A Castle of Sand(34)

“I am under no obligation to explain my decisions to you, son.”
I hated the patronizing tone his voice took on. I knew then that it was a challenge. Every single person in that room was watching me for a reaction. Was I going to fight back? Was I going to defy the king? There was no doubt in my mind that should I defy my own father, more than enough vampires would side with me. I could’ve easily taken Gregor Novak down many times before, but I chose not to. I chose to honor him because he was my father, but at that moment, I was never more tempted to take him down.
“You’re going to regret this,” was all I could manage to say.
Gregor smirked. “Sure I will. Until then, enjoy the lovely young ladies, Derek. I’m sure you’ll appreciate them the moment you get tired of ravishing your freckled redhead.”
At that callous jibe once again thrown at Sofia, I lost all control of my temper. I sped forward right to his level, lunging toward him with so much force, the recliner he was seated on went crashing to the ground as I pinned him down.
The tension was electric as screams and nervous mutterings burst out around the hall. I was certain that much of the commotion was over a certain level of confusion over whom they were going to help—their savior or their king.
I didn’t really care. I was too busy relishing the terror in my father’s eyes. He might have been a vampire longer than I was, but I was far more powerful than he was. Cora had made sure of that.
“Understand this, Father,” I said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “If you ever touch Sofia or put her in danger or even dare speak of her in my presence again, you can be certain that I will take your throne. Without hesitation.”
“How Vivienne would roll over in her grave if she saw what you’ve become! Have you forgotten who your family is, Derek?”
“Vivienne sacrificed her own safety, her own life in order to get Sofia back to me. She would never do that for you. That’s how important Sofia is, Father. I’m pretty sure that if you asked Vivienne now who she would rather spare, she would choose Sofia.”
A bone-chilling silence followed my statement as everyone let the words sink in.
“Why?” The voice was Claudia’s. I had no doubt about it. “Why is the little freckled redhead so important?”
I rose to my feet, letting go of my father as I did. I slowly backed away from him, finding pleasure in the mixture of fury and fright in his eyes. After reaching the stand, now unoccupied by Eli and Felix, I addressed Claudia’s question.#p#分页标题#e#
“Sofia is the girl Cora prophesied who would help me find our kind true sanctuary. Without her, I cannot accomplish the prophecy.”
“Nonsense. You already accomplished the prophecy when you brought us to The Shade and secured it with Cora’s protective spell,” Gregor spat.
At that, I scoffed. How blind could he possibly be? “Don’t be a fool, Father. The Shade isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a nightmare.”
Gregor straightened to his full height, his eyes fixed on me. Unable to say anything in response, he looked at the council surrounding us, every single one gawking at the sight that had just unfolded before them. “I want Derek Novak arrested for high treason. His punishment will be discussed at the next council meeting.”
I couldn’t help but smirk at how delusional my father was. He really thinks that he holds the power. I didn’t know what he was expecting to happen after his announcement. Does he really expect the council to pounce on me to make the arrest? Does he expect me to panic and make a run for it? Apart from Felix making one hesitant step forward, no one else moved. I was certain that it was one of the most awkward moments the Great Dome had ever stood witness to.
My father’s breaths were coming in pants, infuriated by the fact that nobody bothered heeding his command.
“Why isn’t anyone moving?! Your king has given a command! Arrest him!”
After a few moments of stunned and motionless silence, Claudia burst out laughing. Claudia was one of the most twisted and demented people I’d ever met. She was certainly not an ally and there was no doubt in my mind that she hated my guts, but she was no fool either.
“I have no love for his highness, the prince, my dear king,” Claudia managed to say after her laughter subsided, “but no one here will ever be foolish enough to imprison Derek Novak. The only way you can get that man inside a prison cell is if he goes in willingly. Otherwise, a lot of blood will be spilled, and we love our immortality too much to see it end so quickly.”
Knowing that I had all the leverage I needed, I glared triumphantly at my father. “The abductions will stop. Understood?”