“Let go of me, Ben. Now.”

Ben’s jaw tightened. Before our captivity at The Shade, I would’ve done anything he asked of me, but The Shade had changed us both.

When his grip on me didn’t slacken one bit, Derek took a step forward. “You heard the lady.” His deep, baritone voice took on a threatening tone.

I stared pleadingly at Ben, hoping that he wouldn’t try Derek’s patience. Do you not realize that you don’t stand a chance against him?

Over the past few days since Derek forced Claudia – Ben’s mistress at The Shade – to turn Ben over to his custody, I saw how Derek took great lengths to at least be polite to my best friend. Ben, on the other hand, being quite the stubborn fool, had done nothing but shoot cold and accusing glares at Derek. I’d been on edge trying to keep them apart, fearing a confrontation between the two egotistic young men.

I spoke more gently this time. “Let go, Ben.”

He let go, but the pointed glare he sent my way showed he was not giving in. “Don’t even think about staying.” The words came through clenched teeth and with a slight shake of his head.

“Sofia…” Derek spoke up as if to remind me that his opinion mattered too.

“I need time to think.” The words came out of my lips in what sounded like a growl.

“Now?” Ben protested.

“There’s no time for that.” Derek seconded.

Finally! You two agree on something. I stood my ground and raised a brow. “Well, then make time.”

They exchanged glances for a moment. It was almost endearing how helpless both of them looked. A small smile threatened to creep over my face. Who owns whom now?

I found it ironic that it was Derek who first relented. I was still mystified by what he saw in me that continuously made him give in to me. After all, of the three of us, he was still the one holding any real power. He could simply decide that neither Ben nor I could leave and that would be that.

Still, he gave in. His blue eyes softened the moment they landed on me. He nodded and said, “Fine, but not here.”

He then scowled at Ben before possessively laying his hand on the small of my back, gently pushing me forward.

“Unbelievable…” Ben grumbled, throwing his hands into the air as he followed after us.

We made our way through the rest of the woods, weaving our way past large rocks and wild bushes. My brain took note of every single detail of the hidden paths that led us from Derek’s penthouse to the port. The trees seemed to get smaller and smaller as we neared a clearing. The quiet rustle of our shoes over the twigs beneath us, the ocean waves nearby and our soft, even breathing were the only sounds filling the air. The natural scent of the trees surrounding us and the sea nearby mixed with Derek’s intoxicating musk. It made me sense his proximity, along with the gentle heaving of his chest and the feel of his arm gripping my waist.

My heart ached at the idea of never again being as close as I was to him at that moment.

“We’re close,” he eventually spoke up.

I snapped to attention. The port had been in sight even before we stopped to talk back in the woods. However, now that we had climbed down into a clearing, I found myself confused. There was nothing in sight but high, rocky cliffs.

“What the hell is going on?” Ben said.

“I don’t understand.” I eyed Derek questioningly as I looked around. “Where’s the port?”

I tried to slow down, but Derek kept moving forward, tugging on me to keep me walking.

“Hey, your highness…” The acerbic sarcasm in Ben’s voice was unmistakable. “Where are you taking us?” He used both hands to push Derek and me apart.

I stumbled aside at the force of Ben’s motion, but Derek didn’t even budge. When the prince of vampires turned to face my best friend, I was half-expecting Ben to keel over and die just from sheer fright. Derek looked nothing short of menacing.

I was impressed however that Ben stood his ground. I guess he didn’t care that Derek was perfectly capable of breaking every bone in his body. My best friend was never one to back down from a fight, and it seemed he wasn’t about to start now.

I couldn’t remember ever being around so much testosterone, but I could feel the blood drain from my face the moment Ben stepped forward – a blatant challenge toward Derek – and said, “We’re headed for nowhere, vampire.”

I was torn between forever admiring him for his braveness and slapping some sense back into him for his stupidity. What the hell are you doing, Ben? Are you intentionally trying to get yourself killed?

Derek stared him down. The presence and power he exuded reminded me of what he looked like just before he ripped the heart out of the vampire guard who tried to feed on me. I wasn’t exactly up for seeing my best friend die before my very eyes.

“Derek,” I managed to choke, “where are we going? Those are boulders straight ahead.”

Derek kept his eyes on Ben. I wasn’t even sure if he heard me. A dozen prayers were going though my head. The last thing we needed was a fight – if we could even call it that. Relief washed over me when Derek’s eyes fell on me. Completely ignoring Ben and the rather tense encounter that just occurred, Derek took hold of my hand, pulled me closer to him and replaced his hand over my waist. Apparently, he didn’t feel obliged to offer either of us an explanation.

“Stop resisting, Sofia. Just follow my lead. And make this idiot friend of yours shut up, or I swear…” He paused to reel in his anger. “You have no idea how close I am to maiming him.” His grip tightened around me.