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

confession soared through me, then trepidation as his last words sank in. “By complete it,” I began, watching his face closely, “do you mean . . . have sex?”

He dipped his head in an affirming nod.

My legs failed to hold me up and I sat down on the bed. Holy fates. So it wasn’t us that wanted to have sex, but our bodies? What did that even mean? I chewed on my lip, trying to fully grasp this new revelation. “What happens if we don’t complete the bond?”

“Probably go through more of what we’ve been experiencing, only worsening with time. I had hoped time apart would sever the bond naturally, but apparently a formal rejection is required from one or both of us.”

Hoped.

He had hoped the bond would be severed?

At the realization, an ugly ball of hurt and anger burrowed into my chest. “So that’s why you stayed away this month? To sever this bond between us without even telling me? Why don’t you just reject me while you’re at it.”

I jumped up, every inch of me shaking with rage. I didn’t even understand what this bond was. I didn’t even know why I was reacting so strongly. But the mere thought of it being stripped away made me want to tear apart this room. And it hurt. It hurt so much knowing Lochlan didn’t want it.

At my words, anger sparked in his eyes as well. “It’s not that simple. But yes, I stayed away in hopes that our bond would lessen. I told you that night in the woods behind your house, McKenna. I care for you, I won’t deny it, but I made a vow over a century ago that I never intend to break.”

“What vow?” I said even louder. When he refused to answer, I lost all control, shouting, “So help me, Lochlan, tell me or I’ll—”

“That I would never tie myself to a witch ever again,” he roared, his shadows lashing out to whip around him. Startled, I flinched back. “That I would never let my guard down or get close enough for one to hurt me. That I would never trust one. Or care about one.”

His face fell. The anger crumbled and the shadows withdrew. “Then I found you. And I can’t get you out of my head. You’re everywhere, and I can’t let you be. It’s killing me.”

When his voice broke, a piece of my heart broke too. Sorrow filled me, and I whispered, “You should have just killed me when we first met. If you hate witches so much, why torture yourself by being around me? Just reject me and free yourself from this pain our connection brings.”

His face twisted in agony. He swiped a hand over his mouth and the pain vanished, safely locked behind a mask of indifference. “I took something from you,” he said, and slid a hand into his pants pocket. When he pulled out a folded paper tucked inside a plastic bag, I went numb inside. He held it out to me, and I barely had the strength to accept it.

“I don’t regret taking it,” he continued as I retreated a step, not knowing whether to open it now or wait. “I wanted to do things differently this time. I was hoping you’d never have to be burdened by the full story, but my plan failed. It’ll be safer if you know so you can better prepare for what lies ahead.”

Dread ate at my stomach. The way he spoke gave me anything but comfort. And he wouldn’t look me in the eye. Guilt poured off him in waves. “And what lies ahead?” I asked quietly, clutching the paper to my chest like a lifeline.

“Open it,” he replied, jerking his chin toward the paper.

Fear tied my insides into knots. I knew that fear wouldn’t stop me though. I had been searching for answers my entire life. Now that I had them grasped in my hand, nothing would stop me from discovering the truth.

I flicked a glance at Lochlan—at the sadness weighing down his proud shoulders—and hesitated.

You will hate me, he had said. You won’t want anything to do with me.

Even though my heart was currently bruised, I didn’t hate him. But what if knowing the full truth destroyed the last of what remained between us?

I inhaled a fortifying breath and focused on what I needed to do. Carefully removing the paper with trembling fingers, I opened it. But before I could start reading, Lochlan spoke again, reciting the whole thing from memory:

“Three dark princes, monsters were they.

Cursed in their true forms, they must pay.

Bound to the night, along with their kingdom.

‘Til the hundredth year, or a cure can free them.

Beyond that time, the curse remains.

But night becomes day, a monster to stay.

Only one can free all, before it’s too late.

An elusive maiden, with a touch that slays.

Drawn to her blood, the three must choose.

As one follows another, but never two.

Together or divided, they must agree.

A threat, she is, but also the key.

A sacrifice must be made, to end this curse.

A choice given, the hardest to learn.

Without this choice, doomed their kingdom be.

And in shadow it falls, for an eternity.”

When he finished, all I could do was stare, thoroughly confused. ”What does this have to do with me?”

His expression was grim, his gaze resolute as he said, “Everything. Without you, the entire vampire species will be exposed for what they truly are. Without you, the world will fall into chaos.”

27

I was in shock.

Yup, shock explained why I wasn’t freaking out right now.

“Is that why you transform every night?” I asked Lochlan, who remained rooted in place at the room’s center. “Is it part of this curse or whatever?”

“McKenna,” he called softly when I made another lap around him. I was still in a barely-there nightie, but whatever. He’d seen me in less.

“And how many years have passed since this curse began? Sounds like an