A Blaze of Sun (A Shade of Vampire #5)(57)
Author: Bella Forrest

I knew what he was thinking. I’d be a young widow. He’s afraid of what that would do to me. I grabbed his arm and squeezed tight. “Thank you.”

He gave me a quizzical glance. “For what?”

“For being a father to me. For not trying to stop this. For making me feel like I have your blessing.”

Aiden laid his arm over my shoulder and pulled me closer. “I want you to be happy, Sofia, and I know that no man in this world can make you happy the way Derek does. For that, I am grateful to him.” He kissed my temple and then my cheek. “No matter what you decide, I’ll be right here to support you. We’re family, and if you want Derek to be your husband, then vampire or not, he’s my family too.”

I couldn’t keep the tears from streaming down my face. I had no idea if he realized how much that meant to me. I twisted toward him and kissed his cheek. “Thank you… Dad. It means the world to me to hear you say that.”

We pulled away from our embrace and he then chuckled wryly as he looked me over. “You’re about to marry a five-hundred-year-old vampire, Sofia – one of the most powerful ones. I would think you’d be a little more nervous.”

It was my turn to chuckle. Marrying Derek was a decision I knew I would never regret. “I don’t have a reason to be nervous,” I told him. “He is who he is and I am who I am and even if we were born centuries apart, I know that we belong together.”

My father’s face softened and he kissed me on the forehead. “Derek Novak is a lucky man to have you, Sofia.”

I smiled, amazed at the sense of worth I was able to build throughout the time I spent in The Shade, because I actually believed it when I responded to my father saying, “Yes. He is. He’s just as lucky to have me as I am to have him.”

Chapter 42: Derek

The Sanctuary’s lush garden was a sight to behold. The bright moon shone down on the gazebo, its white façade shimmering with an almost ethereal glow. The stone pathway was lined with white roses from Vivienne’s greenhouse. Wooden seats cushioned with red pillows were positioned on either side of the pathway.

Everything about The Sanctuary was breathtaking that night. Everyone had been working hard the past three days to make this wedding happen and now, it was here.

Sofia Claremont was about to become my wife.

As I stood at the end of the pathway, wearing a crisp black tuxedo, images of Sofia walking down the aisle filled my mind. She was about to become mine. My lovely, vibrant, stunning Sofia… The idea that I was about to marry her caused a whirlwind of ecstasy to surface within me.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Ashley stepped next to me, a smug smile on her face.

“Breathtaking,” I admitted before checking her over from head to foot. She was wearing a loose pink top and jeans. “You’re wearing that for my wedding?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Rosa and I were busy getting Sofia prepared when Aiden showed up for a father-daughter talk. I thought I’d take the time to check if everything is as it should be in here. There’s so much to do, I didn’t have time to get ready myself.” She then looked me over. “I gotta say… you clean up well, Novak.”

The compliment fell on deaf ears. I swallowed hard at the idea of Aiden possibly talking Sofia out of the wedding. I cleared my throat.

Apparently, after everything we’d been through, Ashley knew me well enough to tell when I was anxious about something. “Eh, don’t worry your pretty little head about that, Derek. I doubt anything can be said or done to convince that crazy girl not to marry you.”

“So you think Aiden is convincing her not to go ahead with this?”

“He’s Reuben, one of the most powerful hunters of all time. Aiden wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t at least try.” She heaved a sigh before tapping me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Everything will be alright.” She clicked her tongue over the roof of her mouth and nodded. “Looks like everything is all set up here. I’m gonna go get dressed. Hopefully, by the time I’m done, Aiden and Sofia’s father-daughter drama is over.”

As Ashley walked away, I found myself wanting to ease my nerves so I walked over to the grand piano and began playing the first tune that came to mind. Every note brought back memories of Sofia… The first night she spent with me in the Music Room of my penthouse, the look on her face when she showed me the Sun Room, the surprise in her eyes when I asked her to marry me.

“So this is it, huh?” a gentle, familiar voice spoke up. I looked up to find Vivienne leaning against the piano, a smile on her lovely face. “My brother is finally getting hitched.” She took the seat on the bench beside me. “Took you long enough.”

“You made this possible, Vivienne. You brought Sofia back to me so many times.”

A smile crossed her face as she nodded. “You two were meant to be together. It’s funny that it took hundreds of years before you finally found your soul mate, Derek. I just wish Dad and Lucas were here to be a part of it.”

I paused and stared at her. Neither my father or brother would’ve wanted me to marry Sofia. But she’d always seen the goodness in them and I wasn’t about to ruin that. So I just nodded before grinning at how clueless my sister was. “You’re going to find yours too.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Xavier, looking rather debonair in his gray suit, coming into the venue. I couldn’t keep the smirk off my face. “Truth be told, Vivienne, I think you’ve already found him. You’re just too blind to realize it.”

Even with her being the Seer of The Shade, my sister was far from being all-knowing, especially when it came to matters of the heart.

“What do you mean?” she asked me in bewilderment.

I chuckled and shook my head. “You’ll realize soon enough, Vivienne.”

I knew she was about to pry but a foreboding form suddenly caught my attention. Aiden was approaching us. I knew I should’ve talked to him during the past three days, but I intentionally avoided him. I didn’t want him to try to talk me out of marrying Sofia. I didn’t want to go into the whole thing with apprehensions circling my mind. It seemed Sofia felt the same way, but then here he was… This was inevitable.

“May I have a word with you, Derek?” he asked just before he took the final step toward the piano, drumming his fingers over its surface.

Vivienne, eager to get out of the tense situation, nodded her head. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.”