A Shade of Blood (A Shade of Vampire #2)(64)
Author: Bella Forrest

Corrine went down a spiral wooden staircase leading to the level below. We followed. I could sense curious eyes on us as we trailed behind Corrine who didn’t even bother to check if we were still following her.

“A vampire and his migrate…” a young woman whispered to an elderly one with graying hair.

“Beautiful young woman,” the older woman responded. “Poor thing.”

I knew Derek heard too because his grip on my hand tightened just enough for me to sense his tension, but not enough for it to be painful.

We kept following Corrine as she took a turn toward a tunnel – wider than the one we entered. It was the same tunnel the children had retreated to. We passed several arched doorways. I strained my neck to see what was through them, but only saw darkness. Corrine kept walking until she stopped in front of one of these entrances. We walked in and found the two children we saw earlier bundled up with their mother – a beautiful woman with dark auburn hair and a sad smile. Sorrow filled her eyes. Inside what I assumed was their home, were three cots – very similar to the ones found in the Cells. An old table was positioned in one corner of the room, upon which a single candle flickered.

Corrine must’ve noticed me staring at the candle. “Not all the areas of the Catacombs have electricity – even though The Shade’s power plant wouldn’t even exist without human labor. Those who don’t have electricity get a ration of candles every week – candles that humans also make.” Her eyes were on Derek.

I shifted glances between my two companions and shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “How do they generate electricity?”

Derek answered me this time. “An effort was made to make sure that The Shade was as self-sufficient as possible. The island has its own power plant, farms, factories… made possible by humans who live on the island.”

“When the island is in need of certain expertise,” Corrine added, “the vampires abduct someone who has it. No human abducted has ever been able to leave the island. Until Ben and you…”

At this, I gave Derek a grateful glance, knowing fully the risks he took by letting us go. He didn’t even look my way. Corrine shrugged it off and stepped into the room. The auburn haired woman was whispering consolations to her children before she looked up at us. Fear was in her eyes – magnified tenfold when she saw Derek standing by the door.

“Corrine…” she shook her head, her lips trembling. “Please…”

“Don’t worry, Lily. He’s not here for you or the children.”

Derek flinched. He let go of my hand. I looked up at him and brushed a hand over his elbow before following Corrine inside. He remained by the door.

“I’m Sofia…” I introduced myself, my eyes specifically on the two little children.

“Lily.” She smiled faintly, but she still looked shaken, her eyes flitting from me to Derek. “These are my children. Rob and Madeline.”

“How old are they?” I asked.

She didn’t seem to appreciate my interest in her children. I found that strange because most mothers I knew – Amelia for one – pounced at the chance to talk about their kids. Not Lily. She put her arms around her children and gulped before answering, “Rob is seven. Madeline is five.”

“Relax, honey. She’s the girl I was telling you about,” Corrine tried to soothe her. The information made her even more nervous. Her eyes fell on Derek.

“That means he’s…”

Corrine nodded. “Derek Novak.”

Tears began to show in Lily’s eyes. “I can’t lose my children!”

“Why would you lose your children, Lily? No one’s going to take them from…”

I was silenced by the look of pity she gave me and then her kids. “You don’t understand, Sofia. You’re a Migrate. You weren’t born here. You don’t know what it’s like. I fear for my children, because just like my husband was, they’re beautiful. Beauty isn’t something you want your children to have. Not here at The Shade. Beauty almost always assures death.”

I gave Corrine a questioning look, not quite sure what to make of what I’d just been told. Lily’s husband… was?

“After the prince ordered a halt to all human abductions, one of the vampires saw Lily’s husband, Kiev, working in a factory. She took a liking to him and took him as her slave. He was returned to Lily a few days later as a corpse. Lily’s eldest son, Gavin, has taken his father’s place at the factory,” Corrine explained as she gently brushed her hand over Lily’s hair. She faced the young widow, who was obviously reliving the nightmare of losing her beloved husband and gave a word of assurance. “No one’s going to take Rob and Madeline from you. Not today. Rest assured for now.”

Lily nodded, but not without glancing once again at Derek.

I looked at the two children again. Lily was right. They were beautiful. As I let the information sink in, breathing became quite a task. This is wrong. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. I grabbed Lily’s hand.

“I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure that no one ever lays a hand on your children, Lily.”

“Thank you.” She embraced me.

I completely tensed at the words she whispered into my ear. She voiced out my worst fear.

“Don’t be naïve, Sofia. Vampires always tire of their pets. The prince will eventually tire of you. What then?”

CHAPTER 44: DEREK

Standing there, listening to the woman express her fear for her children’s safety, I remembered why I never bothered to visit the Catacombs. The place made me feel helpless to do anything about the plight of the humans living on the island.

We were vampires. We fed on blood to survive. That was our curse.

Rob and Madeline. They were indeed beautiful children, who would one day grow up to become an attractive young man and a gorgeous young lady. Lily had a reason to be afraid. Hell… she should also fear for herself. I dared catch a glimpse of her, noting how lovely she looked. She pulled Sofia in for an embrace and whispered something in Sofia’s ear. I noticed how Sofia’s form suddenly stiffened against Lily. She pulled away from the young woman and flinched when Corrine gently laid a hand on her shoulder. My brows furrowed, wondering what Lily said.

“It was nice to meet you, Lily.” Sofia’s voice was hoarse and broken.

A lump formed in my throat when she turned around and looked at me with such a pained expression, I had to take a step backward to recover my wits about me. Fear, deep sorrow and a million or so doubts – none of which I felt capable to ease – mingled in the expression of her glistening green eyes.