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

arrived on Isla’s doorstep, soaked and miserable. She’d taken one look at my lost expression and ushered me inside, showering me with empathy, warm clothes, and comfort food.

Shortly after, while snuggled up with a fuschia pink blanket on her bed, I’d finally done it. I told her everything, my whole life’s story. From my parent’s sudden deaths, to the constant moving, to Aunt Tess’s paranoia, to the endless secrets and lies. I even told her about the strange things that had happened to me this past month, including my encounters with a red-eyed shadow man.

The only thing I left out was my newest theory that Lochlan and Shadow Man were the same person. I wasn’t quite ready to verbally admit that truth yet, still reeling at the prospect of Lochlan being something other than human.

When I had finished, Isla merely hugged me and said a movie marathon was in order. No hysterics, no frantic phone calls to the police or her dad. No judgment. She’d taken it all in stride and accepted me and my words at face value. I didn’t quite know how to deal with the abject relief and gratitude I was feeling. I only wished I’d had someone like her to confide in years ago.

“Well,” Isla replied to my uncertainty, “you can stay here for as long as you want. My dad will be fine with it.”

“How can you know for sure?” I never knew if my aunt would be fine with something.

She sighed and tucked a fuzzy pink pillow beneath her chin. “Since we’re all about raw honesty tonight, I’ll be completely honest with you. The reason my dad rarely denies me anything isn’t because I’m the baby of the family—or even that Noah was such a rebel. It’s because my mom died four years ago.”

I lowered my spoon to the nearly empty container. “Oh, Isla, I’m so sorry.”

She hugged the pillow harder. “Thanks. Cancer got her, and I know it still tears my dad up inside. He saves people for a living, but he couldn’t save her. To cope with her loss, he buries himself in work and spoils me rotten.” She shrugged, adding, “I don’t mind the spoiling part though.”

I offered a weak smile. “I wish I could remember my parents, but I was too young. All I have of them is a family photo and this.” I lifted the silver charm bracelet that encircled my left wrist. “It was my mom’s.”

She crawled forward to better see the bracelet, then grabbed my arm, practically shoving it in her face. “Your pendant. I’ve seen the design before.”

“Oh?” I studied the key-shaped charm more closely. The two half moons etched on its surface were back-to-back, with a line bisecting them and a single dot at each end.

“Yeah. I don’t remember what it means, but I’ve seen that symbol in a book my mom had. Now Noah has it. Ever since she passed, he’s been big into sorcery. He thinks he’s a warlock or something.” She snorted and I chuckled, dropping my arm.

We stayed up way past our bedtime, swapping childhood stories and bingeing the first two movies in the fantasy series. The more I watched, the more contemplative I became. If Lochlan was Shadow Man, then he wasn’t human. And if he wasn’t human, what was he?

As the end credits rolled on the second movie, I drifted asleep thinking of supernatural beings.

Especially the fast ones whose eyes changed colors.

* * *

His familiar scent swirled around me.

One scent. Two bodies.

No. Only one body.

His gloved fingers slid down my cheek.

My eyes fluttered open to see his hovering form.

Cloaked in shadow, all except his red gaze.

The shadows suddenly thinned.

His lips parted, revealing two gleaming fangs.

I shot upright, choking back a scream. My eyes frantically searched the unfamiliar room. I could still remember the dream. I could still remember his fangs. Spotting Isla’s sleeping form on the bed beside me, I relaxed and settled against the mattress.

No more watching supernatural shows before bed, I warned myself, pulling the blankets up to my chin.

When my heartbeats slowed, I waited for sleep to reclaim me. And waited. Something was poking at my brain though. Something to do with the dream.

I rolled off Isla’s bed and tiptoed across the room. Reaching the window, I slowly pulled aside the curtain, then slapped a hand over my mouth.

A single red rose graced the windowsill.

Chills raced up my arms and I stepped away, shoving the curtain back in place. For several minutes, I stood and replayed the vivid dream in my head. I had smelled him. I had seen him. And I had . . .

I reached up and touched my cheek.

And I had felt him.

My eyes widened as reality sank in.

It hadn’t been a dream.

* * *

“What is this sorcery?” I mumbled, already feeling a tiny jolt of much-needed energy.

“Good, isn’t it?” Isla shut the door of her white Mini Cooper and took a healthy swig of her own drink. Staying up late on a school night had its consequences, and we’d both needed extra eye concealer this morning. Thank the fates for caffeine though. “Mama Jo’s Cafe is a hidden gem here in Rosewood. They have the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.”

I nodded my agreement, which surprised me. I didn’t think anything could top Starbucks. Even this early, I was optimistic about the new day. With Isla by my side, I felt ready to tackle the hurdles ahead of me. I’d face my aunt later today, but right now, I needed to deal with whatever was behind those school doors.

Starting with Lochlan D’angelo.

Instead of throwing away the rose from last night, I’d stuffed it into my bag before leaving Isla’s for whatever reason. I hadn’t told her about the incident, worried that she’d freak out. I mean, Shadow Man—er, Lochlan—had broken into her house, for fate’s sake.

But fangs? Were those real or imagined? I’d been watching a movie about vampires, after all.

Either way, I was going to confront