by J. L. Myers
“So what should we get up to over winter break?” Ty lifted a brow, the insinuation in his words and expression unmissable.
I frowned and shrugged. “I don’t know. What did you have in mind?”
Ty flashed me his perfect smoldering smile, one that if I’d been standing would have brought me to my knees. “Oh, I have a few thoughts,” he purred, running his hand down my arm and grazing the side of my breast suggestively.
My breath caught and my foot slid out, Vans catching flame and melting at the tip. I glanced around. Across the fire Marika had begun whispering in Troy’s ear, while Dorian and Vanessa spoke quietly. Kendrick was staring out at the waves, jaw clenched. The thought of intimacy and sex with Ty had my face burning brighter than the roaring fire. My body ached for his touch but my thoughts spun, mirroring Kendrick’s dismal mood. Though not for the same reason. I had promised my mom as part of her letting me see Ty that I wouldn’t be intimate with him, ever. And with Kendrick watching and feeling through our bond, I couldn’t even consider the act, let alone anything leading up to it. I for one couldn’t put Kendrick through the agony of feeling me with Ty. On top of that, I had never given myself to anyone. Bar that one dreamscape with Ty, I hadn’t even come close. It was an epic step.
Kendrick chuckled and shifted his attention from the waves. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Ty. It’s never going to happen.”
Ty looked like he wanted to hit Kendrick. “Was I talking to you?”
Kendrick smiled with victory. “Hey, I’m only saying what Amelia’s afraid to tell you.”
All other chatting fell silent, gold and blue eyes now regarding the three of us. Vanessa’s gaze was curious, Dorian’s knowing, and Troy and Marika’s smug.
Sweat dampened my face and hands, and coldness settled in my stomach. I felt like I’d swallowed a fistful of ice cubes.
“Ah,” Troy barked. “Trouble in paradise.”
Marika tisked her tongue. “What a surprise.”
Vanessa got up. “Both of you cut it out.”
Ty ignored them all. “Amelia?” He laced his fingers through mine. “What’s he talking about?”
Unable to make eye contact, I hauled Ty up beside me. “Come with me?”
“Hey, don’t leave,” Troy said.
“Yeah,” Marika called. “This was just getting interesting.”
“Would you both shut up,” I heard Dorian say.
Ty shot them a glare but allowed me to pull him up the beach toward the shadows cast from a rising rocky cliff. Should’ve When You Could’ve by Skillet faded like the memory of our close physical encounter back when I’d been forced to live at the Armaya. The one time when we’d almost forgotten we were in a dreamscape and were ready to go all the way. The whistling seaside breeze replaced its taunting lyrics as our distance grew.
I trudged around the side of a huge boulder and leaned against its pitted surface. Unable to bear the look on Ty’s face, I stared down, kicking at the sand with my Vans. “Ty, we can’t be together like that.”
Ty folded his arms over his chest. “Because of him?”
Arrogant jerk! Kendrick’s voice shot through my mind.
I shook my head, throwing off Kendrick’s snarky words. “Yes and no. It’s not like I don’t want to, I do. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
A long silent moment followed. “I’ve never been with anyone before you,” I whispered. “I mean you’re the first guy I’ve ever dated. This is new to me. All of it. And I don’t want to share our time together.”
Ty’s expression became softer, flashing with guilt. He moved closer to cup my neck with a warm, rough hand. “I know these are all firsts for you. And I don’t want to share you, either.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pressure you. Really, I didn’t. Kendrick’s just been getting under my skin with this whole bond and knowing you better thing.”
Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. The next part of the conversation to come filled me with dread. Kendrick wasn’t our only physical obstacle, and Ty deserved to know the truth. “Ty, when my mom agreed to let us see each other, she forced me to make a promise.”
Ty’s hand slid from my neck and gripped my forearms, looking into my teary eyes. “You promised her you wouldn’t sleep with me.” At my shocked expression Ty laughed. “I figured as much. And that’s okay, Amelia. My father asked me to make the same promise. Told him where to shove it, though. Lycans are considered adults at sixteen, so he can’t control what I do.”
