Nostrils flaring, blonde curls running amok, Claudia stood to her feet, her petite form not intimidating, but the manic look on her face showing that she would kill hunters—and vampires if needed—should anybody take even a step closer to Yuri.
I tried to remain calm, keeping my stare on the head hunter. “Go ahead, Arron. Push that stake into my heart and earn the ire of every vampire on this island. You need us. I don’t know why exactly, but I know that you need us much more than we need you. If you didn’t, we wouldn’t still be alive, would we?”
Before thinking it through, I ran my claw across his left jawline, drawing blood. A collective gasp surrounded us and for the first time, Arron flinched. Rage flashed across his eyes along with a spark of orange color that seemed inhuman. I was taken aback.
What is he?
I could swear that my bluff hadn’t worked and that it was going to be the end of me, but then Arron relented. “I guess you’re stronger than I thought, princess.”
“You have no idea what I would do to ensure that everything my brother fought for all his life will remain safe, so don’t push me again, hunter. You are in our territory and if you don’t want war, you will get your men to relent.”
Arron’s jaw tightened but he backed down. “You heard the princess. We are to work with them, not against them.”
A wild commotion broke out, the hunters clearly not happy with their leader’s pronouncement. Zinnia, in particular, seemed the most peeved.
“No way,” she exclaimed, shaking her head, as she charged toward me. “A life for a life. That has always been the rule of a hunter. Hell, three lives of theirs for one of ours. They’re dead already anyway.”
Anger blazed in her eyes. The petite young woman drew a gun to point at me. She was about to shoot when Gavin pushed her to the ground, knocking the gun out of her hands.
“You heard your leader, little fool.”
“Traitor,” she spat at him. “You’ve betrayed the entire human race by siding with them.”
“If the human race you’re referring to are the hunters who have long since considered humans of The Shade dead, then yes. I’m indeed a traitor, but not to my own people.”
“Vampires aren’t people. I will never understand how you can be loyal to them.”
“It’s not these bloodsuckers I’m loyal to. Heck, I probably even hate a good handful of them, but I am loyal to Derek and Sofia. It’s they who hold my allegiance. As long as they rule The Shade, it is home to us. We protect our home.”
“Well, they’re not here ruling, are they?”
“Zinnia, enough.” Arron finally broke their spat. He nodded toward one of the hunters. “Calm her down.”
Several hunters pried Gavin off of Zinnia, who was fighting violently against everyone who got in contact with her. The two glared at each other. Zinnia oozed hatred. Gavin, on the other hand, looked like she was just some mild irritation.
I felt a sense of pride over how resilient Gavin was. I also sensed guilt. Gavin had been born into captivity at The Shade.
It seemed we had reached truce. I had several of the vampires make sure that Yuri was taken care of. Arron told his men that anyone who did anything to irk a vampire would answer directly to him. Leaders were assigned on both sides, instructed to maintain the peace.
Arron, Aiden and I still had to decide how we were going to rescue my brother and Sofia. We retreated to the Sanctuary for discussion. Everything had to go perfectly. We had to have the element of surprise on our side.
We had a plan, but I found myself restless. I took a long walk, finally ending up at a lake southeast of the island. I had no idea how long I’d been there before Xavier showed up.
“I thought you’d be here.” His voice brought me comfort, let me know that I wasn’t alone.
“Are we doing the right thing? I feel like something’s wrong, Xavier.”
He remained silent. I knew that he would have preferred to trade the opening of the portals for Derek, but I knew Arron and Corrine would sooner have us all killed than allow that portal to be opened. Still, I felt like I was gambling my brother’s life and the risk was far too great.
For the first time in a long time, I felt like I couldn’t trust Corrine. I knew she was hiding something from me. Motivations were beginning to get blurrier than I could deal with.
“What are you thinking about, princess?”
“I wasn’t cut out for this, Xavier. I was never meant to rule.”
Xavier shook his head adamantly. He grabbed my shoulders and forced me to face him. “Now that’s a lie, Viv. You ruled this island for four hundred years while Derek was asleep. You kept us together. He didn’t do that. You did.”
“And look what I allowed to happen. Look at the mess Derek had to clear up when he woke up.”
“No. You did the best you could under the pressure your father and brother put on you. Don’t ever sell yourself short, Vivienne.” He stared straight at me. “You were magnificent today. It was breathtaking seeing you stand up to Arron. It was beautiful to see you in your element—ruling like you deserve to, in a way only you can pull off.”
I wondered why I’d never given Xavier the chance he deserved. He’d always been there for me. Always.
He was the one who’d stayed with me through all those nights I’d tried to recover from the torment I’d gone through under Borys Maslen’s grasp. Xavier was the one who’d stood by me after my return from hunter captivity.
I loved him. Deeply. I had always loved him. And I knew he loved me. Everyone did, but I tried to pretend that he didn’t.
Xavier bent down to press his lips against mine. I wanted that kiss desperately, but I found myself pulling away.
Pain flashed in his eyes, but if there was anything true of Xavier, it was that he was capable of quickly masking his emotions. He recovered quickly, smiling and most likely thinking of a joke, but this time, he wasn’t able to think of one. So instead, he just gulped and asked, “Why?”
Tears began to stream down my face.
“Why can’t we be together, Vivienne? I love you and I know you love me. Why can’t we go beyond just being friends?”
“I…” My voice stuck in my throat. I sobbed as I tried to explain to myself why I was so terrified of being with Xavier.
How was I going to explain to him how a man’s touch revolted me after what I’d been through under Borys? How could I ever allow him to carry the weight of all my issues? All my scars? He didn’t deserve me. He didn’t deserve this.