A Gate of Night (A Shade of Vampire #6)(55)
Author: Bella Forrest

By the time she left me, I had one thought ruling in my mind. I need to escape from this hell hole. It’s the only way I can get away from Clara. It’s the only way I can kill her.

Escape was easy. Being safe from the Elder’s rule once I was gone was a whole different thing. My eyes once again wandered back to Sofia.

She really is my only way out.

Chapter 39: Derek

Not long after the conversation I had with Vivienne, I took a quick shower and we were off to breakfast with Arron in a dimly lit room with no windows, as a way of protecting my sister from the sunlight.

Breakfast consisted of pancakes, butter and maple syrup. I was starving, so the moment food was served, I had no inhibitions in wolfing my breakfast down.

Aiden, who seemed to be satisfied with his cup of coffee, stared at me like I had somehow gone mad. Vivienne watched curiously while Arron had his typically deadpan expression on his face as he stirred a cup of tea for himself.

“I see the king’s being human has made him appreciate our delicacies more than the delicacies enjoyed by vampires such as yourself, princess,” Arron said.

Vivienne just shrugged a shoulder. “I can’t deny that I envy him. It’s been centuries since I last enjoyed a meal.”

“Ah, yes… you’re one of the rare few who never killed a human for his blood. I admire that about you, Miss Novak.”

Vivienne seemed ill at ease.

I couldn’t have cared less. I hadn’t eaten since I left The Sanctuary and I knew that if I didn’t enjoy the spread we were given now, there was a big possibility I wouldn’t be able to wolf down a meal anytime soon. Unlike when I was a vampire, I could only last so long without food as a human. I bit into my last slice of pancake and took a gulp from my orange juice.

I swallowed then laid my palms on the table in front of me. “Let’s get to business, shall we?”

“About time.”

“I’m not going to play around with you, Arron. I know who you work for and I know why this organization is so hell bent on ending vampires. But we both know that it’s not this earth’s vampires that you really want to end. You just want to win this war you have with the Elders. We humans are just caught in between.”

“I see the witches have been talking about us while you were in their realm.”

“They have. Now, what must we do to secure your help in rescuing my wife and all the other citizens of The Shade whom the Elders held captive?”

“First of all, you’re going to speak to me with respect, boy. I don’t care how old you are. I am an immortal and you will address me as such.”

I noticed the spark of interest in both Vivienne and Aiden’s faces.

“An immortal? You?” I challenged. “See, I don’t even know what you are. Why on earth should I speak to you with respect?”

“Because it’s my help that you need.”

“Really? So the fact that I was able to kill at least a dozen Elders doesn’t matter to you?”

Arron’s eyes grew wide. “What are you talking about?”

“Back at The Shade,” Vivienne spoke up, “when he arrived to find the Elders making us fight one another to the death in an arena, Derek was able to kill the Elders who’d possessed some of the vampires there, using them as vessels. At first, he also killed the vessel the Elder inhabited, but with Corrine’s magic protecting the vessels, Derek was able to end the lives of the Elders with his fire.”

“Corrine? The now powerless witch?”

We all nodded.

“The Ageless took away her power for helping us.”

“Typical,” Arron mumbled beneath his breath. He then turned toward Aiden. “Is this true?”

Aiden nodded. “I wasn’t there when it happened. I was unconscious after one of their beasts attacked me, bit me right in the neck.” He showed Arron the wound.

Arron seemed disconcerted by the sight. “Beasts? Their vampire mutts? What happened to them?”

“I hadn’t noticed.” Vivienne shook her head. “Everything was happening too quickly. I’m assuming they’re still at the Catacombs.”

“Hm. Anyway that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are right. For once, we want the same thing. We want to stop the Elders. It’s bad enough that their kind have entered this realm, but they’re turning so many humans into vampires for a reason.”

“What’s that?”

“They’re building an army against us.”

I drummed my fingers on the dining table. “Sounds to me like you need us more than we need you.”

“Don’t be a fool, young king. We both know how desperate you are to have your wife back in your arms.”

I waited for him to talk about Sofia being with child. Doesn’t he know? I wondered what they would think once they knew. Would they want my child too? I chose to keep it a secret, and considering that neither Aiden nor Vivienne spoke about it, I imagined they also thought it best that the Guardians not know.

“Fine. We all have something at stake. So? Can we now agree to work together?”

“Not until we’ve discussed several conditions. Do you have any?”

“We are not pledging any loyalty to the hunters. We are loyal to our loved ones. We are loyal to our own conscience, to what we believe is right.”

“This means what exactly?”

“It means we can leave this place when we please,” Aiden verified. “Once the task is done, our commitment to one another is over.”

“I’m afraid that won’t work out. You see, we can fight against the Elders without you. The only thing you have to offer that we don’t have is the location of The Blood Keep. I’m not even sure you know that.”

“You don’t have Derek,” Vivienne added. “Remember what he can do?”

“I must admit that I’ve never seen an Elder die while in this world’s atmosphere. There’s something about your world that makes them immortal, so I can’t deny my curiosity about this power you are boasting of, but I don’t see why it would be of utmost importance to us. We can just blow up The Blood Keep. All we have to do is kill the Elders’ possible vessels.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Aiden hissed. “They would just turn more people into vampires!”

“You’ve been a hunter all your life, Aiden. We both know how cutthroat this operation can get. That was never hidden from you. We’re willing to sacrifice necessary human lives in order to further our cause.”