by Myers, J. L.
Ty brushed the hair back from his widened eyes. “Do I look like someone who takes enhancing drugs?”
With a slow shrug, my eyes raked over Ty. His muscle density and definition exceeded that of any regular teenager. My initial instinct was to reply “yes”, though the offense Ty had taken in my question pinned my lips shut. If it wasn’t drugs…then what? I shook my head. “Sorry, that was a lame joke. I didn’t mean to imply anything.”
Outside, the cloud-sheathed sky shifted with a brewing icy wind. The full moon above broke through. Its ghostly reflection shone down to catch on something dark across the road. Ty was saying something about Dorian having a spot on the swim team while I squinted over his shoulder to the parking lot. A black Cabriolet was parked with Dorian watching from inside. Somehow it had completely slipped my mind that he’d been tailing us. A sudden feeling of guilt pressed against my chest. Not for forgetting about Dorian, or even for leaving him out there waiting and wondering, but for letting Dorian follow us in the first place. The swelling guilt was fed by a realization, a true belief that I should never have doubted. Ty wasn’t dangerous. Sure he was different, and I was certain he was more than he was pretending to be. Still, even through my own suspicion, I couldn’t believe he was a threat. His reaction to hitting the bird displayed that, as did his actions in saving me from falling to my supposed death at the White Mountains. A growing part of me felt compelled to figure Ty out, to try to uncover what he was hiding. But if he discovered Dorian spying, I’d never unveil the truth.
“Uh, Ty?” He looked up from the menu that half-obscured his face. “I’m just going to use the ladies. Could you order me the lasagna?”
Ty nodded with a smile as I rose to my feet. His back was facing the restaurant’s entry. It remained that way as I slipped past him and out the glass door. I darted across the road through slowing traffic, and mounted the curb to the lamp-brightened car park.
Dorian was still wrapped in his wet towel, but had managed to pull a hoodie on from the back seat. “What’s the story?” he whispered through the open window. There was concern in his tone, but it was obvious in his lighter expression that he was actually having fun with this spy mission.
“Not much to report,” I lied, bending down to rest my arms along the sill. “He seems completely normal. Except I think he takes steroids.”
Dorian almost spat his next words which had climbed an entire octave. “You asked if he took drugs!”
The guilt pressed harder against my chest, this time for lying so blatantly to my own brother. “Yeah… Of course he said no. But it’s the only thing that makes any sense.”
Dorian’s face hardened, doubtful. “He still shouldn’t have beaten me, drugs or not.”
I racked my brain for a believable lie. Then recalled the bright fluorescents Dorian had mentioned after the race. “You were only planning to win by a hand. And you did say you were blinded by the lights. What if you lost focus?”
Dorian went quiet for a moment, tapping his chin with his index finger. I could practically see the wheels spinning behind his narrowed eyes. “I guess I was a bit distracted. But I still think something more is going on.”
With irritation beginning to fray away my nerves, I rose from my crouched position. “Well, your suspicion doesn’t mean he’s dangerous. You saw what happened with the bird, didn’t you?” Dorian hitched his eyebrows, confirming. I made a conscious effort to lower my rising voice. “He’s not a threat. But I do want to get to know him.” It wasn’t a total lie, just a twisting of motives. I’d let Dorian believe my wanting to get to know Ty meant I was admitting feelings for him rather than it being to figure him out. Feeling a bout of uncertainty, I reaffirmed, I’m doing this to figure Ty out. That’s the only reason.
Shaking off the confusion, I looked to Dorian whose hardened expression had given way to surprise. “Alright,” he said. “But call me if you need to.” A devilish smile danced across his face as he flashed his fangs. “Oh, and do try not to drain him. There’s no point wasting your time ‘getting to know him’ if he ends up dead.”
“That’s not funny.” Agitated, I turned with flared nostrils. A line of stationary cars waited on a red light. I bounded through them and back through the glass door to the restaurant.
The waitress who had just brought out our food occupied Ty. She flashed him an obviously flirtatious smile before retreating to the kitchen. Flames flared up my neck, blazing coals within my chest. Jealousy? I almost laughed. No, that’s impossible. I’m pissed because she’s toying with my…prey. I shuddered, not sure which was worse.
