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

“So I did,” was his only reply. “Hand me your phone for a sec.”

Frowning, I placed it in his waiting palm. “What—”

“Thanks.” He stuffed it in the front pocket of his jeans.

“Seriously, Kade, what are you up to?” I didn’t for one second think to be scared. He had been nothing but a solid friend to me this past month, like how I imagined a big brother would treat me. But I didn’t enjoy surprises. I’d had enough of those over the years with the dozens of unexpected moves.

He flicked a glance at me. “I’m staging an intervention. I know you’ll be against it, and I understand why, but you need to get better. Once you are, you can chew me out all you want.”

My stomach swooped with nerves. I didn’t like the sound of that. Before I could question him further, he raised his phone and said, “I’ve got Kenna. I’m taking her on a little retreat, but I’ll be dropping her off and leaving her unprotected.”

Shouting burst from the phone. Kade held it away from his ear with a grimace. When the shouting ceased, he added, “You can’t ignore this, drothen. No matter the risks, she needs you.” He ended the call with a sigh and white-knuckled the steering wheel. “That went well.”

I gaped at him, utterly shocked at his betrayal. “You called Lochlan? You know why we can’t be near each other. I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“I know, I know,” he said, clenching his jaw. “But this separation is killing you both.”

I threw my hands in the air. “What are you talking about?” Kade had officially lost his marbles—or would be, when I was done with him.

“I’m Loch’s drothen,” he said, his expression grim. “We’re bonded by blood and a century’s worth of unshakable loyalty. I can feel what he feels. Know when something’s wrong. He’s been suffering ever since that weekend you two spent together.”

Startled by his impassioned speech, my anger fizzled out. “Okay, so maybe we picked up the same virus. But we’re not dying, Kade.”

“He hasn’t fed in over a week,” Kade said in a strained voice. “Vampires need fresh blood every few days or we become weak, physically and mentally. We’re immortal and won’t die from blood starvation, but the pain of it is like razor blades scraping across your veins. Death is preferable to that agony.”

A terrible, helpless feeling pressed down on me. Lochlan was experiencing that? “Why isn’t he feeding then?”

“I’m guessing for the same reasons you aren’t,” he answered matter-of-factly. “If I’m right, the desire for sustenance will return once you’re together again.”

I pinched my thigh, trying to wake up from this crazy nightmare. How the fates had we gotten ourselves into this mess? Being together could kill us, but being apart could kill us now too? This situation was seriously screwed up.

I flopped back against the headrest. “This is too much.”

“I know, little Kenna,” Kade said regretfully. “I’m truly sorry.”

But his regret didn’t stop him from driving me to the middle of nowhere. It took me way too long to figure out where he was taking me. By the time I did, he was already parked and rounding the hood to pull open my door. Cursing, I grabbed the handle and fruitlessly tried to keep it shut. He had the door open and my seatbelt undone before I could curse again.

“Don’t make me do this the hard way, Kenna,” he warned with a stern look. I set my jaw, letting him know that I wasn’t doing this without a fight. He sighed and reached for my arm, his hand safely encased in a glove. I lashed out and kicked him in the kneecap, flinching when he grunted in pain. Still, I scrambled to escape my awaiting fate, throwing myself into the driver’s seat. I had the door halfway open when Kade pulled it wide, unbalancing me.

With a gasp, I tumbled out of the car head first. Kade swooped me into the air before I could hit the ground, draping me over his shoulder like a towel. “Kade, put me down right this—”

He shot forward at vampire speed, sucking my enraged words away. Seconds later, he set me on my feet and stepped out of kicking range. “The door is unlocked, your overnight bag is packed, and the fridge is stocked,” he said in a rush, retreating as I swiped at him. “Just don’t kill each other for the next twenty-four hours and you’ll be feeling better in no time.”

“Twenty-four hours?” I snarled, advancing on him. “Don’t you dare leave me here that—” He vanished in a blur of motion. “Kade Carmichael, get your butt back here right now so I can kick it!”

Silence settled over the snow-dusted mountaintop. My frustrated scream startled a flock of birds in a nearby pine tree. They frantically flapped into the endless blue sky, escaping the way I wanted to escape. Grabbing my school bag Kade left for me, I stormed inside the cabin, too cold and angry to enjoy the breathtaking view. I slammed the door shut and dropped my bag so I could pace the hallway and living room, barely noticing how pristine everything looked since the last time I’d seen it.

“Oh yeah, it’s totally acceptable to kidnap your friend. As if they didn’t already feel like crap. It’s for your own good, you say. This will solve all your problems, you say. Well, I have news for you, buster,” I yelled, snatching up a white couch pillow. “This”—I threw it across the room and picked up another—“won’t”—I threw that one too, narrowly missing a turquoise vase on a side table—“help!”

I grabbed the two remaining pillows and chucked them both toward the hallway. But they never hit the ground. My heart leapt into my throat when I saw who had caught them.

Tall and imposing as ever, Lochlan’s presence sucked all the air from the room. Dressed in charcoal gray slacks and