Utter confusion spread across Derek’s face. “Craig? Zinnia? Sofia, is this supposed to be a joke? Because it’s not funny. I’m not getting it.”
“I just want to go to Headquarters. I feel safer there than in some little hut.”
“But listen…”
“And if you won’t take me, I’ll leave you and go there myself.”
Chapter 9: Derek
Sofia just blackmailed me.
I was in a state of shock as I walked out of the bedroom and stood in the sitting room, grabbing the back of a chair to steady my hands. I’d left Sofia sitting on the bed after promising her that I’d consider her request. I’d told her that I needed to discuss some things with Corrine and Ibrahim.
Since I had known Sofia, she had never threatened me in this way. And over what? Her insistence on visiting Headquarters was completely irrational. Sofia had never been whimsical. When faced with any decision, she always weighed the pros and cons.
Has she lost her mind? Maybe the shock of turning has made her mentally unstable. Maybe she just needs time to recover. There was only one thing I knew for sure: the person sitting in my bedroom was not the girl I’d married.
A vision from one of my nightmares flashed before my eyes, nightmares that still plagued me on the rare occasions that I slept.
Sofia stood in a fountain outside the witch’s temple in The Shade. Her long hair covered her face like a curtain. Her body swayed from side to side, as if moved by the breeze.
I called out her name. No response.
“What’s wrong with you?”
I started walking toward her. As I got closer, the fountain’s clear water turned to red. A shriek emanated from Sofia’s mouth as she flipped her hair aside to reveal her face.
Her eyes were black as a coal pit. Blood dripped from her lips. Her skin was cracked and aged.
“What have you done with my Sofia?”
I found myself breathing heavily just remembering the dream. Are these simply my worst fears playing tricks on my mind? Or could these nightmares actually bear some meaning? I shuddered the thought away and wrapped a robe around my body.
Maybe vampires created in Cruor just find it far more difficult to control themselves, and that’s why even Sofia is struggling. She helped me out of my darkness. Now it’s my turn to help her.
I pushed open the door to the bedroom we had transformed into a nursery for Rose. Corrine was sitting on a sofa, holding little Rose on her lap. Ibrahim had his arm around Corrine’s waist, but quickly removed it.
Corrine looked up at me.
“Thank God you’ve come here without her. I would have said something last night, but I didn’t have the heart to interrupt when I saw you two standing there.”
“Why?” Her anxiety took me by surprise.
“Come closer.” She grabbed my hand and pulled my head down so that my ear was less than an inch away from her lips. Then she continued in a voice that was barely louder than a breath. “Ibrahim and I… We’ve been discussing. We don’t think Rose should be in the same house as Sofia. Hell, not even in the same country. I have some more contacts, old classmates, down in Argentina. Ibrahim will come with us of course…”
“What is it that you’ve noticed about Sofia?” I interrupted.
“Shh! Speak more softly. Don’t tell me that you haven’t noticed, Derek. You’re not that thick, I pray. There’s something very wrong with your wife.” The witch looked at me with fear in her eyes. “I don’t know what, I can’t put my finger on it. But there’s a feeling in my bones that I can’t shake. She’s not mentally stable.”
“The way she looked at Rose,” Ibrahim whispered. “At first her eyes were filled with motherly affection, but the next moment, a darkness had settled over them… only to vanish again. She’s not in control of her own nature. She’s unpredictable.”
This conversation was doing nothing to allay my fears.
“All right. I agree,” I breathed. “Take Rose. Take her far away. I’m trusting you and Ibrahim to guard her with your lives. Remember to bring the phone with you.”
Corrine looked relieved. “What about you? What will you do, Derek?”
“I need to stay here with Sofia. I need to find a cure for her. And I need to find my son.” I looked at the warlock. “Ibrahim, how do I know that the Ageless won’t come for Sofia again?”
“You don’t,” he said simply. “But the fact that your wife has been here for more than fifteen hours and the Ageless hasn’t showed up suggests to me that, for whatever reason, she’s not interested in handing Sofia back to Cruor.”
Like a cup of water in the desert, his words gave me a dose of relief.
Then Corrine stood up, wrapped a blanket around Rose, and handed her to me. I kissed my baby girl goodbye for the second time in less than seventy-two hours and placed her back in the witch’s arms. Ibrahim picked up a suitcase that Corrine must have packed.
“I’m going to go next door and distract Sofia,” I said. “So that she doesn’t see you leave without telling her. I don’t know how she would react.”
Corrine nodded and I left for Sofia’s bedroom. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.
An empty bed.
“Sofia?”
I ducked down beneath the bed to check she wasn’t hiding. I ripped open the cupboards. Then I dashed back out and checked every other room in the hut, yelling out her name as I did.
She wasn’t in the building.
Would she be so mad as to leave for Headquarters in broad daylight? How does she even plan to get there?
Panic gripped me as I ran outside onto the terrace. It was still morning but the sun was already beating down, the heat rising by the second.
She could die out there.
