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

Rosa and Ashley were abducted and taken to The Shade the same time I was. Along with two other girls, Gwen and Paige, who had met their demise on the island. We were given to Derek as a part of his harem. He had just woken up from a four-hundred-year sleep and we were placed under his care. Because of this history, we managed to form a strong bond with one another.

“I am so exhausted,” Ashley complained, as she leaned back in her seat and laid down her glass of animal blood. “Derek has been putting us through hell in military training.” She shot me a look. “Can you talk him into being a bit more lax? Every bone in my body hurts.”

I grinned. “I am not going to interfere with that,” I said, throwing my hands in the air in surrender.

“What good is it that the ruler of this island is in love with you, if you don’t use your connection to him to help your friends out?” Ashley frowned.

I rolled my eyes at her and, deciding to ignore her, directed my attention toward the more soft-spoken Rosa. “What have you been busy with today, Rosa?”

“The usual.” She shrugged. “Lily and I have been busy going about our rounds here at The Catacombs. We really need to do something about those who are sick, Sofia. Also, there are a lot of orphans who need care. Isn’t it about time that we get both a hospital and an orphanage here in The Shade?”

“That is something we ought to mention at the general assembly,” I said. I wasn’t blind to all that had to be done at The Catacombs, but everything was taking a backseat due to the incoming war. Thinking about all of it at once just felt overwhelming. “Gavin, Ian and Kyle are working it out right now.”

“Kyle?” Ashley narrowed her eye at me. Kyle was the one who turned her into a vampire, so technically, she was part of his clan. “Why Kyle? Isn’t he supposed to be involved with preparing for the war?”

“Derek allowed him to focus on the humans upon his request,” I explained.

Ashley scowled, seemingly not pleased with the reason behind his request. “Looks like he’s deeply enamored with Anna…”

“You have a problem with that?” I asked, surprised.

“I don’t know,” she admitted with a shrug. “I guess I have to support whatever makes Kyle happy, but Anna… I don’t know. She’s kind of messed up.”

I was hurt by that. I knew that Ashley had every right and reason to give the comment, considering how Anna had lost her mind from trauma and acted like a blubbering child, but my heart went out to the girl. Perhaps I held Anna close to my heart, because she was the only other immune I knew. I didn’t have to go into that with Ashley though. For some reason, I didn’t like talking to them about the cure or being an immune. Those topics were too heavy, too close to heart, and the time I spent with Ashley and Rosa were times in my day when I could just relax, chat and laugh with them.

It was with them that I could still feel like an eighteen-year-old. Lunch with Ashley and Rosa gave me a sense of normalcy, something that was a rare commodity in a place like The Shade.

That day in particular, I hated that lunch had to end. “Lunch was lovely, Rosa. You really are a great cook.”

Rosa smiled. “Thanks, Sofia.”

Ashley wrinkled her nose as she stared at the animal blood she just finished drinking. “I miss eating food. Pizza in particular. Don’t get me wrong… Mozzarella and pepperoni don’t satisfy me as much as human blood does, but considering that we’re on a strict animal blood diet lately, I keep craving.” She narrowed her eyes and grinned as she eyed both mine and Rosa’s necks, implying that she wouldn’t mind having a drink of our blood right then.

“I don’t think Derek would be happy sharing my blood with you,” I told her with a grin.

Ashley turned her eyes toward Rosa, who just smiled sweetly in response. “You can never do that to me, Ash,” Rosa said confidently.

“That I could believe.” I nodded. Ashley had the tendency to be protective of Rosa, perhaps because we were all aware what a beauty Rosa was starting to become and it was obvious that more than just one man – human and vampire – found her attractive.

I blew out a sigh. “I have to go now. Derek called a council meeting.”

Ashley’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Does that mean there won’t be any training this afternoon?”

I chuckled. “I doubt it. I’m pretty sure he’s going to send either Xavier or Cameron to take over.”

I rose to my feet as I watched Ashley’s face fall in disappointment, mumbling that Xavier and Cameron were just as harsh as Derek when it came to training. I tuned out the complaints she was spouting out, as I began to feel a sense of excitement at the prospect of seeing Derek.

I headed to the council meeting and, upon arriving, I immediately caught sight of Derek at the head of the table. I took my seat on his right side, his twin sister, Vivienne, sitting across from me. Derek merely glanced my way before clearing his throat and calling the meeting to order.

I swallowed back the disappointment as we began to discuss the war and all the other issues that seemed to be mounting up in The Shade. I reported on the situation at The Catacombs and what we were doing about it. The meeting lasted several hours and by the time it was over, I felt mentally exhausted. I couldn’t help but sigh with relief when Derek finally dismissed us all.