A Chase of Prey

  I walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down on our island. The thick forests of sequoia. The sprawling beaches. The dark ocean, sparkling in the light of the moon.

  I still came up here every so often, when I couldn’t stand anyone’s company but my own. It was the same cliff where I’d first told Xavier I loved him. The same cliff we’d gotten married on all those years ago.

  News had spread quickly about the plans to turn Ben, Ariana and Jason. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. While I knew it would take the heat off them as targets, I couldn’t help but feel our solution wouldn’t be as simple as that.

  A restlessness had stirred within me as soon as Derek had told me of their decision. Ben was about to be turned into the creature I no longer wanted to be. It triggered a sense of despair in me that I was finding impossible to ignore.

  Xavier and I had agreed to wait two weeks before turning back into humans. Today was the fourteenth day. I supposed Xavier had been hoping that things would have become clearer. But they had only become murkier.

  We’d agreed not to broach the subject again for two weeks. I felt conflicted as to whether we should speak of turning back at all. While I had made my wishes clear—I wanted to have Xavier’s child whether or not things calmed down on our island—Xavier had shown discomfort. Now I didn’t know where we stood. Telling him that my feelings hadn’t changed would feel like I was forcing him into a situation he didn’t want to be in. And yet I couldn’t shake the primal urge within me to bear a child. To finally have a baby of my own.

  I sat down on the edge of the cliff, my legs hanging over the edge. I’d stayed out most of the day. Xavier had given me my space, which I was grateful for. But now I suspected that he’d be worried about me. I should return. And yet I sat frozen. I didn’t know what I would say to him. Or how I could continue living with this desire eating me away inside.

  It seemed that whatever I did in this situation would be a mistake. Any way we turned would cause pain to either of us, perhaps even both of us. I dug my nails into the soil, trying to ground myself.

  As midnight approached, so did Xavier.

  “Viv, what are you doing up here?” he whispered. His arms wrapped around me, his chest pressing against my back as his legs slid either side of mine. “I’ve been waiting for you in bed.” He kissed the side of my neck.

  I trembled beneath his touch. “I don’t know what will become of us, my love,” I breathed. My eyes were still fixed on the sparkling ocean, but now my vision was beginning to blur with tears.

  Placing an arm beneath my knees, he twisted me round on his lap until I faced him. His left arm behind my back, he rested his right hand against the side of my face, brushing my cheek with his thumb.

  “I know exactly what will become of us.”

  The certainty in his beautiful eyes made me forget the heaviness in my chest for a moment, and I smiled. “Tell me.”

  “At the end of this week, while Ben turns, we’ll both take the cure. We’ll turn into humans. And then we’ll take the honeymoon we never had. We’ll travel somewhere far away from here… from all of this. And we won’t return until you’re bearing my child.”

  My breath hitched. His words painted a picture of heaven in my mind. Of a bliss I’d never quite believed I’d ever be able to reach out and touch. A future that I’d thought would forever elude us.

  “But Xavier—”

  “Derek and Sofia took their honeymoon when the island was in turmoil. It’s time we had our turn. They can manage without us for a few months… or however long it takes us.”

  “But—”

  “No more buts, Vivienne. We’ve stood by your brother all these years. He’ll agree that it’s time we took time for ourselves. And you know he will. That’s why you’re resisting.”

  As always, my husband saw through me. Even after all these years, I still found it hard to come to terms with the idea of abandoning responsibility. But it seemed that Xavier, my beloved Xavier, wasn’t going to put up with my excuses.

  “And… you really want this? You’re not just doing this for me? Because you feel pressured?”

  He leant closer to me, his lips inches from my own. “I wouldn’t agree to this if I didn’t want it. Remember, I told you exactly how I felt about this two weeks ago. That’s why we put it off. Now I’m telling you that I want this. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

  I closed my eyes as he caught my lips in his. He reached down and touched my stomach, caressing it as he kissed me.

  “Vivienne Vaughn,” he whispered into my ear, “I want to make a baby with you.”

