A Gate of Night (A Shade of Vampire #6)(46)

“You love me, princess. Admit it.” His grip on my arm tightened. He wanted to hear me say the words. He was desperate for it.

My lips trembled. I could find no reason not to say it, so I didn’t understand why the words wouldn’t come out of my lips. “I… Xavier…” I had no idea what terrified me more—the coming of the Elders or baring my heart completely to the man I loved. Xavier made me feel vulnerable. “You said you’d wait until I’m ready.”

“And I’d do that, Vivienne. You know I would, but…”

I pressed my lips against his to silence him, hoping that if I couldn’t express what I felt for him in words, he would understand that I loved him through my actions.

Still, even as I reveled in being held in his strong arms, I could tell that I would regret not telling him. Especially when a cold, foreboding wind began to sweep through the island.

That meant only one thing.

“The Elders are here,” I whispered. A creeping sense of fear began to envelop me, getting under my skin and chilling my bones. I clung to Xavier tighter but he pulled away from me.

“Xavier?” I asked. I looked into his eyes and gasped. They’d gone a strange, translucent white.

He brushed loose strands of my hair with his fingers before giving me a wide, manic grin. “Hello. You’re right, sweet innocent.”

Right about what? Realization dawned on me. “No.”

“Yes. We’re here.”

Chapter 27: Kiev

I watched as the young woman set the tray of food on top of the aluminum pushcart. Strawberries, pancakes, delicacies that I would never have the pleasure of tasting. Ones Derek Novak is somehow now able to enjoy… wherever he is. The man had been off our radar since the day he’d somehow escaped our capture.

That means only one thing. He’s no longer in this realm.

“Everything’s ready, my lord.” Downcast eyes and clasped hands faced me.

“Let’s go then.”

Olga was the beautiful brunette tasked to bring Sofia her meals every day. She’d been held captive at The Blood Keep since she was a baby and she’d been serving as a kitchen girl from childhood to her teenage years. I knew I could trust her to do whatever I told her to do, so when the subject of who to send to cater to Sofia’s needs had come up, Olga had come to mind.

Unlike the other servants, the teenager didn’t tense at the very sight of me. She respected me more than she feared me and I liked that about her. She knew her place in my life and she served it well.

“How is she?” I asked her as we walked along the corridors of The Blood Keep, headed for Sofia’s bedroom.

“I don’t think she gets enough sleep. She seems anxious as of late.”

“Did she try to talk to you again?”

“Yes. Always. She wanted me to help her. Begging. She was talking about escape.”

Sofia, you little fool. “And what did you do?”

“Nothing. I ignored her. Like you told me to.” Olga paused and caught her breath.

I’d practically raised the young servant. I could read her expressions very well. “You’re keeping something from me. Spit it out, Olga.”

“She hit me yesterday. She got really angry that I wouldn’t respond to her pleas.” Olga’s round face paled.

She hit Olga? I couldn’t picture Sofia doing something like that, especially to an innocent just like herself. The darkness is getting to her.

“She’s not like she was when she first came. She’s losing it, my lord. She’s withering away.” A deep sigh escaped Olga’s red lips, her eyes glistening. “I feel for her.”

You feel for her? The thought riled me up. I grabbed her arm and yanked her around to face me before gripping her jaw. “Know your loyalties, Olga.”

She didn’t cower like others did. Her hazel eyes met mine, unflinching. “I know where mine lie, my lord. On the other hand, I’m not sure where yours do.”

I knew her so well, but for some reason, I was never quite able to wrap my mind around the idea that she knew me just as much as I did her. In fact, she knew me better than anyone else—apart from the Elder—did at that castle.

Olga knew that even though she was my lesser in terms of station at the castle, we were both just captives of the Elder. I was the Elder’s so-called son, but I was not much different than every other slave and prisoner he kept at The Blood Keep. I didn’t have a will of my own.

I slapped Olga across the face for her insolence. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I was lying, and I could see in her stoic face that she knew it. I let go of her and she turned away from me and once again began pushing the food cart forward. Her long brown hair sashayed over her waist, her hips swaying as she walked along the castle’s dark corridors.

Still, as we neared Sofia’s chambers, Olga’s words haunted me. The idea of Sofia “losing it” bothered me. Have I allowed her to get to me? That can’t happen. Remember what happened to the last girl you took a genuine liking to, Kiev.

Natalie had been the love of my life. The rogue vampire herself. We’d planned to elope, to find a place in the world where the Elder wouldn’t be able to find us. We were such fools—Natalie and I.

I shuddered at the memory of the things the Elder had made me do to her. I’d ruined the girl I loved. Those nights tormenting Natalie were the worst nights of my life. It was the Elder’s way of showing me that the darkness inside me was far greater than the light, because I couldn’t say no. I did to Natalie what the Elder pleased. After we released Natalie, I knew she would never be able to forgive me.