Forever Touched (Touch of Vampire #5)

CHAPTER 8

8

ADALYN

Last night had been the most thrilling experience of my entire life.

And also one of the most awful.

Why was the crown vampire prince, second only in power to the king himself, seeking me out? Now that I knew who he was, I struggled to make sense of everything that had happened. Despite my young age, I knew all about Everett D’angelo and the Demonic Trinity. He and his two younger brothers had spent the past several decades terrorizing my kind, simply because one witch had dared to cross paths with them.

Everett had been the worst, though. He’d hunted down and killed hundreds of innocent witches and warlocks without mercy, all to appease his bloodlust for revenge. His mindless killing spree had taken place over a century ago, but he was still known for his cruelty and hatred of witches.

Knowing who he was changed everything. My own need for revenge thrummed hotly in my veins. I hadn’t seen the vampire who’d killed my father six years ago, but I knew they’d been a Venturi. A powerful one. Nothing less could have killed a powerful Oracle elder. He’d been training me to follow in his footsteps when the battle against the Venturi had taken place.

The vampire kingdom had been divided, on the brink of destruction. The elders should have just let them kill each other. My dad would still be alive if they hadn’t gotten involved, if they hadn’t made the fight theirs. Now, because of the choices they’d made, I was forced to deal with the aftermath.

I’d been stupid to follow him that night. By the time I’d arrived, it was too late. My father was gone, and I’d been thrown into servitude to repay a debt that wasn’t mine.

At least I understood now why Everett had seemed so familiar to me. I’d seen him that night. Not up close, but I remembered his eyes. They’d met mine, albeit briefly. Their depths had been hard and cold. I remembered that much.

I shivered, recalling how it had felt to be intimate with him. What if I’d had sex with my father’s killer?

Rubbing my arms, I readied for another night of dancing. Tonight’s entertainment would be up close and personal. Intimate . But if the vampire prince showed up again, I was going to avoid him like the plague.

The thrall I was under demanded that I give up his identity to Mistress, but for the very first time, I’d lied to her. The moment she’d confronted me about the night I’d shared with him, I’d looked her straight in the eye and given her a false name.

Benjamin Osborne.

The name had popped into my head and spilled from my lips before I could think better of it. How I’d managed to get away with a lie was still a mystery to me. The thrall forced me to tell the truth. There was no way around it. So how did I manage to keep Everett’s name to myself? And why?

I should want to give him up. Mistress would be ecstatic if she knew that I’d lured in a royal. This was the moment we’d been waiting for. With Everett under my spell, we could push forward with our plans.

But I hadn’t. I’d hesitated, and I didn’t know why .

As the music changed, I set aside my conflicted thoughts for later and focused on my job. Hopefully the real Benjamin Osborne didn’t show up tonight. Heath and Mistress would know I was hiding something if I secured two clients with the same name.

My cue to dance came, and I hurried into position. The second I climbed on top of the low table, a spotlight struck me. Immediately, the people at the round table stopped what they were doing to take me in. Despite being on a glass tabletop, I wore six-inch silver stilettos. The rest of my outfit was a holographic silver made up of straps and little else. I’d worn my hair up for a change tonight, pulling it into a high chic ponytail.

When the music started again, I whipped my ponytail forward, then snapped my head back. As my hair arced through the air, I struck a provocative pose to the delight of my audience. They hooted and hollered, and I threw them an amused smirk. They thought that was impressive? I was just getting started.

Table dancing was fun, actually. Without anything to hold onto, I could freestyle, using my body however I wished. My hands and hair were my greatest assets, moving and twisting in ways that kept my audience captive. They especially loved it when I sensually touched myself. Flashing a bit of forbidden skin also got them going. As I cupped my breasts, throwing my head back as if in ecstasy, they went wild.

Money fluttered through the air, and I rewarded them by running my hands over my stomach. Snapping straight again, I made eye contact and slipped my hands lower, teasing the straps of my bottoms.

“Take it off!” several of them screamed, cheering when one of the straps “accidentally” came undone. I teased them for several minutes, but my job wasn’t to strip. My employers didn’t believe in giving away the goods that easily .

I moved on to the next table soon after, knowing that I had several more to go. As I danced, my gaze kept wandering to the farthest booth in the darkest corner. It was empty.

The prince hadn’t shown up tonight, which shouldn’t have surprised me. He’d gotten what he wanted, after all.

Well, good riddance. This way, I wouldn’t have to reveal his identity. More importantly, I could stop thinking about him. I’d barely been able to sleep this morning after work. My body had felt too charged. Too alive . Despite what I now knew about him, my libido was off the charts. It was like he’d awakened something inside me. Something I’d thought was dead.

