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

embarrassing, like trip and fall flat on my face. I was already stupidly blushing from the accidental eye contact I’d made with Lochlan. Why did he affect me so much? In the light of day, he looked completely normal, like a regular human. Scratch that. He could never be described as normal or regular, no matter what form he took. There was something about him that drew me in, like a moth to a flame. Argh, was he doing that eye thing—thrall, or whatever—on me again?

When he and Kade were a few steps away, I held up a hand and they stopped. “Yeah, um . . .” Great opening line. I cleared my throat and tried again. “So, what is this?” I circled a finger in the air to encompass all three of us. Okay, not much better.

“Loch got your text the other night,” Kade spoke before Lochlan could, cracking a wicked grin. “You should have seen the way he—”

Lochlan shot him a clear warning look. Kade’s returning smile was anything but apologetic. That cool dark gaze swung back to me. “Having second thoughts about our deal?”

Wait, hold up. It sounded like he expected me to break the deal. I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at him. “No, but I think we should discuss the terms some more. You know, set ground rules and stuff.”

He carefully inspected my defensive posture. “Such as?”

I struggled not to squirm under his scrutiny. “Well, for starters, don’t follow me around like two bodyguards. It looks suspicious, and . . .”

Lochlan and Kade raised their eyebrows, waiting.

Crap, I was so in over my head here.

“And it makes me uncomfortable,” I rushed to say.

“What if we just followed you around like two friends?” Kade countered, clearly trying to suppress laughter.

I frowned. “But we’re not.”

Lochlan’s jaw hardened.

“But we could be,” Kade continued doggedly.

I huffed and glanced around, making sure no one was eavesdropping. “Look, I know that I’m just a job to you guys. I’m only agreeing to this deal because I can’t defend myself against you know what. And that’s another thing. I have questions that need answers. When I couldn’t sleep last night, I wrote down a few things.” I pulled out a slip of paper from my bag. “I’ll write down more when I think of them.”

Kade snatched the paper before Lochlan could, earning himself another look. He scanned the list, then howled with laughter. “Garlic? Holy water? Sparkling skin?” He continued to chortle while Lochlan read the list impassively.

I propped my hands on my hips. “Hey, the internet has lots of conflicting information. But if any more you know what come after me”—I awkwardly shrugged and stared at my shoes—“I need to be prepared.”

The laughter stopped. A throat cleared.

Surprisingly, it was Lochlan who said, “I’ll give you the tools necessary to protect yourself. As for the rest of your questions, it might be awhile before I can answer them fully.”

I looked at him, trying and failing to read his expression. “I don’t do well with secrets,” I bluntly informed him.

“I know,” he said without missing a beat. “But I can’t tell you everything yet.”

Yet. There he went using that word again. I was starting to hate that word.

Before I could argue, he tucked my list into his jeans pocket and headed for school.

Kade and I silently watched him go. The moment he entered the building though, I rounded on his sidekick. “What will it take to get some answers out of you?”

He tapped his chin and appeared deep in thought. “Hmm . . . bake me a triple-decker cheesecake and my lips might loosen.”

“Are you serious? Don’t you like”—I lowered my voice to a whisper—“drink blood?”

“Mmm, if you’re offering. It would help wash the cheesecake down.”

I pinched my lips together, not sure if I was going to be sick or burst into hysterical laughter. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” I muttered with a grimace. “Ever. So just get that fantasy out of your head.”

He chuckled. “Too late. But if you really want answers,” he said, walking backward toward the school, “come to our place directly after school. Lochlan will be out for a few hours, so we’ll have the place to ourselves. That is,” he added with a wink, “if you trust me not to eat you.”

I snorted and followed after him. “I think I’ll take my chances.”

* * *

Hours later, as I slowly climbed the stairs to Lochlan and Kade’s home, I regretted not telling Isla where I was going. I mean, if Kade did decide to go all vampire on me, no one would know where to look for my body.

“Right this way, Miss Belmont,” he said with a slight bow, holding the massive oak door open for me to precede him. “That’s the first myth I’d like to clear up. Vampires don’t need permission to enter your home. If they’re in the mood for a midnight snack, they can go right ahead.”

I froze in the doorway to gape at him, doubting my decision to come here even more.

“Not that I make a habit of doing such a thing,” he quickly added, as if to reassure me. When I continued to stare, he muttered, “Tough crowd. No one appreciates my jokes.”

Finally managing to unglue my feet, I crossed the threshold, saying, “That’s because it’s hard to tell if you’re being serious or not. So where did Lochlan go? Oh . . .”

I halted again, struck speechless by the home’s interior. Warm, gleaming hardwoods swept over the floors and walls, climbing a massive staircase to adorn the ceiling three stories above. Banisters from the second and third floors allowed an unobstructed view through the gabled front windows.

“He went to get a fresh supply of bl—Uh, we needed groceries,” Kade said with a cough and closed the door. “Lochlan doesn’t like to shop local, so he went to Bangor.”

“Hmm,” I murmured, only half listening as I craned my neck back to better see the foyer’s double-tiered, wrought iron