The back of her hand slammed against my cheek and I went tumbling to the ground. She stood over me and was about to deliver a blow across my face with her claws when someone sped her way and pushed her back against the wall she had me pinned against only moments ago.
I looked to see who it was and found Derek pressed against her, keeping her in place. “Did I not make it clear that she is not to be touched?”
I stood up and headed for Gavin. He was lying on the ground, recovering from the pain. I put my arms around him and helped him sit up. A crowd of vampires was now beginning to circle us, more than one of them eyed his bloody torso hungrily. I positioned myself protectively in front of Gavin.
“She demands to take my slave from me. She has no right to. I was merely protecting my property.”
“He’s Lily’s son. I can’t bear the thought of him suffering the same fate as Ben.” I intervened.
Derek’s shoulders were heaving, the muscles in his back obviously tensing up. Silence filled the air as he weighed the decision before him. He let go of Claudia, stepping away from the vampire. “Do as she says, Claudia.”
“What?!” Claudia spat. “You forget who you’ve sworn to protect, prince.”
“I never swore to protect you, Claudia.”
“What has she done that you are so enamored by her, that you would have even vampires submit to her whims?”
“My word is law on this island. She is the woman I love. So shall her words also be law upon The Shade ... unless I say otherwise. Do you understand?”
I froze. The woman I love. The words echoed inside my head – so loud and so clear – I barely understood the rest of what he said.
“The woman you love? Were you thinking of her when you visited me in my cell and…”
“Be silent, Claudia. My patience with you wears thin.”
My heart broke when Derek cut her off as if he were unwilling to let her continue what she was about to say. It was confirmation to me that Claudia could be speaking truth about Derek being in bed with her. The thought of the last time I saw them together and the way Derek held her as he asked her to give him Ben for my sake haunted me, re-sparking the jealousy I felt back then. I hated the way he was making me feel. Conflicted. I wanted to believe that he loved me, but doubts were still assailing my mind and soul. How could he love me?
Claudia glared at Derek, then at me. “You’re going to get your comeuppance one day, redhead. You’ll see.”
“Enough of that. Just leave, Claudia.” Derek finally turned to face me and I found myself trembling when I felt his eyes peruse me. “Are you alright, Sofia?”
I nodded. He noticed the way I was shaking and mistook it as an aftermath of my encounter with Claudia.
“You don’t have to be afraid of her any longer. I’m right here.”
The only person I’m afraid of on this island is you, Derek. Without being fully aware of it, I let him penetrate my heart and soul. He consumed me. This terrified me, because despite my instincts nagging at me to believe that he was a good man worth fighting for, the circumstances surrounding us said otherwise.
Fear enveloped me at the idea of having such affection toward one such as Derek Novak, because as he embraced me, whispering soothing words of comfort into my ear, I couldn’t help but wonder, What if I’d allowed myself to fall in love with a complete monster?
Chapter 46: Lucas
I puffed a cigarette as I stood beside a flickering lamp post in Amsterdam. My hunt for my father was proving to be a greater undertaking than I had initially predicted. He wasn’t an easy man to find and I was hoping this would be the last stop I had to take before discovering him.
I was there to meet with an old acquaintance, Natalie Borgia. The gorgeous Italian vampire didn’t belong to any of the covens. She was one of the few rogue vampires and the most well-connected among all. She was the only one who knew all the locations of the covens and was allowed entrance into all of them. She was the ultimate diplomat, a woman I found incredibly irresistible and totally unattainable.
“Lucas Novak.”
I turned toward the sound of the voice and found Natalie approaching, her dark brown hair lifted into a neat updo, her sultry curves covered by a chic red coat. Classy was the only way I could think to describe her.
“Hey, beautiful.” I smirked.
She rolled her eyes and stared at me with a poker face. “You look like crap.” She took the cigarette from my mouth and threw it on the ground, crushing it with her heel.
“That’s not a very diplomatic thing to say or do, Natalie.”
“Oh please, Lucas. We both know diplomacy is lost on you.”