The Darkest Dream (The Darkest Trilogy) (24 page)

“She’s a strong woman.
 
She’ll be all right.”
 
Darren interrupted.
 
“She knows how to defend herself.”
 
He
added,
his tone a little softer.
 
I nodded, hoping to have the opportunity to thank her some day.
 

I fell quiet for another few moments, trying to make sense of all that had happened.
 

Darren had planned all of this from start to finish.
 
Part of me wondered if I’d only been a ploy—manipulated so that he could have his revenge.
 
Deep down, though, I knew that it hadn’t been like that.
 
Darren wouldn’t have put me in harm’s way if there had been any way to avoid it.

Of that much, I was certain.

“Darren?”
 
I questioned again.

“Yes?”
 
I tried to ignore the twinge of annoyance in his tone.

“Demetrius is dead, right?”
 
Darren’s only response was a nod.
 
“What’s going to happen now?”

“Demetrius was a very old vampire—and his line is lengthy.
 
Chances are
,
some of them are going to be quite angry with what I’ve done.
 
It’s a bit of a taboo to kill your creator.”
 

“You’ll be hunted?”

“It’s likely.”
 
I tried to push down the panic that suddenly filtered through the pain.
 

“What about me?”
 

“You’ll have no connection to this.
 
I’m the guilty one.”

“You did the world a favor.”
 
Demetrius was toxic.
 
He’d gotten what he deserved.
 
“But I don’t care about that.”
 
It was the truth, after all.
 
I had only asked about myself to test the waters—to see if he may have perhaps changed his mind.
 

“How did you find me?”
 
His voice had all but lost the chilled edge he’d maintained since I’d imprisoned us.
 

“I don’t know, actually.”
 
I thought back to several hours ago.
 
“I closed my eyes and I thought of you…and then I saw you, here, in this room.”

“You shouldn’t have come.”
 
His words stung, but I showed no reaction.
 
“You put yourself in far too much danger.”

“I’m fine.”

“Lucinda, you’re covered in cuts—losing even more blood after
I
already took a great deal from you.
 
You’ve completely exhausted yourself.”
 
He sighed softly.
 
“You could have easily found Demetrius and
myself
in an entirely different situation.
 
You know that.”

“I’m
fine
.”
 
I repeated, realizing even as I said it exactly how weak I sounded.
 

“And then you go and willingly lock yourself in a small, enclosed space with a vampire who, just hours ago, nearly drained you of
all
of your blood—surrounding him with the scent of said blood because of the previously mentioned cuts.”
 
I did flinch at this, biting at my lip to avoid tears.
 

“I’m sorry,
”
 
I
whispered.
 
I hadn’t thought about that.
 
I hadn’t thought about anything other than getting Darren out of danger.
 

“You shouldn’t have come, Lucinda.”
 
I could hear the disappointment in his voice and it took everything I could muster not to start crying.
 
He only sighed once more, the two of us quiet for the remainder of our time together.
 
It was becoming more and more obvious that Darren had not changed his mind about our separation—and when he finally spoke again, I was filled with a surge of alarm.
 

“We need to go now.
 
The others are beginning to stir.”
 
I only nodded.
 
He rose to his feet first, not even giving me the opportunity to try on my own as he lifted me in his arms.

The door opened, revealing the faded light of dusk filling the room.
 
I paid no attention, instead wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest.
 
I clung to him as if my life depended on it.
 

He walked briskly and I kept my eyes hidden away the entire time, not wanting to know where we were going.
 
Wherever it was, I knew I did not want to be there.
 

And then he stopped.
 
“It’s time, Lucinda.”
 
How many times had I heard those words?
 
Each time filled with a dreaded pain—and at the same time, a vague hope.
 

Without the hope, the pain was too much.
 

I continued to cling to him, though, unwilling to accept this fate.
 
“Please let go, Lucinda.”
 
I could hear the anguish in his voice.
 

“No,
”
 
I
protested, clinging tighter.
 
I needed him.
 

“You have to, my girl.”
 
The tears came then, though my eyes remained closed.
 

“Please, Darren,
”
 
I
begged breathlessly into his chest.
 
Why did I feel as if I was suffocating?
 
“Please—I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you—but I had to—I couldn’t let you—”

“
Shh
,
”
 
he
pleaded, his hand in my hair.
 
“
Shh
, Lucinda.
 
I know.
 
But you can’t stay with me.
 
It’s too dangerous—”

“I don’t care—
”
 
I
raised my head then, finding his eyes and holding onto them.
 
“I don’t care about any of that.”

“I do.”

“Then turn me!”
 
The desperation in my tone was palpable.
 
I clung to the material of his shirt, my fists clenched painfully.
 
I did not want to let go of him—I couldn’t.
 
His eyes hardened, though not before I noticed the sorrow deep within them.

“You know I can’t do that.”
 
He reached down, easily prying my hands apart and carefully setting me on my own two feet.
 
My legs felt shaky, but they held.
 
“You deserve more, Lucinda.”

“I
want
you.”
 

“That can’t happen.”
 
We’d had the conversation so many times in our short time together, but for some reason, this one seemed more final.
 
