Made By Design (Blood Bound Series Book 2) (17 page)

I tugged my loose beach shirt off, revealing a tight purple bikini. The urge to re-cover myself was there, but I held it back. Ty’s hungry eyes drinking in every inch of me spiked my confidence. I shrugged meekly. “Better safe than sorry.”

Today was our second cruise day, and our first port of call at Isle of Pines. It was a small island, requiring a motorized passenger boat from the ship to cart passengers to shore. Following the ride we exited onto the floating dock, which rose and fell with soft waves and lead to the beach. A quick photo op with local islanders dressed in traditional tribe attire followed. Then we found a shaded spot bordering the soft sandy beach, with short trees hanging above us to spread our beach towels beneath.

With my face warming at Ty’s lingering gaze, I lowered stomach-down onto the beach towel. At the same time I formed a wall around my thoughts and actions before Kendrick could intrude. Ty threw a leg over my back, straddling my hips. A squirt of cold sunscreen dropped onto my skin. His rough hands began massaging the thick liquid into my back and shoulders, warming the lotion as his palms slid in a circular motion. The touch of his hands on my naked skin had my blood rushing with heat. I rolled over with him still on top of me and smiled. Ty squirted another cold blob onto my stomach causing me to flinch, then another onto my chest. He wavered, his hands hovering above my pale skin.

Knowing where I wanted those very hands, I connected our palms and directed them down to my stomach. His hands and fingers massaged me there before hesitantly trailing up over my chest. His eyes found mine over his Oakleys and I smiled. Taking the invitation, he rubbed the sunscreen into the exposed flesh, careful not to overstep by actually touching my breasts. His breathing deepened as he leaned closer to me, but he didn’t make eye contact. Instead his focus remained on his hands, trailing from my chest, up my neck, and over my face.

Arching up from the beach towel I met his lips. I teasingly bit his lower lip before parting his mouth with mine. Our tongues met briefly before Ty drew away. He smiled and grasped my hand, jumping up and pulling me along with him.

“I need to cool down.” His voice was rough with lust. He tugged me across the scorching hot sand and into the lukewarm water. He released my hand and dove under the surface. A moment later he reemerged a few yards away.

I followed, loving the feel of the soothing water before rising above the surface to float hard up against Ty. Sexual tension grew between us like crackling static. Unfortunately the bond block was failing. So I decided to diffuse the situation, for now. “How about we go for a swim around that.” I pointed to a giant rocky mass that was covered by scrubby trees and bordered by water, connecting on one side with the beach’s shore. “Check out the marine life?”

Ty grazed my face with his hand. “Good idea.”

After checking out the colorful marine life and coral reef around the giant rock, we reclined back on our beach towels. With our arms grazing we lay quietly. Rhythmic waves lapped against the sandy shore, and a light breeze blew through the surrounding palm and pine trees. The relaxing sounds almost had me nodding off to sleep.

Then a sudden recognizable shift jolted my senses awake. I was sitting in a cozy cocktail bar, my back leaning against the cold glass window. It was the only thing that separated me from the freezing snow building against the glass pane. With a start I realized what was happening. In my relaxed state my mind had shifted into Kendrick’s body. He was nursing a crisp brandy on the rocks, and favoring his left arm which throbbed.
What happened?

Kendrick stiffened in his seat, noticing my intrusion.
I’m fine. Just had a little tumble on the slopes.
He threw back his drink.
It’s nothing you need to worry about.

I searched Kendrick’s mind, finding the replay of events that led to his injury. He had been attempting a double flip off a crest and didn’t pull off the landing. I tried to push further into his memories but came to a dead end.
You’re keeping something from me.

Kendrick motioned to the bartender for another drink.
It’s nothing. I’ve just been practicing blocking you…for both our sakes.
With a new drink put before him, he took a big gulp.
That’s all.

There had been fewer intrusions from him when I was with Ty. He hadn’t even popped in when I’d fed from Ty in the club. So I supposed he was telling the truth.
Please be more caref—

All thoughts shattered as I was ripped from Kendrick’s mind. “Amelia!” Ty’s voice was panicked, his calloused hands shaking my shoulders. “Shit. Wake up!”

My heart shot into my throat. My eyes flew open. Sunlight blinded me and I blinked back tears. Ty’s shaking stopped and I leaned up on my elbows. Still clearing my vision, I scanned the beach. “What’s wrong?”

