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

When he reached for my arm, I backpedaled, barking, “No! Don’t you dare touch me.”

A wild light entered his eyes, making the gold flecks brighten. He cursed and dropped his gaze, lowering his hand. “Kenna . . .”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I said firmly, preparing to punch, scratch, and kick him if he came a step closer.

He clenched and unclenched his hands, which I noticed were shaking. Sweat beaded his brow, his breathing labored. With each passing moment, the urge to run intensified. He looked two seconds away from snapping, and I didn’t want to be within striking range. I was just about to make a break for the lakehouse when he suddenly retreated a step, then another.

“Get far away from your friends before it’s too late, Kenna,” he said, his voice strained and guttural. “I . . . I have to—”

He abruptly turned and took off down the road at a sprint. Instead of climbing into his truck though, he raced around the bend and out of sight.

A hush fell over the clearing once again. Even the birds were more quiet as the sun crept below the treeline.

“He’s insane,” I whispered, rubbing at the goosebumps on my arms. Adrenaline buzzed beneath my skin, and I couldn’t decide between screaming or laughing hysterically to dispel the awful energy. Choosing neither, I started to walk. I desperately needed to collect my thoughts and blow off some steam before rejoining the others, so I veered toward the woods where I’d spotted a faint trail earlier.

I maintained a steady pace, walking quickly enough to burn off the adrenaline but cautiously enough not to trip on the roots and felled branches littering the trail. It wasn’t until a good half hour later, when dusk was slowly stealing my vision, that I remembered my phone.

Crap, I’d forgotten it again!

“Real smooth,” I muttered, turning back. “Now I’m easy pickings for any would-be murderers.” I should have brought sneakers. These flats were rubbing the skin off my heels. Shivering from the cold, I zipped my cropped leather jacket and hurried along the trail. How far had I gone? Two miles? Three?

Snap!

Every nerve ending sprang awake at the sound of a stick breaking. I paused to listen, but only heard the wind rustling through the trees. It could have been a deer, but my mind immediately conjured images of Reid attacking August in the woods. And now I was picturing Reid stalking me through the woods this very moment, axe in one hand and a body bag in the other.

So when I heard another snap, I bolted.

Trees whipped by, branches snagging my clothes and the end of my ponytail. The fear-filled adrenaline from earlier returned tenfold, and I flew down the trail at a reckless pace.

I rounded a sharp bend only to find the way blocked by a tall, dark figure. Startled, I shrieked and tried to stop, but there wasn’t time. It was like hitting a brick wall when I smacked into the human barrier. The air whooshed from my lungs as I bounced back from the impact. Hands shot out to grip my arms, and I immediately put up a fight.

“Let go, Reid, let me go!” I struggled in vain, the hold on my upper arms ironclad. Still, I wouldn’t let him kill me that easily. I kicked at his shins, but his legs were so hard that I probably hurt myself more than him.

I was aiming for a much more tender spot when a deep, velvety voice said, “McKenna.”

Inches away from kneeing his groin, I froze. That voice wasn’t Reid’s. My eyes snapped up and met Lochlan D’angelo’s.

5

“What are you doing here?” I blurted, so relieved that he wasn’t Reid, I almost hugged him.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he replied and released me. “You’re on my property, after all.”

“Wait, what?” I scanned our surroundings, half expecting to find a sign with his name on it.

“The property about a mile southwest of here and the surrounding land belongs to me,” he explained patiently.

“Oh,” I said dumbly, wishing I could smack myself. “Sorry, I must have walked too far. I’m staying at a friend’s.”

When he simply stared at me in that unnerving, aloof way of his, I lowered my gaze and gnawed on my lip. Well, this was awkward. I noticed he was wearing all black then, from his boots and jeans, to his hooded leather jacket. Not abnormal for him. But the slim-fitting leather gloves gave me pause. Huh. Maybe his hands got cold easily.

He tucked his hands in his pockets then, as if he’d caught me staring. “So you thought I was Reid.” Not a question.

“Yeah, um, can you pretend you didn’t hear that?” Was I forever destined to feel embarrassed around him?

“Can’t.”

My eyes flew to his face again, just in time to watch that left dimple disappear. “What?”

“Can’t,” he repeated. “I want you to tell me why he’s been bothering you. And why he frightens you.”

“He doesn’t—” Crap, there was no lying my way out of this. Lochlan was sporting a “I know more than you think, so fess up” look. I sighed, admitting, “He thinks I saw something he didn’t want anyone to see. It’s why he followed me here today and demanded I go with him somewhere.”

Lochlan’s nostrils flared, and I watched with fascination as his jaw practically hardened to granite. “What does he think you saw?”

I shrugged and avoided his probing gaze. “That’s just it. I didn’t see anything. But now he’s telling me to stay away from my friends before it’s too late. I don’t know if that’s a threat to keep me silent or what.”

“Did he touch you?”

Okay, whoa, that came out of left field. My cheeks warmed. “I—no. I mean, yes. He grabbed my arm once. You saw him that day in the—”

“Skin-to-skin,” Lochlan interjected, so forcefully that I could practically feel the words touching me.

I pinched my thigh