I laughed, poking him in the shoulder.

“Don’t let my brother hear you say that.” There was a pause as we both gazed into each other’s eyes.

Despite my attempts to quiet my hopes, Xavier’s enthusiasm was contagious and it was slowly infecting me.

“Of course,” I said, “there’s always a small chance we could be blessed with twins, like Derek and Sofia were…” He shifted on the bed and, raising himself on all fours, positioned himself over me.

He dipped down and kissed my lips.

“All the better,” he said.

As I eased into my husband’s embrace, my head jerked back against the bed as though I’d just been electrocuted.

I’d managed to pass our honeymoon without even the slightest of visions, but now one took hold of me.

My blood pounded in my ears as a disquieting scene unfolded before my mind’s eye.

A dark, treeless terrain sprawled out beneath me.

The pale rays of the moon fell upon field after field of faded, moss-stained tombstones.

Every foot of the landscape seemed to be covered with them.

When I glimpsed the glistening ocean in the distance, I realized this was an island.

But it was only once I caught sight of a familiar lighthouse perched among a cluster of rocks, that I realized this was The Shade.

Once our home.

Now a sea of graves.

When I came to and Xavier, gripping me by the shoulders, managed to pull me upright, all I could do was gasp: “I need to warn Derek.”

Chapter 39: Ben

Tobias the cancer patient’s “half-turning” appeared to be successful, at least from what I could tell.

His convulsions finally stopped, as did his vomiting.

At first, when I opened his cabin door to go in and inspect him, I feared he might be dead.

But I felt his pulse—he was alive, just unconscious.

I was struck immediately by how cold he felt—almost as cold as me—and I noticed he was trembling ever so slightly.

I wrapped a blanket around him before leaving the cabin again.

Picking up the black phone Jeramiah had given me, I dialed his number.

He picked up after seven rings.

“Joseph?” “I appear to have been successful in half-turning a man.

I don’t notice any claws or fangs, yet he’s clearly still alive.” “Is his skin cold?” “Yes.” “That’s a good sign.

Stay where you are.

I’ll be with you in five minutes.” Five minutes? “Wait, how do you even know where—?” Jeramiah hung up before I could complete my question.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket.

How could he get here so quickly? Could he have been stalking me all this time? I climbed up to the hatch and opened it, poking my head out and scanning the shore. I didn’t notice anyone.

I remained standing for the next few minutes and almost jumped out of my skin when there was a sudden thudding beneath me in the submarine. I feared for a moment Tobias had come to and was attempting to break out of his cabin.

But as I descended the ladder, my eyes fell on Jeramiah standing in the passageway, his arm around a tall young woman with sleek black hair and narrow eyes. “How did—?” Jeramiah chuckled at my surprise.

“Meet Amaya,” he said, gesturing toward the woman. “One of our witches.” She gave me a smile and held out a thin hand for me to shake. “So where is he?” Jeramiah asked, his sharp blue eyes settling on me as he tightened his long hair in a bun. I gestured toward the cabin where I was keeping Tobias.

Jeramiah opened the door and stepped inside. I walked in after him, leaving Amaya standing in the corridor. Jeramiah ran his hands along the man’s arms as he looked him over. Then he gripped his jaw and examined his face. Finally he turned back to me and nodded. “Seems you’ve done it.” He nodded at Amaya and scooped Tobias up in his arms.

“Let’s go.” I wasn’t even given time to ask where we were headed before Amaya gripped my and Tobias’ arms, and my surroundings disappeared. As a blur of colors assaulted my vision, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was yet another mistake. I could be headed to my death for all I knew.

All I could do was hope that, wherever these strangers were taking me, it would be a place where I could find myself… rather than lose myself further.

Ready for the next part of Derek, Sofia and the twins’ story? A Shade of Vampire 14: A Dawn of Strength is available now from Amazon!: Click here to grab your copy.

Here’s a preview of the awesome cover (you may need to turn to the next page for it to be visible): I can’t wait to share it with you! See you there… Love, Bella x P.S.