Ty breathed out hard, scrubbing a tense hand down his face. “Shit, you scared me. We both fell asleep, but when I tried to wake you…” His face paled like he’d seen a ghost. “It was like you weren’t even here.”

Ty knew I’d slipped away. Fan-freaking-tastic! There was no keeping it from him now. I sighed, resigned to telling the truth. “I wasn’t here,” I confessed. I turned further on my towel and laid a gentle hand on his knee. “I was at the ski lodge…well sort of. In Kendrick’s mind. It’s a bond thing. And I didn’t mean to. It just kinda happened.”

Irritation edged in on Ty’s grim features. He looked away from me and out to the sun-speckled water. “How long has this been going on?”

I stared at my hand resting on Ty’s knee, then let it slip away. “It happened for the first time yesterday. Well, at least for me it did. Kendrick’s been able to come and go since the beginning.”

“So now the bond has grown between you two.” Ty’s voice was hollow, a shell without emotion.

I shook my head frantically. “No, I mean yes. But this doesn’t change us. None of this has to change us.”

“But it does.” Ty’s head twisted. The hurt plaguing his expression broke my heart. “You will
always
be connected to him. The bond between you continues to grow. As do your feelings for him.”

I wanted to throw myself into Ty’s arms, but held back, feeling the glacial turn this discussion was taking. “No, Ty. That’s not true. I’m in love with you, not him!”

A muscle ticked in Ty’s jaw as his contact-shielded eyes shifted to me. I swear I could see gold sparking from the edges of his irises. “You think I’m blind, Amelia? You may not love him like you do me, but you can’t deny that your feelings for him have grown. I know you love him too. How am I supposed to compete with that, when you won’t even give me a chance?”

“W-what do you mean,
give you a chance
?” My stomach dropped with suspicion that had my eyes tearing up.

Ty placed his palms on my cheeks and rested his forehead against mine. “Even the odds, Amelia. Level the playing field,” he whispered, voice low and sharp. “Lengthen my life.”

I yanked my face free, jumping to my feet. A flash of Ty cold and dead shone behind my lids as I blinked back tears. Complete with bloodstains over his face and bare chest, the image almost brought me to my knees. “Are you so freaking threatened that you would risk your own life to beat him? Is that all I am, a prize for you to win?!”

I sprinted away from Ty without a backward glance. Tears were streaming from my face now and I couldn’t bear to show him how vulnerable he made me.

~

I spent the evening alone in the dining lounge. Now on dessert, I forked pieces of mud cake and pushed them around my plate. The fact that it was chocolate didn’t seem to matter. For the bitter taste it left in my mouth, it may as well have been acid.

I sighed for the millionth time.
Lost In You
by Three Days Grace played through my iPod’s earphones, only making me feel worse. My head was a mess. I felt sick over my fight with Ty. As usual, I had overreacted. Not that I didn’t deserve the right to react. Turning Ty could kill him, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I had been the one to do it.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to block out the image of Ty cold, stiff, and dead. Then emptiness dawned on me. Kendrick wasn’t in my mind. I sent out feelers through the bond, but sensed nothing. No connection. No thoughts or emotions. Just me, alone. Normally I would have appreciated the privacy, but not now. Kendrick’s injury from earlier and his recapped events didn’t sit well. Remembering that memory block had my stomach churning. Something was wrong.

Leaving my mangled dessert, I headed for the cabin and my iPhone. When I reached the room I paused. Ty was probably in there and I knew I needed to talk things out with him, but a sinking feeling told me Kendrick needed me first. I opened the door to find the lights already on. Ty stood outside on the balcony, the sliding door closed and the drapes drawn open. He glanced back at me, and his face didn’t change. It just remained frozen and blank. I looked away and grasped my iPhone from the bed, dialing Kendrick’s number.

‘Out hitting the slopes. So leave a message and I might call you back later.’

Kendrick’s phone was either turned off, or worse…out of range. “Dammit.”

The sliding door opened. “What’s going on?”

“Oh.” I spun and was met by a gust of humid sea air as Ty came in. “Kendrick’s blocked me out, and—”

“Great.” Ty yanked the sliding door shut. “Let’s talk about your
soul mate
and how much you’re missing him.”

