Grayson thanked her then started making his way through the crowd. We were barely off the bridge when I felt my legs give out completely. Grayson lifted me into his arms and I wrapped my arms around his neck trying to keep myself from passing out. I winced feeling a burning ache sear in my ribs.

  Cold air kissed my face as Grayson laid me down somewhere. I heard a slight motorized whining sound then a door shut and I realized he laid me down in the car. My eyes fluttered open for a second, just long enough to see he closed the privacy glass. I was alone. Grayson stood outside spewing profanities before the door opened once more.

  “Gaby, where’s your phone?” My brow knitted in confusion. I didn’t understand why he needed my phone. I didn’t get a chance to express this before Grayson started patting me down then pulled the phone from its confines. Any other time I might have found pleasure in his hands on me. I did my best to not show the discomfort I felt. He was worried enough. My phone was in the pocket of my skirt. I had changed into a long white skirt that was made out of chiffon. I thought that I should dress to stay cool. I also chose a white, button down, short-sleeved shirt. I had been using my phone to take pictures of the Canyon. “Where is it?” I heard him ask himself, which baffled me since he held my phone in his hand then I heard him sigh in relief as he found what he was searching for. “It’s Grayson.” He waited for the person on the other line to speak. I was a bit taken back that I couldn’t hear the other person. I was rather curious as to who it was. “I don’t have your number and didn’t think you’d answer if I called from mine.” There was a quick break barely giving me time to use that little piece of information to figure out who Grayson was speaking to. Someone who I had in my phone, but not his? Was it Shawn? He might not have answered if Grayson called since Grayson did kill his boyfriend, but then again why would he need to call Shawn now. And I was pretty sure that Grayson had Shawn’s number. “It’s about Gaby.” Grayson sighed. “I need your help.” Lowering his voice he whispered, “I think it might be the baby.” Whoever it was spoke quickly. “We’re in Nevada at the Grand Canyon, the Skywalk part.” Grayson didn’t speak for a moment. “How?” he asked. “Hello? He hung up.”

  Grayson barely set the phone down before there was a knock on the window. Grayson opened the door. “How the hell did you find us so fast?” Grayson asked as the door shut.

  “I’m drawn to her blood.”

  My eyes fluttered open thinking that I was becoming delusional because the voice I heard was Sebastian’s. Never in my life would I have expected Grayson to call him. I’m glad I wasn’t a gambling person because that was one bet I would have lost. There sitting across from me was Sebastian wearing a white fitted tee and loose fitting, dark jeans. His brow was furrowed as he studied me.

  “I tried calling Damien, but no answer,” Grayson stated. The phone call to Sebastian was beginning to make more sense. Of course he hadn’t been Grayson’s first call.

  “You know how he feels about phones. Normally Jade runs his calls, but she’s sleeping right now.”

  Now I was positive I was hallucinating. They were talking to each other; not trying to bash one another’s faces in. Sebastian passed his hand tentatively over my face and I couldn’t help but turn into it enjoying the way it felt against my skin. I felt my blood hum at the contact, but his palm was also cool against my flesh.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Sebastian asked.

  “I’m not sure. She was fine until a little while ago.”

  “Something had to have happened. She’s burning up.” Then he turned his attention back to me. “Gaby, can you tell me do you have any kind of pain? Any symptoms at all?”

  I swallowed trying to wet my dry throat, but my voice came out hoarse. “My ribs hurt, but I’m just tired.”

  I heard the leather protest. Sebastian shifted to stare at Grayson, silently seeking information. “She was injured last night,” Grayson explained. “She never told me how. We were detained by the Vegas nest, but she healed.”

  “Gaby,” Sebastian tried again. “I need to take a look.”

  I’m not sure if I nodded, but I meant to. Perhaps I did, because I soon felt the buttons on my shirt being undone. He started at the bottom working his way up trying to maintain my modesty or to not piss of Grayson. Cool air licked my ribs as Sebastian exposed my injury.

