A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire #1)(9)

“I know an excuse when I hear one. Don’t you dare deceive yourself into believing that you’re the victim, Derek Novak.”

I could hear a soft gasp escape his lips the moment I said the words. I couldn’t help but sigh with relief when his arm’s grip around my waist loosened. His lips remained pressed on any part of my skin it could brush against as he eased me down so I could stand on my feet again. I felt so small and fragile standing so close to him. The moment my feet hit the ground, my knees buckled and to my horror, I found myself leaning to him for support.

“You’ll be alright,” he whispered loud enough for only me to hear.

I wanted to throw a bitter, sarcastic retort at him. How could he say something like that after what he was just about to do to me? I found, however, that I had no energy left in me to put up a fight.

His eyes were still on me as he spoke. “Tell me your name.”

It sounded more like a command than a request, but I found myself responding anyway. “Sofia… Sofia Claremont.”

He then began to speak louder, obviously addressing everyone else in the room other than me. “Sofia is to be my personal slave.”

“And the others?” Vivienne asked.

Derek didn’t even look at them. “You decide.”

Other words were exchanged, but I managed for the first time in a long time to numb all five of my senses. The thought circling through my mind was overwhelmingly sickening.

What exactly does he mean by “personal slave”?

CHAPTER 8: DEREK

Four hundred years. Gone. Just like that.

As Lucas and Vivienne led me out of the Sanctuary, apparently Corrine’s dwelling place, I couldn’t help but marvel over what they’d managed to turn the Blood Shade into over the past four centuries. Before the spell, the island we’d occupied and called the Blood Shade was nothing but a fortress surrounded by a dark forest with its towering redwoods and giant sequoias. We made a small clearing in the middle of the forest and called it The Vale. That was where we began making plans regarding what the Blood Shade would someday be like. I never thought it possible that the plans would actually materialize, but here it was – right before my very eyes – more amazing than it was in my imagination.

As we left the Sanctuary and eventually entered into what was now the Vale, I asked question after question to satisfy my curiosity and make me forget my hunger. Sofia and the other slaves were walking right behind us, escorted by the guards. I was still so conscious of Sofia’s proximity, still overcome by the scent of her blood.

“What happened to the wild animals that occupied the forest?” We’d made plans to keep our residences atop the redwoods, because of what a nuisance the wildlife had turned out to be.

“They’re around,” Vivienne explained as we took a leisurely pace strolling past the Vale. “Cora helped us gather most of the wild animals into certain parts of the island we call dens. Some of the fiercer ones, however, are kept in the Cells.”

“The Cells?”

“The prisons,” Lucas butted in. “They’re located at the Black Heights – you know,” he shrugged, “the mountain ranges. The dungeons and slave quarters are kept there.”

I raised a brow. “Sofia?”

I didn’t miss how Vivienne’s eyes shot toward me in question. I knew she was intrigued by the concern I was showing the girl. At that time, there was no way for me to explain to my sister exactly how I saw Sofia: a ray of light. The truth was I didn’t even fully understand myself.

“Harems stay at the Residences with their keepers,” Vivienne explained, assuring me that Sofia wasn’t going anywhere without me.

I nodded. “And what exactly are the Residences?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. That’s where we’re going.” There was a certain smugness to my brother’s tone. I imagined he was mighty pleased that he had four hundred years’ worth of experience and knowledge over me.

I stared back and forth from my sister to my brother, wondering about the amount of knowledge and wisdom they’d managed to accumulate over all that time. I didn’t know if it was my bias against my brother or the fact that we were never close due to how our father always pitted us against each other, but Lucas didn’t seem to be any wiser than he was when I went under Cora’s spell a long time ago. Vivienne, on the other hand, had a sager aura about her and I couldn’t help but feel some sort of reverence toward her.

I then began to wonder where my father was. The fact that I had no pressing desire to see him told me a lot about my feelings toward him. I immediately assumed that he’d be in the Crimson Fortress, the massive walls I made sure would be built to protect the Blood Shade before I sought escape. I found myself asking to verify if the fortress was still standing strong and if Oliver, always the fierce warrior, was there.

“The fortress is stronger than ever. We have knights, guards and scouts stationed at its walls to keep us all secure,” Vivienne assured.

“Knights? Scouts?”

“Knights are members of the Elite who also serve as warriors,” Lucas explained. “Scouts are those we send to the outside world for supplies or new blood.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that last piece of information. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a way for our kind to survive without preying on humans. I was sure that just saying those thoughts out loud would be labeled as sacrilege by my father.