Trembling With the Strings

“I can’t believe you’re marrying him...” Lyndell murmured, throwing an arm around my shoulders as we sat on the couch.

“Me neither,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Trust me, I don’t want to. But he’d split up me and my brothers. I can’t do that to them.”

He chaffed my arm gently, glancing back over the couch at Darius. I didn’t dare look out of pure fear. Lynn smiled down at me, slouching in his seat.

“But we’ve got eight months, right? I’m sure you can conceive my kid by then, so I get to marry you instead.”

I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, so I just rolled my eyes and giggled.

“Yeah, and I can be your mistress while I’m at it, huh?” I teased. He raised an eyebrow.

“Lyndell! Gracie! What are you doing?” Dante hissed, suddenly standing before us. Lynn’s arm shot off of me, and we scooted away from each other. I gulped.

“Please don’t say anything!” I begged, desperation probably written all over my face. “He’d kill me!”

Dante sighed, staring at the ceiling with this shoot me now! look. He grabbed my hand and tore me from Lynn, dragging me into the kitchen. The maids piled out quickly. My face dropped.

“What are you going to lecture me about now?” I mumbled, jerking my hand away from him. He scowled.

“Gracie, I’m protecting you, alright? Lyndell is my friend, but he’s bad news. He’ll do anything to get what he wants from a girl. Do you know how many times he gets laid a week? He doesn’t care about you. Not that it matters since you’re marrying my brother, but still you should know. Please, stay away from him.”

“But I don’t want to marry Darius! Lynn makes me feel good about myself! When he kisses me it’s sweet, not rough and unpleasant. I don’t want Darius!” I told him, shaking my head furiously. “And he doesn’t want me, so I don’t see what the point of this whole thing is!”

Dante glared at me suddenly, and I immediately shrunk into myself. I apologized softly, but he looked absolutely pissed off. I screamed when he shoved me to the wall, death in his eyes.

“I’m sorry!”

“I think I know my brother better than you! He, for whatever reason, sees something in you! I won’t have you speaking of him as if he is below you!”

I let out an even louder scream when he bit me! I tried to claw him off, but he refused to let go. I just kept screaming bloody murder, praying someone would save me.

“Dante! What the hell is your problem?” Marcy shrieked, yanking him off of me and tossing him across the room.

I fell to the floor, bawling my eyes out. I heard Dante crash into the wall and a bunch of glass shatter on the floor.

“Gracie, what did you say to make him so mad?” Marcy whispered, helping me up. I just kept crying, unable to speak.

Darius walked into the room, a dazed look on his face. Yvette was right beside him.

“What the fuck is going on?” he demanded of his sister, helping Dante up. “I thought we were above stupid fights.”

“Dante was biting Gracie!” she hissed, glaring at her brothers. Darius didn’t look the least bit concerned.

“You okay, Dan?” he murmured to his brother, glaring at Marcy and I. “What happened?”

“She ran her fucking mouth, that’s what,” he barked, glowering at me even still. “She has no damn respect!”

“Gracie didn’t do anything wrong! Even still, you had no right to attack her like that!” Marcy argued, stepping up to her brothers.

I forced myself to my feet, trying to stop the tears as I walked up to Darius. He narrowed his eyes at me, and I couldn’t tell if he was confused or angry. I didn’t care. I kept my eyes on Dante, who was glaring at me even harder than Darius, as I buried my face in Dray’s chest.

“I love you,” I mumbled, crying into his shirt. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around me, probably caught off guard. Dante’s eyes softened, but I refused to let go of the only man keeping me safe from him.

And here I had thought Darius was bad...