Ty glanced up as though he’d sensed me lingering across the room.
With a mental shake, I ambled over to our table. “Sorry,” I said, taking my seat. “Bit of a line for the ladies.”
A genuine smile warmed his face. “Yeah, guys don’t get that problem.” He leaned forward, forking a piece of tortellini. “So, tell me more about yourself.”
Although the request was acceptably normal, tension-fueled suspicion drew my brows. I tried to hide my discomfort. “Um, okay.” I started with the normal existence I’d led prior to discovering our dark family secret. Then I added in Mom’s current charity work, while keeping the Council stuff to myself. Explaining my mom held a spot on the Portsmouth Vampire Council? Yeah, that’d be a good idea. Plus I imagined any slip on that matter leading to an all-out townsfolk-with-pitchforks scene. While everything I did reveal seemed quite boring and totally mundane, Ty seemed genuinely interested. He even threw in a question now and then between mouthfuls.
“What about you?” I asked, desperate to deflect the spotlight back onto him. I dug into my lasagna, wishing it were chocolate. At least the taste distracted me from collective blood in the air. “What’s your story?”
“I live with my father, he’s a senator. My younger brother is away at boarding school.”
“And your mom?”
Ty glanced down at his almost finished plate of food, his expression pained. “My mom died when I was a kid.”
My heart contracted, and without thinking I reached out to touch his hand. Ty recoiled as though my extending hand had been a striking snake. “Sorry,” I said, jerking my hand back. “I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories.”
Ty’s strained eyes peered up to meet mine, a weak smile pulling at his lips. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Okay.” I bit my lip in thought. “How long have you been into swimming?”
The lines on Ty’s face softened, a lighter expression spreading across his face. “I began competing when I started at St. Volaras. But I’ve been into swimming ever since I can remember.” His eyes became distant, like he was remembering another time and place. “It’s calming, just my body gliding through the water. All the crap of the world seems to wash away.”
Ty continued talking in dreamy animation. Lost between the sparkle of his eyes and trying to concentrate past his scent, I missed most of what he was saying. He arched back in his seat, his signature smile painted across his full lips. “So, is your brother driving you home? Or can I have that pleasure?”
I choked on a chunk of lasagna, feeling as though I had swallowed a dozen razor blades. The fork fell from my hand and clanged against my plate as I clutched at my throat. Eyes of surrounding patrons diverted, surprised and staring before swiftly looking away. I tried to breathe, my lungs aching while my hand moved absentmindedly to pull at the buttons on my black shirt. “W-what do you mean?”
“I saw you go out to the parking lot,” Ty said, keeping his tone light. “Did Dorian follow us?”
I frowned, utterly confused. Ty didn’t seem annoyed or angry. He actually sounded…amused? Stop staring and speak! “Um… He’s kind of overprotective.” I studied Ty’s expression, trying to gauge whether he was buying my lies, and felt somewhat relieved. His face was lit with the same amusement received in his tone. “I told him to leave, though.”
Ty’s warm-honey eyes sparkled, looking deep into mine.
“I can understand his concern. I would be protective over you too.”
My cheeks blushed at his words. I was certain surprise was etched across my face. Protective—of me?
Ty smiled, flashing his pearly white, perfectly straight teeth. “I have something I’d like to show you, a detour on the way home.”
“What is it?” The skepticism was evident in my tone. Could I trust him?
“It’s a surprise.” Ty’s eyes broke from mine, looking away. Was he disappointed? “But if you’d rather just go home, that’s fine.”
“I don’t know.” Uncertainty clouded my words while the prior events of the night sped through my mind. Ty wasn’t dangerous. He would never hurt anyone. And after his expression of protectiveness, let alone the act of saving my skin on the mountain, I believed without question that he would never hurt me.
As I was about to reply, Ty spoke up. “You don’t trust me?”
