A Shadow of Light (A Shade of Vampire #4)(33)
Author: Bella Forrest

“Right.” I nodded curtly. “How?”

“Let’s just go in guns blazing—so to speak—and just kill everyone. The island would be better off without the likes of them if you ask me…” Xavier said. Always the hothead.

Sounds great. Let’s do that. “We can’t afford to do that. We have to be able to do this with as little bloodshed as possible.” In this, I was firm, though I had no doubt in my mind that it was against my natural instincts. Perhaps that’s why Xavier and I got along so well. We’re both so trigger-happy.

“Why?” Yuri spat. “They’ve betrayed you. They’re out to ruin The Shade.”

I’m sure it’s what Sofia would have done. I straightened up on my seat. “These men fought and bled with us through First Blood. They may be misguided by whatever lies my father weaved to discredit me, but if we are to reach true sanctuary then we have to find a way to work together. Our military force is paralyzed without them. If the other covens attack without them on our side, it will be the end of us.”

Silence ensued. None of us knew what to do.

Xavier broke the silence. “Why is the general assembly necessary? And at the town square, Derek? The humans would be like sitting ducks there. What if Gregor and Felix attack?”

“What would they do?” Liana interjected. “Murder the entire human population? Even Felix isn’t stupid enough to do that. Let’s not forget that he’s one of the vampires who once was advocating better rights for the humans…”

“That’s because he was still in love with Anna at that time.” Yuri waved her comment off. “I honestly think that he wouldn’t mind killing her now.”

“Wait…” Eli lifted his glasses over the bridge of his nose.

I could practically see the wheels winding inside Eli’s genius mind.

“This could work to our advantage,” he spoke up. “If we could lure some of the vampires at the port into the assembly, then we’d have a better chance of taking over the port.”

“We still won’t be able to get in.” Xavier shook his head. “They’ll attack us the moment we’re at the narrow staircase.”

“No, no… This can work.” I shook my head before sending Eli an encouraging look. “We don’t have to pass through there. The port isn’t the only way out of the island.” I swallowed hard. The Lighthouse was my long kept secret. Only Vivienne, Cora and Sofia were aware of it. The shore near the lighthouse was where Cora and I drifted to the island from the shipwreck we were in five hundred years ago. Aside from the port and that small patch of shore near the lighthouse, the island was surrounded by rocky boulders and cliffs.

All eyes were on me, as they waited with bated breath, for what I was about to say.

“First off all,” I began, “who among us knows how to swim?”

I grinned inwardly as our plan took form. Gregor Novak won’t know what hit him. I couldn’t help but smirk at the notion. Well, what’s new?

CHAPTER 28: SOFIA

Aiden escorted me to where they were keeping Ingrid. Anxious wasn’t too befitting a word to describe how I felt about seeing Ingrid again. I fumbled with my fingers nervously, wondering why on earth she had such an effect on me.

She’s your mother, Sofia. If what Zinnia was saying is true, then you’re about to see a tortured version of her—the same way Vivienne looks now. The idea made me sick to my stomach. I knew that no matter what Ingrid did, I could never really wish her wrong. No matter how insane she was, to me, she would always be Camilla Claremont.

I gave my father a glance, wondering to myself if he felt the same way. A wave of nostalgia hit me, remembering what coming home from school was like when we were still together as a family.

He always came on time. I never once had to wait. Whenever the school bell rang and I ran down the front steps of the red brick school building that I went to for my elementary education, I could always expect the black BWM waiting for me at the parking lot.

Most of the time, my dad wouldn’t be inside the car. Instead, he’d be leaning against the passenger side door, arms crossed over his chest and a big smile on his face.

“Hello, baby,” he greeted me, before taking my backpack away from me and putting it on the passenger’s seat. “Would you like some ice cream?”

“Yes!” This was routine. We never went home without some sort of treat—ice cream, candy, perhaps a smoothie.

He would tell me to hush and not tell my mother, but once we reached home, I would tell her anyway and he would make a mess out of my hair for getting him into trouble.

After the afternoon snack, we would drive home together and he would ask me how my day was. He never once made me feel like he wasn’t listening. He always seemed genuinely interested and actually delighted with what I had to say.

More often than not, once we got home, we would find my mother in the kitchen or in her study. I loved her study. Of course, I wasn’t allowed to touch any of them, but there were so many interesting trinkets and artifacts in there. Every single one of them had a fascinating story behind it. The Red Orb was my favorite. My dad said that it was how he had gotten my mother to fall in love with him. I loved that story.

Dinner was never without laughter, and there were always plenty of hugs and kisses to go around. I was a happy child. I felt loved. I never would’ve imagined that things would turn out the way that they did.

I always felt like Aiden adored me and I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea that Camilla held any form of resentment toward me. We were a picture perfect family. Perhaps that was why it was all the more traumatic for me when they had abandoned me. It didn’t help either that growing up, I was diagnosed with so many psychological disorders—ranging from ADHD to OCD. It wasn’t until I reached The Shade that Corrine figured out exactly “what was wrong” with me. I had LLI or Low Latent Inhibition. It heightened my senses. No filters. I could hear, see, feel, sense everything going on around me at the same time. I wondered if this was the reason I felt deeply for those in pain.

I remembered all the times that pain was inflicted upon me and I shuddered—even more so when I remembered seeing Derek in the dungeons of The Oasis. I couldn’t stand the sight of him. I could practically feel his agony. I knew then that I would rather die than ever be held captive by Borys Maslen.

“You’re shaking, Sofia.” Aiden broke through my thoughts. “Nervous?”