Chapter 29

HAVEN

I was pacing around my house, my mind filled with worry about Grace. Damn it. I knew she was safe with Phoenix, but I couldn’t shake off the anxiety. I remembered the last party she attended and how it ended.

“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath.

I couldn’t keep going like this. I needed to distract myself. I glanced at the clock, it was only eleven in the evening. I grumbled but decided to get back to work. That should help.

I was sitting in front of my computer, going through contracts, when a text message popped up. My heart froze, fearing the worst, but it was just Phoenix sending me a thumbs-up emoji. Everything was okay. I let out a sigh of relief as I typed my response.

Haven

Thanks for the update.

Phoenix

She sure knows how to dance but she isn’t drinking anything other than soda. She’s sticking to her friends and everything’s fine so far.

That did help to calm my nerves. If my heart was capable of a normal rhythm, I’d be worried about having a heart attack. I trusted Grace to follow the rules, but I didn’t trust the people around her. She was so beautiful and innocent...

Haven

Keep watching.

Phoenix

Who would have known that you could be so overprotective.

Phoenix was right. I had never cared for anyone the way I cared for Grace. I’ve always been there for my submissives or the vampires I created, but I didn’t truly care about them.

Grace was different. She was mine, the one I had been waiting centuries for. I was used to being in control, but she was making me lose it. It was dangerous for a creature like me, but it was inevitable.

Haven

Shut up.

I refocused on my work, and I’m not sure how long I sat there, but my phone started ringing. That couldn’t be good.

“Yes?” I answered.

“You should come, Sire. There was an incident,” Phoenix said, his voice strained.

Before he could even finish his sentence, I was out of the house. I ran so fast that the city became a blur. My only focus was getting to the campus.

I arrived at the spot where I left them, and I found Phoenix holding Grace by her waist. A surge of fury washed over me as I saw her clinging to him. What the hell was happening?

“Alcohol?” I asked him, trying to keep my anger in check.

“Yes, and something else.” He frowned, trying to get Grace to let go of him. “I wasn’t quick enough to stop her from drinking. She took a sip from her friend’s cup by mistake.”

“It’s not your fault.” She giggled. “You’re so nice, Phoenix.”

Phoenix gave me an apologetic look, but that wouldn’t save him from punishment. I took Grace from him, and she jumped into my arms, purring like a kitten. What the hell was in that cup?

“I’ll deal with you later, Grace is my priority now.”

“Don’t punish Phoenix.” She pouted. “He’s so sweet. It’s my fault.”

“I’m sorry, Sire,” he said, bowing his head.

I ran back to my house, carrying Grace without even sparing a glance at Phoenix. Grace passed out on the way. At least she wasn’t being overly affectionate anymore.

She was still breathing and seemed physically fine. I could drink her blood to identify the drug, but...damn, I was so angry.

Once we were back in our bedroom, I started to undress her, and she didn’t even react. Shit. She could be so careless. I wanted to go back and kill her friend for taking drugs, but I couldn’t leave Grace in this state.

I started running a bath and wondered how I would handle this. I had no experience with this. Drugs didn’t affect us the same way. I didn’t even know what she had consumed, so I decided to try to wake her after I cleaned her up.

I waited until the tub was filled before placing her in the water. It seemed to rouse her a bit because she opened one eye to look at me. She smiled when she recognized me, and she giggled again.

“Haven...” She sighed.

“I’m here, love.” I smiled back at her. “I’ve got you.”

“I’m so happy. I missed you.”

“Well, you’re not going anywhere without me anymore, so you won’t have to miss me.” I frowned as I started washing her.

She shivered under my touch, and I noticed her clench her thighs. Was she feeling embarrassed? Her face was flushed, so probably not. I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable though.

“Do you want to wash yourself, darling?” I asked.

She nodded, so I stepped aside, but I kept an eye on her. I didn’t want her to drown if she felt dizzy in the tub. Her movements were clumsy and slow, but she was managing.

Seeing her like this made me furious, but I kept my cool. Nothing worse happened, thanks to Phoenix. I was at least grateful for that.

When she was done, she turned her honey-colored eyes to look at me. Her face was flushed, and for a moment, I wondered if she had a fever. I leaned my forehead against hers, and she gasped as I moved with supernatural speed.

“Haven...” She sighed.

“I just want to make sure that you’re not sick,” I explained softly.

“I...I need to use the bathroom,” she declared.

“I’ll step out, but I want you to tell me if you’re not feeling well, okay?”

She nodded, and I kissed her forehead before going back to the bedroom. I laid out pajamas for her, hoping she would find them in the bathroom.

I kept my ears tuned to make sure she wasn’t falling or hurting herself in there.

She reappeared in the pajamas, but they were on backward, and she seemed to struggle with the straps.

I stood up and helped her fix it. She smiled before leaning her head on my chest.

“Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you to bed,” I said softly.

She hummed a little as she stumbled towards the bed. I gathered her into my arms once we were both under the covers, and she snuggled into me.

“Can you tell me what happened?” I asked her.

Her soft, rhythmic breathing was the only response I got, letting me know she’d drifted off again. She was going to drive me insane with worry.

I was jolted awake by Grace suddenly sitting up in bed. She was scanning the room frantically, her heart pounding.

~What’s going on?~ I thought, sitting up and pulling her into my arms. I quickly looked around the room. Everything seemed normal, so she must have had a nightmare.

“Haven,” she whimpered, wrapping her arms tightly around me and burying her face in my chest.

“What is it, love? What happened?”

“I don’t... I don’t remember how I got here. I was scared for a second that I was in some unknown place,” she said, her voice shaky as she tried to suppress a sob.

She was trembling with fear in my arms, and it only fueled my anger. How did this happen? Why wasn’t she safe in a damn bar with her friends? This was the last time she was going anywhere without me.

“Phoenix called me so I picked you up,” I explained, trying to keep my voice steady so as not to upset her further. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I was... I was drinking my soda and dancing with Lee. I remember Phoenix trying to stop me from drinking my cup, but... I felt bad so I went to the bathroom, and that’s it. Then... Did you change me?” she asked, her eyes welling up with tears.

“I started washing you, but you woke up, and I let you do it on your own,” I answered. “I put you to bed when you were done, and that’s it.”

“What happened?” she asked, her voice breaking as the first tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Phoenix said that you drank from your friend’s cup,” I explained, tightening my arms around her. “Nothing else happened to you. He made sure of it.”

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. You don’t need to apologize,” I said, managing to keep the growl from escaping my lips.

She didn’t need to hear how angry I was, how worried I’d been about her. I was also hungry, and I needed to do something about that. She sobbed against my chest, and I stroked her hair, trying to soothe her.

“I was so scared,” she said, attempting to regain her composure.

“I know. I would never let anything happen to you. You know that.”

“You’re my angel.” She smiled through her tears as she looked at me.

“Sure.” I smiled back softly. “Do you want me to get you anything?”

“Water, please.”

I kissed her forehead and went to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. I heard her move to the bathroom while I was gone, and she was back just after I returned to the bedroom.

She looked so distraught as she walked towards me, taking the glass from me with shaky hands. Her scent hit me hard—I hadn’t been able to drink from her for two days. I needed to feed, or I would lose control.

“I’ll go heat up some blood, honey. I’ll be back in a few. Get back into bed.”

“Why don’t you drink mine?” she asked in a small voice.

The alcohol and whatever else had been in the cup were gone—I couldn’t smell it anymore—but she was still weak. I shouldn’t do that, and yet my body was fighting me. ~Shit.~