What Lies Inside (A Blood Bound Novel, Book 1) (39 page)

With my pulsing-mind reeling, I walked past the freestanding stacks to the desks in the center of the library. I desperately needed a distraction, a sense of feeling close to someone, of feeling safe and accepted. Only one guy made me feel that way here, and I hardly even knew him. Marcus.

But he wasn’t there. All I found was the desk he usually occupied packed with towering books and tilting manila folders. My eyes scanned past the freestanding stacks. A vacant desk at the back wall housed a desktop computer. No one sat there. Across the room the librarian was reshelving books. She appeared to be the only other person in here.

With a shrug, I sat behind the messy desk and began flicking through a pile of manila folders. Hopefully there’d be something interesting in them to help pass the time, and distract me from thinking about Kendrick. My focus skimmed over much of the hand written scrawl, not really taking notice, until one folder in particular made me stop and stare. Inside the cover was a name written in block letters. AMELIA LAMONT.

Blood roared through my ears, and my eyes transfixed on the folder. Was Marcus spying on me? Fueled confusion tore into my stomach. Growing suspicion was swiftly creeping over me. What the hell was going on?

Desperate for a rational explanation, I flicked through the loose sheets. My eyes bugged. There were pages upon pages of hand written notes, detailing events of my life. The night my lust for blood had risen and my victim from
Pulse
. The progress I’d made in hunting at the cabin. The day Kendrick had taught me to refrain from killing wild prey. There was mention of Ty and him being a descendant of the werewolf who caused the revolt. Following that were private moments Kendrick and I had shared, including his attempt to compel me. Then the interaction I’d had with the fortune teller and Ty’s transformation in the forest. Lastly was the decision my mom and uncle had made to transfer me to the Armaya.

The list was endless. It was almost an entire recap of my life since I discovered the monster within me. Chocolate-drenched waffle remnants crept quickly up my throat. My hands shook as I continued flicking through the pages. Then they froze. A thicker, smaller piece of paper had slid from between the sheets. With my heart slamming against my chest, I picked up the piece of paper. It was a black and white photograph of my uncle cradling two infants, one in each arm. A proud smile glowed from his drawn face. At first I thought the photo must have been of Dorian and me. Then my eyes did a double take on noticing a distinct feature. Even in a black and white photograph one thing was unmistakable. Both newborns had pure blond hair. The color matched my own tresses, but stood a stark contrast to Dorian’s almost black locks. With a frown I turned the photo over, hoping for a date or even some names. I froze. The ink on the back revealed something much more crippling, a recipe of malevolent sorts.

Combine Ingredients with Pure Blood.

-
Black Hellebore (slows heart and weakens strength)—Dry and crush entire cutting of plant, including flower.

-
Hemlock (depletes all muscle function)—Extract liquid from stem of live plant. DO NOT DRY.

-
Belladonna (induces paralysis)—Crush dried roots into dust.

The pendant around my neck blazed with blistering heat. I went to lift it from my flesh, but the picture being suddenly ripped from my grasp stopped me. Marcus threw the photo inside the folder and slammed the cover shut. “What do you think you are doing?”

His wrath-twisted expression threw me, knocking the wind from my lungs. Yet I couldn’t ignore what I’d held in my hands. Questions whirled through my mind. “What the hell
is
all this?” I demanded, thrusting the evidence into his face.

Marcus dropped into the seat beside me and snatched my hands. Electricity stung where his flesh connected with mine, and I futilely tried to pull away. “Let me explain.” He clung harder to my hands, eyes staring into mine. The silver of his irises came alive, extinguishing the teal flecks of his unusually colored eyes. Then his pupils dilated. “Forget what you saw.”

I fought to look away, to break the magnetized draw of his eyes. But I couldn’t. He was too powerful. My head dipped, nodding.

“You never saw the folder marked with your name, or any of its contents.” Marcus’s voice was as smooth as silk. It caressed my prickling flesh with each spoken word. “After breakfast you came to the library for our tutoring session, but now you have a splitting headache. You will ask to skip today’s lesson so you can return to your room and rest.”

“Amelia, hello?” Marcus’s tone although light, somehow shook me. “Shall we begin?”

