“You can loosen your grip on her,” the witch said, maintaining eye contact with me and ignoring the Elder’s horrifying threats. “I now have control over her limbs.”
I let go of Sofia and stood up, praying that the witch knew what she was doing. I willed all the heat I possessed in my body to well up beneath my fingertips. Sofia hissed and squirmed on the floor, still refusing giving up the fight. As soon as the witch began muttering beneath her breath, I knew that it was time.
I unleashed the fire all at once. It wrapped itself around Sofia’s body, engulfing her in a tornado of flames. Her screams could be heard for several minutes. Those minutes were the most torturous of my life—not knowing how many of those screams were Sofia’s.
Eventually she fell silent. Her body became motionless and the Ageless nodded at me, indicating that it was safe to relinquish the flames.
Beneath the billows of dark smoke lay Sofia’s worn body. She looked so fragile I was afraid that just picking her up would cause her to fall to pieces. I immediately ran to her side, showered her face with frantic kisses, and eased her into my arms.
Emergency room. I have to get to the emergency room.
I needed to see her eyes open again soon, or I wasn’t sure my heart could take it anymore. What if Arron spoke the truth that Sofia’s body is spent now? I placed my ear against her chest. Thank God there is a small heartbeat, however faint.
“You can ruin this gate, witch.” Arron’s eyes glinted dangerously in the dim lighting. “Just remember that Aviary doesn’t forget. And Aviary doesn’t forgive.”
Then without another word, he dove through the hole in the floor. After he’d vanished from sight, the Ageless stared down at the gate and began muttering to herself.
Ruin the gate… but… my son…
“Wait!” I shouted. “Arron said that my son is in Aviary.”
“He had every reason to lie to you about that,” she snapped.
“I know. But it’s the only straw I have to cling to. We’ve hit dead end after dead end trying to locate my son. Even if there’s one millionth of a chance that Arron could have spoken truth, it’s the only lead I have.” Balancing Sofia over my shoulder with one hand, I grabbed the witch’s arm with the other and pulled her back from the edge of the gate.
“This is against the agreement I discussed with my council. They would never approve of this. Keeping this gate jeopardizes our entire strategy. I can’t, Derek. I’m sorry.”
“Please.” My eyes blazed into hers. “Please.”
From the Ageless’ impatient expression, I was sure that she was about to destroy the gate. But then her eyes softened.
“Go now, then,” she said. “You have four hours. I’ll eliminate the gate on the strike of the hour whether you have returned or not.”
“But I can’t leave Sofia in this state. Please, just give me a few days…”
“Out of the question! I’ve just offered you four hours. Take it or leave it.”
The choice was clear: act on the slight chance that I’d be able to locate my son in four hours, or tend to my wife. Leaving Sofia at this critical hour might mean leaving her forever. Even if I managed to return unscathed through the gate, Sofia might have passed away by then without me at her side.
“I can’t leave Sofia now,” I repeated, my shoulders sagging.
The witch returned to the edge of the gate.
Not wanting to witness the only possible clue to my son’s whereabouts fade away, I left the chamber and ran back through the tunnel.
I’d been so focused on my son that I’d only just considered that Aiden too was supposed to be in Aviary now. Sofia never even got to bid farewell. And what if Vivienne and the others have been taken there too?
Silent tears ran down my cheeks as I gazed down at my wife’s unconscious form.
Chapter 25: Derek
As we emerged from the trapdoor, the bright lighting in the Atrium showed the state Sofia was in even more clearly. My arms were already wet with her blood from the wound Arron had inflicted on her, and her skin was so dry it had started to flake off. Yellow skin had formed around her eye sockets and her eyes were shut tightly. Bruises and scrapes covered every part of her body and blood dripped from the corners of her mouth—a mixture of hers and my own.
With Arron locked out, I felt safer taking Sofia directly to the emergency room to see one of the nurses. I insisted upon the same one who had helped Sofia when I first brought her to Headquarters after her escape from the hut.