  “What the…” Grayson was shocked. “It wasn’t like that earlier.”

  Sebastian rebuttoned my shirt. I guess he saw what he needed.

  “I think she needs blood.” Sebastian stated unsure, his hand cupping my cheek with my face turned into it absorbing his comfort and the coolness against my flushed cheek. Being as drained as I was, I couldn’t hold back the angel bond, but it also limited me on what I was craving from him. His touch, his comfort was enough, “Did you try live blood?”

  “Last night,” Grayson confirmed.

  “I need to get her back to Damien.” I felt familiar arms lift me onto a lap. I buried my head into the neck of the person holding me. I took a deep breath inhaling their scent. It was clean and earthy. Sebastian. “I can dissipate her there, but…”

  “But what?” Grayson asked.

  “I can’t dissipate you both and she needs help now.”

  “What do you propose?”

  Sebastian sighed, “I’ll take her to Damien. You get home the way you intended.”

  “No,” Grayson firmly stated. “I’m not letting you take her without me.”

  “So what, you want to drag her semiconscious onto the plane? I don’t know if you realize, airport security frowns on that. Or would you rather I delay getting her help to come back and get you. It also might be odd if someone notices that you flew here, but were suddenly back in New York.” Grayson didn’t answer. “I would never do anything to hurt her…or the baby. I’m just trying to get her help as quickly as possible. Let me take her to Damien.”

  There was a long pause. “If anything happens to her…” Grayson’s words were left hanging, but their meaning all too clear.

  “I swear to you, I’ll keep her safe.”

  I felt warm lips against mine. Instinctively, I kissed back. My eyes opened to see Grayson. Deep down I knew the situation was strange. There I was sitting in Sebastian’s lap yet I was kissing Grayson, but in that moment, I didn’t care. Later I would look back on it and realize how right it felt being there with the both of them. “Sebastian’s taking you to Damien. They’re going to try to figure out how to help you. I’m going to take the flight home and see you in a few hours.”

  I think I nodded, but my eyes fluttered closed.

  “We’ll see you at the tower in a few hours. Get an earlier flight if you can.” I didn’t hear a reply or an explanation that we flew on Grayson’s private plane before I was dissipating.

  Sebastian shifted me, laying me down on a cool mattress. His scent surrounded me here, lingering in the air and the bedding beneath me. The room carried his smell.

  “I’m going to get Damien. I’ll be right back.” Sebastian placed a swift kiss on my forehead before he was gone. With nothing to distract me, I couldn’t struggle against the darkness anymore. I let it swallow me.

  When I woke, Sebastian’s scent still filled the air. I opened my eyes and saw familiar sights. I was in Sebastian’s room. I could hear voices fluttering from the hall. I went to move, to seek them out but felt something pinching my skin. I looked down to see a needle plunged into my arm.

  “Leave that alone, Gaby,” Sebastian spoke seeming to come out of nowhere before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “We’re giving you fluids. It seems to be helping.”

  “Is Grayson here?” I asked wincing against the discomfort in my ribs. He didn’t answer immediately. I glanced at him. His expression was pained but his eyes were down, so I couldn’t be sure. His hand gently moved to mine sending a chill up my arm. I still didn’t have the tie under control. My breathing increased as his fingers toyed with the set of rings on my left hand where my engagement ring now sat next to a platinum band with diamonds scattered across it. His sullen expression suddenly made sense.

  “He called. His plane just landed. He should be here within the hour.” He released my hand and stepped away.

  “Sebastian,” I sighed, but he continued like he didn’t hear me.

  “Damien is calling in the witch, Maria, to see if she can help. The IV is only a temporary fix.”

  “Let me explain,” I offered.

  He shook his head. “There’s nothing to explain, Gaby. You married him. I knew you were engaged when we met and that this would eventually be the outcome. I just didn’t expect it so soon or to…” hurt so much. He didn’t say the last part out loud, but the way he winced had me believing that they were the course he’d been on. Hurting him wasn’t what I wanted, but I didn’t know how to avoid it and still be with Grayson.

