“And you think that’s you?” I spat out. Before I could say anything else, we heard a loud explosion and the ground shook beneath us.
“The Shade is falling apart, Derek,” Emilia stated the obvious, before shrugging one shoulder and pouting like a teenager. “I can put a stop to all of this, you know.”
“Then put a stop to it, Emilia…” My tone was controlled and calculated. I was facing a power far greater than my own and it was willing and capable of destroying everything that mattered to me. “What do you want?”
Her eyes settled on me, blazing with fire and with more intensity than I knew how to handle. She said, “You, Derek. I want you.”
Another round of explosions began to shake The Shade and I just stood there, not knowing what to say or do until Emilia motioned for me to come to her.
“We need to talk in private. I’m sure Corrine will understand.”
I cast a glance at Corrine, who looked perplexed. She was staring at Emilia as if she was some sort of rare mystical creature that we should be in awe of.
Corrine looked my way. “There’s something about her… Something oddly familiar… and utterly horrifying… Be careful, Derek. There’s much about her that we don’t know.”
I scowled. That doesn’t help at all. I made my way toward Emilia, bracing myself for what was to come. I walked toward The Sanctuary expecting to once again be pushed back by the force field, but then I got through. I looked back to find Corrine stepping forward in an attempt to follow me, but she was blocked by the force field.
“It’s just you and me now,” Emilia said, before gesturing with her finger, directing me to follow her inside.
I took one last look at Corrine, heaved a sigh and followed the young woman. The moment we were alone in the halls of The Sanctuary, I couldn’t help myself. I attacked her, pinning her against a wall, my claws sinking into her skin, right above her heart.
At the motion, Emilia simply leaned her head back against the wall and smiled at me. “Go ahead. Do it,” she challenged. “Let’s see if you have what it takes to murder me in cold blood.”
I knew without a doubt that she could’ve done something to hold me back, but she didn’t and that disturbed me. Why isn’t she fighting back?
“Don’t you think I saw the images that flashed through your mind the moment you laid eyes on me just a while back?” She smirked, before brushing her lower lip against my jaw. “You want me, Derek Novak. I know it and you know it.” She pressed her lips against mine and my mind started reeling. “You can have me you know. Sofia never has to know. I’ll be the witch of The Shade and we can all pretend that you’re still in love with her and that she’s your queen, but we’ll both know that we belong together, that you belong here with me, at The Sanctuary.”
I had no idea what was going on, but at that moment, it was as if I was losing my senses. All I could think about was Emilia and how beautiful she was and how much I desired her. When she kissed me full on the mouth, I didn’t do anything about it. I didn’t respond but I didn’t resist either. I just stood there, savoring the taste and feel of her lips and enjoying the way her body was pressed against mine. Still, my consciousness was ringing out in full alarm. This is wrong, Novak. Stop! Right now!
At some point, I gathered up enough will to pull away from her. I backed away from her as I wiped the taste of her lips away from mine. “I love Sofia. I belong to her.”
Anger flashed in Emilia’s eyes, fire burning with so much fury. I cowered at how menacing and intimidating she looked. “What has she done to get such loyalty from you?!”
“She doesn’t need to do anything.” I shook my head. “I love her. If you actually knew what love was, Emilia, you’d know that once you love a person, you remain loyal to them. Get it into your head that I am in love with Sofia and that there’s nothing you can do to change that?”
She began chuckling as she violently shook her head. “You’re wrong, Derek. You’re mistaken. You thought that she was the one that could help you lead your kind to true sanctuary, but look how that’s worked out. Look around you. Look at everything you worked for. It’s falling apart. Can she fix this?” Emilia once again shook her head to emphasize her point. “Sofia can’t fix this, but I can.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, fighting the urge to laugh. “Need I remind you, Emilia, that it is you who contributed to bringing this chaos upon The Shade? You’re simply asking me to believe that you can fix the mess you made.”
“So what if I created the mess? I merely exposed all the weaknesses of this place. What kind of ‘true sanctuary’ is it when only a single witch upholds it? You do realize that Corrine is the last of her bloodline? When she dies, who then will protect The Shade? This isn’t true sanctuary.”
I grimaced. Tell me something I don’t know. “Get to the point, Emilia. I’m getting tired of this banter. What do you want?”
“I can help you turn The Shade into a true sanctuary, Derek. Just like the prophecy said.”
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, unsettled by the things that she was saying. “What are you talking about?”
“I can put the spell back up, stop my father’s vampires from attacking The Shade… Basically get all your troubles to disappear. I am even powerful enough to hold back the hunters or even distort their lines if I have to. We can definitely put up quite a defense against the hunters should they try to attack. Better yet, we can work together to destroy the hunters once and for all.”
“Then why don’t you just do it, Emilia?” I shrugged a shoulder. “Why don’t you just help without anything in exchange?”
“Why? Because I want something in exchange for it… I love you, Derek. That’s why I can’t just let you go off with Sofia when I know that it’s me you belong to… I need to do this in order to get us both to where we belong.”
My jaw tightened as I stared right at her. “What exactly do you want in exchange for making all of this go away?” My stomach turned at the notion that she could possibly ask for me or maybe even Sofia in exchange.
I shuddered at the way she smiled. I felt like a piece in a game and she was the game master controlling my every move. Her request, however, was something I couldn’t quite comprehend.
“Let me prove my love to you, Derek. Give me one week. All I want is one week with you, Derek. One week where I can have you all to myself.”