Forever Touched (Touch of Vampire #5)

CHAPTER 18

18

ADALYN

The room was alive with music and dancing.

Everywhere I looked, there was a face hidden by a mask.

Gold glittered. Skirts swished. Bodies twirled in sync to a haunting strain.

At the center of it all stood Prince Everett. Even with a dark mask on, I knew it was him.

He suddenly reached up and removed the mask, then gestured for his dance partner to do the same.

Her back was turned to me, but I saw her remove a silver mask.

The prince smiled as she revealed her true identity.

But as she did, I saw what she hid in her other hand.

It caught the light, its silver surface flashing wickedly.

She abruptly swung her hand in an arc, thrusting it toward the prince’s chest.

The knife sank deeply into his heart.

He stared at her in shock. In disbelief.

As the light started to fade from his eyes, she turned and ran.

I jerked awake, my heart thundering wildly. As the dream replayed in my head, I tried to shrug it off. It was just a dream. A dream . But deep down, I knew better.

It wasn’t a dream at all, but a premonition.

Out of the five kinds of witches that existed, Oracles were the only ones with the natural ability to foretell the future. I used to have visions all the time while in magic school, but most of them had been vague. For the past six years, though, Mistress controlled what my magic could or couldn’t do. I hadn’t dreamt in years , let alone had a premonition.

Until the day I’d met Everett.

Something was changing in me. The invisible leash Mistress kept on me at all times didn’t feel as tight. She was still in control of my magic, but it was starting to act out. To break free , if only a little. The premonition still swirling through my mind was definitely the clearest one I’d ever received. There was no mistaking Everett’s presence. Or mine.

Or the knife I’d plunged into his heart.

My knife.

But I wouldn’t do that to him. I couldn’t . Not since I’d stopped seeing him as a cruel, bloodthirsty vampire. The premonition had come too late. My need for revenge didn’t involve him anymore—or his family, for that matter.

Which ruined everything .

He really had ruined me, in more ways than one. Nothing made sense anymore. My feelings. My job. My life .

Feeling lost again and desperately needing a liferaft, I reached for Everett on the bed beside me. Alarmed when I found the space empty, I sat up straight and searched the room for him. The bedside lamp was still on, revealing that I was alone. With the heavy curtains drawn, I had no idea what time it was, but it still felt early.

The premonition reared its ugly head again, and I struggled to breathe. It was too late. Too late . My magic must be on the fritz after so many years of repression. Still, all I could think about was making sure Everett was okay, so I ignored my protesting body and scrambled from the bed. As I hurried to the door, I heard a noise and paused to listen. Some of my panic instantly faded. Changing direction, I headed for the bathroom.

The door was closed, so I silently tested the handle. When it easily gave way, I opened it without knocking. If he’d wanted privacy, he should have locked it. Stepping through the door, I immediately found him in the shower. His back was turned to me, and as I entered, he visibly tensed.

“Sorry if I woke you,” he said, his voice extra gruff. When I shut the door behind me, he tensed even more.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I asked, letting my gaze travel the length of him. The semi-frosted glass obscured his lower half, but I gobbled up what little I could see. He was made of pure muscle, and I had a sudden urge to touch him. Every single inch.

“Please don’t do that,” he quietly groaned.

I frowned. “Do what?”

“Whatever it is you’re doing.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“You’re feeling aroused . Which is making this ten times worse.”

“This?”

“I’ve had a raging hard on ever since last night, and waking up beside a gorgeous female only made it harder,” he said, not the least bit embarrassed to admit it.

I snickered.

“This isn’t funny, Adalyn,” he growled, still not turning around. At least I knew why he was so tense now, poor guy.

“Let me guess. I came in before you had a chance to jerk off?”

“Yes,” he curtly replied.

Ooh, cranky. A smirk slid onto my lips.

“Well, I’m awake now. No need to be quiet about it. Go right ahead.”

He scoffed. “I’m not giving myself a hand job while you watch.”

“Why not? Too shy?”

“I think you and I both know that shyness isn’t something either of us suffer from.”

“True. Maybe you’re just hoping I’ll offer to do it for you.”

Sudden desire spiked through me. His desire. My smirk widened. Maybe this soulmate oversharing thing wasn’t so bad after all.

Untying my robe, I let it fall to the floor.

