B00C8324IS EBOK (33 page)

I looked at Derek, who was standing right next to me, also leaning
against the banister. He fondly stared at them, fascination traced in his eyes.

“I had no idea the Catacombs looked like this,” he admitted.

“You’ve never been here before?” I asked, finding it strange that the prince of The Shade never bothered to visit such an important part of his kingdom.
Does he not rule over the humans too?
Doesn’t he care at all?

He shook his head. “No. I never had a reason to.”

Never had a reason to? Aren’t these people your subjects just as much as the vampires?
I held off my questions. It felt like I was about to find out exactly what role humans played at The Shade.

“
Sofia?” A familiar voice from a level above called to me.

I followed the sound of the voice an
d saw Corrine. She caught sight of Derek and seemed to be holding her breath.

“You brought
him
?”

I saw Derek
tense up. It was no secret to me that he and Corrine weren’t exactly the best of friends and it always surprised me how vocal Corrine was about her disdain toward him.

“Wait for me. I’m going to be right down.”

Corrine disappeared and Derek looked at me. “So it was the witch who gave you the idea of coming here?”

“When I came to visit her, she told me that I should come here – to get a clear picture of how the Naturals live.”

“The Naturals and the Migrates…” He winced. He said each word with bitterness – even a hint of spite. I couldn’t help but wonder why. I caught sight once again of the children on the level below. Both had their big brown eyes on us. The little girl clung tightly to her brother. I realized that they were both looking at Derek. They were mortified. The boy whispered something into the girl’s ear and they backed away slowly before completely turning back and running into what I assumed was a tunnel that led to some other section of the pit.

“You should’ve said that his royal highness was coming. We could’ve prepared a warm welcome of sorts. The Elite rarely visit the Catacombs.”

I did a one-eighty and found Corrine standing behind us.

Derek was more reluctant to face the beautiful witch. He slowly twisted around before glaring at Corrine.

“Hello to you too.”

They dueled with glares before both directed their attention toward me.

“So you finally decided to visit the Catacombs.” Corrine slightly chastised.

“Well, there was Vivienne’s memorial… I was adjusting to being back… I…”

“Hush, Sofia. You do have the tendency to ramble when you’re trying to defend yourself.” Corrine eyed me before once again giving Derek a wary glance. “Follow me. There’s someone I’d like for you to meet.”

As Corrine led us along the round ledge we were standing on, I could sense Derek’s discomfort. I wondered if it was difficult for him to be around all those humans. I instinctively grabbed his hand and squeezed. His grip on my hand tightened. To me, the gesture was well understood. I was there for him and he was grateful for it. I looked around me at the place shrouded with darkness.

“How is everyone able to cope without sunlight?” I found myself asking. During the months I stayed with Derek before leaving The Shade, we were given doses of Vitamin D along with other nutrients – I wondered if all humans were given this treatment.

“Most of the people who live here at the Catacombs were born here,” Corrine expl
ained. “It’s hard to miss something they never actually had. They get nourishment of Vitamin D from supplements. The lack of sunlight does weaken them however, in ways that artificial nutrients could never make up for … the average life span of the humans on this island is not long.”

I glanced at Derek, re
membering the Sun Room and everything it took just to give him a glimpse of the sun. The lavishness of his penthouse seemed an excessive extravagance compared to the drab living conditions of The Shade’s human slaves.

Corrine went down a spiral wood
en staircase leading to the level below. We followed. I could sense curious eyes on us as we trailed behind Corrine who didn’t even bother to check if we were still following her.

“A vampire and his migrate…” a young woman whispered to an elderly one with graying hair.

“Beautiful young woman,” the older woman responded. “Poor thing.”

I knew Derek heard too because his grip on my hand
tightened just enough for me to sense his tension, but not enough for it to be painful.

We kept following Corrine as she took a turn toward a tunnel – wider than the one we entered. It was the same
tunnel the children had retreated to. We passed several arched doorways. I strained my neck to see what was through them, but only saw darkness. Corrine kept walking until she stopped in front of one of these entrances. We walked in and found the two children we saw earlier bundled up with their mother – a beautiful woman with dark auburn hair and a sad smile. Sorrow filled her eyes. Inside what I assumed was their home, were three cots – very similar to the ones found in the Cells. An old table was positioned in one corner of the room, upon which a single candle flickered.

Corrine must’ve noticed me staring at the candle. “Not all the areas of the Catacombs have electricity
- even though The Shade’s power plant wouldn’t even exist without human labor. Those who don’t have electricity get a ration of candles every week – candles that
humans
also make.” Her eyes were on Derek.

I shifted glances between my two companions and shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “How
do they generate electricity?”

Derek answered me this time. “An effort was ma
de to make sure that The Shade was as self-sufficient as possible. The island has its own power plant, farms, factories… made possible by humans who live on the island.”

“When the island is
in need of certain expertise,” Corrine added, “the vampires abduct someone who has it. No human abducted has ever been able to leave the island. Until Ben and you…”

At this, I gave Derek a grateful glance, knowing fully the risks he took by letting us go. He didn’t even look my way. Corrine shrugged it off and stepped into the room. The
auburn haired woman was whispering consolations to her children before she looked up at us. Fear was in her eyes – magnified tenfold when she saw Derek standing by the door.

“Corrine…” she shook her head, her lips trembling. “Please…”

“Don’t worry, Lily. He’s not here for you or the children.”

