Made By Design (Blood Bound Series Book 2) (16 page)

That was awesome!

I could feel Kendrick smiling.
That was a warm up…

So,
I questioned.
How do I control this, well, whatever you call it?

Astral projection.
He shrugged, unclipping his boots and picking up the board.
Well, it kinda happened for me naturally, where I can now come and go as I please…well usually. But in the beginning I guess I focused on my body and being connected to it rather than yours.

I focused on my own physical body and where it was.
Oh shit!
I had been fangs-deep in Ty’s neck, drinking his delicious blood.

Do you have to think so loud?
Kendrick’s stomach twisted.

Sorry. I don’t know how else to do this.

Kendrick began trekking back up to the snow lift as I concentrated. He mounted the chair lift and I focused all my mental energy on the bed I was sitting on. On my fingers threaded through Ty’s hair. On the taste of his blood as it filled my mouth. Then it happened. Darkness grew from the edge of my vision until everything became black. The taste of Ty’s blood returned to my mouth and my fangs retracted.

Worry stirred up my stomach. I’d continued to feed from Ty while being absent. Had he noticed the change? Would he have any blood left? I edged back and licked my lips clean, watching as the punctures on his neck closed up.

Ty’s head rocked up, burning gold irises shining. A sleepy smile played across his lips. “Told you there was no need to worry.”

He had no idea. I sighed, knowing I wasn’t about to tell him and feeling shitty for it. “You were right.” Then I frowned. After donating his blood to me, Ty looked exhausted past being jet lagged, and even a little pale. How much had he let me take? “How about a cat nap?”

Ty reclined against the pillows and pulled me down against him. “You read my mind.”

Ty stirred as I drew away from his chest. He seemed so peaceful and content sleeping beside me, his breathing slow and rhythmic. His color had returned too after my feeding, his werewolf healing replenishing his body after I’d taken so much blood earlier.

The sun had set beyond the glass doors, leaving our room bathed in growing shadows. Needing to figure out how to reveal the new bond link, I rolled off the bed and tiptoed out onto our own private balcony. I stood at the rail and peered out over the black-rippling ocean. Apart from the whipping sea breeze, it was peaceful out here with the sound of the ship slicing through the reflective ocean.

“Here you are.” Ty’s familiar voice behind me almost made me jump. His breath was warm on my neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist. His chest molded against my back and his lips brushed my shoulder. The slight but intimate touch sent undulating goose bumps over my body and caused a shiver to run up my spine. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”

I shivered again, not in reaction to his touch but because of the seriousness in his voice. Maybe he had noticed me slip away when feeding from him. Without turning I tried to control my voice. “What about?”

Ty loosened his hug to run his hands up and down my cold arms. His obvious nerves spiked my own panic. “About us,” he whispered. “About my dismal lifespan, and your extended, maybe even eternal one.”

So not about the bond. Instead, I knew Ty was referring to my immortal blood, and the possibility that this immortality could extend beyond my veins to my whole body. I could live forever…well, unless killed.

Ty gripped my shoulders and forced me to face him. There was a fragile hardness to his face. “You expect to live for a millennium, at the very least. But my lifespan, since the vampire part of our line has been mostly bred out, isn’t expected to exceed much more than a hundred years.”

I nodded and raised my hand to touch his face. A sinking feeling in my stomach told me I wouldn’t like where this was heading. “What are you saying?”

Ty’s gaze pleaded. “Amelia, I want to be with you for as long as inhumanly possible. One hundred years will never be enough. Not when you deserve someone beside you for your lifetime.”

I blinked back the beginnings of tears. It was our first day away together and already the daunting topic of our relationship’s lifespan was creating waves. As I read between the lines, a shocking realization sent my heart racing. Ty believed I deserved someone for my whole lifetime, or as close to that as possible. He personally would never come close. The only beings that could even compete in life years were other royal vampires. Was Ty about to release me? To let me go so I could have what he thought I needed? I stared down at the deck. “You can’t leave me.” My voice was shaky. “You promised.”

Ty wrapped his arms around me and held me close to his chest, the amulet trapped between our hearts. “I’m not leaving, Amelia. I’ll
never
leave you.”

