A Shade of Vampire 8: A Shade of Novak Read Free

disappointment crossing his face. “I think I’d have more fun turning Sofia. I’m not overly keen on the idea of biting into your thick neck.”
    Vivienne elbowed Xavier in the gut and said, “No, Sofia’s mine. All mine.”
    I giggled and, looking at Derek, shrugged.
    “Seems nobody wants poor Mr. Derek. Maybe I’ll have to turn you myself.”
    I’d meant it as a joke, but his eyes lit up. “Yes, Sofia. Why not? Why don’t you turn me? I’d much rather have you sucking at my neck than this ugly bloke,” he said, shoving Xavier in the shoulder.
    I looked at Derek nervously.
    “Are you serious?”
    “Yes. I’m serious,” he said, staring back. “Vivienne will turn you, and then you’ll turn me.”
    My stomach writhed.
    “Why doesn’t Vivienne just turn you after me?”
    He looked at Vivienne, then back to me. “I just think that it would be more interesting if you turned me.” He raised a brow at me, a small smile curling his lips.
    “Actually, what if you can’t be turned? You need to go first, because if you don’t turn, then I can’t turn.”
    “Well, let’s see what Ibrahim says,” he replied. “If he says I can be turned, then we’ll take his word for it.”
    “But, Derek,” I spluttered. “I’ve never turned anybody before. What if I do something wrong?”
    He stared at me for a moment, considering the possibility.
    “Well, Xavier and Vivienne will be there to guide you… and haul you off of me if necessary.”

    B arely had the hatch of the submarine opened when cheers erupted. I picked up Rose, while Derek carried Ben, and we all climbed out of the submarine.
    A small crowd was standing by the port to welcome us. Tears welled in my eyes as I looked around at the familiar faces.
    I had to quickly hand Rose over to my father as Shadow was the first to reach us. His tongue wagging, he jumped up at me to lick me, almost knocking me over in the process. He had broken free from Eli, who now came hurrying over with a wide grin on his face.
    “I hear you’ve decided to come back over to the dark side again, Sofia.” Claudia smirked and winked at me. “Welcome.”
    Zinnia bared her fangs at me and chuckled. Gavin gave me a friendly punch on the shoulder. “Good to have you back, girl.”
    “Rose!”
    Griffin, their four-year-old son, stepped out from behind Gavin. His curly red hair reminded me so much of his father, while his hazelnut brown eyes were decidedly his mother’s. He made a dash for Rose and wrapped his arms around her, placing a kiss on her cheek. I smiled as Rose blushed.
    “Hello Griffin,” she mumbled.
    Griffin had been a surprise for Zinnia and Gavin. He’d been conceived while they were travelling and helping Aiden disband the worldwide organization of hunters. Only recently had the couple decided to turn into vampires, once they’d deemed their little human boy old enough to handle the shock of mom and dad sprouting fangs.
    It saddened me to think of two vampires who would not be waiting to greet us: Liana and Cameron. Even though it had been years, we still missed their company. They had taken the cure to become humans and left the island. Their children and grandchildren had passed away, but they’d had a burning desire to search out any family living today. They’d told us they would likely return to The Shade after a few years, but we were still waiting for them.
    Once we’d finished greeting everyone who’d been waiting at the Port, Derek and I took the twins’ hands and led them toward the forest. But as we were about to enter the woods, something stirred in the trees. A small vampire walked out. Abby.
    She looked at me and smiled faintly. Something about her was off.
    “Abby!” I said.
    She came to us and I put my arms around her, hugging her close. I pulled her away so I could examine her face more closely.
    “What’s wrong?” I asked quietly.
    A tear rolled down Abby’s cheek and her lip trembled.
    “I want to turn back into a human,