Derek flinched. He let go of my hand. I looked up at him and brushed a hand over his elbow before following Corrine
inside. He remained by the door.

“I’m
Sofia…” I introduced myself, my eyes specifically on the two little children.

“Lily.” She smiled
faintly, but she still looked shaken, her eyes flitting from me to Derek. “These are my children. Rob and Madeline.”

“How old are they?” I asked.

She didn’t seem to appreciate my interest in her children. I found that strange because most mothers I knew – Amelia for one – pounced at the chance to talk about their kids. Not Lily. She put her arms around her children and gulped before answering, “Rob is seven. Madeline is five.”

“
Relax, honey. She’s the girl I was telling you about,” Corrine tried to soothe her. The information made her even more nervous. Her eyes fell on Derek.

“That means he’s…”

Corrine nodded. “Derek Novak.”

Tears began to show in
Lily’s eyes. “I can’t lose my children!”

“Why would you lose your children, Lily? No one’s going to take them from…”

I was silenced by the look of pity she gave me and then her kids. “You don’t understand, Sofia. You’re a Migrate. You weren’t born here. You don’t know what it’s like. I fear for my children, because just like my husband was, they’re beautiful. Beauty isn’t something you want your children to have. Not here at The Shade. Beauty almost always assures death.”

I gave Corrine a questioning look, not quite sure what to make of what I’d just been told.
Lily’s husband…
was
?

“Af
ter the prince ordered a halt to all human abductions, one of the vampires saw Lily’s husband, Kiev, working in a factory. She took a liking to him and took him as her slave. He was returned to Lily a few days later as a corpse. Lily’s eldest son, Gavin, has taken his father’s place at the factory,” Corrine explained as she gently brushed her hand over Lily’s hair. She faced the young widow, who was obviously reliving the nightmare of losing her beloved husband and gave a word of assurance. “No one’s going to take Rob and Madeline from you. Not today. Rest assured for now.”

Lily nodded, but not
without glancing once again at Derek.

I looked at the two children again
. Lily was right. They were beautiful. As I let the information sink in, breathing became quite a task.
This is wrong. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.
I grabbed Lily’s hand.

“I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure that no one ever lays a hand on your children, Lily.”

“Thank you.” She embraced me.

I completely tensed at the words she whispered into my ear. She voiced out my worst fear.

“Don’t be naïve, Sofia. Vampires always tire of their pets. The prince will eventually tire of you. What then?”

Standing there, listening to the woman express her fear for her children’s safety, I remembered why I never bothered to visit the Catacombs. The place made me feel helpless to do anything about the plight of the humans living
on the island.

We were vampires. We fed on blood to survive.
That
was our curse.

Rob and Madeline.
They were indeed beautiful children, who would one day grow up to become an attractive young man and a gorgeous young lady. Lily had a reason to be afraid.
Hell… she should also fear for herself.
I dared catch a glimpse of her, noting how lovely she looked. She pulled Sofia in for an embrace and whispered something in Sofia’s ear. I noticed how Sofia’s form suddenly stiffened against Lily. She pulled away from the young woman and flinched when Corrine gently laid a hand on her shoulder. My brows furrowed, wondering what Lily said.

“It was nice to meet you, Lily.”
Sofia’s voice was hoarse and broken.

A lump formed i
n my throat when she turned around and looked at me with such a pained expression, I had to take a step backward to recover my wits about me. Fear, deep sorrow and a million or so doubts – none of which I felt capable to ease – mingled in the expression of her glistening green eyes.

Silently,
Sofia strode toward me. She didn’t even glance my way. She brushed past me, her slender fingers forming fists as she walked. Corrine and I followed after her.

“What end do you seek to accomplish by encouraging her to come here and meet these people?” I asked the witch, my voice coming out noticeably strained.

“If this is to be her home, she cannot be blind as to what happens within its walls.” Corrine was speaking to me in riddles as she always did, but I knew her words were full of purpose. She spoke with wisdom no one else had. “What she does after this will mark the difference between who she is and who you are.”

Throug
h gritted teeth, I responded, “And what exactly do you mean by that, witch?”

“You were able to stand by and watch thousands of humans slaughtered over the span of centuries. We’re about to find out if she can do the same.”

Her words were a harsh blow in the gut – one that made my blood pound as it rushed to my head. “What then? What’s the point, Corrine?” I began to focus on Sofia who was walking several paces ahead of us. Watching the gentle sway of her hips and the grace she had about her, I found the idea of losing her sickening.
Is that the witch’s intent? For me to lose Sofia?

“Vivienne’s prophecy about you can never be fulfilled unless the young woman Cora spoke about does her part. If that young woman is
Sofia, she cannot accomplish what she has been tasked to do with her eyes blinded by affection for you.”

My mind began to reel.
What is she talking about?
“Cora spoke about a young woman?”

“I’ve said enough.”

“No you haven’t, Corrine. You said too much and too little all at the same time. You can’t just say something like that and not follow through.”

“Everything will unfold in due time.” Corrine stopped when she saw where
Sofia was headed. “I believe she’ll want to have a private conversation with you.”

Sofia
was taking steady, purposeful strides headed right out of the Catacombs. Her shoulders were heaving. I wondered if she was sobbing. Annoyed at the witch, I sped up in order to catch up with Sofia just before she reached the tunnel that would lead us out of the human slaves’ quarters.