A lump formed in my throat as I searched my mind for a response. You obviously don’t know what kind of person Derek Novak is, was what I wanted to say, but it was clear that Gavin thought himself better schooled in the subject of vampires than I was. Thus, I just hung my head in surrender. It seemed pointless trying to get my point through to him, at least at that moment.
The silence seemed to mellow him down, draining the fight out of him. “You have no idea what it’s really like to be a human at The Shade, living like every day could be your last. Don’t come here holding yourself high above everyone else.”
“I’m not holding myself above anyone! Is it so wrong to want to help, Gavin?”
He studied me carefully, assessing me, perhaps trying to figure out if I was being sincere. His eyes then once again found the vial containing Derek’s blood. “I’m not going to drink that. I don’t think you should either.”
“Why?”
“Because the last thing you want is to owe a vampire anything.”
Standing in the living room of my new quarters in The Catacombs, I couldn’t help but form a bitter smile as I realized the extent to which I had neglected to follow Gavin’s advice. It felt like I owed Derek everything.
Derek continued to study Gavin carefully. He then gave Gavin a nod. “Very well then.” He straightened to his full height, once again towering over the rest of us. “I will entrust her to your care. She seems to put a lot of faith in you, so I expect that you will look after her during her stay here in these caves. Do you agree with this?”
Gavin smirked. “How can I refuse? Sure. I’ll take her under my wing.”
“Gavin…” Lily muttered, her voice hoarse and dry. She still had that mortified look in her eyes. I was about to approach Lily and reassure her, when Corrine stepped into the room. Derek raised a brow upon seeing the witch.
“You told me to inform you once Ashley’s turning is about to commence,” Corrine said.
I felt myself go pale at what that implied.
“Wait here,” Derek instructed.
I shook my head. “I’m going with you.”
“Sofia…you don’t have to see this.”
“No.” I stood my ground. “I want to see this. I have to see this.”
Sadness filled his eyes as he nodded. I couldn’t place exactly what emotion was coursing through him. To me, for reasons I couldn’t entirely understand at that moment, it felt like my sandcastle had just been hit by another wave.
CHAPTER 15: DEREK
I didn’t want her to see anybody—much less Ashley—being turned into one of us. It wasn’t the prettiest of sights, neither was it a memory that one could easily purge out of the mind. I was afraid that the sight would haunt Sofia forever. I was afraid that seeing Ashley turn would forever remove from Sofia’s mind the option of becoming a vampire.
That’s when I realized that I was still hoping that she would agree to be one of our kind. I hated myself for being so selfish.
How could I wish my curse upon the woman I love?
We were taking the walk from the Black Heights all the way to The Sanctuary, Corrine’s home at The Shade.
The Sanctuary, befitting its name, was located southwest of the island. The white marble structure, with its large round pillars and domed roof, was originally built to honor and house Cora, the witch who made the Shade possible—a dear friend of mine. After her death, the Sanctuary became home to every other witch that succeeded her. One of its chambers also served as my mausoleum during my four-century slumber. Surrounded by lush gardens, complete with a labyrinth, a gazebo and a fountain, it was one of the most lavishly designed structures at The Shade.
Still, I never did quite like going there. This time, in particular, I dreaded reaching the witch’s temple. As we walked along the rocky path and past the giant redwoods, I found myself grabbing Sofia’s hand.
“You really don’t have to see this, you know…” I repeated, a plea for her not to take part in the turning.
“Ashley’s my friend. She’d want me there.”
“Paige and Rosa are her friends too…you don’t see them tagging along.”
She squeezed my hand reassuringly. “I’ll be alright, Derek.”
My gaze focused on what lay ahead. I could already see the Sanctuary coming into view. The sight of the pure white marble façade, seeming to glow under the light of the full moon, should’ve taken my breath away. It was quite a sight to see. Should I dare look at her, I could almost picture the spark of delight in Sofia’s eyes—one that never failed to grace her face whenever we went to the Sanctuary. Corrine, after all, was one of her treasured allies at The Shade. I was never really a fan of the Sanctuary, truth be told. The price paid for such a lavish structure lessened its value in my eyes. I knew what it took for it to get built, but that was only one of the reasons the sight of it made me sick to my stomach. That night, I feared that the sight she was about to witness would lessen my value in Sofia’s eyes.
I squeezed her hand tighter. She looked up at me, stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against my cheek. “I love you, Derek.”
Those words would’ve been healing balm—hearing them from her always did make all the difference, but not that night. I wondered if she could tell me the same thing after witnessing Ashley get turned.
I kept my silence as we reached the Sanctuary. Corrine, Ashley, Kyle and Sam were already there. Ashley was wearing a skin tight red dress that made her look absolutely stunning. I would’ve normally been amused at how Kyle and Sam both gulped at the sight of her, but all I could think about was Sofia. Upon seeing each other, Sofia and Ashley embraced.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” Sofia whispered.
Ashley nodded. “Yes. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
The expression on Sofia’s lovely face made me ache inside. She looked like she was about to lose a friend. I didn’t know if I was being paranoid, but it was almost as if she was already grieving Ashley.
“Are we ready to begin?” Corrine asked.
Awkward and unsure glances were exchanged across the hall, before Ashley stepped forward and nodded. “I’m ready.”
I watched Kyle carefully. I knew for sure that he’d never turned a human before. I wondered what was going through his mind. At that point, however, there was no time to ask. I’d been spending all my free time preparing Sofia’s quarters at The Catacombs, I barely gave Ashley’s turning much thought.