And that was dangerous. It gave him control over me, and not being in control while I was with a client could get me killed. Especially when that someone was him. If he knew the full extent of what I did here, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.

Minutes before midnight, I approached my last table. There was only one person sitting at the booth, and I immediately recognized him. It was the second male I’d chosen last night. He wore a gold mask, the same one he’d worn before. As I stepped onto the table, his eyes devoured every inch of me. Used to the attention, I didn’t flinch, but something in his gaze made me uneasy.

Was this the Benjamin Osborne that Everett had told me about? Remembering what he’d said about him, sudden nerves fluttered in my stomach. Maybe I shouldn’t invite him to my room tonight. If he was that violent with women, securing him as a client might not be worth it. Still, I had a job to do, and that included dancing for him.

As I did, the hunger in his gaze intensified. He was as still as a statue, but his eyes tracked my every move. A minute away from calling it a night, I laid on my back on the table and spread my thighs wide in a provocative pose. His eyes practically went feral, but I held the pose, reaching down to touch myself through my bottoms.

I was almost finished with my table routine when I suddenly heard him say over the pumping music, “So are you gonna invite me up again or should we get started right here, sweet thing?”

I froze. My hesitation cost me.

Faster than I could blink, he had me in his lap. “On second thought, why wait? I’m already nice and hard for you,” he purred, pressing me down until I felt just how aroused he was.

Panicking, I tried to put space between us. He only laughed and started to rock me against him.

“Mmmm, I’ve been thinking about you nonstop since last night, sweetheart. There are so many things I plan to do to you.” In a flash, he reached down and unzipped his pants, letting his dick spring free. So fast that I didn’t have time to react.

But when he hooked a finger into my bottoms and pushed them aside so he could thrust inside me, I cried out, sounding like a frightened rabbit. The second the sound left my lips, the world exploded around me. The booth and table went flying. Screams rent the air as the objects struck anyone standing in the way.

I started to fall, but something picked me up and set me aside. I teetered on my stilettos, trying to follow what was happening as I caught my balance. A dark shape blurred past, heading straight for Benjamin Osborne—or who I assumed was Benjamin Osborne. His pants were still unzipped, his dick wagging in the air as the form rushed him. Before he could get out of the way, the blur struck him square in the chest. He went flying back. Back, back, back. So far that I lost sight of him and his dick. All I heard was a huge boom as he hit the club’s cement wall.

A second later, I was being led away from the scene.

Still in shock, I stumbled forward, but the hand gripping my elbow steadied me. My senses slowly came back to me, and I prepared to pull away. Before I could, I realized who was leading me. Shocked once more, I simply followed in his wake, watching as everyone who stood in his way scattered like ants.

In no time, we reached the elevators. The bouncers stationed there immediately recognized me, their eyes going wide when they saw Everett. His skin was black . Jet black, the same color as his short hair. I could only imagine that his eyes were blood red, his lips peeled back to reveal a pair of lethal fangs.

He was livid . I could practically feel his anger pounding in my chest alongside my racing heart.

The fact that he’d just revealed his true form spoke volumes. Any number of humans could have seen, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Let us pass,” he ordered the bouncers in a guttural tone. “I’ll wire over the same amount of money as last night.”

They stepped aside without a word, and Everett paused only long enough to hand them each a wad of cash. Once we were in the elevator, everything went dead silent. He didn’t release his grip on me, but he didn’t say a word. I glanced down, noting the way his black claws lightly dug into my flesh.

I should be terrified. Terrified . He could rip me to shreds in seconds. No one could stop him if he chose to attack me right now.

If he knew the truth about me, he definitely would.

And yet, the greatest emotion I felt right now was relief. He’d saved me from being publicly humiliated by that creep. He definitely would have had sex with me in front of everyone if Everett hadn’t stopped him.

I opened my mouth, surprised when a soft “thank you” slipped free. For once, I actually meant the words.

“Don’t thank me,” he replied, his tone still guttural. “My motives for saving you from Ben are anything but pure.”

I blinked. Oh.

He wanted a repeat of last night. Maybe Benjamin Osborne wasn’t the only possessive male I should be worried about. What if Everett was even worse?

With that thought in mind, some of my nerves returned. As the elevator opened onto the third floor, I thought about calling for help. But I doubted anyone would come to my aid if I did. I’d been roughly handled by clients before. Many times, actually. No one had ever come to stop them.

