Daniel was silent on the way out to his house, his fingers firmly laced with mine. He hadn’t let me go since I’d turned my hand over for his.
He pulled into the garage and finally let go of my hand. I waited in my seat for him to come around the car and open my door for me. Now that I washome, the events of the day were beginning to sink in.
Daniel helped me out of the car and, with each step, my legs started trembling more and more.
By the time we reached the hallway between the garage and kitchen, I couldn’t stand on my own.
Daniel swept me up in his arms, holding me tightly as he took the stairs two at a time up to the second floor.
When we reached his bedroom, he set me on the bed, taking a few moments to remove my shoes and socks. The blisters that had been healing from my first run through the forest were oozing and sore once again.
He stared down at the wounds, his expression pained. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
I shook my head.
He started to walk toward the bathroom, probably for the first aid kit, but I reached out and grabbed his hand.
“I’ll be okay for a little while. Will you hold me?” I asked. I was still shivering and shaking, the tremors growing more intense with each passing minute.
“Of course,” he said.
He kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to the center of the mattress, and cupped the back of my head with his hand, pressing my cheek into his chest.
He slid a leg between mine and used his other arm to anchor my waist so that I was touching him from nearly head to toe.
And I needed it more than I had realized. I shuddered a few times, trying to release the awful tension that gripped me.
“Breathe with me,” he murmured, running his hand through my hair. “In and out.”
He inhaled through his nose, slow and deep, and I mimicked him. Together, we blew out the breath. Moving in tandem.
My racing heart began to calm, adapting the steady, comforting rhythm of his pulse.
Yes, I was just as surprised as anyone that vampires had a pulse. It seemed that all the folklore and myths were lies. Or exaggerations.
Soon, the trembling in my muscles subsided and I began to relax into him.
“Better?” he asked, his fingers trailing through my hair in an easy, gentle rhythm.
“Yes,” I whispered against his chest. “I’m not sure why I was freaking out. I wasn’t that frightened when Poppy and I were shackled to that bed. Even when we were running through the woods.”
“Sometimes you don’t feel the true effects until after the danger has passed. You were so focused on survival, and likely keeping up with Poppy, that you didn’t think about what you were feeling.”
He was right. I hadn’t been thinking about what I was feeling at all. I’d been hyper focused on survival. And hyper vigilant. That was the only reason I’d noticed him coming at me through the woods.
“I’m glad you came for us,” I said.
“I came for you,” he replied.
I froze, my hand resting on the center of his chest.
“What?”
“I knew Poppy would be okay. She can handle herself. But I was terrified—” He stopped speaking and cleared his throat, his arms tightening around me as he continued. “Terrified of what might happen to you. I’ve never been able to trust Leo before and I don’t know that I ever will.”
“I had a bobby pin,” I said, laughing a little. “I think I’ll be sure to wear a couple from now on. They’ve come in really handy the last week.”
“That’s how you got out of the cuffs?” he asked, his hand resuming the long strokes over my hair.
