A Gate of Night (A Shade of Vampire #6)

CHAPTER 34: Derek

Xavier, a man I’d trusted with my life more times than I could count, strutted toward me. He was barely recognizable, his veins sticking out of his neck as if he was about to burst, his eyes sallow and a haunting white. He had Vivienne’s back pressed against him, gripping her hair while the other arm coiled around her waist. The tension inside the room was electrifying. Currents of fire were beginning to build within my veins. I felt like I could explode any time.

However, there was a strength in Vivienne’s eyes that I’d never seen before. I was expecting her to tremble, to shake and cower at the danger surrounding her, but no, something had changed with my twin and I was left wondering whether it was a change for the good. She glanced at me and quickly looked away. A sick feeling formed in my gut. Something was wrong with her and I knew it.

Noticing that my attention was no longer on him, Xavier—or whoever had taken over his body—grabbed her by the hair and made her yelp. Considering that Ashley and Sam were still in this makeshift arena pounding on each other, it was difficult for me to focus on Xavier, but it seemed he was one to fight for all the attention he could get.

Who knew Elders could be such attention whores?

“Well, if it isn’t the king of The Shade, honoring us with his presence.” Xavier’s eyes lifted toward mine, narrowed and intimidating. He began groping my sister, never losing eye contact with me in order to taunt me with my own helplessness.

“What do you want?” I clenched my fists, praying that I wouldn’t end up exploding and burning everyone there.

“That’s not a very diplomatic way to welcome your guests, is it now, oh powerful king? I think we ought to start with the pleasantries as is human custom, don’t you?” The sneer on Xavier’s face reminded me of every psychopathic villain I’d ever seen in those movies Sofia got me to watch during the first few months of her stay with me at The Shade. I had no question in my mind that whoever had possessed Xavier was one cold-blooded murderer.

Xavier fidgeted in a seeming attempt to recall “human custom”. “So how does this actually go…” he muttered as his hand continued to violate my sister, his lips sickeningly close to her ear. “Oh yes…” He looked my way with an air of triumph. “Hello there, your highness. It is truly a pleasure to finally meet you.”

I swore at him in response. I couldn’t hide the spite that I felt toward him.

My disgust only amused him. He cocked his head to the side and hissed like the snake that he was. “I guess you’re not very diplomatic, are you? It’s always been this lovely creature in my arms who’s been the picture of The Shade’s diplomacy.” He ran his tongue over Vivienne’s cheek.

I wanted to snap his neck in two.

However, his taunts were not yet over. “Deciding not to kill Cameron paid off after all. How could it not when the message he gave was so powerful? When this beauty is within our grasp?”

Cold winds began to rush all around me. Are they trying to quench the fire? If so, they were failing at it. However, even with the power I possessed, I had no idea how to use it. It wasn’t like I could just burn Xavier. The Elder would leave Xavier’s body and find a new vessel.

“Let her go,” was all I could manage to say.

“You’re not in a position to be giving out commands here, king. I’m the ruler of this island now.”

In retaliation over my audacity, he spun Vivienne around and kissed her. I could only imagine what all this was doing to both Xavier and Vivienne. My friend’s affections toward my sister weren’t lost on me, but Vivienne had seemed to be quite oblivious after all the centuries that Xavier had stood by her side.

What does Vivienne think of him now?

There was no way for me to find out, because as my stomach turned, my mind warring over the idea of ending Xavier’s life, Xavier snapped his fingers and two firm pairs of hands gripped me. I would’ve fought back, but I was too stunned by what happened next.

Ashley pierced through Sam’s flesh and pulled his heart out.

The shout that ricocheted across the cave walls was a chilling sound that seemed to come straight from hell.

Xavier pulled his lips away from my sister. His eyes began to burn a bright red-orange—almost as if flames had taken over his pupils. “Now, look what you’ve done. You made me miss out on all the fun.”

I felt the blood drain from my face as Sam’s body fell to the ground. I watched Ashley for a flicker of emotion—any indication that she was still in there, that she was torn over what she had just done. Nothing. She stood over Sam’s dead body, gripping his heart in her hand, blood dripping from her fingers. Her eyes were pitch black, an indication of the darkness that had taken over her. As if that weren’t blood-chilling enough, she grinned. Maniacally.

Vivienne crumbled in Xavier’s arms. I knew she had just reached her breaking point. When Ashley sneered, I couldn’t take it anymore.

Gathering up all the strength I could muster, I hit both men holding me with my elbows, grabbed their necks and the fire just went out of control. With one loud scream, my palms burst into flames, evaporating my own tears as the two men who were holding me got incinerated into ashes.

Xavier’s eyes widened, taking on the shade of red before turning into a midnight blue. I wondered what each shade meant. His shoulders were trembling.

“How did you do that?” The hoarseness of his voice betrayed his terror. “There’s no way you could’ve… You can’t kill an Elder.”

Realization washed over me like a flood as I watched the piles of ashes that accumulated on either side of me. The Elders are dead. I swallowed hard, realizing that I didn’t even know which of my men they had possessed.

I turned toward Vivienne. When her eyes moistened with tears, my knees almost buckled beneath me.

What have I done?

If Xavier was encouraged at all by my momentary weakness, it didn’t show. He was still staring at me, white as a sheet. “It can’t be. Our kind is immortal. How is it…” His eyes slowly turned into pitch-black night.

Winds started to move all around me.

Chills ran down my spine as all the vampires possessed by Elders set their sights on me.

Before I said the word that would signal Corrine to use her powers to retrieve as many of our comrades as she could, Xavier screamed, “He has to turn back into a vampire! Turn him now!”

He threw my sister to the ground. That was when I said it. One word. “Now!”

The moment the word came out of my lips, chaos followed.

My vision blurred as the strong winds carried all the Elders right toward me in one quick swoop. It was a full-on massive attack and I had no idea how to get out of it. All I knew was that I couldn’t allow them to turn me back into one of them, because the moment they possessed me, whatever power I had would immediately belong to an Elder.

When I pictured my young wife’s face, an overpowering desire to live came over me, but should it come to it, I had no choice other than to die.