  Even after all this time, I still shivered whenever he spoke my name with his. When I opened my eyes, my tears of uncertainty, tears of doubt, had transformed to tears of ecstasy. As I looked up into his handsome face—the dark stubble lining his strong jawline, the starry night sky behind him—a wave of déjà vu washed over me. I felt like bellowing into the wind, declaring my love for this man all over again. And again. And again. Until my voice broke and my lungs burst. This time not out of despair, but out of bliss. Out of the ecstasy that only my man, Xavier Vaughn, could bring me.

  Running my hands through his dark hair, I pulled myself up into kneeling position. Pushing him back against the grass, I climbed over him and kissed him harder.

  As our lips parted for breath, I whispered, “Did I ever mention that I love you, Xavier?”

  Chapter 24: Derek

  I was surprised when Vivienne and Xavier turned up at our door. I’d been planning to visit them myself, to deliver Anna’s request that my sister turn Ariana.

  Vivienne had been somber the past few weeks, but something was different about her today. She had more bounce in her step, and she looked like she was trying to suppress a smile. Her eyes shone as she threw her arms around my neck.

  I raised a brow at Xavier for explanation. He gave me a small smile. “Let’s sit down first, shall we?”

  We gathered in the dining area and I called Sofia to join us. She looked just as curious as me as to what could have caused this change in my sister.

  Vivienne reached out and held Xavier’s hand. “Derek… Xavier and I want to have a child.”

  I thought that I’d misheard her.

  “A-Are you serious?”

  Vivienne nodded, a smile lighting up her face.

  “Oh, Vivienne!” Sofia flung her arms around my sister, pulling her close. “Derek, we’re going to be an aunt and uncle.”

  The joy that I felt on seeing Vivienne finally give in to what I suspected she and Xavier had wanted all along was hard to contain. As I looked down at her beaming face, tears brimmed in my eyes. I didn’t know if I’d ever seen her so happy.

  Despite the despair hanging over us, the anxiety that had been eating me away inside, Vivienne had just shed a ray of sunshine in the gloom.

  “We want to leave The Shade,” Xavier said. “Go somewhere in Europe, perhaps… for however long it takes us.”

  “Of course,” I said, even though none of us could even guarantee The Shade would still be in existence by then.

  Vivienne shuffled on her feet. I could see that she felt bad suggesting that they leave us in this mess, but we could manage without them. Vivienne had sacrificed everything for us, for her family, for this island. If it hadn’t been for her, I wouldn’t even have Sofia.

  “Take one of the subs,” I said. “And cash—Aiden can help organize that. Don’t come back until you’re ready. We’ll do all we can to hold down the fort in the meantime.”

  “When do you plan to take the cure?” Sofia asked.

  “We thought a fitting time would be at the end of this week, the same time Ben turns into a vampire,” Xavier said.

  This timing didn’t sit well with me.

  “I’d rather be there for it,” I said. “And I can’t be there for you when I’m worried about my own son. Can’t you turn a couple of days beforehand? That gives you time to take the cure, and then some more time to recover before I tur
n Ben.”

  “Yes,” Vivienne said, looking up at her husband. “We could do that.”

  “Another thing,” I said. “I was actually about to seek you out about this before you showed up here… Anna and Kyle have decided they want Jason and Ariana to turn into vampires. Anna has asked if you would turn Ariana.”

  Vivienne raised a brow. “Yes, of course I will.”

  “You can turn her tomorrow,” I continued. “And then the day after that, you can take the cure.”

  Vivienne and Xavier posed no objections. They spent another hour with us before heading back to their own apartment. I sighed and looked at Sofia as they left.

  Her smile looked as broad as mine felt, tears sparkling in her eyes. “There’s no one on this island who deserves a child more than Vivienne and Xavier.”

  * * *

  The next day, Vivienne arrived at Anna’s house at the appointed time. Sofia and I were already waiting in the living room. Sofia sat next to Anna, who’d just put Kiev to rest upstairs in his cot. Kyle stood behind the couch, shuffling on his feet as he watched us prepare.

