortured… A symbol of a hawk branded with burning iron on Derek’s bare back… Imagery – some sweet, others confusing, most of it horrifying – flashed through my mind in one wave after another until finally, I saw a way back to The Shade and found myself once again engulfed by darkness.

Snapping out of the sudden influx of memories that didn’t belong to me, I opened my eyes to find Lyle in front of me, holding my face with both hands. “Are you alright, Sofia?” I heard panic in his voice. “What did she do to you?”

Behind him, I could make out Vivienne’s unconscious form on the couch across from me. Two men, who looked like paramedics, rushed to her. One of them stabbed her in the arm with a syringe before they carried her out of the coffee shop.

Where are they taking her? I wanted to ask, but realized that Lyle was moving his lips and I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. Then my vision began to betray me, blurring before everything around me faded into black.

CHAPTER 28: DEREK

What the hell am I doing here?

The Black Heights was the last place I would expect to find myself. I hated the mountain caves and its complex network of dark tunnels. They brought about too many memories of more desperate times.

Still, despite the adverse reaction I had to the caves, I found myself inside them, following a guard, who guided me through well-lit stone corridors leading to the cell where Claudia was being held prisoner. The Cells had changed drastically since the last time I visited. Much had been done to develop the caves. Flat, concrete flooring, electricity, doors… those were just some of the modifications that made the place feel more like the interior of an actual building instead of what it used to be – dark, dank caves, void of life and light.

The guard stopped in front of a gate – or at least what looked like one – light white-blue rays formed the bars keeping Claudia prisoner.

“What are those?” I asked, pointing at the bars.

“UV rays, your highness,” the guard responded.

“How many of these types of cells do we have?” I was curious.

“Three. We rarely ever have vampire prisoners.”

Of course. The Cells are mainly for humans after all. He pressed a button and the rays retracted. I entered the cell and found Claudia sitting cross-legged on top of the small cot she was given for a bed. Her blonde mane made her round face look small. Her blue eyes were set on me. She was wearing a simple white smock – a contrast to the garish outfits I was used to seeing her in. The simple get up and the lack of makeup made her look like a regular teenager. A seventeen-year-old with old eyes, eyes that have seen too much…

I could hear the rays close in behind me, imprisoning me with her.

“Just call when you wish to leave, prince.”

I nodded and waved him off. I focused on the beautiful blonde I had before me.

“The almighty prince pays me a visit. What did I do to deserve such an honor?” If she was resentful of me, she was hiding it. Her golden lashes fluttered at me, a playful grin forming on her lips.

“I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Oh?” Her head tilted quizzically to the side. “Ask away then.”

I hesitated. Why am I here?

She stood up and moved toward me, studying me. “You’re always so tense, Prince Derek. That’s your problem. You don’t know how to loosen up like your older brother does.” She brushed her fingers over my cheek.

I stepped away from her, revolted by her touch.

“When was the last time you laid with a woman?”

Every night since Sofia left. I had Vivienne send me a girl or two to keep me company in my bedroom. Without them, my chambers reeked too much of Sofia and her scent. Even with other women to distract me, she was still on my mind.

“I could help loosen you up…” Claudia offered.

I pushed her away before she could lay a hand on me. “That’s not why I’m here. Sit down, Claudia. I wish to discuss something private with you.”

Her brows rose. “Something private.” The idea obviously delighted her. “This ought to be interesting.” She turned her back on me to return to her cot.

I was surprised to find the back of her smock lined with blood stains.

I grabbed her arm to stop her. “The wounds from the lashes… they haven’t yet healed? It’s been days since…”

She shrugged my hand away from her arm and sat back on the cot. “My dear prince…” she hissed. “You really should find out what the extents of your punishments are before you dole them out. I was injected with a serum to delay the healing before the lashes were inflicted on me. As long as the serum is in my system, I will not heal.”