A Shade Of Blood Part 24

"Wait for me. I'm going to be right down."

Corrine disappeared and Derek looked at me. "So it was the witch who gave you the idea of coming here?"

"When I came to visit her, she told me that I should come here to get a clear picture of how the Naturals live."

"The Naturals and the Migrates..." He winced. He said each word with bitterness even a hint of spite. I couldn't help but wonder why. I caught sight once again of the children on the level below. Both had their big brown eyes on us. The little girl clung tightly to her brother. I realized that they were both looking at Derek. They were mortified. The boy whispered something into the girl's ear and they backed away slowly before completely turning back and running into what I a.s.sumed was a tunnel that led to some other section of the pit.

"You should've said that his royal highness was coming. We could've prepared a warm welcome of sorts. The Elite rarely visit the Catacombs."

I did a one-eighty and found Corrine standing behind us.

Derek was more reluctant to face the beautiful witch. He slowly twisted around before glaring at Corrine.

"h.e.l.lo to you too."

They dueled with glares before both directed their attention toward me.

"So you finally decided to visit the Catacombs." Corrine slightly chastised.

"Well, there was Vivienne's memorial... I was adjusting to being back... I..."

"Hush, Sofia. You do have the tendency to ramble when you're trying to defend yourself." Corrine eyed me before once again giving Derek a wary glance. "Follow me. There's someone I'd like for you to meet."

As Corrine led us along the round ledge we were standing on, I could sense Derek's discomfort. I wondered if it was difficult for him to be around all those humans. I instinctively grabbed his hand and squeezed. His grip on my hand tightened. To me, the gesture was well understood. I was there for him and he was grateful for it. I looked around me at the place shrouded with darkness.

"How is everyone able to cope without sunlight?" I found myself asking. During the months I stayed with Derek before leaving The Shade, we were given doses of Vitamin D along with other nutrients I wondered if all humans were given this treatment.

"Most of the people who live here at the Catacombs were born here," Corrine explained. "It's hard to miss something they never actually had. They get nourishment of Vitamin D from supplements. The lack of sunlight does weaken them however, in ways that artificial nutrients could never make up for ... the average life span of the humans on this island is not long."

I glanced at Derek, remembering the Sun Room and everything it took just to give him a glimpse of the sun. The lavishness of his penthouse seemed an excessive extravagance compared to the drab living conditions of The Shade's human slaves.

Corrine went down a spiral wooden staircase leading to the level below. We followed. I could sense curious eyes on us as we trailed behind Corrine who didn't even bother to check if we were still following her.

"A vampire and his migrate..." a young woman whispered to an elderly one with graying hair.

"Beautiful young woman," the older woman responded. "Poor thing."

I knew Derek heard too because his grip on my hand tightened just enough for me to sense his tension, but not enough for it to be painful.

We kept following Corrine as she took a turn toward a tunnel wider than the one we entered. It was the same tunnel the children had retreated to. We pa.s.sed several arched doorways. I strained my neck to see what was through them, but only saw darkness. Corrine kept walking until she stopped in front of one of these entrances. We walked in and found the two children we saw earlier bundled up with their mother a beautiful woman with dark auburn hair and a sad smile. Sorrow filled her eyes. Inside what I a.s.sumed was their home, were three cots very similar to the ones found in the Cells. An old table was positioned in one corner of the room, upon which a single candle flickered.

Corrine must've noticed me staring at the candle. "Not all the areas of the Catacombs have electricity - even though The Shade's power plant wouldn't even exist without human labor. Those who don't have electricity get a ration of candles every week candles that humans also make." Her eyes were on Derek.

I shifted glances between my two companions and shifted my weight from one foot to the other. "How do they generate electricity?"

Derek answered me this time. "An effort was made to make sure that The Shade was as self-sufficient as possible. The island has its own power plant, farms, factories... made possible by humans who live on the island."

"When the island is in need of certain expertise," Corrine added, "the vampires abduct someone who has it. No human abducted has ever been able to leave the island. Until Ben and you..."

At this, I gave Derek a grateful glance, knowing fully the risks he took by letting us go. He didn't even look my way. Corrine shrugged it off and stepped into the room. The auburn haired woman was whispering consolations to her children before she looked up at us. Fear was in her eyes magnified tenfold when she saw Derek standing by the door.

"Corrine..." she shook her head, her lips trembling. "Please..."

"Don't worry, Lily. He's not here for you or the children."

Derek flinched. He let go of my hand. I looked up at him and brushed a hand over his elbow before following Corrine inside. He remained by the door.

"I'm Sofia..." I introduced myself, my eyes specifically on the two little children.

"Lily." She smiled faintly, but she still looked shaken, her eyes flitting from me to Derek. "These are my children. Rob and Madeline."

