“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.”

We began walking over a bridge, toward a small street café so we could talk. The moment we were comfortably seated, she crossed her legs and nodded for me to state my reason for wanting to meet with her.

“I’m a busy person, so do make it quick. And please… don’t hit on me. We both know it’s not going anywhere.”

I frowned. “Don’t flatter yourself, Natalie. I really just want to find my father. You’re the best person to tell me where he is.”

“I don’t know where he is at this moment in time, but I did get in touch with him after you contacted me. He can’t see you right now.”

My blood began to boil. “Excuse me?”

“Word’s out on you, Lucas. You’re not the most subtle person and you’ve been burning right through all the contacts you have outside of your coven. To your disadvantage, you’re not a very well-loved person either. You certainly pale in comparison to your brother and sister.”

“I don’t care what anybody thinks about me. Where’s my father? Why doesn’t he want to meet with me?” My knuckles began to grip the edge of the metal table between us.

“Your father asked me to tell you that he is afraid your presence would only compromise what he is trying to accomplish with the other covens. He thinks that it’s best you return to The Shade and resolve whatever issues you have with your brother on your own.”

“He doesn’t understand. I can’t go back there. Derek will kill me.” I slammed my hand over the top of the table, making a waitress, who was about to approach to take our order, back up and leave. “Why is he doing this? Why are they all turning against me?”