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

Suddenly, Reid vanished. I glanced over in time to witness Lochlan slam him against the lockers. Several students gasped and scuttled out of the way. With a snarl, Reid shoved him off, only to be slammed back again. I froze, shocked and uncertain what to do. Lochlan pressed his forearm against Reid’s throat and fiercely whispered something I couldn’t hear.

Finally deciding to intervene, I stepped forward, only for an arm to settle over my shoulders and forcibly steer me away.

“Yeah, not a good idea, little Kenna. Not when the Lochness Monster has come out to play.” In a single fluid move, Kade plucked the books out of my hands.

I craned my neck back to glare at him. “Didn’t I just tell you to stay away from me?”

“Yes. And I decided to politely ignore your request,” he had the audacity to say, leading me toward my next class.

I ground my teeth together. “Let me go, Kade.”

“Not gonna happen.”

Wrong thing to say. I grabbed his thumb that was dangling off my shoulder and bent it inward. Hissing sharply, he lurched away from me. I quickly whirled toward a still-fighting Lochlan and Reid, shoving past a few students to reach them. I had no idea what I would do, only that I wanted this stupidity to end.

“Stop!” I barked when Lochlan slammed Reid against the lockers once more. “Let him go, Lochlan. Reid can talk to me if—”

“Get off me, man,” Reid growled, clearly not hearing me. He threw a punch, catching Lochlan square in the jaw.

At the sound of the impact, heat rushed through me, a startling fury that locked me in place. But as Reid cocked his arm back for another hit, I lunged at him without thought, snagging his shirt sleeve. When his fist plowed forward anyway, I grabbed his wrist with both hands and clung tightly. Even then, I could feel his superior strength. If he wanted to hit Lochlan again, I couldn’t stop him.

But he didn’t. He had frozen, his arm suspended midair.

And attached to his arm were my hands, still wrapped around his wrist. Before I could release him, warmth from his skin seeped into my palms. The longer I held on, the more uncomfortable the contact became. I was about to let go when a red light suddenly pulsed between my fingers.

Startled, I gasped, and so did Reid.

Out of nowhere, Lochlan swooped in and yanked me away. With an arm firmly locked around my waist, he stalked down the hall at a fast clip. If it weren’t for his arm supporting most of my weight, I wouldn’t have been able to keep up.

We passed Kade, whose wide eyes mirrored my own. Lochlan didn’t slow, shooting right past our history classroom.

Nerves ricocheted in my stomach like bouncy balls.

“Lochlan, let me go or I’m going to scream.”

“Don’t,” he said curtly, sounding so much like Shadow Man that my breath hitched. “I won’t hurt you,” he added, which didn’t reassure me in the least.

He whipped around a corner as the second period bell rang, and I grew painfully aware of the hall’s emptiness. Fates, this wasn’t good. I tried dragging my feet and elbowing him to no avail. I might as well be a speck of dust for all he noticed. Remembering how Shadow Man—how Lochlan had picked August up off the ground with one hand—I finally opened my mouth to scream.

Quicker than I could blink, he pressed a hand over my mouth, muffling the sound. I reached for his arm, but in a dizzying whirl, he wrenched a door open and forced me inside. Before the door had finished closing, he managed to secure both my wrists while still covering my mouth.

It wasn’t the door clicking shut and plunging us into darkness that freaked me out the most though.

It was the fact that during all the chaos, he’d somehow managed to slip on a pair of gloves.

11

I screamed into the glove, thrashing against his grip.

His hold was unbreakable though. I was completely and utterly helpless.

He let me scream and struggle. Let me wear myself out.

And the whole time, he didn’t say a word.

I couldn’t stop a hot tear from falling. Then another.

I hated them. I hated him.

What was he going to do to me?

I just don’t want you dead yet.

Fates, my time must be up. I was going to die!

Eventually, I had no choice but to sag against him, utterly spent. My chest heaved as I pulled in ragged breaths through my nose. He waited until I’d calmed. Waited with infinite patience.

If he didn’t end up killing me soon, I was going to kill him for this.

“Promise not to scream and I’ll let you go,” his voice rumbled in my ear, deceptively smooth—as if to put me at ease. The thought ticked me off even more. He shifted his hold on my wrists while still keeping them firmly trussed together. “We could stay here all day if need be. The janitor probably won’t open this closet until late this evening. All you have to do is nod.”

Yeah, but they’d see your shadow self, I ached to shout at him. Then what will you do? Kill them too? Another angry tear leaked from my eye.

When I refused to cooperate, he added, “Hate me all you want, but those are my terms.”

At least he knew how I felt.

After another stubborn moment of silent rage, I nodded against his hand. Just like that, he released me. Before I could get any ideas about leaving though, he flicked on the overhead light and turned me to face him. His expression was inscrutable as he studied my face. I glared back with all the venom I could muster.

“How do you feel?”

I blinked, startled that he’d ask me such a thing. “How do I feel? I’m livid,” I hissed, knocking his hand away when he tipped my chin up. “Stop. Touching. Me. You’re a monster, Lochlan D’angelo.”

His lips thinned, the only reaction I