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“Are you worried about me, Livi?”
“Always,” I said with a small smile, which dropped into a frown. “Sargon hurt my mom. He grabbed her by her throat.”
“What did she do?”
“She let him,” I said in disbelief.
He rolled his shoulders back, leaning against the headboard. My mom had never let anyone get away with anything, not even me. She was the strongest person I knew, but since she’d been here, that had changed.
“I don’t want to become a vampire,” I finally said aloud.
Draven sat upright, pulling me closer to him until we were face to face, our breaths matching under the flicker of candlelight. The smell of sandalwood drifted over as the intensity of his stare reached into me. “Then we should escape. I’ll get you out of here now. Just say the word.”
A part of me wanted to say yes. To let him hold me into the night, to feel the warmth of his body against mine, and feel safe in his arms. But not even Draven could save us. There was no way out, at the least not for me. If I wanted to protect Draven, then I couldn’t let myself think this way.
“I’ll just miss my magic. That’s all. It saved me today.”
“Stop trying to help everyone,” he pleaded, leaning into me. “Think about yourself.”
“You know I can’t. Sebastian also needs—”
“You don’t actually care about him?” he asked, cutting me off.
I opened my mouth but closed it again. Did I? “It’s not as black and white as that.”
He let out a long exhale, lying back on the sheets. “Then what?”
“I made promises. Erianna, Sebastian, and Zach all risked their necks trying to save me. I owe them. Besides, we won’t make it far. My father won’t stop searching for me, and I can’t have you getting caught up in that.”
“We have to at least try.”
“Please, don’t.” I grabbed his hand, laying back, too. I closed my eyes against the flickering yellow and let out a tense breath. “Can we talk about something else? Maybe, tell me stories. Like you did when we were kids?” I paused. “I need that right now.”
He half-grinned, softening his chiseled features. “Surely you don’t mean ghost stories?”
I shrugged. “They’re not as scary anymore. We’re living in one.”
“If it’s what you need, then okay.” His expression was swallowed by the blackness as he blew out the candle. “It was midnight when the woman heard tapping on her bathroom door,” he said, lowering his voice. “Rap, rap, rap.”
I smiled, recalling the memories of him making up scary stories when we were ten. I’d always thought they were so creative, even if I had been a little scared after. He always made sure he made me laugh before I went to sleep, so I wasn’t as afraid anymore.
A loud knock sounded on the door three times. We both jumped, and I gasped, jumping to my feet. Sebastian walked in and turned on a lamp, wearing a mocking smile on his lips. “Evening.”
“You heard us,” I realized.
He gestured to Draven. “Please, continue.”
I gave him a look. “Where have you been?”
“With Erianna, Zach, and Anna.”
My heart leaped. “How are they?”
“As good as can be expected.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I need to talk to you.”
Draven rolled his eyes, then climbed out of bed. “Do you want me to come back, Liv?”
I shot him a small smile. “It’s okay. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
