“I’m always here for you, Cat. You know that,” he whispered, stroking the back of my hand.
“I know, thank you.”
He hugged me tighter and pressed a kiss to my head. “You’ve no need to thank me.”
I couldn’t hold back the tears then. They leaked out of my eyes, silent, but in streams, soaking his shirt in a matter of minutes.
“Hey,” he said, pulling back slightly. He tilted my chin up and said, “Don’t cry. You’re too pretty to cry, especially over Marcus bloody Davenport.”
I giggled. “It’s not just him. I just feel very overwhelmed by everything.”
“Ok,” he said, pushing my head back into his chest. “Because he doesn’t deserve your tears.”
I smiled. The more that seemed to be unravelling around me, the more I realised I probably had a whole world of lies and revelations to pick my way through. The hardest thing would be knowing who I could trust.
***
Dad looked dreadful. I made it to his room in time just as he woke up. His skin looked sallow and saggy and was quite literally the worst thing I had ever seen. I couldn’t believe this was my dad. The man I loved all my life was wasting away in front of me and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Or was there?
Seeing him looking so terrible immediately squashed my appetite but I forced the scrambled eggs and toast down me so he didn’t worry there was anything wrong.
“Do you mind if I have a nap before we take a look at the books again?” he asked, his voice even weak and fragile.
“Of course not. I’ll go help with the rooms and check in in about an hour.”
He patted my hand and closed his eyes, dozing off back to sleep. I bit my lip to stem the flow of tears welling up. If eating exhausted him, how long really did he have left?
As quietly as I could, I crept out of his room and ran upstairs to find Joanna. I found her at the end of the first floor. I guessed she’d used some ‘additional’ help to get this far in an hour.
“Hey,” she said, grinning as she saw me running towards her.
I bundled her into the nearest room and closed the door. “You have to help me.”
She frowned. “With what?”
“With my dad. There must be something you can do to stop him dying!”
“We work magic, Cat, not miracles.”
“Same thing.”
She shook her head. “No, it really isn’t. The kindest thing to do would be to alleviate his suffering.”
I took a step back. “What?”
“Do you like seeing him in so much pain?”
“Of course not.”
“Then wish for it to happen sooner rather than later because he is in agony, Cat.”
“I just want my dad,” I said, my voice cracking. “There must be something you can do.”
Joanna stepped forwards and gave me a hug. “We can’t save someone from death when they’re this far gone, Cat, I’m sorry. It’s his time.”
I pulled away and looked her in the eye. “Are you just saying that so his magic gets recycled back?”
Her eyes widened and filled with surprise. “My goodness, no. If we wanted his magic that bad, he’d be dead already.” She clamped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. That came out harsher than I expected.”
I shook my head. “It’s ok. I’m sorry. My head is all over the place today.”
“You’ve had a lot happen in a short space of time.” She put her hand on mine and said, “I know Keres gave you a memory unlock potion. Go and give it to him and enjoy the time you have left talking about everything.”
I had the vial in my pocket. “Ok, thank you.”
“I’m here whenever you need to talk. Go and spend the day doing something fun and clear your mind. I’ve got the rooms.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. Now go.”
I nodded and wandered back downstairs. I could hear Dad’s snores from outside his room. Sophie looked like she had a hand on things in the kitchen which left me at a bit of a loose end. I wandered back through the kitchen and outside, heading to my apartment, when Luke opened my apartment door.
“Ah, there you are,” he said, a coy smile on his face. “Come on.”
I frowned. “Come on, what?”
“You’re coming with me for the day.”
“Where?”
“Riding.”
I squealed in delight. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
He pulled his lips tight and said, “We’ll have to take your car though…”
“Ok…not that I mind, but why?”
He scratched the back of his head and said, “Well, I kind of didn’t drive over here last night.”
“How did you…oh. Really?”
He nodded. “I was rather angry. We’re faster than those leeches.” He smirked. “I don’t think he was expecting me to turn up so quickly.”
“Oh for goodness sake, quit it already with the pissing contest will you?” I rolled my eyes and turned towards my apartment. “Let me get my keys.”
He chuckled. “Stay here. Let me get your keys.”
“They’re on the—”
“I got it,” he said, smiling.
Seconds later he emerged with my keys. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. I stood staring at him.
“I’m holding the door open for you,” he said.
“It’s my car, I’m driving,” I said, opening the drivers door.
“Oh no you’re not. I don’t get driven around by women. It’s my job to drive them around.”
“Well, today you’re redundant.”
He snorted. “I don’t think so.”
“You don’t have insurance,” I said, giving him a triumphant smile.
“I have a trade policy. I’m covered to drive anything.”
I scowled. “My car, I’m driving.”
“Fine,” he said, throwing me the keys. “But if you don’t let me drive, then I’m not letting you ride.”
My jaw dropped. “That is so not fair.”
He winked. “I can play just as dirty.”
I cursed him under my breath. Then, with all the strength I could muster, chucked the keys back at him. He caught them in one hand, cool as a cucumber, and a stupid Chesire cat grin on his face.
