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
I swallowed hard. Fallen in love? With Derek? I couldn't lie to myself. I knew I was in danger of falling for him, but whether that had happened already… whether I'd actually fallen for him I still wasn't sure of. I felt as if I didn't need to defend whatever it was that I had with Derek to Ben, nor did I want to, so I focused on Ben instead. I knew that there was no escaping where this conversation was going. I heaved a sigh gearing myself up for the worst."What happened to you, Ben? How did you get here? What has she been doing to you?"There was a long pause before Ben heaved a sigh and began to explain. "You didn't return to the villa the night of your birthday. I was worried sick. I waited for you and when dawn came and you still weren't around, I started looking for you. That's when she found me. She took me to her penthouse and I'd been there since. This was the first time she'd allowed me out after I tried to escape."
What have I done? After that stunt I pulled with her, I might as well have just delivered her to that boy on a silver platter. From the moment I left Sofia trembling in my bed, I'd done nothing but chastise myself for what I did up to the very point I found myself wandering back to the penthouse, feeling like I'd just lost Sofia. I couldn't believe myself. I actually accused her of being with Lucas, whom I was certain was the person tormenting her over the past weeks, out of my jealousy over this friend of hers. I walked all around the Blood Shade, hoping to clear my mind, but not succeeding in achieving that goal at all. If anything, I was more confused than ever, because during my walk and the time I spent thinking, only made me paranoid enough to think up every scenario possible upon my return. I was actually gearing myself up to stop myself from ripping someone's head off in case I found Sofia sleeping with this friend of hers. Get a
I wanted to take the girls with me and insisted on it. Derek wouldn't hear of it. In fact, he simply ignored me. He wouldn't even look at me. But he looked at Ben and said, "Protect her." Ben just looked at him incredulously as if to say that he didn't need to be told to do that. It was easy to see that Ben didn't really like Derek and saw no reason to be grateful for what he was doing. I saw differently. I knew how much Derek was risking by helping us escape. He was severely compromising the safety of everyone at the Shade by letting us go. He was giving his kind a reason to question his rule. I feared for him – so much so that I found myself debating if I even wanted to leave. What he told Ben next tore me apart inside. "Make sure she gets home safe." Home. I told him that he'd begun to feel like home, and at that moment, I knew I was lying to myself if I was trying t
A cold wind howled as it whipped through the giant redwoods surrounding us. The port was in sight. The sound of the ocean waves crashing against the island's ragged cliffs was clearly audible – even to less sensitive human ears. It wouldn't be long until I'd have to watch her go. I knew the risks that came with letting them leave The Shade. Still, I had no choice. She chose to go and I had to respect that decision. It hurt that she didn't trust me enough to protect her; that she chose the human lad, Ben, over me, but I knew she would be safer if I let her go. Yet holding her in my arms, with my lips still tingling from the kiss I claimed – perhaps even demanded – from her, I was aware of every curve of her slim, fragile body flush against mine. My fingers were entangled with her long, soft auburn locks and her sweet scent invaded my senses. No other woman had ever made me feel the way Sofia Claremont did, and at that very moment, I could