A Castle of Sand (A Shade of Vampire #3)(14)
Author: Bella Forrest

“What’s so special about her anyway?” I asked.

Borys and Ingrid gave me wary glances.

“I didn’t expect that Derek would have such a heavy ace against me. First, Vivienne. Now, Sofia.”

I stared at him. Does he actually think that Derek is keeping Sofia as some sort of hostage to cause umbrage against him? “I doubt that Derek is keeping Sofia to spite you, Borys,” I said carefully, surprised that I was defending my younger brother.

“Then what good would the teenager do him?” Borys frowned.

“I told you…I’m pretty sure Derek is in love with her. If you get Sofia in your hands then it’s you who would have an ace against my brother.”

Borys sat up straight on the couch he was slouched on. “How do you propose we get Sofia in our hands?”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I wasn’t one to boast about my average intelligence, but Borys—cruel brute that he was—really wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box. I looked at Ingrid. Perhaps that’s why she’s proven to be invaluable to him. She’s his brain.

Ingrid stretched and purred on her recliner before breathing out a sigh. “This conversation isn’t going anywhere. It’s a waste of my time.”

“I’d just like to know why you want Sofia,” I pried.

Ingrid gave me a calculating look before finally nodding as if deciding for herself that she could trust me with the information she was about to give. “When I asked Borys to turn me into a vampire, he agreed to do it on one condition. I was to give him my daughter. I agreed. Thus, Borys turned me. When we set off to retrieve Sofia from the States, my husband, Aiden, already realized what we were after. He took my daughter away from me and hid her somewhere. I have no idea how, but he managed to obscure her from all our attempts to sense her and track her down.”

I shifted my weight over the edge of my bed as I digested the information she just told me, wondering how I could use it to my advantage. Too late. Ingrid stood from her seat and looked at me with sheer agitation.

“Are you not weary of this pointless conversation we’re having with your enemy’s brother, Borys?”

“I am.” Borys nodded, the expression on his face stoic. “And I’m not sure we can fully trust him. Not yet.”

I swallowed hard. The conversation had suddenly taken a dangerous turn. “Look…I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t desperate. Desperation calls for loyalty as a necessity.”

“If you really are pledging allegiance to us, you will help us get Sofia.” Ingrid tilted her head to the side, not a trace of maternal affection in her expression. She talked about Sofia as if she were talking about a piece of property we were all haggling over.

“I told you… I don’t know how to help you… Derek is going to kill me the moment I step back into The Shade. I don’t have any allies there.” Except maybe Claudia, but she’s more an ally to herself than to anyone else.

“All I hear are excuses, Novak.” Borys now also rose from his seat and walked toward Ingrid. He brushed a hand through Ingrid’s red hair, and I had no doubt in my mind that with each fond caress, he had Sofia on his mind. “Make a way. If you don’t bring us Sofia soon, you will die. I expect a report on your progress within the week.”

I watched, completely stunned, as the odd duo walked out of the room, with Ingrid looking like a redheaded goddess, graceful and stunning, while Borys stomped out with as much grace as an ox. I frowned, wondering how I’d gotten myself into this nightmare.

Still, there was a ray of sunshine—the possibility of having Sofia within The Oasis’ tombs. The idea of once again laying my hands on the girl I craved so deeply was enough to make me smile.

I mused over the things I could possibly do in order to get Sofia to The Oasis. The first step suddenly became clear in my mind. I need to contact Natalie Borgia.

CHAPTER 11: DEREK

The look in Sofia’s eyes the last time we spoke haunted me. I told her that I would pursue her, that I would find a way for what we had to last forever, but I hadn’t the slightest clue how to do that. She was an ache in my heart that I knew would never go away until I was certain that she would be mine to keep for eternity.

When her birthday came, it felt like losing a precious year. The night before it, I was moping around like a dismal sap over the feeling of her slipping away from my grasp. I was being pathetic and I knew it, but I couldn’t help myself.

Still, the day came and I was determined to set myself aside in order to make her happy. That was her day. I wasn’t going to ruin it with my selfishness.

I sneaked into her room in the wee hours of what could be considered as morning at The Shade. I was disturbed to see that her beautiful face was marred with agitation as she whispered in her sleep. She was clutching her blanket so tightly, her knuckles had become white. She began tossing and turning on the bed and a cold sweat was forming on her brow.

No other person in the world could make me as anxious and worried as she could. I hurried forward and sat near her on the bed, unsure of what to do.

“Sofia?” I breathed out as I tentatively ran a hand over her bare arm.

“No!!” she screamed the moment my hand came in contact with her. She slapped it away. “Don’t touch me! No!” Tears began streaming down her face, her eyes still shut.

Panic surged within me, desperate to get her out of the nightmare she was in. All caution toward gentleness left me as I began shaking her awake. “Wake up, Sofia.”

“No!” She screamed once again before jolting up on the bed in a sitting position, her whole body trembling. The last time I saw her this terrified was when she woke up to find Gwen murdered in her bedroom.

When her eyes finally settled on me, I was almost sure she’d scream from fright, so I was relieved when she gasped “Derek!” before throwing her arms around me. “Don’t let them take me!” she whispered into my ear, her embrace tightening around my neck.

Her words gripped at my chest. “Shh…it was just a dream, Sofia…no one’s going to take you away…not while I’m around.” My heart began to pound just at the idea of anyone attempting to take her from me. “Everything’s going to be alright,” I assured her. The way her body was shaking did little to ease my fears, even though I was desperately trying to ease hers.

It took a couple of minutes before she finally calmed down.

“Don’t leave me…” she pleaded, sounding childlike and unsure.