What Lies Inside (A Blood Bound Novel, Book 1) (34 page)

“Amelia,” Ty’s frantic voice echoed down the line. For the second time today, I was almost surprised not to hear the growl of a wolf. “What happened?”

Sinking onto the window ledge, I stared out at the snow-blotted sun sinking toward the hazy horizon. I blinked back tears. “It’s too late. She knows.”

A long exhale sounded through the speaker. “What happens now?”

It felt as though fear were drowning me. I drew my legs up and squeezed my free arm around them. The pitch in my voice rose. “Mom’s going to tell my uncle. She’s going to let him decide.”

“Oh.”

Tears glazed my eyes. “I won’t let them hurt you.”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Ty said, sounding strong once more. “Believe me. I can take care of myself.”

On the verge of blubbering into the speaker, I rushed my words. “I have to go, ’kay? I’ll call later.” The urge to pelt my phone at the wall filled me. Somehow I resisted and hung up.

Alone with my insides churning, I waited for the powers that be to decide my fate. What would they do now? Would we move, again? Would they go after Ty? But even with all of this to contemplate, a new revelation clogged up my mind. The theory was utterly ridiculous. Still, I couldn’t ignore the proof. More than my argument with Mom had been preconceived. Within dreams, I had witnessed things before they’d happened. Some things I’d seen after the fact, but in a new light. There was Ty’s transformation in the forest. Then the time I’d dreamed Ty as the boy from the alley. I’d also envisioned my own eerie likeness as the girl Ty had cheated with. Topping it all off was the fight I’d just had with Mom.

My dreams, my nightmares…they come true.

~

A quiet tap at my door tore me from my waking nightmare. The chandelier beamed on chasing away the darkness of my room. I tugged on my hoodie and zipped it up. Mom had already seen the scars, but reminding her wouldn’t help what was about to come.

Dorian reached my side and took my hand, pulling me from the windowsill. “The verdict is in.”

The dread of what was to come overshadowed my new burdensome revelation of clairvoyant dreams. With my brother’s unwavering support, we ventured downstairs and into the dining room.

A mixture of aromas filled the hardwood furnished space. Mom’s specialty had been served onto china plates. Duck Margaret, served with snow peas, caramelized carrots and mashed potatoes. Each table setting was paired with a crystal flute topped with blood. A crystal vase also sat in the middle of the table, filled with fragrant lilies. Mom waited at the head of the table. Kendrick flanked her, hunched over his plate with downcast eyes. Mom watched Dorian with a stern frown as he took the spare seat beside her and opposite Kendrick. I went to take position next to him, thankful for the safe distance he’d put between me and Mom. A movement behind Kendrick’s head caught my eye. It took me a second to realize what I was actually looking at. It was my own reflection in the silver-framed mirror mounted to the wall. My hair looked like a warped bird’s nest, and my face was even paler than usual. Dark shadows cut my cheeks and lined my eyes. Today’s exertion and mounting strain had seriously worn me down. And I was starving, for much more than food. I glanced back at my steaming plate and blood-topped glass. My stomach lurched, too tight with apprehension to eat or drink anything. I quickly sat and pushed my plate back.

After a second it occurred to me that no one had uttered a single word since my entry. A strong foreboding silence was growing by the second. It tainted the air that had smelled so good only moments ago, making me want to gag.

Finally Mom cleared her throat. “I’ve spoken to your uncle,” she announced without preamble. Her hands folded in front of her. “He is extremely disappointed, though was quite understanding and generous, given the circumstances.”

Generous? I narrowed skeptical eyes at her. “What does that mean?”

A satisfied smile lit Mom’s face. “Your uncle has a proposition for you. Kendrick has informed us that you’ve been learning more about our kind from him. Which I believe is good
if
this is something you’re interested in.” She paused to take a sip from her wine glass. The crimson blood tainted her pale lips. “Until now, I have shielded you and Dorian from all the things I thought you were better off not knowing. I realize now that my protectiveness may have been a detriment.”

So far everything sounded okay. Still, a dread-filled sensation welled within my stomach, turning it in knots.

“We think it would be best,” Mom went on, “if you got to experience and learn what life as a vampire can offer, in a setting that isn’t filled with temptation.”

