A Castle of Sand (A Shade of Vampire 3)

CHAPTER 36: DEREK

I couldn’t believe my ears. I asked her out of a wishful whim, expecting her to once again decline my request, telling me that what we had could never last forever and that we needed to accept that. I expected her to look at me with those lovely green eyes of hers and tell me that she loved me, but that she was sorry, because she couldn’t marry me. She simply couldn’t.

But no…what she responded with was something that sounded strangely similar to the word “Yes.”

“What?” I asked her, stepping back, so that I could look at her and make sure that she wasn’t joking. “Did you just say what I thought you said?”

She laughed at my reaction. “I’m not sure…” She tilted her head to the side, her long auburn locks falling over her shoulders. “What did you think I said?”

“It sounded like you were agreeing to marry me.”

She paused and wrinkled her nose before shuffling on her feet. When she heaved an anxious sigh, I was already certain that I was just hearing things.

But then a huge smile broke into her face. “Then you definitely heard right.”

I stood there stunned, letting the news sink in, taking in that moment and how stunningly gorgeous she looked in that green silk gown that clung to her curves in just the right places. I wanted to remember every single detail of that moment, because I wanted to treasure it forever.

“Derek, say something…” she said breathlessly.

I had no idea what to say. Was I supposed to thank her for making me the happiest man alive? Was I supposed to once again profess my love for her at the risk of her accusing me of being corny? What was I supposed to say? How was I supposed to express what she made me feel when she agreed to trust me enough to marry me?

“I don’t deserve you, Sofia Claremont,” were the words that I eventually blurted out. “But I will spend every single day of my life making up for that. I’m so in love with you.” I cupped her face with both hands and once again crushed my lips against hers, breathing her scent in, tasting her sweet lips, committing every bit of that moment into my memory.

At some point during the kiss, she began laughing. “We’re so corny…” She began shaking her head, before biting her lip and nodding. “But…I’m so in love with you too.”

As much as I wanted to fully enjoy that moment and hopefully freeze it so I could live in that moment forever, I couldn’t deny that something felt amiss. We were ignoring the fact that I was immortal and that she wasn’t. I would forever be eighteen and she wouldn’t. I knew I could love her still even if she was already that old woman walking around with a cane, but what kind of life was I offering her?

“Sofia…” I couldn’t hide the hesitation and sadness in my tone. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, Derek. I wouldn’t agree to marry you if I wasn’t entirely sure,” she assured me, then hesitation sparked in her green eyes. “Are you sure?”

“I feel like I’m being selfish with you,” I admitted. “Is this really the life you want? I mean, you’re this beautiful, vibrant person, strong and wonderful in so many ways…you should be able to find a husband who can give you a normal life, let you have kids, support you and allow you to fulfill your dreams…I want to be with you, but I feel like I’m taking all that away from you.”

Every word she said next broke down all my weak attempts to resist the idea of a marriage with her.

“But you’re giving me so much more, Derek. You’re the man I love. You’re the man I want to be with. I don’t want a normal life, Derek. I want to live a life with you.”

I didn’t know how we were going to make the marriage work. I didn’t know how any of it would work out. All I knew was at that moment, we had each other, and that was really all that mattered.

We didn’t leave the lighthouse until the next day, determining to just enjoy each other’s company and stay away from all the issues that we knew would assault us once we returned to the kingdom. Holding hands with her as we practically skipped our way—like love-struck teenagers—back to The Shade, I wished we could’ve just stayed at the lighthouse and locked ourselves up in there for as long as we could.

We’d just left the Crimson Fortress when Xavier approached us, worry traced in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

Xavier shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “Ben Hudson is back.”