“Ty, it’s not like that. I’m worried something bad has happened.”

“Like what?” Ty leaned back against the glass, crossing his arms over his chest.

I knew I could have gone into detail, but there was no point. Ty would only put these little glimpses down to being misplaced affection. So I kept to the facts. “Kendrick was injured earlier, when I, ah…visited him. He was keeping something from me, too. And now I can’t even feel him. It’s like he’s not here anymore.”

Ty’s guarded face softened. He took my arm and pulled me down onto the foot of the bed. “He’s not dead, Amelia. I’m sure everything is fine. He’s probably just zonked out sleeping off a full day boarding. Can you, um, you know, visit him when he’s sleeping?”

I frowned. Today had been the second so-called ‘visit’ to Kendrick, but neither this one nor the first had been while he was asleep. “I don’t know.”

“Well, that’s all it is then.”

I clasped and unclasped my hands. “Ty, I’m sorry…”

“No. Don’t be.” His words silenced me. “I just took the new Kendrick link badly. I didn’t mean to push the subject.”

Feeling the walls between us fall, I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders. “Ty, I don’t want to lose you, ever.” I hugged him like I’d never get the chance again. “But I can’t risk your life.”

Ty slumped as his arms curled around my waist. “Okay.”

“Okay?” I arched away from him, peering into his now golden eyes. “You’re humoring me?”

Ty’s smile said it all. “We can spend the rest of my life arguing about this, or we could spend our time living it…”

The last of what Ty was saying died as my vision swam with black, the cabin light blinking out. Whipping wind rose, my hair flailing around my face like a living scarf intent on blocking my view. I glanced around, trying to see something through the darkness. A pair of glowing red eyes appeared, blinking from the shadows.

“Nice to finally meet you.” The man’s hissed words were cold and deadly.

I jumped upright, my heart hammering through my ears. Confused and feeling out-of-body, I wondered if this was somehow a vision of what Kendrick was keeping from me.

The guy moved from the shadows, killing my thoughts. The escaping moonlight caught across his chalky gray flesh and sharp glinting fangs.

Terror struck through me. “W-what do you want?” Though I said the words, it was like my voice and tone was mute. Still I took a step back, cringing at the radiating fear I felt in those words.

The guy’s smile widened. “Just you.”

He lunged forward faster than light. I turned to run. Too slow. The guy’s ice-cold hands caught around my neck. I struggled as his grip tightened, pulling me back into the shadows…

~

Someone’s hands held me down. The smell of sweet blood was thick in the air. And I was starving.

I thrashed to get free and broke away. Still blinded, there was only one thing on my mind. Blood.

Without sight my other senses directed me as I lunged, finding the source and knocking it down. A male grunted as we hit the ground, and I snapped my fangs, aiming for the neck. But this one was strong.

One hand caught my throat. The other pushed against my shoulder, spinning me over until he was on top of me.

“Amelia, stop!” The familiar voice rushed.

I was hardly listening. The pull to his blood was too strong. I snapped my fangs again, starving. I needed to tap a vein like a needed air to breathe.

The rose color began to fade from my vision. Cabin walls reformed, along with our bed and the balcony door. Above me a black-haired and golden-eyed guy struggled to keep me pinned.

My thrashing vanished and my eyes widened. “Ty?”

Unable to help it, I zeroed in on the pulsing vein up his neck. Beyond the surprise of him, the need to attack was rebuilding with force.

I slammed my fists into his chest.

Ty’s hold released and he fell back, knocking into the table.

Free, I shot into the bathroom and locked the door, slumping against it. Struggling for breath, I saw my reflection in the small mirror. My irises were shinning silver, my whites crimson. Blue veins ran like spider webs across my face and down my neck and chest. They were all physical reactions that went hand in hand with having a vision.

Ty belted on door. “Amelia! Open up.”

My stomach clenched in starvation. A sinister voice in my head whispered,
Open the door. Take one little bite. You know you want to.

“Amelia, what happened?” Ty sounded panicked and breathless. “Let me in, dammit!”

I clenched my fists to keep from sliding open the latch. I was going to attack Ty again, and he was worried about me? I banged my skull against the door, once, twice, three times. “Ty, I’m so sorry. All I could smell was blood. I—I didn’t know…”