Love, Lies and Immortal Ties: A young adult paranormal romance (Love, Lies and Ties Book 1)

by C. J. Laurence

  The whole drive to the hall, I couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. He had literally poured passion into me and my whole body tingled with it. I wanted more already. This man was like a drug to me, he had become my ecstasy, my absolute high and also had the ability to kill me. Overdosing on him would be an intoxicating journey that would never end.

  As we turned off the main road and down narrow country lanes, I sat up in my seat, taking notice of the surroundings. I couldn’t wait to see this place. The roads wound around like draped spaghetti until eventually, we rounded a corner that provided a jaw dropping view of an old country estate sat up on a cliff. Aged brick walls lined the cliff edge making it look like a formidable fortress.

  “Is that it?”

  Marcus nodded. “It’s around eight hundred years old. It belongs to my father. Him and my grandfather built it with their own hands.”

  Even from this far away, I could see the glow of lights from the arched windows and shiny cars lining the outside. “It’s absolutely amazing. I bet it’s got so much history.”

  “It has. I will show you around another time. Tonight is not the night for that.”

  “What’s the occasion for tonight? Someone’s birthday or something?”

  He smirked. “It’s more of a boast of all the men to see who’s doing the best this year.”

  “Ahhh. A pissing contest in other words.”

  He laughed. “You could say so, yes.”

  I expected a grand driveway like Marcus’ but was met with a plain tarmac car park. “What happened to the posh gravel?”

  “It’s a hotel so has to be practical to a point.”

  He parked the car, then escorted me out of the car and towards the building. I'd barely taken two steps before the small crowd at the door turned around and stared at me, their eyes instantly glazing over with a predatory stare.

  My heart rate spiked in an instant. I felt like a baby gazelle fumbling its way into a lion's den.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  I glanced at the group of vampires eyeing me up like their next meal. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I smiled and replied, “Sure.”

  Chapter 26

  “No one will hurt you,” he said, squeezing my hand.

  I glanced up at him. “Am I the only human here?”

  He pulled his lips into a thin line. “Yes, I'm afraid so. I'm the only male in the family who hasn’t settled with a partner. A handful of relatives partners, male and female, were once human.” That didn’t help. “The doorman is human,” Marcus said, nodding towards the giant of a man wearing a tux.

  “Does he know about you all?”

  “No. He just thinks we’re a bunch of rich people. Quite amusing really.”

  “How?”

  “He most likely thinks he could take any one of us. The truth is rather the opposite.”

  I laughed. “Why would you think he thinks that?”

  “Because he’s a bare-knuckle boxer in his spare time.”

  A shudder ran down my spine. Just the thought of it sounded painful. As we passed him, he looked down at me, a gleam running through his eyes that gave me a real bad feeling. He smiled at me, showing off his missing teeth.

  “Evening, Miss,” he said, his voice gravelly and husky. Clearly a smoker.

  “Hi,” I said, giving him a quick smile and then looking back straight ahead.

  “Think you’ve got an admirer,” Marcus whispered to me, chuckling.

  “Ewww. No, thank you.”

  We entered the building through a heavy dark glass door, coming into a clean, modern reception area. The colour scheme here reminded me a lot of Marcus’ house with reds and golds giving a splash of colour to the monotone black and white furniture.

  A slim brunette receptionist gave Marcus a beaming smile, her cheeks flushing red. “Mr Davenport,” she said, her voice smooth and seductive. “So nice to see you again.”

  “Lydia,” he replied, nodding.

  “You know where you’re going,” she said, giggling.

  I rolled my eyes. She must have had a good ten years on me and yet she acted like Hannah did with her first crush in primary school.

  Marcus smiled at her and then directed us down a corridor to the left of the crescent shaped black marble reception desk. The stark white walls almost gave me a headache. Every few feet, rose shaped wall lights gave a soft yellow glow that broke up the blinding white.

