Forever Touched (Touch of Vampire #5)

CHAPTER 12

12

EVERETT

We were at a stalemate.

I paced the long length of the throne room, wishing I was anywhere but here. It didn’t matter what I said. My father was adamant that Star was my soulmate.

Impossible. I didn’t feel any different.

I was more agitated lately, and seeing Ben with his hands on her had filled me with blinding fury, but that didn’t mean we were fated for one another. If anything, Father’s first suspicion was correct.

I was under her enchantment.

“You’re in denial, son. You don’t feel any different because you haven’t accepted the bond. Neither has she, I’m guessing. Sex alone can’t complete the bond. You have to want it. To truly desire a soul connection with your mate.”

“She’s not my mate,” I replied through clenched teeth, losing the last of my patience. At the same time, the memory of her bleeding out flashed in my mind. Without a second thought, I’d offered her my blood. When she’d refused it, terror had gripped me. Breathing had been impossible until color slowly flushed her cheeks once more. Unwilling to let her out of my sight, I’d done the worst thing possible and brought her home with me.

Now, I was paying dearly for that mistake.

“Everett, you need to accept this,” my father pushed once more, making my anger spill over. “She’s a blood whore at a feeding den. You won’t be able to tolerate the thought of other males touching her. If you don’t sort this out soon, she could get hurt or worse.”

I whirled toward him with fire in my eyes. “I know what she is. That’s why I wasn’t going to tell you about her. I won’t deny that I desire her, but she doesn’t want to give up her job. So what am I supposed to do? Command her to stop having sex with other males because she might be my soulmate?”

He shrugged. “Yes. You’re the crown prince.”

I shook my head with a scoff. “You don’t know her the way I do, Father. She’s independent. Confident . There isn’t an ounce of fear in that fragile mortal body of hers. She won’t give up her job simply because the crown prince tells her to.”

He was silent for a long beat, slowly tapping the armrest of his throne. Then, “Sounds like she would make the perfect queen for you.”

I bared my teeth at him, completely done with this conversation.

He wasn’t done, though. Rising from his throne, he stepped toward me and said, “When I heard the rumors surrounding that nightclub, I had you check it out to give you a sense of purpose again, son. Ever since the curse broke, I’ve watched you flounder. You’ve spent over a century hunting down witches to protect this family. Most of your life has been a race to save this kingdom from ruin, and along the way, you completely lost yourself.”

“I’m not lost.”

“You are .” He approached me slowly, keeping me locked in his gaze. “You’ve lost sight of who you’re supposed to be. You’re the crown prince. My heir . The future king of this kingdom. You don’t have to run anymore, son. This kingdom is safe now because of you. Accept who you are and embrace it. Find purpose in your role as our future king because you will be king and best be ready. I don’t think it was an accident that I sent you to that nightclub. I think it was your destiny to go there, and I think Star is your fate.”

When he paused before me, I could barely hold still. I wanted to lash out at him and anything else within distance. I felt trapped. Backed into a corner. Powerless as the Universe decided my future for me.

Unable to bear it a moment longer, I turned to leave the throne room, along with my father and his great expectations of me. Before I could, tiny squeals interrupted the tension-filled moment.

“Papa! Papa!”

“Unca Evy!”

We turned toward the side door as two fifteen-month-old toddlers rushed into the room, followed by a harried-looking Kade.

“Sorry,” he said, stopping the black-haired boy from face-planting on the marble. “They escaped the second my back was turned. I can only imagine the Houdini acts they’ll pull when their vampire speed kicks in.”

The little boy beelined for his grandfather while the girl toddled toward me. She also had her father’s dark coloring, but they both had their mother’s silver gray eyes. As her adorable face split into a toothy grin, all of my anger faded. I bent and scooped her up, careful not to let our skin touch. The twins had become better at controlling their Syphon magic over the past few months, but when they were hyper like this, they easily forgot about their abilities.

“Did you feed them sweets again?” I directed at Kade, already knowing the answer as Zoey clapped her sticky hands together.

“Kenna had a cheesecake made for me before she left,” Kade replied with a sheepish shrug. “I just want Zo-Bee and Nico to appreciate finer cuisine. You know Lochie won’t care if their palates are stunted like his. ”

Grunting, I dodged one of Zoey’s sticky hands before it could smack me in the face. “Fast!” she cried, bouncing in my arms. “Fast, fast!”

“Fast!” her brother parroted, his cheeks stained with strawberry juice.

My father chuckled and tossed his grandson high in the air. Definitely higher than Kenna would approve of. The boy squealed in delight the whole way down. “You want to go fast, Nico? How fast?”

“Fast, fast!” Nicolas replied, gleefully shrieking as his papa took off across the room at supernatural speed.

I followed suit, smiling when Zoey belly laughed the entire way. Their interruption had come at the perfect time. I’d needed this, more than I knew. As the twins continued to shriek, “Fast, fast, fast!” I felt the last of my tension unravel.

Almost two hours later, when we’d tired out Nico and Zoey enough to get them down for a nap, my phone buzzed. My senses immediately went on high alert, the tension returning once more. I strode down the hall toward my room, accepting the call without needing to check who it was.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine,” came Loch’s reply. Relief flooded me, until he said, “I dropped her off at her car, then followed her from a safe distance. You were right, Ev. She’s definitely hiding something. The information she gave me about her home was false. She went straight to her employer’s house and parked in the garage as if she lives there. She even has a key for the back door.”

At that, I changed course, zooming down five flights of stairs within seconds. “Give me the address. I’m heading your way.”

Loch sighed through the phone, but he didn’t argue. Seconds later, he texted me the address. I hung up soon after that, needing to concentrate. Needing to plan. I didn’t know what I would do once I got there, but the thought of Star living with the vampires who sold her for sex night after night filled me with growing dread. The second she’d flinched at my touch, I’d known in my gut that something was wrong.

If I found out they were forcing her to have sex against her will, there would be hell to pay.