Forever Touched (Touch of Vampire #5)

CHAPTER 2

2

ADALYN

His eyes were like green amethysts.

Pale and piercing.

They seemed to look directly into my soul.

Time froze, and for once, I didn’t mind.

The longer he looked at me, the more I wanted him to.

I could bask in his undivided attention forever.

He suddenly reached up to remove his mask, and I held my breath in anticipation.

I wanted to see him. Needed to. He somehow felt familiar to me, like I’d seen him before.

He pulled on the black strings, undoing his mask.

My heart started to pound.

The mask lowered, and I caught the first glimpse of his face.

My heart pounded faster. Faster and faster.

Only a second more, and I would know who he was.

The mask lowered another inch . . .

Then abruptly vanished in a swirl of black smoke.

And so did he .

I awoke with a yelp, grabbing my index finger as it painfully throbbed like a second heartbeat.

I’m sorry, Ada. I didn’t know what else to do .

“Pepper?” I mumbled with a groan, peeling my eyes open to check on my finger. “Did you just bite me?”

Shh, keep your voice down . The brown mouse rubbed her soft head against the injured finger as if to make it all better. You’ve been out for hours. I had to reach you somehow .

Why? Is it morning already? I spoke mind-to-mind, yawning so wide that my jaw cracked.

No, Ada. That’s just it. You haven’t finished the day yet .

My mouth shut with a sharp click . Oh no. I scrambled upright as fast as I could, earning me a perturbed squeak from Pepper.

“What time is it?” I reached into my pocket for my phone but found bare skin instead. What the—? Why was I naked? My head started to pound again as I racked my brain, finally remembering my little dance in Georgina’s room. I must have passed out from pure exhaustion. Mistress was going to kill me.

No, she won’t , Pepper reassured, picking up on my frantic thought. She needs you too much .

“ Needs me?” Snorting, I dragged myself out of bed and began to dress. My dad killed her husband. The only reason why I’m still alive is because it amuses her to have a warlock elder’s daughter as her personal servant .

Taking care of this house and its occupants isn’t the only thing you do, Adalyn .

“Don’t remind me,” I muttered, grabbing my phone to tap on the screen. As the time glared back at me almost accusingly, I cursed and hurried my movements.

All I’m saying is that your abilities make you important. You’re more than an indentured servant, and once you’ve paid off your father’s blood debt to the Faircrofts, you have a bright future ahead of you .

If I survive that long , I cryptically replied .

Ada , she softly admonished. I paused to eye her on my bed. Even without a light on, I could pick out her tiny round body. That’s how used to living in the darkness I was.

Sighing, I said, You were right earlier, Pep. I’m mortal. That means I don’t belong in this world. If I stay too much longer, I think it’s going to kill me .

She released a mournful squeak. Then let me come with you tonight .

I looked down to jab my feet into my shoes. You know it’s too dangerous. I can’t risk your life .

I’m immortal, Adalyn. Celestial spirit, remember?

But your body isn’t , I inwardly snapped, pausing to glare at her. You can still be injured or killed in this form. If you rejoined the celestial plane, I would truly be all alone, and I wouldn’t survive that. I wouldn’t want to .

Oh, Ada .

I have to go , I quickly said and moved for the stairs before my emotions got the best of me. I’ll bring you back some food from the club. You have my word .

You don’t need to worry about me, Adalyn .

Pausing one last time, I looked over my shoulder at her. Of course I do. You’re the only thing I care about in this messed-up world. It’s just you and me against those greedy bloodsuckers. Don’t forget that .

Pepper huffed a semi-amused squeak. Oh, I won’t. Be careful out there .

My lips curved into a saucy smile. Always am .

Feeling a little less tired but still hungry as a bear, I hurried upstairs to start my afternoon chores. With the approaching sunset, the Faircrofts would be heading out soon. If I didn’t have my chores done before then, Mistress would become suspicious and demand an explanation. Saying that her daughters made me dance naked until I passed out wouldn’t end in my favor. She’d only see my weakness, not her daughters’ poor behavior.

Spurred on by the unfairness of it all and my desperate need for food, I tackled my chores in record time. I was just finishing up a load of laundry when Mistress called out, “We’re leaving, Adalyn. Make sure you’re at the club promptly at nine.”

“Yes, Mistress,” I called back.