  At the end of the corridor, a pair of dark tinted black framed glass doors were manned by two men in tuxedos. They opened the doors for us, revealing a breath-taking ballroom. Gold and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling every few feet. The polished black and white marble floor shone like a thousand stars. A grand sweeping staircase sat at the back of the room, leading to a balcony that looked down on the room.

  “Notice anything?” Marcus said.

  I glanced around for somewhere to sit then noticed the tables and chairs provided were marble and leather. “No wood.” I thought about what I’d seen so far of the hotel and then gasped. “No wood anywhere.”

  He nodded. “Dad takes no chances.”

  A black marble bar positioned at the end of the room in one corner had two waiters behind it who moved in a way that humans didn’t. Fluid, fast, and precise. I found it quite fascinating to watch. As we made our way towards the bar, almost every pair of eyes in the room landed on us. I’d never felt such a strong craving to run and hide. I hated being the centre of attention and here I was, dolled up to the nines, staring back at two hundred people. No, scratch that. Not people. Vampires. A species who survived by drinking the blood of humans.

  Marcus slid his hand around my waist and kissed the side of my head. “It’s ok.”

  I gripped the small silver clutch bag in my right hand and concentrated on not letting it fall out of my hand. Marcus nodded and smiled at people as we passed them by. Whispers and quiet conversations followed us across the room. My entire body was covered in goosebumps and every couple of minutes, a violent shudder ran down my spine. I couldn’t shake that horrid feeling of being watched.

  “Just relax,” Marcus said. “Your heart is pounding like a jack hammer and your adrenaline levels are high enough to intoxicate this whole room.”

  That only caused another surge of adrenaline to course through my veins. My entire body was on high alert, in classic fight or flight mode. Either option only had one ending for me.

  “That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one being eyed up for dinner.”

  He chuckled and pulled me into his side. “Believe me, not one of them will touch you. They’re all very well disciplined and would have eaten before coming here. It’s just instinct that when we see a human, we pay attention, doesn’t mean we will eat.”

  I looked up at him and smiled. “You mean like a lazy cat that can’t be bothered to chase the mouse.”

  He laughed. “If that helps you, then yes. Let’s have a drink and relax.”

  “You don’t get drunk so really it’s just me that will be relaxing.”

  “With all due respect, my sweet sweet Caitlyn, I think you need it.”

  “Double vodka and coke then please.”

  He smirked but said nothing. As soon as he handed the tumbler glass to me, I took a huge gulp and sighed. I knew it probably was little more than a placebo effect at this stage, but I did feel more chilled almost instantly.

  Classical music filled the air and a handful of couples were dancing to it already. I looked at them moving so gracefully, making the dancing seem so seamless, effortless, like it was second nature to them. The men held themselves square and tall, the women smiled and flowed through the air like their beautiful dresses.

  “Caitlyn,” Marcus said, rubbing his hand up and down my side. “This is my aunt Miriam.”

  I tore my attention from the dancing couples to the smiling woman stood to Marcus’ left. A little taller than me, strawberry blonde hair, and a figure to die for, I knew instantly this lady had to
be from the maternal side of Marcus’ family. She had the same gentle curve to her nose and the same stubborn tilt in the way she held her head as Marcus’ mother. I wondered if she had her own family oil painting.

  “Hi,” I said, holding my hand out. “Nice to meet you.”

  She took my hand and surprised me when she didn’t crush my bones in a strong handshake. “Hi, nice to meet you too.”

  Her voice sounded like a sweet melody and I found myself wanting to listen to her more. “I presume you’re Marcus’ mum’s sister? You look a lot like her.”

  Her green eyes flickered with sadness. “Yes. I am younger than her, but we were very close.”

  I didn’t know what to say. Did I say sorry for your loss or something lame like that or did I just stay quiet?

  “Anyway,” Marcus said, clearing his throat. “Caitlyn was born in Whitby and has just moved back permanently.”

