Startled at the words spoken beside us, I tried to pull away. But Lochlan dug his fingers into my hair and continued to shower me with mind-drugging kisses. I moaned breathlessly, only able to focus on him, on the delicious sensations sparking through my body in response to his touch. When heat pooled between my legs, urging me to rub against his hardened length, I did.
“Okay, guys? As much as this majorly turns me on, I need answers. Plus, I kind of have something important to tell you.”
Lochlan growled, nipping at my bottom lip before letting me go. I mewled in disappointment, my body still throbbing with need. Gently rolling me off him, Lochlan pressed a lingering kiss to my forehead before whispering, “Make that sound again and I’ll pleasure you so hard, you’ll be screaming my name. And I won’t care who’s watching.”
Gulping, I clamped my aching thighs together, as well as my mouth. Because it finally dawned on me that we had company. And he was currently chuckling under his breath.
“Behave,” Lochlan warned him before pushing off the bed. I tore my gaze away from the noticeable bulge in his sweatpants when Kade guffawed.
“Me? I’m not the one defiling our innocent little Kenna. How long have you been able to touch each other, by the way?”
“Since early yesterday evening,” I replied, trying not to blush. If he pried me for details, I was going to straight up die.
“Well, you’ve certainly made good progress,” he said with a suggestive wink. His smile suddenly slipped and he added huskily, “It makes me happier than you could ever know.”
“Oh, Kade,” I whispered, emotion tightening my throat in response to his. I crawled toward him and threw my arms around his neck. “I’m glad you’re here. I was so worried about you.”
He immediately crushed me against him in a bear hug, squeezing the air from my lungs. I held on tightly, sensing that he needed this closeness as much as I did. “Me too. I didn’t think I’d find you in one piece.”
“You almost didn’t,” Lochlan said, a hard edge to his voice. “Everett’s been a bigger dick than usual. He’s threatened her life more than once.”
“And you put him in his place, I hope?” Kade ran his hand soothingly down my back.
“You could say that.” Lochlan paused, then quietly added, “I almost killed him.”
Kade stiffened. “Does he know about your bond?”
“Probably. I made it pretty clear how I felt about her last night.”
I pulled back to shoot Lochlan a panicked look. “What if he tells your father?”
He shook his head. “He won’t. Unless he thinks I’m in immediate danger. It’s part of our brotherly pact.”
“Which you’ve been breaking lately,” Kade reminded him. “Who’s to say he won’t too? Especially if you complete the mating bond. Unless you have already?” He waggled his eyebrows at me, and this time I did blush.
“You’d know if we did.”
“He would?” I asked, curious, despite my embarrassment.
“He would feel the completed connection through our drothen bond. At least, that’s what I’ve read. There aren’t many documents on soulmate bonds paired with a drothen bond. It’s too rare an occurrence.”
“Would Kade and I be able to feel each other? Each other’s emotions, I mean.” That would be kind of weird. Right? Like being in a relationship with two men. Although, it didn’t feel weird to me, now that I thought about it.
“I’m not sure,” Lochlan said, scrubbing a hand through his stylishly messy hair. “But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” At the promise in his voice, my face warmed even more. “Kade, what’s your news?”
I blinked. Kade had news?
“Yeah, um,” he said, releasing me to stand beside the bed, “I think I should just show you.”
Lochlan stilled. I frowned as several of his emotions suddenly hit me. Panic. Guilt. Fear. His nervous energy was off the charts.
“What’s going on?” I said slowly, trying to capture his gaze.
Kade looked between us, uncertainty stamped across his face.
“I didn’t want to give you false hope, so I didn’t say anything,” Lochlan began, avoiding my eyes.
My heart started to pound. “Say what?”
He shared a look with Kade, who nodded as if to reassure him. With each silent moment, my trepidation grew. Until I couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Can someone please speak to me? This is really freaking me—”
“Isla is alive.”
I stared at Lochlan, wishing I could unhear what he’d just said. Because what he said was a lie. And it hurt. Fates, it felt like a hot knife was in my chest. I pulled my knees up and hugged them tightly, making myself as small as possible—just the way I felt.