  Twelve-year-old Jason looked nervously up at me. Ariana, being older, seemed a little more at ease, though I didn’t miss the way her hairs stood on end as my sister walked into the room.

  We’d cleared a space in the center of the room and laid down a pile of old carpets, as well as moved all the furniture out of the room except for a single couch.

  Kyle and Anna gathered their two children and took a private moment with them. They took turns in hugging and kissing them, whispering words of reassurance in their ears, before Jason walked toward me, Ariana toward Vivienne.

  I bent down to Jason’s level, hoping in doing so that I wouldn’t appear quite as intimidating. I smiled and ruffled his hair. He returned a small smile, but still looked deathly pale, as though I might have turned him into a vampire already.

  I looked across the room toward Vivienne. She already had Ariana positioned flat on the rug, and was looking up at her parents for approval to go ahead and bite. We’d decided that it was best they turned simultaneously, or it would just increase the nerves of the sibling who had to wait and watch for his turn. As Vivienne dipped her head down, I did the same.

  The poor boy was terrified. I made sure to find my mark quickly. When I punctured his skin, he moaned and tried to squirm away. Kyle hurried over and helped me hold him down as I gained more of a hold, sinking my fangs deep enough for the venom to inject into his bloodstream.

  By the time I’d withdrawn from his neck, he was beginning to shake and convulse. I looked over at Ariana. Her transformation too was setting in.

  Once their metamorphosis was complete, Ariana and Jason would need to spend time with other vampires while they grew accustomed to their new bodies. Yuri and Claudia had already agreed to take them under their wing and help them cope during the first few weeks. Only once they were deemed safe enough to return to the human part of the island would they be allowed to see their parents, and their baby brother, again.

  Each vampire was different. Some struggled more than others to gain a hold of their darkness, while others never truly got a hold of it. We were lucky that so far on the island, most who had turned had been able to control themselves within the first month.

  Once they began coughing blood, it was time for Vivienne, Sofia and me to take them away. Anna looked close to tears as we left her and Kyle standing in the doorway, hurrying with their shaking children into the woods.

  We raced to Claudia and Yuri’s penthouse as fast as we could—it seemed that the two children screamed and convulsed more wildly each second that passed. We hurried into the elevator and once we reached the top, Sofia rushed ahead to bang on the front door. Claudia had already opened it by the time we’d approached. She swung the door wide open, allowing us inside. Yuri stood in the entrance hall, smiling as we stepped inside.

  “Come through to the spare bedrooms,” Claudia said, leading us through the house. “I’ve already prepared them.”

  Vivienne and I split into two different bedrooms. I laid Jason down on a bed, then stepped out and closed the door behind me. Vivienne did the same, walking up to me a few seconds later.

  “Thank you for doing this, Claudia,” Sofia said. “It means the world to Anna and Kyle.”

  Claudia shrugged. “That’s all right. I’ll tame them both soon enough.”

  I stared at the blonde vampire. Something seemed a little off about her. Avoiding eye contact, she seemed distant.

  “We heard the good news, Vivienne,” she said, patting my sister on the shoulder. “Good luck to you both.”

  “Thank you.” Vivienne smiled, though her smile faded slightly as Claudia’s gaze drifted to Yuri.

  “Everyone seems to be making life changes around here,” she muttered. There was an awkward silence. I was about to suggest that we leave, but then Claudia blurted out, “Honey, why don’t we have a baby?”

  Yuri’s cheeks flushed as he eyed Sofia, Vivienne and me. He walked over to Claudia and stood behind her. Bending down and pressing his mouth against her ear, he dropped his voice to a husky whisper. “You told me last night that I was your only baby.”

  Claudia snorted. Yuri never was one to miss out on banter, even when embarrassed.

  “I asked you a serious question,” she said.

  “Fair enough,” Yuri said, clearing his throat and straightening up, a small smile curling his lips. “Let’s start this lengthy discussion right now, shall we? Let’s not wait the couple of minutes it would have taken to see our guests out the door first.”

