A Gate of Night (A Shade of Vampire #6)(11)

Zinnia raised a brow, never one to enjoy being ignored. “Take us to the witch’s temple then. Hurry, vampire. We wouldn’t want to miss what your messenger has to say, would we?”

Xavier’s steely eyes shifted from Vivienne to Zinnia. His fists clenched tightly.

Though Vivienne didn’t quite have Derek’s authoritative temperament, she still had fire in her. She was still princess of The Shade and in her eyes, Zinnia was a brat threatening her home and everyone she loved. Her face hardened.

I could tell that Xavier was just waiting for one word from the princess. Should it come to that, I had no idea whose side I was going to take. Despite our current differences, Zinnia and I had history. She was like a daughter to me.

Xavier took a step toward Zinnia.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the teenager at that moment, but I didn’t want to see her mangled either. She was one of our most well-trained but she stood no chance against vampires as powerful as Xavier or Vivienne. The hunters’ strength was always in the element of surprise, strategy and cunning. She had none of those at the moment. I gave her a quick glance and saw nothing but defiance. Did I train you to be this way? A complete fool?

To my relief, however, Vivienne’s shoulders sagged and she heaved out a long sigh—probably to reel her temper in. “Take her to the Sanctuary, Xavier. Aiden and I will soon follow.”

Xavier’s jaw twitched. He was clearly not happy, but he had no choice but to obey.

Once left alone, I studied Vivienne. “What’s going on, Vivienne?”

“Something’s wrong, Aiden. I’ve had a bad feeling all day and then Natalie shows up and…” Stark panic was in her eyes.

“Vivienne, get a hold of yourself.”

“I can’t. I can’t take Derek and Sofia’s place here at the island. I don’t have it in me to lead. Not when all this is happening.” She wasn’t listening to me. Her eyes were blank, staring into the space between us.

I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. It did little good. Instead, she just began to sob.

“If anything happens to them…”

I found it strange seeing a powerful vampire have a nervous breakdown right in front of me, but more than the awkward situation, I felt guilt. We did this to her.

Vivienne had been attempting to convince Sofia to return to The Shade after she’d left with her best friend, Ben, when we’d caught her. Before being taken to hunters’ headquarters, she was strong and enigmatic, with a lot of confidence and fight in her. By the time we were done with her, however, she’d become a broken, whimpering and frightened woman.

As she stood before me, shaking like a leaf, afraid of everything and nothing, I did the one thing I knew how to do at the moment.

I slapped her square in the face.

“Snap out of it, Vivienne,” I hissed. “Remember who you are. You ruled The Shade for four hundred years. I know you’d like to think that it was your father or your brother, Lucas, but while Derek was asleep, it was you. You kept this place together and you’re going to do it again as soon as you get a hold of yourself.”

Vivienne stared at me, shock in her bright violet eyes. For a couple of seconds, we stood frozen. Finally, she broke the silence through a gasp. She shrugged my grip off her shoulders as she stood to her full height, her chin tilting up.

Gratefulness flashed on her face when she finally looked me in the eye. No words came out, but Vivienne Novak and I had an understanding that day. I don’t know what it was that made me so sure, or how I understood her mere gaze, but I knew three things to be true:

One, we were about to see a very different Vivienne Novak—or at least the one The Shade had always known before we broke her.

Two, I had her forgiveness for what I’d put her through back at the hunters’ headquarters.

Three, I was never, ever allowed to hit her again.

Chapter 8: Sofia

I was close to throwing up.

It felt like a flurry of little creatures were doing cartwheels inside me. The cold air seeped through my skin and penetrated my bones. I shivered as I tried to get a grip on our dark surroundings. Flashbacks of my first night at The Shade returned to me in full force. The darkness, the musty atmosphere, the feeling of being inside a dungeon… I half-expected to be thrown over the wall on my back.

Then I remembered everything I’d gone through over the past two years. No. I wasn’t back at The Shade, but there was a great chance that I was indeed inside a dungeon.

I tried to recall what had happened before I’d lost consciousness. Two vampires—one red-eyed and one brunette—had been in our hotel room. From the look in Derek’s eyes, he knew who they were. For the first time in my life, I’d seen terror in Derek’s face.

I’d known without a doubt that the two intruders wouldn’t hesitate to end my husband’s life. Derek had been poised to fend off an attack from Kiev when something sharp had stuck me on the neck. I’d lost consciousness after that—but not before Kiev hit Derek over the neck with his sharp claws.

Now that I’d jolted fully awake, terror filled me. Where’s Derek? The thought of what they could’ve done to him began eating at me. I tried to recall who they were and remembered how the brunette had spoken about Emilia. Could they be… My breath hitched. If they were who I thought they were… the Elder’s children…