Without me meaning to, my head was shaking back and forth. And I understood why. I did trust Ty. Raising my eyes to his, I gulped. Would my own self-control hold? Or would I end up regretting my next words? “Okay, let’s go.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Minutes after leaving the restaurant, we were out of the city and leaving its warm lights behind. Ty turned his turbo-charged WRX onto a pitch-black gravel road shrouded with overhanging trees. I squinted and held my breath, trying to glimpse what lay ahead. My stomach clenched with nerves. Where on earth was Ty taking me?
After a few long seconds, the gravel road gave way to an open clearing, a lookout. Ty rolled up alongside a log railing. I shot through the passenger door, folding over the barrier to suck in fresh mouthfuls of air. A steady breeze blew, clearing his scent and filling my lungs. Now able to think again, my eyes roamed. Below the hillside the city sparkled, alive with nightlife. Everything was awash with the warm glow of street lamps, from the moving cars to the illuminated advertisements. The sight was a stark comparison to where I stood, with black shadows carved by billowing oaks.
When warmth settled behind my back, I turned and almost jumped out of my skin. Ty was standing right behind me. A perplexed expression encompassed his symmetrical features. I hadn’t even heard him exit the car. I glanced down at his black hunting boots. How had I not heard those crossing the gravel? He towered over me, at least six-foot-one to my five-six. His warm-honey eyes were watching me. The breeze suddenly died down. The heat of his body so close swelled his fragrant blood through the minimal space between us. Fear of my fangs extending had my hands curling into fists, nails digging into my palms. The rest of my body became suddenly rigid.
Oblivious to my strain, Ty reached up to touch my cheek with heated fingers. Then he brushed the hair back from my face. His hand lingered there, his fingers just grazing my neck. Gooseflesh rose like a rippling wave over my skin. His face was barely inches from mine. Too close. My pulse elevated. Move away, my mind screamed. My body ignored me, remaining frozen stiff. Then before I could grasp what was actually happening, Ty dipped his head and pressed his full lips gently to mine. My eyes snapped shut as my fangs broke from their sheaths. But something more than wanting to bite into Ty was terribly wrong. Against my colder than human flesh, Ty’s lips were hot, far hotter than any human’s should be.
With my lips still locked to his, my eyelids flung open. His brilliant-gold eyes were staring into mine. Without thinking, I jerked away, forcing my hands into his chest. I backed up until I hit the railing, raising a hand to my still burning lips. A loud thumping echoed through my ears. It was my heart, I realized, drumming faster than I imagined was even possible.
Ty’s face held a mixture of confusion and hurt, but something was different about him. I knew I wasn’t imagining it this time. His still glowing eyes shone with brilliance under his hurt expression. They looked like golden jewels, somehow catching the light of the glittering stars above.
Ty shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to, I just… I thought you wanted me to kiss you.”
The shock of what had just happened retracted my fangs. With my heart drumming beneath my ribs, I took a hesitant step forward. Did I want Ty to kiss me? Before it had happened, I would have said with total conviction, no. But now…I wasn’t so sure. “It’s just, your lips.” I could feel my cheeks warming at the memory, hot on cold, skin on skin. My first ever kiss. “They were on fire. And your eyes…” I trailed off, needing a moment to decide. No, head on was the best course of action to figuring Ty out. “They changed color!”
Ty immediately spun away from me, blocking his face from view. With caution, I closed the space between us to rest a shaking hand along his shoulder. “Ty, what are you hiding?” Ty turned around almost reluctantly, blinking. His eyes were back to their usual warm-honey and iridescent green coloring. But he wouldn’t look at me. “Ty,” I said, reaching out to touch his arm. “You can trust me.”
“Can I?” Ty’s calculating eyes rose, searching mine for a brief moment before his expression hardened. “Sometimes they change color, depending on my mood.” He took a step back and shrugged. “That’s all.”
His warmth faded as he moved back to his car. I couldn’t help feeling loss at his distance. There was a tiny part of me that wanted to back down, to let this interrogation go. Yet there was no doubt in my mind that there was more to Ty’s unusual eye color than he was letting on. I had never seen eyes of that vibrant shade in my life. Well, at least not on a human, I thought. During our transition at the cabin I had hunted packs of gray wolves. Many had golden eyes, though none had been as luminous as his. On top of that, Ty had brought me here for a reason. It had to be more than just wanting to kiss me. With a surge of agitation at his closed-off attitude, I planted my hands on my hips. “I’m not buying it.”
