Recognition showed in the expression on her face. It wasn’t a secret to those who knew us well that Vivienne and I often sensed when something amiss happened to the other. The last time I felt this way was when Borys Maslen held her captive. It took days before she was returned to us and when she arrived, she never breathed a word to anyone – save for Liana, who was the only person privy to her soft whispers, few and far in between.

Liana drew a short breath before shifting her weight on the gravel ground. “I fear she might have been taken by the hunters.”

Her words were a dagger struck right through my heart and painfully twisted. Breathing began to come in heavy pants. Fear I didn’t think I would ever once again feel enveloped me. The thought of what they were putting Vivienne through in order to discover the secrets of The Shade sent dizzying sensations coursing through my body.

“Derek, I tried to talk her out of it, but you know her… Once she sets her mind to something…”

“How did this happen?”

“She left the island to go look for Sofia.”

My head was spinning from the news I was being told. “Why would she…” I paused, knowing fully well what the answer to my question was. Vivienne sought out Sofia for me.

“She told me she would send word at a certain hour if no harm has come her way. She told me even before going that she feared getting caught by the hunters, and…”

“And yet she still went.” What caused you to have the sudden desire to die, Vivienne? “How was she to send word?”

“She procured a phone from Corrine. Its signals penetrate the shield provided by the witch’s spell.”

The protective spell keeping the island secret blocked even any communication going in and out of the island.

“Corrine knew of her plans?”

Liana shook her head. “The witch rarely meddles with our personal affairs.”

She meddled with Sofia. “When was Vivienne supposed to contact you?”

“Hours ago…”

“Hours ago? And you thought to tell me just now?”

“I was holding on to the hope that perhaps something else caused her delay…”

The back of my hand crashed against Liana’s cheek, causing her collapse to the gravel ground beneath us.

“Derek!” Xavier rushed to her side.

“It’s fine…” Liana assured him as he helped her up.

“We’re going to find my sister. We’re going to scour all the cities of all the nations of the world if we have to… I won’t rest until she’s safe back here.”

“Go against the hunters?” Xavier’s muscles stiffened. “That’s suicide and you know it. You’re going to kill us all if you go out hunting for her.”

“I fought all those years and shed that much blood for one reason alone: to save my family! Where are they?! Do you see any of them now?! None of them surround me! Losing Vivienne robs me of all purpose!”

“If the hunters truly have her, then she’s as good as dead, Derek.”

I knew Xavier spoke truth, but I was not ready to hear it. I lunged forward, throwing my full weight at him causing us both to fall to the ground.

“Derek! Stop it!” Liana cried out.

I had Xavier pinned to the ground with my knees holding down his arms, while I assaulted his face with one powerful punch after another. Liana tried to stop me from behind, but my elbow met with her abdomen, knocking her out of breath.

I had no idea how many punches I threw and how long I was punishing a comrade for a crime he had no part in committing, but sense was something that completely escaped me at that moment. By the time Cameron arrived, grabbed a fistful of my hair and hit me in the face to knock some sense into me, Xavier’s face was already a bloody mess.

“All of us care about her!” Cameron shouted. “Do not punish your own people for her loss!”

Loss. The thought that I lost Vivienne was too much to take in, too much to accept. I let out a blood-curdling scream as I rose to my feet, unbidden tears rushing down my cheeks. I couldn’t stand being around them and sought retreat in my sister’s villa. As expected, it was empty. She never really kept slaves in her home and she hated having guards around, claiming that she was perfectly capable of protecting herself. My sister was one who enjoyed her solitude. How could I have not noticed that she’s gone?

I made my way to her greenhouse, her favorite place in the world, a place where life thrived even when death surrounded us. The moment I entered it, I had nothing left to do but crumple to the ground, hands fisting over my own hair as I gave in to the dark possibilities that came with her capture.

I knew my sister. She would willingly take everything they threw her way if only to protect the island. They would make every effort to break her and they were going to fail. Their failure would be paid for at a great and excruciating price by the one person I would willingly give my life to protect.

The Shade was a place where there was no day, only night. The night never felt as dark as it did as I sat on the floor of Vivienne’s greenhouse, mourning her loss. I had no inkling of how many hours I spent there. It felt like days. For a certain period of time, I was still reserving room for the hope that Vivienne would walk in, unharmed and perfectly alright. There were times when I fooled myself into believing that her footsteps were gracing the hardwood floors. At some point, however, denial gave way to reality and inevitably, to anger. Someone is to blame for what happened to Vivienne. Only one name came to mind. Only one name was deserving of bearing the burden of receiving punishment for my sister’s demise. Sofia.