A Shade Of Vampire 5: A Blaze Of Sun Read online

  “Welcome to my castle, Derek Novak,” came a chilling voice. “Finally, my daughter does something right for once.”

  Daughter. I shivered. I was in the presence of the Elder. I opened my mouth to speak but I found my throat so dry, no words came out.

  “Does this boy bring you happiness, Emilia? Does his presence ignite your bones?”

  “Yes, Master. I’ve wanted him for the longest time.”

  I never thought I could ever be as elated as I was at that moment to hear Emilia’s voice. At least I’m not alone.

  “You gave yourself to me once.”

  I felt a caress over my hair, an indication that it was once again me whom the Elder was talking to. I began to remember the time I gave myself over to darkness. I did it so I could make a sanctuary out of The Shade. What sanctuary it turned out to be.

  “I’m glad to finally have you back in my territory, Derek Novak. I used to be able to get to you so easily, but ever since you let that impetuous redhead’s light into your life, it’s been more and more difficult to get to you.”

  I swallowed back the bile rising from my throat. This was why Vivienne never wanted me to be apart from Sofia. This is why the Elder cannot touch Sofia and just destroy her himself despite all the power that he has. It’s her light. Darkness cannot have control over light.

  The caress over my head suddenly turned into a chokehold over my throat. I struggled to breathe, not quite able to comprehend what was going on.

  “Now, you’re in my territory, thanks to my daughter’s obsession with you. I now have you in my full control.”

  Evil echoed in his voice. I was in the presence of pure and utter evil.

  “I must welcome you to my castle, Derek. My daughter, Emilia… you once knew her as Cora… can attest that I welcome all my guests the same way.” He paused, relishing the way I struggled as he choked me. “I hit them where it hurts.”

  He threw me onto the bed and I completely blacked out. By the time I came to my senses, I found myself making love to Emilia. She clutched the back of my head and whispered into my ear, “He punished you for turning your back on him. He rewarded me for bringing you back to him. You are my reward, Derek.”

  At that moment, even as her body bucked and writhed beneath mine, I hated her with every fiber of my being, and yet the words that came out of my mouth were, “I love you, Emilia.”

  CHAPTER 25: SOFIA

  I jolted up on the bed, out of breath, images of Derek kissing Emilia floating on my mind. Tears were streaming down my face and my body was racked with deep, uncontrollable sobs. I looked around and found Vivienne staring at me with concern. I was in my bedroom at The Catacombs and the last thing I remember was the sun beginning to dawn on the island.

  “What happened?!” I demanded, panic beginning to take its hold on me.

  “After five hundred years of night, the sun has risen on The Shade.” Vivienne affirmed my greatest fears.

  “She promised. Emilia promised. We had a deal… She could have Derek for a week, but The Shade will remain protected.”

  “The force field is up, The Shade is protected from any attack or even from being detected by outside forces. To the world, I’m sure we are invisible.” Vivienne rose from her seat before sighing. “But I don’t think you ever mentioned anything to her about keeping The Shade enveloped by darkness.”

  My heart sank. “I just assumed it was part of the protective spell.”

  Vivienne shook her head. “Cora placed the spell of the never-ending night in The Shade during the battle of First Blood. It wasn’t until years later after Derek went to sleep that she put the protective spell over the island. And now, she has Derek in her grasps. I never would’ve thought that Cora would ever turn to the dark side.”

  “I don’t understand…”

  “Emilia is Cora, Sofia.”

  The information I was given was a blow to my senses. “How is that possible?”

  Vivienne shook her head. “I’m not sure either.”

  “Can’t Corrine do something about it? She’s back in control of The Sanctuary, is she not? She has her powers back, does she not?”

  “She’s been trying, but Corrine says that the spell was originally done by Cora and that she never had to do anything with keeping that spell running. She doesn’t know how Cora originally did it.”

