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

a pass at you and is all over Peyton now. I didn’t think he was the player type, but I’ve been asking around and checking his social media.

“Lochlan and Kade are trickier though. No one hangs out with them and they don’t have social media accounts. Believe me, I’ve scoured the internet. I can’t even find out where they live!”

Um . . . I knew that one. But did I want to tell her and encourage this sleuthing? I didn’t know what Lochlan and Kade’s intentions toward me were, but I was still wary of Reid’s. If she poked around too much, she could get hurt.

Deciding to nip this in the bud, I said, “Reid doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore. And Lochlan and Kade definitely won’t ask me out. Especially not Lochlan.”

The grin she gave me could rival the Cheshire Cat’s. “Why so adamant that the dark and mysterious Mr. Stares-A-Lot won’t ask you out? I’ve seen the way he looks at you, like a starving man who found a triple-decker cheeseburger.”

Heat flushed through me and I spluttered nonsensically, which only made her cackle like a hyena. Thankfully, Hailey and Peyton’s arrival took my mind off Isla’s creepy new scheming gig. Hailey smiled as she sat next to me, but Peyton ignored me completely. Ouch. I focused on the food and drinks being passed around so I wouldn’t do something unacceptable—like cry.

Minutes later, our football team charged onto the field, led by Reid Zimmerman. We clapped and cheered, but the tension between us was thick. When the game began, I could see right away why Reid was quarterback. His tall frame packed with lean muscle kept him light on his feet. And his throws were fast. My eyes could barely track some of them.

At half-time, the score was ten to seven, Cougars in the lead. Peyton left to use the restroom, and after a moment of indecision, I followed. Confrontation wasn’t my thing. I always ended up losing when I finally had the nerve to speak up. But I had to make things right with Peyton, even if I lost her in the process. I needed to take responsibility for my actions and be a true friend.

I can handle it, I reassured myself, dodging bodies in an attempt to catch up with her. The girl could move.

“Peyton,” I called as a group of giggling girls blocked my path. She didn’t turn, either not hearing or ignoring me completely. Probably the latter. I tried not to let it get to me, I really did. I skirted around the girls and broke into a jog. “Pey—”

Out of nowhere, something smacked into my bruised shoulder, pushing me sideways. Then, before I could orientate myself, a large drink filled with crushed ice flew toward me, drenching my chest and stomach. I gasped in shock from the freezing liquid.

“Whoops,” said a male voice, sounding far from apologetic. “So we meet again, vixen. A little birdy told me you’d be here tonight and I couldn’t resist.”

Peering up from my ruined top—which was now cherry cola red—I met the wickedly amused gaze of August Henderson. I blanked at the sight of him. If it weren’t for his bottle-green eyes and bleach blond hair, I wouldn’t have recognized him. Several angry red marks—claw marks—cut across his face, clearly still in the early stages of healing. One had severed his left eyebrow clean in half. Even his neck was mangled.

But what held my attention was the gold number eleven on his varsity jacket.

“Getting your fill?” he leered, gesturing at his face. “This is your fault, you know. If you hadn’t teased and then rejected me that night at the party, I wouldn’t have entered the woods to blow off steam. I had to get one hundred and fifty-three stitches. You ruined my face. On top of that, I can’t play football tonight. Coach benched me for the next two games.”

I backed up a step, trying to remain calm despite the bald menace in his eyes. “That wasn’t my fault. You wouldn’t leave me alone. Maybe next time you’ll take no for an answer.”

He laughed cruelly, raking his eyes down my wet front. “No isn’t in my vocabulary.”

Yeah, I wasn’t going to win this confrontation, not against a pigheaded guy like August. I abruptly turned and pushed through the crowd, saving my talk with Peyton for another day. Veering toward the parking lot, I quickly texted Isla that I wasn’t feeling well. Coming here had been a mistake anyway. The world seemed to be against me right now, and wallowing alone in my sorrows sounded like a good plan. Maybe I’d sneak a pint of cookie dough ice cream up to my bedroom—after soaking in the tub.

Rounding the side of the school building, I grimaced as a cold chunk of icecube slithered between my breasts. I paused to remove my leather jacket and unstick my shirt, then resumed my trek.

Halfway down the sidewalk, I heard shuffling feet and male laughter behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and spotted a handful of guys rounding the corner. Their eyes met mine and I quickly jerked my head forward again.

Crap, the one in the middle was August.

I sped up, hoping to reach the parking lot before he could enact any more dumb ideas, but the feet behind me sped up too. I lurched into a jog, and so did they. Fear-fueled adrenaline spiked through my limbs and I flat out ran.

Go, go, go!

Suddenly, the parking lot sounded like a death trap. I’d never pull out my keys and start my car in time. They’d catch up and drag me into one of their own vehicles. Inwardly panicking, I did the only thing I could think of.

I jumped off the sidewalk and bolted toward the property fence.

I squinted through the darkness, practically blind but already knowing what lay beyond that fence. I knew and charged forward anyway.

I hit the chain link fence at a run, dropping my jacket and purse