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

He flicked the barest of glances at my neck, so quickly that I almost missed it. That’s all it took for my senses to go on high alert though. Danger, my mind screamed. Predator. But the usual instinct to run wasn’t there. It was replaced with a powerful need to defend myself. I raised my steak knife an inch, angling the tip toward him.

His eyes flashed when he noticed my reaction, but he didn’t move. “I won’t drink your blood, McKenna. You don’t need to fear me.”

I warred with myself, wanting to believe him but still overcome with doubt. “How can I trust you when one minute you tell me not to fear you and the next that I should?”

A muscle jumped in his jaw as he unflinchingly held my gaze. “You can’t trust me. You should never fully let your guard down around a predator. But I’m telling you right now that I won’t harm you. I’ll make do with animal blood while we’re here, even though my body demands more. I know what the consequences of touching you are, and I’m not willing to take that risk.”

At his words, my heart skipped nervously, but there was no stopping me from asking, “What are the consequences of touching me?”

He stilled, deathly so, and I struggled to remain seated. I had undoubtedly struck a nerve with that question, but I wouldn’t back down. I needed to know. I needed to know what I was capable of. “If I tell you,” he slowly began, watching me closely, “and you use the knowledge against me, then I won’t be able to protect you from myself.”

A chill swept down my spine at the barely concealed threat, but I nodded anyway, urging him to continue.

“If our skin touches the way yours did with that werewolf last night,” he said, straightening to his full height, “then you would manifest vampire symptoms temporarily.” I swallowed, having already guessed as much, but I was wholly unprepared when he added, “I, on the other hand, would be dead.”

19

I scrambled out of my chair so fast that it tipped over backward. Lochlan did his speedy vampire thing and caught the chair before it could hit the floor. I quickly backed away, hands raised in front of me. Cursing, I tucked them behind me instead.

“You knew all this time?” I couldn’t keep the accusation and panic out of my voice. “You knew and still almost touched my hand a few minutes ago? I could have killed you! Fates, I-I grabbed Kade’s finger. I could have killed him too. Wait, is Peyton really okay? She was in pain and I touched her for so long. I—”

“I checked in with Kade. She’s fine. More than fine, actually. Now come here.”

I gawked at him. “W-what? No.”

Determination glinted in his eyes, and he stalked toward me. My earlier courage vanished and I fled into the living room, catapulting over a sofa. When I straightened, he was inches away, reaching for me. I yelped as he grasped my upper arms and pulled me close. Only a handful of inches separated our faces.

“I’m not that easy to kill,” he said, near enough for his breath to warm my cheeks. “Do you think I’m afraid of you?”

“Let me go, Lochlan,” I gasped out, desperate for space but unable to move. I was painfully aware of his gloveless fingers on my arms. Only a thin shield of clothing protected him from my lethal skin. “You should have told me.”

“And this is exactly why I didn’t. Nothing has to change.”

“This changes everything,” I cried, balling my hands into fists. “You should fear me more than I should fear you. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

His expression noticeably softened, and seeing that aloof mask slip for the first time—seeing the way it transformed his face into something achingly beautiful—was too much.

I bit my trembling lip, then forced myself to say, “You shouldn’t be near me, especially if I get angry again like I did last night. Just leave me here. I’ll be fine on my own tonight.”

“I can’t do that,” he replied, absentmindedly stroking my arms to comfort me.

“Why?” I said, raising my voice. “It doesn’t make any sense for you to help or protect me. So why are you doing it?”

His lips thinned. “Because it’s my duty. It’s my responsibility to protect and watch over you.”

Hurt stabbed my chest, which was dumb. I’d known for quite some time that I was merely a “job” to him. Still, I had hoped for a different answer, especially after the intimate moment we’d shared last night. “And why do I need protecting?” I asked quietly, partly resigned that he wouldn’t tell me.

He clenched his jaw. “If I tell you, you’ll either run or try to kill me.”

I arched an eyebrow. “I’ve stuck around this long, haven’t I? And I’m not the killing type, so try me.”

He looked at me skeptically. “At the very least, you’ll hate me.”

“Argh, just tell me!”

“Nearly half of the supernatural world wants to use you or see you dead.”

A heavy silence settled between us as I stared in shock.

He released a tired sigh and stepped back, letting go of my arms to shove both hands through his hair. “I shouldn’t have told you.”

I blinked. “No, I . . .” My voice died as the full meaning of his words sank in.

I just don’t want you dead yet.

Yet, yet, yet.

Lochlan was one of them. He wanted me dead too.

I pressed a hand to my roiling stomach. “I . . . excuse me.” Turning, I walked as calmly as I could toward the hall bathroom and carefully shut the door. I barely reached the toilet in time. The meat I’d just eaten violently gushed from me. The force of it squeezed tears from my eyes, leaving me trembling and shell shocked.

Lochlan wanted me dead. I didn’t care about the nameless, faceless others who did. Only that he did.

Lochlan. Wanted. Me. Dead.

Why didn’t that sink in