Forget Me Not (#2, The Mystic Wolves) (11 page)

He opened my bedroom door, and I couldn’t help the groan of relief as I lay on the mattress. My eyes instantly closed, and I felt the blanket being pulled over me.

“I’m so tired,” I murmured, already feeling the tug of sleep.

Mason’s fingers traced the side of my cheek tenderly. “Sweet dreams, baby.”

I mumbled something in return as I gave in to exhaustion.

“Darcy. Darcy….” I could feel myself being shaken, and cracking one of my eyelids open, I was confused for a moment as to why Daniel was here in my bedroom. Gratitude also filled me—he’d pulled me from a horrendous nightmare, one that had me on the verge of screaming.

Pushing myself up into a sitting position, I looked down and saw my clothes were drenched with sweat, and clinging to me. The sheets were pooled at my feet, twisted and in complete disarray. What disturbed me most, however, was the claw marks scratched down the center of the mattress, the stuffing scattered. I frowned as my mind tried to register what I was seeing—I’d done that.

“What’s happening, Daniel?” I asked, shoving my hair out of my eyes. I desperately needed a shower. The sweat on my body was starting to cool and sending a chill to my bones. I must’ve looked like a mess, but it was the least of my worries. I still hadn’t been able to take my gaze from the shredded bedding.

“We wanted to let you sleep, but you were screaming.”

I could feel him observing me, and peering up at him I noticed his stare was also fixed on the destruction of the bedding. “I came in and found you thrashing about—growling and groaning, and begging someone not to leave. It was hard to wake you up.” Daniel sat down beside me, the mattress giving under his weight, and he took hold of my hand. “What’s going on? Talk to me.”

My mind seemed to have a hard time focusing. “I had another nightmare.” I dropped his hand, and turned so I could face him. “This is the second one, but I don’t remember much of the details—just that I was terrified.”

He grabbed my chin, and tilting my head, peered into my eyes, checking from different angles. “Something’s going on. I know you think it’s something you ate, but my gut tells me it’s more. You should be feeling better by now.”

“Maybe I got hit with an extra dose of whatever it is?” I spoke softly, but even I was starting to worry. Sleep should’ve given my body time to heal and, if anything, I was feeling weaker. Anxiety began to stir inside me, and a large ball of dread settled in my stomach. “If it’s not food, or the flu, something’s wrong, isn’t it?” Agony lanced through me, signaling another attack. “It’s starting again!”

My vision doubled, and I balled myself up into the fetal position. My skin felt like it was on fire, my blood boiling, and I did the only thing I could—I screamed, and screamed, and screamed.

I barely registered Mason entering, or him lifting me into his arms. “Make it stop. Make it stop. Make it stop,” I chanted over and over again.

“Tell me where it hurts, Darcy. Stay with me … tell me so I can fix this.” Mason’s voice was strong, but it also held a hint of desperation.

“Everywhere,” I moaned, restless. I began to rock, not able to keep still. “I’m hot—so hot. Put me down, please … it hurts.” There were whispers exchanged, then the door opened and closed as Daniel left.

Placing me back on the bed, I heard the faucet in the shower turn on as Mason moved about the bathroom. I wondered what he was doing when shortly after I felt a cool weight cover me. Opening my eyes, I noticed he’d placed a wet towel on me, and the relief was enough to drive me crazy. With the intensity of heat subsiding, it made the pain bearable, and I was able to finally catch my breath. I paused as a thought began to surface, a lump forming instantly in my throat.

 “Am I dying? Is that it?”

“Not if I can help it,” Mason growled. “Daniel and I have been talking about this, and neither of us can shake the bad feeling we have. It’s more than just human sickness, but we need to act quickly. My gut says I need to get you out of here, somewhere safe so we can figure out what’s happening. And I’m sorry,  but with Amber here, this just seems too coincidental.”

“I can’t leave. I need to stay here with you.” I watched him pull out his phone and begin punching in numbers. “Who are you calling?”

He didn’t respond, the person on the other end answering instantly.

