The moment I laid my back down on the furry covers of the four-post bed in the middle of the lavish bedroom I'd chosen for myself, the first thought that came to mind was: What on earth are you doing? I'd just woken up from four centuries of sleep. There really was no more sleeping to be done. Thus, I spent the night in the library, reading books – hoping to catch up with what I'd missed over the past years. I found a wealth of information there, but I knew that I'd only scratched the surface. I then realized what a great value Sofia would be to me in becoming acquainted with the world as it was now.
I picked up the fourth glass of blood that was brought to me by one of the harem girls. A gift from Vivienne.
When the girl, Gwen, tentatively came in with the first glass in hand, I didn't even care to ask where the blood came from or whose blood it was. I just drank it all up. My hunger had to be satisfied if I were to keep myself from murdering the girls who were living inside my home. I thanked her for the blood and asked if she could fetch me more. The brunette nodded, her lips trembling even as she moved away from me. I looked at her and wondered why I wasn't as drawn to her as I was to Sofia.
It could be said that she was similarly pleasant to look at as the redhead sleeping in the chambers next to mine, and yet that simple gesture Sofia did back at the Sanctuary – grabbing Gwen's hand to comfort her – somehow solidified Sofia, in my eyes, as more valuable than the other four girls combined.
As I finished my fourth glass, I found myself longing to check on how my beautiful captive was doing. I stood up and made my way through the glass-covered walkways, displaying the starlit sky above it. I smiled. It was a nice touch by Cora – always keeping the sun out of the Blood Shade – the one place on earth where it was always night. I eventually ended up in her bedroom. I heaved a sigh. I couldn't understand why I was so nervous. She was just a girl. I've had my fill of blood. There was really no reason to be so anxious. I knocked on the door and waited. Nothing. I knocked again.
"Sofia?"
I creased my brows. Something was wrong. I opened the door. It wasn't locked. For some reason, that bothered me. Is she so foolish to trust a stranger like me – a vampire at that – that she wouldn't even lock her door? I pushed the door open and surveyed the room. She was nowhere in sight.
"Sofia?" I stepped in, the truth beginning to dawn on me.
I was the fool to trust her. I didn't even bother to station guards outside her bedroom. Of course she would attempt to escape. She'd be a fool if she didn't.