  “Oh, well, welcome back. Good to have some original blood back in the town.”

  I didn’t know quite how to take that comment. “My dad’s sick. I haven’t really thought about whether I’ll be staying once he’s…” My eyes started to well up and a ball of sadness lodged in my throat.

  Miriam gave Marcus a panicked look and then said, “Don’t think about it too much now, sweetie. Just enjoy the time you have together.”

  I realised then that they must have all had their own share of loss, aside from Marcus’ mum being missing. “Does it get easier with time? Does time heal all wounds?”

  She grabbed my hand and gave me a sympathetic smile. “Oh, sweetheart. I’m over a thousand years old and I still cry over the death of my first love. Wounds like that don’t heal. Time merely makes it easier to live without them.”

  A crippling agony seized my heart. The pain I felt now about my dad would only multiply by a thousand when he’d gone and then I’d have to live with that every day. Was that something I could even do?

  “It’s not that bad, sweetie,” Miriam said, covering my hand with both of hers. “You will get through it. Just be grateful for the memories. They are priceless, something that no amount of money can buy. After my parents died, I bought a journal and wrote down every memory I had of them when it came to me. Over the years, memories have faded and it’s a nice thing to look at when I’m feeling nostalgic.”

  That sounded like a good idea. “I might actually do that. I don’t want to forget anything about him.”

  “You won’t. If he lives in your heart, he’ll live in your mind.”

  “I like that. That’s a good saying.”

  She smiled and then said, “I must go. I need to talk to my cousin, Vincent.” She leaned forwards and pecked my cheek. “Lovely to meet you and I hope to see you again soon.”

  “You too,” I replied, smiling. As Miriam walked away, I turned to Marcus and said, “I didn’t upset her mentioning your mum, did I?”

  He shook his head. “Not at all. We’ve had a long time to come to terms with it.”

  “Kinda felt like I put my foot in it.”

  “You didn’t.” He took my bag from me and placed it on the empty table next to us. “Let’s dance.”

  I balked. “You are kidding?” I looked at the couples dancing and said, “I cannot dance like that.”

  He smirked. “I figured. However, lucky for you that I can.”

  “I…Marcus…no.”

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the dance floor.

  “Marcus,” I whispered. “Seriously, no.”

  My heels clicked against the marble floor, making me very self-conscious. It seemed as if only my shoes were the ones making any noise. I knew people were staring at me, I could feel the burn on the back of my neck, the one that gave me shivers and goosebumps.

  “Just relax and follow my lead,” Marcus said, taking pride of place in the middle of the dance floor. “I’ve got you.”

  My adrenaline levels were no doubt through the roof. A cold sweat had broken out all over me. What was he doing? Still, to save a fuss, I did as he asked and followed his lead. He turned me into his body and took my right hand, holding it up.

  “Put your left hand on my shoulder,” he whispered. “Just follow my energy. Whatever side of my body I move, you mirror me.”

  As tense as I felt, I relaxed and gave him no resistance, essentially turning into a floppy doll as he spun me around the dance floor. The soothing tones of the classical music mellowed my nerves and the closeness of us soon overwhelmed any fear I had about being watched.

  His spicy cologne surrounded me, reminding me we were in our own little bubble. Everything else faded away into insignificance. Being this close to him my body felt like it was on fire. His strong arms guided my every move and as our eyes connected, we became lost in a world of nothing.

  He whirled me around, picking me up off the floor, literally sweeping me off my feet. In that moment I realised this guy was becoming everything to me. I loved the way he treated me, I loved the way he put thought into everything, I loved the fact he lived in a hidden world he wanted to share with me, and most of all, I loved how he made me feel. Around him, I felt like I could handle anything life threw at me. I trusted him with my life.

  My heart started racing as it dawned on me that I was falling head over heels for him. I felt like I barely knew him but the way he made me feel, and the way I felt about him, it was undeniable. A wave of happiness swelled inside me, filling me with such joy and love, I wanted to cry.

