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

I shook my head, finally finding my voice. “But I’m not. I’m not missing. I’ve lived with my aunt for almost fifteen years.”

“And how much do you actually know about your aunt?”

The way he said it twisted my stomach into knots. Several conflicting emotions rushed through me, the strongest being panic.

“I . . . Is this a joke? It’s not funny.” My chair scraped back as I jumped to my feet. Lochlan was up nearly as fast. “Look, I don’t know why you’re saying this, but my personal life is none of your business. So, please, stay out of it.” I stepped away from the table and Lochlan mirrored the movement.

The panic intensified, surging through my limbs. I whirled toward the exit but forced myself to walk calmly. When I heard Lochlan close in behind me though, I nearly burst into a sprint.

“McKenna,” he said, and from the corner of my eye, I saw him reach for me.

Before he could make contact though, Kade called out, “Let her go, Loch.”

Lochlan’s hand curled into a fist, right before I picked up speed and left them all behind.

I called in sick, skipping my afternoon classes to spend the time driving around Rosewood. I mindlessly wove from one end of town to the other, finally stopping at North Point Cove to burn off some nervous energy. Removing my ankle boots, I trudged through the sand, glad that I had the beach to myself.

The sky was overcast, its angry gray clouds threatening rain. Wind tugged at my hair, blowing the thick brown tresses across my face. I only half paid attention to my surroundings while I navigated the rocks that led down to the churning water. My brain was too busy debating if Aunt Tess had ulterior motives toward me or not.

Sure, she was secretive and paranoid, but she was my mother’s sister. She looked nothing like me or the photo of my mom though. Her skin was much fairer, and she had curly red hair and brown eyes. Still, siblings didn’t always look alike. She also knew things about my parents, personal stuff. And she’d been babysitting me when the accident happened.

But I’d only been three years old. Maybe she’d left out some important details. What if she had—

Ding.

I fished out my phone, my toes inches from the pounding surf.

Need me to call my dad? Isla’s text message read.

No. Thanks anyway though, I quickly typed, but paused before hitting send. Maybe it was time to confide in someone. There were too many unknowns now, too many people in my life with secrets. What if I was actually in danger? But from whom? The list of possibilities was steadily growing.

I pressed send and tucked my phone away. If I told Isla everything and she then told her dad, who knew what Aunt Tess would do. Maybe striking out on my own early was the best option. That way, I was the one in control of what happened next. I couldn’t stay in Rosewood though. I’d essentially become a fugitive, a runaway. But I would miss my friends. And I would miss—

Chilly ocean water sprayed my feet, startling me out of my thoughts.

“Thank you, water,” I muttered, bending to roll up my jeans. “You just saved me from thinking something really stupid.”

Eventually, I talked myself off the ledge and returned home. When I arrived, the sky split open and dumped rain. It was almost like an omen. A bad one. Argh, stop! I scolded my overworked brain, holding my bag over my head as the rain came down in sheets.

I had just closed the door and removed my jacket when Aunt Tess appeared out of nowhere. I almost peed my pants, whipping around to face her. “Gah, you scared me.”

Instead of apologizing, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at me expectantly. Unease trickled through me. “Well?” she simply said.

My mouth opened, but nothing came out.

“The school called,” she continued, narrowing her eyes. “They said you left during lunch period due to illness. So where have you been for the last five hours?”

Five hours? Crap, it hadn’t felt that long.

“I . . . I went for a drive,” I confessed, scuffing the toe of my boot. “I needed to clear my head. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”

She released one of her long-suffering sighs, closing her eyes for a moment. “Like what, Kenna?”

When she fixed her gaze on me again, I inwardly recoiled from what I saw there. She was giving me the look, the one that said my next words would send her into a packing frenzy. A well of resentment and anger surged up, nearly choking me. “I’m sick of this.”

She stiffened. “Sick of what?”

I threw my hands in the air. “Your paranoia about every little thing. Yes, I had a bad day, but that doesn’t mean we need to move again! You said it was going to be different this time, but that was obviously a lie. I can’t take the moving and the secrets anymore!”

She pursed her lips. “McKenna Joy Belmont, don’t you dare shout at me. I’m your guardian and will be treated respectfully.”

“Are you though?” I threw back before I could stop myself.

Her mouth formed a surprised O. We stared at each other, our expressions equally horrified.

After an impossibly long moment, she ever so quietly said, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” I quickly replied, looking away.

“Kenna.”

“Nothing!”

“Kenna, you will tell me. We are not leaving this spot until you—Kenna, don’t you dare leave this house!”

But I was already ripping open the door and storming into the rain once more. I’d snatched my bag off the floor on the way out, but not my jacket. Within seconds, my thin white shirt was soaked through. I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything except getting far away from here.

Only one month and twenty-five days left.

Or maybe sooner, depending on how the day ended.

Aunt Tess followed me outside, but I ran to my car, slipping inside