Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

PIPER

" I loved you the moment I met you." Grayson fired the words out so fast my mind could hardly keep up. "I knew you would be it for me, and you always have been."

Bright red light flooded from under the sleeves of his coat and shirt at the same time as my own forearm started to glow. When I looked down, there was a mark there that I'd never seen before. Black lines that looked like vines ran from the back of my hand, around my wrist, and up my forearm. Sharp barbs poked out from each of the lines like barbed wire. I turned my arm, and there on my forearm were two roses. Their petals were a deep crimson. Each was tucked into intertwined vines covered in spikes. Blood dripped from the single spike touching the center of each rose. My jaw dropped at its gothic beauty. My heart soared at its simple yet beautiful perfection.

"Grayson?"

He ripped his sleeves open. Our marks matched perfectly."You're my soulmate, Piper. I've always known you would be."

His body shuddered from head to toe and red veins forked out over the whites of his eyes. Dark circles surrounded them, and his skin paled until it was nearly blue. His fangs descended down past his lips, and when he looked at me, I felt like an animal about to be hunted. I didn't know what was happening to him, but he grew bigger, his muscles more well-defined. His suit coat tore to shreds and fell in pieces around him.

"Piper, listen to me." He caught my eye.

My heart hammered in my chest. "What's wrong with you?"

"Piper, I love you." His entire body shuddered as though the words themselves hurt to say.

"I love you too." I took a step toward him, but he held his hand up, waving me back.

"Good. Now do something for me." He froze. His eyes met mine, and a cold chill ran down my spine.

"An-anything." I wanted to go to him but every instinct in my body told me not to move, that this wasn't the Grayson I knew and loved. This . . . this was something else.

A growl ripped from his throat as he tensed his whole body to spring at me. "RUN!"

My eyes widened for a split second before he launched himself at me. I dropped to the floor and rolled to the side. His body soared over mine and slammed into the wall. It cracked under the force of his crash and a dent the size of his body was embedded into it. He dropped to the ground and shook his head. Before I could get up, he began to rise to his feet. A snarl ripped from his throat, and it sent adrenaline running through my body.

I scrambled to my feet. "Grayson, what the hell is wrong with you!?"

He moved to the side, circling me. His eyes weren't the warm mahogany I'd grown so used to. They were a bottomless black with red veins forking out in all directions. Strands of his dark hair fell over his face as he lowered his chin and locked his eyes on me. A hiss seeped from his lips, and he swiped his hand at the distance between us. He held his hands like they were claws ready to strike at any moment. I stepped to the side trying to keep my distance as we circled each other, and I held my hand out toward him, hoping to ward him off.

"This isn't you." My heart hammered in my chest and his eyes locked on the point in my neck.

I'd never seen his fangs so long and sharp. His tongue darted over the tip of one, and he made a little sucking sound. A single drop of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He didn't say a word. Yet when I looked at him, I couldn't help but feel the Grayson I knew wasn't here with me. He crouched down low, and I froze, getting ready for the attack. He launched himself across the room so fast he was nearly a blur to my vampire senses. I ducked under his attack and turned to the side a moment before he grabbed me. His nails raked across my skin, leaving deep cuts across my arm. Blood welled and trickled down my skin.Those red streams wound down my forearm to my wrist and dripped off my fingertips.

"Grayson, what the fuck!?"I pressed my hand over the cuts, trying to get them to stop bleeding.

He slammed into the wall and turned back toward me. A growl ripped from his throat, and he pushed off the wall, diving back for me. He wrapped his hands around my neck, tackling me to the ground. I slid across the floor with him on top of me and we smashed into the foot of Theon's bed. The mattress flew across the room and the bed frame splintered to pieces around us. We slid right through it and smacked into the other wall. It dented from the force that we hit it with, and dust filled the air. Grayson's hands were tight around my neck, and he wrestled me under him. He straddled my legs and pinned me down. His eyes were crazed with thirst. The air was stuck in my throat as he squeezed harder. He leaned over me, gnashing his sharp teeth inches from my face.

I clawed at his hands, but they were unbreakable vises around my neck. I wanted to scream to call for help, but no one would come and face this. My own fangs extended, and I hissed at him. I swung both my legs up, nearly folding my body in half, and wrapped them around his shoulders and shoved my heels into his sternum. With all the strength I had, I yanked him back. His body crashed to the ground and his head cracked against the floor. As his hands slipped from around my neck, his nails raked across my skin. The smell of my own blood filled the air as I pinned him down with my legs.

A wild growl ripped from his throat and his claws dug into the floor. He kicked his legs out and rolled to the side, flipping us both over onto our stomachs. I kicked out, connecting with his chest, and he flew back. My vampire strength was nearly as powerful as his and he crashed into the wall. I sprang to my feet just as he hopped to his. Blood trickled from his lip, and his eyes locked on mine.

I snarled at him. "You wanna dance? Then let's fucking do it."

He jumped toward me, and we grabbed onto each other at the same time, grappling for the upper hand. I spun around and yanked him with me. I wrapped my hands around his arms and slammed him into the wall. His eyes went wide with surprise at my strength. Even I was shocked I was able to put up such a fight against an older, experienced vampire like him. He was mine, I loved him, but this wasn't him. Something happened the moment he gave into our love, and now I had to figure out what before he killed me. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and I tightened my grip on him. I spun to the side with all my might and threw him across the room. Before he hit anything, I grabbed a lamp off Theon's dresser and threw it at him.