"How old are they?" I asked.

She didn't seem to appreciate my interest in her children. I found that strange because most mothers I knew Amelia for one pounced at the chance to talk about their kids. Not Lily. She put her arms around her children and gulped before answering, "Rob is seven. Madeline is five."

"Relax, honey. She's the girl I was telling you about," Corrine tried to soothe her. The information made her even more nervous. Her eyes fell on Derek.

"That means he's..."

Corrine nodded. "Derek Novak."

Tears began to show in Lily's eyes. "I can't lose my children!"

"Why would you lose your children, Lily? No one's going to take them from..."

I was silenced by the look of pity she gave me and then her kids. "You don't understand, Sofia. You're a Migrate. You weren't born here. You don't know what it's like. I fear for my children, because just like my husband was, they're beautiful. Beauty isn't something you want your children to have. Not here at The Shade. Beauty almost always a.s.sures death."

I gave Corrine a questioning look, not quite sure what to make of what I'd just been told. Lily's husband... was?

"After the prince ordered a halt to all human abductions, one of the vampires saw Lily's husband, Kiev, working in a factory. She took a liking to him and took him as her slave. He was returned to Lily a few days later as a corpse. Lily's eldest son, Gavin, has taken his father's place at the factory," Corrine explained as she gently brushed her hand over Lily's hair. She faced the young widow, who was obviously reliving the nightmare of losing her beloved husband and gave a word of a.s.surance. "No one's going to take Rob and Madeline from you. Not today. Rest a.s.sured for now."

Lily nodded, but not without glancing once again at Derek.

I looked at the two children again. Lily was right. They were beautiful. As I let the information sink in, breathing became quite a task. This is wrong. This isn't how it's supposed to be. I grabbed Lily's hand.

"I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure that no one ever lays a hand on your children, Lily."

"Thank you." She embraced me.

I completely tensed at the words she whispered into my ear. She voiced out my worst fear.

"Don't be naive, Sofia. Vampires always tire of their pets. The prince will eventually tire of you. What then?"

CHAPTER 44: DEREK.

Standing there, listening to the woman express her fear for her children's safety, I remembered why I never bothered to visit the Catacombs. The place made me feel helpless to do anything about the plight of the humans living on the island.

We were vampires. We fed on blood to survive. That was our curse.

Rob and Madeline. They were indeed beautiful children, who would one day grow up to become an attractive young man and a gorgeous young lady. Lily had a reason to be afraid. h.e.l.l... she should also fear for herself. I dared catch a glimpse of her, noting how lovely she looked. She pulled Sofia in for an embrace and whispered something in Sofia's ear. I noticed how Sofia's form suddenly stiffened against Lily. She pulled away from the young woman and flinched when Corrine gently laid a hand on her shoulder. My brows furrowed, wondering what Lily said.

"It was nice to meet you, Lily." Sofia's voice was hoa.r.s.e and broken.

A lump formed in my throat when she turned around and looked at me with such a pained expression, I had to take a step backward to recover my wits about me. Fear, deep sorrow and a million or so doubts none of which I felt capable to ease mingled in the expression of her glistening green eyes.

Silently, Sofia strode toward me. She didn't even glance my way. She brushed past me, her slender fingers forming fists as she walked. Corrine and I followed after her.

"What end do you seek to accomplish by encouraging her to come here and meet these people?" I asked the witch, my voice coming out noticeably strained.

"If this is to be her home, she cannot be blind as to what happens within its walls." Corrine was speaking to me in riddles as she always did, but I knew her words were full of purpose. She spoke with wisdom no one else had. "What she does after this will mark the difference between who she is and who you are."

Through gritted teeth, I responded, "And what exactly do you mean by that, witch?"

"You were able to stand by and watch thousands of humans slaughtered over the span of centuries. We're about to find out if she can do the same."

Her words were a harsh blow in the gut one that made my blood pound as it rushed to my head. "What then? What's the point, Corrine?" I began to focus on Sofia who was walking several paces ahead of us. Watching the gentle sway of her hips and the grace she had about her, I found the idea of losing her sickening. Is that the witch's intent? For me to lose Sofia?

"Vivienne's prophecy about you can never be fulfilled unless the young woman Cora spoke about does her part. If that young woman is Sofia, she cannot accomplish what she has been tasked to do with her eyes blinded by affection for you."

My mind began to reel. What is she talking about? "Cora spoke about a young woman?"

"I've said enough."

"No you haven't, Corrine. You said too much and too little all at the same time. You can't just say something like that and not follow through."

"Everything will unfold in due time." Corrine stopped when she saw where Sofia was headed. "I believe she'll want to have a private conversation with you."

