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Even with her being the Seer of The Shade, , especially when it came to matters of the heart

"What do you mean?" she asked me in bewilderment

I chuckled and shook h, Vivienne"

I knew she was about to pry but a foreboding for us I knew I should’ve talked to hi the past three days, but I intentionally avoided hi Sofia I didn’t want to go into the whole thing with apprehensions circling my mind It seemed Sofia felt the same way, but then here he was… This was inevitable

"May I have a ith you, Derek?" he asked just before he took the final step toward the piano, druet out of the tense situation, nodded her head "I’ll leave you two alone to talk"

"Aiden" I bowedmore tense around a huthe truth "I have… I , Aiden, but I was afraid you wouldn’t give it… I love Sofia I will do everything in my power to protect her and to make her happy"

He chuckled wryly "I fear that I’hter, Derek Even as the otten her in all sorts of trouble What makes you think you can protect her as a hu that the cure even works?"

I sed hard I had no idea what to say to that It was true Sofia’s life had been terribly endangered ever since she had ht over the shoulder "But get that horrified, guilty look off your face, Novak It doesn’t suit the king of the vampires to look that way I don’t think any man can protect her completely – even I failed in that I do know that no one can h of relief

"All I ask is that you be faithful to her, love her… and as much as you are able, do try to protect her It won’t be easy considering all the trouble she seele herself in"

I nodded even as I tried to chuckle at his re?"

The father of ive the world to always see the way her face lights up when she looks at you Do good by her"

"Yes, sir" I nodded And just like that, I had his blessing

He then s me over "But don’t think this means I trust you or like you, vae to have it otherwise" I realized then that I liked the tension between Aiden andme how precious Sofia was She deserved that

I looked around The place was beginning to fill up My breath hitched This was it Nothing could explain the joy I felt inside as the cerean It was surreal I wanted to pinch

All of it… all those years in battle… all of those years fighting for the survival of those I loved, fighting for the fulfillment of a prophecy that I did not even fully understand… all of it boiled down to this one ht beside amy beautiful bride co and everyone else faded into a blur, di on the other end of the aisle, holding her bouquet of lilies, she was breathtaking in her intricately ereen eyes to meet mine, I was done for She had me breathless and captivated – even ht up her countenance Her glistening eyes were fixed onherfor her to cole step was absolutely worth it I wanted to freeze thatvision of her in that white dress, looking more ethereal than ever before, would forever be etched inher father’s hand, so that he could bring her tohow to express ed our vows, but when it came time for that, I knew exactly what to say

I could barely look at her as I said the words It was a strange eush over my love for her and despite all the acclai of The Shade, in that hteen-year-old Sofia Claremont made five-hundred-year-old me feel like a boy

"You saved ave ain believe in goodness and kindness and the possibility of light even in the darkest of nights I’ve lived under the shadow of the prophecy about bringing ht be my kind’s true sanctuary, but I kno that it’s not mine, Sofia Your smile, your heart, your life, your love… You, Sofia, are my true sanctuary"