Trembling With the Strings
Those Who Choose Hell
Gracie’s P.O.V.
“Yeah, well, the more the merrier,” Dray told me, looking so accomplished for some reason. What was he grinning about anyway?
Scratch that: I don’t want to know.
“So in this palace full of sinners, we have a little angel boy,” I told him, watching as Demetrius peeked around the corner in the kitchen. He slunk up to me upon meeting my gaze. I pulled him onto my lap as Darius sat down beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “Marty—”
He shook his head feverishly, burying his face in my shoulder. “Alone,” he said simply, muttering the one word that broke my heart so much.
“You’re not alone, sweetie. What—?”
“Yes!” he groaned. “Alone. Marc, John, Darius... then Marty. Alone.”
“I’m still here.” He sent a tormented look my way. “Honey, what’s wrong with being human?”
I knew the answer. He was going to be the baby gazelle in the lion’s den. He was the only prey in a room full of predators, and I daresay that he had good reason to be afraid. But I did not want him to be damned, too. He had a promising future even if he was a little learning impaired. It killed me to see him so sad, but what could I do?
“Gracie, we might need to discuss this,” Darius murmured softly, but I’m sure Marty heard nonetheless. I shook my head.
“There is no discussion needed. I’m not letting him. He would regret it later, and he’s only a kid. He can’t make such a life-changing decision.”
“I’m not a baby,” he told me, catching me off guard. “I’m not. I’m a big boy.”
“But you’re my baby brother,” I murmured, kissing his forehead. “I want to protect you.”
“We couldn’t even protect Johnny,” Darius pointed out, making me look like the bad guy. He sighed. “I’m just saying it’s inevitable. Would it be so bad to get it out of the way? Grace, humans and vampires don’t coexist so well. I get that you want that to work out, but it simply can’t. I had no intention of keeping you human when I got you as a present. I saw your being human as a weakness and to be honest I still do.”
“But he’s—”
“He’s growing up. Look, we don’t have to do this right away. It’s just something that you have to keep in mind. Would you rather him be dead in a hole somewhere, or just lose that little heartbeat of his?”
I glanced down to Marty. “I can’t.”
“Gracie.” His voice was so cold just then. My little Marty...
“Demetrius, don’t do this to me. Please don’t break my heart.”
“I don’t want to die,” he told me, tearing himself off of me and running up to the stairs. “Johnny or Marc. They’ll do it.”
He left me with that little fact—I say fact because it was true. We’re all we’ve got, but lately I had fallen out of the ‘we’ category. I placed a hand on my stomach, sighing and fighting back tears. I could have jumped when Dray’s hand fell on mine, and he had the softest look in his eyes.
“He won’t be your baby forever,” he reminded me gently, kissing me just as sweetly. “And you know that.”
Yeah, I did know that. I knew it all too well. I suppose it’s true that love hurts.
“I want him to wait. Wait until you bite me so I can suffer alongside him. I don’t want him to hurt alone.”
“If that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
“I’m still not leaving your side for a second, alright?”
I smiled, kissing him gently. “Deal.”
There was no way I was letting my baby brother turn into a monster.
Good thing my fingers were crossed.
“Yeah, well, the more the merrier,” Dray told me, looking so accomplished for some reason. What was he grinning about anyway?
Scratch that: I don’t want to know.
“So in this palace full of sinners, we have a little angel boy,” I told him, watching as Demetrius peeked around the corner in the kitchen. He slunk up to me upon meeting my gaze. I pulled him onto my lap as Darius sat down beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “Marty—”
He shook his head feverishly, burying his face in my shoulder. “Alone,” he said simply, muttering the one word that broke my heart so much.
“You’re not alone, sweetie. What—?”
“Yes!” he groaned. “Alone. Marc, John, Darius... then Marty. Alone.”
“I’m still here.” He sent a tormented look my way. “Honey, what’s wrong with being human?”
I knew the answer. He was going to be the baby gazelle in the lion’s den. He was the only prey in a room full of predators, and I daresay that he had good reason to be afraid. But I did not want him to be damned, too. He had a promising future even if he was a little learning impaired. It killed me to see him so sad, but what could I do?
“Gracie, we might need to discuss this,” Darius murmured softly, but I’m sure Marty heard nonetheless. I shook my head.
“There is no discussion needed. I’m not letting him. He would regret it later, and he’s only a kid. He can’t make such a life-changing decision.”
“I’m not a baby,” he told me, catching me off guard. “I’m not. I’m a big boy.”
“But you’re my baby brother,” I murmured, kissing his forehead. “I want to protect you.”
“We couldn’t even protect Johnny,” Darius pointed out, making me look like the bad guy. He sighed. “I’m just saying it’s inevitable. Would it be so bad to get it out of the way? Grace, humans and vampires don’t coexist so well. I get that you want that to work out, but it simply can’t. I had no intention of keeping you human when I got you as a present. I saw your being human as a weakness and to be honest I still do.”
“But he’s—”
“He’s growing up. Look, we don’t have to do this right away. It’s just something that you have to keep in mind. Would you rather him be dead in a hole somewhere, or just lose that little heartbeat of his?”
I glanced down to Marty. “I can’t.”
“Gracie.” His voice was so cold just then. My little Marty...
“Demetrius, don’t do this to me. Please don’t break my heart.”
“I don’t want to die,” he told me, tearing himself off of me and running up to the stairs. “Johnny or Marc. They’ll do it.”
He left me with that little fact—I say fact because it was true. We’re all we’ve got, but lately I had fallen out of the ‘we’ category. I placed a hand on my stomach, sighing and fighting back tears. I could have jumped when Dray’s hand fell on mine, and he had the softest look in his eyes.
“He won’t be your baby forever,” he reminded me gently, kissing me just as sweetly. “And you know that.”
Yeah, I did know that. I knew it all too well. I suppose it’s true that love hurts.
“I want him to wait. Wait until you bite me so I can suffer alongside him. I don’t want him to hurt alone.”
“If that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
“I’m still not leaving your side for a second, alright?”
I smiled, kissing him gently. “Deal.”
There was no way I was letting my baby brother turn into a monster.
Good thing my fingers were crossed.