by Myers, J. L.
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.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
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.”
That had been the end of his begging for forgiveness. The remaining flights passed in acidic silence. Through it all, a tiny part of me wanted to forgive him, to let him off the hook. But the part of me that was hurting with the heartbreak of leaving Ty behind just wouldn’t allow it.
With the sun’s rise, we finally arrived in Anchorage. A suited chauffeur holding a card printed with our names was waiting. He hadn’t uttered a word as he collected our luggage and escorted us to the limo. Now almost two hours had passed in complete silence, on a road surrounded by nothing but thick forestry. Just over ten minutes ago, we’d passed through a chain-link gate topped with razor wire. Threatening warning signs had been posted along the electrified fence, which disappeared into thickening trees. There had been two mute guards, who after inspecting the limo, granted us entry. Still the chauffeur hadn’t uttered a single word.
I glanced back out the heavily tinted window as we drove through another guarded entrance. This one was an impenetrable gray-stone wall. It was yet another barrier to keep the outside world and Ty away. Cobblestone lanes snaked around the castle. They fronted what appeared to be residential homes and shop fronts. The Armaya was an entire vampire community.
Kendrick exited the limo at once. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his boarding jacket and took off. In seconds he’d disappeared down a cobblestone lane.
An impatient throat clearing drew my eye to the chauffeur. He was now standing at my door, shielded beneath a thick-skinned umbrella. Without a word he turned, climbing the stairs to the castle’s thick, iron-braced doors. I hurried after him into a dark foyer lined with pews, then down a corridor lit with lanterns.
With a knock at the first door, the chauffeur spoke for the very first time. “Miss Amelia Lamont, Lord Bathory.”
The chauffeur pushed open the creaking door and stepped aside. Then he bowed deeply before scurrying up the hall. As he vanished beyond the light of lanterns, something occurred to me. I had never taken much notice of my uncle’s surname. Bathory. There was a certain ring to it that hung on the tip of my tongue.
A throat clearing drew my eyes up to my uncle. The sight of him spiked my pulse, nerves instantly refocusing all my attention onto him. He was formally dressed in a soot-colored suit and seated behind a leather-swathed desk. A mountain of askew papers surrounded him like a small fortress. The room was dark, shielded by thick drapes. Heavy bags circled his eyes and were emphasized by the poor lighting of a single desk lamp.
Caius pushed one stack of papers to the side and smiled. A relieved sigh escaped my lips as he stood, walking around the desk. His outstretched arms wrapped me in a welcoming hug. “Amelia, my dear, it is truly wonderful to see you.”
Considering the circumstances, I had expected him to be at least angry, if not livid. But he wasn’t. He seemed genuinely happy to see me.
Caius released me from his paternal embrace and cleared his throat again. “So, I hear you are involved with a lycanthrope.”
Caught off guard, I coughed and averted my eyes. The air suddenly seemed thick and stifling. A rhythmic ticking drew my sight to the swinging pendulum of a grandfather clock. It was positioned between shelving units that bordered almost the entire room. The pendulum barely ticked a quarter as fast as my now racing heart. I knew my uncle was waiting for a response, but any and all words seemed lost to me.
“You are lucky Kendrick came forward when he did,” Caius went on. “Had The Council found out, I would not be responsible for their actions.”
The grim edge to his tone raked across my skin. While the mere mention of Kendrick’s name flooded a fuming anger throughout my body. “What would they have done?”
Caius motioned to the door. “Let us not worry about that now. It is late, and we have mere hours before a new day begins.”
I glanced back to the antique, grandfather clock. It was almost 1PM.
“Oh,” Caius chuckled. “Lamayli—I mean, your mother—must have forgotten to mention it. As vampires largely reside within the Armaya’s walls, we run on a schedule opposite to that of humans. It is our natural way.” He held out his elbow for me to take. “Come, I will escort you to your room.”
With our arms linked, we cleared the corridor before climbing a stone stairwell. After passing a number of closed doors, Caius paused at one nearing the end of the corridor. “I have arranged a mentor to school you in vampire history. Your mother expressed your interest to learn. Plus I do believe the knowledge will be invaluable.”
He fished into his pocket. Out came an ancient-looking key that he handed over. I kept my lips pinned shut. Any encouraged conversation could bring Ty back into discussion.
“I have afforded you a day’s rest. Your tutoring will commence the day after tomorrow.” A controlled smile spread over Caius’s lips. It was the kind that didn’t quite reach his dull, silvery eyes. “This will be your room. I trust it is satisfactory. If you require anything at all, dial one on the landline. Your every need will be taken care of. Now, try to get some rest and I will see you tomorrow.”
After a hard twist of the key, I forced the heavy door open. I found the light switch and stared around my new prison. Lanterns matching the stairwell flashed on, lighting the space with a yellow glow. Iron-footed, antique furnishings minimally decorated the room. A wall-mounted flat screen was positioned above an age-worn wooden cabinet. It was the only modern touch.
Dragging my feet across the room, I slumped onto the turquoise quilt covering an enormous bed. I sighed and pulled out my iPod to play Three Days Grace. All the flights and time involved had seriously drained my energy. I needed a boost, a boost that sleep alone would not replenish. I grasped the phone from the bedside table and dialed one.
A female voice answered after a single ring. “Service operator, how may I help you?”
I needed blood. That was clear. Only I had no idea how the Armaya operated. “I was um, wondering,” I floundered, “if I could get a drink. I’m a little low on…energy.”
“Ah, this must be Amelia, welcome. You’ll find a mini bar in the cabinet below the television. It’s stocked with refreshments. Is there anything else I can assist you with?”
I vaulted over to the cabinet, yanking the door open. As promised, inside was a mini bar. An assortment of beverages stocked the shelves: water, soft drink, milk and glass-bottled blood. “No, that’s all I needed. Thanks.”
I hung up and downed the contents of an entire bottle. The dead blood was nothing compared to Ty’s. Yet somehow it tugged at a memory. The one time I had lost control and drank his delicious blood. My face warmed while my aching heart sank. I hadn’t allowed myself to think about him too much. Now I was trapped and alone in this expansive, stone-walled room and I couldn’t stop myself. God, I miss you.
