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
The moment our eyes met, he looked away, almost as if he were embarrassed over something. It was actually… cute – a word I never thought I'd use to describe Derek Novak. As we walked back to the Pavilion, he remained silent, deep in thought, never even looking my way."You said that you wanted to teach me how to defend myself…" I eventually said, breaking the silence, detesting the wall that seemed to be building up between us."Yes," he nodded. He then paused as if to catch himself. "But if you don't want to…"I frowned. Since when does he care what I want? I decided not to make a fuss over it."I want to."The heaviness in our conversation was weighing on me. I wanted to go back to how comfortable and light and casual our interactions were before things took a turn for the worse. Before Lucas happened. I was still shaken, still afraid of what Lucas wa
That moment in the Sun Room haunted me as I watched her sleep beside me. She backed away when I tried to kiss her. Had it been any other woman, I wouldn't have hesitated to force my way to get that kiss anyway. But it was Sofia. She wasn't just any woman.I wanted her to want me, but after all she'd seen, after everything she'd been through, I couldn't blame her for shying away from me. I understood, but it didn't change how painful it felt.She shifted on the bed, her blanket getting tossed to her side, showing a generous amount of skin on her soft legs. My gut clenched and I swallowed hard. Nights with Sofia were practically torture.To have her there, beautiful and so damn close to me, always reminded me of how much I wanted her. Her night wear would almost always get displaced and show her neck and shoulders, practically begging me to take a bite.I rose from the bed, unsure of myself and what I was feeling fo
Chills were running down my spine as I eased into Ben's strong arms that wrapped tightly around me. There were so many questions running through my mind, so much anxiety over what he'd been through. I didn't know whether to be happy or to be horrified that I would see him in a place like the Blood Shade."With all due respect, my beloved prince," Derek's guest purred in a tone that made me think of no other word than seduction, "I don't like other girls touching what's mine, and from the look on your face, I doubt you're enjoying this sight either."I could feel Ben's body tense the moment she spoke. It was sickening to think of the possibilities surrounding his presence at the Shade. I wanted to speak, to say something to him, ask him at least one of the questions swimming around in my head, but I knew that the moment I tried, I wouldn't be able to hold back the sobs. I wanted to hold on to him, but we both knew that we had to let go. Holdi
I hated the tension. Since she moved into my bedroom, Sofia and I naturally developed a familiarity to each other. There wasn't even any awkwardness to begin with. It was like we just knew how to adjust to each other. Of course, there were times when I was greatly tempted to take a sip of her blood, but it wasn't anything a glass of blood couldn't fix.The night Ben arrived, however, it was like we'd become strangers to each other. The large room suddenly felt too small for the two of us. Any form of balance we'd developed over time completely disappeared. She was slipping away from my fingers by the minute.Finally, she was lying down on her side of the bed while I sat over the edge of mine, fully intending to lose myself in a book.She was the one who eventually broke the silence."Thank you, Derek. For what you did."I had no desire to talk about the boy, so I ignored her than