Forever Touched (Touch of Vampire #5)

CHAPTER 10

10

ADALYN

The first thing I did when I woke up was stretch languidly like a cat, throwing my arms over my head with a yawn.

I felt good. Really good. Like I’d slept for several hours straight, which I hadn’t done in years.

My fingers grazed the pillow beneath me, and I froze. This wasn’t my pillow. My pillow was old and lumpy. This pillow was plump and soft. So was the bed I was lying on.

My eyes sprang open.

“Pepper?”

The usual comforting voice of my familiar didn’t respond back.

Panic flooded me. Had that mangy tabby gotten inside last night? Why hadn’t I seen him?

“Pep!” I cried, sitting up and throwing the covers back. Covers that were far too luxurious to belong on my bed.

“Who’s Pepper?”

Startled by the unexpected voice, I whipped my gaze to the far corner of the room. It was so dark that all I could make out was a shadowed figure sitting in a chair.

“Who are you? What do you want? Where am—?”

An image of being drained flashed in my mind. I jerked a hand to my throat, gasping when all I felt was smooth skin.

A lamp switched on, and I recoiled at the brightness, shielding my eyes. I froze again, horror flitting through me .

My mask . It was gone.

I glanced in the far corner again and dread filled my stomach.

“You,” I whispered.

When all he did was silently watch me, a feeling of vulnerability settled over me. Never in my life had I felt this naked. This exposed .

He could see me. The crown vampire prince could see me . Adalyn. The real me.

Forcing my hands to my sides, I willed my voice to remain even as I said, “Where am I?”

Everett watched me a moment more, then replied, “In my bedroom.”

My spine went ramrod straight. “Excuse me? Your bedroom? As in, your bedroom in the royal family castle on Sanctum Isle?”

He dipped his chin in confirmation.

All the blood drained from my face. Mistress was going to kill me. Who knew how much time had passed since I’d been attacked. I felt in my pockets for my phone, but it was gone as well.

“I-I can’t be here. I have to leave.” Disoriented and completely out of my element, I scrambled from the bed and hurried to the door. At any moment, I expected Everett to stop me, but he didn’t. He simply watched as I beelined across the huge room and yanked the door open.

When a wall of muscle greeted me on the other side, I flinched back with a small yelp. I was surrounded. Completely surrounded by powerful royal vampires. Huge and intimidating ones that were looking at me like I was a rabbit caught in their snare.

“Aww, she’s frightened. I think she needs a hug,” the biggest one with sunkissed skin and caramel-colored hair said. When he stepped forward with his arms spread wide, I stumbled back, right into a hard body .

Before I could jerk away, an arm curved around my waist, trapping me there.

“No hugs, Kade. That’ll only frighten her more.” The rumbling voice at my back was definitely Everett’s, and my body’s first instinct was to relax, which was the last thing it should be doing right now.

“Well, you’re hugging her,” the big vampire said, faintly smirking at Everett’s arm around my waist.

Everett dropped his arm. “That wasn’t a hug.”

“Then what was it?”

The prince blew out a long-suffering sigh. “Can you call off your drothen, Loch? He’s been extra annoying this morning.”

Morning. My ears perked up at the word. Maybe I hadn’t lost as much time as I’d originally thought.

“Kade. Behave,” the other vampire quietly said. I did a double take at his face. He was definitely Everett’s brother. The main difference between them was the color of their eyes and hairstyle. His brother wore his black hair longer. It fell across his brow in a stylishly messy way, further shadowing his dark eyes.

The vampire called Kade stuck out his bottom lip and retorted, “I am behaving. Your brother is just being extra ornery this morning.”

At that, Everett’s brother cracked a small smile.

“Don’t encourage him, Loch,” Everett lightly growled, yet there was no anger behind the words. In fact, his sharp tone held something that caught me entirely off guard.

Affection.

I’d always been told the royal family were merciless, cutthroat killers devoid of kindness or affection. Then again, hadn’t I seen for myself that Everett could be kind? He’d just rescued me, after all. Again .

Yeah, because he wants inside your pants , I bitterly reminded myself.

A sudden thought struck me, and I whirled toward him with a gasp. “Rocky. Did you see him? Benjamin snapped his neck before he came after me. He can’t be out in the sun. He’ll burn to ash . I have to go. I have to make sure—”

I turned for the door again, my only thought on getting the bouncer to safety before he went up in smoke. Deep down, though, I already knew it was too late. Still, I needed to get out of here. There was no telling what Mistress would do when she found out I hadn’t come home last night.

“Have you seen my phone? I have to make a call.” I paused at the door, gesturing at the wall of muscle to move aside. There was no time for diplomacy and certainly no time for fear. If they intended to kill me, they would have already done so.

