“It’s not that I don’t want to work. I just…” I heaved a sigh. My stay in The Catacombs wasn’t exactly one that received a warm welcome. I’d already made attempts to make friends with some of the Naturals, but though they were all polite and treated me with respect, I couldn’t help but sense their resentment. “The idea of having to face the Naturals…”
“What’s wrong with us?”
“Nothing…it’s just that I can’t help but feel like I’m resented…”
Gavin spread his arms, gesturing at my quarters. “Can you blame them?”
“No…still, it doesn’t feel good to be treated with a superficial respect, only because of what I have with Derek.”
At that, Gavin scoffed. “You think anybody here cares that the prince is professing undying love to you? Vampires are fickle creatures. It’s only a matter of time until you bore him, especially considering how you didn’t allow him to turn you into one of them.” He gently tapped his palm over my thigh. “You poor, clueless thing.”
I frowned at him in question.
He quickly explained, “My point is that no one’s really threatened by Derek’s pronouncement that he will wreak havoc on the lives of anyone who touches you. We live every single day knowing that it could be our last, knowing that any vampire out there could freak out and destroy our lives at any given moment. If anything, the prince’s love for you makes you tempting for some Naturals to mess with—especially Naturals who are tired of living the way we are. You know—ones who have a death wish, and trust me…there are many of those.”
“If what you’re saying is true, why hasn’t anyone messed with me yet?”
“Because of Corrine.” Gavin shrugged.
“Corrine?”
“Yes, Corrine. The only reason anybody here treats you with any respect, and not pure disgust, is because the witch seems to think highly of you. Corrine’s opinion is deemed valuable in The Catacombs. If she says you’re okay, then you’re okay. Still, people resent you because of Derek and this extravagant display of love for you.” Gavin once again scoped our surroundings. “I still can’t get over how great this place looks.”
“You guys can move here if you want…you, Lily…the kids…you can have the master bedroom and I can move in with the girls…”
“Yeah, right…Derek’s going to love that.”
“It’s my home. I can do whatever I want.”
“Uh-huh.” He placed both his palms over my face and said, “If you want to last in The Catacombs, my dear innocent, realize that nothing here is yours. Everything you are, everything you own…the vampires can take away anytime they please. For your own good, Sofia, don’t make decisions regarding this place without Derek’s consent. Nobody knows what could possibly set off his fuse and make him turn off his conscience.”
What Gavin was saying was beyond anything I could bring myself to comprehend, much less accept. I pried his hands off my face. “How can you guys live this way?” Always in fear. Always looking behind your backs for the next time a vampire loses its mind?
Gavin shrugged. “One day at a time. Now, are you going to work or not? I mean, seriously…do you really care what anybody here thinks of you? Just suck it up and make yourself useful, lazy.”
“I’m not lazy.”
“Well, good then.” Gavin stood up. “The Catacombs is no place for lazy people. It’s no place for the sick or the weak either, for that matter.”
“Why’s that?”
Gavin gave me a long, thoughtful look as if wondering if I ought to know what he was about to tell me. “For us normal humans at The Shade, we have to work hard to prove our worth on this island. If you prove useless, you might die in a culling.”
I didn’t want to hear the answer to my next question, but I asked it anyway. “A culling?”
Anger sparked in his eyes as he explained, “They drain the blood out of humans they deem worthless for storage and future consumption.”
My face paled at the idea. “That’s a massacre.”
“If you haven’t noticed, Sofia, death is a pretty common thing on this island.”
“How many times has this happened?”
Gavin’s fists clenched before he shrugged. “As far as I know, once, and hopefully it will never happen again.”
CHAPTER 19: DEREK
Whenever I wasn’t at the Penthouse or The Catacombs with Sofia, or at the Crimson Fortress getting The Shade’s army prepared for war, or conducting drills in case of an attack, I was at Vivienne’s home, maintaining her greenhouse. She loved that place. It was her sanctuary, the same way the lighthouse was mine. If only to honor her memory, I made sure it was well-maintained and that all the plants were still blooming with life. Liana often came to help me out.
That day, however, I was alone, marveling over the pure white roses that had just begun to reach full bloom. I missed my sister, I missed her wisdom and serenity. I missed how understood I felt when she was around.
I plucked a rose, careful not to get pricked by its long, thorny stem. Brushing my fingers over its petals, I couldn’t help but let my mind speak to my beloved twin, part of me still hoping against all hope that she was still alive.
Viv, you put yourself at risk in order to get Sofia back to me. Now, I’m afraid I’ll lose her. How could a beauty like her ever remain true to a beast like me? What if she realizes that she’s better off living her life as a normal human being, marrying a man worthy of her? A man not plagued by this curse…
Before I could once again lose myself in my own melancholy, my ears tingled as I heard the sound of footsteps on Vivienne’s hardwood floor.
“Your highness? Are you here?” A familiar voice came from outside the greenhouse.
“Sam?”
The door to the greenhouse creaked open and an uncomfortable-looking Sam peered through it.
“What happened?” I asked him. “Is there something wrong with Ashley?”
“Ashley is recovering quite well, but she is craving human blood desperately. She almost attacked one of the Naturals when Kyle brought her back to his home, but we were able to hold her down. It wasn’t easy. The adrenaline rush is making her strong.” Sam paused and gave what he was saying some thought. “She’s not why I came here though.”