I shifted my focus from the witch’s temple to what was straight ahead of me: Sofia was walking along the stone pathway leading to the gazebo. I’d already been there for what felt like an eternity, so seeing the women walk out, though they appeared to be completely oblivious of me, was a relief.

Sofia locked arms with Corrine as the older woman spoke to her. I could only guess what they were talking about, but that didn’t bother me as much as seeing them walk side by side. The sight brought about a strange nostalgic sensation largely due to Corrine’s uncanny resemblance to her ancestor, Cora. It felt like I was watching two of the most important women in my life conversing with each other.

Sofia’s emerald gaze found me. That’s when it struck me. Sofia saved my life. Ashley meant to drive the stake right through my heart. Her eyes left me for a moment as she nodded and thanked Corrine, who gave me a quick, harried glance before heading back indoors.

That left me, Sofia and the numerous unanswered questions between us. Finally. I have you to myself. I stood up and approached her as she took steady strides toward me. The moment we reached each other, she took my hand and held it tight. We walked forward in silence, away from the Sanctuary and headed for the woods that would eventually lead to the Vale, the island’s town.

I dared catch a glimpse of her. Illuminated by the moonlight, she was quite a vision to behold. Her eyes were downcast, focused on the ground. She stopped walking and made me face her with a squeeze of her hand on mine. I found myself suddenly anxious when she said:

“Your few hours are over. We have a lot to talk about.”

CHAPTER 34: SOFIA

Walking through the woods, along the familiar gravel pathway that led from the Sanctuary to the Vale, I found myself bothered by the things Vivienne told me – about how Derek was veering towards his dark side. I witnessed that first hand with the scene I walked in on upon my arrival. The conversation I had with Corrine further heightened my anxiety over Derek when she confirmed the things that he’d been up to during my absence – how he seemed to be gearing everyone up for war, the census, the ban from all further abductions and what that could imply…

I didn’t know what to make of all the things I’d been told and I felt unsure about what I was supposed to be doing at The Shade. What impact did Vivienne think I could have here?

My eyes were beginning to moisten with tears as I looked up at Derek. I needed to talk about what happened. I wanted to understand him again, because the time I spent away from The Shade felt like a giant rift between us.

“Where do you want to begin?” He sounded nervous.

I forced myself to keep my eyes on him as I expressed what was going on first and foremost in my mind. “Ashley… you were about to…” I choked, unable to say the word out loud. You were about to rape her.

His gaze left me. He said nothing. It was almost as if he was hoping that I would just forget what I saw, that we could just move on without ever addressing what happened.

“Vivienne told me that you attacked Ashley… in the Sun Room…”

His eyes darkened and once again focused on mine. I didn’t know what I said, but something triggered his ire and he began walking forward until he managed to back me up against the trunk of a giant willow tree. “Vivienne is why I did it. When I heard that the hunters had my sister and that you were the reason she left The Shade, I couldn’t understand it. I couldn’t understand what it was with you that she had to risk her own life just to get you back here.”

I swallowed. I didn’t know how to respond to that. I don’t understand either. Not completely. I was back at The Shade, because it had this hold on me, because Derek somehow managed to forever etch himself in my mind. Standing there, however, with him so close to me, I found that I had no idea what Vivienne thought I ought to accomplish by being there.

Derek was in turmoil and it was easy to see that not having Vivienne around was ripping him apart inside. I knew how precious she was to him, but I couldn’t understand why he would take out her loss on Ashley.

“I don’t see how that justifies what you did to Ash…”

“I’m a vampire, Sofia. The only reason I was trying to control my impulse to kill Ashley after having fed on her was because she mattered to you. After I lost Vivienne because of you, I wanted to punish you. You weren’t here, so I punished someone you cared about instead.”

His reasoning and all the flawed logic it was based on was making my mind reel with anger. I couldn’t believe that he meant what he was saying, and I looked at him, wondering if he thought that “I’m a vampire” was reason enough to harm a defenseless innocent like Ashley. Unable to control my rage, I thought myself insane when I gave in to instinct and did the unthinkable.

I gave him the most defiant glare I could manage and steeled myself against the consequences of what I was about to do. “I’m here now, am I not? I’m the reason the hunters have your sister.” Trembling, I loosened the top two buttons of my blouse and pulled my right sleeve down my shoulder.

“Sofia? What are you doing?” His voice sounded choked and breathless, his eyes wide with both anticipation and shock.