Sofia was taking steady, purposeful strides headed right out of the Catacombs. Her shoulders were heaving. I wondered if she was sobbing. Annoyed at the witch, I sped up in order to catch up with Sofia just before she reached the tunnel that would lead us out of the human slaves' quarters.

"Sofia..."

I held her arm, but she shrugged my hand away. The idea of her being angry at me for any reason at all dragged my spirits down. I kept pace with her until we finally reached the end of the tunnel and she walked directly to the exit of the Black Heights. The moment we were able to reach the woods and breathe in the fresh night air, Sofia spun around to face me. The pained look in her eyes was a heavy weight on my chest. I gulped as I awaited the thoughts disturbing her mind to come rolling out of her mouth.

"You're ruler of The Shade, Derek. Powerful vampire. Feared by everyone. I've seen them tremble before you." She pointed toward the direction of the caves. "How could you allow this? Are they not your subjects too?"

Something caught in my throat and I found myself momentarily mute. I didn't have to answer to her for the very same reasons that she herself had just spouted out. Why must I defend myself to her? She's a n.o.body here at The Shade. I can bend her according to my own will just as I can everyone else on the island. I caught the thoughts roaming my mind before they could run rampant. Don't be a fool, Derek. Vivienne sacrificed herself for Sofia and Corrine clearly hinted that the girl is of more importance than you originally thought. She is worth far more than all the humans combined.

I froze and gave her a lingering gaze, taking note of the agitation marring her countenance. She is worth far more than all the citizens of The Shade combined. The thought sent my mind spinning. Having someone mean that much to me brought forth an emotion entirely foreign to me.

"Well?" She was still waiting for an answer from me.

I realized then that I was incapable of giving her the answer she wanted to hear. "What do you expect me to do, Sofia?"

"I don't know... something! Anything!"

"I'm not all-powerful, Sofia. I can't stop the vampires from satisfying their cravings and feeding on humans. I can barely stop myself..." I stepped forward, wanting her to understand.

She lifted both hands in the air as if to ward me off. "In the chronicles of The Shade... back at the lighthouse... it was written that the first time most of you shed human blood was at the battle of First Blood. How were you able to survive before then?"

"Animal blood." I cringed.

"You survived with that before the hunters forced you to take this murderous path... why can't you do it again?"

"You don't understand, Sofia. Animal blood nourishes, but never satisfies. Not many can embrace that kind of living."

"Living?!" She was livid. "How can you call this kind of lifestyle living? You continue to kill even when there's an alternative to all this bloodshed..."

I couldn't come up with a defense. I knew that none would satisfy her.

"Is there not a single vampire here living on animal blood alone?"

"Vivienne. She never fed on a human... at least not that I knew of." I found myself longing for the company of my twin. She would've known just the right words to ease my conscience. Then again, perhaps that was what Sofia was for... to drag me away from my excuses and escapes.

"If she was able to do it, why can't the rest of you?"

"It's not that easy... You have to understand, Sofia... The vampires will turn on us if we put the fate of humans over them... We can't just..."

Sofia shook her head. "For a widow to look at her children and find only fear and sorrow because she finds them beautiful ... something's wrong with that and you know it." She wet her lips and ran a hand through her long red locks. Her eyes momentarily fell on me. "I can't even look at you right now."

She began to walk away, into the dark woods.

"Where are you going?" I called after her.

"Anywhere away from you. Don't follow me."

Stubborn human ... I inwardly groaned, part of me wanting to run after her in hopes of knocking some sense into her, part of me wanting to get away from her, exhausted by the helplessness I felt over the issues she was bringing about. Even I found my defenses hollow and meaningless in light of her arguments.

I watched her form fade into the distance, secure that her affiliation with me would keep her from danger. I never once thought of the welfare of the humans occupying The Shade. They were always a means to an end the end being keeping our kind safe and satisfied. Standing there, debating with myself whether to run after Sofia, I knew that the humans' fate would relentlessly haunt me as long as she was around.

I was unable to move from that spot long after she left. Dread enveloped me when I realized: A culling is inevitable. What will she think of me when she finds out?

CHAPTER 45: SOFIA.

I followed the pathway through the woods, not exactly certain about where I was going or what I planned to do. I couldn't control the way my body was trembling or the fact that the pounding in my veins refused to subside. I didn't even know exactly what or whom I was angry at. Was it Derek, what he was and the many excuses he had for every atrocity committed at The Shade? Or was it me and all the doubts I had over where I stood with him, with this prophecy of Cora's and what I was supposed to be doing on this mad island?

When I eventually reached the Vale, I was exhausted from my trek. All I could think about was Derek and all the doubts I had about him. What's wrong with me? How could I care so much about someone like him?