A Dawn of Strength (A Shade of Vampire #14)(23)

I watched as the witches began mingling with the crowd, tugging on helmets and chest pieces to check their fit. Of course, I doubted this armor would do much to protect against a curse from one of these black witches, but I guessed it was better than nothing—especially if the witches brought their vampires in along with them.

“What about you?” Aiden walked toward me from my right. He was already dressed in armor—his helmet tipped back as he loaded up a heavy gun.

“Right,” I said. I’d been focusing so much on others, I’d forgotten about myself. I was about to go fetch a gun when a thought struck me. “The ogres. Are they still in their caves?”

“I assume so,” Aiden replied.

“Then we ought to send someone to bring them further inland. They shouldn’t be so close to the ocean.”

“I’ll ask Saira,” Aiden said and hurried away.

“No, Kiev!” Mona’s voice rang through the field, drawing my attention toward her. I stared at her in the heat of an argument with a one-armed vampire. “Not like this.”

Kiev scowled. “Then give me the prosthetic.”

“There’s no time for that now. Just go lock yourself in the mountain with the others.”

Kiev looked as though he’d rather lose his other arm than do that. “There’s no way you can stop me from fighting, Mona. Hurry up with the prosthetic, or I will fight without it.”

She gaped at him in exasperation, then, heaving a sigh, gripped hold of his shoulder and vanished from the spot with him.

Approaching the now-small pile of guns, I picked up one of the last and began loading it. As I looked round at the inhabitants of The Shade helping each other with their armor—some clearly couples, others just friends—I couldn’t help but be struck by how different this island was to the one I’d once referred to as my own. I wasn’t used to such… unity. Camaraderie. Back on my frozen shores, relationships barely existed. Everything was clinical—even when vampires went out on missions together, we cooperated only to get the job done. I’d almost forgotten what it was like to experience fellowship. The last time had been, I supposed, when I’d been part of the crew on one of my father’s ships.

I still wasn’t sure I’d ever stop feeling like the black sheep on this island, but at that moment, something stirred within me that I hadn’t felt in a long time. And I realized there wasn’t anyone I’d rather die alongside than the lionhearted people of The Shade.

Chapter 18: Sofia

When Derek went quiet after less than an hour, my heart leapt into my throat.

I thought at first that perhaps I’d just lost track of time, but when I checked my watch, I realized that wasn’t the case.

I jumped up and pressed my ear against the gate. “Derek?” I called.

No answer.

This was far too soon for the cure to have worked. Of all the vampire-human turnings I’d witnessed, the fastest had been four hours. He should have still been groaning.

Pulling down the handle, I swung the gate open.

“Derek!” I gasped.

He was lying on his stomach, motionless on the ground. He’d removed his shirt, and his back looked like something out of a horror movie. Every part that I could see was red raw and his flesh was hissing and bubbling, as though he were being fried by the sun.

This can’t be happening.

The sun dug into my skin as I hurled myself toward him. I didn’t even take time to check his pulse or if he was still breathing. My brain was foggy with panic. I tried to grip a part of him that wasn’t so brutally damaged, but now that I was closer, I realized that even his underarms—which weren’t being directly exposed to the sun—were almost as bad as his back and shoulders. As I closed my arms around his waist, his skin felt loose and baggy, and it was so baking hot, I was burning just touching him.

Heaving with all my strength, I dragged him across the ground and pulled him back into the darkness of The Shade, slamming the door closed behind us. I rolled him onto his back, and almost screamed when I caught sight of his face. It was practically unrecognizable.

“Derek,” I whispered, my heart hammering against my chest. I tried to detect any sign of breathing.

There was nothing.

“Derek!” I screamed.

No. No. This can’t be happening. This can’t be.

Clearly, he was still a vampire. The immune blood hadn’t worked. It was supposed to protect him from getting baked by the sun, but Derek’s vampire body had been assaulted by the sun’s rays.

I had no idea if mouth-to-mouth resuscitation would help to get him breathing again, but I was desperate. I closed my lips around his singed mouth and breathed heavily.

Come on, my love. Come on.

His skin was so loose around his lips, it felt in danger of ripping off just as I breathed into him.

The minutes that followed were the most torturous of my life. When he still wasn’t coming to after dozens of heavy breaths, terror seized me and I began to believe that I’d actually lost him.

But then, like a blessing sent from heaven, a violent shudder ran through Derek’s chest. He raised his head off the ground, coughing and spluttering.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as his eyes opened. I wanted to hold him in my arms, but I couldn’t without causing him more pain.

I shot to my feet. “Wait here, my love. I’m going to get Corrine. We’re going to fix you. J-just stay right here.”