Forever Touched (Touch of Vampire #5)

CHAPTER 9

9

ADALYN

Rocky trailed me closely as I exited the back door and crossed the empty parking lot.

As far as vampire’s went, the quiet club bouncer was a pretty decent guy. I didn’t know if Rocky was his real name, considering how everyone at Dreamscape liked to conceal their identities, but he looked like a Rocky. Big and burly with a shock of curly black hair.

He was a Feltore, though, so he hurried me along, needing to get home himself before the sun rose. As much as I loathed his species, I didn’t have anything against him personally and had no desire to see him burn to ash. So I picked up the pace, knowing how late it was—or early, depending on how you looked at it.

After the prince had stormed out of my room, I’d been forced to entertain three more clients. None of them were new, so at least they’d been easier to control. I’d worked extra hard on them, needing to focus on anything but Everett.

There was just something about him. Something I wanted more of. Which was twisted, considering who he was. I’d been smart to kiss him. To push him away. Hopefully that was the last I saw of him. He’d already caused too many problems for me, and I couldn’t afford to be distracted. To want something that could never be mine.

I really was sick in the head. The only thing I should want from the vampire prince was his heart on a silver platter. He’d used me for sex. He’d killed hundreds of my kind. He might even be my father’s killer.

So why didn’t I hate him as much as I should?

Mistress had already left for home, but she would definitely give me the third degree when I got back. I’d managed to secure a new client, only to lose him again. She was going to be suspicious and would no doubt use thrall to pry answers from me. I didn’t know if I could keep his identity from her a second time, but did it even matter now?

He said he wasn’t coming back, and I believed him. That kiss had stolen any desire he might have had to return. I’d seen it in his eyes.

Suddenly more than a little tired, I approached the Aston Martin on autopilot. Hopefully this weird dejected feeling would go away with a few hours of sleep. My sole focus needed to be on securing as many clients as I could and paying off my indenture. A vampire prince didn’t fit into that equation, no matter how good he made me feel.

Reaching the car, I turned to bid Rocky goodnight. I was no longer wearing stilettos and a mask, but I didn’t need to. I wasn’t Star anymore. I was Adalyn. Rocky was one of the few vampires entrusted to keep my real identity a secret. He’d seen my face hundreds of times.

“Goodni—” I started, then froze when I saw something blur toward him from behind. Before I could warn him, a pair of hands grabbed his head and savagely twisted. As a sickening crack slapped the air, I stumbled back against the car.

Rocky collapsed like a bag of bricks, hitting the asphalt with a meaty thud. I stared in horror at his oddly bent neck, then forced my gaze up to the man who’d broken it.

“Hello, Star,” he purred, darkly grinning at me. “Recognize me?”

At the blank look I gave him, he reached up and fitted a gold mask over his face.

“How about now?”

My blood turned to ice. It was the vampire who’d tried to shove his dick inside me in front of everyone. The one Everett had attacked. Benjamin Osborne.

Fear shivered up my spine.

Despite how dark the parking lot was, I knew he could clearly see my face. Pushing the fear down, I straightened and said, “You must have me mistaken for someone else. My name isn’t Star.”

He tossed the gold mask aside, his grin widening. “I don’t care what your name is, sweetheart. I’ve memorized your scent, and it led me here. So how about you stop playing games and give me what I came for. I’ve been more than patient.”

I swallowed carefully, willing my voice not to tremble. “It doesn’t work that way. You have to pay first, and then—”

He pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and tossed it at me. I jumped as the bills exploded in the air like confetti. That split second of distraction was all it took. He rushed me in a blur, sweeping me clean off my feet. The impact knocked the air from my lungs, leaving me stunned as he carried me into the woods behind the club parking lot.

When I finally had enough air in my lungs again, I opened my mouth to scream. Before I could, he abruptly let go of me, and I hit the ground. My head took the brunt of the fall. It bounced off the hard-packed earth, and the world went dark.

As I came to again, the first thing I saw was the sadistic grin on Benjamin’s face. I blinked, forcing myself not to pass out once more.

Slowly, he crawled on top of me and pressed my body into the dirt with his. An excited moan left him as he positioned himself between my legs. I didn’t fight, knowing it was pointless. He had to see me as helpless. As his captured prey. It was the only way out of this.

“I hope you taste as good as you feel, sweet thing,” he breathed, reaching up to brush hair off my face. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a witch, and none of them were as pretty as you. I’m going to take my time, and if you please me, I’ll make sure you feel good too.”

As he settled more fully on top of me, revealing just how turned on he was by my helpless state, I inched my hand toward my back jeans pocket. He tipped back my head and exposed my vulnerable throat, growling softly as he bent and inhaled my scent. I stiffened when he began to kiss and nip at my flesh, slowly grinding himself against me. Knowing what I had to do, I clenched my teeth and arched my neck back, encouraging him to bite me.

“Oh, so eager,” he crooned, dragging his tongue up my throat. “Are you wet for me too, sweetheart?”