  “We eloped. We wanted to be married before the baby came,” I explained.

  “That’s understandable.” His words made him sound reasonable, but his voice was laced with pain.

  “Sebastian, please.” My voice cracked. His heartache was gripping at me, making me feel the affliction too.

  He threw up his hands. His green eyes blazed with fury and distress. “What do you want me to say, Gaby? Huh? Do you want me to tell you it hurts? Because it does. Want me to tell you that I still held out hope that you’d change your mind? I did.”

  I bit my lip to hold back a sob. I could feel the tears freely stream down my face. Causing him discomfort wasn’t something I ever wanted to do, but it happened. Something that I was completely ecstatic about tormented him. His face softened as he took me in with my tear stained face. I held my arms out to him. Slowly he closed the distance between us until he stood just beyond my reach. “Please?” In that one word I asked so many things. I asked for forgiveness for hurting him. I asked him to allow me to comfort him. I asked for him to comfort me.

  He sat down on the bed wrapping his arms around me. I threw mine around his shoulders while he buried his head in my neck breathing in my scent. I felt shockingly at ease in his arms. They calmed me in a way that had me relaxing in his embrace.

  It wasn’t the first time he and I had been in his bed together. I remembered the last time. It was after our only real date. We were fooling around when Jade walked in. I wasn’t sure if I was grateful for the interruption or not.

  “You can’t have those kinds of thoughts when I’m holding you,” he whispered against my neck.

  “How do you know what thoughts I’m having?” I asked nervously.

  “Your body is your tell, plus you have your walls down right now. I’m working extra hard to keep the blood tie between us reined in and then you start having dirty thoughts—” He leaned back staring into my eyes with his hands still around my waist. “I’m guessing about the last time we were in this bed together?”

  My cheeks flamed. “How?”

  He grinned devilishly at me. “I didn’t. You just told me.”

  I smiled but it was filled with embarrassment. Someone cleared their throat tearing my attention from Sebastian. My bashful smile immediately faded. Grayson stood in the doorway and the look on his face suggested he heard more than I would have liked for him to.

  Grayson

  Hearing Sebastian talk about being in bed with my wife took everything in me to rein in my aggression. I knew some of what had happened. They both had made it clear that things never got too far between them. Now hearing that they had been in bed together, in the same bed that they both sat in now, wrapped in each other’s arms… I knew my face was showing my fury. Seeing me there, they both released one another almost as if I’d caught them. One look at Gaby’s tear riddled face and I knew that it sounded worse than what it was. I had to trust that she wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. When things had happened between them, with two exceptions, it had been when I had been kidnapped and Gaby thought I was dead. The other two events I had forgiven due to the circumstances.

  “Damien’s on his way up,” I stated trying not to sound hostile.

  Gaby nodded then risked a glance to Sebastian. He smiled at her but it didn’t reach his eyes. Standing he walked away from her taking a seat on his couch, which put me a little more at ease. I gave Gaby a warm smile trying to reassure her that I wasn’t upset even though I was fuming. Seeing the anxiety on her face and wanting to put her at ease, I strolled over to her and gave her a soft kiss. I didn’t want to get into a pissing contest with Sebastian over staking a claim on my wife so I kept it chaste.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, but I wasn’t sure what she meant. “Why are we here? Sebastian said something about Maria?”

  Understanding, I opened my mouth to explain that I didn’t know much, but Damien arrived then.

  “You’ve been poisoned,” he announced.

  “What?” Her and I questioned at the same time. The moment I arrived in the compound, I instantly sought her out. I didn’t know any more about what was going on than I did when I saw her dissipate with Sebastian.

  Damien simply nodded. I stepped away and found a place against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest. Even though I wanted to be close to Gaby, being on Sebastian’s bed wasn’t something that I think neither Sebastian nor I would be comfortable with.

  “Tell us what happened last night, Gabriella. Sebastian says you were injured?” Damien inquired.

