Dust and Shades of Grey

WiL’s POV

Molly rushed forward and opened the door while I carried Rhianne. “Molly?” I asked as I passed her.
“Mm?”
“Don’t let her get like this again, please?” I looked at her as she nodded. “Thanks,” I smiled weakly and stepped out of the door.

I hadn’t realized it had been raining. I looked through the fence and noticed that a small, lopsided marquee had been set up in the garden. Don’t let drunks try to figure out marquees…
Rhianne shivered in my arms and I looked down. She was peering up at me through blurry, bloodshot eyes. “WiL?” I’d expected her voice to be weak and hoarse, but it was crystal clear.
“What, Rhianne?” I hadn’t meant to sound so irritated.
Rhianne seemed not to have noticed my tone. “I love you.”
My stomach seemed to implode, but I kept my expression blank. “Thanks,” I said as I helped her into my car.
“You don’t love me back, do you?” She sounded heartbroken.
“I never said that.” My tone was a lot softer now.
“You can’t love me?” Her voice was slurring, she was about to pass out again.
“Rhianne…I…” She scrunched her face up in an effort not to cry. I frowned and looked down at the floor. I felt arms wrap themselves around my neck and pull me closer. I was about to pull away when Rhianne put her lips to my ear. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Her voice sounded final, and I couldn’t figure out why. That was until she pushed past me and took off down the street.
“Rhianne!” I shouted after her. She wouldn’t get very far with the amount she’d had to drink.

Rhianne’s POV

I knew where I was going, but I couldn’t really see the road I was running down. My vision was blurred at the edges and I couldn’t remember the past hour. All I could remember was waking up in wiL’s arms; something I’d always wanted to do, and then running away. He would be chasing me, that much was obvious, but I didn’t care. He loved me, he’d almost admitted that, but he couldn’t resist my blood; that had to be it. So what if I didn’t have any blood in me? That would work. And I’d rather be dead than have my heart feel like it was about to tear apart at any moment.
“Rhianne!” It was wiL. Damn, I forgot he was so fast. I ran harder until I found the familiar alleyway that I’d almost been killed in three days ago. I had no time to be afraid or freak out, like I would normally. My heart was in my throat, though. “Deryk!” I shouted, swallowing my heart. And then he was there in front of me. It shocked me at first, but I remembered that he probably knew I was coming even before I turned down the alley.
“They guy’s will be pleased,” he said, smiling, as he took my hand.
“Rhianne!” WiL was closer this time.
“Don’t worry,” Deryk whispered, and then he disappeared.

I looked around me, lost. What just happened?

WiL came into view moments later and ran straight towards me. Damn. I should’ve known I wouldn’t be able to trust Deryk.
“Rhianne, what’re you doing?” WiL asked, slowing down to approach me.
“Yeah Rhianne, what’re you doing?” Deryk appeared behind me and put his arm around my waist. I looked at Deryk with a frown on my face. He smirked at me and lowered his head to press his lips against mine. Now I understood what he was doing, but I didn’t want to hurt wiL this way. I just wanted to die. Why couldn’t he do that instead of playing it out like this? I heard wiL growl loudly from in front of me and it made me realize I’d closed my eyes. I opened them, just as Deryk pulled away, and looked back at wiL with a sympathetic look on my face. He looked so broken; I could feel everything inside of me aching in guilt.
“Did you want something, wiL?” Deryk asked, pulling me closer to him.
“Get away from her,” wiL’s words were strangled, as if he were forcing himself not to run forward and kill Deryk now.
“Why?” Deryk asked innocently.
“Please don’t do this,” I said, my voice so low that only Deryk could hear, unless wiL had the superhuman senses too.
“Aw, is wiL in love with Rhianne?” Deryk taunted. WiL growled even louder and fidgeted, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
“Deryk, stop it.”
“What’re you going to do, wiL? The girl you love doesn’t love you back.”
“Deryk!”
“The girl you love is so…breakable.” Deryk pressed his cheek against my neck. That was it, the nerve. WiL snapped and ran forward. I screamed and pulled away from Deryk.
“WiL. NO!” Too late. The two figures slammed together and I saw the smaller fall to the floor. I ran forward and knelt down by his head. “WiL, are you okay?” I asked, placing my hand on the cut on his head.
“Leave me alone!” He barked and pushed my hand away. He got back up, leaving me kneeling on the floor.

