A Gift of Three(9)

“Sofia?” Derek called my name, and I turned to see him jogging up the path to meet me, his dark hair scattered over his forehead. I waited for him to arrive, grinning as he took my hand in his and clasped it firmly at his side.

“How was your day?” I asked, brushing hair away from his brilliant blue eyes.

“Much improved now.” He smiled boyishly down at me. I didn’t know how his gaze could still set me on fire the way it did. After so many years, one would have thought that my all-consuming love of Derek would have died a little, but if anything, it was the opposite—it just grew deeper, stronger, and so filled with respect and honesty that it felt like he had become the other half of my physical being, that I just wouldn’t make sense without him. “Yours?” he asked.

“Filled with memories… I went to pay my respects to Anna and Kyle.”

“Ah.” He nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. He let go of my hand, and I felt his chest tighten as he drew me closer in an embrace.

We stood like that for a while, holding each other, our eyes closed, relishing the bewitching tranquility of our island: the chirping of the birds above us, the occasional burst of laughter or shout of someone’s name in the distance, the crashing of the waves against the shore.

Then, without saying a word, Derek and I drew apart and walked in the direction of the lighthouse.

When we arrived on the beach where the structure stood tall and proud, after so many centuries of struggle and battles, the sight of it stirred up so many memories in me. I glanced over at Derek’s noble profile in the light of the moon. With all the changes that The Shade had undergone—the lives progressing, the ups and downs of day-to-day existence—it struck me that through all of it, the love between Derek and me had been the one constant… In a way, it was what The Shade had been founded on.

“I love you,” I whispered, as we neared the rocks.

Derek stopped walking, his electric-blue eyes filling with emotion as they settled on me. He cupped my face before leaning in to gently kiss my lips. His voice was husky as he replied, “And I love you, Sofia.”





Aida





[Victoria and Bastien’s daughter]




I flew through the air, landing on the hard, dusty ground of the training area with a thump. Man, my butt hurt. Phoenix stood a couple of feet away, smirking.

“Nice,” I retorted grumpily as I clambered to my feet and rubbed my behind.

“You told me not to hold back,” he reminded me.

I regret that.

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled, pulling myself together, ready to aim my own blow. With a grunt, I launched myself at him. My left leg swerved behind him as my arm shot out to palm-hit him in the chest. He stumbled, but was too quick—he jumped back over my leg rather than falling, and took up his attack stance again.

“Dammit,” I exhaled, breathing hard.

“What’s with you today?” he asked, laughing.

“Feeling a little low on energy,” I replied, eyeing him suspiciously. “Know why that might be?”

Phoenix shook his head, his lips molding into a smirk. “If you think I’m cheating, guess again—you’re just off your game.”

I raised a questioning brow, not quite trusting that the sentry wasn’t using his syphoning powers to drain me. That was the problem with fighting with Phoenix. He always swore he wasn’t cheating, but sometimes I wasn’t sure.

“Whatever…” I grinned suddenly, giving him the benefit of the doubt. Phoenix’s syphoning abilities weren’t subtle – I was sure I would have been able to tell if he had. This time he launched forward, but I managed to swerve out of the way. My shoulder was knocked sideways, but I kept my ground.

“Better,” he intoned, spinning into a back kick. It landed on my already painful backside, sending me flying forward. My glutes seized up, and I swore under my breath.

“How are you so damn perky this morning anyway?” I asked, more angrily than I intended. I would have some serious bruising tonight. “Serena told me you got back at the crack of dawn this morning…another trip to Hawaii?”

Phoenix’s brow furrowed and it was my turn to smirk.

“My sister should learn discretion,” he growled, flying at me again. We fought hand to hand, punches hitting their marks with hollow thuds, till Phoenix landed a well-aimed punch to my right side and I staggered backward.

“Who was the girl this time?” I replied, laughing at his annoyance. I loved winding Phoenix up—sometimes it was just too easy, especially when I had the inside scoop from his younger sister.

This time though, Phoenix just laughed.