“And why exactly were you looking for me? So you could give me to Borys as a bride?” I realized that I didn’t even know how to address her or what to call her. Do I refer to her as Ingrid or as Camilla? Calling her Mother didn’t feel right.

She brushed her thumb against my cheek. “You have your father’s eyes, but you don’t have his build, I’m glad to see…fragile, weak, breakable…”

I glared up at her. Was she insulting me?

She withdrew her hand from me and raised a brow at Ben. She addressed the guards, “I want time alone with my daughter. Have the young man brought to the little blonde vampire from The Shade. She could use some company.”

My blood began to pound as alarm rose from the pit of my stomach to the top of my head. “No…” I immediately saw the fright in Ben’s eyes. “Please…no…not her…not Claudia…Mother, please.”

Surprise sparked in Ingrid’s eyes the moment I called her Mother. She raised a hand toward the guards who were already approaching to take Ben. “Wait. What did you just call me?” she asked me.

“Mother…” My lips trembled as I spoke. I grabbed Ben’s hand, not knowing whether I was trying to comfort him or draw strength from him. “Isn’t that what you are? My mother?”

“Yes. That’s right, Sofia.” She smiled, but I saw only insanity in her eyes. “I’m your mother. That means you do what I say, right?”

Terrified on Ben’s behalf, I nodded in attempt to humor Ingrid. “Of course.”

“So you’re not going to cause any trouble tomorrow, yes?”

“Tomorrow?” My grip on Ben’s hand tightened.

“Yes. Tomorrow. Did you not know? You’re to be wed to Borys tomorrow.”

“Why? Why would you do this? Why would you force your own daughter to marry that brute?”

She began brushing strands of my hair away from my face. “You just don’t know him, Sofia. Borys deserves the best and you, Sofia, are the best. Why wouldn’t you be? You’re my blood, my beautiful, perfect little girl. You belong to Borys.”

Chills ran down my spine as she straightened to her full height. “I’ve changed my mind,” she announced. “Leave the boy here. The Shade’s little blonde vampire can have him after the wedding. Right now Borys is requesting the presence of his blooming bride. Have my daughter brought to his chambers.”

It was as if everything stood still. I could make out Ben trying to put up a fight as the guards took me away. I knew what was happening, but I couldn’t understand it. I couldn’t comprehend how such a vile creature like Ingrid Maslen could ever be the mother I remembered that I had.

By the time I reached Borys’ chambers, I was in tears. I was pushed inside, with Ingrid following shortly after me. Borys was pouring alcohol into a bronze chalice. He turned and frowned at the sight of me. “Why is she crying?”

My stomach turned when I realized that he was wearing nothing but a loincloth to cover his bulking frame. His gaze quickly went from my face to my body. I wasn’t even sure if he heard Ingrid’s explanation that I was just nervous to be presented to my bridegroom.

“Leave us,” he ordered, his eyes traveling the length of my body. Ingrid gave him a nod. I grabbed her hand before she could move. “Please…don’t leave me…”

“You’ll be fine, my love. He won’t take you to his bed until after the wedding. He’s a gentleman that way.”

A gentleman. I almost laughed at the thought. How could she call him that after what she had witnessed him do to me?

Ingrid shook my hand away and quickly strode out of the room. “Enjoy getting to know each other, children!” she chirped before closing the door behind her.

Standing in the middle of the room, I couldn’t control the way my body quivered as Borys slowly approached. He began circling me like a vulture, his eyes taking in my form, violating me with mere looks.

I shut my eyes and tried to remember Derek. His eyes. His smile. Of all the times that Derek had overstepped his boundaries, threatened to hurt me, threatened to take me, he never made me feel the way Borys did at that time. Derek had many times over made me feel vulnerable and fragile under his touch, but he never made me feel like he would enjoy breaking me and hurting me.

Even on the first night I met him, with him throwing me up a post and threatening to suck at my neck and drain me of my blood, I could sense goodness and light in Derek. I feared him, but he was never without hope.

The way I felt around Borys was different. He made my blood run cold in a way even Lucas and Gregor were never able to accomplish. Whenever he looked at me, it felt as if he was finding delight in all the cruel things he planned to do with me.

He reached for me and I flinched. He laughed at my reaction, but reached forward anyway. He began to thumb the necklace I was wearing—the one Derek gave me for my birthday. “Beautiful,” Borys complimented. “Who gave it to you?”

