The Blood Bracelets #1: Blood Bound

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

'Drink?'

Taryn looked up, smiling. Seth was standing at her side, offering a glass of iced water. He was dressed in a casual suit with a loosened tie and his shirt slightly crinkled, the sleeves of his blazer pushed up above his wrists.

'Thanks,' she said, taking the glass from him. Seth sat down beside her at their table and only then did she realise they were in Rafe's, except the café was otherwise empty. 'Where is everyone?' she asked.

Seth shrugged. 'Does it matter?'

'I... suppose not,' Taryn said, lifting the glass. The water touched her lips with a freezing bite, cooling her throat as she drank it down. She hadn't realised how warm she was feeling until then, almost feverishly hot.

'Are you all right?' Seth asked, reaching across to put his hand over hers.

But she didn't look at him. Something caught her eye, something coalescing in the corner of the café and she turned, trying to figure out what it was. 'Seth, can you see that?'

'Don't look.'

She glanced back to him – and froze. Her uncle was standing behind him, but it was as if his face had been smudged, his features mostly unrecognisable. Her eyes jumped back to Seth, her mouth opening to say something, but Seth shook his head. His hand tightened over hers.

'Don't look,' he said again, his brown eyes lightening with a near-golden tinge.

Taryn wanted to heed his words, but her uncle's distorted appearance was becoming too much.

Something stung her arm and she jerked around, finding what looked like a leech on her upper arm. The pain began to intensify, burning her skin, and the leech grew in length, its black body wrapping right around her bicep. Taryn tried to peel it off, but a searing pain shot up her fingers like she had been burnt, making her pull her hand back.

Whatever had caught her attention in the corner of the cafe finally revealed itself, seeping out from the crevice between the walls like smoke off a fire. Yet this was black and thick, and there was a menacing movement to it as if it were mimicking the movement of a snake following its prey, sending a sharp chill up Taryn's spine.

Her eyes snapped back to Seth as he stood from the table, his eyes now a shining gold. Julian was still standing unmoving behind him, but Seth shook his head once more.

'Don't look,' he said again.

Taryn couldn't stop herself.

'Taryn!'

Taryn was hurtled out of her nightmare, tossing in a fit of panic before someone grabbed her shoulders and she stilled, her eyes flying open. She saw Kael first, hovering over her with a frown creasing his brow. He gently let go and took a step back, as if to give her space.

Taryn forgot where she was for a moment, but the plain room of the backpacker's dorm reminded her. It was a double room, two single beds opposite each other made up of pale blue and white sheets, a single window letting in the setting sun. She hadn't meant to fall into such a deep sleep when she'd come up here, having left Kael downstairs, but it looked as though she had slept the whole day away.

Taryn leaned forward with a sigh, finally calming down. She went to fold her arms over her chest but felt a sharp sting, like her skin was being pinched. She winced.

'Are you all right?' asked Kael, sounding genuinely concerned. She didn't really know with him, though.

'Nightmare,' she said, and pulled down the neckline of her jumper to see what was hurting her. She had a feeling she already knew, but as she hoped she was wrong she saw it – a burn that ringed her bicep, right where she had dreamt it. When she looked down to her fingertips they had small burns on them as well, as if she had touched the surface of boiling water.