“Escape is not possible,” Kiev said, “and we both know it, but I think you’re crazy enough to try.”
I grimaced, uncomfortable at seeing Shadow in pain. “Then you have nothing to worry about, do you?”
“You feel sorry for the beast?” Kiev’s eyes sparked with curiosity.
“It has done you no wrong.”
“If only you knew what it did to your husband when he was still here.”
“So you admit it. Derek isn’t here anymore? He was actually able to escape?”
Kiev just chuckled. “Don’t get any ideas into that pretty little head of yours, Sofia. Olga’s like a daughter to me, but I wouldn’t hesitate to kill her should you even attempt an escape.”
Like a daughter. I had to wonder what kind of relationship Kiev had with Olga. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it, but it was perhaps one of the most demented, unhealthy relationships I’d ever seen. This beats even Claudia’s crazy. Still, Olga meant something to him.
“You miss The Shade, don’t you?”
“My heart aches just thinking of everything I left behind there.”
“It may not be as you remember it. I don’t see what you love so much about the place. It didn’t look all that great to me last time I paid a visit.”
Paid a visit? Is that all you did? I had a bad feeling about the state of The Shade at that point. “It’s not the place that makes it home, Kiev. It’s the people there… people I love.”
I glanced his way. I was desperate for an ally, a companion, someone I could talk to who wasn’t going to scare the life out of me—like Kiev—or wasn’t trembling at the thought of speaking to me—like Olga.
“I’m about to give birth to my first child, Kiev. This is my first pregnancy. Would it be so bad if you brought someone from home to help me through this?”
“Am I not enough for you, Sofia?”
No, you’re not. “Kiev, please…”
“Who do you have in mind?”
My heart leapt at the thought that he might be considering it. My first instinct was to request Corrine, but I highly doubted that Kiev would ever agree to bring a witch into The Blood Keep. She was simply too much of a threat. The next person who came to mind was Eli Lazaroff. Surely with all the knowledge he accumulated, he’d know a thing or two about pregnancies. Also, considering how pale and lanky he appeared, he wasn’t much of a threat to anyone.
“I’m thinking of Eli Lazaroff.” Of course, he’s also smart. Maybe he can figure out a way for us to get out of here. “He could be a huge asset here, you know.” I had to choose my words carefully. “Eli can help with my pregnancy. I’d feel so much more at ease with him around.”
“You really want this, don’t you?”
“Kiev, I need this.”
“Just eat.”
I took the last of the apple slices and bit into it. I was trying not to place any of my hopes on the possibility that Kiev would agree to bringing Eli into The Blood Keep. Come on, Sofia. Why would you even want to endanger Eli this way? I began to wonder if I had made a mistake even suggesting that Eli be brought to The Blood Keep. I doubt he’ll be very thrilled by the idea of being held captive here with me.
“How did you know?” Kiev asked after I’d eaten my last bite—his eyes never leaving me while I was absent-mindedly finishing my meal.
“Know what?”
“That he had good in him?”
For someone who wanted me to forget Derek, I was surprised that Kiev would bring Derek up as a topic of conversation. He seemed strangely interested in how Derek had turned away from darkness and come to light. We’d had this talk before. I wasn’t in the mood to answer, because talking about my love story with Derek only made me miss him more. Missing him more made me want to ask Kiev questions that made the red-eyed vampire want to hurt me. As much as I wanted to speak about Derek, conversations that involved him never ended without a bruise or two from Kiev.
I tilted my head to the side and drawled out my own question. “How did you know?”
His lips tightened. “Are we going to go at this again, Sofia? This questioning? Can you not answer my question like a normal person?”
Annoyed, I just stared at him and repeated my question. “How did you know, Kiev?”
“You stubborn little minx.”
Stubborn little minx. I smiled, remembering all the times Derek had referred to me that way.
Seeing that I wasn’t about to play this game on his terms, Kiev relented. “Fine. I’ll play,” he spat out. “How do I know what, Sofia?”
“How did you know I was pregnant? You seemed to know even before you took Derek and me here.”
“We’ve had our eye on you ever since you left The Shade for your honeymoon. Your children… they’re important to us.”
“Children?”
“Twins. A boy and a girl.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s one of the things I learned from Emilia. How to tell if a woman is pregnant, what the child is going to be. It’s always useful to know.”
“Why?” The smirk on his face told me that I wasn’t going to like the answer to that question.
“Let’s just say that a pregnant woman is quite a scrumptious delicacy to our kind. I’m surprised the Elder hasn’t tried to take your blood.”
I’m surprised you haven’t recently. I’d seen countless times the way he would lick his lips as he stared at the nook of my neck as if he was a man starving for months.
As if he could read my mind, he chuckled. “Don’t think I haven’t been tempted to drink from you, Sofia. The further along your pregnancy is, the more tempting it is to drink, but I can’t give in, because I won’t be able to restrain myself from bleeding you dry.”
It’s so strange how hearing that has become so commonplace to me. I thought back to the time when life had been simple and I was a teenager trying to cope with everyday normal things. Ben’s face—his smile—came to mind. I hadn’t seen Abby since Clara took her from the dungeon. I kept asking where she was but I wasn’t given an answer.
Instead, I was told to relax and take care of myself. Relax. The idea sickened me. Relax while I’m constantly afraid that you might have killed my husband. Relax, while Abby, who is practically my little sister, is in the hands of one of the most capricious and cruel vampires I’ve ever met. Relax while I bear two children who are in danger the moment I give birth to them.