Love, Lies and Blood Ties: A young adult paranormal romance (Love, Lies and Ties Book 2)

by C. J. Laurence

  “So what are you saying?”

  He held his arms wide open, inviting me in for a hug. “I’m saying that for now, you’re not leaving my side, ok? Until I figure out the next best move in this game I’m now playing, you’re with me, twenty-four-seven.”

  My heart wanted to swell at his protective words, my soul wanted to feel warm and safe, but instead I felt nothing but ice-cold fear, sheer terror at the unknown and what may be my untimely, grisly demise.

  I dared to let myself wonder if his actions meant that he cared for me deeper than what he would admit. Did he love me? Was this the reason why he hadn’t said the words I knew he wanted to say? I could see it in his eyes whenever he looked at me, yet he always held back, never declared the new boundaries of our relationship.

  Or was I just a desperate human, a pathetic young girl hooked up on some older guy, making mountains out of molehills, throwing everything out of perspective?

  Chapter Six

  Marcus stuck to his word. He didn’t leave my side. Even when I said I wanted a hot bubble bath, he ran the bath for me, somehow made the bubbles a foot high, then asked if he could sit in the bathroom with me.

  “I…well, we’ve kind of not even seen each other naked yet,” I said, my cheeks burning with awkwardness.

  “If you’re uncomfortable with it, that’s fine. I just thought we could chat that’s all, instead of being in separate rooms.”

  I pressed my lips together and looked at the mountain of bubbles. “Ok. Let me get in the bath first, then you can come in.” A wicked thought crossed my mind. “On one condition.”

  He raised an eyebrow as he tweaked his lips into a smirk. “This sounds ominous.”

  “All I’m thinking is that if I’m going to be in there naked,” I said, pointing at the bathtub. “Then it seems only fair that I get to look at something too.”

  His smirk changed into a grin. “You want me to sit in here naked with you?”

  My entire body flushed with heat just at the thought, but I shook my head. “You’ve seen me in my underwear,” I said, my temperature rising by ten degrees as I thought about that night in his bed. “But I haven’t even seen you with your shirt off. It seems only fair that I get to ogle like you did.”

  A gentle laugh sounded from him, filling the room with happiness. “I must warn you first though.”

  I frowned. “Of what? Do you sparkle or something?”

  “No,” he said, chuckling. “If you faint at the sight of my godly body, it’s at your own risk.”

  I burst out laughing. “Ok, Ryan. I’ll bear that in mind.”

  “Ryan?”

  “Ryan Gosling.”

  “He’s blonde, Caitlyn.”

  “Have you seen Crazy, Stupid, Love?”

  He shook his head.

  I whipped my phone out of my pocket and brought up YouTube. I searched for the one scene that had literally made me gasp and say ‘oh my god’ out loud the first time I saw it.

  “Watch this,” I said, holding my phone out to Marcus.

  I studied him as he watched it. His eyes twinkled with life, a soft edge lining the corners of them. His pink lips were slightly parted and I found myself craving to kiss them. He looked peaceful, serene, and I wondered if I would ever get to watch him sleep.

  “I agree,” he said, handing my phone back to me. “He’s photoshopped.”

  I laughed. “He so isn’t. Anyway, my point is, I didn’t faint at that so I think I can handle seeing you.”

  He pulled me into him and tilted my chin up. “My dear Caitlyn. Seeing something on a screen is entirely different to seeing it in real life. But I take your point. Just bear in mind you have been warned.”

  I grinned. “Thank you for the concern for my health again but I’ll be fine.”

  He pecked my lips and then said, “Let me know when you’re ready.”

  I smirked and shooed him out of the door. As I undressed, I couldn’t help but wonder what he would look like. Would he be a Ryan Gosling or something better? Was it even possible for vampires to have a stunning physique? It’s not like they could benefit from protein shakes or red meat.

