“Oh?” He challenged me.

“I belong with you.”

He grinned. “Fair enough, just as long as I know you’re with me.” His arms wrapped around me and pulled me against him. I gasped slightly when his hand rested on a rather sore spot on my back.

His eyes registered surprise, his brows meeting as he made me lie on my stomach so he could check my back. I heard a gasp escape his own lips as he lifted up my nightshift to get a better look.

“Sofia, I’m sorry. I tried to be gentle…”

“I’m fine…” I tried to reassure him. It’s not like this island hasn’t dealt me my share of pain. Whatever pain you caused me is nothing. I could feel the blood rise to my cheeks as I recalled the pleasures we shared together. I didn’t want to ruin the light mood we were both in.

“Do I have to drink your blood again?” I rolled my eyes. “At this rate, I’m more the vampire in this relationship than you are.”

All I got from him was a grunt in response to my jibes. He stood up and cut a gash on his palm. He gently helped me up on the bed, making me sit over the edge of it.

“Don’t beat yourself up over this, Derek. I barely feel any pain.”

He offered his hand to me and I drank from him once again.

“I’ve failed to protect you so many times. Now, I can’t even protect you from myself.”

I could feel the ache in my body subside the moment his blood ran through me. I rose from the bed, careful to cover myself with the blankets, wrapping the same sheets around him as I drew close to him.

“Self-pity is unbecoming of you, Derek. You’ve protected me plenty of times. I certainly wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. Besides, when was the last time you slept with a human without feeding on her?”

He tensed at the thought.

“I felt your fangs on my neck and you were about to break skin, but you didn’t. You can control yourself like I always knew you could… like I know you can now.”

I led him to the shower and had another tumble in bed with him before we both headed off to breakfast, our appetites for each other’s company temporarily sated, giving in to actual hunger. I came out of it relatively unscathed and he seemed more confident in his own self-control.

“Jam and butter on toast… you never get tired of it,” he noted, as I took a bite of my favorite breakfast.

“The same way you never seem to get tired of that.” I eyed his glass of blood pointedly. “You should try my breakfast. It tastes really good.”

Before he could stop me, I forcefully shoved a piece of my sandwich inside his mouth. Derek sat frozen in his seat, his bright blue eyes staring in shock at me, the toast beginning to get soggy inside his gaping mouth. He looked like he was about to spontaneously combust.

“You chew and then you swallow, Derek. Have you forgotten how to eat?”

I squinted an eye teasingly at him before finally doubling over with laughter. I found myself wondering about what things I could get away with doing to him. He reached across the table for my plate and spat out the toast all over my half-finished sandwich.

“Derek, ewww!” I screamed, staring at my soiled breakfast. “What did you do that for?”

“It was either that or I make you taste my breakfast.” He lifted his glass of blood midair and raised a brow at me.

I wrinkled my nose and scowled. “No thanks.”

A smug smile formed on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I thought so.”

“Now you have to make me a new plate of breakfast.” I pushed my plate toward him.

“What’s wrong with that one?”

“Your spit’s all over it.”

“Eating it would just be like kissing me.”

“That’s gross.”

“Serves you right.” He grinned. “And for the record, I don’t find you complaining that it’s disgusting whenever I kiss you.”

“Oh yeah?” I raised a brow in challenge. “Well, I just might find the idea of kissing you gross until you make me breakfast.” I winked at him.

He rolled his eyes and took my plate from the table. I smiled at him in triumph.

“The things I do for you,” he muttered under his breath.

He quickly went about making me breakfast, knowing exactly how I wanted it considering how many times he had watched me prepare the same meal. He then offered the newly made sandwich to me, but not before kissing me full on the mouth as he laid the plate on top of the table.

The things he does that leave me breathless… I thought as our lips parted. I was barely able to gather my wits about me before I saw anxiety register in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Someone just came in…” He walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, where sure enough, the front door had been left open. He took my hand and sped toward his bedroom.

A man with the same bright blue eyes as Derek’s stood by the bed, his graying hair and facial features clearly indicating that he was related to Derek, so I wasn’t all that surprised when Derek addressed him with, “Father?”

CHAPTER 51: DEREK

My first instinct upon seeing Gregor Novak standing in the middle of my bedroom was to protect Sofia and I wasn’t even sure why. He was my father. Why would I need to protect her from him?

Still, my gut clenched when his eyes brushed past me and settled on her.

“Is this her? The beauty everyone’s been harping about? The one who made you turn against your own brother? The one your sister gave up her life to bring back to you?”