I watched the two vampires fight and I cringed every time wiL got hurt, but he didn’t stop. WiL was fighting for me and Deryk…well…he was fighting to kill wiL. I had to stop this. I couldn’t let wiL get hurt for me. I stood up and ran towards the fight, but before I could reach them, wiL was thrown backwards into me. We both landed on the floor, wiL hitting his head against the concrete. I winced as my old – and new – wounds twinged.
“Ow. WiL. Are you okay?” I crawled from underneath him. He was still. “WiL?” I shook his arm.
“Don’t worry,” Deryk said, making his way over to me, “I just knocked him out.” I looked up and noticed more people, the group from the park. I jumped as one of them grabbed my arms and pulled me up so that I was standing. This was it, I was going to die.
“Where?” The one who was holding me asked.
“The old warehouse,” Deryk answered. I felt my captivator nod and I was dragged away. Rhianne…what have you done? I though as I was led through the dark streets. It was twilight, so Seattle was cast into shadow. Part of me wanted to kick and scream and refuse to leave wiL’s side, but the other part knew that it would be hopeless. So I was dragged along in silence. I winced every time I was moved to quickly and my injuries throbbed.

Eventually, after what seemed like twenty minutes but was probably only three minutes, we reached ‘the old warehouse’. The door was opened and I was thrown inside, literally. A few seconds after I landed on the floor, wiL landed beside me. He grunted as his body slammed into the floor. I inhaled sharply just as the door closed and the little light we had was extinguished. “WiL?” I whispered into the darkness; I had sobered up a lot now.
“What?” WiL muttered.
“Are you okay?”
“Oh, of course. Rhianne, do you know how much danger you’ve put us both in?”
I bit down hard on my tongue as the words hit me. “I’m s-sorry,” I stuttered. Stupid, traitor emotions.
“Are you crying?” I could see wiL’s expression soften in my thoughts.
“No.” I heard movement from my right and a cold hand closed around my shoulder. I turned around and pressed my head against wiL’s neck. I could feel the scarf against my cheek.
“I’m sorry, wiL,” I cried into his chest, “I didn’t…me and Deryk…he lied.”
“Shh,” he stroked my hair, “I know.”
“I’m so sorry, wiL, that kiss meant nothing,” I was still crying. WiL stayed silent. Most like remembering the scene with Deryk kissing me, completely unplanned, uncalled for. He continued to absentmindedly play with my hair. I listened to the breathing in his chest, but obviously not his heart.

I didn’t want to break the silence, so I stayed still, marvelling in how right it felt, despite the fact that I could die at any second, along with wiL. “Rhianne?” The silence was finally broken.
“Mm?”
“Do you remember the party?”
“Some of it,” I looked down sheepishly; even though wiL couldn’t see me.
“Do you remember what you did before you passed out?”
“Mm-no,” I half thought, half spoke.
“You…” If it were possible, I’m sure wiL would’ve blushed. “You…kissed me.”
My heart missed a beat. That was it, I was never drinking again. What an idiot! Who cares about a group of murderous vampires out to kill us both when I’ve done something as stupid as that? Stupid, stupid, stupid Rhianne! WiL seemed to feel me tense up, because he quickly carried on.
“Did that kiss mean nothing?” I could hear the smile in his voice now.
“WiL, I was drunk, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what I was do–“
“Shh.” WiL pressed his finger to my lips. I lifted my head up to rest my chin on his chest. Even in the dark, I could see him. His skin seemed to glow; I’d never realized he was that pale before. I could see him smiling down at me, and I smiled back, trying to work out whether he could see. Whether he could or not, what he did next was something that was enough to stop my heart. He leaned in and his lips somehow found mine.