by Myers, J. L.
“She’s the one,” Mr. Malau’s sharp tone cut through me like a knife. My eyes snapped up to view his glare. He drew in a long breath, sniffing the air. Utter disgust wrinkled his nose and face.
“Father, don’t!” Ty pleaded.
“Ahh…” Mr. Malau’s lips curbed with an amused smile. “She doesn’t know.”
“Know what?” Harper questioned. His voice was shaky but his color had returned.
“Harper, shut up!” Ty growled. His intense stare didn’t shift from his father who had braced himself, hands strained into tense claws that bit into the wooden table top. “Don’t do this.”
Fear and mind-muddling confusion caused my body to tremble. What didn’t I know? I looked sideways at Ty, keeping his father in my peripheral vision. “What’s going on?”
Ty looked away while a sinister chuckle rumbled from Mr. Malau’s chest. “I picked up your scent on him, all those months ago, in Alaska. The smell of monstrous fear and blood-hungry desire.”
My insides squeezed and my muscles grew tight. The sound of my voice was a quiet echo. “Alaska?”
“You may pretend not to be a killer…” Mr. Malau tilted his head and leaned back in his seat. Smugness careened across his face. “But I know the truth. You have tried to kill, to drain a human of their life’s blood. Soon enough you will again.”
The breath was knocked from my lungs. Too many memories were flooding my mind. The boy who had appeared in the alley outside Pulse had been intent on killing me. My surreal dream had revealed Ty as that very same boy—but when I’d asked, Ty had completely denied having ever been in Alaska. Last, I recalled Ty’s words after I had lost control and drank his blood at Troy’s party. I knew what you were from the very first moment I laid eyes on you. My head was shaking back and forth. My brain throbbed against my skull. No, it can’t be.
“I see the realization in your eyes,” Mr. Malau stated. “Ty was there that night, and you know it. He was there to kill you.”
Ice invaded my chest and tears clouded my eyes. With my heart beating with a rapid ache that stole my breath, I turned my sight to Ty. “You?”
Everything was suddenly adding up, holes being filled with a truth I couldn’t deny. All this time, Ty’s absences, his excuses, the scars… The hunting expeditions had never been for fresh game. Vanessa had hinted at the truth on a number of occasions. But I had been too blind to see, too caught up to force the truth from him. All this time Ty had been hunting vampires.
Adrenaline spiked my veins and I kicked my seat back. It toppled to the ground, connecting with the wall behind me with a crack of wood and plaster. Ty jumped to his feet, his face parchment white. “You lied to me!” I tried to scream, but what came out was a croaked whisper.
“Amelia, please,” Ty pleaded, stepping forward with raised hands. It almost looked like he expected me to lunge at him like the monster we all knew I was.
I spluttered a cough, clearing my throat. “Don’t you dare come near me! I don’t know you. I never did.” With my muscles bunched, I darted from the room and Ty’s house, fleeing my enemies’ turf, fleeing Ty. The thought that invaded my mind was far from fleeting. It imprinted across my heart. Ty was my enemy.
~
Without making a sound to alert Kendrick, I flew through the foyer of my house and launched upstairs. With my heels clutched in my hands I slumped against the inside of my bedroom door. Instantly an unmistakable scent alerted my nostrils. My eyes sifted through the darkness of my room to a moonlit figure perched on my windowsill. Ty’s chest heaved with ragged breath. The hard lines of his pecs were visible through the thin fabric of his shirt. Frost-chilled air blew through my open window. The force billowed the dark curtains in a ghostly wave around him.
Against the anger still surging through my entire body, my heart fluttered. My skin prickled—at the sight of him or from the icy air, I wasn’t sure. With effort I retained the bitter edge to my low tone. “What do you think you’re doing here?”
“Amelia,” Ty said pushing off the sill. “Please. You have to hear me out.”
“Why,” I spat, fighting the temptation to strike out at something. “So you can tell me it wasn’t you? That you were never in Anchorage? That you didn’t intend on killing me?”
“It was me.” Ty sighed. He blinked slowly. “I was in the club when you entered. And I saw you let that drunken guy take you out back. I could smell your desire for his blood. I knew you planned to attack him.”