“I don’t want it to.”
 

“Please, Darren.”
 
At that point, I wasn’t even sure what I was pleading for.
 

“I’ll make this easier for you.”
 
He paused, breaking contact.
 
I suddenly felt cold and alone.
 
“It’s my fault.
 
My fault your mother died.
 
My fault your friend died.
 
Blame me.”

“I can’t—
”
 
And
I was actually struggling to breathe now.
 
“It isn’t—”

“Yes it is, Lucinda.
 
Blame
me
.
 
Blame me for everything that’s happened to you.
 
He was here for
me
, and that’s why you’ve lost everything.”
 
He too was desperate, his eyes pleading with me.
 

“Darren—”

“This is
why
you weren’t supposed to come back—you weren’t supposed to
wake
 
up
yet—you were supposed to go on with your life, Lu—”

“And just let you die?”
 
I was incredulous.
 
“That—”

“It was the only way!”
 
His tone was very sharp, his eyes livid.
 
“It was the only way either of us would have been able to move on—to go on as if none of this ever happened—”

“But it
did
!”
 
I grabbed onto his arms, pulling myself into him as I began to sob.
 
“It did, Darren.
 
We can’t change that—
”
 
He
ran his hands through my hair once more, allowing them to trail downward until they rested at my waist.
 
After a brief moment, he gave a gentle tug—detaching
himself
from me.
 

“It is my strongest hope that you and I never cross paths again, Lucinda.”
 

My eyes widened in shock as I stared forward, pain that had nothing to do with my physical injuries rushing through me.
 
My breath caught in my throat; my heart stalled in my chest.

I watched him turn around, watched him walk away, waiting for him to turn back.
 

But he didn’t.

And then he was gone.

My heart was suddenly aching with such an intensity that I almost thought I wouldn’t make it, the tears streaming continuously, uninterrupted and without protest.
 

I could no longer breathe—no longer feel—no longer see.
 

I remained in the spot he’d left me for several long moments, simply staring until I had grown numb from all the pain.
 
And then I began to walk, my feet carrying me in a direction unknown to my mind.
 
I was functioning on autopilot, my body taking over what my mind could not.
 
Instinct guided me.

Through the fog, I heard someone say my name.
 
It was so far away—I couldn’t find it.
 

All I wanted was to find Darren.
 

I continued stumbling forward, ignoring the voice.
 
It wasn’t
him
.

But the voice only grew more insistent, and suddenly, somebody was holding me.
 
I struggled against my restraints, wanting to find Darren.
 
I
needed
to keep going.
 

“Oh my god, Lucy—oh my god,
”
 
the
voice was getting louder.
 
I tried to shrug him off, but for some reason, my body was no longer listening to me.
 
My knees had given out, and he was holding on to me, keeping me steady.
 
Buried deep beneath the fog, I thought I recognized the voice.
 
It was familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
 

It wasn’t the voice I wanted to hear.
 

“Oh god—it’s okay, Lucy.
 
It’s going to be okay.
 
You’re safe now.”
 
And his voice turned away, yelling for someone else.
 
“Dad!
 
Dad, call an ambulance!”
 
He sounded strangely panicked.
 
Why?
 

Why did he sound familiar?

Why was he keeping me from Darren?

Then there was another voice, this one deeper, very concerned.
 
“Bring her inside,
Brayden
.”

“She’s—Dad, I don’t know what’s wrong with her—”

“She looks like she’s in shock—
bring
her inside—the ambulance should be here any minute—”
 

Everything was so
muddled,
I couldn’t bring myself to the surface.
 
I recognized the voices, I knew I did.
 
But nothing was registering.

His voice, though laced with worry and fear, was attempting to be calming.
 

“You’re okay, Lucy.
 
You’re going to be okay.
 
You’re home now.
 
We’ll take care of you.”
 

Beeps filled the otherwise quiet room.
 
I came to slowly, everything surrounding me unfamiliar.
 
Voices stirred in the distance—a woman laughing, another chatting quietly.
 
It took me several long moments to realize where I was, and a few moments longer to realize why.

My arms were bandaged, and I felt a large one on my neck.
 
I remembered the physical pain first, which was now more of a dull ache.
 

A dull ache that resided over my entire body.

It was the other pain, though, that brought me to life with a sharp gasp.
 

The pain of loss.
 
Loneliness.
 
Rejection.
 
Failure.
 

I was suddenly overwhelmed, breathing deeply though it made my throat ache.
 
Tears threatened to spill over, but I struggled against them.
 

“Lucy?”
 
His voice startled me, and for a brief moment, I held onto hope that it was Darren.
 
But alas, when my eyes landed on a light-brown haired figure, I was disappointed to find that it was not him.
 
“You’re awake,
”
 
his
voice was flooded with relief.

“I—
”
 
My
voice cracked and
Brayden
, my best friend’s older brother, immediately reached for a pitcher and poured a small glass of water.
 
He held it to my lips, tipping it upward slowly so that I could take a small drink.
 
“Thank you,
”
 
I
said, unable to look him in the eye.
 
“How long have I been here?”
 
I asked.