  Slipping under the bubbles, my mind played with the idea of placing the bubbles strategically to tease him. Just a glimpse of flesh here and there. I loved the way he looked at me that night at his. I’d never had anyone look at me like that.

  “I’m ready,” I said, chickening out of the peep show idea. I covered myself up to my neck with thick layers of bubbles.

  As I laid my head back against the rolled edge of the bathtub, I turned my head to the left to watch the door open and waited for his grand entrance. Fizzy tingles shot all the way around me as the anticipation rose to the point I almost laughed with nervousness.

  When the brass door handle finally moved, I held my breath. When the door opened, I bit my lip. However, when I saw Marcus, I couldn’t help but say, “Wow.”

  My entire body turned to jelly which meant that my legs gave way and I slipped beneath the water. I came up seconds later, spluttering for air and coughing, furiously wiping water out of my eyes just so I could see him again.

  “Are you ok?” he said, coming to the tub, chuckling.

  I nodded. “Yes. Stand back over there,” I said, pointing to the doorway. “I’m not finished ogling.”

  He obliged, a beaming grin on his handsome face.

  This incredible man before me made Ryan Gosling look like an every day average bloke. Every millimetre of him was so defined I’d never seen anything like it. Not even on a poster or in a film.

  “Are you wearing make up?” I asked, squinting my eyes at his body.

  His skin looked as soft as snow, it almost seemed to glisten under the lights and the way it moved with each steady breath he took made me think of ice cream for some reason. He didn’t have a six pack, he had an eight pack, and every single inch looked like it had been stuck on him. I could see every muscle, taut and defined, beneath his smooth skin. Even his shoulders and arms, every sinew was visible.

  “What do you mean am I wearing make up?”

  “That…you’re…so defined. You must be wearing make up to create shadows or something.”

  He laughed. “I’m afraid not. This is au natural.”

  “I’ve never seen anything like…” I waved my hand in his general direction “…well, you, that.”

  My eyes kept lingering on the V that pointed down and disappeared beneath his jeans. He must have caught that because he decided to pop the button open with a wicked grin.

  “Did you seriously just do that?” I asked.

  “I think I seriously just did,” he replied, smirking.

  I scowled and turned my attention to the ceiling. “That’s it. No more attention for you.”

  “May I take a seat now then if you’re done ogling?”

  “Sure, whatever,” I said, waving my hand dismissively and trying to sound nonchalant.

  He chuckled and sat down on the floor, leaning his head back against the wall. I couldn’t help but give in and look at him. Thankfully, he started a conversation about the rest of the evening at the ball which relaxed me somewhat, especially when he detailed all the things his family said to him. After that mild entertainment, I started quizzing him some more on vampire things.

  “What cool things can you do other than run fast and compel people?”

  “You missed the strength,” he said, flashing me a cheesy grin.

  I rolled my eyes. “Other than the normal, is there anything else you can do?”

  “If I tell you this, I’ll have to kill you.”

  I grinned. “That sounds intriguing.”

  He laughed. “I guess I can spare you on this occasion. This only applies to born vampires. Made vampires are nothing but what TV and film depict. All born vampires have the ability to absorb and reuse magic.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Providing it isn’t water based, of course. Say for instance I had a fight with a witch—”r />
  “Witches are real?”

  He chuckled. “Yes, Caitlyn. They are very real. Isis was a powerful witch, remember?”

  “You said Goddess.”

  “And what powers do they possess?”

  The lightbulb flicked on. “That hadn’t even dawned on me.”

  “There are a lot of them. They’re not as rare as you might think.”

  “Do you know any? Do I know any?”

  “I do, yes. I’m not at liberty to answer if you do I’m afraid.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if they wanted you to know their secret then they would tell you themselves. The first rule of our world is that no one outs anyone to the outside world.”

  I hadn’t really thought of Marcus’ world being any bigger than a handful of vampires. Now witches were involved too, it suddenly seemed like this was literally an entire society that lived among humans, silently.

