Forever Touched (Touch of Vampire #5)

CHAPTER 35

35

ADALYN

Something was different.

As Everett touched me, my skin practically hummed with energy. It felt like a live wire was just beneath the surface, and every time he made contact, it sparked to life.

It felt amazing .

While his thumb continued to stroke my cheek, I became aware of other things. Smells. Sounds. All of them glaringly familiar. We were in the basement at Faircroft Manor. On my bed. The space smelled extra moldy, though, and I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose.

Everett softly laughed. The sound danced across my senses, making me even more aware of my body. Like the fact that I felt like a million bucks. Not just where he touched me, but everywhere . I couldn’t remember ever feeling this good, not even when I’d been high on venom.

Something was different, all right.

I didn’t have to adjust my eyes to the basement’s gloomy interior. I could see clearly, almost as if sunlight had been allowed to penetrate the boarded-up window above my bed. Everett’s eyes shone in a way I’d never seen them before. I could pick out each facet of green in his jewel-toned irises.

As I stared in wonder, a tear fell from one of them. Without even thinking, I reached up and caught it.

Caught it .

Which shouldn’t have been possible.

The lone tear was somehow perfectly poised on the tip of my finger, and all I could do was gawk at it.

Something was definitely different.

Something was wrong .

“Everett.”

His name rasped from my lips, the single word filled with alarm.

“It’s okay,” he gently said, reaching up to fold my hand into his. “Just take your time. You’re doing great.”

When he rested our joined hands over my heart, I heard how fast the organ was beating. Not just fast. Loud .

It thundered like a drum, painfully bashing against my eardrums. I reached up and covered my ears, suddenly drowning in sensation. My senses were everywhere, dragging me in a million different directions. I didn’t know which one to focus on. Didn’t know what was happening .

As panic flooded me, Everett cupped my face and soothingly said, Focus on me, Adalyn. Only on me. That’s it. That’s my good girl. Now breathe. In and out. Listen to my voice. Forget everything else. You’re okay. You’re going to be okay .

At the comforting sound of his voice in my head, I immediately felt better.

I did as he instructed, blocking out everything else to focus solely on him. When I did, my senses calmed. Settled. But my mind didn’t. My mind was suddenly wide awake, demanding that I listen. That I remember . The night’s events crashed into me all at once, drowning me in their intensity.

I gasped, tears immediately filling my eyes as I remembered what had happened. “Everett, I died. I died .”

Sorrow lined his face. “I’m so sorry, Adalyn. I couldn’t stop it from happening.”

As the truth of his words sank deeply into my bones, another realization hit me. The only one that made sense. With another gasp, I sat up straight. Everett’s hands fell away, and I took stock of my body. Nothing felt broken. Nothing hurt . I was whole again. Whole and . . .

“A vampire. I’m a vampire .”

“Yes,” he quietly replied. “I couldn’t let you go. I’m sorry, Adalyn.”

Struggling to accept the news, I stammered, “Y-you turned me.”

Guilt trickled through our bond. Still, he looked me in the eye and said, “Yes. We both did.”

“We?”

A squeak drew my attention to the nightstand. Fresh tears pricked my eyes as I spotted my mouse familiar.

“Pepper!” She hopped into my waiting hands, and I didn’t waste any time snuggling her against my cheek. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so worried. I tried to come back, but— Oh. You smell different. A good different, but also kind of bad.”

When I pulled back with a confused frown, she huffed a laugh inside my head. Glad to see you’re pulling through the transition just fine, Ada. I knew you would. But don’t get any ideas about snacking on me. You might have sharp teeth now, but so do I .

“Sharp teeth?” I lifted a hand to my mouth and felt my canines. They were perfectly normal.

“That’ll come later,” Everett said. “When the desire to feed hits.”

I swallowed. Hard .

“So I’m going to start craving blood soon?”

“Yes, but Kenna said that hybrid cravings aren’t too bad. She mostly feeds on Loch when the need for blood hits.”