  “May I?”

  A strong masculine voice cut through my thoughts. I turned to my left to see the father from the painting stood at our side. This was Marcus’ dad. Oh my word. Panic started to climb through me. He wanted to dance with me. Oh God.

  “Of course,” Marcus said, stepping away from me. “This is Caitlyn. Caitlyn, this is my father, Horace.”

  The likeness of his name to that of Horus brought a smile to my lips. “Hi,” I said.

  “Hello, Caitlyn. A pleasure to finally meet you.”

  He took Marcus’ place, his hold on me a lot firmer than Marcus’. It almost felt like I was being given no choice but to submit to this. He looked exactly like Marcus; pale skin, high cheekbones, startling blue eyes, but his dark hair had specks of grey in it, making it look like a mix of salt and pepper. His moustache from the oil painting had gone but he had grown a goatee.

  “It’s nice to meet you too,” I said, concentrating on being as relaxed as possible so he could lead.

  He stepped away from Marcus and twirled us over to the other side of the dance floor, this song more upbeat than the romantic tune me and Marcus had danced to a moment ago.

  “I hope you understand the importance you hold to my son,” he said, his eyes on everyone but me, a smile plastered on his face.

  “I…err…I don’t understand.”

  “Marcus hasn’t brought a woman to any family events for over two centuries. In fact, I’d go so far as to say he’s likely not even entertained a woman for that amount of time either.”

  That was slightly unnerving. Not like he was piling the pressure on me or anything. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Well, your reassurances of your intentions towards my son would be a good place to start.”

  I felt a role reversal here. Isn’t this the conversation that most father’s have with their daughter’s boyfriends? Then I realised what he might be getting at. “You think I’m only interested in him for his money.”

  “Our family holds a prestigious position in your world. In our world, we’re the equivalent of royalty. Marcus has had his fair share of women who are only interested in him for what he can provide. We have to be very careful who we allow into the family.”

  I smiled and stared up at him, willing him to make eye contact with me. After a few seconds, he finally gave in and glanced down at me. I expected a cold, hard stare to meet me but instead I saw fear, concern, and love.

  “Mr Davenport, the only thing I want from your son is the good feelings he gives
me. He makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. That kind of thing I could get from him whether he was the richest man on earth or whether he lived in a box. Material possessions hold no weight with me.”

  “I can tell you’re falling in love with him. The way your body reacts when you’re around him gives you away. The subtle signs in your body language. Everyone in this room knows it except my son. He’s afraid of getting things wrong again.”

  I looked away, embarrassed that my most intimate feelings were somehow on display for an entire room of two hundred strangers to dissect.

  “Don’t fret, my dear girl. I merely wanted to get this awkward discussion out of the way before we welcome you into our world. I have no doubts about your sincerity at all. Marcus has, as the saying goes, struck gold with you.”

  Gold? But gold could kill vampires. Was he suggesting I would be dangerous for Marcus in some way?

  “Well, thank you. I feel like I’ve struck gold too.”

  A smile tweaked at his lips but he said nothing more. As the song came to a close, he whisked me back over to Marcus.

  “Thank you for the dance, Miss Summers,” Horace said, bowing slightly. He lifted my left hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “I hope to see you again soon.”

  With that, he disappeared into the crowd of impeccably dressed vampires.

  “Would you like to sit down?” Marcus said, stroking my arm.

  I nodded. “I need a drink after that.”

  He laughed and led me over to the table where my bag and my drink still sat. I swallowed the rest of it and then passed him the glass.

  “Can I have two of those this time around please?”

  “Whatever the lady desires.” He pulled a chair out for me, then bent down and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

  I leaned back in the chair and looked around the room. marvelling at how this was actually my life right now. As I surveyed the situation around me, I caught eyes on me and people talking in hushed tones. Had they heard the conversation between me and Horace? They were definitely talking about something to do with me. The scrutiny in their eyes gave them away.