By the time we reached my suite, I’d worked myself into a panic. Still, I pulled my keycard from my top and let us both in without complaint. All I needed to do was regain control. Once my blood was freshly flowing through his veins again, I could make him do whatever I wanted. The thought gave me a sick sense of satisfaction as it always did.

I could endure a little rough treatment if it meant being able to control the crown prince for a few hours.

So, when he secured the door behind us and led me into the bedroom, I didn’t balk, slowing only when we approached the bed.

“Not here,” he said, tugging me toward the bathroom. “I don’t want an audience for this.”

My panic flared once more. Was he just going to kill me then? Had he figured out that I’d played with his mind last night?

As we entered the bathroom, he shut the door and began to undress. A swallow lodged in my throat. I’d touched his dick and had sex with him, but I hadn’t seen him naked yet. With how firmly muscled he was, though, I could imagine he had a nice body. I bet he even—

Oh .

Nope. My imagination hadn’t done him justice.

As his shirt fell away, I couldn’t help but admire his sculpted chest and abs. He wasn’t overly bulky, but his build wasn’t lean either. His skin was still black as pitch, and a light trail of dark hair disappeared into his pants, making me curious about the rest of him. I’ve never seen a vampire naked in their true form before. His hands fell to his belt buckle next, and I openly watched him undo it. Seconds later, he jerked his pants down and his dick sprung free. It was already hard and saluting the air, the skin stretched taut and slightly shiny.

Wow. Bigger than I thought it would be.

Sudden warmth pooled between my legs, and I quickly pressed them together.

“Not bad,” I told him, hiking up my eyebrows in appreciation.

“Your turn,” he brusquely said, clearly not in the mood for foreplay.

Reaching into the stand-up shower, he switched on the water, then impatiently crossed his arms. Okay, then. We were getting right down to it. The fact that he’d undressed told me he wasn’t planning on drowning me in the shower. At least not right away.

Choosing to think positively, I reached for my top and undid the straps. They loosened one by one, and as they unraveled, I saw Everett’s chest expand. His eyes were locked on my every move, but unease didn’t fill my belly. Just like in the dreams I’d had of him, I enjoyed having his gaze on me. It made me feel . . . wanted. Desired . But not entirely in a sexual way.

It felt like he wanted more from me. More of me.

My hands began to tremble, but not from fear. I was anticipating what would happen next. Wanted it to happen. I didn’t feel the need to pretend for once. The look in his eyes mirrored how I felt inside.

Quickly removing my top, I slid off my bottoms and slowly approached him. I kept my stilettos on, though. The six inch heels made me feel less small compared to him, at least in height. But my body mass was a toothpick compared to his. He could easily snap me in half like one too.

As soon as I was close enough, he pulled me into the shower and backed me against the wall. My spine met the cold tiles, warm water soaking my hair and body within seconds. And then his body was flush against mine, the heat of it penetrating my skin and bones.

I gasped at the heady sensation, my chest pushing against his. In reply, he pressed his pelvis to mine. A moan slipped free as his hardened length rubbed against my core. He pressed me more firmly against the tiles and blew out a ragged sigh, shutting his eyes.

Intrigued by his reaction, I whispered, “Why did you come back?”

He inhaled several breaths before replying, “I need to cleanse you from my system.”

A small smirk tugged at my mouth. “By having sex with me?”

His eyes reopened and met mine. “Exactly.”

He rocked against me, and my lips parted in a small whimper.

His gaze dropped to my mouth, and he uttered a curse. Reaching up, he touched my bottom lip. The pressure was featherlight, but I felt it all the way down to my toes. When my lips parted wider in response, he hissed through his teeth, “I hate this.”

So did I. Hated and loved the way he made me feel.

“Are you going to kiss me?” I breathed, blinking up at him.

His jaw hardened, and he dropped his hand. “No. I don’t kiss my conquests.”

In the next moment, he was positioning himself at my entrance and sliding inside. I grabbed onto his biceps and squeezed my eyes shut, wondering if it would feel as good as the first time. With the first thrust came my answer. Yes . Better, even. Because I was expecting it to feel good, my body readily charged awake, eager to experience more.

As we found a rhythm, it dawned on me that I hadn’t tried to make him bite me first. I’d been too distracted by his dick and how it would make me feel. But as that feeling washed over me, I suddenly didn’t care. Who needed control when having sex felt this good? I knew the feeling wouldn’t last, though. Knew that this was probably the last time I’d ever feel it. But if this was the last time, then I was going to enjoy it to the fullest.

