Trembling With the Strings

“Not like that!”

“Oh my God!”

I screamed as I flipped in the air having been thrown off of Jasper when he had reared. I felt a strong pair of arms catch me before my body had the chance to hit the ground. At that angle, I probably would have snapped my neck. Darius didn’t seem too concerned about my possible death, but he did seem a bit worried at least about my being tossed off a horse.

“Are you okay?” he whispered, setting me down carefully. I hardly had the time to realize that the world was right side up again before Darius pulled me into his arms. I blinked away the disorientation.

“I think so,” I muttered, shaking my head a few times. “Wow.” He smirked.

“Now try doing that only getting kicked and having no one to catch you.” He kissed my neck a few times, nipping at it slightly. I grimaced, but forced myself to relax.

“That’s horrible advice. I think you’re trying to kill me!” I mumbled, smiling lightly. He smirked, kissing me suddenly. I giggled a little into the kiss, and he pulled away to look at me funny.

“What? Me trying to be sweet is funny?”

“Sweet? Pardon me, knight in shining armor, but you told me to get sent across Lake Superior or something!”

“It was a joke. You don’t appreciate my amazing humor,” he scoffed, refusing to look at me. I rolled my eyes.

“Are you going to come back or be a little wuss like Darius was?” Marcy called, laughing at her little joke. Darius glared at her, tugging me back to him when I tried to walk to her.

“You’d better say sorry,” he told her.

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll kidnap Gracie, lock her up in my castle, and brainwash her into hating you. Oh, and all the while we’ll be having rough, passionate sex. Oh! It’ll be like the plot in all of those romance novels you read. Well, it’ll mainly be the climax anyway!” He laughed at his sick joke, but it took me a while to get it...

“They don’t go into detail. Besides, I’m not the one who reads Playboy and runs off to the bathroom!” she shrieked, laughing. He threw on a serious face.

“Oh, don’t bring Dante into this!” She made a disgusted face, but didn’t speak. “Look, I think she’s had enough abuse for one day, okay? She’s not cut out for riding these infernal beasts!”

“You’re just a pansy,” she told him, walking up to us and leaving London to run with the other ‘beasts’. “Stop being such a baby. Know what? You can’t spell smother without mother!”

“Good God! I’m her mother? Then I suppose I shouldn’t be making these sexual advances on my child!” he exclaimed, pushing me away from him. I stumbled, but Marcy caught me.

“You’re right. I think Gracie will be happier this way, not having to pretend like you’re amazing in the sack.”

“Pretend? My sister, why must you hurt me so? Besides, you wouldn’t know! After all, I have standards.”

“Oh, you couldn’t get a classy chick like me anyway!” She started pulling me back to the field, but Darius grabbed my wrist, jerking me back.

“Ouch,” I said to him. All of a sudden the lighthearted disposition vanished from him.

“Get over it and don’t act like you’re a fragile glass doll.”

I shut up. I already missed his relatively good mood.

“Sorry.”

“Darius, what’s up your ass?” Marcy asked him, glaring and pouting at the same time. She somehow managed to pull it off.

“I need to talk to Marcy, so go inside.”

“Why can’t I—?”

“Did I fucking stutter?” he asked me, his eyes smoldering over. I shook my head furiously. “Then go!” He shoved me in the direction of the house and I stumbled inside, rubbing my wrist.

I closed the door softly behind me, but as soon as I stepped into the kitchen all eyes were on me.

“What?”