A Gate of Night (A Shade of Vampire #6)(38)

I didn’t respond out of a fear that I would say something I’d eventually regret. I was perhaps being unreasonable, driven by my desire to be with my wife, but I hated how condescending the witches were to other kinds. For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to trust them—not when they had remained in their high and lofty sanctuary while the rest of us suffered in our own realms.

“My meditation cannot be interrupted,” the Ageless explained, appearing before us. “While I am sorry that you had to wait, I can’t say that I feel too bad. Do tell me. Why have you come?”

Ibrahim and I looked at her, breathtaken by her beauty. I was about to stand up but Ibrahim motioned for me to wait. I wasn’t pleased that I was once again being left out of the important conversations, but I’d been at The Sanctuary long enough to know that I had no real influence there.

So this is what it feels like to be a pawn, just a piece someone’s pushing around in order to win a game.

The Ageless and Ibrahim took a walk along the stone pathway that lined the courtyard. I watched as they got into a serious discussion about my fate.

It felt like forever before they finished their little stroll and returned to the gazebo.

Ibrahim seemed rather pleased with himself by the way he smiled at me. The Ageless was, as usual, devoid of any expression.

“Your mentor says that it will do you good to know the severity of your mission, how important it is that you do not mess this up. I will allow you to communicate with Corrine.”

My breath hitched.

“Be warned, however, that you’re not going to like it.”

I swallowed hard and nodded. I had no idea what to expect. Dread came over me.

Once I finally got to speak with the witch of The Shade, I realized that nothing could’ve prepared me for the revelations that she unveiled during our conversation.

I didn’t know what effect Ibrahim and the Ageless were expecting the conversation to have on me. Perhaps they thought that finding out about what was happening back home would motivate me to work harder. My conversation with Corrine had the exact opposite effect on me. After finding out what had happened to The Shade, I was more determined than ever to return home.

My people need me. Sofia needs me. I’m turning into hell personified and for the life of me and everyone I love, I need to get the hell out of here.

Chapter 22: Vivienne

Xavier, Cameron and Liana stood around the wooden table inside Sofia’s quarters, now converted to our center of communication. Yuri and Claudia were standing next to each other, leaning on the wall near the table, seemingly preoccupied. Aiden sat comfortably on the couch nearby, legs crossed, listening in on our conversation.

I, on the other hand, was pacing the floor, hands clasped behind my back. I had just told them that I wanted The Shade rebuilt in time for Derek’s arrival.

“Rebuild The Shade.” The words rolled out of Yuri’s mouth as if it was a marvel he couldn’t wrap his mind around.

“We don’t even know where Derek is or if he is…” Cameron held his tongue, casting a guilty look at his wife, who was glaring at him to stop talking.

“Derek is alive,” I said. “His return hinges on a when and not an if. My brother is coming back with his wife and child and when they return, they cannot arrive to this.”

I could feel Xavier’s stare on my skin. He knew me more than anyone else in that room did, even my best friend, Liana, so even if I could get everyone to accept my bold statements, he could see past my bluff.

“You do remember what we had to do just to build the Crimson Fortress alone, don’t you?” Claudia spoke up, her stare fixed on Yuri as she playfully fiddled with strands of his hair.

She seemed back to her old self, flirting and treating everything like they didn’t matter, even though all of us knew how much the island had begun to mean to the feisty blonde vampire.

“Are we really willing to do that again?” she challenged, pouting as she did. “All those lives…”

The hundred-foot tall, thick walls that lined The Shade had been built on the shoulders of human slave labor—mostly hunters, sent by their order to destroy us. They were prisoners of war and we owed the establishment of The Shade to their capture. It had taken almost a hundred years to complete and a lot of human lives—more than we cared to admit. The rest of the establishments on the island—ruined by the recent battles—had taken centuries to complete and develop.

Unless I expected my human brother to return in at least a century, there was no way we could finish rebuilding The Shade in time for his arrival.

I swallowed hard. I wasn’t exactly thrilled over the idea of having to explain our choices to Aiden.

I was relieved when Xavier spoke up. “It doesn’t have to be that way again. We have the technology to…”

“And how are we going to get the kind of technology we need when we are forbidden to leave the island? We have to accept that our ruler will return to a dystopia, and there’s nothing any of us can do about it.” Cameron, a carefree and happy person, was more distraught than I’d ever seen him.

Liana gently ran her hand over her husband’s arm. I could tell that she was trying to keep away the tears. We hadn’t spoken much but I knew that the trouble The Shade was experiencing was taking its toll on their marriage.

I looked at all the faces surrounding me. It’s taking its toll on all of us.