A sigh escaped my lips and I hugged him tight. I squeezed my lids shut while dread pooled in my stomach like hot lava. “But?”

“I want to offer you more. I know I could never give you a millennium, but…”

I pulled away. Sudden intensifying wind whipped my hair over my face. I yanked my hair back and twisted it over my shoulder. “Ty, what are you saying?”

Ty smiled, resting his palm against my cheek. “I want you to turn me. Reignite the vampire part of me that’s been bred out. I know it’s possible.”

My jaw fell open. In theory the option was almost a good one, but in reality? It could kill him. “Ty, we can’t. You can’t. I won’t—”

Ty raised a finger to my lips, silencing my words. “We can have a real life together, Amelia. You and me. Five hundred years to a millennium together, depending on how my royal wolf blood deals with the turn. Don’t you want that?”

I dropped my now clenched hands to my side, feeling my nails biting into flesh. “Of course I want that. All I want is you. But I won’t risk your life. I can’t.”

Ty slumped into the plastic deck chair behind him and rubbed his forehead. “I know the stats. Fifty percent of infected humans live. Fifty don’t. But I’m
not human
. I’m already part vampire. And the lycan part of me is strong, stronger because I’m a hybrid.”

“Exactly,” I shot back a little too loud. Turning Ty was a risk, a risk that could give him what he wanted at best. Alternatively it could change him, the person he is. And what about his feelings for me? Would turning him change that part of him too? Would it harden his emotions or swamp his mind with bloodlust, extinguishing his humanity? Worst of all it could kill him, taking him from me. Forever. I knew if I went ahead and this backfired, I would never forgive myself. “Ty. It’s far too dangerous. We have no idea what could happen.”

Ty peered over the railing, where twinkling stars reflected light over the dark water. The look on his face was distant and cold.

I lowered onto his knee and lifted his chin, forcing him to look at me. “Please, Ty. Don’t ask me to do this. I would rather have you now, than dare to risk it all.” I swiped at the tears rolling down my cheeks. “Ty, I can’t lose you.”

Ty ran his hand up my back to stroke my hair. The distant coldness melted from his blank features. “You won’t lose me. I’m not going anywhere. We don’t have to decide anything this minute.” I went to argue, to tell him that there was nothing to decide. Before I could, Ty pulled me down to his waiting lips. “We can just live in the moment,” Ty said between the kiss, “for now…”

~

Later that night we got pizza up on the deck after missing the dinner service in the dining lounge. We ate in silence, Ty scanning over a ship map while tension rippled between us. Our minds were distracted, but neither of us dared to bring up the elephant in the room.

When Ty finished the last pizza slice he sighed. Then he peered up. His irises were now deep brown with contact lenses to mask the gold from human sight. “Wanna get hot and sweaty?”

The image of me naked and crushed beneath Ty back in our room flashed through my thoughts. Rapid heat burned my face. “Um…”

Ty winked. “You know, in the Oz bar.” He pointed to its location on the map in his hands. “On the dance floor.”

My lips curved into a cheeky smile. I had always loved dancing, and before all the stress of my new life had started, I used to rock out to pop songs. Now my playlists were inspired by more serious music that reflected my feelings of being different. Of being a monster. Except here with Ty, I wasn’t a monster. I was accepted and loved. It was time to live a little, to let go and loosen up. “You couldn’t hold me back if you tried.”

After a quick stop at our room to change—me in the bathroom while Ty dressed in the main room—we were ready to burn up the dance floor. Wanting to keep Ty distracted from our earlier discussion, I’d pulled out my most daring outfit. The short ruffled skirt and bright purple top left just enough to the imagination. I was far from comfortable in it, but with Ty already stealing peeks, I knew the distraction would hold. As usual, Ty looked perfect and sexy in cotton pants and a black collared shirt.

The Oz bar was raging as we pushed through the glass doors. There were tables that glowed from lights beneath their glass tops. Benches surrounded them, jammed full of humans, drinking and chatting. Bodies flooded the dance floor, sweating and gyrating to the blaring pop music.