“Someone I love dearly.”

He scowled. “I don’t like it. Remove it. I never want to see you wear it in my presence again.”

I stood still, not knowing what to do.

“Remove it!” Borys growled right into my ear and then reached behind my neck and unclasped the necklace and threw it on the ground. He then grabbed a clump of my hair and said, “The next time I tell you to do something, you obey immediately. Do you understand that, Sofia?”

I nodded, knowing that defiance toward him would only lead to more pain. He brushed his lips over mine and I felt as though I was about to throw up. I found everything about him absolutely revolting.

“You’re shaking,” he sneered. “I like that. Vivienne shook the same way when she first came to me.”

The fact that he would brag about what he had put Vivienne through made my blood boil and it was taking all my self-control not to attack him. “What did you do to her? She was a broken spirit by the time Derek took her away from you.”

He let go of me and turned away. “I had fun with her. That’s all. Of course, that husband of yours always was a party pooper. I still hate that he’s soiled you already.” He began rummaging for something inside a desk drawer. “But you’re the immune, Sofia. I can’t help but want you.” He took out a velvet pouch.

My heart almost stopped beating at the sight of it. I knew what it contained. Vivienne’s memories and my recurring nightmares were enough to let me know that the item he was retrieving from the pouch was a necklace—a heart-shaped, ruby-red pendant.

He approached me, the necklace dangling in his hand. “I want you to wear this every time you’re in my presence, Sofia. Do you understand?”

Was this what the nightmares were warning me about? Does this mean that I will really lose Derek forever and be Borys’ toy instead? He put the necklace on me, taking liberties by tracing his fingers down my neck and shoulders as he did so. “It looks beautiful on you, does it not?”

“Why do you want me? What do you mean, I’m ‘the immune?’”

He chuckled. “Don’t you remember?” He forcefully twisted me around and threw me on the bed. I would’ve screamed but the surprise knocked the breath out of me.

“What are you doing?” I gasped.

He approached the bed and quickly climbed on top of me. “Your blood, Sofia…it’s like a siren call. I wonder how any vampire could ever resist it. Especially after having tasted you already...” His fangs came out and he forcefully yanked my head to the side.

The sight of his fangs etched itself in my mind. And it triggered a memory—an image of him, wearing a different outfit, standing over me, fangs bared. I found myself confused—not sure whether the memory was mine or Vivienne’s, but at that point, it didn’t matter. Borys Maslen was about to feed on me.

I screamed when his fangs sank into my neck. His hand clamped over my mouth to silence me as he fed on me. Tears were streaming down my face as my mind begged for him to stop, his weight crushing my much smaller frame beneath him and making it difficult for me to even breathe. When I heard the door swing open and a voice I recognized as Ingrid’s called out his name, relief washed over me.

“Really, Borys?” Ingrid groaned. “I thought you said you’d only feed on her after your marriage?”

Borys continued to suck on me for a couple more seconds before pulling his fangs away from my neck, sneering down at me as my blood dripped from his lips. “I couldn’t help it. She’s too sweet and enticing.” He turned toward Ingrid. “What do you want now?” he asked through gritted teeth.

Ingrid seemed annoyed and even slightly concerned for me, but she soon seemed to brush away the fact that her king was draining the blood from her own daughter. “Our special guest has just arrived.”

A fearsome grin formed on Borys’ face as he shifted his gaze back to me. “Did you hear that, my lovely Sofia? Derek Novak has come for you.” The hand he had clamped over my mouth tightened as his other hand gently brushed over my hair. “Maybe he really does love you, huh? Do you want to go see him?”

I nodded furiously, wanting nothing other than to once again be in Derek’s arms, and find comfort in his strength.

Borys leaned over and whispered into my ear, “I will enjoy watching the reaction on your face when you see him die.”

CHAPTER 48: BEN

Soon after Ingrid had left with Sofia, the guards dragged me out of the room. I wasn’t entirely sure if they were going against Ingrid’s orders to keep me there for Sofia’s sake or if she just allowed me to stay in order to appease Sofia into being compliant about the idea of being brought to Borys. Either way, it didn’t matter. My best friend—still very much the love of my life—was in the arms of a monster and there was nothing I could do about it. Without my hunting weapons, I was useless against the vampires. I was just another weak human being they could prey on.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded.