A Castle of Sand (A Shade of Vampire #3)(9)
Author: Bella Forrest

Being the best friend of the boss’s daughter did have its perks. Of course, not everyone knew my connection to Reuben. It seemed as if only Zinnia and I knew that Reuben was, in fact, Aiden Claremont, Sofia’s father.

Determined to prove that I was worthy of the special treatment I was getting, I positioned myself ready to deal one final blow onto my opponent.

“Enough!” Julian bellowed, sparing the wincing hunter more pain.

I stood to my feet, taking in deep, even breaths as I stood over the hunter. I couldn’t keep the smirk off my face. I got this in the bag.

“So? What do you think?” Zinnia asked Julian. During my stay at the headquarters, she’d become everything to me from a friend to a tour guide to my closest handler. I could tell from the get-go that she was into me, and I’d already returned her flirtatious attempts with several quips of my own, but I wasn’t ready to get into anything serious.

In every way, my heart still belonged to Sofia, and I doubted it could belong to anyone else. The slightest thought of Sofia, my best friend, my Rose Red, was enough to distract me from what was going on around me. I wondered where she was and if she was being taken care of. It sickened me to think that Derek Novak, the vampire she was inexplicably head over heels in love with, could be taking advantage of her.

I wished I’d never let her go back in the first place. After everything I’d learned during my stay with the hunters, I knew that I’d made a big mistake letting Sofia go back to The Shade. The vampires were irredeemable monsters. I should’ve known that then, but I didn’t have the heart to keep her away from what she told me she wanted. I’d been too selfish with Sofia all my life and letting her go was perhaps the first selfless act I’d ever done for her.

“Hello? Is anyone at home?” Zinnia was snapping her fingers in front of my face. She was accustomed to me spacing out on her by now, so I figured the annoyed look on her face was more on Julian’s behalf than hers. “Did you hear what Julian said?”

“I’m sorry…what?”

“I think you’re beyond any training we can give you when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. And I’ve never seen anyone master the use of a wooden stake as quickly as you did. The only thing I think you’ll need more practice on is firing a gun. In that vein, Zinnia is one of the best shooters we have. I think she’s more than capable of putting you through the training required in that area.”

A smug smile formed on Zinnia’s face, her hazelnut brown eyes glimmering with glee. “Hear that, Hudson? The best…”

“I believe he said one of the best, Wolfe.” I then turned my attention toward Julian. “So what does that all mean?”

“I think you’re ready for your first mission. I’ll discuss this with Reuben and I’ll have Zinnia inform you of the boss’s decision.”

I glanced at Zinnia just in time to see her mouth form into a surprised “whoa.”

“When do you think we’ll find out?” I asked.

Julian shrugged. “When it comes to Reuben, we never quite know. He’s always so busy—especially with the work being done to locate the Maslen and Novak covens, but since it involves you…who knows? His response may come quicker than normal.”

I winced at the implication behind what he said. Even he was convinced that I was being given some sort of special treatment. I stood still, fists clenched, as I watched Julian walk away.

Zinnia rubbed a hand over my elbow. “Hey. Don’t mind him. I’m sure you’ll be able to prove that any favors Reuben’s giving you are deserved.”

“So you think that Reuben’s really giving me favors?” I asked.

“Come on, Ben…you’re the only recruit staying in a guest suite. You flew right through training—and yeah… even I have to admit that you’re better than all the people you passed by—but still, your time here as a hawk-in-training is, let’s say, out of the ordinary.”

I looked at the tattoo of a hawk on my wrist. It was the sign that I was now a hunter—one of them, part of the international order devoted to ridding the planet of vampires. I wondered to myself what Sofia would think once she saw the tattoo. I steeled myself for when I had to kill Derek Novak—even if I had to do it right in front of her eyes.

It’s necessary, Sofia. He has to die before he totally corrupts you. When the time comes, I hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me.

“You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” Zinnia asked me, her brown eyes set on my face. “Sofia?”

I was surprised to hear her mention Sofia. I tried to recall the last time I heard my best friend’s name spoken out loud. Was it from Reuben? I couldn’t remember, but an unwelcome memory did haunt me. It was that of Vivienne Novak, Derek’s twin sister. As a last ditch attempt to pry information out of her, Reuben sent me into her cell to speak with her. She was bloodied, bruised and tortured, her fangs ripped from her mouth.

Her words haunted me. You have no idea how much you mean to her. One day, Ben, you’re going to look beyond yourself and you’re going to see Sofia as she is. Once you see the world through her eyes, you will understand. You could be great, Ben.

Ignoring Zinnia’s question, I shook my head and began walking toward the showers. “What happened to Vivienne? Is she dead?”

Zinnia kept pace with me, having to take at least two strides with every one of mine. “I don’t know. I never thought to ask. Didn’t Reuben say that he had her executed?”

“Yeah… I just…” I sighed and shook my head. “It’s nothing.” I stopped in front of the locker room and pointed toward the door. “I’ll just take a quick shower, okay?”

I miss you so much, Sofia. As I took a shower, I went through for the umpteenth time everything that happened between us. She was into me for so long. I took advantage of that knowledge and in so doing, I lost her. She deserves better than me, but ‘better than me’ definitely isn’t Derek Novak. My gut clenched to think that she felt more valued being with the vampire prince than with me. I really screwed it up with her.

It felt hopeless, like I could never get her back, but I refused to entertain that particular emotion. She was too important to me to just give up on. I was going to get her back.

I twisted the shower’s brass knobs and the steady stream of water rushing down onto my body stopped. My resolution was clear. I’m going to get Sofia back. Right after I help destroy The Shade and every single vampire within it.