A Shade Of Vampire 5: A Blaze Of Sun (19 page)

I had no doubt in my mind that my mother was about to kill me.

I’d already lost count of all the times
Camilla had broken my heart. I was starting to get used to it. I was even expecting it, steeling myself for when it would happen, but when I saw her with that dagger raised in the air, poised to kill our only daughter, my heart shattered into pieces. I began to see red and every ounce of love that could’ve held me back from destroying Camilla disappeared. I wasn’t about to watch my wife kill my daughter. Not in a million years.

Without any hesitation, I pulled out the one gadget I
was able to hide from my captors in the Shade. It was a blow dart that would inject a serum into Camilla’s system to incapacitate her. I kept it for emergency purposes, for when I would need it to save my life. I never thought that it would be my daughter’s life I would be saving instead.

With a guttural scream expressing all the anger I felt inside, I blew the dart right into Camilla’s neck right before she was about to stab Sofia in the heart. The effect was immediate and from what I observed, extremely painful. The agony was evident when Camilla started screaming in pain.
I expected to feel some sort of sympathy for her, like I always did whenever I saw her in pain, but as I watched her drop the dagger and fall to the ground, screaming and writhing in pain before finally passing out, all I felt was numbness.

I was transfixed by the sight of her motionless body on the ground
and for a while, I couldn’t move a muscle. I could sense Sofia trembling and I wanted to approach her and comfort her, but I didn’t know how to give comfort when even I needed it. It took me a while to get back to my senses and approach my daughter.

She was staring at her mother’s body, frozen with shock. “Did you kill her? Is she dead?”

“No…” I shook my head “…but she will be.”

Sofia’s eyes widened at the implication. “You mean…”

I lifted my hand in the air, palm up. “I told you to always keep a wooden stake in your person, Sofia. Do you have one on you?”

“Aiden… we can just imprison her… you don’t have to do this.”

I shook my head. “I told you that I would be in charge of her. I told you to trust me. I was a fool to trust her.” My jaw tightened as I directed my focus on Camilla. “She played me. She promised she wouldn’t harm you. She said she wanted to be a family again…” My voice choked and a tear ran down my cheek.

“Dad…”

“Give me the stake, Sofia.”

“
Think this through… this decision could haunt you forever…”

“Give it to me!”

I was expecting Sofia to get intimidated by the strength of my voice. I forgot, however, that she was the fiancée of a vampire much more powerful, menacing and intimidating than I was. Despite the fact that I was so consumed by my anger toward Camilla, I was soothed by my daughter’s countenance. It reminded me that she’d been through a lot in The Shade… more than I could ever possibly know.

She hiked her dress up and retrieved the stake from a holder wrapped around her thigh. She then handed it over to me. “I know you, Dad. You
will
regret this.”

Then she watched me and allowed me to make a decision for myself. I gripped the stake and was about to approach my wife to drive the stake into her heart
, but I found myself hesitating.
Is this what she does with Derek?
I stopped and looked at my daughter. “How many times have you done something like this to Derek?”

A small smile formed on her lips. “Many, many times.”

“Did he ever push through with doing the wrong thing?”

She shook her head. “Never.”

With that, my decision was made. I handed the stake over to her before looking back at my unconscious wife. “What do you want to do with her then?”

Sofia took the stake from me and put it back in place before curiously asking, “That’s it? No dramatic struggle? No excuses?”

I shrugged. “If Derek never disappointed you in this area, I don’t ever want to either.”

She kissed me on the cheek and squeezed my arm. “I have to say though… My boyfriend is much more of a drama king than you are.”

I couldn’t help but wonder what she meant, but I just decided to read between the lines and assume that he put up a struggle a lot more than I did. I couldn’t help but wince at the thought of the price my daughter had to pay whenever he struggled, but I didn’t want to dwell on it. I trusted that she knew what was and wasn’t good for her.

I once again looked at Camilla, my breath hitching at the sight of her. I still loved her, though I hated what she had allowed herself to become. I couldn’t understand how she could do what she did, but I knew that I had to accept that there was little chance she would ever truly change.

“What are we going to do with her?” I asked once again.

Sofia heaved a deep sigh. “Bring her back to
The Cells I guess… We’ll decide what to do to her after a while. For now, we need to deal with finding the cure.”

Camilla was brought back to
The Cells. I didn’t want to think about her so I stayed with Sofia. I was disheartened by Camilla’s betrayal, but somehow, what she did helped form a bond between my daughter and me.

For that reason alone, I was secure that everything would be okay. Sofia and I pre-occupied
ourselves by checking that everything was running well in The Shade and it seemed everything was well. It wasn’t until sunset that we received news on Rex’s ultimate fate.

Vivienne was the one who had to give us the news. “Rex is dead.
”

When I woke up at the cell I was placed in, I found Claudia hovering over me with the saddest expression
in her eyes. At the sight of her and at the recollection of what I’d done, I began to sob.

“Why, Camilla?” Claudia asked. “I thought you said you wanted to change.”

To save Aiden’s life. If I don’t kill Sofia, the Elder will kill Aiden.
I knew that I couldn’t divulge to her the reason behind my actions in fear of what the Elder could do to her. “I had to, Claudia. You know me well enough to know that I mean it when I say that I had to. I didn’t have a choice.”

