by J. L. Myers
I rubbed my eyes, trying to block out the image of Ty cold, stiff, and dead. Then emptiness dawned on me. Kendrick wasn’t in my mind. I sent out feelers through the bond, but sensed nothing. No connection. No thoughts or emotions. Just me, alone. Normally I would have appreciated the privacy, but not now. Kendrick’s injury from earlier and his recapped events didn’t sit well. Remembering that memory block had my stomach churning. Something was wrong.
Leaving my mangled dessert, I headed for the cabin and my iPhone. When I reached the room I paused. Ty was probably in there and I knew I needed to talk things out with him, but a sinking feeling told me Kendrick needed me first. I opened the door to find the lights already on. Ty stood outside on the balcony, the sliding door closed and the drapes drawn open. He glanced back at me, and his face didn’t change. It just remained frozen and blank. I looked away and grasped my iPhone from the bed, dialing Kendrick’s number.
‘Out hitting the slopes. So leave a message and I might call you back later.’
Kendrick’s phone was either turned off, or worse…out of range. “Dammit.”
The sliding door opened. “What’s going on?”
“Oh.” I spun and was met by a gust of humid sea air as Ty came in. “Kendrick’s blocked me out, and—”
“Great.” Ty yanked the sliding door shut. “Let’s talk about your soul mate and how much you’re missing him.”
“Ty, it’s not like that. I’m worried something bad has happened.”
“Like what?” Ty leaned back against the glass, crossing his arms over his chest.
I knew I could have gone into detail, but there was no point. Ty would only put these little glimpses down to being misplaced affection. So I kept to the facts. “Kendrick was injured earlier, when I, ah…visited him. He was keeping something from me, too. And now I can’t even feel him. It’s like he’s not here anymore.”
Ty’s guarded face softened. He took my arm and pulled me down onto the foot of the bed. “He’s not dead, Amelia. I’m sure everything is fine. He’s probably just zonked out sleeping off a full day boarding. Can you, um, you know, visit him when he’s sleeping?”
I frowned. Today had been the second so-called ‘visit’ to Kendrick, but neither this one nor the first had been while he was asleep. “I don’t know.”
“Well, that’s all it is then.”
I clasped and unclasped my hands. “Ty, I’m sorry…”
“No. Don’t be.” His words silenced me. “I just took the new Kendrick link badly. I didn’t mean to push the subject.”
Feeling the walls between us fall, I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders. “Ty, I don’t want to lose you, ever.” I hugged him like I’d never get the chance again. “But I can’t risk your life.”
Ty slumped as his arms curled around my waist. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I arched away from him, peering into his now golden eyes. “You’re humoring me?”
Ty’s smile said it all. “We can spend the rest of my life arguing about this, or we could spend our time living it…”
The last of what Ty was saying died as my vision swam with black, the cabin light blinking out. Whipping wind rose, my hair flailing around my face like a living scarf intent on blocking my view. I glanced around, trying to see something through the darkness. A pair of glowing red eyes appeared, blinking from the shadows.
“Nice to finally meet you.” The man’s hissed words were cold and deadly.
I jumped upright, my heart hammering through my ears. Confused and feeling out-of-body, I wondered if this was somehow a vision of what Kendrick was keeping from me.
The guy moved from the shadows, killing my thoughts. The escaping moonlight caught across his chalky gray flesh and sharp glinting fangs.
Terror struck through me. “W-what do you want?” Though I said the words, it was like my voice and tone was mute. Still I took a step back, cringing at the radiating fear I felt in those words.
The guy’s smile widened. “Just you.”
He lunged forward faster than light. I turned to run. Too slow. The guy’s ice-cold hands caught around my neck. I struggled as his grip tightened, pulling me back into the shadows…
~
Someone’s hands held me down. The smell of sweet blood was thick in the air. And I was starving.
I thrashed to get free and broke away. Still blinded, there was only one thing on my mind. Blood.
Without sight my other senses directed me as I lunged, finding the source and knocking it down. A male grunted as we hit the ground, and I snapped my fangs, aiming for the neck. But this one was strong.
One hand caught my throat. The other pushed against my shoulder, spinning me over until he was on top of me.
