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

CHAPTER 39: Derek

Not long after the conversation I had with Vivienne, I took a quick shower and we were off to breakfast with Arron in a dimly lit room with no windows, as a way of protecting my sister from the sunlight.

Breakfast consisted of pancakes, butter and maple syrup. I was starving, so the moment food was served, I had no inhibitions in wolfing my breakfast down.

Aiden, who seemed to be satisfied with his cup of coffee, stared at me like I had somehow gone mad. Vivienne watched curiously while Arron had his typically deadpan expression on his face as he stirred a cup of tea for himself.

“I see the king’s being human has made him appreciate our delicacies more than the delicacies enjoyed by vampires such as yourself, princess,” Arron said.

Vivienne just shrugged a shoulder. “I can’t deny that I envy him. It’s been centuries since I last enjoyed a meal.”

“Ah, yes… you’re one of the rare few who never killed a human for his blood. I admire that about you, Miss Novak.”

Vivienne seemed ill at ease.

I couldn’t have cared less. I hadn’t eaten since I left The Sanctuary and I knew that if I didn’t enjoy the spread we were given now, there was a big possibility I wouldn’t be able to wolf down a meal anytime soon. Unlike when I was a vampire, I could only last so long without food as a human. I bit into my last slice of pancake and took a gulp from my orange juice.

I swallowed then laid my palms on the table in front of me. “Let’s get to business, shall we?”

“About time.”

“I’m not going to play around with you, Arron. I know who you work for and I know why this organization is so hell bent on ending vampires. But we both know that it’s not this earth’s vampires that you really want to end. You just want to win this war you have with the Elders. We humans are just caught in between.”

“I see the witches have been talking about us while you were in their realm.”

“They have. Now, what must we do to secure your help in rescuing my wife and all the other citizens of The Shade whom the Elders held captive?”

“First of all, you’re going to speak to me with respect, boy. I don’t care how old you are. I am an immortal and you will address me as such.”

I noticed the spark of interest in both Vivienne and Aiden’s faces.

“An immortal? You?” I challenged. “See, I don’t even know what you are. Why on earth should I speak to you with respect?”

“Because it’s my help that you need.”

“Really? So the fact that I was able to kill at least a dozen Elders doesn’t matter to you?”

Arron’s eyes grew wide. “What are you talking about?”

“Back at The Shade,” Vivienne spoke up, “when he arrived to find the Elders making us fight one another to the death in an arena, Derek was able to kill the Elders who’d possessed some of the vampires there, using them as vessels. At first, he also killed the vessel the Elder inhabited, but with Corrine’s magic protecting the vessels, Derek was able to end the lives of the Elders with his fire.”

“Corrine? The now powerless witch?”

We all nodded.

“The Ageless took away her power for helping us.”

“Typical,” Arron mumbled beneath his breath. He then turned toward Aiden. “Is this true?”

Aiden nodded. “I wasn’t there when it happened. I was unconscious after one of their beasts attacked me, bit me right in the neck.” He showed Arron the wound.

Arron seemed disconcerted by the sight. “Beasts? Their vampire mutts? What happened to them?”

“I hadn’t noticed.” Vivienne shook her head. “Everything was happening too quickly. I’m assuming they’re still at the Catacombs.”

“Hm. Anyway that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are right. For once, we want the same thing. We want to stop the Elders. It’s bad enough that their kind have entered this realm, but they’re turning so many humans into vampires for a reason.”

“What’s that?”

“They’re building an army against us.”

I drummed my fingers on the dining table. “Sounds to me like you need us more than we need you.”

“Don’t be a fool, young king. We both know how desperate you are to have your wife back in your arms.”

I waited for him to talk about Sofia being with child. Doesn’t he know? I wondered what they would think once they knew. Would they want my child too? I chose to keep it a secret, and considering that neither Aiden nor Vivienne spoke about it, I imagined they also thought it best that the Guardians not know.

“Fine. We all have something at stake. So? Can we now agree to work together?”

“Not until we’ve discussed several conditions. Do you have any?”

“We are not pledging any loyalty to the hunters. We are loyal to our loved ones. We are loyal to our own conscience, to what we believe is right.”

“This means what exactly?”

“It means we can leave this place when we please,” Aiden verified. “Once the task is done, our commitment to one another is over.”

“I’m afraid that won’t work out. You see, we can fight against the Elders without you. The only thing you have to offer that we don’t have is the location of The Blood Keep. I’m not even sure you know that.”

“You don’t have Derek,” Vivienne added. “Remember what he can do?”

“I must admit that I’ve never seen an Elder die while in this world’s atmosphere. There’s something about your world that makes them immortal, so I can’t deny my curiosity about this power you are boasting of, but I don’t see why it would be of utmost importance to us. We can just blow up The Blood Keep. All we have to do is kill the Elders’ possible vessels.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Aiden hissed. “They would just turn more people into vampires!”

“You’ve been a hunter all your life, Aiden. We both know how cutthroat this operation can get. That was never hidden from you. We’re willing to sacrifice necessary human lives in order to further our cause.”

“I thought the cause was to further the good of the human race.” Aiden spoke up.