“It’s true,” he said softly, joining me on the bed again.
Before he could touch me though, I threw up a hand, warding him off. “I saw her. She was cold. I-I couldn’t find a pulse.”
How? How could he say this to me? It was cruel. And it hurt so freaking much. I savagely swiped at the tears on my cheeks.
“She did die, but she was drained, McKenna,” Lochlan persisted, even when I shook my head. “Draining a body of blood is the first step. Isla wasn’t gone for long, so Kade was able to bring her back.”
My breath hitched, and I threw an accusing glare at Kade. He was in on this sick joke too? “What did you do?” I seethed. “I thought you left to bury her.”
Sympathy filled his eyes, which only made me want to lash out at him. “I would have, if I couldn’t save her. Sometimes it doesn’t take for whatever reason. The body can’t cope with the change, too weakened or in shock to allow the transformation. But hers accepted my blood, thankfully. She’s young and healthy, so the process went fairly smoothly. She’s hungry all the time and struggling to adjust to her new diet, but is otherwise well.”
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t process his words. Couldn’t accept.
“What are you . . .” I briefly closed my eyes and forced air into my lungs. “What are you saying, Kade?”
His lips thinned. He flicked a glance at Lochlan, who nodded at him reassuringly this time. Sighing in resignation, he looked me square in the eye and said, “Isla is a vampire.”
My head emptied of all thought. It went silent. Deathly so. Refusing to believe the words as truth. No. It wasn’t possible. My quirky, bubbly best friend—my perfectly ordinary human best friend—wasn’t a vampire. She was dead. Nothing could come back from death. Death was final. Death made sense. But this?
I shook my head, firmly in denial, even as I said, “Show me.”
Prove it, I challenged them both with my eyes. Prove to me what terrible liars you are.
Kade’s shoulders slumped. “I knew she was going to hate me.”
“She doesn’t hate you,” Lochlan said, wisely choosing to stand instead of reaching for me again. “She just doesn’t believe us.”
Ignoring both of their sad, sympathetic expressions, I scooted off the bed and forced my wobbly legs upright. “Show me,” I repeated, stubbornly jutting out my chin.
Lochlan nodded for Kade to lead the way, so he did. We walked in silence, passing a few staff members who were already busily cleaning at this early hour. I guessed that it was around seven, which meant that for the first time in weeks, I’d received a solid night’s sleep. On Lochlan’s chest. I resisted the urge to look back at him, already having a hard time dealing with his conflicted feelings. He wanted to talk to me, that much was clear, but I couldn’t listen right now.
My mind was stuck on repeat.
Isla is dead. Isla is dead. Isla is dead.
I’d only just begun to accept her loss, and now this? I willed Kade to pick up the pace, nearly stubbing my bare toes on the backs of his boots. The faster we got this over with, the sooner I could jump into the shower and cry this cruel torture down the drain. We descended back to the fourth floor, slowing when we reached a door not too far from my own bedroom.
“Before
we go in,” Kade said in hushed tones, turning to me, “know that Isla’s personality hasn’t changed, but her DNA has. If she acts out of character, it’s only because of her new instincts. A newly created Feltore can be unpredictable at times. Mostly because they’re learning how to control their bloodlust.”
I clenched my jaw and viciously pinched my thigh, giving him a curt nod that I understood. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Isla isn’t a vampire. Isla is dead.
He sighed miserably, but turned and knocked on the door. “Isla? It’s Kade. I’m coming in.”
My heart jumped into my throat and I was suddenly terrified.
Lochlan pressed his hand to the small of my back, whispering, “Don’t be afraid. She’ll smell your fear. Just remember that she’s your friend. She cares about you and doesn’t want to harm you.”
Fates, what was happening? This wasn’t real. This was a lie. A cruel, terrible lie.
But then Kade was opening the door, and Lochlan was gently nudging me forward. And then . . . and then I saw her. She was standing near the window in a white, frilly dress. The sunrise’s golden rays fell just behind her, illuminating her silhouette like a ring of fire. She was radiant. She looked like an angel.