“Amelia, stop!” The familiar voice rushed.
I was hardly listening. The pull to his blood was too strong. I snapped my fangs again, starving. I needed to tap a vein like a needed air to breathe.
The rose color began to fade from my vision. Cabin walls reformed, along with our bed and the balcony door. Above me a black-haired and golden-eyed guy struggled to keep me pinned.
My thrashing vanished and my eyes widened. “Ty?”
Unable to help it, I zeroed in on the pulsing vein up his neck. Beyond the surprise of him, the need to attack was rebuilding with force.
I slammed my fists into his chest.
Ty’s hold released and he fell back, knocking into the table.
Free, I shot into the bathroom and locked the door, slumping against it. Struggling for breath, I saw my reflection in the small mirror. My irises were shinning silver, my whites crimson. Blue veins ran like spider webs across my face and down my neck and chest. They were all physical reactions that went hand in hand with having a vision.
Ty belted on door. “Amelia! Open up.”
My stomach clenched in starvation. A sinister voice in my head whispered, Open the door. Take one little bite. You know you want to.
“Amelia, what happened?” Ty sounded panicked and breathless. “Let me in, dammit!”
I clenched my fists to keep from sliding open the latch. I was going to attack Ty again, and he was worried about me? I banged my skull against the door, once, twice, three times. “Ty, I’m so sorry. All I could smell was blood. I—I didn’t know…”
“It’s okay.” There was a loud exhale and a thump, as if Ty had dropped his forehead against the door. “You had a vision, right? That’s why you’re starving.”
“And that makes it okay?” I bit out between grated teeth.
“It’s a learning curve,” Ty said, still right outside. “It doesn’t make you a monster.” After a silent pause he said, “Amelia, you need blood. Open up and let me help you. Let me feed you.”
The shudder that ran down my entire body had my stomach turning and my fangs aching. “No!”
There was no way I was going to risk lunging at Ty like the monster I was, even if he could hold me back. Monster by Skillet started looping in my subconscious, a devious reminder of the thing that lived right beneath the surface. The thing I may never have full control over.
“I don’t want you to see me like this. I just need…”
“Blood,” Ty said. Footsteps moved away from the door. “Got it.” A few long seconds later he returned and knocked. “There’s a glass full right outside the door. Drink it when you’re ready. I’ll be waiting on the balcony.”
When I was sure he’d left the room and closed the balcony door behind him, I cracked open the door. Ty’s sweet-smelling blood waited in a topped glass beyond the barrier. My hand shot out and claimed the glass. In seconds it was empty. I took a few deep breaths, watching as the blood returned my features to normal and took the edge off. Then I meekly slid out to the balcony.
Ty smiled up from the deck chair. A small bulb on the wall lent light to the darkness of night. All that filled the night air was the roll of waves slicing around the ship. “Better?”
I nodded, still feeling shitty over what I’d tried to
do to him. Thankfully, Ty changed the subject. “So what did you see in the vision?”
“I’m not sure.” I sank into the spare deck chair, staring out over the railing. In the moving darkness of the surrounding ocean, I imagined those burning red eyes again. Their crazed hunger reminded me of how I looked just minutes ago. I shivered and blinked. “I think the vision might have been of Kendrick. Something with fangs and red eyes was about to attack, when I—” I broke off not wanting to say, when I came to and tried to attack you.
Without hesitation Ty took my hand over the table. “Think back. Did you see snow? Was it cold?”
I remembered the cool gust of wind and shadows. “No. It had been cool, but not cold like being in the snow. And it was windy. So wherever this happens, it’s outside.” Relief washed over me. “It couldn’t have been at the ski resort.”
“Then it must happen once we’re all back,” Ty said. “And now that we know it’s coming, we can prepare.”
“How?” I asked, wondering if Ty planned to stake out this threat and take it down.
Ty stood, pulling me up before him. Anticipation transformed his face. “As soon as we get back, I’m going to train you to fight.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Are you coming?” Ty called out from the low rippling waves as a flock of gulls squawked overhead.