“I need your help, something’s happening to Darcy.” Nothing else was said as he hung up.

“Who was that?” I asked again.

“Devlin.” It was all he offered, and he dragged a chair over to the side of the bed. “How you feeling?”

“Well, I don’t feel like I’m being burnt alive anymore,” I answered, even as my body began to beat to a relentless throb. Everything hurt, and I clenched my teeth tightly to weather through the worst of it. The pain had started rising again, and I moaned with frustration.

He carefully lifted the towel, carrying it back to the bathroom.

“Mason?” I asked, watching him stop and turn around.

“Yes?” The look of concern on his face overwhelmed me.

“Can you stay? I don’t want to be alone.” I hated sounding like a frightened little girl, but I needed him so badly. I was afraid.

He nodded, and I offered him a grateful smile as he placed the item on the counter before returning to sit beside me.

“You’re never alone, sweetheart.” Bending forward, he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. “I will always be there for you. There’s no need to ask.”

I reached for his hand, and weakly squeezed it, offering up a silent prayer of thanks for having such an amazing man in my life. Closing my eyes, I sighed.

I hope Devlin can help,
I thought.

Chapter Twelve

Devlin came barreling into the room, eyes blazing with worry, and Daniel slipped in behind him. I was starting to believe Mason was right, and the sight of all three of them in the room sent a sense of relief through me. I knew they wouldn’t rest until the mystery was solved.

I’d napped a little, only to be woken by pains in my chest. Not knowing when the next painful attack was coming, I’d been adamant about having a shower, the need to be clean again overwhelming. I’d felt sweaty and grimy, my mouth feeling as though a pile of dirt had been dumped in it. Those first moments standing under the hot stream of water had been a blessed relief. I had no idea what was happening, but I knew it wasn’t food or flu related. That theory had been tossed out as my body refused to heal.

Now, freshly dressed with my hair brushed, Mason helped me sit up, propping the pillows behind me, and I could only imagine how pitiful I looked. Offering a smile to Devlin, I watched as he dropped to his knee on the other side of the bed. He studied me—giving me the same kind of inspection the others had, and he didn’t stop until he was satisfied I was in one piece.

“Thanks for calling me. I’m not going to lie—I was worried something like this might happen with Amber in the house.” He looked over at Mason, who had started pacing.

“What annoys me is we can’t prove this was her,” Mason added, shaking his head in frustration. “But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let Darcy keep getting worse.”

The tension was thick in the room, and I wished I could do something to wipe the look of apprehension from everyone’s faces.

“We’ll figure this out. I thought this was just a bad case of food poisoning, or something, and a few days in bed would make me right as rain, but I’m not sure now.” I fiddled with the edge of the blanket and let out a sigh. “I just don’t want to be overly dramatic.”

“I wouldn’t call you not being able heal quickly over the top, Darcy, or the fact that you can’t seem to stop having these painful attacks. Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me it doesn’t seem strange?” Daniel added, coming to stand beside Devlin.

“So what else has changed since you started feeling like this?”

“Nothing. I’m doing the same as I usually do,” I answered.

“Well, it’s something, so we need to put our heads together and start thinking outside the box,” Mason added, coming over to join everyone. “I’m worried if we don’t find out what’s causing this, it’ll keep getting worse until it kills you.” He grimaced, as if the words were almost too painful for him to utter, before he continued. “That’s not an option. So other than food,what could be the problem?”

“How much time have you been spending with Amber?” Devlin queried, and I shook my head.

“Not a lot. I went into Woodside Hollow with her, but it wasn’t long before she showed her true intent, and we parted ways. She wasn’t there when I first got sick, and I haven’t seen her since earlier outside Mason’s office. She did try to bring me some kind of home remedy before that though.”

“I poured it down the sink,” Daniel added. “So, what do you think, Devlin? Could it be poison, or is it magic? Like she’s been enchanted? Maybe hexed?”

“It could be. Magic’s what I’m leaning toward. The trouble is we need to find out quickly, and there’s a way, but Darcy isn’t going to like it.”