In a moment’s pause, I recalled what Kendrick had said to me as I’d left for my date. His words had been simple. “Because I don’t trust him.” Kendrick’s suspicions had been right all along. When I replied after a few long moments, I had intended my tone to sound harsh and sharp. Instead it emerged toneless and hollow. “Why were you there?”
“My father was tracking a rogue vampire in Anchorage. As long as we’re not taking any down without just reason, the Vampire Council doesn’t seem to mind. Really, I think they prefer it. Saves them from getting their hands dirty. This one had already killed three people. You must have seen it on the news—all those people ‘killed by animals’? Anyway, I went with him.” Ty glanced out my open window, eyes staring at the bright, moonlit sky. “He sent me to scope out Pulse. It’s a popular vampire hangout.” The distant look in his eyes faded and his focus returned to me. “And that’s when I saw you.”
I could so clearly remember the night my existence had changed. Mom and Uncle Caius had been oblivious to my growing hunger as I crept down the dark hall. The breaking news playing from the lounge room had been a distraction.
I shook my head and dropped onto the foot of my bed, arm curling around the corner post. A daunting notion hit me like a jolt of electricity. “You thought I was the killer?”
Ty lowered beside me, leaning back against his scarred arms. “It was a possibility. But I had to be sure.”
Letting my eyelids droop closed, I could remember that night with startling clarity. The glint of a weapon had caught the moonlight at his side. “Kill me,” I’d cried. “I’m a fucking monster!”
And the boy had faltered. Ty had faltered, surprised words escaping his lips. “You want to die?”
The panic I had experienced that night, the desperation of realizing that my mom and uncle’s revelation was true, surged through me now, just as gripping. Just as chilling. I’m a living, breathing monster, a blood-hungry vampire. I bit my lip, head twisting to face Ty. “Why didn’t you?” When he frowned, I said in a fading voice, “Kill me. Why didn’t you kill me?”
The muscles along Ty’s neck constricted with an audible gulp. “I was going to. I really was.”
Alarm shot through my heart, quelled in an instant by his next words.
“But I couldn’t. Your reaction to what you did to that guy, the pain and regret that contorted your face… It was like nothing I’d ever seen.” He shook his head. “And my father was wrong. You scent holds no comparison to a true monster’s. It’s volatile, I won’t deny that. Like a warning of an approaching electrical storm. But it’s the purest scent I have ever encountered. It’s as pure as your very soul.”
He took my hands and threaded his rough fingers through mine. “I knew then that you weren’t a cold-blooded killer, just a scared and confused girl. Your blatant self-loathing as you begged for death… Your humanity is part of everything you are. It stirred something in me. I didn’t care what you’d done, or what you were.” His head dipped, lips grazing mine. The intimate touch rippled with a shiver down my entire body. “I wanted to know you, Amelia, to comfort and pull you into my arms. To tell you that everything would be okay.”
“But Kendrick appeared,” I whispered, made breathless and dizzy by his blood.
“I didn’t want to leave.” Ty released my hands and folded me in his strong arms. “And I will never leave you, again. I don’t care who stands against us.”
My hands connected with the hard outline of his chest, fingertips feeling their way over the many scars
that marked him there. I clutched his shirt and pulled his body against mine. “No more lies.”
Ty smiled, his lips finding mine and parting them gently. His kiss sealed an unspoken promise as I reclined, drawing his body onto mine. His voice emerged with escalating breath, melting away the last of my anger. “Amelia, I couldn’t stay away from you, even if my life depended on it.”
Warmed by his touch, scent, and words, I pulled him closer, my body telling him how much I needed him too. Ty’s body pressed harder into mine, hungry and pinning me against the soft mattress. Fire scorched where his calloused hands crept up my thigh and under the hem of my dress. I gasped, raking rigid fingers down over the muscles and scars of his back. When I reached the bottom of his shirt, I tugged. Ty’s chest lifted off mine, hungry eyes watching me as I removed the covering. He leaned down, kissing me with a hard ferocity that surprised and excited me. My pulse hammered with anticipation. Then a rumble, halfway between a growl and a moan, vibrated through his chest. Instantly every muscle along his body snapped tight.
