Once I was done, her blood dripping from the corners of my lips, I pulled away from her. My gut clenched when I noticed how pale she looked. She looked my way and smiled. I felt then such overwhelming love for her and undeniable hatred for myself all at the same time.

“I don’t deserve you, Sofia…”

She shook her head adamantly. “You do, Derek, but even if you don’t, it doesn’t matter, because I’m yours.” She spun around and faced me and it felt as if I was completely bare before her – like she could see right through me into my very soul. “Don’t you dare feel guilty, Derek. Not now. Everything you are – even in all of your weaknesses – made everything I am right now possible.”

I frowned, but then with a flicker of insight, I got it. “You’re strong where I am weak.”

She nodded. “We’re both far from perfect, but we’re complements. That’s why we belong together, so right now, I need you to be strong for me. I need you to survive this cure, because I cannot go through this life without you.”

Her words were still swirling in my mind as we made our way to the Pit. A group of people were already waiting there when we arrived – just as had been discussed. The atmosphere was solemn, everyone was silent. Even Aiden couldn’t look me in the eye. Instead, he gave me one quick nod. Sofia then took her place beside Aiden, holding his hand.

It felt like I was about to walk right into my death.

Vivienne approached and opened her mouth to say something, but it seemed she didn’t know what to say, so she just hugged me. It was then that she whispered into my ear, “True sanctuary. You have her blood in you?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

I didn’t answer immediately, thinking it through. An image of me walking along the shores of a white sandy beach with Sofia flashed through my mind. A sudden pang of longing hit me. I needed to turn back into a human. It was the only way I could completely get rid of the darkness within me. I needed to step into the light. “More than anything, yes. I want to do this. I want to become human.” I want to become the husband Sofia deserves.

Vivienne nodded. I knew that she understood. Of all the people there, it was my twin who saw firsthand how much I had struggled against being a vampire, how much I wanted to be freed from the curse our own father subjected us to.

We pulled away from each other. I looked into Vivienne’s blue violet eyes, hoping that she would have a prophecy, a vision… anything to let me know that all would be alright. Nothing. Instead, she squeezed my hand and nodded, before stepping aside to make way for Sofia to throw her arms around me and kiss me.

“Don’t you dare make a widow out of me, Novak,” she whispered into my ear.

A lump formed in my throat and I couldn’t respond to her. Holding her at that time, I actually felt like backing out of the whole thing, but also knew that wasn’t an option. It was too late to back down now. I pulled away from her and kissed her forehead.

“I’m gonna be right here the whole time,” she promised. “I’ll be here when you get out.”

I made my way into the Pit and the doors slammed closed behind me. It didn’t take long before the first rays of the morning sun began to show. And the moment they hit me, I was blinded by the most excruciating pain I had ever encountered.

Chapter 45: Sofia

Only Aiden, Vivienne and I remained to wait for when the first signs of sunlight would arrive. It felt like my heart was being torn from me when I heard Derek scream, a sign that his torment had already begun.

“How long is this going to take?” I asked Vivienne.

“We won’t be able to check on him until the sun sets,” she replied.

Another scream of pain came from inside.

“I want to go in,” I announced, as I moved to open the latch that was keeping the door locked and secure.

“No!” several voices said with alarm.

Aiden and Vivienne were by my side immediately, with my father giving me a stern look and Vivienne giving me a concerned one.

“You’re not going in there.” Aiden shook his head. He then gave Vivienne a look. “Maybe we should get her out of here.”

I could barely make out what he was saying. His voice was being drowned out by Derek’s screams pounding through my mind. What if there’s no cure? What if we got something wrong? “No. I promised Derek I’d stay here.”

“Sofia, you’re torturing yourself.” His voice was firm but not void of desperation.

Vivienne gently took a step forward. “We don’t know what he might end up doing to you, Sofia. We don’t know what’s going on in there. It’s enough that Derek’s life is at risk. We’re not going to risk your life too.”

We were thinking of putting in surveillance cameras into the pit in order to observe what was going on. Derek voted against it for reasons I couldn’t understand. The only explanation he gave was a simple, “I don’t want anyone to have to see what I’m going through.”

Eli had insisted on it, and Derek agreed under the condition that it would not be seen by anyone as it happened. It would only be used for study purposes after we found out the results.

