A Blaze of Sun (A Shade of Vampire #5)(28)

“Claudia’s been visiting Ingrid,” Yuri, who was standing right behind me, explained in a low voice loud enough just for me to hear. “She says that they’re two of a kind. They have this strange connection between them.”

“I can see that,” I responded, hoping that my voice won’t break. I just can’t help but be jealous. I’ve never seen Ingrid look at me the way she looks at Claudia.

“It’s funny…” Yuri chuckled. “Claudia says that Ingrid is like the mother she never had. It’s ironic considering that Claudia is centuries older than Ingrid.”

The mother she never had. The mother I never had. I swallowed hard and tried not to think about it by diverting my attention to Yuri and Claudia’s relationship instead. “You really do love Claudia, don’t you?”

“From the first moment I ever laid eyes on her… It was a darn long wait, but it was worth every second. Thanks for bringing her back to me.”

I was about to respond, but both Ingrid’s and Claudia’s eyes settled on me. I was unsure what to do.

“I’m sorry.” Claudia smiled sheepishly. “This is your time with Camilla, not mine.”

My brow rose. She’s calling her Camilla?

It seemed Ingrid was reading my mind. “I asked her to call me Camilla. I would prefer to be called that from now on.”

I just stood there, staring at her, not quite sure how to handle her change of character. I didn’t want to accuse her of playing mind games with me, but I didn’t want to be fooled by her again either.

“I know I haven’t given you reason to trust or like me, Sofia, but I want to make amends. I’m thinking it would be harder for me to get into your good graces once again, so I was requesting to be brought to Aiden instead. At least with him I have a history I can bank on.”

“You broke his heart.” I said bluntly.

She nodded. “I know. He didn’t deserve that…” She paused. “I want another chance, Sofia. I have no one left in this world but you and Aiden. Maybe I could still get Camilla back if I tried hard enough.”

It felt like she was messing with my mind. My emotions were in turmoil. I didn’t know how to handle what she was throwing my way. I wanted so much for it to be true. It would’ve been a dream-come-true for me if both my parents came to my wedding, but this was Ingrid Maslen – the same woman who allowed the monster that was Borys Maslen to try and turn me into a vampire when I was nine years old. She was the same woman who stood by and watched as he sank his claws into my thighs and fed on me. She was the same woman obsessed with making me his bride.

“I’ll ask Aiden. If he wants to see you, then so be it.” I nodded, confident that this was the way to go. “If he doesn’t, then I guess you’ll just have to find another way to convince us that you want to change.”

Ingrid gave me a heartbroken smile. “I understand.”

Claudia took a step forward and began to speak on behalf of my mother, but I lifted a hand to stop her. “I know you understand my mother more than I ever will, Claudia, but she’s not the only one who’s broken.”

Claudia closed her mouth and eased herself into Yuri’s arms. There was an electric sense of sadness as we left Ingrid’s cell and began making our way out of The Catacombs.

“I do believe that she’s sorry, Sofia,” Claudia spoke up.

“I know,” I responded. As much as I wanted to believe Claudia, memories of the hatred in Ingrid’s eyes while we were back in hunter territory made it difficult for me to just believe that Ingrid had changed. “If she truly is sorry, Aiden will be able to tell. He knows her more than any of us do.”

“I think he still loves her.” Yuri nodded with assurance.

My eyes shot toward the vampire. “How would you know that, Yuri?”

“I’ve been having some talks with Aiden. Whenever Claudia visited Ingrid, I went to see Aiden.”

My face contorted with bewilderment. “Why?” The idea of my father hanging out with a vampire seemed absurd.

“Well, aside from your father being a very smart man capable of a good conversation, he used to love Ingrid. I figured he’d be the best person to ask for advice on how I’m supposed to keep loving this crazy girl right here.” He began messing with Claudia’s hair and got a loud slap on the shoulder from the petite vampire.

“You really shouldn’t annoy me too much, Yuri,” Claudia warned.

“Oh?” Yuri smirked. “Why’s that?”

“I’m a vampire, you know. I could switch off the love I feel for you any time I want.”

Yuri began laughing. “No, you can’t. If there’s one emotion we vampires can’t switch off, it’s love. Look at Ingrid, no matter how much she tries, she still can’t stop loving Aiden. You said so yourself.”

“Is that true?” I asked. “You can’t switch off love?”

Yuri cast a fond gaze at Claudia. “Believe me, Sofia. I tried for hundreds of years. I never stopped loving Claudia…” Their eyes met and within a few seconds, Yuri made a face. “But I think it’s just because Claudia is part witch... a witchpire. I’m pretty sure she cast a spell on me, or something. Otherwise, why on earth would I love her?”

Something told me that they were going to bicker and banter the whole time they were together, so I bade them goodbye.