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"I don’t believe you," Zinnia responded

I could practically irimace on her face The petite, raven-eyed hunter had never been a fan of me, but she was important to my father and to my late best friend, Ben I had to deal with her snarkiness a lot while I was at the hunters’ headquarters

"There are thousands of huood lot of them are women and children Not all of them have to die You can check the headquarters’ database for a man named Kyle Madison He is suspected to be a vaain"

"Get Kyle here," I told Claudia, before speaking to Zinnia over the loudspeaker "Zinnia, this is Sofia"

"Great… if it isn’t the princess of vampires herself"

"Look… We’ll send Kyle to you so you can see for yourself… There is a cure This could be the anse’re looking for… Please…"

All I got from her side was silence I held

"I’ll askup It was the longest five et back in touch with us

When the phone rang and Aiden answered, I held "

I heaved a sigh of relief, but then a scream from the Pit reminded me that I was still a far cry away from any semblance of peace

Chapter 46: Derek

The pain was indescribable and allhappening within a hundred mile radius, but at the saony was ht of the sun burned my skin and I was almost certain from the moment it hit me that there was no way I could survive it, but still, there was this will to survive I had no sense of time The pain seemed endless There were times when I was already certain that it would be the end of me, then my heart would practically triple its pace and blood would puhoutme a couple of breaths, a ain

There were voices outside the Pit, but I was only really focused on one Sofia’s She told me that she wouldn’t leave, which both comforted and tormented me I kne compassionate she was I knew the kind of effect my pain had on her

I wanted it to end I wanted it to end badly I knew that I could just say one word and they would heed to my command and open that door to letmore human than beastly One word could describe what it was that pushed ht – no matter how painful it was – was ony went for what felt like days until I reached a tipping point It was a point when I’d gotten used to the pain and I was about to surrender to death, then I heard Sofia froentle tone of her voice hu It was exactly what I needed to remind myself that I couldn’t die I simply couldn’t

The tune played in the back of e black gas-like substance began to ooze out of my skin, mouth… even my nostrils

I looked atI felt er The last stings of sunlight crept through the layers of as-like substance was then quickly replaced by radiant light, oozing fro but death used to be For the first time in five hundred years, I felt co in the warmth of what I was certain was the afternoon sun "Sofia!" I called out, my back still turned to the door as I lifted ht The ever-present coldness under one I felt warotten

I could hear the wide open and without looking, I could sense Sofia nearby

"Derek?" Her voice broke

She approached h that I was feeling due to the success of the cure, but I was just as keenly aware of s then as I hen I was a vampire

Must be the adrenaline rush…

My senses came alive when I felt Sofia touch my arm She circled me in order to look into my face I opened ht and apprehension on her beautiful face