Daniel looked confused, but Mason nodded, understanding what he meant

“What am I not going to like? If it means we’ll be able to make it stop, I’m all for it.” The attacks came and went at random, and it made me cringe to think at any moment I could be reduced to a bawling mess by one again.

“I’ll need to taste your blood. If something is there that shouldn’t be, I’ll be able to sense it straight away.”

“No way. Nuh uh. Not coming near me with those fangs.” My response was instant. “It’s not like I don’t trust you, but after Avery, I … he made me feel things when he bit me, and ….” I couldn’t finish my sentence.

Even though I loved Devlin with my whole heart, I wasn’t ready to have sensual and erotic feelings pulsating through my body. It would be too strange to have him as the object of my desire.

“He compelled you to feel those things.” Devlin took a hesitant step forward, his voice lowered. “Remember, vampires are masters at manipulation, and we can make those we feed on feel anything we choose. I would never do that to you, Darcy. It would feel like a pinch as my teeth pierced your skin, and from the amount I’d take, you would barely feel it.”

He tilted my head. There was sincerity in his expression, and taking in a deep breath, I nodded. I took hold of my hair, and sweeping it to the side, exposed my throat for him. My body trembled, my hands shaking, and I closed my eyes as I waited. There were a few seconds of silence before I could hear him softly chuckle.

“I would never presume to bite you in such an intimate place.” There was a devilish twinkle in his eyes, and I could tell he was trying to keep himself from laughing. “Let me have your finger.”

I glanced over, and saw him standing with his hand out, anticipating my next move. Showing my faith, I gave it to him, curling my fingers in but leaving one extended. Nodding, Devlin raised it to his lips.

The coolness of his mouth caught me by surprise. I was used to finding heat whenever Mason and I kissed, and I almost pulled my finger out in shock over the difference. He anticipated my reaction, latching his right hand around my wrist. There was a slight sting as his fang punctured the flesh, and squeezing slightly with his grip to get the blood flowing, Devlin sucked once or twice. His gaze never left mine as he scanned to check how I was, and once it was done, I felt his tongue sweep over the small hole to seal it shut.

“You okay, Darcy?” Mason asked.

I rubbed my finger with my thumb, amazed at how quickly it was over, and how the wound had disappeared. “Yeah, I’m okay. So what’s the verdict?”

My stomach sank to the soles of my feet as I watched Devlin shake his head.

“Magic.”

“Really?” I asked, confused by his answer. 

“You can’t deny blood—it’s there. You’ve come into contact with it, and judging from the way its set your body into uproar, it’s something you have constant closeness with. Think. It’s something new from the past few days.” Devlin looked at us all. “Tell me, guys, walk me through what’s happened recently. Don’t leave anything out, no matter how small you think it is.”

I told him about Amber arriving, finding out the history between her and Mason, the pack meeting, and going to town with her. I rehashed the conversation we’d had there, and then going to lunch with Mason where one moment I felt fine, and then deathly ill.

“Darcy’s had periods of excruciating pain, convulsing and vomiting like it was trying to purge itself from her body. It was intense, and it broke my heart to hear her screaming and crying for it to stop.” Mason reached out to squeeze my hand. “She’s had another attack since then.”

“She’s also complained of nightmares as well. I woke her from the last one, and she’d almost ripped her bed apart,” Daniel added.

It looked as if the wheels were churning in Devlin’s mind as he tried to analyze the evidence. I could almost imagine him seeing this like a puzzle, and he was trying to rearrange the pieces so they made more sense and revealed the bigger picture. 

“Wait!” Mason’s voice resonated so loudly, it caused me to jump in surprise. He growled, and stared at me. “I’m so stupid. I was so caught up in worrying about you, I overlooked it. Your ring … this all started shortly after you put it on.”

“It was a gift, though. I don’t see someone wanting to hurt me with it.” I looked down at the simple band on my finger. It tingled under my touch, and my stomach lurched. “You don’t think ….”