My mind began to race again. Not daring to hope, I whispered, “ What are you saying?”

His expression softened. “You’re still a witch, Adalyn. You’re still you. You’re just immortal now and a little less breakable.”

My bottom lip quivered. “I’m a hybrid?”

When he nodded, a sob burst from me. Still holding Pepper, I launched myself at him and tightly squeezed his neck.

“Easy,” he grunted, almost toppling off the bed from the impact.

I laughed through my tears and loosened my grip a little. “What? Am I too strong for you now?”

“No,” he said, burying his face in my neck with a contented sigh. “You’re perfect.”

I sank into the embrace with a small smile. Still trying to digest my new reality, a big part of me expected to wake up and discover this was all a dream.

“Do you hate me for turning you?” he asked after a moment, his guilt returning.

“Of course not,” I murmured.

If not for him, I would be dead right now. I deserved to be dead.

Unable to keep silent, I made myself say, “Do you hate me? ”

“For what?” He slid his hand up the bare column of my spine, making my skin burst awake again.

“For betraying you at the ball. For secretly plotting against your family for the past three years.”

Pepper jumped onto the bed and scurried away, clearly sensing our need for privacy. I held my breath, waiting for our peaceful moment to shatter. Waiting for Everett to realize what a monster I was.

With another sigh, he murmured against my skin, “No, Adalyn. I don’t hate you. You didn’t have a choice.”

“But I did . I chose to work at the club. I chose to become a blood whore. I so desperately wanted to pay off my father’s blood debt and avenge him that I allowed the rogues to use me and my abilities. I turned your court against you. I almost . . . I almost killed you, Everett. After everything I’ve done, I don’t know how you can stand to be near me. I put you and your entire family in jeopardy. You deserve to hate me.”

Lifting his head, he rested his forehead against mine before saying, “You know what I hate? I hate that you were mistreated by my kind. I hate that the rogues tried to turn you into something you’re not. I hate that you had to pretend. That they stole precious pieces of you. I hate when you doubt yourself. Hate when you’re not with me. Hate that I didn’t tell you sooner how I really feel. I would move mountains just to see that spellbinding smile of yours. I would rearrange the stars just so our paths would align. I was searching for a purpose before I met you, but you are that purpose. You’re the dream my heart has been wishing for, a dream I didn’t even know I wanted. It’s not possible for me to hate you, baby girl. You sacrificed yourself for me. You gave up everything to keep my family safe, and for that, you’ve earned my eternal gratitude. My heart is yours, Adalyn, only yours. Today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my immortal life.”

Tears slid down my cheeks as I memorized every single beautiful word he’d uttered. I knew he meant them. They were written in his emotions, emotions he was openly allowing me to feel. Despite the awful things I’d done, he truly loved me. He forgave me as I had forgiven him for his past wrongs.

Just like that, the slate was wiped clean. The past was in the past, our futures spanning before us and filled with hope.

My heart overflowed with so much love that I blurted, “I want to kiss you.”

His mouth formed a lopsided grin. “My lips are yours, my lady. ”

As I eagerly kissed him, I was immediately struck by how sensitive my skin was. I’d always enjoyed kissing him, but with my newly heightened senses, the feeling of his lips on mine was explosive . I instantly lost myself to the kiss, the good kind of lost I only experienced with Everett. He became my world, my everything. My only desire was him, a desire that was quickly consuming me from the inside out.

When he dragged me into his lap to straddle his waist, the extra contact wrung a whimper from me. He broke the kiss, noting how breathless and flushed I already was.

“You okay?” he asked.

“It’s intense,” I replied, shuddering when he slid his hand up my spine again. “More intense than . . . before.”

Satisfaction pulsed through our bond.

I huffed a laugh, the sound turning into a moan as I felt his arousal press against my underwear.

“Do you want more?” he purred, leaning forward to pull my bottom lip into his mouth. When he sucked on the flesh, my eyes blissfully rolled shut.

