A Shade Of Blood(57)

“Sofia… what happened?”
“Vivienne…” she gasped.
Vivienne. It took several seconds before it fully registered on my mind who Vivienne was. The princess of vampires. Derek’s sister. I stared at Sofia, feeling as if she just betrayed me. Why on earth would Vivienne leave The Shade and seek out Sofia? Fears of losing Sofia began to overwhelm me.
“Why would you even dare be anywhere alone with her, Sofia? What were you thinking?”
“She begged to speak with me…”
“Why?”
She licked her lips with hesitation in her eyes. I hated that she would change the subject but her next revelation brought me delight. “The hunters have her.”
Good riddance then. I looked to Sofia for a trace of victory at the news. Instead, it was as if she’d been told that someone she loved dearly just died. “Isn’t this good news?!”
 “She’s my friend. I’m worried about her.” Sofia slowly rose from the bed, sitting over the edge of it, one hand brushing over her forehead. “The idea of what the hunters are going to do to her terrifies me.”
A friend? That she would call The Shade’s princess a friend was a slap to my face. I was then reminded of her conversation with the vampire and shook my head slightly, refusing to let my girlfriend off the hook. “What did Vivienne say to you, Sofia?”
Sofia paused before saying, “She was asking me to go back to The Shade.”
“She what?!”
“Ben…”
My eyes grew wide with shock. “Sofia, you’re not actually considering this, are you?”
“This room is suffocating. I need space to think.” Sofia got off the bed. “I’m going out for a walk.”
“You’re not going anywhere, Sofia. We’re going to talk about this.”
“No, Ben. We’re not. Not now at least.”
She twisted the doorknob, opened the door and walked away, leaving me stunned. Half of me wanted to run after her and drag her right back to the room, when my father peeked into the room. “Looks like she’s up. Told you there was nothing to worry about.”
Nothing to worry about? My dad always had a way of making light of things. I guess I inherited my penchant for avoiding problems from him. “What happened to Sofia, dad? Why was she unconscious?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I was looking for her and found her in a coffee shop with that friend of hers, who was murmuring something while holding Sofia’s hands. I approached and suddenly, the other girl was having some kind of seizure and Sofia just lost consciousness. We went to the hospital and they released Sofia, saying she just needs some rest.”
“And her friend?”
My dad shrugged. “Didn’t think to check on her. Have you talked to Sofia though? Did she tell you anything?”
She didn’t tell me enough. “Yeah… she says she just needs to take a walk.”
“Well, it’s probably best to give her some space. And Ben?”
“Yes?”
“What really happened between you and Sofia when you disappeared … The day will come when you have to talk about it. I understand the desire to run from it, but with things like this happening, I’m beginning to wonder if…”
 “I’m fine, dad. Sofia’s fine.”
“Alright then. Good night, son.”
“Good night, dad.”
I was left standing there, not certain what I was supposed to do. Then I remembered how something stashed beneath Sofia’s pillow had caught my attention. Giving in to my curious nature, I went to see what she had hidden there and immediately found myself wishing I hadn’t.
Other than rip me apart, all it did was seal my decision. I’ve had enough. I’m going to locate the hunters first thing tomorrow. Either she’s with me or she’s not.

Chapter 30: Sofia
 
A cool breeze carried strands of my hair in the air as I took a stroll along the concrete sidewalks of the suburban neighborhood we lived in. I took in the familiar sight of row upon row of the identical-looking villas that completed the subdivision. I mused over how all the homes looked exactly the same on the outside, but were most likely radically different on the inside.
Sometimes, that’s the way it is with people. You think you can tell what they are based on the patterns that you see, but when you take a look inside, they’re nothing like you expect them to be.
That’s how it was with Vivienne. Of course, I never really understood her. She was always cold and aloof toward me while I was back at The Shade. It wasn’t that she disliked me. She just seemed indifferent, like I wasn’t deserving of her time, nor was I deserving of Derek’s.