The nurse’s round face drained of all color when she saw Sofia.
“How in heavens…”
“Please,” I gasped. “She’s had an original vampire, an Elder, inhabit her body for far too long. Her heartbeat is weak. Please, hurry!”
I laid Sofia down on the nearest bed and looked up expectantly at the nurse.
“But… I have no idea what you’re even talking about. What is an Elder? I have no experience with this!”
“She’s an ordinary vampire now!” I said, looking around the room at shelves upon shelves of medication and equipment. “Immune blood. Try giving her some more immune blood. That’s got to help…”
“But,” the nurse stammered, “we have no more immune blood. It’s all been used up.”
“Check the cupboards again!” I yelled. “Or there must be some left in the lab from when they were carrying out their testing on Anna. Where is the lab?”
“It’s too late for immune blood.” A deep voice spoke from the entrance of the room.
“Ibrahim? What the hell are you doing here? How could you have left Rose and Corrine…”
“It’s all right, Derek,” Ibrahim said calmly. “My brother is there in my place. He’s just as capable of protecting them as I am. I left them for Headquarters because the Ageless called on me to assist with The Sanctuary’s orders.”
“What orders?”
“Do you want me to stand here talking or do you want me to help your dying wife?” He approached Sofia’s bed and looked down at her. “Only magic can help her body now… maybe. And I can’t make any promises as to her mental condition even if we manage to heal her physically. A lot will depend on how much she fended off the darkness while the Elder was inhabiting her.”
“So just… just… hurry up and do something!” I had my fingers against Sofia’s pulse and could barely feel it anymore.
Ibrahim walked round the bed until he was standing above Sofia’s head. He placed his hands either side of her face, then muttered a chant beneath his breath. He blew gently against Sofia’s forehead. For ten excruciating minutes, nothing happened. No matter how much Ibrahim blew against Sofia, she remained unchanged, her pulse fading closer to nonexistent with every second that passed.
But then it happened. The spot where Ibrahim had been blowing on Sofia’s forehead became smooth; all cracks and signs of bruises, bleeding and yellowing disappeared. Then this smoothness began to spread across the rest of Sofia’s face, first down along her nose, then across her cheeks, around her mouth, down her chin and then further down her neck. Soon her arms smoothed out and her fingers and hands also gained fresh skin. The nurse ripped open her dress and we could see the healing travelling down her chest, to her stomach, then toward her legs, and finally her feet and toes.
I looked up at the warlock, who was watching intently. Despite the worry that was weighing me down, I couldn’t help but marvel at his knowledge as a healer. I wondered if even Corrine could have worked that kind of magic on Sofia. Corrine normally needed potions to treat a patient.
But why is he helping Sofia? I wasn’t naïve enough by now to think that the Ageless didn’t have some kind of ulterior motive for wanting Sofia’s body healed. But whatever the motive, it didn’t matter now. All I could think about at that moment was getting Sofia to open her eyes again so I could lose myself in their beautiful green color.
And after several more minutes, I got my wish. Her eyes fluttered open, those stunning emerald-green irises I mi
ssed so much.
I knew as soon as she looked at me that she was back. My Sofia had returned to me.
“Derek,” she whispered, reaching up and placing her hand on my cheek. Although it was still cold, I could somehow feel the warmth of her soul transcending the coldness of her skin.
All the emotions that had been pent up in me for so long in the pain of her absence, set themselves free all at once.
Seeing that Sofia now appeared to be in a stable condition, Ibrahim and the nurse left us alone in the compartment. Wordlessly, I rolled the stained nightgown off of Sofia’s shoulders and pulled it away from her body. I fetched a warm towel from the sink and wiped her down. Then I grabbed a blanket and helped her into a sitting position, rolling it securely around her. Placing one arm around her waist and the other beneath her thighs, I lifted her off the bed and sat down there myself, placing Sofia on my lap. I buried my head against her chest and closed my eyes, relishing the sweet sound of her now steadily beating heart, reassurance that her healing a few moments ago had not been some kind of hallucination. My Sofia was back.