As I stepped forward, he tensed even more. Every muscle on his back stood out in stark relief.

“You don’t have to,” he said. Yet I could hear the plea, the hope in his voice.

“I know,” I replied, opening the shower door to slip in behind him. “But I want to.”

He stopped breathing.

“Let me prove it to you,” I softly said, reaching up to touch his back. At the contact, he violently shuddered. Encouraged when he didn’t pull away, I placed my other hand on his back, marveling at the way his muscles rippled beneath my fingertips.

I began to explore him, touching him in a way I’d never touched a male before. I was curious and intrigued, wanting to know him more fully. He held perfectly still while I ran my hands over his muscled back, even though I could tell this was torture for him. I could only imagine how painful his stiff erection was, made all the worse by my presence and touch.

Finally taking pity on him, I stepped closer and slid my hands to his front. As they slowly trailed down the ridges of his hard stomach, his breathing grew labored. “I want to make you feel good, Everett,” I whispered, my lips caressing his warm spine. “Not because it’s my job. Not even because fate destined us for each other. But because I want to.”

To prove it, I slipped a hand down to grip his shaft. It was rigid as stone and swollen to the max, as if he was already moments away from release. The second my fingers closed around him, he groaned. So loudly that I instantly grew wet.

Well, that was new. I’d never become aroused by a male’s pleasure before. It was exciting, and I quickly lost myself to the feel of him beneath my fingertips.

Unlike the first time I’d pleasured him, I wasn’t pretending to enjoy myself. I was enjoying myself. I was enjoying his reaction to my touch. I was enjoying how it felt to touch him. I was enjoying how my body reacted to his reaction.

It was incredible, and for once, I didn’t want the moment to end. I wanted to relish it, to milk it. So I milked him slowly, taking the time to appreciate his body. I’d thought all dicks were the same, but I’d been wrong. Everett’s was a masterpiece. It was somehow rock hard and silky soft, the girth and length beyond impressive.

If I wasn’t so busy enjoying the feel of his cock in my hand, I would have eagerly dropped to my knees and tasted it. Sucked on it. Which shocked the hell out of me. I’d never liked using my mouth in that way, but with Everett, everything felt different. I felt different. I didn’t feel the need to be someone else when I was with him.

I wasn’t Star in this moment. I wasn’t a blood whore pleasuring her client to completion. I was simply me. I was Adalyn.

Stunned by the realization that I wanted to do this of my own free will, I pressed even closer to him. To the male that I no longer saw as a client. He was something else now, something I couldn’t quite define. That should terrify me, but it only made me want to be closer. To lower my guard even more so he could see the real me .

He suddenly braced himself against the tiles and choked out my name. My real name. The sound was so raw, so vulnerable that I felt utterly exposed to him. And, for once, I didn’t hate the feeling. I basked in it, allowing myself to fully share this intimate moment with someone I wanted to share it with.

“Almost there,” I crooned against his back, tightening my grip so I could stroke him faster. He tensed all over, his chest heaving as I brought him closer and closer to orgasm. Knowing he was about to come, my stroking turned feverish.

At the last second, just as he was about to spill his release, I squeezed him. Hard . A muffled shout left him. He violently jerked against my hand, shooting out an impressive stream of cum. Pleased with myself for giving him such a good orgasm, I continued to stroke his cock. Even when he was fully finished, I held on to him, enjoying the feel of his afterglow.

Still breathing heavily, he finally turned and drew me into his arms. His body was warm and slick against mine, filling me with contentment. When he tucked me against his chest as if I belonged there, I closed my eyes with a self-satisfied smile.

“Like it?” I whispered, even though I knew he had.

“It was amazing,” he said, pressing his mouth to my hair. “ You’re amazing.”

My smile widened.

I didn’t know how long we stood there in each other’s arms, but Everett suddenly said, “You’re still in pain.”

My eyes fluttered back open. “What?”

“You’re in pain,” he repeated, sliding his hands over my back as if to search for injury. When he started to pull away, I tightened my arms around him.

“I’m fine, Everett. It’s only a few bruises. There’s no need to worry. ”

“No, that’s not it. There’s a deeper ache.” When he pulled away again to look at me, I swallowed a disappointed whimper. “Something that’s causing you to shake.”