Feeling disorientated, I shook my head. In response, my brain ached with the repetitive pulse of pumping blood. Marcus was sitting right beside me, eying me as he rifled through a stack of books. “Um, sorry,” I said then winced. Each word made the pressure in my head throb harder. “My brain feels like it’s trying to crack straight through my skull. I think I need to lie down.” I looked up, eyes pleading. “Can we skip our lesson, just for today?”

Marcus smiled. “Do I look like a tyrant?” When I remained silent, for some reason hesitating in answering his obvious joke, he laughed. “I’ll take that as a no. And if you’re really in that much pain, I demand you skip our lesson and try to sleep it off.” He rose to his feet and helped me up. “Go, get some rest. If you’re up to it, I will see you tomorrow.”

~

Growing concern churned up my insides. After resting off the headache that threatened migraine debilitation, I had planned to confront Kendrick. There was no way I’d let his strange behavior during breakfast go without demanding an explanation. But on entering the bathroom, I’d found a note taped to his door.

‘Catching a few slopes. Don’t wait up. K.B.’

That had been yesterday. Now the following day was coming to a close, with the sun set to rise in less than an hour. Kendrick still hadn’t returned to his room. Apprehension grew within my chest. The amount of chocolate I’d eaten to diffuse my worry was now making me feel sick.
Kendrick, where the hell are you?

I had gone about my day, getting in a bit of text tennis with Ty before he went to bed and before my own tutoring and meals. Every now and then I had checked back at our rooms. Now I was out of patience. It was time to seek him out.

Fleeing my room, I began searching the endless corridors of the Armaya and every unlocked room along the way. The castle appeared almost abandoned. The few vampires I did encounter—mainly uniformed staff—were rushing about in what I guessed was an effort to avoid the dawning sun. Now I was picking a path through the pews of the blacked-out foyer for the second time. Defeat-tinged exhaustion began to set in. My concern for Kendrick was quickly turning to panic.
Great, now I’m going in circles.

I made for the corridor that would provide the most direct route back to my room. Please, let Kendrick be there. A crack of light shining through an almost-closed door stalled my footfalls. It was coming from my uncle’s office. The pendant warmed against my chest. At the same time two distinct voices traveled on an invisible wave around me: Caius’s and Kendrick’s.

Relief at finally locating my elusive best friend washed over me. I turned toward the door and was about to push it open when Kendrick’s defensive tone rose. My whole body froze.

“I don’t understand why this is necessary,” he was saying.

“Kendrick.” Caius’s sharp tone surprised me. “Our actions have not been without just cause. This is for her own good. Do you no longer agree?”

Her own good? With my breath held and lungs aching in protest, I dared to peak through the jam of the door. Uncle Caius sat behind a stack of folders at his desk, hands steepled in front of him.

Kendrick stood facing him. His back was turned to me and his head was shaking back and forth. “This isn’t right,” he said. “I can’t keep deceiving her.”

The dim glow from the single desk lamp cast shadows across my uncle’s face. He chuckled. It was a dry and almost mocking sound. “And here I thought you loved her, that you would do anything to protect her. Is your conscience so contrite that you would have me send her back now, only to reunite with that fleabag? Does her friendship truly hold that little value to you?”

Tightness constricted my chest. They were talking about me. I backed away from the door, feeling sick to my stomach. Kendrick’s voice elevated, sounding defensive. But I wasn’t listening. My legs were already forcing me away, up the corridor and stairs. My heart squeezed over and over in my chest.
Our actions,
Caius had said. What the hell had they done?

Kendrick’s voice rang in my ears as I flew through my bedroom door.
I can’t keep deceiving her.
Then Caius’s words,
does her friendship truly hold that little value to you?
Damning suspicion caused my heart to jump. Our friendship was a lie? I began to pace back and forth. With my Vans wearing shoeprints in the plush carpet, a memory swirled through my mind.

Those you trust most are not always what they seem.
The fortune teller had spoken those words, shifting her beady eyes to Kendrick. And I wrote her off, labeled her as crazy, delusional. I was wrong all along. A new fear gripped my chest. What else had she been right about? My hand rose to the pendant around my neck.
It will…
I had cut off her words before she could finish. It will what? I wondered.

An ethereal voice whispered into my ear. “
Warn you.”
It was so soft I questioned if my mind was playing a twisted trick on me.

