A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire #1)(26)

“I would never threaten her,” I spat out.

“Don’t kid yourself, Derek,” Corrine smirked. “Your presence alone is a threat to her. Now, go on… leave.”

I cast a lingering gaze at Sofia, feeling like I was being ripped apart on the inside. My fists clenched as I gave the arrogant young witch a heartfelt plea. “Do everything you can to make things right for her…just…fix her.”

There was a spark of confusion in Corrine’s large brown eyes. Perhaps she was wondering why I cared so much, but she didn’t address the matter and instead, simply herded Vivienne and me out of the room. “You can see yourselves out. I will have a guard alert you once she is ready to return to the Pavilion.”

I stood outside as Corrine slammed the door on our faces. I didn’t budge from my spot, determined to stay there and wait until Sofia was okay.

Vivienne grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Sofia’s going to be fine. Corrine was in her senior year of psychology when we dragged her down here. She’ll know how to help Sofia.”

“I’m not leaving here until I know Sofia is okay.” I announced.

My sister knew me well enough to know that once I put my mind to something, I could be as stubborn as a mule about it. She nodded, knowing that nothing she could say would convince me to leave that place.

“If you need me, I’ll be at the Pavilion seeing to the investigations. We’ll find out who did this, Derek.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. I felt the guilt and shame come over me as Vivienne left me there to brood alone. I couldn’t think of anyone who could be capable of doing this to Sofia other than Lucas. But I had no proof and even if I did, I wasn’t sure that I could do anything about it. Lucas was my brother and no matter how important Sofia had become to me, blood runs thicker than water.

CHAPTER 19: SOFIA

Corrine took her time with me. She tried to make me comfortable, giving me a drink of water, which I truly appreciated, considering how the taste of Derek’s blood was still fresh on my mouth. She took great care in making sure that I wanted to do what she was asking me to do – never pushing or ordering or commanding, which I was certain was exactly what Derek would’ve done had I been left under his care.

She gave me a fresh set of clothes to wear. I was so relieved to see that she handed me skinny jeans and an adorable-looking white baby doll blouse. It was nice to see something I would wear in normal life, instead of the dresses and skirts afforded to me at the Pavilion. Oh, they were pretty and feminine, but it felt like the sole reason I had to wear them was so that the vampires could have easy access to my body – that’s certainly what Lucas got. I put on the jeans knowing how irrational my line of thinking was. It’s not like I would’ve worn jeans to sleep in the first place. Still, the snug fit of the denim on my legs provided me a thread of comfort. At least I won’t have to feel Lucas’ hand over my legs. I shuddered, recalling the way he touched me. I knew that it wasn’t going to be the last time he would do it. What terrified me most was how helpless I felt at that time. I never wanted to feel that way again.

“Would you like to talk about what happened?” Corrine asked.

I sat over the edge of her bed as she pulled an ottoman in front of me so she could sit right across me. From her bedside table, she pointed to a bowl of fruits.

“If you’re hungry…” she offered.

I shook my head. “No, thank you.” I truly appreciated the way she was treating me. It was like she was the caring older sister I never had.

“What happened, Sofia? I promise that whatever you say, it won’t go out of this room unless you want it to.”

“I don’t remember,” I lied. I remembered every last bit of it. “I woke up and I had the cuts on my back and the lock of Gwen’s hair on my hands. I walked to the bathroom and…” I choked, recalling Gwen’s fate. “She didn’t deserve to die.”

I knew I had to protect the other remaining girls from what happened to Gwen. Lucas’ threat was still ringing in my ear. I had no doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t hesitate to destroy me and the girls the first chance he got.

“You’re right. She didn’t.” Corrine nodded. Her brown eyes then bore into mine. “Sofia, I can’t help you unless you’re honest with me. Was it Derek who did this to you?”

“He already told you earlier that he didn’t.”

“Yes, but I want to hear it from you.”

I was surprised by the protectiveness I felt toward Derek. I almost felt insulted that anyone would imply that he could do something like this.

“If Derek did this, then there wouldn’t be any fuss, would there? We’re his slaves after all. Is he not allowed to do as he pleases with us? The only reason that this is such a big deal is because someone else most likely did it and it’s a huge insult to Derek.”

Corrine smiled a self-satisfied smile, almost as if she were proud that I came up with that answer myself. It felt as if she were playing mind games with me.

“The prince seems to care a lot about you. He seemed pretty distraught to see you at the state you’re in.”

I remained silent. I felt so hurt and abused. I was scared of what was to come. I wanted to believe so badly that Derek cared enough about me to choose me over his brother, but if he had endured being a creature that he hated for hundreds of years just to save his family, what would make me think that he would choose me over Lucas?