Trembling With the Strings

“Please, tell me what’s wrong!” I begged as I held onto Dray’s hand tightly, begging him to wake up and let me breathe in peace again. I kissed his cheek with trembling lips.

“Gracie, calm down. You overreacting isn’t going to help him!” Dante snapped, glaring at me as he leaned against the wall.

I bit my lip. “I’m sorry, but I think you’re under-reacting! Look at him.” I glanced back to him: he was as pale as a white sheet. “Drakken, what happened? I thought vampires don’t get sick!”

“They don’t,” Drakken told me firmly, as if that was supposed to answer my question. “Darius didn’t just catch a cold. Someone wanted him out of the picture.”

“But who?” I mumbled, watching my sleeping angel. His face was far from peaceful. “I’ve been with him all day.”

“Humans aren’t known for their observation skills,” Dante spit out, pacing the floor before collapsing in a chair. “This is all your fault. If you hadn’t come along, Darius wouldn’t have even come here!”

“You can hardly blame me!” I argued, glaring at him.

I was ready to throw an insult his way, but Drakken quickly cut me off. “That is enough! I don’t think your bickering will solve a thing! Dante, you know better. Gracie, kindly shut your mouth.” He sighed, his eyes revealing how tired he was. “I’m not losing another person I love.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered quietly, squeezing Dray’s hand. “Don’t leave me,” I begged him, resting my head on his chest.

“I won’t,” he mumbled huskily, returning the death grip to my hand. I stumbled for words, but I settled for kissing him feverishly. “What’s wrong with me?” he groaned, sitting up despite my objections.

“Someone slipped something on you,” Drakken told him, smiling warily. “We’re lucky the poison didn’t spread through your blood any more or...”

The unspoken words were what had cut my heart the most. Darius could have died. He was suffering silently through the whole day, and I didn’t think anything of it until it was too late! I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.

“Stop it,” he mumbled in my ear, tugging me gently towards him. I crawled into the small bed beside him, wary to touch him for fear of causing him pain. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I murmured, blinking away tears. “Are you going to be okay? I can’t lose you—I just can’t.”

“I told you, Grace: you’re mine forever. That means forever. I’m not going anywhere, but someone sure is,” he grumbled, glancing up to his father. “Do you know what happened exactly?”

“I’m not entirely sure. Someone must have slipped something on you, and they were hoping you’d be dead. He’d probably have to be a vampire to know what could kill you.”

Darius sent me an angry glance, but I shook my head. “No. It was not Lyndell!”

“How do you know?” he demanded, only growing angrier. “He wants me out of the picture so he gets to fuck you!”

“You’re his friend, Dray,” Dante told him, stopping his brother with one finger as he tried to stand. “Don’t push it. Do you know what happened? There was Triste blood in your system.” Dray’s eyes narrowed even more. “Someone has connections.”

“Get off of me, I’m fine,” Darius grumbled, shoving his brother away and pushing himself to his feet. “I’m done being here. I’m alive, am I not?” He paused, but not long enough for anyone to speak. “I want to talk to Gracie’s parents.”

My stomach churned. “What do you mean? They couldn’t have!”

“Who else could it be? I’d put my trust in anyone’s hands but your mother’s!” he hissed.

“But they’re only humans! My mom just found out that vampires existed. How could she have—?” He pulled me up and into his arms, shaking his head.

“Gracie, this isn’t like someone just threatened to slash my tires; someone tried to kill me—and someone is going to pay for it. It was probably fucking Lyndell trying to get his hands on you! God, the next time I see him...”

I grabbed my stomach, burying my face in his shirt as the baby started throwing a fit. Or maybe I was just too nervous.