46

Sophia’s POV

My whole body was still, and I was trying to process all that was happening. Ian was standing there, Freya’s heart in his hand while he held my stare. Just about a moment ago I was the one standing under the sun, burning, and then his brother was holding me, keeping me safe in the dark once again.

It was hard to understand. Hard to process. How was I supposed to process this anyways? How was I supposed to process the fact that I was now one of them? I was now a creature of the night? And that Ian had just ended someone’s life…because of me?

“How long have you been here?” He asked, his voice cold and detached as he dropped her heart on her lifeless body and took a step closer to me. I gulped and took a step back but collided straight into Jacob’s rock-like body. My brain was still trying to process all that was happening, and it was doing a very bad job at it.

Ian’s eyes dropped to where Jacob and I’s body was touching each other and he clenched his jaw. That was when I realized that when I was burning, parts of my clothes had burned off. I was nearly naked, and it was a miracle the cloth was still managing to cover the lady bits of myself.

“Leave us,” Ian muttered harshly, and I couldn’t process who the words were directed at, so I took a step forward, turning around and going anywhere my feet was going to lead me to. In the blink of an eye, Ian was standing in front of me, staring down at me with a look I couldn’t decipher.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” he murmured. “You stay here with me.”

I remained standing in front of him. It was like my brain was refusing to process the words very well no matter how much I tried. So I just kept standing until I felt Jacob leaving. I wanted to run after him but that wasn’t possible. The moment I step out in the sun, I’ll burn off. At least my brain bad managed to understand that part. That was a miracle.

Ian took in a deep breath, running his hands through my hair and taking a step closer. “What did she do to you?” He asked, his eyes searching mine as he stared at me.

I bit my lip, not knowing how to answer that question. What had she done to me? She had turned me into one of them. Or was he the one?

“How-“ I began but my throat was sore and scratchy.

“You don’t have to talk right now,” he murmured but I shook my head. I needed to know. I needed to ask. I needed to understand how I had turned into one of them.

“How did I turn?” I asked, ignoring the burning sensatin in my throat. My tongue felt like ashes but I couldn’t care less at the moment.

“How come I’m like you? How did that happen?” I demanded.

His shoulder dropped and he stared at me like that was a question he wasn’t ready to answer but I didn’t care. Not right now. I needed to know.

“How?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him and squaring my shoulders. I needed my answer right now. “How?” I asked again, getting restless. There was anger rising within me with each passing second. Anger I wasn’t able to control. I had never felt this kind of anger before.

“We can talk about this later,” he murmured. “First-“

“No, I want to talk about it now,” I answered, shaking my head. “What happened? How did I turn?” I demanded again.

“Who did this to me?” I snapped when he continued staring at me like he didn’t want to answer my question.

“You need to calm down, Sophie,” he murmured, putting both hands on my shoulders. “You want to know how this happened? Then fine, you’ll find out how it happened. I just need you to be calm.”

“I’m calm,” I answered even though I was anything but calm. I forced the anger to the bottom of my stomach. I needed to be calm now and I could do that. I could be calm if that was what he wanted.

“Tell me,” I added, searching his eyes.

“It was me,” he said at last and my shoulders dropped, a loud, deafening silence filling me all at once. So loud that I couldn’t hear or think of anything over that silence. The only thing in my head was that I Ian was the one who had done this to me. Ian was the one who had turned me. I couldn’t believe this.

“What do you mean?” I asked quietly. “What do you mean it was you?”

“You need to be calm,” he murmured.

“Don’t you dare tell me to be calm!” I exploded, taking a step back from him. My vision was turning red and I could feel my canines elongating.

“I need you to be calm,” he repeated in a domineering voice and I forced myself to be calm.

“Were you there?” I asked, my voice shaking. I couldn’t process the switch in emotions. It was too much. I couldn’t handle going from high to low within seconds. From calm to anger within seconds. I couldn’t handle it. “Were you there when she snapped my neck?”

He shut his eyes tight and shook his head. “No of course not,” he answered, shaking his head. “I will never do that to you. Okay? I will never ever do that.”

“Okay,” I nodded. “So what do you mean?” I demanded again.

“I…I had this feeling that something was going to go wrong so I put my blood in your tea,” he explained slowly. “People were chasing after you and I didn’t trust the other guys to protect you well when I wasn’t there,” he explained, his voice straining like he was pained. “I didn’t think something like this was going to happen, I was just trying to be careful until you came around and I could talk to you well.”

“And now I’m dead,” I whispered.

“You’re not dead…you’re…”

“I’m what?” I asked, shaking my head. “I’m what?” I repeated. “I’m dead, Ian. The only reason I’m alive is because…because your blood was in me and that’s what turned me but nevertheless, I’m dead. How could you do this to me?”

“Sophia…”

“Everything started to go wrong the moment you stepped into my life! I had people chasing after my life over something I didn’t know about. Just because of you. Because of you! My life was in danger because of you! And now I’m dead!”

“Calm down, Sophia,” he murmured. “Please calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” I yelled at him. “Telling me to calm down is not going to change the situation of things. And…and…oh my God! Jenny!” I remembered. “Jenny, how is she?”? Is she in danger too?”

He shook his head. “Not that I know of.”

“Are you keeping her safe?” I asked.

“She’s safe in my house,” he reassured me and I shook my head, a frown coming over my face.

