A Gate of Night (A Shade of Vampire #6)(65)

A couple of minutes of conversation and I had just agreed to buy my first house. Not because I wanted to abandon The Shade, but because the house, to me, had become a symbol of the family I wanted with Sofia. That house—and seeing my wife and children live and grow up inside of it—was a future that I had always dreamed of.

That afternoon, it became the future that I was going to fight for no matter what came our way.

Chapter 38: Kiev

The night sky was starless, the moon absent. The evening was as dark as night could be, yet nothing could keep Sofia from her regular evening stroll with the genius of The Shade. I watched from a distance, the beast not far away from them, lurking, paying attention to my captive’s every move.

Olga sat on my lap as she fed me blood from her wrist. I drank deep even as my eyes centered on the redhead who had captured my attention from the very moment I first heard of her.

Are you foolish enough to actually want to escape with this man, Sofia? I sensed jealousy over their closeness. I hated that Sofia had found a confidante in anyone other than me, but having him around had been good for her pregnancy. I stared at her belly, swallowing a large gulp of Olga’s blood at the thought of the wonderful creatures it contained—morsels for the taking.

Eyes set on the wiry man who towered over her, I flinched when Eli ran his hand over her back several times as if to comfort her.

I pulled my lips away from Olga’s wrist, quickly wiping blood away from the corners of my lips. “I hate that he’s touching her.”

Olga glanced at her wrist before pulling out a bandage. She began to tend to her wound, oblivious to my outburst.

“She’s mine.”

I sensed the amusement in my servant’s countenance. “What is it about her that has got all you vampires so wrapped up in her dainty little fingers? The legendary Derek Novak, you… who else has been cast under her spell?”

I pushed her away from me, annoyed. “Do you think she’s planning to escape with him?”

“I’m sure of it.” Olga said.

“Well, I’m already offering to help her escape.”

“And you think she’d just trust you? After that last encounter she had with you?”

My stomach knotted at the recollection of her smile, of her sweet laughter as she tried to convince me to dance with her.

I hated her. I hated that moment. I hated that it could make me feel so hopeless, knowing that the light I saw in her could never be mine.

Or maybe it still could.

The voice came unbidden, like a whisper of a conscience I’d long ago shut out.

I pushed the thought away, shaking my head.

Olga knelt at my feet, absent-mindedly running her fingers over my kneecaps. She was comfortable around me in a way that only she was capable of. “Why do you want to help her anyway?”

“Help who?”

I tensed at the familiar, grating voice behind me. Clara.

I dared not turn around. I didn’t want to see her face. If there was one person I hated more than anybody in the world, it was Clara. Of all the vampires the Elder had sired, she was decidedly the worst. She was his favorite. She was the one who actually enjoyed his torture. She was the one who was most like the Elder. I shuddered to think of the consequences should she find out that I was planning to escape The Blood Keep with Sofia.

I did my best to keep my voice calm and cool. “Sofia,” I responded, even as Clara’s hand brushed over my hair.

We had once had a competition—a sick game the Elder had played at our expense. Clara had won. As a reward, I was given to her. A pet for her to toy with. She was allowed to do with me whatever she pleased and I was not to retaliate in any way. Clara had placed me in more degrading positions than I could think of just because of this loss. I was hers for a hundred years. We’d barely even gotten to twenty.

Clara pushed Olga away and perched herself on my lap. “I missed you, brother,” she whispered.

Disgust came over me at the mention of me being her brother. I wanted to push her away but knew that I couldn’t. I knew what torment under the Elder’s hands meant. I did not want to go through that again.

Clara’s lips found mine. I tensed. It seemed to me that she loved it when she saw my disgust over her advances.

“I’ve always wanted you,” she whispered to my ear.

The amusement was unmistakable.

“It’s too bad Father doesn’t allow you to come with me on the missions he sends me on. You should’ve been at The Shade when the Elders arrived, Kiev. It was quite a sight to see how Vivienne Novak trembled when she stood before the vampire one of the Elders possessed. Her beloved himself, Xavier Vaughn. I didn’t want to leave, especially when they made the vampires fight some of the vessels. There was an arena and everything, but of course, Father had to drag me back here.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” Of all my brothers and sisters, Clara was the only one who seemed to find pleasure in calling the Elder her father. Sick conniving bitch.

“He’s worried about you. He says you spend too much of your time mooning over our lovely captive. Are you actually falling for her? Have you fallen under her spell? What, did you lie with her? Did you finally give in to your longing to have what Derek Novak had? I know you want to.”

I stared at her, unwilling to address her taunts, hating every bit of her, revolted by her touch.