“Wait!” he uttered.
I was breathing as hard as Ty as he pulled away. My body screamed against his retraction. “What’s wrong?”
Worried Kendrick had entered my eyes darted to my bedroom door. No one was there. With a quick sigh, I frowned and followed Ty’s gaze through my open window. The bright, full moon, littered with delicate gray clouds, gleamed down on us.
“I’ll shift soon,” Ty said, as though it were the most normal statement in the world. He leaned back on his elbow, his slowing breath hot on my skin as he pressed his lips to mine. “We don’t have long.”
The touch did little to disintegrate my disappointment. “Oh…”
“I’ll stay till you’re asleep,” Ty added.
I looked up and noticed dark circles lining his eyes. He looked incredibly tired. “You don’t have to stay…”
Ty smiled. “It’s okay.” He strung his arm under my neck, guiding my head against his bare chest as he rolled onto his back. The beat of his slowing, steady heart echoed through my ears. “I want to.”
With his scent filling my lungs, warmth cascaded throughout my body. The sensation was calming and made me feel safe and totally secure. There was nowhere in the world I would rather have been. I belong to you, my internal voice whispered. All I said out-loud was, “Good night, Ty.”
The mental and physical exertion of the night was creeping up fast. My eyelids blinked with exhausted weight. Sleep claimed me moments later, a nightmare forming within my subconscious mind.
I stood in a forest clearing with Ty before me. His entire body shook. A sickening crack sounded, followed by a low growl. Ty fell to the snow-topped grass on all fours. Another agonizing growl tore from his throat as his back arched up. I went to rush forward, but I couldn’t move. An invisible force planted my feet to the ground. I struggled to break the hold. Then my vision shattered.
The sound of continuing cracks transcended into waking reality, ripping me from my nightmare. It was the crunch of bones breaking. My eyes flung open. Clouds fogged up my consciousness, disorientating me. But one thing struck me. Coarse hair scratched at my skin. I wasn’t alone. Limbs wrapped around my body, trapping me within the concrete embrace of a fur-covered beast.
A blood-curdling scream bubbled up my throat while my heart jumped to marathon speed. I thrashed, loosening the beast’s grip. Instantly alert, the creature startled. It leaped away from me, razor claws cutting my flesh. Pain radiated down my arm, while the scent of spilled blood reached my nostrils. I took no notice. My eyes were wide, unwaveringly fixed on the black beast as it flew through the air. It moved at a speed that was mind boggling, and landed without a sound in the center of my moonlit room. Its tall ears were perched forward and its canines were covered. The creature looked like a wolf, but unlike any I had ever encountered before. Its solid and muscular body was entirely covered in dense, black hair. With its size, it was more comparable to a bear. As I stared, frozen not in horror but awakening confusion, the creature moved forward. It covered the space between us in just one bound. I knew I should have backed away or lashed out, but I didn’t. There was just something about the creature that kept me planted. It was a recognition I couldn’t quite grasp.
It slowly reached out with an enormous paw—claws retracted—to graze my arm. I followed its touch to find deep lacerations scoring my flesh. Blood ran in think rivulets down my arm, collecting at my elbow. Fat drops fell steadily onto my lavender sheets, and what looked to be shredded black denim. Even as I watched, still struggling against the block in my mind, the blood began to clot and dry. The rapid healing process had already begun. When no more blood oozed from the cuts, my eyes rose to the beast. The gold of its eyes shone with brilliance, holding my stare. Within that mosaic of color, a slow understanding etched through the fog clouding my mind. Realization suddenly dawned on me. I wasn’t looking at a monster, an intruder or enemy, or even a creature I should fear in any way. I was looking at the boy I was falling for, at his magnificent wolf form. I was looking at Ty.
A sound at the end of the hallway snapped me out of my reverie. Footsteps, and more than one set, were hammering our way. My heart jumped into my throat. “Quick, you have to go!” I cried. When Ty hesitated, I pushed against his shoulders. “Now, they’re coming!”
Conflicting emotions showed across Ty’s wolf expression before he bounded across the room. His fluid movements blurred with speed as he leaped from my open window. In a panic, I shoved the shredded denim—which I now realized had been Ty’s jeans—under the sheets. Then I tugged the quilt up, covering my slashed arm and bloodied purple dress.
