Forever Touched (Touch of Vampire #5)

CHAPTER 4

4

ADALYN

The door banged open, and I jumped, dropping my sandwich.

As Heath stormed in, followed by Mistress, my stomach immediately soured. Before I could get up from the table, Mistress was in my face, shouting, “What did you do, you stupid girl?”

“I—”

My head violently flew back as she backhanded me across the face.

“Careful,” I heard Heath caution, the word muffled as I nearly lost consciousness. “She’ll be useless to us with a broken neck.”

“She already is useless,” Mistress hissed, roughly grabbing my chin to force my eyes back to hers. “Were you even able to get his name before he left?”

Blood dribbled down my cheek from where she’d struck me. One of her rings must have broken the skin. Despite the painful throbbing in my cheekbone, I struggled to focus, knowing how precarious my position was right now.

I’d epically failed to secure the new client, something that had never happened to me before. Once they tasted my blood, they were like putty in my hands. None of them had ever pulled away in disgust. My blood was like crack to vampires.

How he had managed to resist the pull, I had no idea. I’d done everything right. Seduced him, lured him in, made his darkest desires come true. I knew he’d enjoyed my touch and seeing me naked. Knew he’d wanted to consume me.

So how had everything gone so horribly wrong?

Half an hour later, I could still hear his condemning words.

Blood whore .

True, that’s what I was. But he’d said the words with such contempt and disgust, like I was the most vile creature he’d ever met.

Clearing my suddenly tight throat, I replied to Mistress, “I’m sorry, but he didn’t swallow my blood. I wasn’t able to form a connection.”

She bared her teeth at me in displeasure. “Heath told me the client spit it out. Why would he do such a thing?”

“I-I don’t . . . He didn’t realize I was a witch. I don’t think he likes witches.”

Mistress barked a humorless laugh. “It shouldn’t matter if he hates witches. Most vampires do. They come to you because it’s taboo and exciting . A witch freely offering her body and blood to vampires is unheard of. They can’t resist having a taste of the forbidden.”

“I know, but—”

“No excuses,” she snapped, gripping my chin hard enough to leave a bruise. “Losing a client is dangerous for our business, as you well know, and therefore unacceptable. If you ever see that male in our club again, you will inform us immediately. He must be dealt with swiftly and silently. At least he only thinks you’re a blood whore. The practice isn’t illegal in our kingdom, so it’s not enough to raise suspicion.”

My throat tightened even more, but I managed to whisper, “Yes, Mistress. I take full responsibility for what happened tonight.”

With a curt nod, she dropped my chin and stepped back. “Good. You will pay for this loss by working an extra hour tonight and forfeiting another day of pay. ”

My heart sank.

“Yes, Mistress.”

“And the ruined duvet will also come out of your pay. Now, hurry up and finish eating. Your next client will arrive in fifteen minutes. Heath, see to her face and neck, please.”

With that, she swept from the room and left me alone with her business partner. Remembering his earlier visit to my room, I tried not to stiffen as Heath invaded my space to inspect my wounds. My failed client hadn’t bothered to heal the bite marks he’d left behind, and when he’d pushed me away, the punctures had torn.

I’d barely felt the pain, though. He’d given me enough venom to make me feel euphoric. I still felt high, which helped dull the ache in my cheek.

As Heath eyed the blood on my face and neck, I saw the hunger in his gaze. He’d never fed on me, but I’d seen him pull aside plenty of humans in his club. The man had a ravenous appetite, and he wasn’t gentle with his conquests. If it wasn’t for the healing properties in vampire blood, he probably would have killed several of his customers by now.

“You know, Star,” he said, reaching out to touch my injured cheek. I didn’t even flinch, the venom in my veins chasing the pain away. “Madame Faircroft has every right to be angry with you, as do I. We’ve worked hard to get where we are and made countless sacrifices to build names for ourselves. Venturi are coming to our nightclub. We serve respected drothen, nobles, and even council members. We’ve built connections with them. Invaluable ones. You know why this business is so vital, and I thought you wanted to help us.”

“I do,” I replied, hoping to stay in his good graces with my compliance. The sooner he was appeased, the sooner I could eat the rest of my sandwich. “I’m grateful you entrusted me to help. You’re not the only one who wants revenge.”

He tilted his head to study me, his doubt clear. “I’m starting to think you don’t want it enough. I’m thinking your main goal has shifted to paying off your indenture so you can get far, far away from here.”

His words snatched some of my high away, and I sat up straighter.

“I do want to pay off my father’s blood debt, but I haven’t forgotten what they did to him. I want justice just as much as you and Mistress do.”

He studied me a moment longer, then dropped his hand. “Prove it then.” Flipping his hand over, he dug a black claw into his palm. As blood began to pool, he dipped a finger into it and smeared the blood across my cheek. I immediately felt the tingling burn of my cut sealing shut.

“How?” I asked, watching as he dipped his finger into the blood again and pressed it to the bite marks on my neck.

“Secure us more clients. Make them happy , Star. So deliriously happy that they keep coming back for more.”

I suddenly had the urge to throw up. When the little bit of sandwich I’d eaten threatened to come up my throat, I swallowed, careful to keep my expression blank.

He was asking me to prove my loyalty by giving up more of myself. By bringing in more and more vampires who would strip me of all that I was.

A small price to pay, right?

Struggling to breathe, I dipped my head in a small nod. “Okay. I won’t fail again.”

A big grin stole across his face. “That’s my Star. Now get yourself cleaned up. Viscount Le Blanc is eager to have another session with you. Give him a blow job before letting him feed on you. He’s one of our most important clients and deserves to feel like a king.”

