“If I stop the culling, what happens? How do we survive?”

Ashley grew silent once again. As we walked on, she eventually admitted, “I don’t think I can live on animal blood, Derek.”

My jaw clenched. “I don’t know if I can either.”

We continued to walk in silence, allowing ourselves to mull over what was about to come and what we ought to do about it. It didn’t take long before we bumped into Cameron and Liana, holding hands. Liana was laughing over something Cameron whispered in her ear.

I always did envy the couple from the moment I met them. Both of them had been turned not long after Liana gave birth to their second child—a daughter. Their firstborn was a son. They spent the first decades of their lives as vampires securing a future for their children, while still being away from them. They couldn’t risk losing control around the kids, so they had to leave the children with trusted friends. To that day, they still knew and kept track of their children’s descendants spanning centuries upon centuries of beautiful, loving families.

Whenever I saw Cameron and Liana together, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would’ve been like to fall in love before I had become what I was.

If Sofia would just agree to become a vampire, we could be like them.

I shook the thought away. I once again chastised myself for still entertaining the notion. I shifted my focus back to the couple whom we were quickly approaching.

Liana’s face broke into a smile at the sight of us. Still, I didn’t miss the hint of concern in her eyes. Even Cameron was looking at me worriedly. They were two of our family’s closest friends and most loyal allies. Next to Sofia and Vivienne, they knew me better than most vampires at The Shade.

“So this is the newest addition to our coven…” Cameron eyed Ashley knowingly. “How do you find being a bloodsucker so far?’

“It’s a lot like starving.” Ashley nodded resolutely. “Every minute of the day.”

Liana chuckled. “You’ll get used to it.”

“You mean it’s always going to be like this?” Her eyes grew wide with horror.

Cameron and I nodded in an attempt to scare her. “Uh-huh,” we both said.

Liana rolled her eyes. “No. It gets easier the older you get…don’t listen to them.” She then eyed me and Ashley. “Where’s Sofia?”

“On the farm with Gavin, I suspect.”

“Have you told her about the culling?” Liana was never really one to beat around the bush and with Ashley being one of us, there wasn’t much sense in keeping things confidential.

I nodded.

Cameron shuffled uncomfortably on his feet. “How’d she take it?”

“Her exact words were, ‘I will fight tooth and nail against this, Derek.’ “

Cameron let out a low whistle as his hand protectively snaked around Liana’s waist. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

“You explained that it’s necessary?” Liana pried.

“How do you justify something that she sees as a bloody massacre?” I couldn’t help but scoff. “You can’t tell someone like Sofia that murder is necessary.”

No words were spoken. We’d been trying to reconcile the past culling with our consciences and we all knew that no matter how much we tried to bend the rules of what’s moral and what’s not, what was done was exactly what Sofia called it—a massacre. None of us could justify it other than that we needed it to happen in order to survive.

The strong prey on the weak. Survival of the fittest. Is that not what people laud as the law of nature? If they survive, we don’t.

I let out an exasperated sigh, unable to hide how torn I was over the whole thing. I ran a hand over my hair, longing to once again be in Sofia’s good graces. “She hasn’t spoken to me in days,” I complained. I miss her so much.

Liana gave me a long, meaningful look. “Vivienne saw it immediately. I didn’t.”

“See what?” Cameron and Ashley asked in unison before giving me an odd look.

“You’ve changed, Derek. With her in your life, you’re a different man.”

I studied her, wondering what she was getting at. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?”

For some reason, the fact that she would imply that Sofia could have a negative effect on me grated on my nerves. “You are the three vampires in this island who ought to value human life more than anyone else. You.” I pointed at Ashley. “Because you were still human barely a week ago. And you two.” I then pointed at the couple.“Because you have generations of human descendants whom you love deeply.”

“That’s different…” Cameron began to stand in defense.

“Why is it different? Is a human less human just because he was born at The Shade?” I shook my head, angrier at myself than I was with them. I knew Sofia was right. What we were about to do was a massacre. I couldn’t justify it. Nobody could, but it felt like I had no choice. The Elite might have stood with me against the abductions, but how on earth could I possibly make them agree to cutting off their only supply of human blood? “I can’t stand this. I need to be alone.”