  I rose from my bed, burying my face in my palms, trying to make sense of what we had to do. I had no idea what to do. You’re an eighteen-year-old kid who didn’t even hang around long enough to get her high school diploma, Sofia. Stop fooling yourself. You’re no queen. You have no idea how to run things. I found myself voicing out my biggest concern. “I’m afraid of losing Derek, Vivienne.”

  She just stared at me. Vivienne Novak was never one to give in to flattery just to provide consolation. From the first day I met her, she was straightforward and honest through and through. “He is more vulnerable now than he ever was before,” she told me honestly. “Our only hope is that what you shared together would be stronger than what they’re putting him through. For the next week, we’ll both fare better if we don’t think about it. We must concentrate on keeping order here on the island and hopefully finding the cure.”

  “How do we find the cure, Vivienne? I don’t even know where to start…”

  Before Vivienne could respond, a piercing scream echoed from outside. Our eyes met and we both got up and began running outside my quarters. I leaned into the wooden banister, which allowed me to see The Catacombs below. The first thing that struck my senses was how crowded The Catacombs were. With The Shade surrounded by light, every single vampire was inside The Catacombs, surrounded by humans they craved desperately. This can’t be good. I swallowed hard.

  Ashley appeared beside me. Vivienne was on my other side. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m not sure.” I caught sight of Ian carrying Anna in his arms, heading for my quarters where she had a bedroom.

  “One of the vampires attacked Anna,” he explained when he saw my questioning glare. “Kyle’s fighting him off. He’s not Elite, but he’s definitely much more powerful than Kyle is.”

  “Where are they?” Vivienne asked.

  Ian pointed toward a level of The Catacombs that was beginning to get crowded with people.

  “I’m on it,” Vivienne assured me, as she rushed toward the area where the fight was happening.

  Ashley was obviously horrified by the idea of the vampire who sired her being in any form of trouble. She quickly rushed right behind Vivienne, leaving me to fend off my own frustration. Not wanting to be alone, I followed Ian toward Anna’s bedroom.

  “We have to do something about the living situation, Sofia.” Ian frowned. “Having the vampires here every time the sun comes up is complete chaos. A week of this and every human of The Shade will most likely become vampire breakfast and lunch. Not all the vampires are as good at controlling their cravings as Vivienne.” He began applying some sort of ointment on Anna’s bitten neck before putting a bandage on it.

  “I have no idea what to do. Where’s Gavin? Does he have any idea on what we can do about the situation?”

  “He’s with Lily and Rosa. They’re trying to bring all the orphans and young women together in a safer place. With an attack already happening, the humans are panicking…”

  “Well, we can’t just send the vampires out into the sun, Ian.”

  “I know that, but we have to do something. No one will be able to control the vampires if they start blacking out. Derek’s not here and he’s the only one they respect enough to listen to. You know what happened the last time Derek wasn’t here in The Shade to run things.”

  I shuddered at the thought. While Derek and I were trapped at hunter territory, The Shade, especially The Catacombs, descended into complete and utter chaos – with rebellions and riots going on. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Well then, find someone who does, Sofia. We need a leader.”

  The Shade had always
been ruled by a Novak. While Vivienne definitely had a voice at the kingdom, she never had enough sway to get everyone to listen to her. I knew that we were up against far more than we could handle, and though I had no idea why, the first and only person I knew who was capable of becoming a strong leader in a situation like ours was my father. I was well aware of the responsibility on my shoulders – that I had to step up and take the lead if I was going to be the wife of Derek and the queen of The Shade, but I certainly wasn’t going to do it alone. I needed Aiden. “I think I know who to ask,” I assured Ian before making my way to The Cells.

  I found it ironic what I was about to do. I couldn’t help but wonder what Derek would think about the whole thing. I was about to ask Aiden Claremont, the infamous hunter, notorious for killing hundreds of vampires, to help me run The Shade.

  CHAPTER 26: DEREK

  I was losing my mind and I knew it. I had no control over my actions. The darkness had somehow possessed me and though I was conscious that I did not want to do what I was doing, I still gave into Emilia’s every whim. I was a puppet on a string and she was my puppet master.