“Just enjoy my chivalry,” he said, still holding the door open for me. “There’s not much of it left in this world.”
I glared at him but said nothing as I climbed into the passenger seat of my own car. He shut the door and chuckled at my seething expression. Karma was yet to come though. He sat in the drivers seat and then looked around the car, his eyes bulging as he took in all the rubbish, loose stones, and bits of fluff.
“Bet you want me to drive now, hmmm?”
“Does a homeless person live in here?” he asked, raising his eyebrows at me.
“Carry on and find out.”
He laughed. “Seriously, Cat, this is gross. What is wrong with you?”
“I’m a busy girl. A lot of my food is grab and go.”
“And you clearly think you’re driving a bin.”
“I do remember you offered to clean it actually…”
He wagged his finger from side to side at me. “Oh, no, no, no. We had a pinky promise that if I broke it, this was the punishment. You have no worries about me breaking that promise, that’s for sure.”
“Chicken.”
“No, I just appreciate my health.”
“Which considering you’re supernatural, you have better health than us humans.”
He grinned. “You’re not human.”
“Goddammit.”
He laughed and struck up the engine. He instantly lowered both windows and reversed the car out of its space.
“What are you doing?” I said, pushing the button for my window to go back up.
“Airing it out of any mould spores.”
I laughed. “Oh come on. It’s not that bad.”
<
br /> He pushed a button on the drivers side door which locked the windows in place. The freezing October air bit at my cheeks as he drove down the road. I said nothing, intent that he was not going to get the last laugh at this.
“I have another idea,” he said, the tone of amusement in his voice making me want to instantly groan.
“Do I dare even ask?”
I looked at him to see him grinning like an idiot. “Remember that whole thing with the car…”
“What thing with the car?”
“About going to buy a new one in trashy clothes.”
I groaned. “No, Luke, no.”
“Oh come on, it’ll be fun.”
“I don’t want to go miles away with Dad being so poorly.”
“We won’t go miles away. York at the furthest, I promise.”
“But that’s like an hour and a half away, Luke. What if something happens?”
“Then we come back.”
“But it’ll take ages.”
“Well, where I was planning on going riding is three hours.”
I gawped. “Three hours there?”
He nodded.
“Are you lying to me just to get me to agree to this ridiculous car idea?”
He slapped a hand over his heart. “Would I do such a thing?”
“Yes.”
“I’m hurt, Cat, genuinely hurt.”
“Sure,” I said, fighting the urge to smile. “Fine. Let’s do it. Shut you up about it at least.”
“Are you serious?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t make me say it again.”
He pounded his hands on the steering wheel, clearly excited to say the least. “You’ve no idea how much you just made my day.”
“I’m thinking clearly I have no idea how much I just ruined my day.”
Chapter Eighteen
Luke turned into a giant kid. I’d never seen a grown man so excited to do something so…weird. When we pulled up at his farmhouse, something familiar and homely enveloped me. I wanted to stay here as long as possible, it was just so pretty and peaceful.
“I think you look grubby enough,” he said, giving me the once over.
“Excuse me?”
“Well your top has a hole in it, you’ve got paint stains on your jeans, and a spot of ketchup at the corner of your mouth.”
My face flushed red. I flipped the sun visor down and looked at my reflection. No ketchup. I glared at Luke. “Really?”
“Gotcha.”
With that, he leaped out of the car, throwing the keys into my lap. He ran towards the old wooden barn at the side of the house. How the rickety old thing was still standing baffled me.
“Are you coming?” he shouted.
I grinned. Karma, bitch. I pointed at the door and shrugged my shoulders.
His face fell and he jogged back to the car. “I’m sorry. I got a little over excited.”
He opened the door for me and I got out. “Looks like chivalry really is dying.”
“I know, I’m sorry.” He looked down at my trainers and then at the muddy path leading to the barn. Before I knew it, he scooped me up in his arms.
I shrieked in surprise and laughed. “What are you doing?”
He started marching towards the barn. “Hopefully this will make up for my lapse with the door.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said, looking at his handsome face. I found myself resisting the urge to kiss his cheek. I wanted to put my arms around his neck and cuddle into him, but I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be appropriate. “Besides, some mud on my trainers would only add to the look, right?”
A wicked glint passed through his eyes. “Good point.” He promptly put me down, right in the thick of the mud. The ground actually squelched. “Excellent thinking, Cat.”
“Oh my God!” I yelled. “Did you actually just do this?”
He carried on walking and yelled back, “Yep, I think I did.”
I let out a scream of frustration. These trainers were only four months old, I’d bought them just before coming back to Whitby. Bright white with streaks of purple and pink, I adored them. Now they were just brown. Even the laces.
Luke opened the barn doors to reveal an old red car. The bottom of the rear bumper had more dents in it than a punchbag and the exhaust was rotten. When he got in it, the car creaked and leaned heavily to one side. I couldn’t help but giggle.