I sped forward, brushing past the couple before any of them could come up with a response. I had no idea how far I’d gone or how long I’d been moving, but I eventually reached a clearing that led me to the Vale. Just as I emerged from the woods, Sofia and Gavin were coming out of the town.

They were laughing with Sofia rolling her eyes as she playfully chucked Gavin’s jaw with her fist. The fact that she’d barely looked my way whenever I visited her, combined with her stupid excuses for not spending time with me, made seeing her with Gavin infuriating.

Jealousy reared its ugly head and I wasn’t able to hold myself back. I just saw red and all I wanted to do at that moment was snap the Natural’s neck in two.

CHAPTER 22: SOFIA

It all happened so fast, I could barely catch up with what was going on. One minute, I was exchanging jokes and witty banter with Gavin. The next minute, he was lying on the ground, staring defiantly at Derek. One look at Derek’s blue eyes was enough to let me know that he was more than ready to make a kill.

“Derek…” I had meant to shout, but his name came out in a breathless, choked whisper.

Derek’s hand coiled around Gavin’s neck. “So this is why you’ve been avoiding me? To be with him?”

It was as if Derek wasn’t there. His blue gaze seemed vacant and deadly in a surreal way. Gavin was choking but there was no fear in his eyes—just resignation. I, on the other hand, was panicking.

“Derek…” I held him by the arm, wondering if this was one of his blackouts. He didn’t even seem to feel my touch. “Come back to me.”

He let go of Gavin’s neck and for a moment, I thought that I’d succeeded in getting through to him, only to find myself completely knocked out of breath when Derek pushed me to the ground, away from him. He then held Gavin down by the shoulders and stared, as if wondering how he wanted to kill him.

I was about to approach Derek again, but Gavin glared at me. “Don’t come near, Sofia. He’s out of it. He doesn’t have control. You’ll only get yourself hurt.”

I shook my head. “No…I can get through to him. I know I can.” And I did it the only way I knew how. I tentatively approached and placed a gentle kiss on Derek’s lips. I was surprised when one hand gripped my arm painfully while the other found my neck.

He pulled his lips away from me and growled before pushing me away again. Within a couple of seconds, he was kneeling over me, straddling my hips, as he pushed my head to one side, clearing my neck for a bite.

I recalled the times in the past when this had happened between us—with him threatening to hurt me and me talking him out of it. This felt different. It felt like the man I loved wasn’t even there for me to speak to. It was as if the curse was in control of Derek. For a moment, I was tempted to accept my fate the same way Gavin was about to. I looked at him and knew that he wasn’t about to risk his life by doing anything to stop Derek. It was every man for his own at The Shade and in Gavin’s eyes, I’d signed my death certificate when I dared to interfere.

Derek’s grip over my shoulder and jaw tightened as he moved over me and just as he was about to bite, all I could think of doing was hum. At first, I couldn’t even recognize the tune I was humming, but I knew that it was something familiar, a tune I held dear to my heart. A smile formed on my face when I realized what it was. The tune I was humming was the same one that he hummed to me the night of my birthday when he danced with me in the lighthouse.

Tears began to moisten my eyes as I remembered how treasured and special he made me feel that day. Guilt also took hold of me considering the way I avoided him the past few days. He didn’t deserve that and I knew it, but I loved him for understanding anyway and giving me the space that I needed. I could feel his fangs on my neck, sinking deeper and deeper. I shut my eyes as he was about to break skin, still humming that song…that tune that played only inside his creative mind, where numerous symphonies must’ve already taken place.

I bit my lip anticipating the pain that was sure to come. Then nothing.

After a moment’s silence, Derek began to swear. “Sofia…” he choked, as he helped me to my feet. “What have I done? I’m so sorry. Sofia, I…”

“I’m alright. I’m not hurt.”

He stared at me like I was a precious ornament that he’d just broken.

“Derek…”

Before I could say anything, he had his lips on mine, kissing me like he hadn’t in a long time. Demanding. Passionate. Hungry. It’s like he poured out every pent up emotion he had into that one kiss. I could feel my knees weaken beneath me, making me lean my entire weight on me, realizing just how much I missed the security of his arms around me.