Throwing my head back against the tiles, I used my flexibility to wrap my legs around his waist. The new angle drove him deeper inside me, and I cried out in pleasure. His hands found my backside and squeezed, his claws pricking the sensitive flesh. The action drove him even deeper, so deep that he hit a nerve that made me see stars. I groaned loudly, opening my mouth in rapture.

He hit the spot again. Again and again until I was making all sorts of noises.

Responding to the erotic sounds, he jerked me up higher and lowered his head to my neck. With one swift bite, his fangs sank into my flesh.

“ Yes ,” I moaned, my breaths coming in short spurts as his venom flooded my veins. My eyes rolled back, bliss filling me from head to toe.

He stayed in his true form the entire time we had sex, every inch of him revealing the powerful predator he was inside. The sight should make me fear him. Anyone in their right mind would be afraid. But I’d told the truth to him last night. I wasn’t in my right mind. Hadn’t been for quite some time. In order to survive this bloodthirsty world, I’d had to adapt. To give up who I used to be .

The girl I was today didn’t shy away from danger. She embraced it, knowing that death was only a knock away. If I was going to die, I might as well stare it down with a smile.

So, as death gripped me tight, I gripped it back, riding it like there was no tomorrow.

As both our pleasures built, our movements became frantic. Everett greedily pulled from my neck, holding me impossibly close as he drove inside me like a madman. It almost hurt, but I embraced the pain and matched his tempo, panting loudly as my body stiffened from the pleasure.

Overwhelmed by the sensations flooding my system, I opened my mouth and screamed. My orgasm whipped through me, sending me so high that darkness pulled me under. I returned to the surface in time to hear Everett bellow, his head thrown back in ecstasy as he spilled his release inside me.

We both struggled to catch our breath, our movements gradually slowing as the high faded. When it was a languid buzz, he lowered his head again to lick the blood from my neck. Startled by the almost tender gesture, I sputtered out a laugh.

He lifted his head again, no longer in his true form. Through his mask, I could see his pale green irises staring at me.

When he cocked his head in question, I simply said, “I’ve never screamed during sex before.”

He stared at me for another long moment, then huffed a small laugh of his own.

The pleasant sound startled me enough that I blurted, “I know who you are.”

I froze. So did he.

Spirits save me, why had I told him that? I’d just experienced the most mind-blowing orgasm of my entire life. And now, because of my stupid mouth, I was going to die.

Well, at least I got to enjoy sex before I kicked the bucket. Gotta look at it with the glass half full.

His eyes flickered. With what, I wasn’t sure. Anger? Relief? Both?

Making me wait an eternity, he finally said, “How?”

“I’m a witch. I know things.”

Oh, that’ll for sure stop him from killing me. Way to sell it.

“How do I know you’re not bluffing?”

“Guess you’ll just have to take my word for it, Your Highness .”

His brows pulled together, shifting his mask. “You’re an Oracle.”

“Yep.” My lips made a popping sound, drawing his gaze to them once more. The dude really needed to be kissed. He was clearly pining for it.

“Did you have a premonition about me or something?” he asked, studying me closely.

I shrugged. “Or something. Look, I won’t tell my employers who you are, but they’re going to find out eventually if you keep coming back.”

His expression shuttered. “I won’t be coming back.”

“So I’m out of your system then?”

Doubtful. His dick was still inside me.

Instead of answering, he lifted a hand to my face and touched my mask.

Panic flushed through me. I batted his hand away without thought, then froze again, certain he would punish me for my insolence. But all he did was search my face, then reach for my mask again.

“What are you doing?” I breathlessly asked, holding still this time.

“You know who I am. It’s only fair that I know who you are as well. ”

Oh no. I was so not okay with that. If he took off my mask, I would be more than naked. I would be laid bare . All of me. The real me.

I couldn’t let him see that part of myself. Not here. Not like this.

I would break. Break . Crumble into a thousand pieces. Pieces that I could never hope to recover.

He couldn’t remove my shield. It was the only thing keeping me alive .

Desperation pounded through me as he grasped the edge of my mask and began to lift it. No, no, no . I couldn’t. I couldn’t let him do this.

The mask lifted higher. And higher .

Not knowing what else to do, I grabbed his head and dragged it down to mine, then kissed him. Full on the mouth. With all of the determination and strength I possessed.

He ripped his mouth from mine with a growl. Jerking back, he released my mask, including me. I brought my stilettos down and caught myself, reaching up to pull my mask back into place.

We stared at each other for a long moment, the tension between us palpable. He was furious. Furious that I’d kissed him. But it had been the only way. The only way to protect my real identity.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said through clenched teeth. He glared at me a moment longer, then stormed from the shower. In a flash, he grabbed his clothes and was gone.