My breath caught. Was Isla an angel?
My mind grasped at the idea and held on tight. That made sense. Of course Isla would be an angel. She was benevolent and good, always looking out for others. My heart began to pound, this time with hope.
“Isla?” I breathed, taking a tentative step into the room, then another. Please don’t disappear, please, please. I just want to say goodbye. Then I can let you go.
When she didn’t move—when all she did was reach toward the sunlight as if to touch it—my hope soared and I rushed forward. I made it halfway across the room when she whipped her head toward me. Her placid expression changed. To one of fierce, wild hunger. She hissed, baring her teeth. I slammed to a halt. No, not teeth, I realized with sudden dread.
Fangs.
Her dusky blue eyes bled red. And then . . .
She charged.
31
KENNA
In a flash, Kade locked his arms around Isla before she could reach me. As she growled ferociously, Lochlan pulled me to his chest and retreated several steps.
“Let me go!” Isla roared, struggling against Kade like a crazed animal when he bodily lifted her.
“Not until you remember yourself,” he said through clenched teeth as she clawed at his arms. “Kenna is your friend. Not food.”
I pressed a trembling hand over my mouth, horrified. This wild creature couldn’t be my sweet Isla. She was more like a demon from hell. I watched for several more minutes, wide-eyed and numb with shock as she fought to get to me. There was nothing human in her eyes. No recognition of who I was. Only mindless hunger.
Eventually, she sagged in Kade’s grip, panting from exhaustion.
“I’m . . . I’m sorry,” she gasped out. “I couldn’t control it. I’m just so—”
“Thirsty. I know,” Kade said. When her chin began to quiver, he folded her into a hug. “It’s okay. You didn’t hurt anyone. It’ll get easier.”
“I’m just so tired of fighting,” she cried against his chest, heaving a sob.
At the sight, my heart began to splinter. She really was Isla. A raging, bloodthirsty Isla, but it was her. I could see her now, in the way she shed tears of remorse for almost attacking me. I ached to comfort her, to tell her that everything would be okay. That she was alive, which was the only thing that mattered.
As if reading my thoughts, Lochlan tightened his hold on me, saying softly, “Give her some time. She needs to adjust.”
My heart splintered even more, but I nodded and allowed him to lead me from the room. Stopping at my bedroom door, he turned me to face him and carefully inspected my face.
“You can be mad and hate me all you want, if that makes this easier,” he said after a beat. “I’m the one who ordered Kade to turn her. I gave him no choice.”
I shook my head sadly. “I don’t hate you. I’m not even mad. But . . . why? Why Isla?”
His gaze dropped, and he released a quiet sigh before looking at me again. “Because she brings you joy. You’ve endured so much pain and heartache lately. So if I have an opportunity to bring happiness into your life, I’ll take it. I don’t regret asking Kade to turn her, not if her presence can put a smile on your face. Maybe not today, but it will. Soon. I promise you’ll get your friend back, McKenna.”
His words soothed the hurt in my heart. Enough that I found myself smiling up at him. Just a little. “I’d like to kiss you now. If that’s all right.”
Surprise flitted across his face, then a smile. One so endearing, so full of affection, that I forgot to be sad. Leaning down, he whispered, “My lips are yours. You never have to ask.”
A shiver swept down my spine. A happy one. Still smiling, I raised up on tiptoe and brushed my lips across his, then shyly retreated.
He released a soft growl and wrapped an arm around my waist to halt my retreat. “You call that a kiss? That was a cruel teaser. This is a kiss.” Cupping my cheek, he tilted my face up and brought his mouth down on mine. Fully. Possessively. My toes curled.
Before I knew it, the kiss grew heated and we were crashing through the door into my room. The desire to strip naked and press my body against his burned through me, so intensely that my arousal coiled into the air.
“McKenna,” Lochlan groaned against my mouth. “I need to touch you. I need to make you feel better.”
