A Shade of Blood (A Shade of Vampire #2)(69)

As I rose to my feet, I made a promise to myself that I was going to rescue Vivienne from the Maslens. I couldn’t explain to my father why the thought of Vivienne being with the likes of Borys Maslen made my stomach turn. I knew he would only laugh at me and brand me a fool just like he did the last time I tried to tell him about my theories on how our mother died.

I couldn’t tell my own father that he’d just given his daughter up to a vampire. A vampire I was assigned to kill.

I was able to rescue her from the grips of Borys Maslen five hundred years ago. And yet I wasn’t able to do anything to save her now. I was well aware of what hunters did to vampires once they were caught. No vampire had ever returned after being caught by hunters. No matter how much I wanted to believe that Vivienne was alive, I had to let go.

Nothing I could say to myself or to anyone else could rationally defend the idea of gathering our forces to get my sister back. Even Xavier and Liana, two of Vivienne’s closest friends, kept telling me that the hunters never kept a vampire alive for long. I knew they were telling the truth, that I would only risk the lives of many of our kind if I went ahead and stormed the hunters – wherever they were – in a vain attempt to rescue Vivienne.

She was gone. And I needed to accept that.

As was customary for those among us who had fallen to the hunters, we held a memorial ceremony in the town square. It’d been centuries since The Shade suffered such a loss and for that loss to be Vivienne Novak was grief felt deeply by every citizen of The Shade.

It was Liana who took care of all the preparations. I wanted no part in it. Just thinking about the loss was already too painful. I was expecting our father to return for the memorial ceremony, but he sent word that he couldn’t arrive. Other matters seemed to always get ahead of his family. I even expected Lucas to show up, but I knew that he was too much of a coward to ever show his face to me. Not even his own sister’s death – if he even knew about it – could make him risk his own life.

I couldn’t shake off the anger I felt toward myself as everyone present was given lanterns in order to release into the cold night air. I should’ve been there. I could’ve saved her. But I wasn’t there. I was too busy protecting The Shade, I was unable to protect my sister.

As I stared at the lantern I was holding in my hand, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain at what it represented. Vivienne had always been particularly fond of lanterns. It felt like letting go of the lantern would mean letting go of her.

Sofia was standing a few steps away from me, her eyes downcast as she held the lantern in her hands. I wondered what was going on in her mind as she began to whisper something toward the lantern. I strained to hear what she was saying:

“Wherever you are, Vivienne, I hope you’re alright.”

After we let go of the lanterns, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Sofia. I realized then that I had no idea what I would’ve done without her. Over the past few days since she got back, she’d once again taken on the guise of my slave, even though she was anything but. She was the only person keeping me sane.

I bridged the gap between us and admired the mixture of sorrow and fascination on her face as the lanterns rose up into the starlit sky. Noticing my eyes on her, she looked at me and gave me a sorrowful smile. Her delicate fingers gently brushed against my arm before her hand found mine. She squeezed tight – her way of saying she was right there for me.

Indifferent to what anyone around us would say, I placed my arm over her shoulder and pressed my lips against her temple. I then whispered into her ear, “I can’t begin to explain to you how much it means to me that you’re here.”

She gently caressed the hand I had above her shoulder before her eyes focused on the lanterns rising up to dot the night sky. “I’m sorry you lost Vivienne, Derek.”

Lost Vivienne. The words were painful. The thought of being alone that night seemed more than I could bear. “Stay with me tonight, Sofia.”

With Lucas no longer a threat, she’d been staying in one of the spare bedrooms in my apartment since she arrived. Paige and Rosa had already moved back into my penthouse to accompany her. They’d been asking me about what was to happen to Ashley, but I couldn’t even bring myself to think of the girl.

“Derek…” Her face paled at what she knew I was suggesting – that she stay in my bedroom like she used to.

The hesitation she had over my request was understandable. The girls were giving her a hard time over her loyalty to me, but I wanted to be around her. I craved her warmth. She was healing balm to the wound Vivienne’s disappearance left behind.

“Sofia, please…” I could’ve just demanded it of her. I was still prince of The Shade and in the eyes of everyone else, she was still my slave, but her approval of me mattered – perhaps more than it should. Nothing else pleased me more than the idea of her being with me out of her own choice.

She turned her gaze from the night sky to me before exhaling. She nodded. “Okay.”

The memorial dragged on… Pleasant words were given in memory of Vivienne. When I was asked to speak, I refused. I didn’t want to even think about the loss I was suffering, much less talk about it. I was relieved when it was all over. I left with Sofia as soon as I could. I didn’t want to stick around for condolences.

That night, I found that the only source of solace I had was Sofia. Her kisses, her whispers of comfort, her smile, her arms around me and the warmth she exuded… For the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to become vulnerable in front of someone else. Holding Sofia in my arms, I broke down, and she didn’t say anything to console me. She didn’t have to and somehow she knew it. She just held me close.