  “Ok, that’s fair. I understand. So how big exactly is this world you live in?”

  “Huge. It runs right alongside humans.”

  “Wow. Is it just vampires and witches?”

  He grimaced.

  “Right. Not at liberty to say?”

  He nodded. “I’m sorry, Caitlyn, but the world we live in has only survived because of its secrecy. Our Elders are very strict about this.”

  “Elders?”

  “They are the ones in charge. Similar to humans and presidents and kings, etcetera. We have our own laws to abide by as well as human ones.”

  “That sounds really dull and boring. Where’s the freedom? Why don’t you want humans knowing about you?”

  “Because all they’d do is freak out there are more powerful beings than them and kill us.”

  “But you have all the power. You could wipe out the whole of humanity in a matter of days.”

  He nodded. “Yes, of course we could. But then where’s the food source? Or sacrifices for the witches?”

  I jerked my head back. “Sacrifices?”

  “Unfortunately, it’s a real thing.”

  “Wow. I feel like my head is going to explode.”

  He chuckled. “It’s a lot to take in.”

  “What were you saying before, about vampires reusing magic or something?”

  “Right, yes. Obviously the only people who can create and use magic are witches. There are frictions between the species, as you’d expect, and there are a high number of occasions where they use their magic against us. However, there’s a catch.”

  “I like the sound of this,” I said, grinning.

  “A witch can bring a made vampire to his knees within seconds, much like on fictional shows. However, born vampires are a different breed. We already have magic in our blood so they can’t wield their power over us so simply, much to their disgust.”

  “But they can do something?”

  “Every witch has a basic element they can control. The majority of them are single elementals. Only a handful of bloodlines have the ability to control two or more. Water isn’t a common one, unfortunately for them. The most popular are fire and air. Earth is about as rare as water. If they use their elemental abilities to attack a born vampire, all they do is give us more power. It’s like getting a power boost.”

  Instantly, the dream I had at Marcus’ house sprung to mind. Before I could stop myself, the question slipped out. “Who’s Katherine?”

  He frowned, a deep crease settling in his perfect skin. “Katherine?”

  “The night you took me to Jolene’s, when I slept at yours, what made me wake up at silly o clock was a dream I’d had. It was you chasing me, except I wasn’t me. She, I, whoever, had blonde hair and she threw a fireball at you. Then she fell off a cliff.”

  His entire face changed. He jumped to his feet and rushed to my side quicker than I could blink. “Are you telling me the truth?”

  I nodded. “Yes.” I then proceeded to tell him every detail I remembered about the dream. “When I fell back off the cliff, the fall is what woke me up. I was so freaked out and you’d gone. That’s why I called Luke. I just needed someone around me. That and I thought you’d dumped me.”

  “Caitlyn, that wasn’t a dream.” He leant into the bubbles and picked my hand up. “That actually happened. Word for word exactly as you described it.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even know how to process the possible meaning of it.

  “That happened a very long time ago,” he said. “Sixteen-forty-eight to be exact.”

  “But that wasn’t your mum?”

  He shook his head.

  “So who else am I connected to then? Is this doppelganger thing more than what you said?”

  “I don’t know. I need to find answers—for you and me.”

  I pressed my lips together for a moment and then asked the inevitable question. “Who was she?”

  “Forgive me, for what I’m about to say. You must understand I haven’t always been as you know me.”

  I nodded.

  “She was just another meal. Unfortunately, I was a little off my game and she got away from me.”

  “Did she die?”

  He smirked and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of my hand. “Oh no. She survived. In fact, you’ve met her.”

  I frowned. “When? Who?”

  “Selina.”

  Chapter Seven

  I gasped. “Wait, what? Selina was, is, Katherine?”

  He nodded.

  “She’s a witch?”

  He pulled his lips into a thin line. “Was.”

  “I remember you saying now that she’s not human. What is she?”