Then again, they might want me alive for other things. Maybe they liked to share their females like the Faircroft sisters liked to share men. I shoved the thought aside before panic could take hold. No matter what they planned to do, I couldn’t reveal how unnerved I was to be here. The minute I showed even an ounce of fear, they’d attack like the predators they were.

When the two vampires stepped aside, allowing me to pass into the hallway, I struggled to mask my shock. Huh. That had been easy. Too easy. Deciding not to look the gift horse in the mouth, I kept going. A tall window at the far end of the hall cheerily revealed the time of day, which only made me cringe. Yep. Rocky was toast by now. There was probably nothing left of him. I sure hoped he didn’t have a wife and kids waiting for him at home.

“Star.”

I cringed again, hating the sound of that name on his lips. Knowing that I’d only embarrass myself by making a run for it, I stopped and slowly turned to face Everett. He was leaning casually against the doorway of his bedroom, his arms crossed over his chest. I couldn’t help but notice that he was wearing the same dark outfit as last night. The only difference now was that he wore a gold and ruby ring on his pinky finger and didn’t have a mask on. He looked . . . tired. Worn out. Like he hadn’t slept for a day or two. A feeling I knew all too well.

Wait. Had he sat in that chair all morning and watched me sleep? The thought should disturb me, but instead, a warm feeling settled in my stomach. Yup. I most definitely was not in my right mind.

When I raised an eyebrow at him in question, he said, “Rocky is fine. I placed him on the shaded side of the building. His neck was already halfway healed when I left.”

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to understand what he’d just said. As his words finally sank in, the warm feeling in my belly intensified. Giving my head a slight shake, I said, “I need to speak with His Highness alone, please.”

“His Highness,” the vampire called Kade repeated with a quiet chuckle. “I like her.”

Everett shared a look with his brother, who nodded and turned to leave.

When Kade continued to stare at me with a big grin on his face, Loch called back, “Kade.”

Kade winked at me, then took off after the prince.

Everett stepped back into his room, and I followed him, casting one last longing look down the hallway. I really needed to leave, but I couldn’t just walk out of this place. The island was huge. I wouldn’t make it to the mainland on my own—not in one piece anyway. Most of the kingdom’s Venturi lived here, and with their ability to walk in the sun, they’d catch my scent for sure. One whiff and I’d be a goner .

At least the nightclub afforded me some protection. Out here, I was a sheep among wolves with very sharp teeth.

Everett shut the door behind me, sealing us inside his room once more. I tried to conjure up a healthy sense of fear but couldn’t quite manage it. Probably because the shock of staring death in the face earlier this morning hadn’t worn off yet. Resisting the urge to touch my throat again, I said without facing him, “Do they know what I am?”

“That you’re a witch?”

“No. A . . . a blood whore.”

I worried my lip, waiting for his answer. It came all too soon.

“Yes. They know I’ve been with you for the past few nights. I couldn’t avoid telling them when I came home carrying your unconscious body.”

Great. Just great. Nothing like bringing home your dirty little secret for the family to meet.

Feeling exposed again, I crossed my arms over my chest. “How did you find me anyway? I thought you’d be long gone.”

He paused for a beat, then said, “I was in my car across the street. I was going to follow you home, but then I heard you scream.”

My eyes widened. Screamed? But I hadn’t screamed out loud. Or had I? Setting aside my confusion, I dropped my arms and turned to look at him. He really was a handsome devil. Even when he’d worn a mask, I’d enjoyed looking at his face. I wondered if he felt the same about me, or if seeing my entire face killed the mystery for him. He really had no reason to want me anymore. I wasn’t anything special under all the makeup, sequins, and sultry looks.

Star was sexy and alluring. A pretty package that begged to be unwrapped. Adalyn, on the other hand, was simply tired. Tired and fighting to survive .

Suddenly unsure of myself, I covered my insecurity with a light scoff and said, “For a vampire who hates witches, you sure do rescue me a lot. I’m surprised you didn’t turn me when you had the chance. I was almost drained, after all.”

“I don’t.”

I blinked. “Don’t what?”

“I don’t hate you.”

Something fluttered in my chest, and it wasn’t panic. Confused, I blurted, “You might crave my body and blood, but I saw how angry you were when I kissed you.” At that, his eyes flashed in warning. “See? I struck a nerve. I’m still just a disgusting witch to you.”

He didn’t respond, but his eyes were slowly peeling back my layers, seeing far more than I wanted him to.

Growing desperate, I said, “I’ve heard the stories about you. I know what you’ve done to my kind. How you went on a killing spree up and down the coast, all because of one witch’s deeds.”

His expression hardened, making the hairs on my arms slowly stand on end. I was definitely treading on dangerous ground now. “And yet you still had sex with me.”

