A Blaze of Sun (A Shade of Vampire #5)(40)

When we arrived at The Sanctuary, we came to find Corrine standing alone outside the temple-like structure that’d been Corrine’s home since she arrived at the island.

“What’s going on?” I asked the witch.

Corrine shrugged. “I don’t know. Emilia demanded time alone with Derek and he’s been there with her for about a half an hour. I don’t know what’s going on inside.”

“You don’t have your powers?”

“I’m not sure. I still have them I believe, but Emilia’s using some sort of suppression spell on me. I’ve been trying to fight it, but she’s too powerful.”

“We’re going inside,” Sam decided, and to that, I nodded in agreement.

Corrine shook her head. “She has the building protected by a force field. No one can get in unless she allows them to...”

The witch hadn’t yet finished her sentence when Derek emerged from the doors, anger evident on his chiseled face. His face softened when he saw me waiting there.

“The hunters?” he asked with so much hope, it broke my heart to break the news to him.

I shook my head. “They’re coming. It seems his connection with me lost Aiden his position with the hunters.”

Derek heaved a sigh before he did the last thing I was expecting him to do. He grabbed my waist, pulled me against him and kissed me full on the mouth. I returned the kiss – passionate but hesitant at the same time, confused by why he was kissing me while everything around us was falling apart. When our lips parted, I couldn’t help but look at him questioningly.

“You know I love you, right?” he asked, desperation evident in his bright blue eyes.

I held my breath. This can’t be good.

He gripped my hands tightly and nodded toward The Sanctuary. “Come. We have a lot to discuss.” He began leading me toward the building before turning toward Corrine and Sam, who were about to follow us there. “Just us.”

Corrine didn’t seem happy about being kept out of her own home, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Sam, on the other hand, just nodded before another explosion wracked The Shade.

Worry flashed through Sam’s eyes – the same look of anxiousness I’d been seeing every time we heard an explosion.

Derek nodded toward him. “Go,” he instructed. “You’re of better use there than here.”

Sam didn’t need to be told twice. He was out of there in a breath. I gave Corrine a faint smile before Derek led me to the building where Emilia was waiting.

I didn’t miss the spite in Emilia’s eyes the moment we entered her chambers, but I knew she couldn’t touch me – not in front of Derek. When they told me what Emilia was asking for in exchange for the safety of The Shade, I didn’t know how to respond other than to turn my eyes toward Derek. “What do you want to do?”

Derek shrugged and shook his head. “I think I don’t have a choice, Sofia, but I need to know that you’re okay with this.”

At that, Emilia rolled her eyes and scowled, but she didn’t say anything.

“I don’t know what to say, Derek,” I admitted. “It feels like I don’t have a choice either.”

“You know the dreams, Sofia. I told you everything. If you’re not up for this...”

“I’m scared of losing you,” I admitted, my shoulders trembling.

Derek cupped my face with his large hands and shook his head before kissing me on the forehead. “That’s impossible. You will always have me.”

At that, Emilia seemed to have had enough of our melodrama. “This is boring,” she spat out. “Do I get my demands or not? The way I see it, I think you’re getting the better end of the deal. You get The Shade back and all I get is one week with the man I love. Hardly seems fair…”

Something about what she said rubbed me the wrong way and I had no idea where I got the confidence but I managed to stare right at her and say, “You are not to harm Derek in any way.”

“I love him,” she hissed at me. “How could I ever harm him?”

“Sofia isn’t to be harmed either,” Derek spoke up.

At this, Emilia grimaced. “Really? More demands? Are you really in the position to make more demands?”

“Do you want that week or not?” Derek responded confidently.

We were about to find out just how desperate she was to have time alone with Derek.

“You’re pushing me.” She glared at him so intensely I wondered how she could possibly love him. Her glare quickly darted toward me and I was almost sure she was going to attack me or put a spell on me.

Derek, however, was unmoving in his resolve. He took a step forward, pushing me behind him in a protective gesture. “Sofia is not to be harmed. Corrine gets her powers back. Vivienne wakes up from the spell. Not only are you going to put the original protective spell back on the island, you’re also going to secure it with the same force field you’re using to protect The Sanctuary right now – and I get to control who gets to go in and who gets to go out.”

Emilia was clearly not happy with the new set of demands Derek was making. She began to stretch her neck and her arms as she slowly approached. She fixed her gaze on me, eyeing me from head to foot.

I felt so young and so unattractive when compared to her. She had this classy sophistication about her. Elegant. Gorgeous. Confident. Self-assured. Things I wasn’t. It wasn’t difficult to understand why Derek was so taken by her.