“Yes. I thought you looked familiar.”

Right about then, Xavier emerged, carrying a frail Vivienne in his arms, her head leaned against his broad shoulders. A flash of anger shone through his eyes as he caught sight of Aiden—a clear signal that a riff had just been created between the two when Xavier found out what the hunters had been doing to the woman he cared deeply for.

“I’m taking her home,” he announced. “You can stay here and wait for Derek to get himself some self-control, or you can come with me.” He then gave Aiden a glare. “I’m not sure Derek wants him on the island.”

“He’s fine, Xavier. What can he do to anyone while he’s here?”

“You’re responsible for him, Sofia.”

I nodded before daring to take a glimpse of my father. He had a grim expression on his face and knowing him, I was aware that he hated being talked about like he wasn’t even present.

“What are we going to do with her?” Sam asked, eyeing Claudia warily.

“Take her to The Cells.” Xavier shrugged. “I don’t really care.”

“No…” I shook my head. “She can come with me for now.”

Xavier seemed surprised by this, but didn’t bother to object. He just went ahead to Vivienne’s penthouse and we followed soon after.

My father walked beside me, silently taking in the darkness of The Shade, not breathing a word. Ashley, on the other hand, chattered nonstop, updating me on what had been going on at The Shade. Sam and Claudia trailed behind us, the latter looking much like a lost little girl pining for home. I kept glancing back to check on her. I noticed how she looked at all the vampires we passed, almost as if she were wishing each of them would somehow morph into Yuri.

“Do you have any idea where Yuri is?” I eventually asked Ashley.

She shrugged and shook her head. “The last time I saw him was when we quelled the siege at the port. He keeps mostly to himself and only comes out when Derek calls for him.” She caught the direction of my eyes and looked back at Claudia. “What’s up with her?”

“She’s in love with Yuri,” I told Ashley.

At this, the blonde cheerleader-turned-vampire raised a brow. “Wow. That’s new. Claudia actually caring for someone other than herself…”

“I don’t think she realized it until after she was away from him. He’d always been there for her through the years. She took that for granted.”

“Silly girl…” Ashley muttered under her breath.

“I remember now…”

I practically jumped out of my skin when Aiden spoke up. I glanced up at him and realized that he was looking at Ashley as we continued to walk past the giant redwoods.

“What?” I asked my dad.

“Ashley… You were the daughter of James and Helen…your mother used to say that a lot about you: ‘Silly girl.’”

Despite the dimness of our surroundings, lit up only by the light of the moon and the incandescent lighting that lined the pathways, I could tell that Ashley blushed at the reminder of her parents.

“My mother always thought that I was stupid for not wanting to join in their cause and become a hunter.”

“Your father would have a field day if he ever found out that you’d become a vampire. Do you have any idea how rattled they were when you disappeared?”

“I think you and I both know that I would’ve made a lousy hunter,” Ashley responded, her voice sounding a bit choked.

“Maybe so, but being a lousy hunter certainly doesn’t mean that you can just go ahead and become the enemy.”

“The enemy? Remember where you are, Reuben. You don’t say things like that and expect to get out alive.”

Aiden raised a brow at Ashley. “Is that a threat, girl?”

At that, Ashley chuckled. “I would never dare threaten you, Reuben. Vampire or not, I have no delusions of ever winning a fight with you. I do give you a friendly warning.”

“A friendly warning…”

“Be careful, Reuben. Stay here long enough and you just might end up turning into one of us.”

Before my father could respond, I noticed how his eyes suddenly widened and his jaw slightly dropped. We’d just reached the Residences and for all the time I spent at The Shade—becoming familiar with it—I’d forgotten how gorgeous the lavish villas constructed on top of the giant trees were. We had around us a bustling community of vampires going about their business.

“This is incredible,” Aiden mouthed the first compliment—and perhaps the last one—he could possibly give to a community of vampires. “We’ve attacked many covens before and I thought The Oasis was the most impressive, but this… I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“They did well for themselves and for their kind, these Novaks…” Ashley nodded. “Welcome to The Shade, Mr. Claremont.”