Chapter 10: Sofia
Soon after Derek left the room, I found myself jumping out of the window and landing on the hot sand below. The moment the sun’s rays came in direct contact with my skin, my whole body erupted in agony. It felt like someone had poured gasoline over me and lit me on fire.
What is the Elder thinking? Is it trying to murder me?
Despite the torture, my legs moved quickly, rushing across the beach toward Liana and the submarine. I ran for several minutes, and just as it felt like my skin was starting to peel away, I dove into the ocean. The water cooled my skin and gave me some relief, but the sunlight was still trickling down on me through the waves.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long before the submarine came into view. I swam deeper and knocked on the hatch. A few moments later, it surfaced and bobbed up above the waves. I swam up and grabbed onto the side of the black vessel, hoisting myself up and exposing myself once again to the full heat of the day. I quickly climbed into the hatch and closed the door behind me.
Once inside, I sank into a corner. Liana frowned as she eyed my body.
“Your vessel’s in terrible shape.”
Christ, if you wanted to leave, couldn’t you have waited a few more hours until nightfall? I shouted at the Elder. This is my body you’re wrecking.
Liana took a small vial of blood from her cloak pocket and poured it into my mouth. “That should heal your wounds and stop the skin from peeling.” Then she retreated to the control room. The submarine jolted downward and started picking up speed toward… I had no idea where.
It took only a few minutes for the blood—that of an immune, I assumed from its sweet taste—to work its magic. My skin stopped stinging and started to feel smooth and cold again.
Where are we going? Headquarters? I asked. My Elder remained silent.
I was glad that there was no mirror in the submarine; I probably would have frightened myself to death when I’d first entered. But despite the torture I’d just endured, I was immensely grateful to be leaving Derek and Rose. I recalled the hurt in Derek’s eyes after my behavior. He’d be turning the hut upside down, looking for me, crying out my name, wondering why I’d left him. I knew he’d be worrying himself sick that I might ha
ve ventured out in broad daylight. I tried to suck in my emotions.
You’re safe without me, my love. I can’t hurt you while we’re apart.
“Don’t get too comfortable.” My parasite finally broke the silence. “Your family hasn’t seen the last of you.”
I shuddered internally but decided to change the subject. I finally dared to ask the question that had been recurring in my mind ever since I woke up in Cruor.
I’m supposed to be an immune. How did you turn me? Why am I a vampire?
There was a long pause, but the Elder answered me, perhaps out of boredom. “Indeed, you were an immune. In this human realm, no vampire could turn you. But once an immune is brought to our realm… well, Cruor has a way of breaking down that immunity.”
I recalled the atmosphere of that place. I could easily believe what the Elder was telling me; it had certainly felt toxic, infectious. I wondered whether there was any cure for a vampire born out of Cruor. Whether—if I ever managed to break free from the Elder’s clutches—there was any hope of living a normal life.
My body quivered again.
Why do you want to go to Headquarters so much? I asked, eager to divert my attention away from my fate.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Why did we leave the hut so suddenly?
“I don’t have patience to argue with that fool. A period of absence should make him more malleable. But, fear not, we have things to do in the meantime to keep you occupied.”
The words sent shivers running through me. But more than my own safety, I feared for my husband’s.
You have my memories; it’s not like you don’t know the location of Hawk Headquarters. Why do you need Derek to escort us there?
“He’ll serve as an extra layer of protection for you as my vessel, and consequently myself. You’ll understand how this will prove to be valuable once we arrive and begin our mission. There aren’t many people who will risk their life for you to the extent that he will.”
Chapter 11: Derek
Corrine stood by the front door, clutching Rose in her arms, and Ibrahim stood next to her. They watched as I ripped through the small hut for the third time. I was in denial, refusing to accept that I had lost Sofia yet again.
Finally, I slumped down in a chair and admitted defeat. What a pathetic husband you are. Your wife miraculously returned to you and you couldn’t even keep hold of her for more than a few hours.
I looked up at Corrine and Ibrahim and shook my head. “She’s gone,” I croaked.
“What on earth could have possessed her to leave in broad daylight?” Corrine’s face contorted with distress.
“I just don’t understand. She was insisting on visiting Headquarters. I argued with her, but how on earth could she think she’d be able to travel there with the sun shining? I can’t believe she would be that stupid.”
“Maybe she’s just lost her mind,” Ibrahim said.
“What if the Ageless took her?” The idea hit me like a punch in the gut.
“I would have sensed her. I doubt very much that the Ageless is behind this.”
“Then where is she?” I smashed my fist down against the coffee table and it shattered, shards of glass cutting into my hand. I barely noticed the pain. If anything it distracted me from the anguish that was eating me away inside. The carpet started to singe beneath my feat. My body was heating up rapidly.
“Leave with Rose. Leave now! Before I burn you all to ashes.”
Corrine exited the hut with the baby, but Ibrahim stayed behind and stepped toward me. “Do you need my assistance?”
“No. Just leave. I need to practice controlling my own power.”
“Will you follow us to the new house?”
“Not until I’ve found Sofia. I can’t leave this location in case she returns. Now, enough talk. Just leave with Corrine.”
