Forever Touched (Touch of Vampire #5)

CHAPTER 34

34

EVERETT

I felt the moment she slipped from me.

Her breaths and heart slowed. Slowed and slowed until they stopped. Just stopped. Like a clock that ran out of time.

When they did, the soulmate bond I’d stubbornly resisted but now desperately needed snapped .

I immediately plunged into darkness, not knowing up from down. I was utterly lost, free-falling into nothingness. I’d felt lost before, but not like this. This felt permanent, like I’d never see the light of day again. This felt hopeless , like I’d never find myself again.

Not without her. An existence without Adalyn just felt . . . empty. Not worth living.

I stared at her still form, now free of pain. She looked so peaceful. So serene. So . . . so untouchable . She was an ethereal goddess just beyond my reach, slipping farther and farther away. The longer I stared at her, the more she vanished.

And I couldn’t go after her. I couldn’t save her.

At the realization, I broke. I broke into a billion wretched pieces. Pieces I would never put together again. There was no point. Without her, I had no purpose. She was my purpose. She made me better in every way. And now that she was gone, I was nothing. Nothing worth holding on to.

Too afraid to touch her, I simply watched her. Watched as the rain washed the blood from her mouth and neck. Watched as she grew paler and paler. Colder and colder.

She made death look beautiful.

Laying down on the wet ground beside her lifeless form, I whispered, “Take me with you, baby girl. Don’t go where I can’t find you.”

She didn’t respond.

There wasn’t even a flicker from the bond. All was still. Deathly silent. She was gone. Truly gone. There was nothing left for me but memories. Memories that threatened to drown me.

“Everett.”

I heard the voice, but it sounded far away. On a distant plane. In a separate world. I was cut off from it. Indifferent to it.

Still, I flatly replied, “Touch her, and I’ll kill you.”

“Everett, there’s still time,” the voice persisted. “Snap out of it. You can still save her.”

The words were cruel. Unfair. I closed my eyes, praying they would disappear. That I would disappear.

“Everett James D’angelo!” the voice barked. “Your soulmate died, but she’s not gone . If you won’t turn her, then I will.”

I struggled to comprehend the words, but one thing registered loud and clear. “If I force her to become a vampire, she’ll hate me forever.”

“No, she won’t. She deserves a new beginning, Ev. You can give that to her. A new life. A better one. Don’t throw this opportunity away.”

“I can’t,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I’m too empty, Loch. The bond is gone. I can’t . . . I can’t find her.”

My brother knelt beside me and rested a hand on my shoulder, forcing me back to reality. To a world where Adalyn didn’t exist.

“I know, Ev,” he said. “I’ve been where you are. It’s unbearable. The worst feeling you’ll ever feel. But you have to be strong for her like you’ve always been strong for us. Even when things seemed absolutely hopeless, you’ve never given up. You’ve always protected us, always saved us, doing whatever it takes to keep this family from falling apart. You’re our backbone, brother, and it’s time for you to rise once more. So get up. Get up and rescue your mate. She needs you.”

Somehow, his words managed to penetrate my world of nothingness, giving me fresh purpose.

She needed me. My soulmate needed me.

My movements were sluggish, but I forced my limbs to gather beneath me, to push me into a sitting position. Every action hurt, sending shards of agony through my bones. Reminding me of the terrible pain Adalyn had been in before her death. I looked down at her still face again and suddenly couldn’t breathe. Everything she’d been through rushed at me all at once, locking my limbs once more.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” I rasped. “I don’t know if I can turn her into a vampire.”

What if she didn’t want this? What if she forever despised me for turning her into one of the creatures that had ruined her life? I’d told her I would never force her to do anything against her will. After all she’d been through, this felt like the worst betrayal.

“Maybe she won’t have to become one entirely,” a new voice spoke. I peered up through the rain to see that Kenna and her fox familiar had joined us.

“What do you mean?” I questioned Kenna, still too distraught to connect the dots.

“When Lochlan turned me, the combination of our soulmate bond and my bond with Silver allowed me to become a hybrid. I might be a vampire now, but I’m still a witch too. Adalyn needs her familiar for this to work, Everett. She needs Pepper.”