Grayson smacked into the wall and the lamp exploded across his chest. Shards of dark ceramic fell to the floor around him. He bellowed at the cuts across his skin. The scent of his blood tingled my nose. It was a mix of the most enticing wine and chocolate. My mouth watered for a taste of him, and I ran my tongue over my lips. His eyes tracked the movement, and he hissed in my direction as though my desire infuriated him. He tensed as though he was going to leap forward, and I held my hand out. A fine red mist seeped from my palm and drifted on the air between us.

"Stop!" He froze for a split second, his muscles twitching with the need to move. It was like I was holding him there. I felt his body under my control and how it pained him to not have control of himself and be able to attack me like he desired. It was a heady feeling of realizing in this moment that there wasn't a damn thing he could do to me. Yet the power felt fleeting, like at any moment it would diminish and I'd lose control over him. I just had no idea how this was possible or how long it would hold.

What the hell did I do?

Not even a second later he leapt toward me, and I tried to catch him but the force of his attack knocked me off my feet. We crashed through the wall behind me and out into the hall. Rocks scattered across the ground and dust covered my body. He spun me around so his chest was pressed to my back. He wrapped his arm around my neck in a vise-like grip, locking my head there. The air cut off from my lungs and the lack of oxygen made my head feel like it was about to explode. I kicked my legs out, but they only scratched across the gravel left from the wall. My dress offered no coverage for my legs and scratches ran over my skin. I dug my nails into his skin, but he didn't let go. My vision wavered as black dots started to float around. I fought to turn my head to the side. Sweat covered my body. I hadn't been dead long enough to forget what it felt like for my life to slip away. But in this moment I was reminded, and the panic that came with my impending death was nearly paralyzing. I felt my life starting to slip—the lack of air, my blood slowing in my veins, and my vision nearly black.

I did the only thing I could think of, I opened my mouth and bit down on his forearm as hard as I could. His skin broke under my fangs and his heady taste filled my mouth. Grayson sucked in a sharp breath and a groan of pleasure escaped his lips. His grip loosened and I sucked in a deep breath through my nose. I locked my hold on his arm and held his arm there, sucking in the most delicious flavor of all: Grayson.

"Piper?" His voice wavered from behind me, and I immediately let go of him.

The moment my lips left his skin, he leapt away from me. I scrambled to my feet to face him. "Gray, what the hell is going on?"

"I—" he looked down at his hands, peering at how long his claws were. When he turned to me, his eyes roamed over the cuts marring my arms and legs. "Bloody hell."

He gazed round the hallway. Confusion riddled his features. I could only imagine what he thought seeing the wall in shambles and the two of us looking like we'd battled it out. He scrubbed his hand down his face as if he didn't know how or why he'd gotten himself to the Night Spawn headquarters. The hallway was oddly empty but for the two of us. It seemed like a lifetime since the ball happened, but it'd only been a few hours.

"Gray, look at me."

His eyes snapped to me, and there was a flash of recognition in them. I tried to take a step toward him, but he backed away from me. He ran his hand over his face and gave me one last glance before sprinting toward the mirrors they'd set up at the end of the hall for vampires who lived with the Night Spawn. He paused when he reached the mirror. When he eyed my injuries one last time, his brow furrowed and the muscle in his jaw clenched. Pain crossed his face, and he dove through the mirror, leaving me alone and bleeding.

"No! Grayson!" I sprinted after him, but a vise-like arm caught me around the waist.

I was pulled back and held away from the mirror he'd just gone through. I threw my elbow back, connecting with ribs. "Let me go!"

I had to go after him. Something was wrong with Gray. He clearly needed help. An ooofff sound came from behind me but the arms didn't drop. "Piper!"

I froze. "Theon?"

When I glanced back, his face was bright-red and his cheeks were puffed out like he was holding a breath he couldn't let go of. I tried to scramble away from his grip. "Let me go! He needs me."

"He's not himself, Piper. He's dangerous." He turned and tossed me back. He moved to stand between me and the mirror. He sucked in heaving breaths while motioning to me. "Look at you. You're lucky to be alive."

The scratches down my arms and legs were already healing from what little blood I took from Grayson. My dress was torn in all different places, exposing even more of my skin. Dried blood covered the shimmering cream-colored material and stuck to my arms and legs. I knew I looked like hell. I even felt like hell. Judging by the tenderness on my neck and face, I knew there were bruises there. I glanced over his shoulder toward the mirror I wanted to jump headlong into, hoping it'd take me to Grayson. But even I knew that would be a long shot. Mirror travel didn't work like that. We had to travel to other mirrors stationed in places we knew. I couldn't just travel to Grayson . . . or could I?

Theon offered me his hand. "You need help, Piper. You can't take a crazed vampire down by yourself. No one can . . . Even if you love him."

I'd gotten lucky this time. Whatever happened to Grayson was new and we were both still fighting it. I didn't know if it would get worse or if he would get stronger. But what I did know was that he needed help, the kind of help that required real firepower. I gave him a single nod. "Where to?"

"The only place with the power to help a vampire like Grayson . . . The House of Shade."