  She nodded then opened her mouth to explain. She talked about the asshole who knocked into her, about the crowd turning on each other, the woman who took her aside and was kind to her up until the point when she stabbed her with a black knife.

  “Did she say anything else?” Damien asked.

  “She said, and I quote, ‘even us demons can’t risk your baby.’”

  “Demons,” Sebastian mumbled.

  “The Prophecy,” Damien whispered to himself. Both seemed to take a different interest in her story.

  “We have arrived,” Jade announced when she entered the room, talking to no one in particular. A young man with bleach blonde hair followed behind her. His ears were gauged out, but his clothing was professional. He appeared in every way the businessman except for his head that looked to belong to a kid in gothic attire. “The witch can’t show tonight, but this is her grandson.” He smiled and waved uncomfortably at Jade’s introduction.

  “Thank you Ethan for coming on such short notice,” Damien extended his gratitude.

  “You believe it’s poisoning,” Ethan asked making his way to Gaby. “May I?” Gaby nodded before leaning back on her palms. Damien moved across the room to stand by Sebastian as Ethan unbuttoned my wife’s shirt. I had almost lost it earlier when Sebastian had checked her injury, but at least he only undid the bare minimum. This guy, who I knew was only here to help, had me raging as I watched him start at the top of her shirt and work his way down.

  “Easy Cowboy,” Jade whispered coming to stand by me. I’m sure her presence was meant to appear friendly, although she was next to me in case I tried anything. But I knew Gaby needed his help. Those words became my own personal mantra, repeating in my head, as he probed her wound with her shirt wide open. Gaby winced.

  “That hurts?” he asked seeming genuine in his concern, which eased my temper some. She nodded. “How long has it looked like this?” Gaby looked down and she blanched.

  “What the…” She repeated my words from earlier. I stepped forward to take a look. Black lines were extended out from the wound. They didn’t appear to have grown much since I saw them back in Vegas.

  “At least seven hours,” I answered for her. She hadn’t seen it earlier.

  Ethan acknowledged me with a nod. “Good thing is, only one type of blade could do this kind of damage and we have a remedy for the poison.”

  “I feel like there’s a but in there,” Gaby replied, but her focus was still on her injury waiting for the black tendrils to move.

  “But,” he began and she looked grim. “I understand that you’re pregnant.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” I asked. I wanted my wife fixed. Poisoning didn’t sound good for her in any circumstance, much less being pregnant.

  “Everything,” Ethan explained. “The poison will slowly work its way through your body. You’re angelic therefore it won’t kill you even though you might wish it would. The baby won’t be so lucky. Angelic or not, it’s still developing. It hasn’t acquired all the nifty things your blood can do. It relies on you for that. If we do nothing, you’ll lose the baby.”

  “Obviously we have to do something,” Gaby stated. She didn’t give herself a moment to absorb the impact of his words before she was moving on for a solution. Losing the baby wasn’t an option to her. “A potion? A spell? Something?”

  Ethan frowned. “We have a potion, but it’s not an option for you.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “The baby,” he offered like it made all the sense. “The potion will latch onto the poison. It will heat it up and burn it out of your body. The baby won’t survive that kind of temperature change. Once the baby is born, I can give you the potion and you won’t have to deal with it anymore. Even if you get stabbed again, the potion will continue to protect you, indefinitely.”

  Gaby’s brow was pinched relaying her confusion. “But you just said the poison will kill my baby and your solution will too. Where does that leave me?”

  I had been curious why the demon hadn’t tried for something more fatal for the baby. She hadn’t needed to. She knew even the slightest cut from her blade was enough. My shoulders sagged feeling utterly defeated. Ethan’s solutions would only save Gaby, but not the baby.

  “You just need a solution until the baby comes and I might have one.” He looked over at Jade who stepped forward.

  “I was on the phone with Ethan earlier today and we got to talking about when this one,” she pointed at me over her shoulder without even looking at me, “transitioned to being a vampire. What was the one thing the witch needed?”

  I thought back on the potion she made.