A Shadow of Light Read online

  A Shadow Of Light

  A Shade Of Vampire, Book 4

  Also By Bella Forrest:

  A Shade Of Vampire (Book 1)

  A Shade Of Blood (Book 2)

  A Castle Of Sand (Book 3)

  Beautiful Monster

  www.bellaforrest.net

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY AUTHOR

  Published by Bella Forrest

  Copyright © 2013 by Bella Forrest.

  Cover design © Sarah Hansen

  This is a work of fiction.

  All characters appearing in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons living or dead, other than those in the public domain, is not intended and purely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, re-sold, or transmitted electronically or otherwise, without express written permission from the author.

  Dedication

  To the Shaddicts, for their endless support and encouragement.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Prologue: Camilla ● Chapter 1: Derek ● Chapter 2: Sofia ● Chapter 3: Derek ● Chapter 4: Aiden ● Chapter 5: Sofia ● Chapter 6: Derek ● Chapter 7: Ingrid ● Chapter 8: Derek ● Chapter 9: Ingrid ● Chapter 10: Sofia ● Chapter 11: Derek ● Chapter 12: Sofia ● Chapter 13: Aiden ● Chapter 14: Gregor ● Chapter 15: Derek ● Chapter 16: Ingrid ● Chapter 17: Claudia ● Chapter 18: Sofia ● Chapter 19: Derek ● Chapter 20: Aiden ● Chapter 21: Sofia ● Chapter 22: Derek ● Chapter 23: Sofia ● Chapter 24: Aiden ● Chapter 25: Derek ● Chapter 26: Sofia ● Chapter 27: Derek ● Chapter 28: Sofia ● Chapter 29: Gregor ● Chapter 30: Derek ● Chapter 31: Sofia ● Chapter 32: Derek ● Chapter 33: Claudia ● Chapter 34: Ingrid ● Chapter 35: Derek ● Chapter 36: Sofia ● Chapter 37: Derek ● Chapter 38: Aiden ● Chapter 39: Gregor ● Chapter 40: Claudia ● Chapter 41: Sofia ● Chapter 42: Ingrid ● Chapter 43: Gregor ● Chapter 44: Derek ● Chapter 45: Sofia ● Chapter 46: Derek ● Chapter 47: Sofia ● Chapter 48: Derek ● Chapter 49: Sofia ● Chapter 50: Derek ● Chapter 51: Sofia ● Epilogue: Vivienne

  Prologue: Camilla

  “I am going to kill him!”

  Never before had I been so frustrated than when I met Aiden Claremont during a month-long dig we had deep in the jungles of Cuba. From the first day we arrived, he had proven to be the most annoying, arrogant, conceited man that ever walked the planet and the fact that he was after the Red Orb—my artifact to unearth and discover—was just one of the many things that made him a complete and absolute jackass in my book.

  “How dare he?!” I screamed as I threw a fist in the air.

  “What’s got your panties all up in a twist, Camilla?” my assistant and best friend, Amelia Hudson, asked me as she lifted her black-rimmed glasses over the bridge of her nose.

  “That pompous, irritating, waste of perfectly good space, self-absorbed…” I searched my mind for a word bad enough to describe Aiden Claremont and, failing miserably to find one, I ended up with “…doorknob.”

  “Doorknob?” Amelia chuckled. “That’s the best you can come up with? Doorknob?” She rolled her eyes at me. “Aiden Claremont may be a lot of things, but he is too fine and too exciting a man to deserve being called a doorknob.” She stood to her feet and walked to one end of our tent to make herself a cup of coffee before staring at me knowingly. “What happened this time?”

  I stomped my foot on the ground and crossed my arms over my chest, hating the idea of having to recount to my best friend the reason behind my ire.

  Amelia finished making her coffee and had plopped herself over one of the bean bags we brought with us. She then took a sip from her coffee and raised a brow at me. “Well?”

  “I don’t want to answer your question.” I pouted.

  “You’re acting like a child, Cam. What’s going on?”

  “I hate him!”

  “Yes. You’ve made that perfectly clear from the very first moment you laid eyes on him, and yet, he’s all you seem to talk about!”

