A Blaze of Sun (A Shade of Vampire #5)(3)

Derek had recently assigned me my own team focused on keeping order among the human population of the island. This team of mine walked into my quarters just as I was about to have my first bite of toast. Ian and Gavin stepped into the room, followed by one of Derek’s guards, Kyle. They all took a seat around at the table.

“Looks like we’ve got lots to discuss,” Gavin announced, as he leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his red hair.

Ian glared at Kyle before looking at me. “What is he doing here?” He pointed at the vampire.

“Kyle has expressed interest in helping us here at The Catacombs and Derek gave him permission,” I explained, putting down my food despite the fact that my stomach was growling. “Okay… So you two are here. Shall we start?”

The men nodded at me.

“We can’t afford to still be fighting amongst ourselves once the covens attack. The riots have got to stop.” There’d been a lot of dissent within The Catacombs over the past weeks. The humans were getting restless after the vampires’ blood supply was blown up. What I couldn’t wrap my mind around was why they were getting at each other’s throats over this matter, while the vampires were the ones attempting to find a solution. “When was the last time we had a record of a vampire attacking one of The Catacombs’ citizens?”

Gavin and Ian exchanged glances.

Ian shrugged, scratching against his black hair. “I can’t remember.”

“So why are the Naturals still going crazy?”

Ian shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “You have to understand, Sofia, that it’s always been this way. There never was order here in The Catacombs. Every day was a fight to keep yourself alive – if not against the vampires, against your fellow humans. The law of The Shade has always been survival of the fittest until you came along and started leading protests and whatnot.”

“Well, that’s a problem we have to solve. We need human cooperation during the war,” I reiterated.

“We can’t even get the Naturals to work together amongst themselves. How on earth are we going to get them to work with the vampires?” Ian frowned.

“We could just draft all the male population and train them by force,” Kyle suggested with a shrug. “Derek did that to the vampires.”

“Sending humans off to battle with vampires is like sending them to their deaths,” Ian snapped. “Are you mad?”

“Well, it’s not like we’re expecting the humans to go on man-to-vampire combat,” Kyle defended himself. “No matter what they’re assigned to do, they’re still going to need to know how to fight.”

“I don’t think getting the humans to do anything by force is a good idea.” I shook my head. “I think it will only create more trouble in the long run.”

“Well, then, it’s not looking good, Sofia,” Gavin spoke up. “Most of the humans are actually seeing this as some sort of hope to escape The Shade and finally be free.”

I was surprised by that notion. “That’s foolish. They’re either going to end up dead or as slaves of the other covens. I doubt the other covens will be as benevolent as Derek has been.”

At this, Ian scoffed. Knowing him as someone who always spoke his mind, I wasn’t surprised by the words that came out of his mouth: “As much as I know you love him, Sofia, benevolent isn’t exactly how most of the people at The Catacombs would describe Derek.”

It was my turn to scoff. “I’ve known more vampires outside of The Shade than most humans here at The Catacombs. Believe me when I say that Derek is as benevolent as it gets for vampires. Take it or leave it.”

To that, no one could object. I was beginning to find the silence awkward, so I was thankful when Kyle broke it.

“Before we can even talk to the humans about joining a war, I think we first need to find a way to establish some sort of order here at The Catacombs, because let’s face it… in its current state, it’s been pure anarchy. Derek tried to figure out what the humans wanted with the general assembly at The Vale just recently, but with the vampire rebellion, that didn’t exactly push through.”

I nodded, remembering how the vampires split into two factions – one loyal to Derek, the other to his father, Gregor. Since Gregor’s mysterious and untimely death, the vampire rebellion – as Kyle called it – had already been quelled.

“Well, there’s no rebellion now,” I said resolutely. “I guess it’s time we call another general assembly and figure out what the people at The Catacombs want. I’m putting you three in charge of that. If you come upon any problems, let me know.”

All three of them grinned at me, making me rather uncomfortable.

“What?” I asked, widening my eyes at them.

“Is it just me or is Derek Novak’s bossiness rubbing off on you?” Gavin squinted an eye at me. Ian and Kyle were chuckling.

“It’s not just you, man.” Kyle shook his head. “She wasn’t this bossy when she first arrived here. She’s definitely getting a lot of Derek into her personality.”

I rolled my eyes as they found amusement at my expense. “Whatever,” I mumbled before finally digging in to my breakfast. They bade me goodbye and left me to eat in peace.

I enjoyed the silence and the solitude, but it also made me sense Derek’s absence a lot more keenly. We hadn’t been spending much time together and I couldn’t help but miss him. I kept telling myself that he had a lot on his plate, that he was the king of the island and was responsible for keeping the whole place together. That’s a good enough excuse to not spend time with his fiancée, is it not? Still, I wanted to be with him, but knowing that there wasn’t anything I could do about it, I finished my breakfast and hoped that I could somehow manage to spend some time alone with him later that day.