Trembling With the Strings

“Did someone miss me?” Darius murmured in my ear, smiling as he held me close.

His friends were chatting around us as we stood in a circle. Lynn had joined us, but I tried not to glance in his direction. Even still, I could feel his eyes burning into me.

“I’m sorry I made you mad,” I muttered, staring only at Dante. He returned my hard gaze.

“It’s okay... So you’re not angry about me making you a vampire on our wedding day?”

I suddenly felt twenty pairs of eyes on us. Glancing up, I immediately wished I hadn’t. Everyone was gaping at us except for Marcy and Dante. Marcus and Johnny looked absolutely terrified! Little Marty was nowhere to be seen, but it was past nine, so he was presumably sleeping.

“What?” Lynn demanded, pushing past Dante and glaring death at Darius. “You can’t do that!”

“Oh? Watch me!” Dray hissed, pushing me behind him. I bit my lip. “Gracie, tell the prick that you’re in love with me and want to be with me forever—and that means forever.”

Forever had a fateful ring to it.

“Darius, please don’t do this,” I begged, my voice a mere whisper in his ear. He glared at me, but Dante didn’t seem too upset. Yet. “This is ridiculous.”

“You told me you love me,” he hissed, jerking me to his side. “Unless that was all an act! Are you—Are you sneaking around with Lyndell?” I cringed.

“No! It’s just that you know I love you, so why do I have to tell him? Shouldn’t it matter that you know?” I murmured, pleading with my eyes. The truth was I felt queasy. Every time I told him I loved him it just didn’t sit right with me. And I felt nauseated already, so I’d probably throw up right there if he made me!

“Maybe you need to spend more time with my brother?” he asked me, his face twisting up in anger.

“Please, don’t do this!” I begged, tears forming in my eyes. His hard gaze didn’t soften at all. I cried out when he shoved me away from him, and I fell to the floor. Hard.

“Don’t be so impossible!” he shrieked, storming up the stairs. I stayed on the floor, trembling as everyone stared at me.

I started bawling just then. I couldn’t stop! I just started crying and crying as I curled my body into a tight ball, refusing to stand up.

“Hey, Gracie, it’s okay. Dray is just a little moody lately,” someone told me, kneeling down beside me and rubbing my back awkwardly. “He doesn’t mean it, trust me.”

I shook my head, forcing myself to sit up as I sniffled. I recognized the girl as Dante’s Cameron. I smiled, kind of, and got on my feet.

“I should probably go to him,” I told her so she would let me out of her hug. She smiled gently.

“Of course. Godspeed,” she teased, giving me a gentle push to the stairs. Marcy watched me as I went up the stairs.

She looked as though she wanted to stop me, but wasn’t sure if she should. She let me go nonetheless, so I knocked on his bedroom door. Darius jerked it open, not looking so happy to see me. He narrowed his red eyes, but stepped out of the way nonetheless. I had to fight my legs to let me go inside the bedroom.

“Dray, I’m really sorry... I just get nervous sometimes. I’m not really used to telling you I love you, I mean I’ve never told anyone I love them other than my brothers,” I told him, not entirely lying. He sighed.

“Why won’t you tell him? Why won’t you tell him that you’re not just with me because I’m forcing you? That may be a little true, but you don’t hate me, do you?” he murmured, sitting down on the bed. I sat down beside him.

We were silent for a few minutes as Darius poked at my neck randomly.

“That’s weird. What is it—a birthmark?” he muttered dryly, looking down.

“Yeah.”

It was odd, true. I was surprised he hadn’t noticed it sooner. Bryce had noticed before he had! Anyway, it kind of looked like I’d been bitten by something, but I’d never really thought about it much. There were stranger things in the world.

I decided to answer his question.

“I don’t hate you. I just wish you weren’t so rough sometimes,” I mumbled, cringing in case that made him mad. I opened my eyes when I felt his hand on my cheek.

“I can’t change who I am, Gracie. But...I do love you,” he whispered, kissing me softly, quickly.

I was a little disappointed when he pulled back, so I leaned forward and kissed him suddenly. Darius smiled into the kiss, hesitantly leaning more and more until he was on top of me, kissing my nose softly. He looked into my eyes silently, as if begging me to say it. I smiled gently.

“I love you, too.” It only made me a little queasy. I wish it didn’t make me queasy at all.

His breaths were shallow, yet quiet as he cautiously pressed his lips to my neck. I reached out and touched his face, trying to tell him it was okay. He kissed my skin softly, but then roughly. I moaned, pulling him up so I could kiss his lips. One of Dray’s hands trailed slowly down to the button on my jeans, and he unfastened it quickly, opening his eyes to look at me. I smiled again, kissing him softly once more. He kissed my forehead before unzipping them.

“Gracie, nightmare,” Marty mumbled, walking into our bedroom suddenly, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. He was holding his red blanket in the other. Dray looked down at me and then to Marty. I heard him sigh as he fixed my jeans and rolled off of me.

“Come on, little man,” he mumbled, pulling me over to him. “You can sleep with us, alright?” Demetrius nodded, a small smile crossing his lips as he ambled over to the bed, tripping over his feet a few times. I pulled him up into the bed beside me and held him close as I kissed his forehead. He turned to me and nestled against me, holding me close. He was out cold in a matter of seconds. “Good night,” Darius sighed, putting an arm gently around me and pulling me to him, my back pressed against his chest.

“Good night, Dray,” I whispered softly, not able to stop smiling.

Dray was so sure that he couldn’t change. But maybe little Marty could make Darius gentler. After all, he seemed to have this soft spot for my littlest brother. And Demetrius was honestly my last hope…