I almost felt sorry for Zinnia as she looked around in search of her boss while the ground shook beneath us. I, too, was curious over where the head hunter could’ve gone, but I didn’t have time to mull much over it, because Xavier had already grabbed me by the shoulders in order to speed our way to the Sanctuary.
We arrived at the Sanctuary just in time to see Corrine walking out of the temple, fists clenched, eyes blazing fire.
“Who the hell did this?” she screamed, casting a glare at all of us.
“I don’t know,” Vivienne responded. “I think it’s the Elder’s vampires attacking. Who could’ve told them?”
“Natalie hasn’t moved an inch. It couldn’t have been her.” Corrine stopped between the two round pillars in front of the whitewashed edifice.
“Where is the portal, Corrine?” I asked, growing impatient.
Corrine hesitated to answer. I could understand that, considering how any of us could be the traitor.
“We want to protect the portal, Corrine. You have to trust us.” Vivienne sounded desperate.
“It’s…” Corrine took another step forward only to fly back, landing on the ground with a thud.
“What was that?” Xavier ran toward the building only to be thrown back just like Corrine.
“It’s a force field,” Vivienne blurted out as she looked at the Sanctuary in horror. “Only Emilia was powerful enough to do this.”
“My sister had many tricks up her sleeve. After spending hundreds of years with her, I managed to learn more than a few of them.” A red-eyed vampire appeared from behind the Sanctuary, a grin on his face.
Corrine’s eyes widened in horror. “Kiev,” she hissed.
He grinned, cocking his head to the side. “You know me.” He seemed delighted.
“You’re notorious amongst the witches and you know it.”
He chuckled before turning his gaze toward me. “Your daughter’s fine, Claremont. You need not worry about her. I’ll take very good care of her… during her pregnancy.”
My heart stopped. Before thinking it through, I drew my gun and shot him, trusting in my accuracy. The bullet hit the force field and boomeranged towards us, grazing Ashley in the arm. The young vampire began swearing loudly.
I couldn’t think straight. “If you ever do anything to hurt Sofia…” I choked, unable to imagine what it was like for her being under the Elder’s captivity while pregnant. I wondered if Derek even knew that she was having a baby. I wondered if she knew.
I knew for a fact that she hadn’t slept with Derek until after their wedding. She can’t be far enough into her pregnancy to already have symptoms.
“I told you. She’s precious to us. She’s carrying the spawn of a vampire-turned-human and an immune… Worth far more than father and mother combined.”
Vivienne’s moistened eyes met mine. We were both helpless and we knew it.
While Kiev was busy taunting us, Corrine was whispering something beneath her breath. Within minutes, a whirlwind began to form from the sky, forming a funnel whose end was about to suck Kiev in.
Kiev looked up, laughed and snapped his fingers. The whirlwind immediately disappeared. “Nice try, baby witch, but very amateur. You should’ve just agreed to the trade.”
Corrine smirked. “We both know a trade isn’t possible.”
Kiev flinched. “Really now?”
“You don’t fool me, Kiev. Stop trying.”
The expression on his face told us all that Corrine knew far more about him than any of us did. Vivienne’s face hardened. I could tell that the same question that was running through my mind was running through hers. What is Corrine talking about? Clearly, she knew far more than any of us did.
“Corrine?” Vivienne croaked through choked breath. “What’s going on?”
Corrine had a wild-eyed, almost manic, reaction in her face as she stared at Kiev. “You ruined Cora. If it weren’t for you, she never would’ve become Emilia. I’m sorry, Vivienne, but this was the only way I saw to get this monster here and still keep the portal safe.”
Kiev snickered. “Corrine, you really are like your ancestor. A naïve little fool.”
I had no idea what was going on—especially with the witch the vampires seemed to trust with their lives. One thing, however, was clear. Everyone had an agenda of their own.
All this was made even clearer when Ian arrived, out of breath. He went straight for Vivienne.
“Arron’s gone.” he announced. “He abandoned the hunters.”
I had no idea who Kiev, the red-eyed vampire, was, but he couldn’t have been more right when he cast Corrine then Vivienne an amused look. “All hell’s about to break loose, princess.”
Chapter 17: Sofia
Five months later...
Five months. I haven’t seen Derek in five months.
I stared up at the night sky, my arms spread wide on either side of me, so that my palms could reach past the embroidered blanket spread beneath me and touch the smooth grass. I wondered what it would be like to have Derek by my side, what it would be like to have his arms around me.
Over the past few months, I’d begun to love full moons. Those were the nights when the sky seemed to shine brightest. Those nights were no substitute for sunlight, but they were the closest thing to light that I had in a place like The Blood Keep.
Blood Keep. I grimaced at how appropriately named the Elder’s territory was. Even the name makes my skin crawl.
I shifted on the blanket and rested my head on a satin-covered pillow. I was still a prisoner at The Blood Keep, but I was treated far better than Derek had been during our first days of capture. I recalled the last time I’d seen him, held him in my arms, kissed him. I missed him so much, and yet the thought that he wasn’t in The Blood Keep, held against his will, ready to be tortured at the whim of our captors, gave me hope.
I recalled the night I’d found out that Derek was no longer at The Blood Keep.
“What have you done to Derek? Where is he? What have you done to him?” I pounded against Kiev’s chest with all my might. I struck him, hit him, pushed him. He didn’t budge. He just looked at me with that infuriating smirk on his face. “You promised me he wouldn’t be harmed,” I sobbed as I finally exhausted myself, my shoulders sagging in defeat.
“You done, Sofia?” Kiev asked.
I raised my eyes to meet his. I had every intention of showing him my defiance, but though it might have worked with the likes of Derek, I learned that night that the same thing wouldn’t always work with Kiev.