“Did he say why we shouldn’t?”
“No. I’m guessing it has to do with my mom being a hybrid. Oh, and he still thinks you’re a royal.”
Royal vampires could reproduce, unlike turned vampires. So his warning made sense if he thought there was a possibility Ty could get me pregnant. As a turned vampire my mom knew better. Though with the other royal traits we were displaying, fertility may not be entirely impossible. Not that I wanted to get into that with Ty now.
Feeling uncomfortable with the subject I said, “Oh.”
Ty reached up to brush the hair from my face. “She can’t control you forever, you know.”
He was right. Plus I was still learning to control the bond. Until I had a handle on that, we’d have to wait. A hopeful idea occurred to me. “I want to try something. You need to stand still. I mean really, really still.”
Looking curious Ty nodded, becoming the hottest living statue I’d ever seen. I placed my hands on his shoulders before closing my eyes. I imagined Ty standing before me, with his perfect features and gleaming irises. The two of us, alone and facing each other. One by one, I began building the same brick wall from my earlier attempts around both our bodies. It grew higher and higher until everything and everyone was separated from us. All that remained visible in my mind was the two of us, sheltered and hidden by an impenetrable force field. There was a slight internal prod from Kendrick, but I pushed back, holding the fort. Then I leaned up on my toes and met Ty’s hot lips.
“Kiss me.”
Ty responded with instant hunger, arms wrapping around my waist and lips moving over mine. He pressed me back against the boulder, his hard body against mine. I focused on holding the solid wall intact as our tongues danced, my hands feeling their way down his defined chest and abs. A flutter of excitement took over. I was doing it. I was blocking Kendrick. There was a feeling of total vacancy, of not having him present.
Then the blocks began to crumble. Breathing hard I pulled back and peered up into the mosaic of Ty’s glowing eyes.
“What was that for?” he asked just as breathless.
I smiled. “Our first kiss, alone.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
I’d gone back to the beach in the morning to practice with Ty, attempting to pull up a decent block from the bond. Now I was in my room, disappointed and rain-soaked. A three second kiss was far from progress. It was two steps backwards.
Irritated and over it, I tugged off my violet tank and jeans and torpedoed them onto the mess of my multi-toned purple bed. Annoyed with my continued lack of progress, I stomped into the bathroom. On top of bond issues, we hadn’t had time to look into who E.B. was from Caius’s experiment book yet. The pressure of everything we didn’t know was building. I needed to unwind.
I reached into the open-walled shower, turned on the tap, and then stripped off my underwear and bra. Exposed and waiting for the water to heat up, my focus slid sideways to the floor-length mirror backing the door. Little to no curves and tiny boobs. No surprise there. A little lower was a starburst scar below my ribs. The injury from falling through the floor to Caius’s torture chamber had completely healed. I touched the spot, feeling the smooth and rough texture of marbled flesh.
Then I froze.
A feeling of pure desire washed over me, of being aroused at the sight of my exposed body. Confused and panicked, I glanced around. Someone was watching me. I could feel the weight of their eyes taking in my mirrored reflection, and almost hear the
intake of breath at the sight of my bare flesh.
I tried to shake off the eerie paranoia as steam grew like a living organism around me. The door to the bathroom was closed. There was no one in here but me. I was alone. I was sure of it. Still the feelings remained, raw and strong…and embarrassed? The desire at the sight of my own naked flesh flared like an inferno, warming between my legs. There was panic now too, a feeling of needing to escape a house on fire. No, not my feelings…his.
Heat flared across my cheeks, burning with sudden realization. I scrambled, snatching the towel from the rail and flung it around my body. “What the hell are you doing?”
Shit! Kendrick’s panicked voice emerged in my mind. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I mean…I didn’t think you’d know.
I shut off the water, any embarrassment instantly turning to resentment. Didn’t think I’d freaking know?