“Mmmm,” I managed to groan.

He bit into my lip, and heat blasted through me, traveling straight to my clit. At the unexpected zing of pleasure, I jerked my eyes open with a gasp.

He chuckled against my lip. Welcome to being a vampire .

Why does it feel so goooood? I moaned back, letting my eyes roll shut again.

Because we enjoy being bitten. Probably more than we enjoy having sex .

Spirits save me.

My mind immediately filled with naughty possibilities. Another chuckle rumbled from Everett, making me aware that he’d peeked into my thoughts.

I can show you many ways in which vampires enjoy being bitten , he continued to purr, lightly sucking on my lip.

Now? I asked in surprise.

If that’s what you wish .

Well, that got me all hot and bothered. As my panties dampened, a cloying scent permeated the air. Surprised once more, I sputtered, I-is that my . . . ?

Arousal , he finished, pushing me down on his growing erection. The contact sent euphoria unfurling through my body, and I clamped my thighs around him, wanting more of it.

Oh, you poor bastard , I crooned. My vagina has been flashing a neon sign at you for days, and I had no clue .

He released my lip so he could breathe into my ear, “It was torture, especially during our picnics. I had to patiently wait for you to finish eating before I could remove your clothes and feast on my own meal.”

I burst out laughing. As my head fell back, he took advantage and nipped a path down my neck. When he reached my shoulder, he gripped the strap of my dress between his teeth and slowly tugged it downward.

“Whoa! My bad. I should have knocked first,” a male voice suddenly said.

Startled, I zeroed in on the potential threat, a hiss slipping through my teeth. In the back of my mind, I recognized him as Noah Andrews, but my instincts were firmly in control at the moment. When he held up his hands and stepped back, I tracked the movement like a predator assessing its prey. Realizing what I was doing, I slapped a hand over my mouth, but not quickly enough.

Noah’s scent hit me like a battering ram, flooding my senses and filling me with a desperate, aching need .

His blood. I was craving his blood .

“Everett,” I whimpered, then cried out as pain bloomed in my gums.

“Shhhh, you’re okay, baby girl,” he soothed, reaching up to firmly grip my nape. “It’s just your fangs coming in.”

My gums continued to burn as the fangs slowly descended, invading my mouth and poking into my bottom lip. No sooner were they in than a new pain distracted me, my throat on fire with a terrible thirst.

“Everett,” I repeated, the word warbled from my new set of chompers.

“Noah, I suggest you leave before my mate decides to make you her first meal,” he calmly said. His grip on me tightened, as if to prevent me from doing just that.

“Got it,” Noah replied, slowly backing toward the stairs. “Glad to see she’s, uh, feeling better. I’ll just go outside and keep a lookout while you two do vampire stuff.”

When he started up the stairs, the new instincts flooding my body went haywire. I blindly lunged after him, but Everett didn’t let me get far. He caught me about the waist, his powerful arms locking me in place while I growled and hissed my displeasure. The need for blood was all-consuming, and I fought like a wild cat to break loose.

When he refused to let me go, I raked my nails down his arms—or, rather, claws . I had claws now. Black, wickedly sharp weapons.

They tore into his skin, leaving long blood trails in their wake. Seconds after I broke the skin, it quickly healed, which drove me into a frenzy. I went for a different tactic, testing to see if I still possessed magic. When I managed to light up my hands like balls of starlight, Everett decided he’d had enough .

With a growl, he threw me onto the bed. I bounced and almost fell off, but he pinned my body to the mattress with his and wrestled my arms above my head. I snapped at him with my new set of fangs, but he only chuckled and darkly said, “Is that all you’ve got, baby girl? I know you can do better than that. Here. Take out your blood rage on me. Daddy can handle it.”

I strained against his hold with a feral growl. He growled back, his eyes bleeding red. Mine were probably equally red, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was feeding . So when he let go of my arms, I swiftly grabbed his head and yanked it back to expose his throat. The moment I saw the throbbing vein in his neck, I lost all control.

