I shook my head. “I am engaged to Derek. I was abducted and taken to The Oasis before we could actually get married.”

Zinnia narrowed her eyes at me, the disgust and criticism in her voice unmistakable when she said, “What is wrong with you?”

“I don’t need to explain myself to you. I want to see my father.”

“He doesn’t need to explain himself to you either. You may be Reuben’s daughter, but you’re nothing like him.”

Thank heavens for that. I grimaced. I never could quite get used to what they called my father at hunter headquarters. Reuben. I wondered what kind of a life my father had lived even before my mother went crazy and became a vampire. Aiden and Reuben—two sides of a coin, my father’s double life—both sides of him a complete mystery to me.

Zinnia left me with one final glare. I didn’t expect Aiden to arrive at all, knowing that Zinnia most likely wouldn’t deliver my message to him, but later that afternoon, he stepped into the bedroom, looking rather uncomfortable.

“So Zinnia did send you my message after all…”

“You sent me a message through Zinnia? She didn’t tell me anything… I just arrived from a business trip abroad. Has she been taking care of you?”

I was taken aback by the idea that he came to me out of his own volition. “Yeah. She’s been feeding me regularly, if that’s what you mean by taking care of me.”

“So what was your message?”

“I told her to let you know that I wanted to have a word with you.”

“Well, what do you want to talk about?”

“You have to realize that I will jump at any chance I get to find Derek. You locking me up here and keeping me from doing that only makes me want to do it more. That’s like Raising Teenagers 101.”

“You’re eighteen, Sofia. Technically, you’re already considered an adult.”

“So treat me like one. Let me make my own decisions and my own mistakes. This is my life, a life you chose not to be a part of for the past nine years. Now that I have my own mind and have been making my own decisions, you can’t just step in and call the shots.”

One corner of his lips twitched as he nodded. “I understand what you’re saying, Sofia, but I’m doing what I believe is best for you, and in that, I cannot waver. I know the vampires far more than you do, and in good conscience as your father, I cannot allow you to throw your life away because of this infatuation you have toward this creature. It doesn’t matter how much you love him, Sofia. You can love a vampire and still find that your love doesn’t keep him from being a monster.”

There was so much sadness in his voice, almost as if he was going through what he was saying himself. I wondered once again if this reaction of his had anything to do with Ingrid knowing how to get to that garden. Not quite sure if I wanted to clarify my musings, I crawled to the edge of the bed and sat over it. “Every day you keep me apart from him, you’re killing a part of me.”

He eyed me and I could swear that he somehow understood what I was trying to get through his thick, stubborn hunter skull. “I can’t give you what you want, but I can give you something close.”

He pushed the door wide open and I couldn’t help but gasp in horror when a young woman lurched into my room.

I blinked my eyes several times to make sure that I wasn’t just seeing things, but sure enough, she was standing right there in front of me, a ghost from the past, someone I held close to heart.

The Seer of The Shade herself. Vivienne Novak.

CHAPTER 22: DEREK

A lockout that eventually morphed into a riot. A siege at the port. A kingdom on the brink of civil war while still facing an ongoing threat of an attack from outside forces.

Fabulous. Just fabulous.

After Natalie so wonderfully summed up the state of The Shade, I really had no idea what to do other than to walk away.

“Where are you going?”

I didn’t even know who among the people behind me asked the question. I didn’t care anymore. I knew that if I handled the situation head-on and tried to either quell the riot or retake the port, I wasn’t going to be able to do it without bloodshed. The darkness was close to ruining me and I was aware of it.

“I am going to take a drive.”

“There’s a riot and a siege going on, Derek.” Xavier stepped forward, attempting to be the voice of reason. “Is this really the time to improve your driving skills?”

I pointed at Sam and Kyle. “You two work with Gavin and Ian to figure out how to quell this stupid riot.” I then pointed at Xavier and Cameron. “Call in all the vampires who are still with us. Those who want to remain neutral have that option. At least we’ll know who is really with us. Come up with a plan of action on what to do about the siege at the port.” I then cast a pleading look at the great witch herself. “Corrine, please escort Natalie to The Sanctuary and treat her as our esteemed guest while she is stuck here at The Shade.”

“What about me?” Ashley pointed at herself.

