My heart sank. I already knew who it was that he was going to suggest. I licked my lips and gave him a sympathetic glance, wondering if he was sure about what he was going to say. I saw it in his eyes how much he wanted to believe that Ingrid’s desire to be a family was for real. I could tell how heartbroken and torn he was.
“We can use Ingrid.” He shrugged one shoulder.
A collective gasp echoed in the room. I noted how he no longer referred to her as Camilla. He’s completely given up.
Claudia hung her head at the suggestion. My mother was her friend, closer to her than I ever was.
“Are you sure about this, Aiden?” Yuri asked, noticing how bothered Claudia was. I didn’t miss how he grabbed her hand to channel comfort toward her. The gesture made me ache for Derek.
“It’s a just punishment for the trouble she’s caused everyone.” Aiden’s jaw tightened. I could tell that he was set on putting his suggestion to execution.
“What do you think about this, Sofia?” Vivienne shot me a look of concern.
I gave it some thought. We’d given my mother one chance after another and every single time, she proved that we’d been fools for putting our trust in her. I wondered how many times she’d been able to break my father’s heart.
I shrugged. “I’m not thrilled about the idea, and I don’t think Ingrid will agree to it either without a fight, but what choice do we have?”
“I’ve already talked to Ingrid,” Aiden confessed. “She’s going to do it whether she likes it or not.”
Xavier shrugged. “Let’s do it.”
“Wait…” Liana interrupted. “There’s the matter of whether or not Ian or Kyle – or even Anna – would agree to letting Ingrid drink Anna’s blood. We can’t just force Anna to let Ingrid drink. She already lost a lot of blood with Kyle drinking from her.”
“Ingrid can have my blood,” I suggested.
“No.” Aiden shook his head. “She is not going to drink your blood. I’m not going to allow it.”
“Then whose blood are we going to give her then? I don’t want it to be Anna’s again.”
“She can have mine,” Aiden responded nonchalantly. “It’s about time I got to experience firsthand what it’s like. Besides, if this doesn’t work, I’d rather have Ingrid craving my blood instead of craving yours.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Aiden, do you not realize that if this doesn’t work, she’s going to die? The sun will kill her.”
Aiden shrugged. “Well, there’s that. Still, I’d rather she have my blood than yours.”
I couldn’t see even a hint of hesitation in his eyes, a sign that he was deeply hurt by my mother.
“What if only an immune’s blood works?” Claudia asked, not bothering to mask how disturbed she was at the thought of Ingrid being led to her possible death. “Or what if only Anna’s blood works?” Her eyes focused on me pleadingly. “Sofia, think this through. She’s your mother. I know she screwed up, but still…”
I wanted to feel something. I wanted to hesitate, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was just numb. I straightened in my seat and even though my heart went out to Claudia, I knew that we had to do what we had to do. “We don’t want this either, Claudia, but if Ingrid agrees to this, then I think there really is no other choice. We need to somehow find out if the cure works.”
That was it. Nothing else needed to be said. It was set. Ingrid was going to drink Aiden’s blood before we threw her into the Pit and waited for the sun to rise and either cure her or kill her.
As I watched my mother peacefully drink my father’s blood, Vivienne came to my side and squeezed my elbow. Despite my better instincts, I ran toward Ingrid and threw my arms around her neck before she could enter the Pit.
“Do you hate me, Ingrid?” I whispered into her ear.
She shook her head. “No. I don’t.”
“Do you love me then?”
She paused and it felt like my heart stopped beating for every second that went by before she gave me her answer. “I don’t know.”
Her answer was heartbreaking, but it was honest.
“I just hope you know that I wish things were different, Sofia. I wish I were different. I never should’ve left you and your father.”
I nodded as I pulled away from her embrace. “That’s good enough.”
“Come on, Ingrid,” Aiden said, grabbing her and pushing her toward the Pit. “That’s enough.”
Ingrid looked at him in such a way that made me realize how much she too loved him. “Please say my name.”
A muscle in Aiden’s face twitched as he eyed her with a mixture of affection, loss and contempt. “Go, Camilla.”
None of us were expecting it, but she threw herself in his arms and kissed him. Aiden stood there, stunned and by the time their lips parted, he was in tears and so was she.
As Camilla entered the Pit, I could feel a deep sense of foreboding. I think we all knew that she was going to die – even she did – but none of us did anything to stop what was about to happen, not even her.
Hours later, we found out that we were right. Ingrid Maslen, and what was left of Camilla Claremont, was gone.
Chapter 35: Emilia
I rolled over on the bed and stared at Derek’s sleeping form. I ran my fingers over his bare torso. I could feel a tear run down my cheek. I knew I was in deep trouble and I was aware that there was every possibility that the Elder would punish me by taking Derek away from me.
When the Elder arrived in my bedroom, I felt it immediately. The bone-chilling fear always came with him and I began involuntarily shuddering.
“You have been such a disappointment, Emilia.”
“Master?”
A stinging pain whipped at my back and I fought the urge to scream in fear of waking Derek. I knew that this confrontation with my father was best done without him being aware of it. Physical assaults from the Elder always meant one thing: I was to be silent as he spoke.
“Must I remind you, Emilia, that you will only have control over him for a week? You only have a couple of days left. The deal he struck with us only gave us enough hold on him for the period of time he agreed to. Even with him in your full control, you still fail to make him fall in love with you.”
How am I going to make him fall in love with me? He can’t stop thinking about her! Sofia Claremont needs to die.