I swallowed carefully before replying, “Yes. It’s my job.”

His brows lowered. “Is it? You don’t seem to like it when your clients touch you.”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

He suddenly moved. Prowled . Like a predator on the hunt. As he approached me, I went poker straight. The need to run trembled through me, but I knew how dumb that would be. So I held still and let him invade my personal space, tilting my head back as he filled my vision. Once there, he stopped and stared down at me with so much intensity that my toes curled.

“I don’t have to like it,” I finally replied, needing to cut through some of the thick tension between us. “I just have to pretend to.”

“Is that what you did with me? Pretend?”

A swallow got stuck in my throat. It almost hurt to maintain eye contact with him now, but I didn’t dare look away. “I’m very good at pretending.”

“Is that so?”

I was suddenly on my back in the middle of his gigantic bed. A sharp gasp escaped me as his body settled on top of mine, pressing me into the mattress. We lined up perfectly from chest to pelvis, and my core immediately lit on fire at the intimate contact.

To play off how strongly my body had just responded to his, I gave him a sardonic smirk and cooed, “Yes. I’m very good at my job.”

“I agree,” he rumbled, dipping his head to breathe in my ear. “But you’re not pretending right now. I can smell how aroused you are.”

As he paused to inhale my scent, more of that delicious heat unfurled in my belly. Silently cursing, I replied, “Fine, I admit that you make me feel things.”

He chuckled quietly, reaching up to slide his fingers into my hair. I felt the contact all the way to my toes. “You make me feel things too. Naughty things. Things that I want to feel again right now.”

At his confession, the heat spread to every inch of my body. My breaths grew shallow and a touch needy. “Do you plan to keep me here as your own personal whore, then?”

“Maybe I will.” He brushed his nose up the column of my throat. “And would that be so awful? That way, no other males could touch you.”

I immediately perked up at the idea, thrilled at the thought of being free of all the groping hands and leering gazes. But reality chose that moment to knock some sense into me, to remind me of why I’d accepted the job in the first place. Pursing my lips, I shook my head and forced out, “I like my job. It gives me purpose.”

Undeterred, Everett inhaled my scent again and whispered, “I can give you the same purpose. And with me, you’ll actually enjoy it.”

My eyes fluttered shut as pleasure skated through me, making me grow wet.

Spirits save me, what was happening right now? It felt like he was seducing me, something I’d never experienced before. Even worse, I liked it. I should be offended that the crown vampire prince was offering to make me his little play thing, but my body was thoroughly enjoying the proposal.

His other hand cupped my cheek, the thumb stretching along my jaw toward my mouth. My lips . He really needed to put himself out of his misery and just kiss me already. Despite his distaste for it, I could sense he wanted to.

Before I could encourage him to do that very thing, he asked, “Why did you resist drinking my blood?”

My eyes popped back open. Oh, yeah. He’d forced me to drink his blood so I wouldn’t die. I’d had no choice, despite the command in my head telling me to spit it out. I’d tried, but Everett was so much stronger than me. At the reminder that his blood was now flowing through my veins, the heat vanished. It was like a bucket of ice water had just been tossed over me.

Knowing I couldn’t tell him the truth, I lamely said, “I’m not a vampire. My body doesn’t naturally want to consume blood.”

As if sensing the lie, he pulled back to search my face. “You were bleeding out. Would you rather I have let you?”

I didn’t respond right away, and that told him far too much.

His gaze darkened, and he opened his mouth again. Before he could say anything, though, a knock came at the door.

“Father wants an audience with you, Everett. ”

Everett’s body tensed over mine. “Now?”

“Yes. He wants to meet her.”

Now it was my turn to tense. Everett felt it and focused back on me. “I won’t let him harm you.”

He was getting way too good at reading me. The sooner I left this place and put my mask back on, the better.

Before I could respond, he lifted off me and stood. “Come on. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

As he adjusted his clothing, hiding how turned on he’d been moments before, I glanced down at my own clothing. Cringing, I scooted off the bed and hurried to the gold floor-length mirror in the corner.

One look and I turned to vehemently shake my head. “Nope. No way am I letting the vampire king see me like this. It’s bad enough that you have.”

He paused to lift an eyebrow. “None of that matters. He’ll see right through any mask you put on anyway.”

A nervous laugh burst from me. “Was that supposed to make me feel better? Because it didn’t. I still have blood on my sweater.” Not on my skin, though. Everett must have cleaned it off while I slept, which didn’t fill me with revulsion like I thought it would. Not even a little. Something was definitely wrong with me.

“He just wants to meet you, Star. I’ll find you fresh clothing afterward.”

Afterward. There wasn’t going to be an afterward. I was leaving the first chance I got. Now that Everett wasn’t invading my personal space, I could think clearly again. Time was ticking, and I needed to get back to Faircroft Manor before something terrible happened.