Arron chuckled. “We had to make you think that, but I think you’ve seen enough of our worlds and our kind to know that isn’t true. It is the Guardians’ cause that the hunters are furthering.”

“What are Guardians?” Vivienne asked the question that was most likely running through all our minds.

“You’ll know soon enough, princess. For now, we need to discuss terms. I think we’ve both established who needs who. So again, let’s discuss conditions.”

“The Shade and everything that belongs to us is safe. We will have an autonomous rule, away from the control of your kind,” I asserted. “My family especially—that includes Vivienne, Aiden and all the people of The Shade I brought with me here, their loved ones included. None of us are to be harmed.”

“Fair enough.”

“I want Anna, Ian and Kyle back. They are my subjects. The hunters have no right to take them.”

“That’s more complicated than it looks, but fine. I can give you that.”

“What do you mean it’s more complicated?”

“They’re not here at headquarters. They’re in our realm—the realm of the Guardians—The Aviary.”

“What! Why? What have you done to them?”

“Don’t worry, king. They were treated as welcome guests. They will return to you perfectly unharmed—just like they were when we took them from you. Is there anything else you want?”

I wasn’t thrilled about stopping the discussion about Anna, Ian and Kyle, but it was clear that Arron was no longer going to speak about any of it, so I said the one thing that came to mind when it came to our list of conditions: “I refuse to be under your control. I refuse to be a hunter.”

“You’ve served us more than you know, Derek. I wouldn’t imagine pushing our vendetta on you. Besides, you’re too volatile a power to play with. Is that all?”

I gulped, realizing that we hadn’t exactly come here prepared. Going to the hunters’ headquarters had been an act of desperation to break away from the chaos at The Shade.

“I think that’s all.” Vivienne nodded after looking to both Aiden and me for confirmation. My father-in-law was pale as a sheet.

What is going on with him? “Aiden?” I asked. “You all right? You have anything to add?”

“All my properties and wealth, accumulated over the years and also inherited from my father, are to be given to my daughter and her husband, Derek. None of it will go to the cause of the hunters.”

Arron raised a brow at this. “You’re talking as if you’re about to die, Aiden. I can’t say I’m pleased with this seemingly last will and testament of yours, considering how your family’s wealth is largely due to the backing of the hunters, but sure. We don’t need your money or your properties, but why are you talking as if you are a dying man?”

“I know you, Arron. I just want to make sure that whatever you ask of us, of me in particular, my daughter and her family will be secure.”

For the first time, Arron took on an expression that was anything other than stoic. It was pure delight. “We weren’t wrong in choosing you to be one of our prime hunters, Aiden. You always were one of the best.”

“What is he talking about?” I couldn’t bear the anxiety any longer.

“I have two conditions. One is that all three vampires now within our custody be turned into humans the moment we rescue their loved ones. I wouldn’t want them to turn human before facing off with the Elders, because the Elders are already a threat to them as vampires—how much more as humans? Do we agree on this?”

“Claudia’s not going to like this,” Vivienne muttered under her breath. We exchanged glances but all I could really do was shrug. She nodded at me.

“Fine.” I nodded. Sacrifices have to be made. Besides, this is what I’ve always wanted for my subjects at The Shade. Freedom from this curse. They may not like it, but it is what it is. “What else do you want?”

“I want Aiden to agree to be turned into a Guardian. Not just a vessel for our kind, like the body that I have now taken hold of, but actually one of us. A true Guardian. That would mean that he would agree to be transported to our realm.”

Aiden trembled, and though I didn’t know the extent of what Arron was asking of him, I could tell that the sacrifice Aiden was about to make was beyond what I could imagine.

“Only after my daughter has been saved.” Aiden spoke before I could object. “Only after I’m able to hold her in my arms and say goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” I burst out. “What? Aiden, you don’t have to do this.” What exactly does it take to become a Guardian?

Vivienne grabbed his arm and squeezed. “We’re family.”

The words made Arron grimace, almost as if it was the most disgusting thing he could think of to be called our family.

“I have to do this.” Aiden nodded. “It’s because we’re family that I need to agree to this. I know Arron and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. Isn’t that right, Arron? You’ll never stop trying to destroy my family until you have me at your side.”

Arron remained expressionless, except for a slight twitch of his lip.

I wondered what kind of history the two had with each other.

“This is me putting my family first,” Aiden assured both of us.

“It’s a deal then?” Arron asked.

I looked at Vivienne, whose eyes were fixed on Aiden with concern.

It was Aiden who sealed the whole deal. “Fine.” He nodded. “It’s done.”

“You agree to this, king of The Shade?” Arron raised a brow at me.

I felt trapped even though my instincts were speaking against this. “Aiden… Are you sure? Sofia would…”

“If there was any other way, Derek, I wouldn’t agree to this, but you and I both know we need them.”

Trapped in a corner, all I could do was nod. “But not until you show us what you can do.”

A smile formed on Arron’s face. “Very well then.” He stood to his feet and stepped a distance away from us. “First things first…” He drew a deep breath and when he exhaled, massive, magnificent wings sprouted out of his back—wings that resembled that of a hawk.

If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve thought him an angel, but he was the furthest thing from such honorable creatures. Whenever I looked at Arron, all I saw was a devil in disguise.