  “Do you love me, Derek?” she whispered into my ear.

  No. I love Sofia. “Yes. You know I do,” I whispered back into hers.

  She smiled and even then I once again realized how unattractive she had become to me. She held my hand and led me outside of her room, which she hadn’t yet allowed me to leave ever since the first night I had to spend with her. I observed the corridors we were passing through.

  High, stone walls, lit up by elegant fluorescent wall lamps. I was expecting to find elegant paintings or even elaborate tapestries gracing the walls, but was surprised to find it bare apart from some heavy burgundy drapery covering the windows on one side, each window reaching from floor to ceiling.

  Our steps echoed through the corridor and I found myself staring at the woman who was holding my hand, leisurely walking a few steps ahead of me. What happened to you, Cora? How did you become Emilia? Despite my hatred for what she’d become, I could not deny the fact that Cora was my best friend. She was with me through some of the toughest and darkest periods of my life. It hurt to know that this was what she had become.

  She twisted her head to face me and smiled when she realized that I was staring at her. She took it as a compliment I guess. I inwardly winced at the idea, but of course, I knew that my body and facial expressions were registering a completely different body language. To all eyes seeing us at that moment, anyone would’ve thought I was in love with her.

  “You’re staring.” She blushed.

  I wanted to strangle her. It’s not like I have any control over what I do, you crazy witch. “I just can’t keep my eyes off you. You’re so beautiful.”

  Puppet’s praise didn’t seem to be pleasing to her anymore, because she didn’t react to my compliment this time. “Do you mean that? Or are you just saying it because of my father’s control over you?”

  Definitely your father’s control… “Of course I mean it, Emilia. Any man can look at you and see how beautiful you are.”

  I heard someone snicker behind me. We both turned around and I couldn’t help but feel amused over how Emilia’s face fell.

  “Hello, Kiev,” she said, rolling her eyes. She then introduced him to me. “This, unfortunately, is my older brother.”

  How many brothers and sisters does she have? How many belong to the Elder’s clan? I began studying him just as he began studying me.

  He had close-cropped dark hair. His eyes were a chilling blood red. He had a large muscular build and a menacing stance. He also had a beautiful young redhead cradled in his arms.

  He grinned after looking me over several times. “So this is him? The man you’ve been pining for all these years?”

  Emilia held her head high and I couldn’t help but wonder who the man was. She seemed so eager to prove something – perhaps herself – to him. “If you must know, yes. This is the great Derek Novak.”

  Kiev looked at me from head to foot and began to continue snickering. “Tell me, Derek Novak. Is Sofia Claremont really as stunning as everyone says she is? Is she as beautiful as my girl, Vanessa, over here?” He clutched her by the jaw and began shaking her head. Her brown eyes fell on me and I could see desperation in them.

  More than that, I could see Sofia in her. My mind was crying out for release, thoughts of the girl I loved filling my brain, yet the words that came through my mouth was “I have no idea who Sofia Claremont is.”

  Emilia grinned triumphantly but her smile quickly faded away when Kiev doubled over in laughter. I was dumbfounded by the response and it seemed so was Emilia. Of course, Emilia seemed more irritated than perplexed.

  “What is wrong with you, Kiev?!” she eventually burst out when she finally had enough of his laughter.

  “You’re fast, little sister. You already have him brainwashed. Let’s see how long he can hold up, shall we?” He held the girl firmly and shoved her forward.

  “Kiev, no…” Emilia frowned, worry creasing her face. From the look on her eyes, I was certain that she wanted to inflict many forms of bodily harm on her brother.

  They don’t seem to be a very happy family. I shifted my attention to the girl in front of me.

  “Look at her hair.” Kiev held up a clump of the young woman’s hair in front of me. “Isn’t Sofia a redhead? Are you sure you don’t remember her?”

  Of course I remember her. I love her. I will always love her. I shook my head. “I don’t remember.”

