A Chase of Prey (A Shade of Vampire #11)(39)

Once they began coughing blood, it was time for Vivienne, Sofia and me to take them away. Anna looked close to tears as we left her and Kyle standing in the doorway, hurrying with their shaking children into the woods.

We raced to Claudia and Yuri’s penthouse as fast as we could—it seemed that the two children screamed and convulsed more wildly each second that passed. We hurried into the elevator and once we reached the top, Sofia rushed ahead to bang on the front door. Claudia had already opened it by the time we’d approached. She swung the door wide open, allowing us inside. Yuri stood in the entrance hall, smiling as we stepped inside.

“Come through to the spare bedrooms,” Claudia said, leading us through the house. “I’ve already prepared them.”

Vivienne and I split into two different bedrooms. I laid Jason down on a bed, then stepped out and closed the door behind me. Vivienne did the same, walking up to me a few seconds later.

“Thank you for doing this, Claudia,” Sofia said. “It means the world to Anna and Kyle.”

Claudia shrugged. “That’s all right. I’ll tame them both soon enough.”

I stared at the blonde vampire. Something seemed a little off about her. Avoiding eye contact, she seemed distant.

“We heard the good news, Vivienne,” she said, patting my sister on the shoulder. “Good luck to you both.”

“Thank you.” Vivienne smiled, though her smile faded slightly as Claudia’s gaze drifted to Yuri.

“Everyone seems to be making life changes around here,” she muttered. There was an awkward silence. I was about to suggest that we leave, but then Claudia blurted out, “Honey, why don’t we have a baby?”

Yuri’s cheeks flushed as he eyed Sofia, Vivienne and me. He walked over to Claudia and stood behind her. Bending down and pressing his mouth against her ear, he dropped his voice to a husky whisper. “You told me last night that I was your only baby.”

Claudia snorted. Yuri never was one to miss out on banter, even when embarrassed.

“I asked you a serious question,” she said.

“Fair enough,” Yuri said, clearing his throat and straightening up, a small smile curling his lips. “Let’s start this lengthy discussion right now, shall we? Let’s not wait the couple of minutes it would have taken to see our guests out the door first.”

Claudia placed her hands on her hips, looking at the three of us in mock disdain. “Well, is your business done here? Yuri and I have matters to discuss.”

She grinned as she escorted us back to the door. But when we reached it, her voice dropped to a more serious tone. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Anna’s kids. They’ll adore me by the end of this… I need to show Yuri that I’m capable of being a mother.”

I rolled my eyes as she closed the door. Some people don’t change, no matter how much time passes. I supposed we all liked that about Claudia. She was always her unapologetic self. You knew what you got with her.

Neither of us spoke much as we returned to Vivienne and Xavier’s penthouse. Xavier was waiting in the living room for us. He seemed on edge, jumping to his feet as soon as Vivienne opened the front door and pushed it open. I didn’t blame him for being on edge after all the transformations he’d witnessed throughout the years. I didn’t envy him one bit. We’d been lucky that so far, nobody had died while taking the cure. But I believed that the pain was strong enough to damage someone permanently.

We hadn’t told anyone else on the island exactly when they would be turning, because Xavier and Vivienne hadn’t wanted people gathering around the Pit. It was uncomfortable enough as it was without being surrounded by crowds.

As we reached the one part of the island where the sun had always shone through—the Pit—Vivienne threw her arms around me and kissed my cheek.

I squeezed her. “You’ll make it through this. I know you will. God knows, you and Xavier are no strangers to pain.”

Chapter 25: Derek

As always when waiting outside the Pit for a loved one to transform, it was a long, agonizing experience. I remembered how torturous it had been with Sofia, and it was no less with my sister and Xavier.

Sofia and I sat with our backs against the wall surrounding the Pit. Eventually Sofia couldn’t take any more of the groaning. She closed her ears and curled up in a ball. I pulled her toward me, sitting her on my lap, hoping to both give and draw comfort.

Despite the torment, we didn’t leave the spot, because we’d promised them that we’d be waiting right outside the whole time. They’d said there was no need, but we’d insisted.

We lost track of how much time passed, but it felt like several hours later when the groans finally stopped. Sofia and I stood up and approached the door cautiously.

“Vivienne? Xavier?”

Sofia shot me a nervous glance. I reached for the handle and creaked the door open. Sunlight blasted down on me, blinding me as I stepped into the Pit. I felt its heat already searing into my flesh. Sofia stumbled in after me. Both of us stood with our hands over our eyes, trying to see through the blinding light. My eyes were beginning to water from the pain.

Finally I saw my sister and brother-in-law in a corner. To my relief, Xavier was sitting upright, holding Vivienne in his arms and stroking her forehead. He looked up at me and gave me a weak smile. Her eyes were closed, but she seemed to be conscious. Her expression was serene, her cheeks rosy, as she soaked up the sun’s rays.