I struck, burying my fangs deep into his neck. He shuddered against me with a groan, pulling me closer instead of shoving me away. His euphoria blasted through me, confirming that he’d wanted me to bite him. Spurred on by his pleasure, I took my first pull. My first taste . As his blood flooded my tastebuds, I moaned like a hussy and greedily gulped it down. It immediately soothed my raw throat and warmed my insides, spreading through my veins like molten chocolate.

Spirits alive, Everett , I sighed through our bond and took another pull. I’m addicted already .

He faintly hummed in reply, clearly enthralled with whatever I was doing to him. Wanting him to feel even better, I focused on giving him my venom. When he released another shuddering groan, I knew I’d been successful.

As our mutual pleasure built, he hiked up my dress and started rubbing me through my underwear. I bucked against his fingers with a breathless whimper, beyond sensitive to his touch. He wasn’t even touching my bare skin, and I was already buzzing like a livewire. Sensing how close I already was to coming, he nudged aside my panties and touched my clit. My back arched off the bed, delicious ecstasy whipping through me.

All it took was a few expert flicks of his fingers. He slid two of them through my wetness, then returned them to my clit, rubbing the sensitive nub until stars burst behind my eyelids. Stiffening all over, I screamed against his neck, my fangs still deep inside him as I orgasmed.

“Greedy little thing,” he rumbled out loud, clearly pleased by my obsession with his blood. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”

Warmth bloomed in my chest. Warmth that had nothing to do with his blood.

Needing to be closer to him, to experience the oneness I so desperately craved, I reached between us and cupped his manhood. I want you inside me, Everett .

His cock swelled beneath my touch. “We might break the bed if I do that.”

I smiled against his neck. “That’s okay. I don’t plan to come back to this place after tonight anyway.”

“Fair point,” he grunted out, clearly struggling to focus while I slowly massaged him through his pants.

Eager for more, I swiftly undid his belt and tugged down his pants, allowing the throbbing erection to spring free. A long sigh shuddered from him when I wrapped my hand around the shaft and squeezed.

You know , I thoughtfully said, continuing to stroke him. This will be my first time as a vampire. That means you’ll essentially be popping my vampire cherry .

“God, I love how innocently naughty that sounds,” he groaned.

Pleased by his response, I rewarded him by slicing off my panties with my new claws and positioning him at my entrance. Finally withdrawing my fangs from his neck, I met his eyes and murmured, “Don’t be gentle with me, my prince. I want the full vampire experience.”

A devilish grin curved his mouth. “Your wish is my command, my lady.”

With one smooth motion, he thrust inside me to the hilt. My walls immediately clenched around him, happy to be reunited with him once more. He filled me up perfectly, his body meant for mine. It was magical the way we seamlessly fit together, like two halves destined to become a whole.

He was meant for me, and I was meant for him.

Which meant that he was mine and I was his.

At the realization, I sucked in a breath.

“What is it?” Everett asked, reaching up to brush hair off my cheek.

“I’m yours,” I burst out, rapidly blinking as tears filled my eyes.

His expression softened. “Yes, Adalyn. You’re mine. But you’re still your own person.”

I gave him a trembling smile. “I get that now. We belong to each other, but we’re still free. I’m still me, and you’re still you.”

He smiled back, murmuring, “And you’re okay with that?”

“More than okay.”

He kissed me then, and I kissed him back, marveling at my newest revelation. I was his, but I didn’t have to give up who I was. He didn’t want me to, and that made me love him all the more. I poured that love into our union, making sure he felt it in every way possible as the moment became heated. As he showed me just how unbreakable I now was.

And when we were finished, our bodies humming with contentment and the bed beneath us thoroughly destroyed, I proved my love one more time by whispering, “Yes.”

“Yes, what?” he whispered back, brushing a kiss to my brow.

“Yes, Everett. I’ll marry you.”