My heart jumped into my throat and my voice emerged shrill. “What the hell does that mean?”

“We have decided you will go back to Alaska for a few months.” Mom’s expression strained. “You will be staying within the Armaya’s walls, inside their castle with your uncle.”

I smashed my hands down on the table. The crockery clattered in protest. “You’re sending me away? Just like that, we can’t even talk about this?” I had expected the outcome would be bad, perhaps changing schools or towns. But not this, not the Armaya, a place Ty could never set foot.

With authority, Mom crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. “There is nothing to talk about, Amelia. The decision has been made, and we will
not
compromise.”

“Mom, really?” Dorian interrupted. “That’s a bit harsh. Can’t…”

“Dorian,” Mom snapped with skewering eyes. “You are lucky not to be served the same fate. I know you were involved with that werewolf girl, Marika.”

Dorian’s eyes narrowed, shifting to Kendrick. Mom’s words made it clear. Kendrick had revealed a lot more than my own deceit. He had told her
everything.

“How could you?” I directed to Kendrick, who had slumped further in his seat. I took a glimmer of pleasure from the utter misery clouding his expression.

“Anyway,” Mom continued. Her body language appeared stiff but her expression remained neutral, almost apologetic. “Once you’ve had time to digest all of this, I think you might actually be a bit excited about the endeavor. You should know that this is quite an exclusive offer, Amelia. Those of the Armaya generally don’t grant non-royals residence inside their castle. However, given Caius’s position and sway, this time they have made an exception.”

Her words caused my anger to spike again, boiling my blood. “
Excited!”
I shrieked. “You think I’m going to be excited that you’re sending me away!”

“Given the circumstances,” she said, voice and face hardening, “you should appreciate this outcome. It could have been much,
much
worse.”

I caught the deadly edge to her voice and realized what she wasn’t saying. Much worse meant certain harm to Ty. I glared at my mom. “When am I leaving?”

With a sigh, Mom’s eyes fell and she almost looked sad. “All the flights are set. You and Kendrick will be leaving first thing tomorrow.”

I had to travel with that
traitor
? Holding back the urge to smash everything in sight to pieces, I stood up. It was a long shot, but I needed to try. “Mom,” I said sullenly, keeping my fingers straight and tense to stop them from curling into fists. “I know your mind’s made up. So I won’t even try to argue. The only thing I ask is that I can at least say goodbye to Ty, in person.”

Mom watched me, a look of sympathy crossing her face. She nodded. “I’ll allow it,
but
you’ve only got one hour, and Dorian will go with you.”

It was a small consolation, but at this point I’d take anything I could get. I snatched my case-less iPhone from my pocket.
‘Meet me at the lookout.’

I set a countdown on my iPhone, giving me enough time to get back in the set hour. Then I flung off my hoodie and looked to Dorian. “Ready?”

He smiled and skipped around the table. “Like I said, I’ll always back you up.”

We escaped out the front doors in true vampire style, muscles lengthening and retracting at a speed that was unimaginable. Trees, gated properties, and parked cars along the beach-line flashed past. Then the suburban roads dispersed and began to wind. I veered off the asphalt, leading the way up through the depths of thick greenery. The tree branches ripped through my tank-top and jeans as I pushed on. Unequipped for such speed, my Vans skidded on the snow-littered ground. Above, gunmetal-gray clouds opened up to shower my already snow-drenched hair with glacial rain.

A second later, we burst through the trees to the mouth of the lookout. We skidded to a stop on the gravel road. The rain and snow-slicked surroundings painted everything in glimmering monotones.

Ty sat across the way, a despondent frown lingering across his tight lips. He pulled away from the log railing that framed the glow of a night-lit Portsmouth. A luster of sweat beaded across his heaving naked chest. The sheer sight of him stole my breath.

“Well, go on,” Dorian said, giving me a nudge. He turned and began walking back the way we’d come. “I’ll walk slowly. You can catch me on the way back.”

When he disappeared through the trees, I turned back to Ty. Without command my feet pounded the gravel, sending me flying at Ty until my arms enfolded him in a tight, desperate embrace. His hands pressed into my back and his heart hammered in time against mine. Tears pooled in my eyes and I hugged him tighter, breathing in his scent. I never wanted to let go, never wanted to reveal my punishment for loving such a creature.