“What do you mean she’s safe in your house? What have you done to her?” I demanded, baring my teeth. I didn’t care that Ian had been like this for many many years before I was born, but I was ready to go against him just to protect my best friend.

If he had done something to harm Jenny, then I’ll be the one to kill him. I didn’t care how I was going to accomplish that but I was going to kill him anyway.

“I explained everything to her. And she’s in my house. She’s safe. No one can get to her,” he assured me.

“You explained everything to her? She knows what you are?” I asked, going from angry to anxious.

“Yes,” he answered with a nod.

“And…and how did she take it?” I asked.

“Surprisingly well,” he answered and I could read between the lines. She handled it better than I had.

I pursed my lips and looked around him. “How can you and Jacob walk in the sun? How could Freya walk in the sun yet I can’t?” I asked. I needed to know. What that some kind of special thing for them only?

“A witch helped us,” he answered. “It’s a witch that helped us with a spell that can make us walk in the sun like this,” he explained. “And Jacob has gone to get the witch who is going to help you. Okay?”

I looked at Freya’s body which looked like a stone now. “Is she really…dead?”

“Yes,” he answered and placed his hands on my arms. “I promise you no one will ever dare to harm you again. Okay?”

I nodded my head slowly, not knowing what to say. My brain was still having a hard time processing all of these.

It was still so hard to understand. To process. To get used to.

“Richt now, your emotions are heightened,” he told me quietly. “Your senses are heightened. Do you know that?”

I nodded slowly, confirming what he said. I had felt it earlier today, but I just didn’t put much thought to it because I was trying to fight for my life.

“Are you okay?” He asked me, his eyes accessing me and I nodded. I was okay, I just needed him to stop treating me like a baby.

“I’m fine, Ian,” I answered flatly, moving away from him but making sure to stay in the shadows. I was starting to get uncomfortable.

“When will the witch be here?” I asked.

“Soon,” he assured me, taking off his shirt and handing it to me. I discarded my already ruined clothes and wore the shirt. It was almost reaching my knees.

“What else don’t I know? How many people are there…like you?” I asked and then remembered that I was like him too. “Like us?”

“Quite a lot of people,” he answered. “Quite a lot of people. I told you, there’s a realm. We’re like a world on our own,” he explained.

“And the witches?” I asked.

“There are a lot of the too. And there are the lycanthrope,” he answered.

“Like…” I trailed off and gulped. “Like werewolves?”

He nodded.

I ran my hands through my hair. This was so much information to take in.

“We always have issues with the lycanthrope. And since I marked you, the lycanthrope now have most of the witches on their side,” he answered. “And some of the vampires are rebelling.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“I’m not hiding anything from you anymore,” he replied with a sigh. “I can’t hide anything from you. I…”

He trailed off and gulped. I already knew what he was about to say. “I love you,” he said at last, his voice quiet and he turned his head as if he was feeling uncomfortable.

“So she’s the human girl?” The female voice asked, saving us from going through this awkward situation.

“Yes,” Ian answered flatly. “Can you help her?”

I turned my head to the woman who was standing next to Jacob. She looked normal, just like Ian and Jacob looked normal. Her hair was in a bun and she stared at me like she wanted nothing more than to get rid of me.

“And how do you know that she’s not one of them?” I asked Ian, meeting her eyes. “How do you know she’s not sided with the lycans?”

“She’s not,” Ian answered, assuring me. “She’s loyal to me.”

“Haven’t you told her that a newbie vampire like her should be scared of people like me?” The girl asked, her eyes never leaving mine as she tilted her head. “She’s too bold for my likening. I’m already thinking of ways I can fry her brains out from inside out.”

“Lyanna!” Ian snapped, narrowing his eyes at the lady. She just shot him a flat smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Jacob rolled his eyes and dropped a bag at our feet. “Now can we start this and get it over with?”

“How do you want hers to be?” Lyanna asked, bending down and opening the bag. “Do you want it to be in a piece of jewelry or a permanent brand like yours?”

Jacob and Ian exchanged a look and I frowned, unable to understad what was going on at the moment.

“Permanent,” Ian answered quietly.

“What’s going on? What are you both talking about?” I asked, my eyes darting between them as I tried to understand.

“Calm down,” Ian told me. “It’s the brand that going to make you immune to the sun,” he explained. “Yours is supposed to be in a jewelry. Like a ring, or a necklace that you can never take off. But you’re mine, and I can’t have anyone taking that away from you just to harm you. So I want yours to be branded on your skin, like a tattoo. It’s going to hurt but…”

“Where is yours?” I asked. I’ve never seen something like that and he doesn’t wear any jewelry.

“That litte star you once told me you liked on my thighs?” He reminded me. I could hear Jacob kissing his teeth in irritation.

“Oh,” I murmured, remembering the little star tattoo I’ve always seem on his thighs. So it was never a tattoo. Who would have thought.

“I want a moon,” I answered him quietly. “On my thigh. Like yours.”

“You’re lucky I have just that,” Lyanna murmured, reminding us of her wretched existence as she brought out something in the shape of a moon from her bag. I wondered how she was supposed to brand that onto my skin. “This is going to hurt and you’re already annoying as it is. So I’m going to need you unconscious for this.”

I opened my mouth to talk but she moved her hand in a weird way so fast, and darkness took over instantly.