Shadow Touched: A Paranormal Vampire Romance (A Touch of Vampire Book 1) by Becky Moynihan (great reads TXT) 📕

At that, Lochlan snapped out of his intense staredown and rolled his eyes, donning an I-don’t-give-a-crap expression. I blinked, completely thrown off guard by the change. So busy gawking, I didn’t notice Reid leave until he was storming through the exit.

An uncomfortable silence fell between the three of us. Well, uncomfortable for me anyway. I fidgeted with my tray, suddenly aware that we had an audience. Practically the entire cafeteria, actually. Fates, would this day of embarrassment never end?

I opened my mouth, uncertain if I should thank them or not. I wasn’t even sure what had happened exactly. Before I could make up my mind, Lochlan turned for the side exit that led outside. “Wow. Okay, then,” I muttered as he pushed through the door. He hadn’t even looked at me—besides my arm anyway.

Kade chuckled again, and I met his eyes for the first time, which were a pretty sky blue. He winked at me, drawling, “It’s nice to officially meet you, McKenna Belmont,” before sauntering after his friend.

Um . . .

Somehow, I made my legs carry me to where Isla, Peyton, and Hailey sat gaping. At me. This should be interesting. Sure enough, the moment I sat down, their mouths fired off questions in rapid succession.

“What were you doing with Reid?”

“Who were those two guys? They’re hot!”

“Girl, if you weren’t so nice, I’d have to kill you.”

“They look way too mature to be in highschool.”

“Did you see how cut they were? And those jawlines.”

Isla suddenly raised her hands for quiet. “Hold it, hold it! What we should be asking is why they’ve arrived right after Kenna did.”

“Wait, what?” I said, finally finding my voice. “They’re new here too?”

“Totally. I know every face in this school.” She shrugged. “Must be a sheriff’s daughter thing.”

I frowned in thought. “How often do you get new students at Rosewood High?”

“Besides the new freshman, about a handful each year. But three seniors transfering a month into the semester? Unheard of.”

“It’s almost like they followed you here, Kenna,” Peyton said with rounded eyes, then she and Hailey laughed at the absurdity of her comment.

I laughed with them, but the sound was forced. Fake. Because a part of me thought that maybe she was right.

4

Being stared at all week by three guys got old fast, even if they were smoking hot.

It wasn’t the weighted silence that wore me down, but the probing, almost expectant looks, like they were waiting for me to do something. Although I was still wary about the timing of Lochlan and Kade’s arrival, they made no effort to approach me. I did my best to ignore them completely, especially when Reid would glare at the other two and stalk off. At least he’d stopped trying to talk to me.

Isla, Peyton, and Hailey simply thought Reid had come on to me too strong and I’d turned him down, hence the frustrated looks. I didn’t want them to know about his possible involvement with August’s attack in case he went after them next. Still, I was acting exactly like Aunt Tess, keeping secrets and spinning stories. I hated myself for it. Lies tore people apart, and I wanted so badly to keep the few friends I now had.

For once, I’d let my guard down, my desire for companionship outweighing the need to protect my heart. I genuinely felt a kinship with these girls, which was why on Thursday, I said yes without a moment’s hesitation when Hailey invited us to a slumber party at her parent’s lakehouse. “They won’t mind if we stay there after school tomorrow,” she explained to me. “They’re both on business trips, so we’ll have the place to ourselves. Bring your bathing suit ‘cause there’s a hot tub!”

Now I just needed a plausible excuse to give Aunt Tess so she’d let me go.

Over our Chinese takeout dinner Thursday evening, I dove right into the conservation, ripping the proverbial band-aid off. “Mind if I stay at a friend’s house tomorrow night? We have a big test on Monday to study for.”

I doubted we’d be doing any studying, but I’d bring my textbooks anyway to back up the story.

Aunt Tess looked up from her plate of kungpow chicken and fried rice. “Which friend?”

“Isla Andrews. The sheriff’s daughter,” I added, for further credibility.

She tapped a nail on the walnut tabletop for a moment, and I tried hard not to squirm in my seat. Finally, she said, “Okay. Just text me when you arrive, and make sure to be back by noon on Saturday. This place still needs a lot of work and I could use a helping hand this weekend.”

My mouth almost fell open in utter shock. She hardly ever let me do sleepovers, especially without meeting the parents first. “I . . . Thanks,” I murmured, not knowing what else to say.

We ate in silence for a while, which was normal for us. Always keeping our thoughts—and secrets—to ourselves. I knew I should tell her about the party last Friday, plus the animal attack, Reid’s behavior, and the two new guys at school, but I knew what would happen if I did.

She’d have our belongings packed up by morning.

So I didn’t. I actually liked it here. I liked my friends, and despite the weird stuff that had happened last week, I almost felt like I belonged here. I’d never felt that way before. It was warm and comforting. No way was I going to let Aunt Tess and her paranoia steal that away from me.

Without looking up from her plate, Aunt Tess quietly said, “It’s going to be different this time, Kenna Joy.” I blinked at her in surprise. She only spoke that way once in a blue moon when she felt like opening up to me.

She had my full attention now. I slowly lowered my fork and searched her downcast face. But she wouldn’t meet my eyes. After another long moment, she simply said, “It’s almost over. You’ll see,” then