As Heath stood to leave, the last of my appetite vanished. The minute he closed the door behind him, I raced to the bathroom and threw up my meager meal.

* * *

I had the dream again. I was dancing for the masked man with amethyst green eyes. The man who’d escaped my intricate web of seduction.

Just like last time, I enjoyed having his gaze on me. Which was odd, especially considering how he’d treated me.

He saw me as a disgusting blood whore? Well, I’d show him just how disgusting I could be. Let’s see him escape this time.

My dance turned erotic, and I slowly began to strip for him. His intense gaze remained locked on me as I removed my top, giving him an unobstructed view of my breasts. When hunger flashed in his eyes, I smirked in satisfaction.

He might think I was disgusting, but he still wanted me.

Rolling my hips seductively, I ran my hands down my body and hooked my thumbs into my tiny bottoms. Teasingly, I inched the material downward, smirking wider when his eyes followed the movement.

“Remove your mask,” I said to him in dulcet tones, continuing to roll my hips.

At first, he hesitated, but when I flashed him a little pussy, he reached up to tug on the black strings. Victory sang in my blood. Only a few more seconds, and I’d know who he was. Once I did, I’d pay him back for his insults. He’d rue the day he ever laid eyes on me.

As the mask started to slip, so did my bottoms. Lower and lower. Rewarding him. I was almost fully stripped now, but so was his face. Heavy dark brows shadowed his pale eyes, eyes ringed by thick black lashes. His nose was strong and straight, his cheekbones sharp, but not overly so.

The more of his face he revealed, the more I liked it. His features were severe yet handsome, as if chiseled from stone.

I tugged my bottoms lower, fully revealing what he wanted to see. In return, he pulled off his mask.

The second he did, the dream dispelled in swirling black smoke.

* * *

I awoke with a groan, punching my pillow in frustration.

So close. I’d been so close to discovering who he was.

You were moaning in your sleep .

“Ack!” I yelped, rolling over to peer at Pepper on my nightstand. “What? I wasn’t moaning.”

Her large pink ears twitched with amusement. You were definitely moaning. Have a nice dream?

Uh.

Instead of answering, I reached for my phone to check the time. Gotta go, Pep. I can’t afford to be late today .

She squeaked in protest as I threw back the covers and jumped from the bed. My usual “hangover” from all the venom I’d received the night before barely slowed me down. Today, I needed to prove myself. To show how committed I was to my caretakers’ cause. Only then would Mistress pay me the money I’d earned.

Quickly dressing and splashing my face with ice-cold water, I hurried up the basement stairs two at a time.

Be careful , my familiar called to me in parting, clearly perturbed with my hasty exit.

Always am , I threw back, reminding myself to apologize later. I’d returned so late last night that I’d passed out the minute I’d gotten back. I’d only slept two hours, but I’d take a long nap after my chores were done this afternoon.

Fatigue chased me all the way up the stairs, yet I didn’t let it slow me down. I had to be on my A game today. Nothing short of perfection would do.

So long as he didn’t show up tonight and ruin everything again. Admittedly, being rejected had shaken my confidence a bit. It was one thing to conjure up a dream of the green-eyed vampire falling under my spell, but quite another to actually make him do it.

He wasn’t like the other Venturi I’d charmed into my bed. He was stronger. Just how powerful, I didn’t know. If he’d swallowed my blood, I would have known everything about him. The mask he wore would no longer be able to hide his identity from me. I would be the strong one.

I hated that my perfect track record was now tarnished. If I ever saw him again, I would pull out all the stops. He couldn’t resist me forever.

I flew through my errands and chores in record time, falling back into bed early enough to get a decent nap for once. I’d even managed to grab a quick bite to eat, which Pepper was super pleased about. Today was shaping up nicely. I just needed to get through tonight, and Mistress would surely start paying me again.

By the time evening rolled around, I was in high spirits, all things considered. I was cage dancing tonight, my least favorite, but even that couldn’t dampen my mood. Nothing was going to stand in my way today. I was a force to be reckoned with.

As I prepared to leave my room at the club and dance for the next two hours, I paused at the decorative mirror beside the door to put on my mask. My shield . It hid who I was, allowing me to become someone I wasn’t. With this mask on, I could pretend the world couldn’t touch me.

Not the real me, anyway.

My brown and gold eyes shined back at me, filled with a renewed light. Determination. This world wasn’t going to kill me. I wouldn’t let it. I just needed to keep my head held high for a little while longer.

With confidence thrumming in my veins, I left the room and made for the catwalk suspended high above the dance floor. My appearing and vanishing acts every night were only smoke and mirrors, courtesy of a fog machine and fast pulley system. I wasn’t allowed to use real magic for my performances. That would give me too much control.

Not that I could use magic to escape, even if the opportunity arose.

I was tied up in knots, ones that grew tighter and tighter with each passing day. There was no way out of my blood debt other than paying my dues. Mistress had made sure of that.

Right at ten o’clock sharp, I entered my silver cage and prepared for the pulley system to lower me. As much as I didn’t like being cooped up in this contraption while I danced, at least I didn’t have to worry about anyone touching me. I could tune out the world for the next two hours and lose myself to the music and dancing.

Except that Heath had told me to secure more clients, which meant that I needed to keep an eye out for prospects. Stifling a groan, I pulled myself onto the bar suspended in the cage right as it began to lower. So much for pretending this hellhole didn’t exist. No matter. I’d keep a sharp eye out and hopefully score another client or two.

Today was my day .

Nothing was going to get me down.

But, as the cage and music stopped, leaving me suspended several feet above the crowd, I made the mistake of looking toward the booth in the darkest corner of the club.

My stomach bottomed out.

Him. It was him.

He’d come back.

And he was looking right at me.