He slipped a hand between us and fumbled to undo my pants. As the button popped open, cold resolve filled me. Yanking the small knife from my back pocket, I plunged it into his side.

He jerked off me with a roar, staggering back to clutch his side. I stayed still long enough to see the feral rage on his face when he realized the weapon was made out of silver. And then I was up in a flash, running for my life.

“What have you done, you conniving whore? ” he screamed after me, shouting obscenities while he tried to remove the knife without burning himself. It wouldn’t kill him, but the injury would hopefully buy me enough time to reach my car.

But as I ran, I realized with a sinking heart that he’d carried me farther into the woods than I thought. I wasn’t going to make it.

Sure enough, I hadn’t even reached the treeline before he caught up with me. This time, there was no mercy in his movements. He plucked me up and slammed me against the nearest tree, punching the air from my lungs. I gaped like a fish out of water, pain streaking up and down my spine like lightning. Gripping my throat, he leered in my face, his mouth twisted in fury.

“You’re going to pay for that, slut,” he hissed, spittle hitting my cheek. “I’m going to make you feel so much pain, you’ll wish you were dead.”

I opened my mouth to scream, but he struck like an adder. As his fangs brutally ripped into my neck, no sound left me. The shock of the pain crashed into me all at once, freezing me in place. The usual hit of venom didn’t come, his aim to punish and not pleasure.

His mouth rapidly jerked against my neck as he began to feed, inhaling great gulps of my blood at alarming speed. Panic pushed through the shock, making me tremble from head to toe. Too much. He was taking too much . I tried to calm myself so I could gain control of his mind, but he slammed me back against the tree again, leaving me stunned and disorientated.

By the time I cleared some of the fog from my brain, I knew I was in trouble. My arms and legs were already starting to go numb. He was consuming too much blood. Draining me. I only had seconds left before it was too late.

A scream built in my mind, one formed of desperation and fear. I didn’t want to die. I thought I was prepared to face death, but I wasn’t. There was still so much life in me. Still so much I wanted to do. I’d barely begun to live , and leaving the world like this filled me with fury.

I didn’t deserve this fate. No matter what I’d done to survive, I didn’t deserve to be killed and tossed aside like trash .

The scream grew and grew, invading my mind so completely that I let it explode. No sound left my frozen lips, but I was burning up inside, raging against the unfairness of it all.

Benjamin suddenly let go of me. His fangs tore open my neck even more as he jerked away. More like he was jerked away. My ears rang as a deafening roar lit up the night, the tree behind me trembling under the force of it. Shadows darker than the night streaked past and tangled with Benjamin, bringing him to the ground. They landed with a boom , shaking the tree once more. The impact tore up a path of pine needles and dirt before the pair came to a grinding halt.

I slowly blinked, trying to make sense of everything. The shadows looked a lot like a person. Like . . .

“Everett?” Benjamin stopped struggling as he recognized who’d tackled him to the ground. “Ever, it’s me. Ben. Ben Osborne.”

“I know,” Everett growled, his voice far from human. The shadows whipped around him, so thick that I could barely see his face. He was staring so hard at Ben that I expected red lasers to shoot from his eyes at any moment. “You never should have touched her.”

He gripped Ben’s head with both hands.

“Everett? What are you doing? We’re friends. Ever! ”

With a sharp twist, Everett broke Ben’s neck. I slowly blinked again, barely hearing the crack . The ringing in my ears had grown louder and louder, each ring matching the tempo of my heart. With each ring, the tempo slowed, along with my heart.

Another blink, and I saw Everett rip Ben’s head clean off. As it fell to the ground, I lost the battle with gravity and hit the ground as well. I stared up at the night sky, watching as it slowly darkened.

This wasn’t good. I was probably at death’s door now.

A face suddenly took the night’s place. A face I knew. A face that was no longer hidden by a mask.

He took one look at my neck and swore colorfully. Wow. It must be pretty bad. My eyes drifted shut .

“Star. Sta r. Don’t do this to me. Open your eyes.”

Oh. He knew who I was. Also not good.

But I couldn’t seem to care. I couldn’t feel much of anything anymore, and the beats of my heart had slowed to a crawl.

Everett swore again, louder this time. Hands jostled my body, as if he was picking me up, and then something pressed against my mouth. Something warm and wet. I immediately tried to pull away.

“You have to drink ,” I heard him say, the distant words laced with what sounded like panic. “ Drink , Star.”

Something leaked past my lips. Something that tasted a lot like . . .

I jerked away again, whimpering, “No.”

“You’ll die ,” he growled, pressing more firmly on my mouth. My lips parted, and I couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t stop the blood from filling my mouth. His blood. “Come on, Star. I’m not letting you die.”

I weakly thrashed against his grip, trying to spit out the blood. But he was relentless, sealing a hand over my nose and mouth until I had no choice but to allow the blood inside. Exhausted, I stopped fighting, my energy depleted.

The last thing I felt before the world disappeared was his blood trickling down my throat.