His voice pulled me from my distracted stare down at the yellow, gritty shore of Lifou, our second port of call in New Caledonia. Abandoning my unending worry over Kendrick’s continued silence, I sighed, glanced out at the crystalline aqua sea…and almost collapsed to my knees. The sun dipped over the waves, defining each ripple that made up Ty’s six-pack. Even lower was the indentation that ran diagonally from his hips to disappear below the waist of his board shorts.
I covered my lingering gaze by dropping my towel, revealing a skimpy purple and silver bikini with lace-ups fastening the bottoms around my hips. With all this sun and lack of clothing needed, along with Ty’s approving glances, my self-confidence was growing.
“Coming,” I called, wading through the salty water to join him.
With a smile I placed my hands on his shoulders. I leaned in to almost kiss him, a ploy, before I pushed him under. The distraction caught him off guard and he laughed, spitting water as he broke the surface.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he mock-growled. A wicked smile curved his mouth as he grasped my waist, throwing me through the air to bomb through the swells.
I flitted back to the surface as Ty’s familiar hands grazed my thighs and waist. He’d swum over to me in the time it took me to fall through the air. “You’re quick.”
He pressed a hot kiss to my lips. “Faster than you.” His full lips smiled, teasing.
I glanced around, checking that the other cruisers weren’t watching us. Then I challenged his words by saying, “then catch me,” before diving under. In my full power I torpedoed through the thick seawater, out the protective alcove, and around the island. I peered back for a split second. Ty was right behind me, so close that he could almost touch me. I pushed on harder and swam up the river’s mouth. In the shallower water I darted around boulders as well as fallen and submerged trees. None of it slowed Ty down. And soon I was running out of river. I twisted below the surface, slowing before coming to a dead end.
Ty’s hands connected with my hips and pushed me up, breaking the surface. We floated there, my hips pressed to his chest. His irises blazed. “Caught you.”
My cheeks heated up and I glanced around. Surrounding the lagoon on almost all sides was a lush tropical forest. It was vibrantly green, providing contrast to the gushing waterfall plunging right behind us from eighty feet above. Its clear, mirror-like surface was an awe-inspiring sight. “Wow, this is so beautiful.”
The perfection of this natural setting amazed me. I had seen the most picturesque waterfall, compliments of Ty and his ability to create any setting in a dreamscape, with unbelievable perfection. The smells, sights, and sounds made each dream with him so close to reality that I had, on a few occasions, allowed myself to get swept away with it all. But this setting we were floating in was a reality. And I was here with Ty. Alone.
“You’re beautiful,” Ty said. He lowered me to the rocky ground below until our faces were less than an inch apart.
Motionless, with our bodies grazing, we stared into each other’s eyes. Ty took a few steps forward, submerging our bodies under the waterfall. Then he ran a hand up my side. A shock of electricity crackled along my skin at his touch, stopping as his palm met my cheek. The water tumbled over our bodies, each drop like massaging fingers. Ty’s head dipped, his hair falling over his forehead. His firm hand connected with my waist. In preparation, I built up the walls around my mind. Kendrick was still absent, but that didn’t mean I wanted him butting back in any time soon.
Ty waited until I nodded and smiled. Then any and all restraint vanished. Our lips met with the hungry passion I’d been restraining since my close call with death. It was passion that had existed between us from the start. The same undeniable draw I had always felt since I’d fallen for him at first sight. And now with Kendrick absent, this was a completely personal experience. Knowing that had my heart drumming in my chest, in rhythm to Ty’s hammering pulse. My entire body pressed harder against his, trapping the amulet between our hearts. Still needing him closer, my arm curled around his neck, my lips coaxing his to open. Our tongues grazed as Ty’s hands folded around my back. His heated fingers slid over my cold body with hungry pressure. Within our kiss I sensed a pause as Ty lowered his hands. They hovered above my thighs before gripping tight to lift me off the ground. Gasping, I wrapped my legs around his body. Being this close to him heightened every one of my senses. Every stroke of his fingers ignited my flesh. His breathing raced along with his pulse. The scent of him overwhelmed even the taste of salt on his skin. Every heartbeat was clear and distinct, begging me to taste.