The unknown was killing me. I wanted to know what was happening and I didn’t even have any idea why. Do you really want to see your husband in sheer torment, Sofia?

Another piercing scream came from inside. I grabbed a hold of my father, hoping to somehow fast forward time and take Derek out of his misery.

“You don’t have to be here for this, Sofia…” Aiden pushed. “He’ll understand.”

I entertained the idea, but quickly shook my head. “No.” I pulled away from my father and leaned against the door. Get a grip, Sofia. Be strong for him. “I’m here, Derek,” I spoke up, hoping that he would somehow hear me. “Survive this. Please. Be strong.”

Right then, Yuri and Claudia showed up. From the grim expressions on their faces, it was clear that something was very wrong.

No matter how difficult it was, I pried my attention from Derek to them. “What’s going on?”

They took one look at me, obviously hesitant to answer my question. Yuri looked at Vivienne and Aiden instead, motioning for them to follow him so they could speak in private – away from me.

“No.” I rose to my feet, the sound of Derek’s screams pounding in my brain. “What’s going on? I’m queen of this island now. Let me know what’s happening.”

The atmosphere was thick with tension. I could practically feel the static in the air.

Yuri and Claudia exchanged glances before Claudia nodded toward him. He then blurted out the problem at hand. “The hunters are coming.”

A chill began to settle beneath my skin.

“I need to talk to them before they arrive at the island,” Aiden announced.

“Should we be preparing for war?” Yuri asked.

Aiden scoffed. “No. They’re not going to risk man-to-man combat. Not against The Shade. I took part in planning the destruction of The Shade, and if they’re going for what we planned. They’re going to blow the island up.”

“Even if you’re here?” Vivienne frowned.

Aiden smirked. “The hawks have no loyalties. Our mission is to destroy all vampires. I am collateral damage.”

An adrenaline rush surged through me. “Someone get my dad a phone.”

Vivienne nodded. “I’m on it.” She then sped away.

I continued to list my instructions to Yuri. “Get Corrine in here. Fast. We need to see if she can do something to ward off the attack or even escort Aiden to the hunters before they get here.”

Yuri nodded and quickly made his way to The Sanctuary.

I looked straight at Aiden, unable to hide the tension in my voice. “Is there anything you can do to convince them not to attack?”

“I don’t know if they’ll listen, but I’ll try. Perhaps it’s best to have Kyle come with me… Our only ace against them is that we’ve found a possible cure.”

I wondered what the hunters would do to Kyle and Derek if we actually found the cure, but I had to shove it out of my mind, and focus on the matter at hand. I nodded. “Do everything necessary to make them hold off on the attack. Let the hunters know that the vampires are surrendering. They don’t have to kill everyone off.”

“Surrendering?” Claudia gasped. “What?! Sofia, they’re going to kill us!”

“Not if you agree to try out the cure…” I responded.

“A cure that we’re not sure works…”

A loud groan came from within the Pit and my stomach formed into knots. “It’s going to work.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Claudia shook her head. “Not all of us want to become human again.”

My jaw tightened. “Would you rather die, Claudia? If we don’t give them a good enough reason to hold off on their attack, this will be the end of The Shade.”

Claudia was about to say something else, but Vivienne came just in time, phone in hand, to listen in on our conversation. She handed the phone to Aiden, before addressing the blonde. “Sofia’s right, Claudia. We can worry about dealing with the consequences later. Right now, we’re just wasting time arguing over this.”

Claudia scowled, but backed down.

Aiden dialed a number on the phone, putting it on loudspeaker.

“Hello?” Zinnia’s familiar voice came from the other side.

“Zinnia, this is Aiden. Don’t you dare hang up.”

“Our superiors want you to know that we value everything that you’ve done for the hunters, but you understand the way it works… this has to happen.”

“We found a cure. One of the vampires is now a human and the cure has been administered to Derek Novak as we speak. By the end of the day, he will be human again.”

I was surprised to hear the conviction in my father’s voice. It was as if he was one hundred percent sure that the cure would work on Derek. I tried to listen in on what was happening at the Pit but it seemed Derek had grown silent. I had no idea if that was a good or a bad sign.