A Shade of Vampire (6 page)

I remembered a particular scene I
’
d witnessed while we were being dragged past the Vale. From a distance, I saw a vampire hit a young man across the face, causing the boy to crash to the ground. I wanted to run there and do something about it. Even in high school, I made it clear to Ben and all of our friends that I would never stand for bullying.

Of course, there was no way for me to do anything about what I saw here. I was chained behind the vampires and guarded like a wild animal. I hated how helpless I felt and found myself squeezing Derek
’
s hand. It was mostly caused by instinct, like an impulse reaction to the memory, but when I realized what I
’
d done and looked at Derek for a reaction, I could swear I saw gratefulness in his blue eyes.

“We
’
re here.” Vivienne announced, stopping at a certain spot in the middle of the woods. “Welcome to the Pavilion, Derek.”

I frowned and looked around. I could only see the dark silhouettes of thick tree trunks.

Derek seemed just as confused as I was.

“I don
’
t understand…” he said tentatively.

Lucas smirked. “Was it not your bloody suggestion to build the Residences on top of trees?”

Before his comment could even register in my mind, Lucas leaped upwards. I looked up towards the sky. What I saw made my head spin. My mouth dropped open.

Networks of massive and luxurious tree houses were built atop the giant redwoods. How it was possible for them to build those things up there was beyond my comprehension, but there they were
–
what looked like modern, high-end villas built on trees connected by bridges that were now triggering my non-existent fear of heights.

My amazement was momentarily interrupted when I saw the reaction on Derek
’
s face. I could swear that his blue eyes were moistening with tears as he gazed up at “The Residences” with unveiled awe.

He then shifted his attention to his sister and with a practically broken voice, he said, “You remembered.”

Vivienne smiled. “How could I forget?”

I stood there, witnessing this trace of affection and humanity between them. For a moment, I actually felt jealous of what Derek and Vivienne had. I could see how much they doted on each other.

No words were uttered next, because no words were necessary. They understood, and in a strange way, so did I.

Vivienne leaped into the air just as Lucas did moments before. That
’
s when I realized that there were no stairs. Not even a ladder in sight. I opened my mouth, wondering how on earth I was going to get up there, but before words could come out, I saw a glint of amusement spark in the corners of Derek
’
s eyes.

He didn
’
t bother to ask my permission.  He simply wrapped his strong arms around my waist and pulled me against him. Before I could get to grips with what was about to happen, he took a vertical leap that left my mind whirling as I gasped for breath, instinctively wrapping my arms around his neck and clinging to him for support.

When I felt him pull away from me and settle my feet on what felt like hardwood flooring, I dared open my eyes.

I found myself standing on a wide terrace overlooking one of the most magnificent scenes I
’
d ever laid eyes on. It was more beautiful than a painting.

I walked toward the edge of the terrace and gazed out. Thousands of glittering stars were peppered across the pitch-black canvas that was the sky. These stars and the full moon
’
s beams were the only light to grace the landscape.

I dared not look directly downward. I preferred not to scare myself by discovering just how high up we were. But I could tell that this was one of the tallest trees on the whole island.

A massive sea of black treetops sprawled out beneath me for miles. And looming far in the distance were mountains. Mountains so high that the tops were capped with white.
Snow.

I could only imagine what everything would look like at sunrise. I drew a breath just imagining how stunning it would be.

A cool sea wind whipped across my face. I tasted the salt.

What unsettled me was, despite how high up I was standing, I could not see any end to the forest. No sign of the shore. Not even the faintest clue in which direction I would run even if I managed to get free from Derek
’
s grasp. I gasped.

“It
’
s beautiful, isn
’
t it?” Derek thought I was gasping with pleasure. His voice was husky.

I just nodded as I leaned my weight over the wooden banister that lined the terrace, trying to distract my mind from the writhing I now felt within my stomach.

I began wondering about the other girls we
’
d left behind and figured that the guards would take care of them. I wasn
’
t sure whether the favor Derek was showing me was to my advantage or not. Somehow, I felt far more secure with the other girls around. Whatever had become of them, I really didn
’
t have a choice but to move on according to Derek
’
s pace, because he once again grabbed my hand and pulled me along as Vivienne and Lucas led him to his quarters.

“This is one of four penthouses that comprise The Pavilion, which was built specifically for our family,” Vivienne explained as she unlocked the oak door of the magnificent penthouse with large glass windows. “There
’
s one for each of us
–
you, father, Lucas and I.”

Even as we moved toward the tree house, or penthouse as Vivienne called it, I couldn
’
t help but stare at the windows in wonder. If what I knew about vampires was correct, wouldn
’
t all the sunlight be streaming right through? I gave the vampires surrounding me wary glances; that I would stand amidst them like it was the most normal thing jolted me to attention. No matter how awed I was by the Blood Shade
’
s beauty, I had to remember that I was there against my will. I couldn
’
t trust any of them
–
not Lucas, not Vivienne, especially not Derek.
Where there
’
s a way in, there simply must be a way out.