It was bad enough that I couldn’t be alone with Ty. Now I couldn’t even shower in privacy? Plus I hadn’t even known it was Kendrick watching me. Yeah, I knew I could catch glimpses of what Kendrick was up to or where he was, but this? It was an invasion of privacy. A full body invasion.
How long has this been going on?
Kendrick sighed. Ever since we got back. I was going to tell you, but I knew how pissed you’d be. It’s not like I was doing it on purpose.
My stomach lurched. What else had he seen? What had he felt? I imagined Kendrick’s awareness when showering before today, as my hands scoured my body with sudsy soap, washing myself top to toe, and all the intimate parts in-between. Had he felt that too? The thought made me cringe. My best friend seeing me naked was one thing, but feeling every inch of my body at the same time was a completely different shade of mortifying.
It wasn’t like that. I swear. He began pacing, leaving track marks in the mink carpet in his bedroom. I’ve caught you watching Vampire Diaries by yourself and sneaking chocolate like you’re starving. But I’ve never seen you naked before. Well, not since I walked in on you at the Armaya by accident. I didn’t…
What? Enjoy it? Tempted to smash the mirror backing the door and the one above the marble vanity, I clenched my fists. Then I screamed, needing to release the violent tension that had my insides wound so tight they were about to snap. Get the hell out of my head!
The instant vacancy of Kendrick’s mind was like a door being slammed in my face. Standing cocooned within a big fluffy towel, I knew there was no way I could shower now. Kendrick wasn’t in my head this second, but he could reappear at any moment. If his inability to control his slips were anything like mine when I was around Ty, a slight flash of naked flesh is all it would take to bring him back.
There was no way in hell I was going to let this go on. It had to stop. Right. Now.
After dressing with my lids squeezed shut, I chucked on my new purple-laced Vans and tucked my iPod into my back pocket. Then I stormed out of my bedroom.
Opening my mind, I sensed Kendrick. He was out in the backyard, and he wasn’t alone. Not caring who was out there, I launched over the railing and landed in the foyer. I sprinted through the kitchen and out the terrace doors. “Kendrick, we need—”
My words cut off as a circular, polished, and almost transparent object flew at my face.
“Shit!” I ducked just in time, the orb hitting the door behind me. It connected with a splattering crash, sending crystal-like shards raining down around me and onto the footpath. The shards that touched my skin didn’t cut like glass, but rather, they were cold…and wet.
“Ah, sorry,” Dorian said, a smile painted across his face. He stood across the lawn, his fingers splayed while he tried not to laugh.
I stared at my brother while Kendrick shrunk on the stone bench to the side. My brain took a second to catch up to what had happened. “You did that?”
Dorian’s smile widened, flashing his perfect straight teeth. “Who ever thought water ability could be so cool.”
With my anger from a minute ago distracted, I took a seat beside Kendrick.
Kendrick cleared his throat. “I’ve seen water in action, and even I thought that was impressive. I mean, I’ve read about Pure Bloods moving large bodies of water. But freezing and throwing it? That’s something else.”
With new warmth growing across my face at the memory of Kendrick seeing me naked, I forced my attention onto Dorian. “Show me how it works.”
“Sure thing.” He stared at the ice shards on the paved footpath. His hand reached out, splayed fingers becoming tense.
For a few seconds nothing happened. Then I saw it. The ice was melting, each sliver liquefying until it was lost to the cracks between pavers. I was about to say, is that it, when the drops of water rose from the cracks. They began to move, slithering like water snakes until they all met, becoming a large puddle. The water bulged and began to lift, rising off the footpath and forming a liquid ball that rippled and spun. As the ball floated higher its surface changed, turning less transparent and more opaque. Cracking erupted, the sound of ice forming while the ball floated through the air. Then it stopped to hover above Dorian’s hands, spinning and coiling as if of its own accord.