  Kiev grinned and fisted Vanessa’s hair from the back of her head, pulling painfully at her scalp until she began whimpering. He pulled against her head and exposed her neck to me. From the fresh bite marks on her neck, it was clear that he had just recently been drinking from her.

  “Have a taste of her blood, Derek, and I’m pretty sure you’ll remember your dear Sofia…” Kiev assured me.

  “Derek, no…” Emilia objected. “Don’t. You love me, remember? If you love me, you won’t do this.”

  Apparently, my vampire instincts and cravings were more powerful than even the control Emilia had over me. The invitation to do anything that would remind me of Sofia was too precious to let go of. I gently pulled Vanessa closer to me, held Kiev’s hand fisting her hair and pried his fingers loose. When she was finally free of his grip, I bit into her neck. The moment I got a taste of her blood, my eyes shot wide open. Her blood tasted the exact same as Sofia’s. It had the exact same effect on me. The power pounding in my blood, the ecstasy that came with every drop of her blood coursing through me – it was all there. I drank deep until Kiev pulled the girl away from me.

  “That’s enough.” He glared jealously at me. “You’re enjoying too much of what is mine. Now tell me, Derek… do you really love my sister?”

  Emilia looked at me expectantly and I couldn’t help but smirk when I was able to shake my head and say, “No. I’m in love with Sofia.”

  A loud piercing scream coming from the depths of Emilia filled the corridors as she attacked Vanessa. I’d seen many humans die before, but I was never more shaken than when I saw Vanessa burn at Emilia’s mere touch and crumble into ashes.

  The moment Vanessa’s life force disappeared from the room, the back of Kiev’s hand connected sharply with Emilia’s face and she got thrown into the ground.

  I found myself backing up into a wall, wanting to get as far away from the fight as possible.

  Emilia pointed her finger at Kiev and I was sure that she was about to use her witchy powers against him, but all he did was smirk, stepping forward to challenge her. “Go ahead, Emilia. Cast a spell on me. Let’s see what our father will do to you should you try to disobey his order never to use a spell on his own children again... especially now that you only have one week to make Derek Novak yours.”

  Emilia once again screamed at the top of her lungs. It seemed all she could really do against her older brother was throw a tantrum, until she lunged forward and clawed right t
hrough his face. He was so angered by what she did, he tackled her much smaller frame to the ground.

  A brunette with stunning purple eyes emerged from a nearby door, possibly to find out what the commotion was all about. Her eyes lit up with wicked delight when she saw the two vampires wrestling with each other. She stepped forward and stood beside me. “You must be my little sister’s pet. I’m Clara.”

  “I’m no pet. And I’m definitely not hers.”

  “My brother made you drink an immune’s blood, didn’t he?”

  I raised my brow at the information I was given. Vanessa was an immune. That’s why her blood tasted just like Sofia’s. I nodded. “Yes. Emilia killed the girl right after I drank.”

  “Really now?” Clara’s eyes lit up with pure amusement. “Was it Vanessa?”

  “Yes.”

  “No wonder he’s so peeved. He’s been obsessed with Vanessa ever since he found out your Sofia is a redhead.”

  Nothing about that news sat well with me. Another man who could possibly get himself obsessed with Sofia. I stared at Kiev who was pounding his fists against Emilia’s face and saw him for the threat that he was.

  “He’s gonna get over it.” Clara cocked her head to the side as she watched her siblings fight, seemingly unaffected by the gory mess they were creating out of each other. “So will Emilia. The effect of the immune’s blood on you will wear off soon enough and you’ll be back in Emilia’s control in no time.”

  My gut clenched. I wondered to myself if there was anything I could do in order to keep myself in control. Only one thing came to mind. I have to find another immune. “Vanessa was immune?” I asked Clara.

  She smiled at me. “All humans at the castle are immune.” She seemed pleased with herself that she was able to give me that particular tidbit of information. Clearly, the Elder’s “family” was insanely dysfunctional.