A split second later, Kendrick exploded into the room. He was wearing nothing but boxers and a Red t-shirt. Dorian was right on his tail. The chandelier flared on, casting away the shadows of my room with glorious light.
“What’s wrong?” Kendrick shouted, panicked eyes darting around my room. “Are you okay?”
Closing my eyes, I shook my head and waved a dismissive hand. I almost expected my mom to storm the room next. “I’m fine. I just had a nightmare.” Shit! I bit my lip and cursed myself. After resolving not to keep secrets, I was lying again, telling whopping half-truths. But how could I tell them what had happened? That Ty had been here? That he’d changed while asleep, and that I had the marks to prove it? It was an accident. But Kendrick would never understand.
Dorian sucked in a deep breath and rolled his eyes. “Geez, sis, you scared the shit outta me!”
Kendrick beside him raised one brow, regarding me with wary eyes. It was a look I understood well, one that in this moment filled me with dread. He’s not buying it. He had stormed into the room with as much force and alarm as my brother had, but it was obvious from his reserved expression that he still hadn’t entirely forgiven me. Clearer than that was the fact that he didn’t trust me, or believe my mounting lies.
“Well,” Dorian said looking from me to Kendrick. “I’ve got a date tomorrow. So if I’m gonna bring my A game, I need a few more hours sleep.”
Ignoring Dorian’s innuendo, I broke from Kendrick’s watchful gaze. The alarm clock on my bedside table read 12:15AM. That’s why she isn’t here. Mom was still at her meeting. Mindful of keeping my arm concealed, I looked back to the guys. “Yeah, sure, see you in the morning.”
Dorian slipped past Kendrick without further encouragement, leaving my best friend lingering mute by my door. His eyes were still set on me, radiating distrust. I forced a smile, which he didn’t return as he strode across the room to my open window. He peered out into the bright night sky, lit by the still-glowing full moon. Then he tugged the panes shut and secured the latch. My eyes remained fixed on him as he retraced his steps. Fear that he would rush to me and tear back the shielding covers had my pulse throbbing. But he didn’t look at me, or even utter a single word. Relief washed over me.
But as he was about to close the door behind him, he paused, nose tilting up to test the air. I could smell
it now, too. Without the fresh night breeze flowing through my bedroom window, the scent of my own blood lifted on the air. It was still drying on the remains of Ty’s jeans and my tainted sheets and dress.
“Whose blood do I smell?” Kendrick swiveled to face me. Worry and anger stained his expression.
My eyes dropped and my head turned, preparing for the backlash that would erupt with my confession. As my lips parted to speak, something caught my eye. It was the glass of blood I had downed before leaving to meet with Ty. It was perched beside the alarm clock and rimmed with half an inch of drying blood. I pointed to the glass, shrugging. “Midnight snack.”
Kendrick’s eyes narrowed. For a long moment he just stood there, watching me. Each passing second raised the rapid contractions of my heart. Then without speaking he turned, dousing the chandelier before closing the door behind him.
At the sound of his retreating footsteps, I snatched a piece of chocolate from the bedside drawer. I shoved it into my mouth and fell back against the mountain of purple pillows. Shit. Shit. Shit! I wanted to slap myself. To be punished for breaking my own resolution. The continued strain between Kendrick and I was wearing thin. And I knew it was all because of me. In the morning, I would fix everything.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Sunlight woke me after a night of restless sleep. I slipped into black cotton pants and a long-sleeved purple top. Better Kendrick not see the angry, red welts painted across my arm. I was about to head downstairs when my iPhone buzzed from my bedside. It was Ty. I snatched the phone and raised it to my ear.
“Amelia!” Ty’s voice was frantic. I was almost surprised to hear a human voice, rather than the growl of a wolf. “Are you alright?”
“What? Of course I am.” I cringed at the memory of last night. He was asking if I was alright? Ty was the one who’d transformed. He was the one who’d had every bone in his body broken and reset. His flesh had stretched out to cover his expanding beastly shape. Not me. “Are you?”