“I’m not shaking,” I started, then stopped when he grabbed one of my hands and lifted it. Sure enough, it was shaking.

I quickly snatched it away.

“Adalyn.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just hungry. Low blood sugar gives me the shakes.”

He caught my chin, so gently that he managed not to disturb my bruises. “Look at me, Adalyn.”

Knowing I couldn’t hide this from him, I met his gaze with a sigh. As he searched my face, I saw the moment he figured it out.

“You’re addicted to venom.”

With another sigh, I pulled my chin from his grasp. “I’m not proud of it, but in my line of work, it can’t be helped.”

He didn’t say a word for several moments. Then, “I didn’t see the signs.”

“I’m good at pretending, remember?” I gave him a bitter smile. “Revealing an addiction makes me look weak, and I’m already weak enough as it is.”

“You’re not weak.”

I laughed, but the sound held no humor. “Yet here I am, battered, bruised, and shaking from withdrawals. Not to mention hiding from my responsibilities. That doesn’t scream weak to you?”

“No. All I see is a survivor, a rather brave and resilient one. And you’re not hiding. I took you away from a dangerous situation, one that I hope you won’t return to.”

I looked away, but not quickly enough.

He swore. “How could you think about going back after what you just went through?”

As his voice raised, I stiffened, wiping all traces of emotion from my face.

“Wait, what just happened?” he pressed, reaching for my arm. I forced myself not to flinch away. Feeling how rigid I was, he swore again and let go. “You just disappeared on me, Adalyn. Why? Tell me what you’re hiding.”

When all I did was stare at him, he squeezed his eyes shut with another curse. After a long moment, a sigh fled him and he slowly reopened his eyes.

“I could thrall you into telling me,” he quietly said, but the words didn’t sound like a threat. More like a plea.

“You could,” I replied, knowing that I couldn’t stop him if he tried. It had been twenty-four hours since he’d fed me his blood, long enough that it should be out of my system by now.

When his jaw hardened, I braced myself for the inevitable. But a moment later, his expression fell, and he roughly said, “Problem is, I don’t want to. The very thought of forcing you to do anything makes my blood run cold.”

At his heartfelt admission, the mask I’d erected to protect myself crumbled.

“I’m sorry,” I said, unable to keep the tremor from my voice. “I’ve made promises that I can’t break. But I need you to know that I don’t . . . I don’t enjoy what I do.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him more, but I knew the words wouldn’t form, no matter how hard I tried to say them.

No doubt seeing the turmoil on my face, Everett sighed and whispered, “Come here.”

I readily went to him, immediately feeling better the second his arms were around me again .

“When do you leave?” he asked after a moment, surprising me.

Was he really letting me go, just like that?

Worrying my lip, I finally answered, “As soon as I can.”

Something hit me in the chest then, an emotion that wasn’t mine.

Hurt. He was hurt .

Wanting to reassure him, I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. There was nothing I could say anyway. Nothing he wanted to hear.

“Then I guess we should get this over with,” he said, sliding a hand to the nape of my neck.

My eyes widened. “Get what over with?”

Was he going to thrall me after all?

He angled my head back so that I had to look at him. “You need venom. I’m going to give it to you, but you should know how dangerous venom addiction is.”

“I know,” I replied, all too aware of how powerful it was.

I hated myself for this weakness, but I still craved venom. Still needed the high it gave me in order to survive this world. Without venom, I would have fallen apart a long time ago. Would have succumbed to my darkness and allowed the remaining pieces of myself to be torn to shreds.

The false promises it offered kept me from losing my mind entirely. If I held out until the next hit, I’d eventually make it to the other side. To freedom .

It was a lie. All of it. But I’d embraced the lie to stay alive.

I hadn’t had venom for over a day now, the longest I’d gone without it in three years. Need pounded through my body, making my head spin.

“Please,” I whispered, unable to stop the desperation from entering my voice. I trembled harder, already anticipating the high his venom could give me. Lifting my chin, I exposed my throat to him.

“Oh, baby girl,” he sadly said, leaning down to press a featherlight kiss to my neck. “What have they done to you?”

“Please. It hurts,” I begged, struggling to breathe. The anticipation. The need . It was too much. I needed venom now .