I paid close attention to what the home looked like from the inside. Indoors, the penthouse looked even more massive than it looked outside. We were ushered into what I assumed was the living room based on the furniture it sported
–
a large flat screen TV, a fireplace, abstract art on the cream walls, plush black leather couches. It wasn
’
t at all how I pictured the home of a vampire would be. My eyes circled the room and noticed that there were three entry-ways surrounding it
–
aside from the one we entered from. At each entry way were glass doors that led to more glass-covered walkways leading to other rooms of the penthouse.

“And the Elite live where?” Derek asked, seemingly satisfied by what he saw.

I wondered who he meant by the Elite, and realized that even the vampires were classified into some sort of caste system. I made a mental note to find out more about this, although I wasn
’
t sure why. After all, I had every intention of escaping the first chance I got.

“The other Elites live at the Penthouses
–
basically tree houses similar to the ones we have, but ours, of course,” Lucas smirked, “are far more luxurious, because let
’
s face it. A Novak deserves only the best.”

When he said
the best,
he eyed me pointedly and I found myself backing up a step, but Derek
’
s firm grip on my hand kept me from going too far. It was almost as if he wanted me anchored to him
–
and I couldn
’
t understand why.

I looked at him, wondering what he intended to do to me that night. The thoughts roaming around my head made me to shudder with dread.

“The Pavilion
’
s penthouses have more rooms than I could keep track of,” Vivienne announced.

“There
’
s this one, the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, a library, several baths, an indoor pool, an entertainment room, a theater, a master bedroom, several guestrooms and your harem
’
s quarters. There are several rooms that we left untouched, just in case you think of something you wish to do with them.”

“A music room,” Derek immediately said without even batting an eyelash.

My brows rose at this new piece of information. I never would have expected that he was musically inclined.

Vivienne smiled. “Of course. I
’
ll see to it that the scouts get everything you need. Do you need me to show you to your bedroom?”

Derek shook his head. “I
’
ll manage.”

My heart sank. The thought of me being alone with him in that place was unnerving. I tried to pull my hand away from his grasp, but he held tight.

Vivienne seemed to take notice of this, but paid it no heed. Instead, she walked toward her brother and gave him a hug. This time, he let go of my hand in order to reciprocate her gesture.

I stepped backward. That
’
s when I noticed Lucas staring at the hand Derek just let go of. He looked like he wanted to crush it. I balled my fists and hid them behind the silky fabric of the exquisite dress they
’
d made me wear. I felt Lucas
’
eyes on me, traveling along every curve of my body. I wanted to bolt away.

“It
’
s only a few hours until morning. We
’
d best get going,” Vivienne said. “I
’
ll instruct the guards to have the girls brought to their quarters… unless you have other plans.”

Derek shook his head. “Take them there. Except for Sofia. She stays in the bedroom nearest mine.”

Vivienne gave me a pointed look from head to toe, as if she were wondering what was so special about me. That made two of us.

She nodded. “Very well. See you tomorrow, Derek.”

I wasn
’
t sure whether to be relieved by her goodbye. It meant that I would no longer be in the same room with Lucas, but it also meant that I would be completely under the mercy of Derek. Still, the inevitable happened. They left.

The moment they closed the door behind them, I found myself wanting to back away from Derek, but found myself rooted to my spot. He turned around, studying his surroundings until his gaze fell on me.

“You
’
re just standing there,” he retorted.

I shrugged. “I have nowhere to go, do I?”

“Why are you not afraid of me?” He began to draw closer.

I wanted to run
–
the same way I should have when Lucas first approached me at the beach.

“What on earth makes you think I
’
m not afraid of you?”

“I thought maybe you
’
re one of those girls.”

“What girls?”

“Girls who are fascinated by our kind,” he stopped a few steps away from me, almost as if he were afraid to draw closer. “Girls who want to be like us.”

“I can describe your kind in many words,” I practically spat out. “Fascinating isn
’
t one of them. Is that really what you think you are? Fascinating?”

He took a step back. I could swear that he actually looked hurt. He shook his head, a bitter smile forming on his lips. “No. Far from it.”

“Why am I here? What are you going to do with me?” The questions came out of my lips before I could stop them. The tone of desperation was evident in how the words were said.

He stared as if he were battling with himself whether to answer my questions or not.

“Go to sleep, Sofia. You need the rest.”

My heart sank. “You
’
re never going to let me go, are you?”

He shook his head. “No. I can
’
t let you go. You
’
ve seen too much.”

I gritted my teeth.
No way am I going to stay here forever.
I had every intention of escaping and I figured the morning would be the best time to do it. As we both found our way to the other rooms and discovered where our bedrooms were, I had one thought circling my mind: I had to escape by daybreak.

I guess I underestimated the Blood Shade when it came to its penchant for surprises. I drifted off to sleep in a round comfortable bed covered with furs, expecting to see sunlight breaking through the bedroom windows the next morning. To my horror, I woke up to a deep, dark night.