“What?!” Claudia spat. “You forget who you’ve sworn to protect, prince.”

“I never swore to protect you, Claudia.”

“What has she done that you are so enamored by her, that you would have even vampires submit to her whims?”

“My word is law on this island. She is the woman I love. So shall her words also be law upon The Shade ... unless I say otherwise. Do you understand?”

I froze. The woman I love. The words echoed inside my head – so loud and so clear – I barely understood the rest of what he said.

“The woman you love? Were you thinking of her when you visited me in my cell and…”

“Be silent, Claudia. My patience with you wears thin.”

My heart broke when Derek cut her off as if he were unwilling to let her continue what she was about to say. It was confirmation to me that Claudia could be speaking truth about Derek being in bed with her. The thought of the last time I saw them together and the way Derek held her as he asked her to give him Ben for my sake haunted me, re-sparking the jealousy I felt back then. I hated the way he was making me feel. Conflicted. I wanted to believe that he loved me, but doubts were still assailing my mind and soul. How could he love me?

Claudia glared at Derek, then at me. “You’re going to get your comeuppance one day, redhead. You’ll see.”

“Enough of that. Just leave, Claudia.” Derek finally turned to face me and I found myself trembling when I felt his eyes peruse me. “Are you alright, Sofia?”

I nodded. He noticed the way I was shaking and mistook it as an aftermath of my encounter with Claudia.

“You don’t have to be afraid of her any longer. I’m right here.”

The only person I’m afraid of on this island is you, Derek. Without being fully aware of it, I let him penetrate my heart and soul. He consumed me. This terrified me, because despite my instincts nagging at me to believe that he was a good man worth fighting for, the circumstances surrounding us said otherwise.

Fear enveloped me at the idea of having such affection toward one such as Derek Novak, because as he embraced me, whispering soothing words of comfort into my ear, I couldn’t help but wonder, What if I’d allowed myself to fall in love with a complete monster?

CHAPTER 46: LUCAS

I puffed a cigarette as I stood beside a flickering lamp post in Amsterdam. My hunt for my father was proving to be a greater undertaking than I had initially predicted. He wasn’t an easy man to find and I was hoping this would be the last stop I had to take before discovering him.

I was there to meet with an old acquaintance, Natalie Borgia. The gorgeous Italian vampire didn’t belong to any of the covens. She was one of the few rogue vampires and the most well-connected among all. She was the only one who knew all the locations of the covens and was allowed entrance into all of them. She was the ultimate diplomat, a woman I found incredibly irresistible and totally unattainable.

“Lucas Novak.”

I turned toward the sound of the voice and found Natalie approaching, her dark brown hair lifted into a neat updo, her sultry curves covered by a chic red coat. Classy was the only way I could think to describe her.

“Hey, beautiful.” I smirked.

She rolled her eyes and stared at me with a poker face. “You look like crap.” She took the cigarette from my mouth and threw it on the ground, crushing it with her heel.

“That’s not a very diplomatic thing to say or do, Natalie.”

“Oh please, Lucas. We both know diplomacy is lost on you.”

We began walking over a bridge, toward a small street café so we could talk. The moment we were comfortably seated, she crossed her legs and nodded for me to state my reason for wanting to meet with her.

“I’m a busy person, so do make it quick. And please… don’t hit on me. We both know it’s not going anywhere.”

I frowned. “Don’t flatter yourself, Natalie. I really just want to find my father. You’re the best person to tell me where he is.”

“I don’t know where he is at this moment in time, but I did get in touch with him after you contacted me. He can’t see you right now.”

My blood began to boil. “Excuse me?”

“Word’s out on you, Lucas. You’re not the most subtle person and you’ve been burning right through all the contacts you have outside of your coven. To your disadvantage, you’re not a very well-loved person either. You certainly pale in comparison to your brother and sister.”

“I don’t care what anybody thinks about me. Where’s my father? Why doesn’t he want to meet with me?” My knuckles began to grip the edge of the metal table between us.

“Your father asked me to tell you that he is afraid your presence would only compromise what he is trying to accomplish with the other covens. He thinks that it’s best you return to The Shade and resolve whatever issues you have with your brother on your own.”

