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"Sofia" I spoke louder and with ency

I dared to shake her shoulders She remained still Just as I was about to leave her side to look around the room for keys to the chains, her eyes shot open, only these were not Sofia’s eyes A translucent filh she had lost control over her facialin rasps "Derek!" she wheezed "Please, darling I need b-blood I’ me? Or is it the Elder?

Whatever the case, Sofia’s body was clearly fading away and if sustaining her alsothe evil within her, so be it

I lowered my wrist and coaxed her to take a bite Instead, with an unexpected ed my head doard her She bit into the flesh beneath ing, weak at first but growing stronger and more painful The Elder wants to turn h ain, but I stepped away

"What are you doing, Derek? Can’t you see that I need you, ! All the times I fed you h I knew Sofia would never speak such words, there was an undercurrent of truth to theuilt

Sofia continued to cry out to me "If you won’t feed me, then please,for?"

Although I still had no idea how to get Sofia out of this night upon was a good place to start

"Stop playing ga behind h the dungeon "You sahat I did to one of your fellow Elders back at The Shade, didn’t you? Leave my wife now, lest the saan to laugh "As if you would risk your precious lover’s life! Remember that your Corrine is not here to save the day this ti We made sure of that after what she did If you kill me, you kill Sofia"

"I don’t need any witch" I spoke with confidence I didn’t possess "I inherited ine from Corrine’s ancestor, Cora I could have done it without her And I will do it without her in a fewthin"

So desperate was the situation, bluffing was the only tactic I could think of I knew better than anyone that I couldn’t unleash fire on Sofia’s body without running the risk of killing her I widened ht and allowed a s you I’ll count to three One… Two…"

Before I could finish counting, a door unlatching echoed around the room I whirled around to look up at the trapdoor, but from a different direction a deep voice I knew too well spoke

"Oh, interesting Very interesting"