“That’s crap, Camilla.” Claudia shook her head. “I gave myself that same excuse many times over and it led me to very bad decisions. You have a choice. There is
always
a choice.”

“What does it matter?” I ran my hand through my hair, feeling the despair that came with the failure to kill Sofia. “She’s alive. Aiden hates me. It’s over. What’s done is done.”

“Are you blind, Camilla?! Do you not realize how much those two love you? You failed them time and time and time again and they were willing to give you one chance after another! How can you turn your back on that kind of love?”

“They want me to become human. If the cure works, they want me to become human again.”

“Will you do it for them?”

I shook my head, then nodded,
then shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m going to do.” I knew that if there was anyone to blame for my misery, it was me and me alone. I knew that what Claudia was saying was true. Aiden had given me nothing but true love and Sofia had been willing to forgive and accept despite everything that I put her through. I was to blame for the fact that darkness had such a control over me now.

I was actually expecting for it to come and take revenge on me anytime soon, but n
othing came. No one came. I feared that Aiden would suffer the brunt of my failure. I feared for his sake and I feared for Sofia’s too. At that point, when I was certain that I’d already lost them, I realized how much I wanted them back. The old adage haunted me:
You never know what you got until it’s gone.

I nodded at Claudia. “I will do it. If it’s what they ask of me, I would be willing to become human.”

Claudia stared at me in surprise. “You’re certain?”

“Wouldn’t
you
do it if Yuri asked you to?”

She swallowed hard as she began fidgeting with her blonde curls. “I guess I would… I’m not sure. It’s a scary thought. Part of me wants to.
For Yuri. Part of me is terrified of the weakness that comes with being human.”

She sat on the cot beside me before heaving a deep sigh. “I guess it really doesn’t matter right now. Rex is dead. Their theory for the cure
didn’t work.”

I just smirked. “They will find a way. If there’s anything I know about my daughter that I am sure of, she will never give up until she finds that cure. She loves Derek Novak too much to give up.”

Before she could respond, the cell doors swung open and Aiden appeared. I took a deep breath upon seeing him. I geared up myself for a fight, for accusations, for a whole lot of pain. Claudia looked at him worriedly, but knew that she had to leave, giving us our privacy.

I couldn’t look Aiden in the eye.

“Why?” he asked. “Why would you do this? I was almost going to kill you. If Sofia didn’t manage to successfully convince me not to…”

I didn’t have the answers to his question, not ones that would satisfy him at least.

“Why did you choose this path? Help me understand… I thought you said you wanted us to become a family again.”

“I do want…”

“Then why?!”

“Because I can’t afford to lose you…” I knew he wasn’t going to understand that statement, but it was the only one I could give
him.

“Well, you just did, Camilla.” He turned back, but before he left, he gave me one last word. “Whatever Sofia decides to do about you, I suggest you just cooperate. Don’t fight back.”

“What do you think she’s going to do?”

“I’m pretty sure she’ll agree with what I’m about to suggest.”

“What’s that?”

“Next time they need a vampire to test out the cure, I’m going to suggest they use you.”

“Rex was burned to a crisp,” Xavier emphasized. “There are barely even any bones left. He’s just ashes now.”

What are we missing? You have to figure this out
, Sofia.
I feared for Derek. I feared for
us
, and amidst all the chaos we were in, the cure felt like my only ray of hope. Rex’s demise was disheartening and I felt somehow responsible for it, but I knew that we couldn’t give up on the cure and that Rex had it coming. I swallowed back the bile rising up my throat.
Get it together, Sofia. Rex brought it upon himself. It’s not your fault.

“I don’t understand…” I frowned. “What caused Kyle to turn back to a human? What was the difference between him and Rex?”

All I got from Cameron, Liana, Vivienne, Xavier, Eli, Yuri and Claudia were blank stares.

“We’re going to have to try again,” Vivienne said, “but this time, we need to follow everything according to what exactly happened to Kyle.”

“What?” Xavier interjected. “We have to beat up the vampire first and feed her the blood of Anna?”

“No… I think Vivienne is on to something,” I began nodding. “I don’t think the beating is necessary, but I think the feeding is. Maybe the cure is that the vampire must first feed on blood right before being thrown into the sunlight.”

“From what I understand of their story,” Cameron spoke up, “Rex also had a drink of Anna’s blood before Kyle came to her rescue and Rex ended up shoving him into the Pit.”

“Yes,” Eli nodded, “but Kyle was thrown to the Pit and exposed to sunlight soon after drinking Anna’s blood. Rex was thrown into the Pit more than a day after he had her blood. Maybe it has to be immediate. Drink the blood, expose yourself to sunlight.”

“That’s a great theory.” Yuri nodded in agreement. “But after what happened to Rex, who would want to volunteer and try to test that theory out?”

“I know someone who we can use.” Aiden walked into my quarters, which somehow had become the center of all issues that needed discussing after Derek left the island with Emilia.

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.

“I
t’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 my
self 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 i
n 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.

H
ours later, we found out that we were right. Ingrid Maslen, and what was left of Camilla Claremont, was gone.