Hearing the front door slam shut, I turned to leave the laundry room with a basket of clean linens. A tall form in the doorway brought me up short, startling me so badly that I dropped the basket. The clean linens tumbled out and hit the floor. I quickly wiped the dismay from my face as Mistress looked down her nose at me and spoke in low tones. “And I expect you to secure us at least one new client tonight. There will be consequences if you don’t.”

“Yes, Mistress,” I replied and lowered my chin in submission.

She turned to leave, tossing her golden curls over her shoulder as she said in parting, “Oh, and rewash those linens before you leave. Don’t be late, Adalyn.”

Biting my tongue, I waited for the front door to shut before gathering the linens from the floor and shoving them into the washing machine once more. Could this day get any worse? I was used to dealing with her impossible demands, but securing clients had never been a stipulation of my job.

As the only witch working at Dreamscape Lounge, my job was to be mysterious and alluring, to dance until my audience was wholly captivated. Most of our clientele were filthy rich and could go anywhere for their nightly entertainment, but many of them kept coming back to Dreamscape.

I did that. I kept them coming back. They wanted to see the witch who dared to dance for vampires.

That’s how it had all started anyway. Dancing for hungry, horny predators night after night. Giving up my self respect and pride, piece by piece.

But that was child’s play now. My other job—my secret one—demanded so much more from me. I’d accepted the job out of desperation, and the only thing I’d had to give up was the last of my innocence.

A small price to pay for my freedom. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

But Mistress was never satisfied, always finding new reasons to extend my blood debt. Not only did I have to entertain the male vampires who’d become my clients, but now I was supposed to secure them?

“Why don’t I lasso the moon for you while I’m at it?” I grumbled, allowing myself a moment of self pity. But only for a moment. I didn’t have time to wallow, not if I wanted to survive this world.

An hour later, I hurriedly put away the clean linens still warm from the dryer and dashed out the kitchen door. I was cutting it close, but I would make it to Dreamscape on time. The club was thirty minutes away, situated on the outskirts of Bangor. It used to be a hotel, but three years ago, the building had been purchased by Mistress Faircroft and her new business partner, Heath Clancy.

Their main goal had been to set apart their club from the rest, allowing only certain humans and vampires entrance. Anonymity was key, hence the required masks. IDs weren’t needed, only money. Lots of it. Enough that only the extremely wealthy could afford the place. In no time, the exclusive club had gained a reputation of being an “exotic” feeding den for the vampire elite.

Not only were the humans carefully culled to suit their rich tastes, but they could feast their eyes upon me. These days, nothing said exotic like a witch working in a vampire-owned nightclub.

Pulling around back, I parked and quickly sent Mistress an obligatory text that I’d arrived. I had my own keycard and let myself in through one of the back doors, taking the stairs as usual so I wouldn’t run into any of our clientele. The club opened at nine, but I didn’t make an appearance until ten. Which gave me enough time to get ready, being sure to closely follow my mistress’s meticulous regimen.

She expected perfection . I was to look enticingly forbidden, the low-hanging fruit that begged to be plucked and consumed. But the clientele weren’t allowed to touch . At least while I was dancing.

My stomach was painfully cramping by the time I reached my room on the third floor. Only a couple hours more of this torture, and I could finally eat . At least I wasn’t scheduled for aerial dancing tonight. That took the most energy out of me, even though it was my favorite form of dance.

It always felt good to be so high above the creatures bent on destroying me.

Tossing my phone and keys onto the glass table just inside the door, I shucked off my clothes on the way to the bathroom. I’d been looking forward to this all day. After dealing with the Faircrofts for the past several hours, this slight reprieve was a little slice of heaven.

On my way over to the elegant clawfoot tub, I grabbed a toothbrush and got to work making myself “presentable.” Mistress didn’t care what I looked like during the daytime. In fact, the scruffier I looked, the better. Less chance of being recognized that way. But at night, not even a single hair out of place was acceptable.

I didn’t mind this part of my day, though. Pampering myself. Scrubbing my skin so raw that I could almost feel clean again.

When the tub was adequately filled, I turned off the water and slipped inside. The temperature was just below scalding, exactly how I liked it. Despite the heat, I barely flinched. Submerging myself in hot water felt like I was melting the taint off my body.

If only it could melt away the taint on the inside.

