What Lies Inside (A Blood Bound Novel, Book 1) by J.L. Myers

too.”
    Following Ty’s unexpected arrival I had made up the lamest excuse for disappearing, saying ‘I thought you’d pick me up here.’ Problem was Ty had no idea where I lived. Ty had also been fully dry and clothed. At human speed, getting dried and dressed fast enough to follow us home, was virtually impossible. My paranoid fears surrounding Ty resurfaced—the speed of being inhuman.
    Now with my window down, the scent of menthol from the nasal tube shielded in my hand and the surrounding dense plant life filled my nostrils. The combination made me want to cough. Still it was better than the alternative, which involved closing the window and being swarmed by the scent of Ty’s blood. So far only minutes had passed. Each felt like painful lifetimes. We were still on Ocean Boulevard, taking the scenic route that would deliver us to Portsmouth and the little Italian restaurant Ty had arranged for our supposed date.
    As I had been doing every consecutive minute, I pretended to check my reflection. Our car tailed way behind. Dorian was barely visible within the driver’s seat. Its headlights just peeked around the single car that separated us. The smallest sliver of relief eased my swelling apprehension. Good, at least he was keeping his distance. The last thing we needed was to add to Ty’s suspicion. Already, I could sense growing tension thickening the air. Ty’s hands were continually releasing the steering wheel, fingers flexing before curling tightly back around the leather. And my own tension? Though it eased at times, it never faded. The elevated beat of Ty’s heart pumping delicious-smelling blood throughout his body kept me on edge. Sucking fresh air from the open window while keeping the nasal tube hidden in my hand was only doing so much.
    When the car separating us disappeared, I threw another glance in the rear-view mirror. Curving, tree-dense roads had replaced the flashes of ocean between the trees. Dorian was tailing further back than before, his headlights only just appearing as we rounded another unlit bend.
    I knew I shouldn’t. But I couldn’t stop myself. I stole a quick glance in Ty’s direction. The jugular vein along the side of his neck was pulsing. Blistering heat flared across my face. I went to force my sight away when a sickening thwack sounded.
    Ty’s scarred arm shot across my chest so incredibly fast, it left me no time to react. He slammed on the brakes and swerved off the road. The tires skidded across gravel and his training bag slid off the back seat, clanking with the sound of colliding metal.
    My heart jumped into my throat. Shit, he’d seen Dorian!
    Readying to fight, my body went rigid. My hands clenched into fists. The grip was so tight my nails sliced through the flesh of my palms.
    But Ty didn’t advance. Instead he glanced over at his bag and dropped his arm from my chest. “Are you okay?”
    My lips seemed cemented shut. Unable to respond, I nodded.
    Ty pursed his lips and threw open the driver’s side door, exiting the car.
    I jumped out behind him, finally finding my voice. “What happened?” My eyes darted around, scanning for Dorian. Through the darkness of the winding, tree-lined road, he along with the white headlights of our car, was nowhere in sight. He must have killed the lights and pulled to the side of the road just before the last bend up the road.
    Ty was now behind the car, his back to me as he knelt down to the gravel, before rising to his feet again. He turned toward me, cradling a hand-sized bird with kid gloves. “It flew into the windshield.”
    He hadn’t seen Dorian. Thank God. I stepped closer to Ty. The motionless, black bird was lying on its back across his palms. Its wings were extended and hanging limp over his fingers. My voice escaped in a whisper. “Is it okay?”
    Ty pressed a finger to the bird’s chest. Then he retracted and extended each of its wings. A look of sheer relief spread across his face, lifting his lips at the