Pepper.

Pepper.

“Save Pepper.”

Those had been Adalyn’s final words to me. Her one last request. Her cry for help .

Some of that lost feeling vanished, replaced by another feeling. Hope. Wild, desperate hope .

Pepper. I had to find Pepper .

My gaze shot to Loch’s. “There’s not enough time.”

Determination lined his face. “Then we’ll make time.”

In a flash, he disappeared back up the stairs. Seconds later, he returned carrying a terrified-looking Noah.

When he set him down, Noah sputtered out, “Dude! Never do that again! I was in the middle of— Oh.” His expression fell as he caught sight of Adalyn’s broken body.

“We need you to portal her and Everett to Faircroft Manor right away. Can you manage it?” Loch urgently asked him.

“Faircroft . . . Yeah, I can manage. I know where it is. Why? What’s at Faircroft Manor?”

“Adalyn’s familiar.”

His eyes went to me. “You’re planning to turn her into a hybrid?”

“Yes,” I replied without hesitation. Without apology. The thought of turning her into something that didn’t completely take away who she was had renewed my hope. But I’d already wasted precious minutes in my frozen moments of grief. Time was ticking away, and the small window available to turn her was swiftly flying by.

Focusing on Adalyn’s body, I carefully slid my arms beneath her. When I felt how slight she was, how broken , pain squeezed my heart and cut off my air. I moved even slower, afraid she would fall apart. Only when her head was safely tucked against my chest, the rest of her gently cradled in my arms, did I allow myself to breathe again.

When I stood, Noah cautiously approached. Good thing too. Now that my hope had returned, so had my need to protect what was mine. One false move from the warlock, and I would probably lose it.

“Are you sure her familiar is at the manor?” Noah questioned me. “I only have enough juice for one trip.”

Before I could respond, another voice replied, “She’s there.”

Loch whirled toward the stairs with a growl, nudging Kenna behind him. “You should have run, rogue ,” he shouted to the figure standing at the top.

I squinted through the rain, surprised when I recognized the hulky Feltore. “ Wait . I know who you are.” With one word, I could command his execution. He deserved it. All of the rogues did. But instead, I allowed a few more precious seconds to tick by and called, “Why shouldn’t I have you killed where you stand?”

“You should,” Rocky replied back in that deep, quiet voice of his. “But I know who you are too. I know that you tried to protect Adalyn in the club. I know that you saved me from burning to ash. You aren’t who I thought you were. The rogues are wrong about you. I was wrong. And for that, I know I deserve death.”

A few more precious seconds ticked by as we stared at each other through the downpour.

Finally, I said, “For your honesty, I will spare you. It’s what Adalyn would have wanted.”

He bowed deeply, murmuring, “For that, I owe you my undying loyalty. I pray she survives the transition.”

I acknowledged his words with a nod, praying for the same thing. She’d survived so much in her short lifetime. I could only hope her spirit hadn’t broken along with the pactum. Could only hope she still wanted to survive.

“Ready?” Noah asked, coming alongside me.

When I nodded again, he fashioned a bright portal into existence. Sudden fear gripped me. Fear that I’d mess up. That I’d destroy the last of her instead of saving her.

“Trust in your heart, Everett,” Loch said over the pounding rain and humming portal. “Trust in your love for her. Now go . Save your mate. We’ve got your back.”

I knew they did. Knew they could handle the mess the rogues had made of our home. Knew they would protect each other while I tended to the woman who held my heart, even in death.

With renewed purpose, I accepted Noah’s help and stepped into the swirling portal. The world immediately blurred around us, passing by even faster than a vampire at full speed. I cradled Adalyn close, trying to shield her from the screaming wind. But as quickly as the gale erupted around us, it ended. I blinked and the world righted once more, the Faircroft’s mansion only yards away.

Impressed by the warlock’s accuracy, I decided he wasn’t half bad after all. “Thanks,” I told him, then took off for the house.

“No problem, E-Man,” he called after me, and I wasn’t even annoyed at the nickname.