This was the first time since the night she’d given birth that I’d held her in my arms. The real Sofia. The love of my life. The person without whom all would be for nothing. My ever-burning light. My break of day.
She clutched my hair between her fingers and brushed her soft lips against my forehead. Her kisses made their way down the arch of my nose and then to my jawline. A small smile spread across her face as she said, “It’s okay, Derek. I’m back.”
Lifting my hands to her face, I pulled her toward me and tasted her lips, slowly at first, but then with more heat and passion than ever before. To have her respond in kind, unhindered by the Elder, was an ecstasy I wanted to lose myself in forever.
Chapter 26: Sofia
“Sofia… you have no idea how much I’ve craved you… how hungry I’ve been… to have you back in my arms… the real you,” he whispered inbetween lavishing me with kisses. “Please, don’t leave me again.”
He’d carried me out of the emergency room and brought me back to his bedroom where he laid me down on the double bed. Unraveling me from the blanket, he tucked me beneath his sheets.
“You didn’t find the fake one so hot, huh?” I allowed myself a small grin as he tore off his shirt so fast that it might as well have been on fire.
He climbed into bed and lay next to me. Shivers ran through me as the warmth of his bare skin pressed against the coldness of mine.
I recalled all the times during my possession that I’d wanted to reach out my hand and touch him, reassure him, apologize for my behavior, for leaving him, for causing him pain and suffering. Now that I was free from my prison, I could barely contain myself. All these repressed emotions erupted at once as my form melded with his.
I relished every slow caress, each heavy breath against my skin, each brush of his heated body against mine. Every sensation was heightened now that I could return in kind all that my heart felt for him. I quivered, this time my own pleasure manifesting.
As we both reached our climax, his electric-blue eyes never left mine. They allowed me a vision into his soul: all the hurt he’d endured at my hands, and all the love, relief, desire and hunger that now filled him up on seeing me again. I saw it all in those beautiful irises of his.
As we rolled to our sides, finally allowing ourselves to catch a breath, part of me wanted to just stay in that room, wrapped safely in his warmth, and never face reality again.
But there were too many questions burning in my mind to ignore for much longer.
Chapter 27: Derek
“Any news about our son?” Sofia broke the silence.
How do I answer that without shattering her heart into a thousand pieces?
I brushed my fingers slowly through her hair.
“The truth is, I still don’t know,” I said. “During the time that you were insisting that you stay in your room, I was working with Aiden…” My voice trailed off at the mention of her father. “Sofia, I don’t know how to tell you this but… Aiden’s been taken to Aviary.”
She clutched both of my hands and squeezed hard, her eyes widening. “What…” she stuttered. “But he’ll come back soon, right? Along with Kyle and Anna and Ian?”
I heaved a sigh. “When you were first taken to The Blood Keep all those months ago, we were desperate to bring you back. One of Arron’s conditions for helping us storm The Keep was that he wanted Aiden in Aviary… permanently.” Her breaths started coming faster and tears welled in her eyes. “Please understand, Sofia, that I tried to object. I knew that you would never approve of Aiden’s decision. But he simply wouldn’t hear of it. Bringing you back was his first priority. And then, shortly before I found you in the dungeon, Arron took him. I tried to stop Arron. But he paralyzed me and got away.”
“No… No!” She sobbed against my chest. “What is Arron going to do with him?”
“I doubt very much that he will harm Aiden. He claimed that he wanted to turn Aiden into one of them. A Hawk.”
I wanted to alleviate Sofia’s grief by suggesting that if Aiden had now been transformed into a big strong Hawk, he might be able to find his way back to Sofia. But now that the gates to the Aviary had been wiped out, I knew this was impossible and I didn’t want to give her any false hopes.
She cried for several hours, and I held her all the while, stroking her and trying to give her whatever comfort I could.