Responding to my pain, he opened his mouth and sank his fangs deeply into my neck. I jerked against him, the burning agony of his bite a shock to my system. Only for a moment, though. On the heels of his bite came a flood of venom. It poured into my veins and chased the pain away, filling me with indescribable bliss.

I went boneless in his arms, uttering a breathless moan as every corner of my body filled with euphoria.

He clutched me tightly to him and released a groan of his own, pulling deeply from my neck. My eyes rolled back as I gave in to the pleasure of being fed on. Normally, I needed to remain lucid enough to control my client while he fed, but I had no desire to control Everett right now. He’d refused to thrall me. The least I could do was respect him the same way.

As he fed, I completely gave myself over to the moment, not even worrying about how much blood he was taking. I felt safe and blissfully warm, something I’d never experienced with a pair of sharp fangs in my flesh before.

This wasn’t a simple high. This was rapture. Heaven . And I wanted to stay here for as long as I could.

The venom made every pore in my body sing with pleasure, and I reached between my legs to relieve the ache. With a growl, Everett backed me against the cold tiles and wedged his thigh between mine. I reached for my aching center again, but he suddenly had my arms locked above my head, one large hand firmly gripping both my wrists .

“Everett,” I whimpered, starting to squirm in desperation. “I need—AH!”

I cried out, the sound embarrassingly loud as his other hand dove between my legs and found my clit. The contact was overwhelming, deliciously heightened by his venom. Each stroke of his fingers sent jolts of electricity through me, making me see stars. I trembled and writhed, viciously biting my lip as more embarrassing sounds left me. He stroked me harder. Faster . Making me deaf and blind to everything but him.

Too much. Too much .

The pleasure was all-consuming, filling me up so completely that my body could no longer contain it. A scream belted from my lungs, my orgasm exploding through me. Wave after wave of ecstasy left my body in a powerful rush. I dug my nails into my palms to keep from unraveling completely. He continued to rub my clit, his firm grip on my wrists anchoring me in place. I shook like a leaf and groaned as another orgasm jolted through me.

Again and again, he encouraged me to orgasm, not letting my poor body rest. I’d never been this high before. My world was mind-blowing ecstasy, and Everett seemed determined to keep it that way. His fangs were still embedded in my neck, his venom thrumming hotly through my veins. His fingers continued to work my clit, making my body scream with endless pleasure.

I knew he was ruining me again. But this time, I knew he was doing it on purpose. He wanted to ruin me. With his touch. With his venom. Making me think of nothing else.

He might not be forcing me to stay here, but he sure as hell was making it impossible to leave. I couldn’t pull away, even if I wanted to. Which I didn’t. I wanted to stay like this with him forever.

But eventually, I went limp against the tiles, exhausted from the orgasms and powerful venom flooding my mortal body. I couldn’t take it anymore, despite wishing that I could.

Everett released my wrists and caught me before I could melt into a puddle on the floor. As he carefully withdrew his fangs from my neck, he bit into the pad of his thumb and murmured, “May I?”

I didn’t even flinch at the sight of his blood. I was only prohibited from drinking vampire blood, and he wasn’t asking me to drink it this time.

When I nodded my consent, he gently smeared his blood over the fresh bite marks, then patiently waited for me to come down.

It was going to take awhile. I was somewhere deep in another galaxy at the moment.

“Like it?” he asked after several minutes, even though he knew exactly how I was feeling.

“Duh,” I slurred out, sounding more than a little drunk.

A heavy dose of satisfaction pulsed through our bond. He chuckled quietly and murmured, “I knew you would.”

“Cocky bastard,” I mumbled and closed my eyes, ready for a nap.

“No time for rest, unfortunately. The others are waiting for us.”

My eyes fluttered back open. “Huh?”

“Someone prepared breakfast for you.”

I struggled to understand, still trying to clear the haze from my brain. “How do you know?”

“I can smell it.”

“From all the way up here? ”

He shrugged. “I can hear them in the kitchen too.”

Filled with sudden realization, I pulled back from Everett’s chest to gawk at him. “That means they could hear us .”

“Yes.”

“You knew? ”

A wicked smile tilted his mouth. “Did you think the walls were soundproofed?”

“No, but I didn’t think anyone could hear me orgasming . Wait, who are ‘they’? I thought only your brother was here.”

“Loch’s mate and her best friend, Isla, are here too.”

“Seriously? We crashed their girls’ weekend?”