  He closed his eyes and sighed. “That was a slip of the tongue I shouldn’t have let happen. I was hoping you’d forgotten about that.”

  I grinned. “Sorry to disappoint.”

  He opened his eyes, his sapphire blue depths alive with tenderness. “My sweet Caitlyn, you never disappoint.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “So what is she?”

  “If I tell you this, you must not, under any circumstances, reveal to anyone that you know. I am merely telling you so you can put closure to your dream. Do you understand?”

  I motioned a zip being pulled close across my lips.

  “Selina is a siren.”

  “No! Really?”

  He nodded. “The bottle of wine that she sent to me that night at Jolene’s wasn’t one she took from me.”

  “Ok…”

  “After she fell into the sea, I thought nothing more of her. As far as I was concerned, she was just another witch who had plummeted to her death. It was when I was at that vineyard that I discovered Katherine had in fact survived and become something else. She renamed herself because she considers this life a rebirth.”

  “Are there a lot of them—sirens?”

  “Depends what you consider a lot. There’s at least one that permanently resides in every coastal town or city across the globe.”

  I couldn’t quite process this, it seemed so surreal. “That’s…wow. But how come she can walk on land? Sirens live in the sea.”

  “Sirens can’t lure sailors to their deaths like the old days. Modern ships and fisherman’s tales have ruined that somewhat for them. Instead they come on land, seduce their prey, and entice them into the sea.”

  “That is so cool.”

  Marcus raised an eyebrow. “Tempting someone to their death is cool? Should I be worried about you?”

  I giggled. “Just the way it works is fascinating. I have to ask though, what do sirens, you know, eat? Or do they drink the blood?”

  He cleared his throat. “They don’t drink blood, no. They eat the heart and the liver and discard the rest.”

  A violent shiver ran down my spine. Something about the way he said ‘discard’ really bothered me. It was almost as if he were talking about a dead animal.

  I gasped.

  “Are you ok?” he asked, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand.

  “I…you basically
treat humans like we treat animals for slaughter…” I shivered again “…it’s rather chilling.”

  “Unfortunately, yes. But just like with animals, nothing gets wasted.”

  “That doesn’t make it better, Marcus,” I said, shaking my head. I frowned. “What do you mean nothing gets wasted?”

  “Well there are fish in the sea, Caitlyn. Fish aren’t too fussy about what goes in their mouths you know. If it fits, it goes in.”

  Something didn’t quite sit right with me there. I couldn’t imagine a mutilated body floating in the sea for days on end whilst random fish happened upon it and pecked away at it. It would take weeks for it to be completely gone.

  I shook my head. “No. I’ve seen umpteen murder documentaries about bodies disposed of at sea. Even taking into account decomposition and other factors like rough seas and sea birds picking at it, you’re looking at a minimum of two weeks before it’s nothing but bones. That’s two weeks of possible ships going past and sighting it, no control over where the current takes it, it’s too high risk.”

  He gave a light chuckle. “You’re either too obsessed with murder documentaries or too clever for your own good.”

  I grinned. “My vote is both.”

  He laughed. “I’m inclined to agree.”

  “Are you going to tell me what really happens to the bodies?”

  He pulled his lips into a thin line and sighed. “Sirens have what you might call pets.”

  “Pets. You mean like tuna? Or maybe a seahorse?”

  He tipped his head back and laughed. “Not quite. More like giant squid.”

  My jaw dropped. “They’re an actual thing?”

  “I’m afraid so. Whatever the sirens don’t eat they give to their squid.”

  “Well, I guess that explains the food source for giant sea monsters.”

  Marcus laughed. “Like I said, nothing gets wasted.”

  “Clearly,” I replied, raising an eyebrow. “If they come on land to find their…meals, how does that work with having to live in the water?”

  “Their water dwelling times are dictated by the moon. On a full moon they need to be in the sea for the duration of it. The other phases, as the moon becomes more of a crescent, they get more time on land. I don’t know the full ins and outs of it.”