Nearing the front entrance, I spotted a mangy cat prowling by the door. At my approach, it whirled around and hissed. I bared my fangs and hissed right back, sending it scurrying into the night. Not bothering with the door handle, I kicked the door in and rushed inside with a bellow. “ Pepper! ”

I paused to listen. For an unbearable moment, the only thing I could hear was my pounding heart. And then I heard it. The tiniest of squeaks. I raced toward the kitchen and kicked down the basement door as well, my feet barely touching the stairs as I descended at vampire speed.

Swiftly taking in the damp, dingy space, I spotted the mouse trapped in a cage on the bedside table. The sight broke my heart. When she saw me, Pepper grew frantic. She clawed and screeched, throwing herself at the walls of her cage.

“I know, I know,” I told her, hurrying forward. “I’m coming.”

Treating Adalyn’s body like a porcelain doll, I gently placed her on the bed, then quickly released Pepper from her cage. The moment she was free, she leapt onto the mattress and scurried toward Adalyn. When she butted her little head against Adalyn’s neck as if to wake her, my heart broke even more.

“I’m so sorry, Pepper,” I croaked, lowering myself to sit on the bed beside them. “I failed to protect her. She was all alone, and I didn’t see it. But I’m going to bring her back. I don’t want to change a single thing about her, but if we bring her back together, she won’t have to give up everything. Not completely. She’ll still be the Adalyn we both know and love.”

Pepper looked up at me. At the tears glittering in her round black eyes, my own eyes started to burn.

“Yes, I’m in love with her,” I told the little mouse. “But our time together was so short, and I need more of it. I need Adalyn, Pepper. I need my soulmate . I can’t see my way forward without her. She’s my direction. My light through the darkness. So, please. Please, help me bring her back.”

I held my hand out toward her, praying she understood my heartfelt plea. Praying she accepted this new fate for the witch under her care. She had every right to walk away, to reject my proposal. She was free now. Free to leave this dangerous world behind. Free to live the life she’d chosen when she’d joined the earthly plane.

Beneath her tiny exterior, she was a celestial being, immortal and powerful. Who was I to make demands on her? To cheat death of its latest victim? In the grand scheme of things, I was no one. A vampire prince was nothing compared to the Universe.

Maybe fate didn’t want me to bring Adalyn back. Maybe this had been her destiny all along. To bring me back to myself. To fill me with purpose once more. To make me better.

Grief threatened to snatch my hope away, and I bowed my head in defeat. Just when I started to lose all hope, a tiny body settled onto my palm. Raising my head, I looked at Pepper perched in my hand, and hope burgeoned in my chest once more.

“Thank you, Pepper. We’re going to save her. We’ll save her together.”

I never thought I’d feel a connection with such a small, insignificant-looking creature, but I knew now that I’d been wrong. Not just about her, but about many things. My eyes were wide open, and I could see clearly now. This world was vast, and every living creature deserved a place in it. It didn’t matter who was stronger. Didn’t matter what their race or rank was.

We were equal.

A little mouse familiar and a powerful Venturi prince were the same, and I made sure she could see that realization in my eyes.

I knew in my heart that things were going to change after this. I might not be half the king my father was, but I was no longer cold and cruel. I cared, truly cared about what happened to my kingdom. To every creature that fate chose to bring into my life. Things were going to change, and I knew deep down that Adalyn would be by my side the entire way.

Fate didn’t give her to me only to snatch her away again.

She and I were meant for more. Our story was only just beginning.

So when I began the transition process, feeding Adalyn both Pepper’s blood and mine, I knew without a shadow of doubt that she would come back to me.

Several minutes later, I felt the moment she started to return. It was a whisper. A gentle caress. A sigh of relief as our bond, our beautiful soulmate bond, slowly knitted back together.

I’m here , it seemed to breathe, soothing away the last of my pain. I’m here to stay .

I’d never felt such joy, such elation when her heart began to beat again. When her chest slowly rose and fell, relearning how to breathe. And when her golden eyes fluttered open, I was made whole again.

“There’s my girl,” I whispered, touching her cheek.

As her gaze met mine, I finally allowed my tears to fall.