A Gift of Three (A Shade of Vampire #42)(8)

“Filled with memories… I went to pay my respects to Anna and Kyle.”

“Ah.” He nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. He let go of my hand, and I felt his chest tighten as he drew me closer in an embrace.

We stood like that for a while, holding each other, our eyes closed, relishing the bewitching tranquility of our island: the chirping of the birds above us, the occasional burst of laughter or shout of someone’s name in the distance, the crashing of the waves against the shore.

Then, without saying a word, Derek and I drew apart and walked in the direction of the lighthouse.

When we arrived on the beach where the structure stood tall and proud, after so many centuries of struggle and battles, the sight of it stirred up so many memories in me. I glanced over at Derek’s noble profile in the light of the moon. With all the changes that The Shade had undergone—the lives progressing, the ups and downs of day-to-day existence—it struck me that through all of it, the love between Derek and me had been the one constant… In a way, it was what The Shade had been founded on.

“I love you,” I whispered, as we neared the rocks.

Derek stopped walking, his electric-blue eyes filling with emotion as they settled on me. He cupped my face before leaning in to gently kiss my lips. His voice was husky as he replied, “And I love you, Sofia.”





Aida





[Victoria and Bastien’s daughter]




I flew through the air, landing on the hard, dusty ground of the training area with a thump. Man, my butt hurt. Phoenix stood a couple of feet away, smirking.

“Nice,” I retorted grumpily as I clambered to my feet and rubbed my behind.

“You told me not to hold back,” he reminded me.

I regret that.

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled, pulling myself together, ready to aim my own blow. With a grunt, I launched myself at him. My left leg swerved behind him as my arm shot out to palm-hit him in the chest. He stumbled, but was too quick—he jumped back over my leg rather than falling, and took up his attack stance again.

“Dammit,” I exhaled, breathing hard.

“What’s with you today?” he asked, laughing.

“Feeling a little low on energy,” I replied, eyeing him suspiciously. “Know why that might be?”

Phoenix shook his head, his lips molding into a smirk. “If you think I’m cheating, guess again—you’re just off your game.”

I raised a questioning brow, not quite trusting that the sentry wasn’t using his syphoning powers to drain me. That was the problem with fighting with Phoenix. He always swore he wasn’t cheating, but sometimes I wasn’t sure.

“Whatever…” I grinned suddenly, giving him the benefit of the doubt. Phoenix’s syphoning abilities weren’t subtle – I was sure I would have been able to tell if he had. This time he launched forward, but I managed to swerve out of the way. My shoulder was knocked sideways, but I kept my ground.

“Better,” he intoned, spinning into a back kick. It landed on my already painful backside, sending me flying forward. My glutes seized up, and I swore under my breath.

“How are you so damn perky this morning anyway?” I asked, more angrily than I intended. I would have some serious bruising tonight. “Serena told me you got back at the crack of dawn this morning…another trip to Hawaii?”

Phoenix’s brow furrowed and it was my turn to smirk.

“My sister should learn discretion,” he growled, flying at me again. We fought hand to hand, punches hitting their marks with hollow thuds, till Phoenix landed a well-aimed punch to my right side and I staggered backward.

“Who was the girl this time?” I replied, laughing at his annoyance. I loved winding Phoenix up—sometimes it was just too easy, especially when I had the inside scoop from his younger sister.

This time though, Phoenix just laughed.

“None of your business,” he replied, sending another kick my way. He was fast this morning—yesterday’s date had obviously gone well. I’d forgotten that Phoenix seemed to thrive on his trips outside The Shade, no doubt syphoning at will and sweeping another poor, unsuspecting damsel off her feet.

“Oh, Phoenix,” I cooed, “you’re so handsome—I wish my hair was as nice as yours.” I fluttered my lashes dramatically, playing the part of the love-sick crushes I imagined he picked up in the human world.

He boomed with laughter, grabbing me around the waist to try to knock me down on the floor. I was too quick for him this time, slithering out of his grasp and shoving him backward. He didn’t fall, but was still bent over laughing.

My amusement dried up quickly as I saw Field standing at the edge of the clearing, watching us. His arms were folded across his chest, a white t-shirt showing off his toned biceps and highlighting his dark features. I blushed under his speculative gaze.

I’d totally forgotten about Phoenix, so when his attack came, I was completely defenseless. Once again, I went flying across the training yard from the force of Phoenix’s full body-slam, my back smacking into the ground and skidding to a halt.

I lay still, looking up at the dark sky and trying to catch my breath.

Humiliating.

“Watch yourself, cub.” Field’s voice drifted over, and then his head appeared over mine, blocking out the sky. His lips were turned up in a small smile, a dimple appearing on his right cheek.