  “That’s because if I don’t vent, I really might end up snapping his neck in two!”

  Amelia rolled her eyes again. “Right. Don’t forget the last time you…”

  “Shut up, Amelia.” I glared at her, knowing fully well what episode she was going to point out. It was one of those cold nights at our camp and for some reason Aiden decided to pay us a visit. We were in front of the campfire and he was actually being as pleasant as a pompous jerk like him was capable of. The conversation was good and we ended up alone, with everyone else retiring to their tents to rest. He offered me his jacket when he noticed I was shivering. I declined, but he insisted. I couldn’t even remember our conversation that night, but it somehow ended up with him kissing me. When our lips parted, I motioned to slap him in the face, but he caught my arm, so I tried to slap him with my other hand, which he once again caught. With him gripping both my hands, he once again kissed me. I resisted until I just somehow found myself giving in. It was perhaps why I hated him so much—I knew that when I was around him, no matter how I tried to keep them up, all my defenses kept crumbling around me. Aiden Claremont made me feel vulnerable and yet, protected at the same time. I wasn’t used to feeling that way. That scared me.

  Amelia couldn’t keep the grin off of her face. “When are you going to admit it, Camilla? You’re into him.”

  “That is not true.”

  “Keep telling yourself that until you actually believe it.”

  I frowned, finally spouting out the reason behind my outburst. “He found the orb. They’re packing up camp as we speak.”

  “What?!” Amelia spat her coffee out. “When?! How?!”

  I shrugged before letting my shoulders sag in defeat. “I don’t know.”

  I could still remember the glint of amusement in his eyes as he winked and said, “Guess I won, Camilla. Don’t worry… I’m sure you’ll make for better competition next time.”

  I found myself groaning at the memory. “Ugh! The nerve of him.”

  Truth be told, I wasn’t sure what was frustrating me more: the fact that he found the artifact first or the fact that I would perhaps never see him again.

  “What do you mean someone else found it?”

  I couldn’t look Mr. Banks in the eye. He was a private collector and he was the one who recruited me and paid for my services in order to find the Red Orb. He was so excited about the artifact, recounting to me how there were rumors about it having dark, mysterious powers. Being an archaeologist and having a deep love for adventure, I couldn’t resist the idea of an all-expense paid expedition that would lead me to some random ancient trinket—probably worth less than what the adventure cost. The trinket was rumored to have magical abilities.

  I didn’t really believe in magic or vampires or even superstition at that time. I just wanted to get away from the museums and laboratories and actually get on the field. This particular artifact was one I hadn’t yet heard of, so the idea of discovering something new was something I couldn’t resist.

  However, initially, I was also skeptical about going on the expedition. Mr. Banks was said to be a hard man to work with. He wanted returns for his investments and was known to have a bad temper when he didn’t get what he wanted.

  Thus, as I sat across from him on one of the couches in the lounge area of his office, I was desperately trying to figure out how I was going to explain that someone got to the orb before I did.

  “There was another crew digging at the site. They were also after the orb.”

  “And who might I ask is behind this other crew?”

  His name tasted bitter in my mouth. “Aiden Claremont,” I hissed.

  Mr. Banks’ wrinkled old face contorted in surprise. “Aiden Claremont? What would a guy like him want with an artifact like that?”
>
  I frowned at Mr. Banks, raising my eyes to meet his for the first time. “You know him?”

  “Of course I know him.” The man was looking at me like I’d been living under a rock all my life. “He’s one of the youngest multi-millionaires in the world. He owns one of the largest security conglomerates in the United States. You’d never heard of him?”

  I shook my head. “Hard to know about people like that when you spend all your time inside libraries and museums.”

  Mr. Banks narrowed his eyes on me. “Well, we had a deal, Miss Saunders. I paid for your dig, you get me the orb. Unless you get the Red Orb in my hands, then I’ll ask you to pay me back everything I spent on your expedition.”

  My hands gripped the armrests of my seat, knowing full well that there was no way I could afford to part with that kind of money. “But…how… Where would I get that much money?”