“He doesn’t understand. I can’t go back there. Derek will kill me.” I slammed my hand over the top of the table, making a waitress, who was about to approach to take our order, back up and leave. “Why is he doing this? Why are they all turning against me?”

“I’m just relaying the message I was given, Lucas.” She was treating me so flippantly, I wondered where on earth all her diplomatic skills disappeared to. “I’ll make sure your father hears your response.”

I was fighting the urge to attack her. She was, however, at least a century older than me. In a fight against her, I was sure to lose.

“What am I supposed to do now?”

“That’s entirely your choice.” Natalie shrugged. “But I do have another message for you. From Borys Maslen.”

“Borys Maslen?”

“As I already implied, your rogue status has become known throughout the covens.”

My head was spinning. The thought that my father could turn on me at that time was something I never really considered possible. And now, our family’s worst adversary was trying to get in touch with me.

“What does he want with me?”

“He’s offering you sanctuary at the Oasis.”

The world has gone mad. “In exchange for what?”

“Loyalty to the Maslens.”

At this, I scoffed. “Loyalty? To them?”

“So what do you want me to tell them, Lucas? Does this mean you’re refusing?”

I gave it some thought, weighing my options. I shook my head. “I think my choice was made for me the moment my family turned their backs on me. Let Borys Maslen know that I’ll be on the first flight to Cairo I can book. Finally, make sure to let my father know that I’ve joined the Maslens.”

Natalie nodded. Her expression remained stoic. No judgment. No condemnation. She was a channel, our central hub of communication. “I’ll make sure your message is received. Anything else?”

“Yes. Tell my father that the one person to blame for our falling out is Derek. He’s obsessed with a human slave named Sofia Claremont. Tell my father to beware of her.”

“Of course.” Natalie rose from her seat. “If that’s all, goodbye, Lucas. I hope everything works out for you.” Without bothering to hear my response, she walked away.

My eyes followed her until she disappeared. I smiled. I knew the damage my father was going to inflict on Sofia just based on the message I relayed through Natalie. For that night, the knowledge that I once again had contributed to making her life and Derek’s a little bit more miserable, was enough consolation for my woes.

Thoughts of Sofia made my blood pound and my senses tingle. “You’ll be mine someday, Sofia. Oh, you’ll be mine.”

CHAPTER 47: DEREK

News spread quickly throughout the island that Sofia had directly defied a vampire – a member of the Elite at that – and got away with it. Outrage followed soon after.

“What if the rest of the humans follow her example and decide they can start defying their masters?” Felix, one of my most distrusted among the Elite, brought up during a council meeting at the dome.

“We can’t afford to have another human uprising, Derek,” Xavier voiced his concern – one which I also shared.

Felix scoffed, his hands raised in the air. “A human uprising! Perhaps it’s best… With the abductions halted, all the bloodshed an uprising would cause will give us all the blood we need for years to come.”

Eli, the only one at the stand amidst all the talk being thrown from the seats of the council, stared at Felix as if he were insane. Despite the tension in the room, I couldn’t help but notice the reaction on Eli’s face. He always did look at Felix as if he had no patience for the man.

Eli spoke: “There’s a reason we avoided touching the Naturals, prince. They are the backbone of this island. All the labor required to keep The Shade in its self-sufficient state is done by the humans born out of generations of humans loyal to the work they were given on this island.”

“We cannot continue to abduct humans from the outside if that’s what you’re trying to imply, Eli.” In this, I was not to be dissuaded. “They endanger The Shade by risking discovery from the hunters.”

“We’ve been abducting humans for years, Derek,” Cameron chimed in. “We’ve never been discovered. The Scouts are trained to be stealthy enough not to risk discovery.”

“The hunters grow more powerful as we speak. We cannot press our luck. Eli can attest to the hunters’ power based on the little information he managed to squeeze out of one of them we’ve taken captive.”

“Yet another human slave you seem to favor,” Claudia hissed. “I take punishment for aiding one of our own – our prince, your own brother. These slaves defy everything we stand for and yet they run free.”

“They are my slaves and I will do with them as I see fit. That’s the end of this discussion.” I stood up to better make my point. “There will be no abductions and while we still have a reserve of blood from the last culling in the chilling chambers, no humans will be taken from the Catacombs.”