I attempted to reel in my own despair over the possibility of having lost my sister forever too. Sofia needed me to be her rock at this time, and I couldn’t melt away and leave her stranded in her own waves of grief. Vivienne, will I ever see you again?
Sofia eventually quieted down and concluded, “So there’s been no progress on our baby.”
I took a few deep breaths, trying to steady my voice. “I guess you didn’t catch what Arron said to me amidst all the chaos back in that chamber. When I had him on the floor and was about to burn off his wings, you were on the verge of evaporating the last gate. He claimed that our son is in Aviary. After you passed out, Arron returned through the gate and the witch insisted on wiping it out after him. So… so there’s no way that we could check now even if we wanted to.”
I explained about the four hours the witch had offered me and why I had rejected the opportunity.
“I understand, Derek. I could never blame you. I-I just pray that Arron was lying and that Ben is still within this realm.” She shut her eyes and breathed deeply. “What about the others? Oh God, Derek. You still don’t know what the Elder made me do to Vivienne, Cameron and Claudia…”
Sofia didn’t manage to finish her sentence. We were interrupted by a sharp knock at the door.
“Stay here, I’ll get it,” I said, grabbing a spare sheet and wrapping it around my waist.
I looked through the peephole and saw Gavin and Zinnia. As soon as I opened the door, the flustered pair barged in.
“It’s just Zinnia and Gavin,” I called to Sofia, warning her to cover up so she wouldn’t get the same shock I had given Zinnia earlier that morning.
“No, wait, keep the door open,” Zinnia panted. “There’s Craig too. He’s slower and just fell a bit behind us.”
I poked my head out of the door and sure enough, Craig was limping toward me on crutches. His right leg was wrapped in a thick cast.
“Whatever happened to you?” I asked.
“Just let me sit down first,” he said, wincing.
I beckoned them all through to the sitting room before going into the bedroom to find something more suitable to cover myself with. Sofia was already pulling on a dressing gown. We both went next door and they all gasped on seeing Sofia.
“Well, at least you found Sofia, Derek," Gavin said. "We got news on the others, but not Sofia, so I was really starting to worry. Whatever happened to you, girl?”
“Her story can come later,” I interrupted. “What news on the others?”
“Well,” Zinnia beg
an, “after we suspected Arron might have been involved in their disappearance, that kind of switched a lightbulb on in my head.” I held my breath, fearing the worst. “I knew from experience that Arron nearly always uses Craig here to carry out his dirty jobs, the ones that aren’t made common knowledge among the community of hunters. Ain’t that right, Craig?”
Craig grimaced.
“So,” Zinnia continued, “I went to his apartment and when he opened the door with his broken leg, it was kinda obvious something was up. I managed to figure out a way to manipulate him for information…”
“You make what you did sound skillful,” Craig interrupted with a scowl. “Threatened an invalid was all she did. Put a knife to my goddamn throat.”
“Well, anyway, Craig, come on,” Zinnia said nonchalantly. “Tell them what happened to the vampires.”
Craig cleared his throat and said, “Orders came from Arron to sneak into the vampires’ rooms and paralyze them. Then he wanted us to transport them all to one of the boats and ship them off. He didn’t want them at Headquarters any more.”
At least they haven’t been taken to Aviary. But this alternative didn’t sound too appealing either.
“Ship them off where?” I asked.
“Now listen here.” Craig’s eyes narrowed on me. “If Arron ever finds out that I’m the one who told you…”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Arron’s gone. All the Guardians have left this place. The gates between this realm and Aviary are all destroyed. Now tell me, where did you ship them off to?”
“We just took them a few miles out to sea and dropped anchor. I honestly don’t know what he was planning to do with them after that, or why he wanted them gone in the first place…. but damn, it was hard work gathering up that feisty one. Your sister, Vivienne.” He let out a dry chuckle. “She ripped her claws right through my leg just as I was injecting her.”