  “Figure it out. I’ll give you a month, Miss Saunders.”

  Mr. Banks’ ultimatum was still circling my mind when I returned to the apartment I was sharing with Amelia. The moment I arrived, she threw a pillow at me.

  “You will never guess who just called,” she exclaimed.

  “Not in the mood for your guessing games…” I went straight for the refrigerator to get a cold drink of the pink lemonade I’d made earlier that day. “I have a headache.”

  “What happened?”

  “Don’t want to talk about it.”

  “All right. Well, you’ll be happy to find out that the love of your life, Aiden Claremont, just called. He’s hoping to meet you for dinner tonight.”

  I choked on the lemonade and coughed violently—something Amelia found hilarious—especially after she had taken a quick shot of the scene with her Polaroid camera. “I knew your reaction to the news would be precious!”

  “Why would he want to meet for dinner?” I asked, suddenly feeling my cheeks grow red at the prospect of seeing him again. I was inwardly slapping myself for acting like a foolish teenager.

  “How am I supposed to know?” Amelia shrugged. “Oh my gosh, Cam! Are you blushing?!”

  “I’m not!” I screeched in horror. But I was. He was the only guy who’d ever been able to do that—make me blush.

  I checked my appearance in the living room’s full-length mirror for about the hundredth time. I didn’t understand why I cared what he thought about me. I tried to remind myself that I hated him, that he was an arrogant, pompous and conceited “doorknob,” but I was fooling myself and I knew it. Aiden Claremont was every bit my match and that made him attractive to me.

  Plus he has the Red Orb. Of course I find him attractive, I told myself as I smoothed my palms over the contours of my waist. I wasn’t exactly the kind of girl one would find in magazines, with the tall, skinny, hourglass figure. I had more of an athletic build—mostly because of the kind of work I did. Still, I knew I was beautiful. Staring at myself in the mirror, taking in what others often called my assets, a familiar sickening sensation came over me.

  For all the glory it got from the world, beauty was a commodity that I had to pay dearly for. Long buried memories of my past began to haunt me and I had to hold on to a nearby chair for support to prevent myself from falling off balance.

  “Wow, Cam.” Amelia stepped out of her bedroom and looked at me. Concern sparked in her eyes. “Are you alright?”

  I nodded. “I’m fine.”

  “Nervous about your date?”

  “It’s not a date.”

  “Uh-huh…for all I know, you’ll be making a bunch of little Aidens and Camillas in no time.”

  I was stunned by how revolting the idea seemed to me. “No. Never. Mark my words, Amelia. I will never have children—his or anyone else’s.”

  I could never forget the way Aiden looked that night. Crisp, white shirt, straight cut jeans, shiny black shoes… That smile… That look in his eyes when he first laid eyes on me—like I was the most beautiful woman in the room.

  “Hello, gorgeous,” he greeted with a wide smile.

  I frowned at him, desperately trying to keep my walls up, afraid of what would happen once they all completely crumbled—something that seemed to be inevitable considering how charming he was being. “Could we just cut to the chase and get to business, Claremont? Why did you ask to meet with me?”

  “Get to business, Camilla? Is that why you put on mascara to emphasize those lovely, long lashes of yours? Is that why you’re all dolled up and looking incredible tonight?” He narrowed his eyes at me, looking as dashing as ever. “You dressed up just so we could discuss business?”

  “The way I look and the way I dress should be of no concern to you, Claremont.” I shifted my weight on my seat, hoping that my voice wouldn’t break so that he wouldn’t see past my bluff. “I want the Red Orb. What do I have to do to get it?”

  That cocky infuriating side smirk of his formed on his firm lips. “I don’t know. What are you willing to do to get it?”

  I was half-expecting his over-bloated ego to make his head explode. Annoyed, I heaved a deep sigh and stood up. “This is such a waste of time.”

  “No, wait.” He gently laid a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry. Let’s try that again.”

  I looked into his eyes, seeing his sincerity. “Try what again?”

  “Try to have a civilized conversation, Cam. I promise to be less of a jerk.” He raised one hand in the air to make his pledge official. “Hear me out.”

