Read Online A Shade Of Vampire 5: A Blaze Of Sun by Bella Forrest - Free Book Online Page B

practically married already.”
    We were having lunch at The Catacombs and I’d just asked the girls what they thought about Derek and me getting married. As expected, unlike my father, both of them were ecstatic, squealing with delight like the teenagers that we were.
    “What do you think, Rosa?” I asked.
    Rosa smiled, her cheeks taking on a pink blush. “It’s bound to happen, Sofia. Why not now?”
    I bit my lip before c onfessing, “I’m hesitant to be honest…”
    Ashley’s eyes widened with surprise. “Why?”
    “Our relationship has been struggling lately. I mean, yes, we have our good times… I don’t know if it’s just me, but there’s this gap between us that I can’t quite figure out. It’s almost like Derek is distancing himself from me and… I just… I don’t understand why I feel this way. Perhaps it’s just the familiarity?”
    Ashley rolled her eyes and smiled at me. “Well, what did I just say? Didn’t I tell you? You’re like a married couple al ready… You’re talking like you’ve been married to him for five years and you’re looking for that spark you used to have…”
    “Sofia,” Rosa interrupted. “Whatever your choice is, marry him or don’t marry him, you do know that we’re going to support you, right? Go for what you feel is right…”
    Truth be told, after my conversation with my father, I’d actually already made up my mind. I was just having trouble figuring out how I was going to tell Derek. To my surprise, I saw his well-built form taking several strides toward me. A huge smile was on his handsome face.
    “You look like you just won the lottery, Novak,” Ashley piped up.
    “Maybe I just did,” Derek quipped before leaning forward and kissing me passionately.
    I was so shocked by the gesture; I just kept my mouth hanging open when our lips finally parted.
    This seemed to amuse him, his bright blue eyes twinkling. “Have I told you lately how much I adore you, Sofia Claremont?”
    “So, this is you lacking intimacy?” Ashley eyed me questioningly and I found myself blushing.
    Derek took the seat next to mine and placed his arm over my shoulder. He then turned a questioning glare at me. “You told her we were lacking intimacy?”
    I closed my mouth and bit my lip. “Well, not really… I was just…”
    I was expecting him to be offended, but it seemed he was in too light a mood to care. Instead, h e gave me a naughty look and said, “It doesn’t matter. I can fix that.” He then kissed me once again, leaving me quite breathless, but totally aware of my friends’ hoots and cheers. Derek still had that wide grin on his face as he watched my cheeks redden. “I can’t wait for you to become Mrs. Sofia Novak.”
    I was speechless. What is going on with him? The way he was acting was making me feel even guiltier about having second thoughts about pushing through with our wedding. “Are you feeling sick, Derek?” I eventually managed to say, as I laid the back of my hand over his forehead to check his temperature. Chilly as usual.
    “I’m fine.” He took hold of my hand and squeezed tight. “I cleared out the rest of the day. Vivienne is on top of everything. Come with me.”
    I glanced at my half-finished plate of food and then at my two girlfriends. Both seemed eager to see me leave with Derek. I honestly couldn’t wait to spend time with him, so I nodded and looked his way. That was all he needed to see before he held me by the waist and told me to hold on to him tight. He then sped his way out of The Catacombs until we reached the Pavilion.
    All of The Shade’s vampires lived at the Residences, located in the northwest area of the island. The Residences were villas or even huts situated on top of networks of trees. Of the Residences, the most lavish were the homes of the Elite, called the Penthouses. Each penthouse was built on top of giant redwoods and usually reached a span of at least eight redwood trees, depending on the size of the clan