But the moment shattered like cracking glass that fell in cutting shards. Ty reached up to loosen my strong-hold. He held my hands firm. Foreboding loomed within his beaten expression and radiated from his slumped body. “A decision’s been made?”

I slumped in despair. Ty slouched back against the log railing, running a tense hand over his face. Something inside me was being torn apart, flesh and muscle ripping at the sight of his defeated expression. I curled my arms around his body and squeezed. My lips pressed against the bare warmth of his neck. His hammering pulse throbbed against my mouth, his scent hanging on my tongue. The temptation to extend my fangs was there, but I held it back.

Ty’s cradling arms released me and he peered into my tear-filled eyes. His hands lifted to cup my face. “Amelia, I need to know. Tell me what happened.”

“My mom’s sending me away.” My eyes fell and tears spilled down my cheeks. I couldn’t look him in the eye—the boy I had fallen for so irrefutably. Not when his face mirrored the hurt I was inflicting. “I’ll be going to the Armaya, back in Alaska. It was my uncle’s idea.”

“But you’re coming back,” his words choked out, “right?”

“It’s only for a few months.” I tried to sound confident, even though I was seething with dreadful uncertainty. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“A few months…” Ty’s hand traveled across my back, pulling me against him. “When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow…”

Ty sucked in a sharp breath then became very still. Finally he exhaled. “Oh.”

Ice shards invaded my bones, turning my body ridged. My blood ran cold. All this drama was too much to expect him to handle. This is the end of us. My arms fell from around him and I began to step back.

Ty clutched my hips, stopping my retreat. The breath knocked from my lungs as he drew me back against his hot body. His lips connected with mine and my pulse spiked. Fresh tears escaped my eyes as that deep kiss sealed our fate. A goodbye kiss. I began to draw away, my lips lingering for one last taste.
Goodbye Ty.

Ty’s hands connected with my forearms, halting my retraction. “Don’t do that,” he breathed against my lips. “Don’t say goodbye. This
isn’t
goodbye.”

My eyes fluttered open, peering into the luminosity of his golden irises. “But I thought…”

“I said I would
never
leave you.” Ty dipped his forehead to rest against mine. “Amelia, I meant it. There is nothing in this world that I want more than you. You are
everything
to me. As long as you still want me, I’m yours,
always.
”

Breath escaped my lungs with a sigh of relief and Ty’s arms curved back around me. I lingered within his secure arms for a long while. Neither of us spoke as we soaked up the dwindling moments we had left. Long minutes of intimate silence passed almost in the blink of an eye. The moon, not quite as full as Friday, began to rise and the air became damp with frost.

I shifted, feeling the countdown on my iPhone go off. “I have to go. Mom only gave me an hour.”

Ty’s urgent hands found my cheeks and his lips closed over mine. “I will see you in your dreams.”

My tired eyes widened. An enormous castle seemed to have appeared in the blink of an eye. It grew by the second, a formidable structure nestled within a mountainous valley of the Alaska Range. A hard mass crept up my throat. My impenetrable prison.

After three connecting flights, the day had disappeared with the setting sun. Kendrick was sitting hard up against the other side of the limo, not daring to speak. I could still remember our conversation, the only conversation he’d attempted.

When the plane had left the tarmac, lifting into the sky, Kendrick lifted surrendering hands. “Amelia, please. I’m sorry. I just overreacted.”

Fire had boiled my blood, their flames flaring up my neck and across my face. Mock sarcasm drenched my words. “
Overreacted?
” It’d taken every ounce of my strength to fight the overwhelming urge to explode. Knowing surrounding passengers would stare helped me rein in my outburst. Instead I snarled through gritted teeth. “I never thought I could hate someone as much as I hate you.”

“I thought I was protecting you.” Kendrick moved to catch my hand and I recoiled. “Amelia, please believe me. I would
never
hurt you intentionally. I love you.”

Love…
A cruel laugh cackled from my throat, and the bubbling rage took over. “You know
nothing
of love.” Restraining the need to belt Kendrick in the chest, I clenched my hands. My next spoken words were slow and drawn-out. “I will
never
forgive you.”