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

By morning, I felt nothing but a soul-deep numbness.

Any desire to hate Lochlan for his part in this mess or run from what awaited me was missing. Hating and running wouldn’t solve anything anyway. Lochlan still had a job to do, and despite the unbearable tension between us, I knew he wouldn’t let me go. His duty was to hunt. He’d had a century to hone his skills. There was no way I could outrun him.

We silently rode toward Isla’s house where my Honda was parked. I hadn’t failed to notice the dark circles under his eyes or the rigidness of his shoulders. A wall had erected between us, one that kept us from comforting each other. Still, I itched to dispel the silence, if only to hear his voice.

But what could I say?

So, when are you taking me to the vampire king? How long should I pack for? How am I going to break this curse exactly? If I fail, will they kill me? Was this bond between us ever real, or was it merely an attempt to trap me so I wouldn’t run away?

Yeah. I couldn’t say any of those things, especially the last one. I wasn’t ready for the truth. Maybe I’d never be ready for the truth ever again.

When we arrived at Isla’s, the sky was a sea of turbulent gray, a perfect match to my mood. Snow wasn’t far off, and I wanted nothing more than to hurry home so I could shut myself in my room for the entire rest of the weekend.

I opened the car door the minute Lochlan pulled into Isla’s driveaway. Before I could escape the silence though, I heard him say, “McKenna.” I squeezed the handle and waited, still unable to face him. He sighed wearily, and my chest throbbed at the sound. “We’ll talk more about this soon,” he said, his voice dull and hollow. “I won’t stay away long. Your suffering will be minimal this time.”

I wanted to cry. And scream. He hadn’t pressured me to reject the bond, but I knew he wanted me to be the one to do it. Was this his way of being chivalrous? Well, it sucked. And until I had the guts to do it, we were stuck with more days like the last four tortuous weeks we’d spent apart.

With a small nod, I slipped from his Lexus and walked to my car. Isla’s white Mini wasn’t in the driveway, so I assumed she was out. Probably grabbing coffee at Mama Jo’s, something I desperately needed right now. My keys and cell phone were on the driver’s seat, so I didn’t bother checking to see if she was at home. I wasn’t ready to talk about everything that had happened anyway.

The moment Lochlan pulled out of the driveaway and drove from sight, the hole beneath my sternum yawned wide. I shoved down a sob, but tears blurred my vision as I navigated the roads.

Aunt Tess was vacuuming the living room when I got home. I slipped past while her back was turned and wearily climbed the stairs to my room. The thought of taking a long nap sounded appealing, but I probably wouldn’t sleep much. I sat on my bed and pulled out Lochlan’s shirt, not the least bit sorry that I’d stolen it.

After everything he had done, I deserved this one small comfort.

Burying my nose in the fabric, I breathed him in and immediately felt less hollow. I curled up on the bed and closed my eyes, pretending that the scent surrounding me meant he was in the room, watching me drift to sleep . . .

Ring, ring, ring.

Jerking awake, I flailed around on the bed, trying to silence my pesky phone. I found it in my jeans pocket and pulled it out. Isla’s name flashed across the screen and I hesitated, wondering if I was ready to answer her questions. Before the call could go to voicemail, I picked up with a groggy hello.

“Kenna? Kenna, is that you?”

The panic in her voice jump-started my brain and I quickly sat up. “Isla, what’s wrong?”

“Kenna, a vampire is stalking me. I’m in the girl’s restroom at Mama Jo’s. Can you please come get me? I’m sure if there’s two of us, he’ll go away.”

“What?” I hissed. Even as I inwardly wrestled with the news, I scrambled out of bed and dashed for the door. “Hold on, Isla, I’m coming. How do you know he’s a vampire?”

“H-he has fangs. I saw them. Hurry, Kenna. I don’t know what he wants.”

Icy tendrils of fear wrapped around my heart. There were only two things he could want: to drink her blood or use her to get to me. Both options would have terrible outcomes if I didn’t get help. Sure, I could try to touch him, but vampires had fast reflexes. What if I missed? Isla could very well pay the price if I screwed up.

I was pounding down the stairs when my phone dinged, announcing an incoming call. The most shocking sight greeted me when I checked to see who it was.

Lochlan.

He never called.

For a spite-filled moment, I considered ignoring him and handling the vampire problem alone. Grimacing, I pushed aside my wounded pride and did the smart thing. Isla’s life was at stake here.

“Isla, I’m on my way. Call if anything changes.” I almost told her to call her dad, but the situation might not be that serious. No need to oust supernaturals unless there was no other choice. Then again, maybe the police could protect me from them. Who was I kidding? They’d lock me up in a mental institution if I told them everything I knew.

I hit the first floor at a run, breezing past a startled Aunt Tess in the kitchen. Crap! I’d have to explain away my hasty arrival and departure to her later. I accepted the incoming call. Before I could utter a word though, Lochlan’s voice thundered from the other end.

“McKenna, where are you?”

Fates! I