I waited by the entry, adjusting to the loud onslaught of DJ-spun music pounding through my ears. Then, letting my worries melt away, I lured Ty onto the dance floor. A Kesha song was blaring, the bass thumping through my body. Ty curled one arm around my waist and held me close. The touch of his hot body against mine, along with the energetic beat of the music, had my blood thrumming through my veins. We moved together, our hips joined by an invisible force, the heat and sexual tension growing with each flirtatious second. The seconds turned into minutes and the minutes into who knows how long as we continued our seductive dance. Songs passed and the dancing crowds dispersed and built back up with the humans needing a break from the energy-draining movements.

After a countless number of songs, I shot a glance at the bar. Glass shelves lit by blue light and stocked full of alcohol spanned the wall behind. Thirst dried my throat and for a moment I wished I were at
Bite
at the Armaya, where blood was the number one drink. All the close dancing had left me craving Ty’s vein. Still, I didn’t want to leave this bubble of energy and weightlessness to drink from him. Hopefully alcohol would buy me some time. “Wanna drink?”

Ty smiled before bringing his lips to mine. “Thirsty again?” His word were a rumble before he smiled and winked. “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?”

Ty led me from the dance floor. “You’ll see.”

We continued past the busy drinkers, stopping when we reached a dark corner that escaped the green light coming off surrounding tables. Ty backed into the wall and drew me in with his arms, eliminating all space between us. He tilted his head to the side, exposing the pulsing vein at his neck. Sudden realization dawned on me. Ty wanted me to drink from him here, in front of all these people.

I inched back, mouth watering even though my head was shaking. “Ty, no! Someone will see.”

Ty’s hands were still on my hips as he panned left to right over my shoulder. “See for yourself. No one’s even looking. And even if they were, their human eyes can’t make out enough detail in this dim lighting.”

“Ty, I don’t know…” Looking around I found no one even glancing our way. The offer of his blood and the scent that had been tempting me since we began dancing had my body sure of what it wanted. But this was still public. What if I couldn’t stop? “I don’t think…”

Ty lifted my hand while I continued scanning the crowd. Then his scent bloomed. My focus shot back to see my nail tipped with crimson. A small cut along the side of his neck was already beginning to heal. Blood had dripped from the tiny cut to pool along his collarbone.

The trance-inducing puddle begged me to lap it up.

Through a primal need, I leaned into Ty. One hand curled around his neck and the other pressed against his chest, feeling his heart flutter. His hands encased me, holding me against him. My lips found the curve of his collarbone, lapping up the pooled blood from his salty skin. Then they rose, kissing his neck and finding the right spot. My fangs slid free of their sheaths and broke through his skin. His blood mesmerized me, still my paranoia of being caught resurfaced.

Drinking carefully so as to not make a mess, I scanned left. People still sat at tables, drinking and talking. To my right I could see the dance floor, which was still packed with an erratically moving sea of people. The bar was also packed. No one was looking our way.

I was about to let my paranoia recede when a stalling sensation struck through me. Someone was watching me. Watching us. There, at the far end of the bar and bathed in shadow, was a guy. He had light hair and looked around twenty.

And he was staring straight at me.

A flash of strobe lit his face, making his eyes appear red and his pallor bright pink.

I let my fangs retract and did my best to cover my mouth as I drew away from Ty’s neck. The guy smiled, looking pleased.

Instantly I spun away, covering my face with my hands. Having drunk live blood my irises would be piercing and silver, my whites red. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? “Shit! Someone’s watching.”

Ty lifted his head and glanced around. “Where?”

I peeked through my fingers. A slow-moving group of guys with drinks in their hands blocked the view of the end of the bar. I held my breath, cursing as they shifted out of the way.

Behind them the end of the bar was empty. No guy. No one watching.

Plus no one was screaming down the roof at the monster in the corner making a meal of the hot guy. I felt relieved and a little stupid. Ty was right. Humans had terrible eyesight. Even if someone had been watching, they would have assumed we were a couple making out. “It was nothing. I’m just being paranoid.”

Ty rifled through his backpack. “I know you’re immune. But just in case…” He held up a bottle of sunscreen, a mischievous smile pulling at his lips.