  I kept my eyes on him and slowly sat back on my chair. I hoped that through my actions, he would realize that I was keeping him on a short leash.

  He sat back down and cleared his throat.

  “Don’t give me any more of your crap, Claremont,” I warned.

  “No more of that.”

  He then timidly asked if we should order first and I nodded. We made our orders—a strangely awkward ordeal—before I once again eyed him for some sort of explanation for our rather unusual meeting.

  He took a deep breath after the waiter left. “So you really want the Red Orb?”

  “I told you that.”

  “I’ll give it to you then.”

  My brow quirked up. “Just like that?”

  He slowly nodded. “Yeah. Just like that.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. You’ve been competing with me and driving me crazy over the past few weeks trying to get a hold of that artifact. Now, you’re just going to give it to me?”

  “Well, first of all, you have to admit that the competition made the dig a whole lot more fun and interesting. Sorry, but messing with you was the most fun I had during that whole expedition. Seeing your reaction gave me far more satisfaction than actually getting the orb,” he admitted with an amused chuckle.

  “I’m glad you were entertained,” I responded, feigning annoyance even though a smile was threatening to form on my lips as memories of all the bickering and competitive banter I had with him came to mind.

  “Look…” He slightly tilted his head to the side. “I’m a guy who knows what I want. I traveled to Cuba wanting the orb and I got it, but I realized that there’s something I want more than the orb.”

  I was afraid to ask, but the words came out of my mouth before I could hold them back. “And what’s that?”

  “You, Camilla.”

  That was the first date among many that followed after we got back to the States. I fell in love with Aiden Claremont, so when he proposed to me after several weeks of dating, I couldn’t say no. Truth be told, I was terrified. Throughout the time we were dating, we were never intimate. I told him that I wanted to wait until marriage and he respected that. The fact that he respected my choice to wait made me admire him even more, but then it also made me dread the night I had to be intimate with him.

  On the night of our honeymoon, I wanted desperately to please him, to be the blushing bride eager to share a bed with her doting husband, but no matter how I tried to enjoy that night and take pleasure in his touch, I simply couldn’t. I pretended on his behalf,
but the moment he fell asleep, cradling me in his arms, I burst into tears.

  I was far too damaged by my past to ever enjoy such pleasures, but he didn’t need to know that. Of course, Aiden was no fool. He knew something was wrong. He noticed times when I would sort of shut down whenever he tried to make love to me, but I always avoided answering his questions about it. My past was my own nightmare to live with. He didn’t need to share the burden.

  The first few months of our marriage were the best months of my life. Aiden was everything I could ask for in a man. He was loving and affectionate. He treated me in a way that made me want to be the best I could be for him. I was satisfied, but I knew that he wasn’t, or at least he wouldn’t be for long.

  Whenever he brought up the topic of children, I skirted around it. I didn’t want him to know that I never wanted to have children. I kept taking birth control pills without his knowledge; thus, it came as a complete surprise to me when several months after our honeymoon, I became pregnant. I was mentally kicking myself for allowing Aiden to come with me to the checkup. If he wasn’t there, if I hadn’t seen the delight in his eyes when he found out, if I didn’t see for myself how much joy I would bring him by carrying the child, I would’ve immediately had an abortion. Sofia never would’ve been born.

  I could never forget the day our daughter was born. I knew from the way Aiden stared at her that I had just lost him. I no longer held all of his heart. A great big chunk of it had just been taken from me by Sofia.

  Sofia grew lovelier and lovelier each year. She was precious to me, because I knew that she was precious to him. Still, I was terrified. Though he remained a wonderful husband to me, and though he still looked at me the same way he looked at me on our first date, I was still terrified of losing Aiden. I didn’t want him to love Sofia more than he loved me.

  I was afraid of being abandoned and every father-daughter outing they went on brought me into despair, the likes of which Aiden could never possibly understand. Never did I feel more weak than when Aiden spent time alone with Sofia, time I was convinced should’ve been mine. I would’ve much preferred to keep Sofia to myself than to have her be with her father. Aiden mistook this as me being selfish with Sofia and often teased me about it, but in reality, it was me being selfish with him.