  Claudia placed her hands on her hips, looking at the three of us in mock disdain. “Well, is your business done here? Yuri and I have matters to discuss.”

  She grinned as she escorted us back to the door. But when we reached it, her voice dropped to a more serious tone. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Anna’s kids. They’ll adore me by the end of this… I need to show Yuri that I’m capable of being a mother.”

  I rolled my eyes as she closed the door. Some people don’t change, no matter how much time passes. I supposed we all liked that about Claudia. She was always her unapologetic self. You knew what you got with her.

  Neither of us spoke much as we returned to Vivienne and Xavier’s penthouse. Xavier was waiting in the living room for us. He seemed on edge, jumping to his feet as soon as Vivienne opened the front door and pushed it open. I didn’t blame him for being on edge after all the transformations he’d witnessed throughout the years. I didn’t envy him one bit. We’d been lucky that so far, nobody had died while taking the cure. But I believed that the pain was strong enough to damage someone permanently.

  We hadn’t told anyone else on the island exactly when they would be turning, because Xavier and Vivienne hadn’t wanted people gathering around the Pit. It was uncomfortable enough as it was without being surrounded by crowds.

  As we reached the one part of the island where the sun had always shone through—the Pit—Vivienne threw her arms around me and kissed my cheek.

  I squeezed her. “You’ll make it through this. I know you will. God knows, you and Xavier are no strangers to pain.”

  Chapter 25: Derek

  As always when waiting outside the Pit for a loved one to transform, it was a long, agonizing experience. I remembered how torturous it had been with Sofia, and it was no less with my sister and Xavier.

  Sofia and I sat with our backs against the wall surrounding the Pit. Eventually Sofia couldn’t take any more of the groaning. She closed her ears and curled up in a ball. I pulled her toward me, sitting her on my lap, hoping to both give and draw comfort.

  Despite the torment, we didn’t leave the spot, because we’d promised them that we’d be waiting right outside the whole time. They’d said there was no need, but we’d insisted.

  We lost track of how much time passed, but it felt like several hours later when the groans finally stopped. Sofia and I stood up and approached the door cautiou
sly.

  “Vivienne? Xavier?”

  Sofia shot me a nervous glance. I reached for the handle and creaked the door open. Sunlight blasted down on me, blinding me as I stepped into the Pit. I felt its heat already searing into my flesh. Sofia stumbled in after me. Both of us stood with our hands over our eyes, trying to see through the blinding light. My eyes were beginning to water from the pain.

  Finally I saw my sister and brother-in-law in a corner. To my relief, Xavier was sitting upright, holding Vivienne in his arms and stroking her forehead. He looked up at me and gave me a weak smile. Her eyes were closed, but she seemed to be conscious. Her expression was serene, her cheeks rosy, as she soaked up the sun’s rays.

  It was the first time I’d seen my sister as a human for almost five centuries. While her skin was still pale, I knew she’d be glowing with a warm tan soon enough. She opened her eyes and looked up at me, smiling.

  “Derek,” she whispered.

  I crouched down and examined her face more closely. Her eyes had changed. They’d lost their hint of violet and had turned to a clear sky blue. She was beautiful as ever. I smiled back, remembering how good it had felt to have warm blood flowing through my veins when I’d turned all those years ago. Part of me still missed it, and I knew Sofia did too.

  “Are you all right?” Sofia asked.

  Xavier nodded slowly. They both looked weak, but they were alive. The worst was over. I picked up Vivienne and carried her toward the exit, while Sofia and Xavier followed behind us. She had her arm around his waist and was helping to support his weak knees.

  As we walked through the exit, Vivienne nestled her head against my chest and whispered, “Now I know why you stayed a human so long.”

  * * *

  Patricia, one of our witches, helped speed up Vivienne and Xavier’s recovery immensely, and after a full day of rest, they felt ready to take off. While they’d been resting, Sofia, Aiden and I had been busy making preparations. We’d made sure that the submarine was serviced. Aiden had provided them with cash, while Sofia had prepared food for them to take on their journey. We didn’t know how long it might take for them to reach their first destination.