A Shade of Vampire 7: A Break of Day Read Online Free PDF

7: Derek
     
    I couldn’t believe my ears.
    “ What?”
    “Sofia. She’s here. She arrived about an hour ago,” Corrine repeated.
    “How?”
    “Just get back here. You can ask her yourself.”
    When Corrine hung up, I pinched my arm to check that I hadn’t fallen into some kind of cruel daydream. Then I looked wildly around the room until my eyes found Aiden’s. His face mirrored what I was feeling. He grabbed the phone from me and within a few seconds was shouting for a helicopter. Then he turned to me and croaked, “Bring her back here, Derek. I need to see her.”
    I dashed outside to the launch pad and hurled myself into the aircraft, whose engine was already humming. Discarding all caution, I gave the coordinates of the beach hut to the pilot and we took off.
    A hundred questions crowded my mind, but most of all, the most intense sense of relief I’d ever felt in my life flooded through me. My Sofia, my light. You’re alive. I wondered if they’d already told her about Ben. I felt sick imagining how she would have reacted. But somehow, now that she was back, the task of finding Ben seemed more surmountable than just a few minutes ago.
    I could barely sit still throughout the flight, fidgeting and asking the pilot how much longer until our arrival. I felt paranoid that somehow she’d be snatched away again during the time it took me to travel to her. Ibrahim was the Ageless’ ally. What if he decided to alert the witch and she came to reclaim Sofia? I closed my eyes and tried to breathe deeply. My whole being ached to hold Sofia in my arms, run my fingers through her long hair and feel her soft lips against mine.
    When the helicopter started its descent, I could barely contain myself. As soon as it touched down on the beach, I jumped out and raced to the hut. Corrine opened the door. She looked exhausted and her face was filled with concern. I barely greeted her as I pushed past her and entered the sitting room.
    “Sofia!”
    My vision blurred when Sofia whispered my name and rushed toward me, placing her arms around my neck. I had to fight to hold back the tears as I held her waist and pulled her shaking body against mine. I wondered why she was so cold. I ran my hands up and down the length of her back, hoping my rubbing would warm her. I placed my lips on her collarbone, then her neck, her cheek, and finally her mouth. Her tears wet my face as I kissed her hungrily, my tongue pushing between her lips. I had been starved of her for too long. My body was now coursing with levels of passion I could barely contain.
    I knew that she would still be very sensitive from the birthing. I had to be careful with her. But it was clear she felt the same passion when she put her hands beneath my shirt and ran them up my torso. I was about to pick her up and carry her into the spare bedroom for some privacy when I felt it: a sharp stab in my lower lip. I let go of her and took a step back, confused. I touched my lip and saw blood on my finger. Then I looked more closely at Sofia’s pale face.
    “Sofia?”
    Her eyes still filled with tears, she opened her mouth and bared fangs.
    “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed.
    “You’re… how?” I gripped her shoulders and looked at her desperately, praying that my eyes were deceiving me.
    “I-I just woke up and saw the fangs. I craved blood. I don’t understand how. I thought I was an immune!”
    My head started reeling. Doubts assailed me about what her transformation would mean for her, our family, our future. Will the cure work on a vampire created directly by the Elders? Is that even a risk I would allow her to take?
    “How on earth did you escape?”
    “A rogue vampire, one of the vessels—he helped me. He was a servant to the Elders and had their trust. Whenever he came to my cell to feed me, I begged him to have mercy on me. Eventually I guess I got through to him and he smuggled me back through the gate into The Shade.”
    “The Shade? But that place is swarming