A Shade of Vampire 24: A Bridge of Stars (19 page)

BOOK: A Shade of Vampire 24: A Bridge of Stars

9.17Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

ads

Derek

I
t took
a while for Sofia and me to come down from cloud nine after our son’s wedding. It had been not only a beautiful experience, but also an intensely nostalgic one—more so for me than Sofia, I suspected. Watching my son look upon his new bride as she walked toward him down the aisle… he reminded me so much of myself. The day I had stood at the end of the aisle, gazing at my beautiful bride, the love of my life, approaching me in her trailing white dress, her auburn hair in curls. I knew exactly how Ben had felt in that moment, and I saw the same look in his eyes. I saw the profound love and affection he held for River, and I sensed in that moment that they would be just as happy together as Sofia and I were.

While we were in dragon country, Lucas had also done as he’d promised. He’d found the time to talk to Sofia—while being sensitive enough to have me present also—and he’d given her as heartfelt an apology as a man could. Sofia had nodded, accepting, and assuring him that if he kept up his good behavior, there was no reason he could not fully earn her forgiveness. I sensed from the look in his eyes that he did not take her words lightly and in the coming weeks, we would see him make amends for a number of grievances he had caused us—I guessed beginning after his promised trip with Jeramiah to visit Jeramiah’s mother’s tombstone.

On our return to The Shade, before launching into sorting out accommodation for our new group of female jinn, we got to see Claudia’s baby for the first time. A baby girl. She shared Claudia’s blonde hair as well as her brown eyes, though I was sure that she had Yuri’s nose and would likely have his dimples.

“We’ve named her Claudine,” Claudia said to me.

I stared at her. “Are you serious?”

“Mhm.”

I glanced at Yuri, whose expression was stoic, then back at Claudia. “How can you pick such a similar name to—?”

“Well, she’s my mini-me,” Claudia retorted. “What better name for her?”

I looked at Claudia in disbelief. Then, to my relief, a smile cracked her face. “I’m pulling your leg, Derek. You don’t think I’m still
that
narcissistic, do you?”

“Her name is Ruby,” Yuri chuckled.

“I like that better,” I said, letting out a breath. I couldn’t deny that for a moment I had actually thought Claudia had reverted to her old self. “A lot better.”

Next, we visited the jinn. After much discussion, they ended up choosing to make their quarters in The Black Heights. Although it meant clearing out a number of our grain storage rooms, the grain could easily be stored elsewhere. I actually couldn’t have picked a better location, since it was far enough from the witches that they wouldn’t step on each other’s toes. Dragons and jinn didn’t have a problem getting on, so there was no issue with them living in close proximity. The jinn preferred to create their own apartments with their magic once we’d cleared the chambers, so we left them to it.

The three fae, Nolan, Chantel and Marcilla also needed accommodation; we ended up offering them two spare beach houses, near where Mona and Kiev used to live. They were thrilled and thanked me countless times. I suspected that, after their stay in The Underworld, they would have been grateful even if I’d sent them to share Brett’s cave.

After attending to a number of other pressing matters that had cropped up during our time away, Sofia and I found ourselves with some time together one evening. As we returned to our apartment, I caught her hand and pulled her into the music room. I seated her on the bench in front of the piano. Sitting next to her, I began to play. Sofia let out a soft sigh and relaxed against me, resting her head against my shoulder.

“I’d almost forgotten how beautifully you play,” Sofia murmured.

“Thank you.” I grinned.

We lapsed into silence, letting the music engulf us.

Ah, peace at last…
Both of our twins safe and married. Our island—with the addition of jinn—now a stronger fortress than ever. And now here I was, alone in a room with Sofia and my music.

There were few places I was happier than in front of a piano. It’d been so long since I’d gotten the chance to touch an instrument.

A wave of nostalgia washed over me as I found myself playing one of my favorite tunes. I realized that it was the same tune that I’d played for Sofia the very first time I had taken her into my music room, all those years ago. She had leaned against me then, as she was doing now, breathing gently with her eyes closed as she listened to me play.

“I love you, Derek Novak,” Sofia whispered.

I stopped playing and cupped her face in my hands. I gazed down into her emerald-green eyes that saw through to my soul, and ran the tip of my nose down the bridge of hers before locking our lips. There was no way I could express how much I loved my wife. My love burned as deep for her as the day I’d made her mine.

“Shall we sleep in our special place tonight?” I suggested with a smile.

She grinned up at me. “Why not?”

As I went to gather our toothbrushes while Sofia packed some towels, I was surprised to hear a knock at the door.

Sofia and I exchanged glances. It was rather late for someone to be disturbing us without good reason…

We both dropped our things and went to the front door. We opened it to see Eli standing there. He had a look of concern on his face.

This had happened too many times in the past year for me to not immediately expect bad news.

“What is it?” I asked.

I was relieved when a small smirk curved his lips. “No need to look at me like I’m the Grim Reaper.”

“Well, that’s kind of what you’ve been,” I muttered. “I can’t think of a single instance when you’ve shown up at our doorstep after hours with good news.”

“Well,” Eli said, coughing, “it’s not exactly cause for a party, but it’s not an emergency either. It’s… something to be aware of. It’s on a local news station which I don’t believe you have here, so you might as well come to mine.”

Sofia and I exchanged curious glances before acquiescing.

As the three of us left our treehouse and began running through the redwoods, I had no idea what Eli was about to show us. Just as I had no idea what the future had in store for us. How could I, when, as immortals, our journey through life appeared more winding than the mind of an oracle?

But whatever lay ahead, I could be certain of one thing: this beautiful island that surrounded us. This magnificent haven we were privileged enough to call home. The Shade. One way or another, it would always remain our sanctuary. It had for hundreds of years and it would for the rest of eternity. I knew it from the very core of me.

Because The Shade was a reflection of its people. In its strength. In its tenacity.

And The Shade was true to its inhabitants. As true as the love that burned in their hearts for each other.

What’s next?

D
earest Shaddict
,

Thank you for accompanying me on Ben and River’s journey. Their story has held a very special place in my heart, and it’s with sadness that I say this has been their final book.

However, although Ben and River’s story has ended, The Shade has not!

A new era has dawned for the Novak clan. An era in which The Shade has become such a fortress that threats to the island are no longer possible. They have become protectors; fighters, warriors, every one a hero.

Witness the Novaks in all their strength and in all their glory. In all their love and all their friendship.

Embark on a breathtaking new journey with an exhilarating fresh romance, while reuniting with all your favorite characters and meeting exciting new ones.

A Clan of Novaks
is the beginning of a BRAND NEW adventure that will have you swooning, gushing, and clinging to the edge of your seat!

A Clan of Novaks
releases April 5th, 2016.

Don’t miss it! Pre-order your copy NOW:

If you’re in the USA:
Tap here

UK:
Tap here

Any other country:
Tap here

Here’s a preview of the kick-ass cover (you may need to turn to the next page for it to be visible):