With that in mind, I pushed aside my bout of insecurity and gestured for him to lead the way. The sooner I got this meeting over with, the better. I just hoped I survived it.

As Everett opened the door, his brother greeted us on the other side. They both waited for me to join them, then took off down the hallway. Kade was nowhere to be found, but I didn’t have time to wonder where he was.

The brothers’ long strides ate up the marble floor, leaving my average-length legs struggling to catch up. I was barely able to focus on my surroundings, but the glimpses I saw took my breath away. Faircroft Manor and even my room at Dreamscape Lounge were decorated with lavish, expensive things, but this place was the epitome of wealth. The furniture was gold and encrusted in jewels. The walls were adorned with dozens of paintings that I recognized. Original paintings, which meant that they were priceless.

The more I saw, the more I realized how out of place I was. I didn’t belong in this world, and that fact had never been more glaringly clear. But there was nothing I could do other than hold my head high and hope the king didn’t kill me on sight.

If he only knew what I knew, I’d be dead in a heartbeat.

Minutes later, we reached the throne room on the second floor. A legit throne room. How bizarre and archaic that sounded. The witch community never had fancy houses for their elders to reside in. My father had been well off, but we’d lived rather simply in order to blend in with the human populace. The community boasted several schools for learning magic, and that was it. I’d been attending one of those schools up in Canada when my dad had received the call to unite with the other elders.

I would never forget his final words to me as he’d portalled into my school dorm room that night and awakened me from sleep to say, “You’re my bright shining star, Ada darling. Whatever happens after tonight, don’t let anyone dull that light. Shine brightly for all to see. ”

Sudden sadness filled me. It had been six years since I lost him, but in some ways, it still felt like yesterday. If he could only see me now, surrounded by the creatures he’d so desperately tried to keep me safe from.

When Everett looked over his shoulder at me, I quickly wiped my expression clean. He frowned but faced forward without comment as we entered the throne room. I followed him and his brother, keeping my face free of emotion while I took in the massive room. It was mostly empty, with the opposite side sporting several tall windows. Light poured into the space, which wasn’t normal for a vampire dwelling.

This place wasn’t normal, though, and neither were the vampires who lived here. The sun couldn’t hurt Venturi. Not much could, actually. Silver could harm them, but only a direct hit to the heart could kill them. That and decapitation. Only vampires were strong enough to pull each other’s heads off, though.

Remembering how Everett had ripped his friend’s head off, I struggled to stay focused. This was a violent world, and I was about to meet its leader. I spotted him at the far end, sitting on a regal throne perched on a dais. The first thing that struck me was how young he looked, barely older than his sons. Age hadn’t lined his face, a face that looked strikingly similar to his children’s.

He was sitting on his throne rather casually, with one long leg crossed over the other and an elbow propped on a golden armrest. He wore his medium-length hair loosely swept back, and his black suit looked tailor-made to fit his lean body.

“Ah, my sons. Come in, come in,” he said, the smooth words rich with authority. He was used to being obeyed, that much was clear. “And what is it that you’ve brought me today? Step forward, young lady. Don’t be shy. ”

Shy? Did he think I was trying to hide behind his sons? I couldn’t help it if they were so huge.

Slightly annoyed by the label he’d so readily placed on me, I shouldered my way past the brothers. Everett immediately grabbed my arm to haul me back.

“ Stop .”

The command sliced through the air like a whip. We all froze in our tracks to look up at the king.

“Let her go, son. Let her approach.”

It was Loch who spoke next. “Father,” he started, sliding forward a step as if to shield me.

The king waved a hand dismissively. “No. She had the guts to step forward, so let her.”

Uh. Had I accidentally challenged him or something? My time with vampires hadn’t exactly taught me proper royal etiquette.

Everett slowly released me, but I could practically feel his unease. Which didn’t exactly boost my confidence. Still, I was used to facing vampires who saw me as nothing but a bug to be squashed. If the king wanted to rattle me, he’d have to try a little harder.

Straightening my spine, I pulled away from Everett to approach his father. By habit, I put a little sultry swagger in my step, and the king’s eyes brightened with amusement. Interesting. I’d heard about his human harem. He collected wives like some men collected cars. I’d anticipated at least a little lust in his eyes.

When I was a handful of yards away, he uncrossed his legs and set both feet on the dais. I took that as my cue to stop, so I did, staring up at him expectantly. He met my stare with growing amusement, which annoyed me further. Did he want me to dance around his dais like a court jester? I would if he commanded me to, but that didn’t mean I had to like it .

Not knowing what else to do, I dipped down in a graceful curtsy and murmured, “Your Majesty.”

When I straightened once more, he was inches from my face, grinning like a fiend.