Ty spun back so fast he blurred, his jaw clenched and open hands stiff at his sides. “Well then, why don’t you tell me what happened.”
His aggravated words hissed through clenched teeth, burned like hot coals against my flesh. Hurt, I dropped my eyes to the gravel. “I don’t know,” I whispered. “But I do know there’s something different about you.”
Peering up slowly I saw that Ty was still glaring at me. “You’re imagining things,” he spat through tight lips.
Fresh agitation swirled within my chest, and my hands curled into fists. I knew I should let the subject lie, but my mouth refused to obey. “I saw you before you won the race, and I know you saw me too. You can’t convince me that that didn’t happen as well.” Ty shook his head, but didn’t respond. My voice lowered. “You’re not human, are you?”
Ty staggered as though my words had literally hit him. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I am human. At least in all the ways that count…” His lips snapped shut with a start, and he turned back to his car. He arched his head up to the night sky. It was lit by a full moon and surrounded by a galaxy of glittering stars. His jaw clenched again as he yanked the driver’s side door open. “I’m taking you home.”
I slumped into the passenger seat. Ty dropped into the driver’s side, firing up the engine. His jaw remained tense as he curled tight fingers around the steering wheel. The strain caused his knuckles to whiten. A moment later he flexed his fingers with a deep sigh. His hardened eyes shifted to me then back to the windshield as he planted his foot. A spray of gravel sprung from all four wheels. The WRX came to life, peeling away from the lookout. In seconds we had cleared the dark gravel road.
I sat in silence with my hair whipping from the fresh air pouring through the open window. My mind was spinning. Ty had inadvertently admitted to being something more than human. His chameleon eye color, ridiculous speed, over-developed muscle build and inhumanly heated flesh were proof enough. All of this filled my head with questions, but gave me no real answers.
The saltiness of ocean swells filled the air as Ty veered onto Ocean Boulevard. He cleared his throat and glanced in my direction. “There’s a party next Saturday. Come with me.”
I stared at him, stunned. Was he actually asking me out again? After all the friction of tonight, the request wasn’t just crazy, it was absurd. Use it, a little voice in my head spoke simply as an idea came to mine. “Fine, I’ll go with you if you answer me one question.”
A curious smile, etched with mischief, pulled at his lips. “And what might that be?”
Certain he wouldn’t reveal why or how he was different, I settled on what I hoped would be a simpler question. “Why is your skin so warm?”
Ty’s smile hardened but his tone remained relatively light, almost goading. “Well, you’re not so normal yourself. Are you?”
A lump began to rise up my throat. For a second—though not for the first time—I wondered if he knew of the monster I struggled to hold at bay. Maybe he was just messing with me. With a painful gulp I forced the lump of paranoia back down. “No answer, no party.”
Ty shrugged. “If you say so.”
“I do.”
“Then why don’t we just agree,” Ty suggested, tone level and controlled. “That we’re both different compared to most people, and leave it at that for now.”
Different? A graphic image of Ty’s horrified face at discovering the kind of monster I really was flooded my mind. In spite of my curiosity, I decided to let it go. Any line of questioning would no doubt lead to returned questions, questions I absolutely wasn’t in any position to answer. I couldn’t let him know the real me. No one ever would. “Fine,” I said. “I can live with that, for now.”
Ty turned off Ocean Boulevard and through the stone-hedged gates of my driveway to pull up behind the Cabriolet. Normally the car would be stowed in one of the four lockable garage spaces. Safe from the elements, as Dorian liked to say. Except now it wasn’t. He’d left it parked in the exact same position it had been when Ty had picked me up. Which meant Dorian was still suspicious and covering all tracks. When I sighed, dreading a suspected onslaught of questions from my brother, Ty leaned across the center console. My eyes snapped shut and I clutched my sides with force. After what had happened at the lookout, I knew I couldn’t control my lust for Ty’s blood if his flesh connected with mine again. Please don’t kiss me.
