Draven.
Where is he?
“Draven,” I whisper, speaking to his mind.
“Allison, where are you?” His deep voice is panicked, rolling around inside my head. “Tell me now.”
My eyes finally open, and I look around to get any clues to where I am. I bolt upright, ignoring the pain in my head.
“The forest,” I answer back. “But I don’t know where.” I glance around. “I heard a humming noise. I think it’s a stream.”
“I know where you are. Sit tight.”
Relief floods my system. Draven knows where to find me. But how did I get here? A fuzzy image of the party forms. I was talking to Stefania and Lina and left them to grab something to drink. Someone came up behind me, and then it’s blank.
My mind is a black void.
Footsteps approach, and I smile, expecting to see Draven, but instead of ink-colored hair, I see blond.
“Simon, thank god,” I whisper-yell, unsure if whoever did this to me is lurking nearby. “Dra—”
“You’re awake,” he cuts me off, before I can tell him Draven is on his way. “I didn’t mean to hit you quite so hard.”
My brows squish together. “You did this? Why?”
However, he doesn’t answer because Draven drops from the sky, landing in front of me, like a dark angel, shielding my body. “Simon, we have to move fast,” he says.
“It was Simon,” I say into his mind.
Draven blinks and tips his head to the side, as if he doesn’t want to believe what I just told him.
“She’s not leaving right now,” Simon tells him.
“What’s going on?” Draven turns in slow motion. “Of course, she’s leaving.”
“You’re not changing me back to get rid of your guilt for what you did,” Simon yells.
Draven flinches.
“What are you talking about, Simon?” I push myself to standing.
“You haven’t told her your grand plan, Uncle?”
Draven’s eyes dart to mine.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, giving Draven a sidelong glance.
Simon laughs, bitter and hollow. “Well, then let me explain it to you.”
“Simon—” Draven starts, but Simon cuts him off.
“No,” Simon shouts, “I refuse to do your bidding.”
“Someone tell me what’s going on,” I say. “Please.”
“Yes, tell her,” Simon grits out.
Draven turns to me with vacant eyes. “After I became a vampire, I had an insatiable hunger. I was starving and couldn’t figure out what I needed. It wasn’t until I returned home and saw Leonardo that I knew I needed his blood to cure the ache.”