A Gate of Night (A Shade of Vampire #6)(5)
Author: Bella Forrest

Derek forced a smile. “The room just reminded her of someone important to her. That’s all.”

Monica gave me a sympathetic glance but she obviously had no idea how to handle the situation.

“We’re just going to get a breath of fresh air,” Derek said, before gently tugging me to follow him before I could break down in tears.

We were in the front yard when the waterworks began. I buried my face into Derek’s chest, my arms wrapping around his waist. Guilt was taking hold of me. After the funeral, I’d kept telling myself to give the Hudsons a call, but there had been just too much going on. I owed Ben and his family more than I could ever give them.

Derek seemed to be reading my thoughts. “Sofia, we both know everything that happened after Ben’s funeral. I’m sure they will understand that you weren’t able to communicate with them. I’m sure Ben would’ve understood.”

“I know, I know…” I tried to get a hold of myself as I pulled away from Derek.

He began gently wiping my tears away. “What do you want to do now?” He cupped my face with his hands. “We are still on our honeymoon.”

I gave it some thought. Monica had just stepped out of the house, locking the front door behind her. She had probably realized that there was no way we were going to buy the house. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and looked at Derek. “I’m not sure if I’m being insensitive here, but would you maybe want to check out another house?”

Derek looked at me. I shrugged. “Why not?”

The smile on Derek’s face said that he loved the idea of exploring homes with me. He turned toward Monica and said, “Do you have any beachfront homes available?”

Monica’s shoulders perked up. “Yes, actually… however, I have to warn you that most of those homes are outside the budget range you gave me in our initial conversation…”

That charming grin I loved so much appeared on Derek’s face. “Let’s just say our finances have improved.”

Monica looked as if she’d just hit the jackpot.

Chapter 4: Derek

The six-bedroom oceanfront villa was situated on the edge of a cliff and had one of the most breathtaking views I’d ever seen. The home was already fully furnished and I could see myself building a life and starting a family here.

“You like it, don’t you?” Sofia asked as she took a step into the master bedroom’s terrace with me.

It was the third home that Monica had brought us to, not counting the Hudsons’ house, and so far, this was my favorite. I nodded enthusiastically. “Don’t you?”

Sofia gave me a smile as she breathed a deep sigh and nodded. “I do. I love it actually. It’s bigger than what I’m used to, especially for just the two of us, but…”

I smiled at her suggestively. “Well, it’s not going to be just the two of us forever, is it, Sofia? I can see our kids running all over this place.”

“Oh really?” She blushed.

I gave her a nod as I placed my hands over her waist and pulled her slim form against me before claiming her lips with mine. After all this time, I still wasn’t used to how fragile she felt in my arms, like I could snap her in two if I wanted to. Even without being of a vampire, I was still a lot stronger than she was. Yet, in so many other ways, she was stronger than I was.

When she pulled away from me, her milky skin was flushed red and her lips were swollen. I can see why Ben called her Rose Red.

“Derek,” Sofia muttered, motioning to our guide.

Monica cleared her throat. I suspected she was starting to think that she was wasting her time with us. After all, Sofia and I looked like two teenagers way in over our heads when we’d decided to get married at such a young age.

So, without thinking it through, I decided to ease her doubts. “We’re going to buy the house, Monica.”

Her face lit up with delight. When she told us the price of the property, Sofia’s jaw dropped. “Derek, what are you doing? How on earth are we going to afford this?”

I couldn’t help but smile at Sofia’s naïveté. “Sofia, do you really think we could run a place like The Shade if we didn’t have money? Besides, your father told me to look at houses if the chance presented itself. In case you have forgotten, your father is a multi-millionaire.”

Sofia’s face was priceless. Queen of The Shade or not, she was one wealthy young woman.

“When shall we discuss payment, Mr. Miller?” Monica asked.

“It’s Novak. The name is Derek Novak, and this is my wife, Sofia. We have no idea who the Millers are. For all we know, they showed up at the house wondering why their agent didn’t show up.”

Monica looked taken aback, but then said, “Oh, it doesn’t matter. I’m just honestly relieved to make a sale today!”

“Uhm… Could we give you a call tomorrow?” Sofia stepped forward. “I’d like to talk it over with my husband first.”

“I thought you said you liked the house, Sofia.”

“I do, but Derek…” She gave me a sharp look before muttering beneath her breath. “I don’t understand why we’re buying the home. What for? Our home is The Shade, isn’t it?”

The truth was that I wanted this. I wanted to forget The Shade and live a life with her. I wanted to be the father of her children and to see them grow up to have normal lives, away from hunters and vampires. I was exhausted. I’d been bearing the weight of being the ruler and savior of The Shade for centuries. Now we had found the cure, wasn’t my role done? I had brought my kind to true sanctuary.

Wasn’t it time to find a sanctuary of my own?

Chapter 5: Sofia

Back in our hotel room, I snuggled against Derek on the king-sized bed. His fingers brushed over my bare shoulders.

“Don’t you want that, Sofia? A home, a family, a safe place for our kids to grow up in? Away from all the wars and…”

“Derek, do you honestly believe that we can get away from all that? My father tried to give me a shot at normalcy, and look where I ended up. And we can’t abandon The Shade. This time away has been wonderful, but people we care about are back at that island, and as much as I’ve tried not to worry, I’m anxious over what’s going on back there. Aren’t you wondering?”

“Of course I am, but…” Derek heaved a sigh. “Sofia, we’ve done it. We brought the vampires to true sanctuary. We found the cure. Maybe it’s time someone else took over the burden of ruling The Shade.”