He shrugged again. “They won’t mind. They’ve been wanting to meet you anyway.”

Oh, he was definitely trying to make me stay.

Seeing my suspicion, he added, “Just stay for breakfast, and then you can leave. Okay?”

I narrowed my eyes. “This feels like a trap.”

“It’s not a trap. Promise. I just want to feed you and introduce you to the rest of my family.”

I tried not to let his words affect me but couldn’t quite hide my excitement. He wanted to feed me. That was almost better than venom and orgasms.

I kind of adore you right now , I inwardly thought, smiling a little.

A stunned look crossed his face, and my smile faded.

Can you hear me?

I held my breath, praying to the spirits that no one would answer.

Yes , came his reply, loud and clear. Inside my head .

Panicking, I jerked away from him, only for my legs to give out. Everett caught me before I could hit the tiled floor.

“I’m fine,” I said, trying to pull away again as the need to run overwhelmed my senses.

Ignoring my protests, he scooped me up and carried me from the shower. Only when I was tightly wrapped in a towel and sitting on the bed did he finally let go.

“Stay,” was all he said, then left the room .

As soon as he was gone, I beelined for the exit. There was no way I could stay here now that he had access to my thoughts. This little vacation from reality had just turned into a nightmare.

I’d barely made it two steps before I was scooped up and deposited on the bed again.

“I said stay ,” Everett said, ignoring the way I gawked at him. He was fast. Like really fast. I hadn’t even seen him come back in. “Here, put these on.”

He dropped a pile of clothing on the bed beside me.

At my confused look, he explained, “They’re Kenna’s. She’s a bit taller than you, but you’re close to the same size.”

I slowly dropped my gaze to the rest of him. “Did you just go out there in the nude?”

He shrugged. “I was quick. No one saw.”

“Mmhmm. Sure. Good thing I’m not the jealous type.” Or was I? I suddenly didn’t like the thought of another female seeing his dick.

“Well, I am,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I’m not letting you leave this room until you’re properly dressed.”

Oh my. This was going to be a problem.

I straightened from the bed and let the towel drop. His gaze immediately dipped to my breasts. “So, let me get this straight,” I purred, sauntering toward him. “If I continue to strip naked in front of men every night, you’re going to be jealous?”

A possessive growl vibrated his chest. Lightning quick, he darted a hand out and dragged me against him. “Yes, Adalyn, I’ll be very jealous. Murderous , even.”

Anger darkened his eyes, and I shivered. This was definitely going to be a problem. Pushing at his chest for him to release me, I soothingly said, “Forget I said that. Of course you would be jealous. I’m your— ”

As his hold on me loosened, I stepped away without finishing the sentence and quickly began to dress.

“You’re my what?” he pressed, still sounding angry. “My solemae? You can say it, Adalyn, because it’s true. You’re mine .”

Now it was my turn to be angry. Whirling to face him, I snapped, “I’m not yours. I’m not anyones . I’m my own person, okay? No one owns me, not even you.”

When surprise chased the anger from his eyes, I turned and resumed dressing.

“Adalyn,” he softly murmured after a moment, making me feel all sorts of vulnerable. “I didn’t mean it like that. I would never think of you as a possession.”

My throat closed. He sounded so genuine that I couldn’t help but believe him. Still, he needed to know why I’d reacted so strongly. Why this soulmate thing freaked me out so much. “It’s just that males have treated me like an object for years,” I began. “My head is pretty messed up because of it, which makes this soulmate stuff sort of terrifying. I want to show you who I really am, but I’m still afraid of what that will do to me. What you will do.”

Wow. I sure hoped that confession didn’t end up biting me in the butt. I’d seriously just stripped myself bare, emotionally speaking.

“God, Adalyn. I’ve been such a selfish bastard,” he said with a sigh. “You must hate me.”

Smiling a little, I finished buttoning up my borrowed jeans before facing him again. “I don’t hate you, Everett. I probably should , but I can’t make myself do it. Now get dressed. I’m starving and want to apologize to Kenna for stealing her clothing.”

When he just stared at me, still processing all that I’d said, I swept past him and crooned, “Better hurry. If I make it downstairs before you do, I might tell your family how we met. And not the PG version.”

“Adalyn,” he growled.

I laughed and hurried from the room.