Aiden began walking ahead of us and Ashley took the opportunity to link arms with me. She then whispered to my ear, “I don’t trust him. Reuben is famous for his hatred of vampires. I think he inherited the loathing from his family. It’s almost like it’s in his bloodline, until…. Well, you came along and broke the tradition.” Ashley eyed Aiden warily. “I know he’s your father, Sofia, but I know his kind. A leopard doesn’t just change its spots. He’s not here to help you cure Derek or anyone else. What does that even mean?”

I wanted to explain to Ashley that I saw Ingrid get cured, that the cure was possible, that it was my idea, but then I couldn’t silence my own suspicions about Aiden’s presence at The Shade either, so all I could say to Ashley was, “I don’t fully trust him either, Ash.”

“Then why risk us all by bringing him here, Sofia? If he ever finds a way to get the hunters here…we’re all done for…especially considering that the other vampire covens have already declared war on Derek.”

I shrugged, voicing out my own hopes for the first time. “I guess I was hoping that by being here, he could see what we saw here at The Shade.”

Ashley stopped in her tracks. “And what exactly do we see here?”

“Hope.”

CHAPTER 37: DEREK

She’s back. She’s here. Sofia has once again found her way back to me.

I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms and just be with her, but the urge to sink my teeth into the soft skin on her neck became excruciatingly unbearable the moment I laid eyes on her. As if it weren’t already enough that she had come just in time to see me rip Felix’s heart out, I couldn’t risk spending the first few minutes of our reunion drinking down her sweet blood. Still, even as I ran from her, I was keenly aware of how close she was, of how easy it would be for me to just take what I wanted from her.

If I wanted to satisfy my craving, no one could really stop me from doing as I pleased. That’s what scared me so much. Thus, I made my way to the one place with enough power to keep me from harming Sofia.

The Sanctuary.

“Back so soon? Since when can’t you get enough of my company?” Corrine watched me intently, unfazed by the fact that I’d just barged into her study unannounced.

“Sofia is back. She returned with her father and I don’t know who else.” I sank onto one of the couches inside her study, my head downcast. “She returned right after Felix and his men blew up the chilling chambers and I lost it… I blacked out and I ripped Felix’s heart out.”

“The darkness took over?”

“I don’t know what to do, Corrine.”

“What do you mean you don’t know what to do, Derek?” Corrine snapped. “Your fiancée has just returned. You go to her and you kiss her and you make her feel like she matters. What on earth are you doing here with me?”

“Don’t you think I want to do that? After all the time we’ve been apart?” I ran a hand through my hair. “I want nothing more than to be with her, Corrine, but did you not hear me? The chilling chambers are gone…along with the blood. There’s no blood left—apart from the blood running through the veins of the human beings and animals at The Shade. How on earth am I going to control my craving for Sofia?”

“Well, you’re certainly not going to be able to control it while ranting at me here, Derek. You have to face her and figure it out. One thing’s for sure…you can’t keep running away from her.”

“You’re no help at all. Don’t you have any spell to help quench the craving?” I felt like a child throwing a tantrum as I crossed my arms over my chest, but I was desperate for some sort of cure.

“Didn’t Sofia arrive saying that she and the hunters have found a cure? If you let her father administer the cure, then you wouldn’t have to come here asking for a spell, sulking like a little boy.”

“Cora would’ve given me a spell—if one existed. I know she would’ve.”

“I’m not Cora. Besides, she was in love with you. You could’ve asked her to jump off the walls of the Crimson Fortress and she would’ve done it. There’s only one person on this island who would do the same thing for you and that’s Sofia.”

“Come with me. Please.” I stood to my feet and quickly approached her, fully intending to drag her all the way to my penthouse if I had to.

“What?! No!”

“Don’t you want to see Sofia? You two are good friends. If you’re there, at least I’ll know that someone is powerful enough to stop me in case I black out and…” I grabbed Corrine’s wrist and gasped when she quickly withdrew her hand from me and gave me a tight slap right across my face.

“Pull yourself together, Novak. Sofia Claremont is far stronger than you give her credit for. Man up and give her the welcome she deserves.”

I knew that Corrine was right. I knew I was acting foolishly, but I couldn’t help it. I was afraid. I was terrified of what I was capable of doing. “How could I ever forgive myself if I cause her more pain than I already have?”