Of all the people present, she reminded me of Sofia the most and I knew that she was one who would never shy away from speaking her mind. “Would you like to go on a joyride with me?”

A smile lit up the blonde’s beautiful face. “Yes! Let’s escape all this craziness.” She then looked Sam’s way as if to ask his permission. He let her go, more perhaps out of respect for me than trust for either one of us.

“Derek, we need you to be a leader right now…” Cameron said desperately. “This is no time for…”

“Let him go,” Corrine cut him off. “He needs to win the battle inside before he can the war with the outward forces.”

I gave her a grateful look. She understood what the separation from Sofia was doing to me and what I was up against.

Of course, none of them dared to question the witch, knowing how the entire island’s security was on her shoulders. Corrine rarely imposed her opinions on us, but when she did, we dared not cross her.

Ashley and I made our way to a wide open field west of the island where a red convertible was located. We used it for practice drives mostly or whenever we just wanted to feel the night air blowing against our faces. It usually was Sofia seated on the passenger’s seat beside me, screeching her lungs out because of my crazy driving, often reminding me that she wasn’t immortal and that she was likely going to get killed if I didn’t somehow fix my driving. I didn’t really care much about the driving as much as I enjoyed having her react the way she did.

“You miss her, don’t you?” Ashley asked me after we settled into our seats.

I gripped the steering wheel hard as if it would somehow help give me some semblance of control over everything going on around me.

“I’ve had her blood, Ashley,” I admitted. I ignored her gasp and went on. “She made me drink it to heal me quicker after Borys tortured me. I didn’t want to, but… I crave her so much. I could barely think straight, because all I could really think about was how much I want another taste of her blood.”

“I know Sofia…” Ashley spoke softly, carefully weighing her words. “She would most likely let you have all the blood you want. That’s how much she loves you.”

“I know. That’s exactly what she did when she offered her neck up to me back at hawk territory. I knew then that this couldn’t possibly work. Corrine keeps telling me to get Sofia back, but how? What kind of man would I be to prey on her? She doesn’t deserve that.”

“You see…that’s just it.”

I turned my head to the side wondering what Ashley was getting at. “What?”

“You’re not the same person apart from her than when you’re with her. With Sofia, you’re a better man. There was a time when you couldn’t have given a damn if it was wrong or right. As long as a woman gives you her consent—and in your darkest moments, even when she doesn’t—you don’t have any qualms about sucking blood out of a woman. Why then are you so resistant to the idea of having Sofia’s blood when she so willingly offers it to you?”

“Were you not listening to me?” I slammed my palms over the steering wheel in frustration. “I love her! I can’t keep doing that to her!”

Ashley straightened up on her seat and slightly twisted her slim body on the passenger seat so she could face me. “If there’s anyone who’s stood witness to the kind of love you two have for each other, it’s me. Sofia took a wooden stake for you, Derek—one that I tried to stab you with. You went against your own father and took countless lashes on her behalf. It’s hard for me to believe that this is what’s going to tear the two of you apart. It’s just plain insanity. Bring this place back to some semblance of sanity, get back control of the port and find a way to get Sofia back here. I’m sure if we put our heads together, we could somehow narrow down the search and find the hunter territory.”

“She’s not coming back. We should just accept that.” Even as I said the words, I found it hard to swallow. “Besides, what kind of a life would she live if she returned? What if I end up destroying her?”

“What if the love you have for each other is powerful enough to keep that from happening?” Ashley shot right back at me. “Don’t be a fool, Derek. Whether you admit it or not, you can’t really survive without her, so you might as well stop acting like a pathetic sap and get her back.”

I swallowed hard. To that, I didn’t have a response. I knew what Ashley was saying was true.

“Let’s go back.”

“We’re no longer going for a drive?” Ashley asked, tapping her palms over the dashboard.

“No.” I shook my head. “We have a riot to stop and a port to retake. Get ready for a fight, baby vamp.”

Her face lit up in a wide grin. “That’s what I’m talking about!” she exclaimed.

At that very moment, I remembered a promise I gave Sofia not too long ago, the promise that came with the heart-shaped diamond pendant I had given to her as a gift. Take it as a promise from me—a promise that I will find a way to be with you.