I responded by gathering my hair over my left shoulder and tilting my head sideways so that the skin on my neck was exposed to him. I took note of how his body tensed as his fists clenched when he realized what I was doing.

“Sofia…”

“Well? What are you waiting for, Derek? Drink.” The challenge was clear. “I’m the one you want to punish, right? Claim justice for Vivienne.”

The silence was electric as I stood before him, wondering how he was going to react.

His move.

My heart dropped when he pushed me backwards, pinning me against the tree I was already leaning on. His right hand gripped my jaw, forcing my face to turn at an angle that allowed him more access to my neck. I gasped at the motion and my eyes fell into a distant stare, not daring to look his way.

“You should know better than to provoke a vampire,” he growled at me. From my peripheral vision, I saw his fangs coming out, the white of his teeth glimmering under the moon’s light. He was taking me up on my challenge.

“I’m not provoking a vampire,” I scoffed at him. My move. “I’m provoking you. Go ahead. Show me how much of the Derek I knew is lost to me.”

The short gasp that escaped his lips told me that I’d gotten through to him. Fangs retracted and fingers painfully gripping my jaw loosened before he stepped away from me.

I got a major win, but the match wasn’t over. I laid both palms on his chest and pushed him back. “Why do you stop? Who am I that you would spare me and not spare Ashley?” The questions floating through my mind came out in a violent rush and I emphasized each one by continuing to forcefully push against him. “Had I been here, would you have done to me what you did to her? Would you have taken enough blood to lead me almost to the brink of unconsciousness? Would you have carried me to your bed so that you could have your way with me while I lay there helpless? Would you have treated me the same way?!”

It seemed he had enough when he screamed, “No! I wouldn’t have!” He gripped me by the wrists to keep me from once again hitting him. Chills ran down my spine when I saw how he was looking at me. “I can’t even bear the thought of doing to you what I did to her.”

“Then how were you able to bear doing it to her?”

He looked away. His reason sounded pathetic. I knew it and he knew it. “I wasn’t able to control myself.”

I shook my head as I tried to get away from his grasp, his hands still keeping my wrists on hold. “That’s crap and you know it. I was with you for months. So were Ashley, Paige and Rosa… You never once touched us or brought harm to us. Don’t tell me you can’t control yourself, Derek. Just don’t.”

I motioned to walk away, but he kept his death grip on my wrists.

“Let go,” I hissed.

“No.” he insisted. “You’re coming with me.”

I was mad at him and the last thing I wanted was to go anywhere with him. At that point, I really just wanted to be alone, to think about what was going on and why I was there. I wanted to sort through the conflicting emotions that were driving me crazy around him.

But no… Despite all my protests, he carried me in his arms and sped forward. I never quite got used to the lightning speed by which he travelled, but that was the least of my concerns, because when we stopped, I found myself screaming with fright at where he’d taken me.

We were standing on top of one of the Crimson Fortress’ towering walls. A mighty wind was blowing against us and the sound of the ocean waves crashing on solid rock below was terrifying. I gave Derek a questioning look. I couldn’t tell for sure but it looked like he was about to jump from the top of the wall to the boulders below.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” I screamed, my arms clinging around his neck as I looked with horror at how high up we were. “Where are you taking me?!”

“I’m taking you to my sanctuary. Hold on tight.”

Before I could even breathe a word of protest, he took the leap, plunging us both on a hundred-foot free fall down to the ragged cliffs below. The one thought on my mind as I clung to him for dear life was: Derek Novak has lost his mind.

CHAPTER 35: BEN

Leaving my family was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but my path was set the moment I woke up on the shores of Cancun the morning after our escape from The Shade. No matter how much I tried to go back to a normal life, every time I thought about my future, all I could think about was how worthless my life would be if I couldn’t get my vengeance.

Sofia was the last thread of hope I had at any chance of normalcy, but as I watched her walk away from me that night, it felt like everything had been robbed from me and I only had The Shade to blame.

Not long after Sofia left, I grabbed the bag I packed the night before and got out of my bed. My heart weighing heavily on me and a lump forming in my throat, I snuck into Abby’s room first. I smiled upon seeing her pink, star-shaped night light and the way she was clinging to her stuffed animal, Colin. At her age, she still sucked her thumb when she slept. I approached her bed and twisted a tendril of her blonde hair with my forefinger. “I’ll miss you, dwarfette.”