When he reversed it out, I had to put my hands over my mouth to stop the giggling. The entire side of it was a mangled mix of rust and red paint. Luke looked absolutely ridiculous in it, like a bear who had been crammed into a sardine tin.
“Get in,” he shouted through the window.
I opened the door carefully, in case it fell off its hinges, and sat down.
“Hey, you’re getting the carpet muddy,” he said, chuckling.
I bent down and scraped some of the still wet mud off the side of one of my trainers. “I wonder why?” I said, smearing his cheek with the mud. At least I wouldn’t want to kiss it now.
“You didn’t just do that?” he said, looking at himself in the rear-view mirror.
“Yep, I think I did.”
He wiped most of the mud off his face leaving a brown smear behind. To my horror, he spread it all over my forehead. I screeched like a mouse and batted his hand away.
“You didn’t!”
He laughed. “Yep, I think I did.”
I rubbed at my forehead, hunching down and looking at myself in the wing mirror. I looked like I’d attempted to put makeup on and forgotten about it.
“Luke, I am not going anywhere looking like this.”
“Then how come we’re moving?” he said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.
“Luke! Seriously!”
He laughed. “Calm down. You’ve got plenty left on your trainers to make the rest of your face match.”
I spent the next half an hour licking the fingers on my left hand and rubbing at the mud on my forehead. It didn’t do much. You could still tell I had mud on me. I gave up and settled back in the threadbare seat.
“You look adorable,” Luke said, trying not to laugh. “I’m sure I’ll get a good deal just for how cute you look.”
I stuck my tongue out at him and crossed my arms over my chest. “Seriously, mate, you’re gonna pay for that.”
He laughed. “Mate?”
“Yep, that’s what you’ve been downgraded to.”
“As oppose to?”
I opened my mouth to answer but quickly realised I had no answer. “Oh stop it, you know what I meant.”
He grinned. “Let’s talk about this dream you had that upset Marcus so much.”
“I’d really rather not.”
“It looks like we’re going to be spending a lot of time together so you may as well tell me.”
I frowned. “What makes you say that?”
He passed me his phone. On the screen was a message from Marcus. Look after her whilst I’m gone. Please.
I snorted and passed it back. “Nice.”
“He does care for you, Cat.”
“Oh, spare me the sob story. He’s in the doghouse for a long time yet.”
“Tell me about this dream then.”
I sighed and gave in. I detailed him on the dream and everything that happened up until the point where he arrived.
“So how come you guys aren’t naked after you’ve…you know…changed?” I asked.
“Our clothes become part of our fur. When the fur disappears, the clothes are left on.”
“Oh, that’s quite…cool.”
“I do sympathise with him to an extent,” Luke said, sighing. “Of course, I’m not going to tell him that.”
I giggled. “Why do you sympathise?”
“I’ve not seen my parents for years.”
“You said they’re travelling?”
He shook his head. “No, they’re not. They’re in hiding.”
“Why?”
“She’s a witch and he’s
a werewolf.”
“Oh! How have you survived on your own?”
“I’ve had my brothers and sisters. It wasn’t until I was fully grown that I could fend for myself. People have learned now though that I’m no threat so they just pretend I don’t exist. I’m happy with that.”
“Do you live forever too?”
“Yes, werewolves are immortal. We don’t turn on a full moon, we turn at will. Silver doesn’t kill us, and our bites don’t kill vampires.”
My curiosity had been piqued. “So what does kill you?”
“A wooden stake right through the heart. Problem is getting to it. Our ribcage is ten times stronger than any vampires and our hearts are encased in bone.”
“That’s…hardcore.”
“Have to be to survive in our world.”
I desperately wanted to reach over and take his hand. I felt like he needed comfort right now. “How old are you?”
“I stopped ageing at thirty. That was one hundred and twenty years ago.”
My jaw dropped. “You’re one hundred and fifty?”
He nodded.
“I gotta say, you age pretty good.”
He laughed. “Thanks.”
“I’m guessing the different mum is why you’re built so much…bigger than the rest of your brothers and sisters?”
“Yes, but only because she’s a witch. With her being a witch mum, I got an extra boost of magic as I was developing in the womb. My size is related to how much of a power boost I got. If Dad had been the witch and Mum the wolf, I’d be just like the rest of my family.”
“That’s…that must have been hard to grow up with? I sensed a lot of tension between you and Mason.”
He smirked. “He’s a prick. Always has been, always will be.”
“I gathered that,” I said, laughing. “Anyway, less talk of the unpleasant things in life. What car are you looking at?”
“I don’t know, I’m keeping my options open. I thought about a Range Rover because I’m a big guy, but I kind of like the idea of a sports car. They have some Audi’s, Merc’s and BMW’s in so we’ll see.”
“Really going low key then,” I said. “How does a handyman earn so much money?”
He laughed. “I’ve had plenty of years to work and invest my money in the correct places. Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
Love, Lies and Blood Ties: A young adult paranormal romance (Love, Lies and Ties Book 2) Page 14