Lost in the moment, I tore my throbbing lips from Ty’s, trailing rough kisses over his chin and along his sharp jaw line. Ty’s arms tightened around me and his head tilted to the side. An unmistakable invitation. Feeling in control, I let my fangs extend as I ran my tongue over his collarbone. My grip on his neck tightened and I bit down. The second his fiery sweet blood hit my tongue, an uncontrollable surge began to throb through me. Ty groaned, sliding a heated hand roughly up my side. His touch softened, slowing as he cupped my breast. I gasped through embedded fangs, reveling in the touch of his strong, massaging hand. An expectant bulge pushed against my pelvis, flaring a deeper yearning at my core.
Stop! a sudden and soundless voice screamed. Nausea, anger, and depression flooded me like a tidal wave.
I ripped my fangs from Ty’s neck and froze. This had to be the worst timing ever. Kendrick had resurfaced and he wasn’t just hearing my thoughts. He was inside my mind. Living this experience. So now you’re freaking back?
Ty’s hold on me remained tight, his hand still cupping my breast and his breathing as fast as mine. I closed my eyes, focusing everything I had on forming a block. I knew I needed to talk to Kendrick and find out what was up with the disappearing act. But right now he could wait. Ty, who still held me close, was studying my features. He deserved an explanation.
Once I felt our privacy in check I bit my lip, dreading Ty’s reaction. But his face was curious, not angry or confused. I leaned my head back, allowing the water flow to wash away the traces of Ty’s spilled blood from my mouth. Pulling my head back out of the water, I gazed into Ty’s intense eyes. Mine were a sight I imagined, with gleaming silver irises and scarlet-stained whites. They were the eyes of a predator. But Ty didn’t seem to notice. “You’re not angry?”
Ty frowned in confusion. He breathed slowly, in and out, his hammering heartbeat at odds with the slow breaths. “Are you kidding?” His perfect lips twisted into a seductive smile. “You were amazing.”
With Ty’s blood surging through my body, I could feel my cheeks flare vibrant re
d. “But I…”
Ty raised a finger to my lips. “Shh.” There was a knowing glint in his eyes as he shrugged. “I know. Kendrick’s back.” His voice was so soft and calm and not pissed in any way. “But we made progress.”
I smiled. Ty was right. We had kissed and touched intimately, and I had even drunk from him without worrying that I couldn’t stop. Until the last few seconds we had been alone, completely unrestricted and lost in the moment. It may have only been a few minutes of pure unadulterated bliss, but it was still progress. Most of our luck may have more to do with Kendrick blocking me, but right now I was keeping him out. Usually a flurry of emotions or desires would cloud my ability, but in this moment I was succeeding. A surge of hope lit my heart. Perhaps one day I would have enough control to block and keep Kendrick out completely. Maybe even long enough to truly be with Ty. A triumphant smile spread across my face. “You’re right.”
Ty pointed to a large flat rock centering the lagoon. “Let’s cool down.”
My body was still humming and I needed to talk to Kendrick. “Good idea.”
We swam over and pulled ourselves out of the water. Ty reclined on his back, closing his eyes as the sun coated his body with golden light. I drew my knees to my chest and let the walls in my head fall.
Where the hell have you been? I demanded, trying to keep the fury from my body language. I probed into Kendrick’s memories. I wasn’t in his head, thank God, but I could access him mind. He had been snowboarding, day and night, apparently having a ball and getting to know… You met a girl?
Kendrick didn’t answer.
Dammit, Kendrick. Do you know how worried I’ve been? I wanted to shake him, the glowing sunlight bearing down on me further boiling my blood. I thought something had attacked you. Hell, I even thought you could be freaking dead!
Regret poured from Kendrick. Sorry. I didn’t expect to…meet someone.
I slapped my forehead. Ty had said that Kendrick was probably having fun, but I had kept my skepticism. Never for a second had I expected Kendrick to meet someone. Not when his feelings for me were so strong. A pang of jealousy flooded me, like water filling my lungs. It wasn’t because I couldn’t imagine him with someone else. Well, not really. I had always thought of Kendrick as mine, my best friend, and now my soul’s mate. Since his confession of love, the thought of him moving on had never even crossed my mind.