A Shadow of Light (A Shade of Vampire #4)(28)
Author: Bella Forrest

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.

I wondered if this really would be a promise I had to break.

CHAPTER 23: SOFIA

“Sofia…” Tears began rushing down Vivienne’s face. She stumbled forward as I stood up from the bed to embrace her. When we hugged, I realized how thin she was, how emaciated. Her skin was deathly pale and lacking all luster. Her lips were chapped and dry and she had scars all over her arms.

“What have they done to you?” I whispered.

She shook her head. “Nothing. They’ve been good to me, Sofia. I’m really glad to see you again. Have they been treating you well?”

We pulled apart from each other and I gave my father a suspicious look. “Yes, Viv. I’m fine. We thought you were dead, Vivienne. We had a ceremony for you at the Vale and everything.”

She stared blankly at me almost as if she had no idea what I was talking about. “Dead? Me? Of course not… I just… Well, it doesn’t matter. You’re here now.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward a set of two couches with a round coffee table in between located near the windows of my bedroom. “Let’s catch up. Tell me everything that’s been going on since you came here to headquarters.”

I sat uncomfortably on my seat, wondering what was wrong with Vivienne. I looked at my father and found him nodding my way.

“I’ll leave you two to catch up?” he asked cordially.

I couldn’t help but frown as he left without waiting for my consent. I once again shifted my attention to Vivienne who seemed oddly perky—something she was never known to be back at The Shade. Vivienne was mysterious, serious and serene. She was calm and collected in a way no one I knew was. This Vivienne sitting across me was antsy and anxious. My stomach knotted at the suspicions rising up in my mind. What have they done to you, Vivienne?