The sound of a door slamming caused my entire body to quake. Heavy falling steps sounded, growing louder and louder. My heart jumped into my throat. Then the bathroom door swung open and Kendrick entered my room.

“Amelia, you’re still up.” He smiled. “Sorry I haven’t been around. After boarding yesterday, Council stuff caught up with me. It’s so tedious and time consuming. If my mom weren’t in Russia, I would have heaps more time. Can you forgive me?”

Watching Kendrick stand there without a shred of guilt, I knew the truth.
An act, it’s all an act
.

Kendrick held his arms out to embrace me. I darted back, connecting with the edge of the iron-footed table behind the couch. “Dammit,” I swore.

Kendrick’s smile vanished. “Amelia, what’s wrong?”

My hands were shaking at my sides. I curled them into fists in an attempt to still the uncontrollable movement. It didn’t work. The tension gripping my arm only caused my entire body to quiver. “I heard you,” I choked out. “I know.”

All color leeched from Kendrick’s face and his expression contorted. He looked like I had just sucker-punched him in the gut. “I…”

“Was it all a lie?” Tears stung my eyes while my insides ignited. “Were we ever really friends?”

“Of course we were. Amelia, we
are
. Everything I feel for you is real. I never lied about that.” Kendrick stepped forward and reached out, but I swatted his hand away. His shoulders slumped. “I hate what I did. But I honestly thought we were doing what was best for you.”

Lies, all lies. How could I believe anything he said? Pain tore through me. Inside, my heart was breaking. “What did you do?” I hissed through gritted teeth, trying to steady my voice. “And stop stalling.”

Kendrick raked his fingers through his golden hair looking frustrated. “Amelia, I didn’t know before you got back together with Ty. You have to believe me. I thought he was just concerned that there’d be a repeat of your attack in Anchorage. That’s the only reason I agreed to it. I was just looking out for you.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I demanded.

“Your uncle knew Ty and Marika were werewolves when he saw them at the auction.”

I frowned, remembering my uncle’s reaction to Ty entering the marquee and the separate measures that kept his and Marika’s scents hidden. “How could he tell?”

Kendrick shook his head. “Amelia, Caius has been around for over five hundred years. I may only know about werewolves from books and study, but he would have been there for the War of the Races. Scent or not, he could pick them out.”

Too much information was spinning through my head. Something just didn’t add up. “But if Caius knew at the auction, why didn’t he tell my mom then? Why wait to force me to move away?”

Kendrick took a deep breath and lowered onto the floral couch, propping his elbows against his knees. “Your uncle caught up with me at the auction when you went to look for Ty. He didn’t tell me what they were. He only said he was concerned that we’d have a repeat of what you did in Anchorage. He planned to talk your mom into moving you to the Armaya before anything could happen. But I pleaded for him not to. I could see the change in you. The happiness that shone from you when you were around Ty.” Kendrick choked on his words, shaking his head. “It made me jealous as hell. But I wanted you to be happy. So I told Caius I’d keep an eye on you. Make sure you didn’t lose control.”

I dropped down beside Kendrick and took his hands in mine. Everything he’d done had come from a good place. “It’s okay…”

“There’s more,” Kendrick said, cutting me off. He squeezed his eyes shut with a slight shake of his head. “After I’d confessed my true feelings to you, and after what he did, I didn’t think anything could make you take him back. Then when I realized you had…” His voice lowered almost inaudibly. “I think death would have hurt less.” The levelness of his voice returned, but he didn’t look at me. “I was insanely jealous. It took all my willpower to keep what Ty was from your uncle. I wanted so badly to tell him, to have him intervene.” He lifted glassy eyes to mine. “But I didn’t. Instead, I tried to make you see that you weren’t meant to be with him.” A sigh blew through his lips. “It was foolish. Getting your fortune read was my final attempt to sway you. And it would have worked if that silly old bat had stuck to the story.” My eyes had grown wide with surprise, and Kendrick waved me off. “I know. I shouldn’t have done that, either. But…”

“You paid her off?” I cut in, suddenly doubting my growing belief in the old woman’s crazy words. My hand rose, fingers toying absentmindedly with the smooth amethyst stone.