“That’s amazing,” I breathed. Dorian’s power was cool, so much cooler and useful than my horrible visions. He could extract the water from living things and manipulate it from liquid to ice into a throwable weapon. “So what’s next?”
“How about we tackle the ‘me seeing you naked’ issue?” Kendrick said without preamble.
I coughed, choking on his unedited words. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about him seeing me naked, especially in front of my brother.
Dorian punched Kendrick in the arm, tight fist ready to throw another hit. “You saw my sister naked?”
“It wasn’t intentional. It’s a bond thing,” Kendrick said, as if that made it okay.
I glared at Kendrick, wanting to throttle him. The air suddenly became frigid, wind whipping cold as ice through my black top and jeans. With my brother here this was far from the time or place. I screamed internally, Shut—Up!
The protectiveness on Dorian’s face fizzled. “Well, I’m glad you’re bound to him and not me. The last thing I ever, ever want to see is you naked.”
“Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!” I screamed out loud, jumping to my feet. “This may be startling news to you both, but I don’t want to talk about either of you seeing me naked. This is not okay. I’ll never be able to shower again in my life!”
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Kendrick said, voice reasoning. “That’s why I’ve been trying to block you out so much. Even though it wasn’t on purpose, I felt like I was spying. With more practice you can keep me out too.”
“He’s right,” Dorian added. “Do you think I just woke up one day able to manipulate water? No. When I sensed something there, I explored it. I’ve been practicing these tricks since you left. And I’ve had obstacles, but with practice I’ve found ways to overcome them.”
“And you can too.” Kendrick got up and took my hand. “You’re strong, Amelia, whether you know it or not. You just have to let us help you.”
I humphed and propped my free hand on my non-existent hip. “Fine, I’ll let you both help me, but only if you promise not to mention the incident.”
“What incident?” Dorian shrugged.
Kendrick nodded. “Forgotten.” He led me into the center of the lawn, bordered by hedges that rustled with the dying wind. “I want to try something different. I think it’ll help with the bond issue.”
I searched Kendrick’s mind. I know—counterintuitive, seeing as the point was to put a block between our minds. What I found almost floored me. “You want me to try to bring on a vision? Are you freaking insane?”
Each vision was shocking and debilitating, haunting my dreams and remaining after my eyelids snapped open. There had even been one, back at the Armaya, where I’d been mentally torn from Caius’s office to find myself standing in the library, as a kind of astral projection that couldn’t s
peak or be seen, but was forced to watch Marcus’s plans going into action.
“Your power is so much stronger than anything I’ve read about. Is uncontrollable,” Kendrick rushed, knowing I was on the verge of losing it. “But it shouldn’t have to be. Dorian’s learned to control his, and I think you can too.”
“How will controlling Amelia’s visions affect her ability to block you?” Dorian questioned, seeming genuinely interested.
Kendrick walked past the line of trimmed hedges and dropped back onto the stone bench. “Your visions are part of your connection to spirit, which also created our bond. Everything is interlinked. So I’m hoping if you can learn to control one ability, then the other will become less of a stretch.”
“So why not practice bringing up the wall to block you?” I said, seeing much more relevance in continuing that than his crazy idea.
“Because we’ve tried that.” Kendrick ran a hand through his hair. “Plus we can practice that any time. This idea is something we haven’t tried. Imagine what could happen if you can learn to do this.”
“It’s worth a try,” Dorian voiced, moving to take the spot beside Kendrick. “Besides, what harm could it do?”
A lot, but I was starting to see their point. The visions were uncontrollable in every way. I had never even considered that they didn’t have to be. If I could hold them back, or will them on when I was prepared, then why wouldn’t I be able to control the bond? I’d already had small successes in that department, which would have to be a walk in the park if I could master control of my visions.
“Fine.” I hugged my arms around my body, not from cold, but in anticipation of the unknown. “So where do I start?”
“Focus,” Dorian said, surprising me. “That’s what I do. Concentrate on what you want to happen until your eyes and fingers tingle. Imagine the power is a part of you that you can control.”