“I’m just relaying the message I was given, Lucas.” She was treating me so flippantly, I wondered where on earth all her diplomatic skills disappeared to. “I’ll make sure your father hears your response.”

I was fighting the urge to attack her. She was, however, at least a century older than me. In a fight against her, I was sure to lose.

“What am I supposed to do now?”

“That’s entirely your choice.” Natalie shrugged. “But I do have another message for you. From Borys Maslen.”

“Borys Maslen?”

“As I already implied, your rogue status has become known throughout the covens.”

My head was spinning. The thought that my father could turn on me at that time was something I never really considered possible. And now, our family’s worst adversary was trying to get in touch with me.

“What does he want with me?”

“He’s offering you sanctuary at the Oasis.”

The world has gone mad. “In exchange for what?”

“Loyalty to the Maslens.”

At this, I scoffed. “Loyalty? To them?”

“So what do you want me to tell them, Lucas? Does this mean you’re refusing?”

I gave it some thought, weighing my options. I shook my head. “I think my choice was made for me the moment my family turned their backs on me. Let Borys Maslen know that I’ll be on the first flight to Cairo I can book. Finally, make sure to let my father know that I’ve joined the Maslens.”

Natalie nodded. Her expression remained stoic. No judgment. No condemnation. She was a channel, our central hub of communication. “I’ll make sure your message is received. Anything else?”

“Yes. Tell my father that the one person to blame for our falling out is Derek. He’s obsessed with a human slave named Sofia Claremont. Tell my father to beware of her.”

“Of course.” Natalie rose from her seat. “If that’s all, goodbye, Lucas. I hope everything works out for you.” Without bothering to hear my response, she walked away.

My eyes followed her until she disappeared. I smiled. I knew the damage my father was going to inflict on Sofia just based on the message I relayed through Natalie. For that night, the knowledge that I once again had contributed to making her life and Derek’s a little bit more miserable, was enough consolation for my woes.

Thoughts of Sofia made my blood pound and my senses tingle. “You’ll be mine someday, Sofia. Oh, you’ll be mine.”

CHAPTER 47: DEREK

News spread quickly throughout the island that Sofia had directly defied a vampire – a member of the Elite at that – and got away with it. Outrage followed soon after.

“What if the rest of the humans follow her example and decide they can start defying their masters?” Felix, one of my most distrusted among the Elite, brought up during a council meeting at the dome.

“We can’t afford to have another human uprising, Derek,” Xavier voiced his concern – one which I also shared.

Felix scoffed, his hands raised in the air. “A human uprising! Perhaps it’s best… With the abductions halted, all the bloodshed an uprising would cause will give us all the blood we need for years to come.”

Eli, the only one at the stand amidst all the talk being thrown from the seats of the council, stared at Felix as if he were insane. Despite the tension in the room, I couldn’t help but notice the reaction on Eli’s face. He always did look at Felix as if he had no patience for the man.

Eli spoke: “There’s a reason we avoided touching the Naturals, prince. They are the backbone of this island. All the labor required to keep The Shade in its self-sufficient state is done by the humans born out of generations of humans loyal to the work they were given on this island.”

“We cannot continue to abduct humans from the outside if that’s what you’re trying to imply, Eli.” In this, I was not to be dissuaded. “They endanger The Shade by risking discovery from the hunters.”

“We’ve been abducting humans for years, Derek,” Cameron chimed in. “We’ve never been discovered. The Scouts are trained to be stealthy enough not to risk discovery.”

“The hunters grow more powerful as we speak. We cannot press our luck. Eli can attest to the hunters’ power based on the little information he managed to squeeze out of one of them we’ve taken captive.”

“Yet another human slave you seem to favor,” Claudia hissed. “I take punishment for aiding one of our own – our prince, your own brother. These slaves defy everything we stand for and yet they run free.”

“They are my slaves and I will do with them as I see fit. That’s the end of this discussion.” I stood up to better make my point. “There will be no abductions and while we still have a reserve of blood from the last culling in the chilling chambers, no humans will be taken from the Catacombs.”

“And when the blood runs out?” Xavier asked.

My gut clenched at what I knew was necessary to be done. “Then we conduct another culling.”

“I want fresh blood,” Felix demanded, seconded by ayes and yeahs echoing throughout the dome.

“Your wants don’t concern me, Felix. It’s what this island needs that is of greater priority.”

“We fear the human slave you favor – Sofia, is it? – has made you weak, prince,” he pressed on, rising from his seat and walking toward the stand.