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

shirt, a color I hadn’t thought Lochlan owned. Although it fell to mid thigh and was way too big for me, it sure beat parading around in a bed sheet. I froze when the heady mix of amber, sandalwood, and musk filled my nose. All on their own, my hands fisted the shirt and shoved the fabric in my face. As the scent—his scent—completely invaded my senses, my eyes drifted closed. Warmth kindled in my stomach and my heart fluttered erratically.

What the freaking crap?

I let go of the shirt and frowned at my bedraggled reflection in the dresser mirror. It was like staring at a stranger. The girl I saw had dark smudges under her eyes from yesterday’s mascara. Her long, brunette hair looked wild, with twigs and leaves decorating it. And her nails . . . dirt was packed under the oval tips.

I had never seen this girl before. I didn’t know her story, what she went through to get here. And how she felt was even more of a mystery. It was like she had climbed a mountain last night and was now feeling the bone-deep aches and tiredness from such an exertion. But she also felt rejuvenated, as if the exercise and fresh air had done her good.

It frustrated me to no end that I couldn’t remember what happened. But even more frustrating was that I had to deal with Lochlan if I wanted answers. He was the worst at answering questions—if he felt like answering them at all. And if these clothes smelled like him, was this his room? It was tastefully decorated in neutral colors with the occasional red accent piece, but besides his clothes, there were no personal effects.

Suddenly, the walls came crashing down around me as reality reared its ugly head.

“Aunt Tess!”

Crap, crap, crap!

I flew across the room and yanked the door open before remembering I didn’t have pants on. No time! I charged forward, seeking the exit. Pants didn’t matter anyway. I was already doomed, no matter what I was wearing. I halted halfway down the hall.

Maybe it was better if I didn’t go home. There was no way I could explain my absence to Aunt Tess without her freaking out. And if she did know about vampires and discovered I’d spent the night with one, she’d probably ship me off to Timbuktu.

Besides, I would be eighteen in a little over a month. I could manage on my own until then. Or maybe I could crash at Isla’s. Even if my aunt discovered where I was staying, she wouldn’t force me to move away when I was nearly a legal adult, would she?

Yes, she would, my pragmatic mind said.

Argh! This was really bad. I was so close to being free of her and I’d ruined everything!

I lurched into motion again, muttering, “I can handle this. Just get out of here first.”

The hallway ended at a second floor landing, and I noticed right away that the setup was all wrong. Lochlan’s house by the lake had banisters overlooking the gabled front windows. There were no windows on this floor. Just a carpeted stairway leading down to the first floor.

When I caught sight of the front door below, I decided to worry about where I was later. I clambered down the stairs, surprised to see my ankle boots on a shoe rack at the bottom. Hurriedly slipping them on, I grabbed the door handle, then made the mistake of breathing.

The intensity of the mouthwatering smell almost bowled me over, my stomach immediately cramping with hunger. And not a little cramp either, but a raging PMS one. No, more like a I’m-in-labor-and-about-to-pop one. I leaned against the door as my knees threatened to buckle. Every breath I took made the stomach pains worse, so I inhaled shallowly, exhaling through my mouth.

When the pangs became tolerable, I carefully opened the door and sought my escape. I had no idea where Lochlan was or where on earth I planned on going next, but leaving this place was my first priority. The chill morning air sent goosebumps racing up my legs the moment I stepped onto the wraparound porch. Crap, I should have grabbed pants. I would pay for that poor decision.

All thought of pants fled my mind when I caught sight of the view though.

“Hoooly fates,” I breathed, completely awed by what lay before me. The house—or maybe cabin was the right word—sat atop a small mountain range, overlooking a glittering lake below. The whole area as far as the eye could see was covered in dark green pine and fall-colored oak trees. The swell of neighboring mountains could be seen in the distance, and a fathomless blue sky soared overhead.

No sign of civilization. Or a car.

Oh.

Oh no.

“Well, that’s just peachy,” I muttered, clutching my still-aching stomach. I descended the porch steps and turned in a circle, taking in the two-story log cabin and overgrown trail leading up to it. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

How did I get here? By helicopter?

“Looking for something?”

I whirled at the sound of Lochlan’s voice and found him leaning against the front door, arms casually crossed. My stomach did a funny lurch at the sight of him, at the way his eyes slowly roved up my bare legs. I passed off the feeling as more hunger pains. “Yes,” I answered, deciding that honesty was the best approach. “I’m looking for a way off this mountain. I can’t be here right now.”

He tilted his head and black hair fell into his eyes. “And when the sun goes down, how will you explain your behavior to your aunt?”

I wrinkled my nose. “Huh?”

He uncrossed his arms, slowly stepping onto the porch. “The panting, the moaning, the screams,” he said, taking another step. “The sweating, the elongated fingernails, the stripping of clothes.”

He descended the stairs, and my heart sped up. Something about his words or approach was causing my skin to flush. “This isn’t over yet. The moon’s pull is still too strong. Even if