Nudging the impossible thought aside, I rested against the tub and breathed in the lavender-scented steam. I let my eyes close, but falling asleep wasn’t an option. After a moment, I forced myself into motion again, blindly reaching for my loofa on the cart beside the tub.

When I found a large hand instead, I yanked my eyes open with a startled squeak. A hulking vampire grinned back, snatching up my hand before I could pull it back.

“Good evening, Star. You’re looking as beautiful as ever.” The sandy-haired brute dipped his head and kissed my knuckles.

“Heath,” I gasped out, shocked to find him kneeling beside my tub. “What are you doing here?”

“This is my club, Star,” he replied, as if that was all the explanation I needed.

As he continued to run his lips over my knuckles, I tried to tug my hand back. His grip tightened.

“I need . . . I need to get ready.” Silently cursing my stutter, I struggled to slow my racing pulse. Vampires loved nothing more than frightened prey.

“I can help you. My hands might be big, but I’ve been told they can be quite gentle.”

At the insinuation, my blood ran cold.

“I think you should leave, Heath,” I said before I could stop myself.

He tensed, and so did I. This was bad. This was really bad. I was an employee. A servant . One wrong move in this bloodthirsty world could cost me my life, and rejecting the club’s owner was definitely one of them.

Not knowing what to do, I held still, barely daring to breathe.

After a moment, he slowly raised his head to look at me. He wasn’t grinning anymore, but he didn’t look angry either. More like amused that the little witch had attempted to defend herself. His cloudy gray eyes trailed over my face, then lower, boldly peering into the water to take in my naked body. I didn’t move a muscle, not even to cover myself. Doing so would only make me look more vulnerable.

Finally, he met my gaze again and said, “Don’t forget, Star. While you work under this roof, you’re half mine. If I wanted to, I could order you into my bed with a few simple words. I’d have every right.” He lifted his other hand and touched my cheek. I stopped breathing, willing myself not to pull away. To not so much as flinch. “It’s no secret that I crave you. Watching you dance night after night for the past three years has been torture. But if I had even one taste, I know that I wouldn’t be able to stop. I would take everything and leave nothing for the others, and that’s just bad business.”

At his confession, I inwardly recoiled. My body held perfectly still, but he must have seen the disgust in my eyes. Faster than I could blink, he grabbed my head and shoved me beneath the water. I screamed, lashing out with my arms and feet, but he was too strong. As the oxygen raced from my lungs, I grew desperate and willed magic to my fingertips. It readily flowed through my veins, coming to my aid. But before it could blast from me, it stopped.

Just stopped.

I was no longer in control of it. The magic didn’t obey me. It obeyed them .

When I stopped flailing, on the verge of passing out, Heath finally released my head .

I popped back up, gasping and coughing as I struggled to refill my lungs. He pushed the wet hair off my face, and I flinched this time, but he didn’t seem to notice. His grin was back, softer than before. Relaxed.

Content. He was content .

Apparently, he got off on drowning girls half to death.

“Shhh, it’s okay, Star,” he said in soothing tones, letting his fingers roam over my face, then lower. I stiffened all over, but knew better than to reject him a second time. Thankfully, he stopped at my neck, pausing to press his thumb over my racing pulse. “Mmm, I bet you taste exquisite right now.”

My heart stopped as his fingers curled around my neck and slowly drew me toward him. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for what was to come.

Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid , I ordered myself, waiting for the inevitable.

Warmth hit my throat as his breath fanned over my skin. He inhaled deeply, drawing my scent into his lungs. The hissing sound he emitted was almost my undoing. I balled my hands into fists, refusing to push him away.

I would survive this. I had no choice.

As his lips touched my skin, I couldn’t suppress a tiny shiver of revulsion. At the same time, a sliver of anticipation cut through it. I violently shoved the feeling aside, hating it. Hating myself for even feeling it.

Sick. You’re sick, I inwardly screamed at myself, feeling the angry burn of tears prick my eyes.

At the last second, Heath pulled back and gruffly whispered, “May that serve as a reminder, Star. I could drain you in seconds, and you wouldn’t be able to do a single thing about it. Whatever you feel for vampires doesn’t matter. The sooner you accept this life, the easier it’ll be. And, who knows?” He paused to press his mouth to my throat, eliciting a small gasp from me. His lips wickedly curved against my flesh as he finished, “Maybe you’ll even enjoy it.”

With that, he let go of me and left as silently as he’d arrived.