“Yes, it is. You want to return to The Shade.”

I didn’t respond verbally. If you can read my mind, then you know I don’t want to be with you. You know how in love I am with Sofia. And yes, I do want to return to The Shade. Nothing’s ever going to change that.

“Why can’t you love me? I gave so much of myself to you, risked everything to help you establish The Shade, and yet you never looked at me the way you looked at her.”

Because it’s Sofia I belong with, not you. That’s just the way it is. You don’t get to choose who you fall in love with the same way I’m sure you never chose to fall in love with me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Emilia. I’m in love with you.” What happened to you, Cora? You were my best friend, and now you’re just a crazy half-vampire, half-witch.

“I fell in love with you. That’s what’s wrong with me.”

It should’ve bothered me that she was able to read my thoughts, but I wasn’t bothered. At least she knew that she was just fooling herself to believe that I was in love with her. At least she knew that even when I touched her, even when I professed love to her outwardly, it was still Sofia that I wanted to be with. I liked the idea that Emilia would never get the satisfaction she was looking for – at least not from me.

Before our conversation could go to stranger places, we heard a shriek from nearby. Emilia’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Finally! Something’s happening… It’s been freaking boring in here,” she exclaimed, as she ran toward the place where the scream came from, hand still clasping mine as I trailed behind her.

We arrived at the very edge of the Elder’s territory – the part where the night stopped and the day began. I could see sunlight past the force field that was keeping the Blood Keep away from any human detection – the same spell Cora cast on The Shade. I wondered if it was the reason the original vampire made Emilia a part of his clan to begin with. She was too powerful to let go of. Something tells me that he’s really just using her.

The scream came from a young woman – human and immune. We came just in time to find her being held in the arms of one of the vampire guards. He was drinking her blood and clearly enjoying it. The woman, on the other hand, was clawing at him with all her might.

I instinctively moved forward to help the young girl, but Emilia held me back. “No. I think she’s new. She’s most likely being trained to submit.”

I looked at her, disgusted that she could find such a scene entertaining.

She turned her eyes toward me, giving me a pointed look. “Besides, I don’t want you going anywhere near an immune.”

So we’re just going to stand here and watch? This is sick.

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do, Derek.”

The guard seemed to like that Emilia was watching and finding entertainment in what he was doing, so he lifted the girl in his arms, tightly wrapping his large arms around her waist as he continued to drink from her neck. She was writhing to free herself from him, but we all knew it was pointless.

I wanted to do something to stop it, but I was powerless to do as I pleased. I was under Emilia’s control.

For crying out loud, Emilia. Do something. Enough of this.

I wasn’t expecting her to actually do anything about the situation at hand, but if she was still reading my mind, then I figured I could annoy her by continuously thinking something that would displease her.

I began thinking of Sofia, of my most treasured memories of her – the way she clung tightly to me when I first made the hundred-foot leap from the top of the Crimson Fortress to the ground in order to take her to the Lighthouse, all the times she smiled sweetly while she was updating me about the ways of the modern world, her laughter, the slow dances, the kisses, the night she agreed to marry me…

“Enough!” Emilia screamed so loudly, I couldn’t help but jump back in surprise. She turned toward me with an infuriated glare. “Stop thinking about her!”

I would’ve been intimidated by her had I not caught a glimpse of the guard, who was just as stunned by Emilia’s outburst as I was. Considering the awkward way he was carrying the squirming young woman in his arms, he lost his balance when he jumped back in surprise. He let go of the girl and crashed outside of the castle’s protective covering, right into the rays of sunlight. He tried to get right back into the covering, only to be thrown back by a force field.

Emilia stared in horror at the vampire guard. I could swear that she was beginning to panic. I could see it in her eyes. “No… this can’t be happening…”

It felt as if my heart just stopped beating as I watched the guard scream in pain when the sun’s rays began to peel away his pale skin. Emilia, do something. He’s going to die.

I gasped when Emilia let out another scream and slammed the back of her hand against my cheek before she pulled a dagger from a hidden pocket on her dress and threw it at the guard, right through his heart.

“Why did you do that? Couldn’t you have just saved him?”