Ibrahim gave in to my request and followed Corrine through the door.
Now alone, I jumped over the terrace and dug my feet into the sand. Its heat melded with my own as I ran along the beach. I ran along the shore for miles, first in one direction, then in the other. I’d been half expecting to find Sofia lying in a heap unconscious somewhere along that coast. But I didn’t.
Then I made my way to the nearby village, thinking that perhaps Sofia had got it into her head to meet Corrine’s friends, whom I’d mentioned to her in passing. I stopped by their house and was lucky enough that they understood some English, for I spoke no Spanish. They hadn’t seen any pale redhead pass their way.
One of them was kind enough to accompany me to the local market and ask around for Sofia. But nobody had seen her.
By the time I had finished my search, darkness had fallen and it was well past midnight. I returned to the hut with a sinking feeling in my stomach. How am I going to tell Aiden?
I picked up my phone and dialed the number for the main switchboard at Headquarters.
“I need to speak to Aiden Claremont.”
“He’s retired to his rooms now, sir. I doubt he’s still awake. Can I take a message?”
“No. Go to his apartment and wake him up immediately. Tell him Derek Novak is on the phone.”
Soon enough, Aiden’s groggy voice was on the other end of the line.
“Derek? What’s going on? Are you ready for me to send an aircraft to collect the two of you?”
“Aiden, Sofia’s gone.”
“Huh? What? I thought she returned.”
“Yes, she did. But then she disappeared again. I’ll explain everything, but first, I think there’s a small chance she’s headed for Headquarters. You need to watch out for her arrival and bring her into your custody. Don’t alert everyone there—especially not Arron. Only warn the people you trust.”
“Why?”
“Because she… she’s now a vampire.”
“Wh-what! Derek, have you lost your mind? How is that possible?”
“I don’t know. She claimed she didn’t know herself.”
Aiden asked me a barrage of further questions about the details of Sofia’s escape from Cruor, her arrival at the hut, and the short time I’d spent with her. I told him everything I knew, except for the strange change in her personality. I didn’t have the heart to tell Aiden yet. The poor man was barely coping with the bad news that I’d just given him.
“So then what happened when she left and why do you think she’s headed here?” Aiden asked.
“She was insistent on coming to headquarters. We’d just been discussing it before I left the room to speak to Corrine. When I returned, she had vanished.”
There was a pause. Then Aiden cleared his throat and said, “I’ll alert people at once. What are you going to do?”
“I have no choice but to stay here until she’s found. I’ve been out all day searching the area, but now I need to stay put. There’s always a chance she could return here looking for me.”
“What about Rose?”
“She left with Corrine and Ibrahim to a new location. Now, can you please put me on the line to Vivienne? I need to speak to her.”
Another fifteen minutes passed before I heard Vivienne’s voice in my ear.
“Derek? What’s happening?”
I relayed everything I’d just told Aiden. I went further and told her about the changes I’d observed in Sofia’s behavior. Then I described to her my recurring nightmares.
“Derek, I… I know you want to draw some kind of comfort from me. And I didn’t want to say anything because you’re already under enough stress, but…”
“But what?”
“Recently I’ve been having visions of my own… visions that are almost identical to those you’ve just described.”
As twins, Vivienne and I having the same visions didn’t happen often. But when it did occur, it was never a good thing.
Chapter 12: Sofia
The submarine eventually stopped moving. When I poked my head through the hatch and realized we were back at The Shade’s port, I felt bew
ildered. Why are we back here? I climbed out and headed for the forest. After hurrying through the trees for several minutes, I reached the foot of one of the large mountains bordering the island. My hands gripped the sharp rocks and I began to climb until I found myself at the entrance of a large cave that I’d never seen before throughout my time at The Shade.
My legs walked me inside and the Elder spoke. “Don’t even think about moving from here.”
What? How can I when…
All of a sudden, the ice within my bones started to melt. The heaviness in my body began to lift. The Elder’s suffocating presence was leaving me. My breathing relaxed as I found myself able to move again.
But then a wave of exhaustion hit me and my legs gave way beneath me. I lay down on the damp cave floor. My eyelids drooped. My muscles felt like they’d just endured a thousand-mile run. My joints ached. My entire body begged for sleep.
Just as I was about to drift off, someone called my name. The voice was strangely familiar. I managed to open my eyes and a figure moved out from behind the shadows at the back of the cave. Ashley. She helped me into a sitting position, leaning my back against the wall.
“Oh my God, how have you been?” I asked, staring at her face, relieved to see that she displayed no symptoms of being inhabited by an Elder. Assuming she hadn’t had the same special treatment as me, this was Ashley in her true state. Her eyes looked red and puffy and her skin had a slight grey tinge to it. She looked distraught and barely managed a smile on seeing me.
“I-I killed him.”
“Who?”
“S-Sam. I-I killed Sam.”
“What are you saying, Ashley?”
“The Elders. Th-they made me do it.” She started shaking violently and broke down sobbing against my chest.