Despite my efforts not to, I kept staring. I was seated over the edge of what Sofia called a counter, watching her as she made her way around the kitchen in a light yellow dress clinging to her curves at just the right places. She was making her breakfast – two pieces of bread that she stuck in a contraption she called a toaster. She retrieved a bottle of strawberry jam and a slab of butter from the "two-door refrigerator," which was apparently a cooling closet for food.As she began dabbing butter over one piece of toast, her emerald green eyes rose to meet mine. She stopped what she was doing and stared for a couple of seconds.I found it rather unsettling to have her look at me that way. I couldn't even understand why. She's just a girl, Novak. When have you ever been so riled up over one girl?"What?" I asked her."Thank you… for rescuing me this morning. I was pretty sure nothing would stop the guards from turning me into their breakfast."I didn't answer. She was my responsibili
I will never forget that conversation at Derek's dining table on my first "morning" at the Blood Shade. For one, it was the first conversation I sat through where the people surrounding me talked about me and my future as if I wasn't present. Only a day ago, I was really not much of anything other than Benjamin Hudson's shadow. In the span of about fourteen hours, I was sitting there, having two vampires argue over which one of them I belonged to.I wasn't thrilled about "belonging" to anyone, but I'd be a freaking liar if I didn't admit that I was flattered. However, it wasn't the brothers' showdown when it came to who had control over me that made such a distinct impression on me that morning. It was the look on Derek's blazing blue eyes when he asked if he could trust me.I didn't know why I did it, but then and there, I decided that he could. Still bent on escaping captivity, I wondered to myself how I would pull that off while still maintaining Derek's trust. I realized that if I
Not long after Sofia left us to discuss whatever it was that Vivienne saw as too confidential for her to hear, my siblings took me on a tour of the island, mainly the Crimson Fortress and how they'd fortified it over the past centuries. What used to be just what it was – a wall surrounding the island – was now home to over three hundred vampire guards and scouts who sought refuge at the Blood Shade and swore to defend it.At certain key areas of the fortress, there were large stone houses with distinct pointed turrets in front of the buildings that lined the wall. I was told that several of the men and women belonging to the Elite trained for battle and were called Knights. The homes were theirs for times when they were called to duty at the wall.The Elite consisted of the twenty original clans who swore allegiance to our family. They were those who fought and bled with us, hunted down by shadow hunters until we finally found sanctuary at the Blood Shade. Everyone else – guards, scou
It was impossible not to know that Derek had already arrived at the penthouse. I and the girls – Gwen, Ashley, Paige, and Rosa – were in the kitchen making what we assumed would be dinner. It was hard to tell considering the lack of sunlight, but we all decided that we were starved and based on our estimates of how many hours had passed, it was dinner.We were actually having a good time. I'd already told the girls that there was no way of escaping – at least not yet – not until we had a solid plan, so we just went through the day trying to do what Derek suggested we do – entertain ourselves. We watched TV, read books, and made plans for what I wanted to do with the extra room Derek allowed me to have. Even the guards, Sam and Kyle, seemed to be enjoying our company. They definitely made no signs of wanting to suck any of us dry.So when Derek barged into the penthouse, screaming my name like it was bloody murder, I really ha
She looked so peaceful, so serene, so innocent as I carried her to her bedroom and laid her on her bed. No other woman – and believe me when I say that I'd been with many – had the same effect that Sofia Claremont had on me. She was fragile and vulnerable, and yet strong and resilient at the same time. She'd only recently entered my life, yet it felt like I'd known her for ages. It was strange the way I felt about how she listened to me and tried to ease my mind after my tempestuous outburst. I was grateful, but at the same time, I was mad at her. Inside the music room, she listened to me give in to my passion for music. She listened until exhaustion and sleep stole her attention away from me. Lying on the cushioned wooden bench inside the music room, she was a feast to behold, with her dress hiking up those long, milky white legs of hers, her locks of red hair cascading down the edge of the bench and her pink lips slightly parting as she breathed. My
Everything happened in a blur. I was aware of it all, and yet, I wasn't. It was almost like everything was happening to another person, and yet it was me. I felt Derek's strong arms beneath me, carrying me. I heard his conversation with Vivienne before they both decided to take me to see Corrine the witch at the Sanctuary. I saw the agitation on Derek's face, the intoxicating scent of his natural musk filling my nostrils as I snuggled against him. I was conscious of it all, and yet at the same time, I was stuck in a memory, still reliving every sickening sensation it induced. I was lured to sleep by an enchanting melody and awakened from it by a horrific nightmare. His hand was clamped over my mouth and his full weight was rested on top of me, constricting my breathing. I felt his free hand hike up my thigh and when I flinched, he chuckled vehemently, amused by my weakness. "I will have you someday, Sofia," he whispered against m
Corrine took her time with me. She tried to make me comfortable, giving me a drink of water, which I truly appreciated, considering how the taste of Derek's blood was still fresh on my mouth. She took great care in making sure that I wanted to do what she was asking me to do – never pushing or ordering or commanding, which I was certain was exactly what Derek would've done had I been left under his care.She gave me a fresh set of clothes to wear. I was so relieved to see that she handed me skinny jeans and an adorable-looking white baby doll blouse. It was nice to see something I would wear in normal life, instead of the dresses and skirts afforded to me at the Pavilion. Oh, they were pretty and feminine, but it felt like the sole reason I had to wear them was so that the vampires could have easy access to my body – that's certainly what Lucas got. I put on the jeans knowing how irrational my line of thinking was. It's not like I would've worn jeans
I rose to my feet the moment the door swung open. I breathed out a sigh of relief when Sofia's lovely form stepped out of the room, a tentative smile forming on her face at the sight of me. If only out of sheer relief, I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss her right then and there, but I fought the urge to do it in fear of scaring her. So I held back and allowed her to set the pace. I doubt she was aware of the effect she had on me when she walked toward me, grabbed my hand, her thin, dainty fingers intertwining with mine before she lifted my hand and placed a soft kiss over the back of it.I didn't fully understand why she did it, but I took it as assurance that she still felt safe around me, that she was choosing to trust me. I was both humbled and pressured by the gesture. I stared at her for a moment, taking in the sight of the splash of freckles on her cheeks and the natural red blush on her cheekbones. I let my eyes feast on the delicateness of her fa