“I did. He wouldn’t have wanted the consequences his stupidity would’ve brought about.” She brushed past me and began walking toward the castle.

I gave the trembling young woman a quick glance. She was clinging to her neck, terror evident in her eyes. I was craving her blood, knowing that a drink could temporarily restore my sanity, but I had no control over my actions. All I could do is send the young immune a sympathetic gaze before following Emilia. For the first time in a long time, I found myself desperate for someone to save me.

Chapter 30: Kyle

It was after the human rebellion in The Shade that I began to find hope that I could have the old Anna back. We were successful. Much to the disdain of Gregor Novak, there wasn’t going to be another human culling. This relieved me, because I knew that should there be another one, Anna would surely be one of those who would be killed.

I searched her out the moment the rebellion was over. I found myself disheartened because I found her in the arms of Ian. I hated the jealousy that I felt, but I couldn’t deny it either.

“What’s going on?” Ashley stood by my side, following the direction of my gaze. She raised her brow when she realized who I was staring at. She wrinkled her nose and stared at me in wonderment. “So you’re into Ian?”

I scowled at her. “No. I’m into Anna.”

“Oh, okay… Well…” Ashley cocked her head to the side. “Hmm… Isn’t she crazy?”

“You didn’t know her before Felix got his hands on her.”

“You did?” She looked at me curiously as if she was surprised that I was involved with any other girl in The Shade aside from the girls in Derek’s harem.

“We were able to spend some time together by the lake. She was one-of-a-kind, a lot like Sofia actually in the way she relates to people. Like she’s friends with everyone, willing to trust and forgive and just be a light.”

“Sounds like Sofia alright, but a lot less intense I guess… Sofia can be so intense when it comes to the things she’s passionate about.”

“That’s how she managed to change The Shade.”

“Too bad Anna wasn’t able to handle the pressures of the island like Sofia did.”

I swallowed hard as my eyes once again lingered on the beautiful girl. Anna’s green eyes caught mine and I could swear that there was a flicker of recognition, only to have her dart her eyes around her in panic as if she were afraid that just looking at me would cause trouble. I heaved a sigh, accepting that she would be as she was at that point and that there was little hope of her ever changing.

I turned my attention back to Ashley. “Let’s go?”

She glanced at me momentarily but then she looked at Anna’s direction. “Not quite yet.”

I followed her gaze and found Anna bounding toward me. The raven-haired beauty stopped a couple of feet away from me and just looked me straight in the eye. She then smiled. It was the first time I’d seen her smile since Felix returned her to The Catacombs.

I smiled back. She then turned around and ran back to Ian who gave me a bewildered look. I smirked. His turn to be jealous I guess.

Just like that, I couldn’t get my mind off Anna for the following days. I kept on returning to the lake, secretly hoping that she would one day show up and I could have those stolen moments with her again.

One night, I thought that my most sincere hopes would finally come true, because as I sat over the edge of the lake, my legs dangling in the cool water, I saw a feminine form approaching. I took a short intake of breath, holding it until it became clear who was approaching.

My face fell when I realized that it was Ashley.

“So this is where all your rendezvous with the pre-crazy Anna happens,” she muttered, looking around. “Don’t look so disappointed, Kyle. I mean, don’t make it so obvious that you’d rather see her than me.”

I rolled my eyes at Ashley. I was still trying to get used to having her around my home since I turned her into a vampire. She was the sister I never had and she was constantly bugging me or doing something to annoy me. There were times when I honestly thought that she was doing it on purpose.

“What are you doing here, Ash?”

“Well, ever since that time at The Catacombs after the rebellion, when she just approached, stared at you, smiled and ran off, you’ve been moping like a pathetic sap, Kyle.”

“I have not.”

“Yes, you have.” She placed her hands on her waist and rolled her eyes at me. “Please. It’s beginning to get annoying.”

“You came here to tell me that you’re annoyed that I’m moping?”

“No.” She shook her head before smiling. “I came here to give you a reason to stop moping.” She raised her forefinger in the air, gesturing for me to wait, and she ran back in the direction where she came from.

I could hear her whispering before emerging with Anna in tow.