Even as every inch of my body lit on fire at his words, guilt niggled at me—that my best friend was just down the hall, going through hell while I sought to chase my sadness away. But, after a beat, I let the guilt go. She would want me to have this moment of comfort. I knew she would.
“It’s okay,” Lochlan breathed when I hesitated. I fought to stay in control as he trailed soft kisses along my jaw, then down my neck. “I’ll stop if you need me to.”
I shuddered, biting back a moan when his tongue flicked out, circling my thundering pulse. I clung to his shoulders, focusing every last drop of energy on keeping my abilities at bay. When I’d settled down enough for him to proceed, he didn’t waste any time. His hand went straight to my pants and slipped inside my underwear. At the first brush of his bare finger against my center, I arched into him, swallowing a scream. His arm kept me from collapsing as my legs gave out.
He paused, waiting while my trembling body adjusted to the shock. Then did it again. My head lolled, falling against his shoulder. Bliss became my world with each languid stroke, stripping the sadness away. He’d pleasured me this way before, but not skin-to-skin. This was a whole new level of ecstasy. Of intimacy. Of connection. I desperately dug my nails into his shoulders as he slid his finger farther back.
“So wet,” he rumbled, clearly pleased.
I panted, holding onto him for dear life as he slowly dipped his finger inside me. “Lochlan,” I gasped, involuntarily convulsing around his finger. He curled the tip, applying pressure, and I nearly came. Sliding his finger out through my wetness, he stroked me again. I bit my lip hard to keep from crying out as the added wetness only increased my pleasure.
I almost came undone. Almost lost all sense of time and place and control. But I wanted this too much. I wanted his touch. His comfort. This new, mind-blowing experience. I wanted this moment that was bringing us closer together. So I held on. I held on while his fingers brought me to impossible heights. I held on while my body shattered into a million glorious pieces.
I held on.
For him.
* * *
One look at Troy’s blasé expression from across the table and I assumed Everett hadn’t told him about last night. I expected to feel Everett’s hot glare the second Lochlan and I walked into the dining room together, but he barely glanced at us.
“Father’s running late,” he said by way of greeting as Lochlan pulled out a chair for me and deliberately sat close
enough that our legs touched. “He said to start the meeting without him.”
Servers immediately bustled forward with food and goblets filled with blood. The thought of drinking blood first thing in the morning didn’t make me cringe the way I thought it would. Fates, I was acclimating to this whole temporary vampire thing way too quickly.
“What about Noah?” I dared to ask, surprised when Everett still didn’t react negatively to my presence.
“What about him?” Troy spoke up instead, flicking me a bored expression over his phone.
“He’s supposed to report back to Clarice with any progress we’ve made,” I reminded him, but he only rolled his eyes and refocused on his phone. “Has he even been released yet?”
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Troy quipped, leaning back in his chair to plonk his boots on the table.
I curled my fingers around a fork, two seconds away from stabbing his leg with it, when Kade waltzed in.
“Hey, what did I miss?” he said casually, immediately easing some of the tension, just like I thought he would.
“This is an exclusive, club-members-only meeting, Feltore,” Troy said, halting Kade in his tracks. “Something you’d be aware of if you’d been doing your duty and not creating a little girl vampire for the Syphon to play with. Or is she for you to play with?”
My chair scraped back as I shot to my feet and scowled at Troy. “Don’t talk down to my friends that way. Isla is an innocent victim in all this. She didn’t ask to be kidnapped and drained by those rogue vampires. And I want Kade to be here. He’s loyal, intuitive, and we could use his help in trying to decipher this prophecy.”
Everett finally looked up, scrutinizing me carefully through narrowed eyes. Troy had set aside his phone to eye me up and down. I thought for sure anger would spark in his amber eyes for chastising him that way. I couldn’t have been more wrong. He bit his lip suggestively and purred, “You’re incredibly sexy when you get all hot and bothered. It almost makes me want to rile you up more so that you’ll bite me.”
Lochlan’s chair crashed to the floor as he lunged across the table at his brother. Kade raced forward to stop him but wasn’t quick enough. I cringed back as, once again, Lochlan sent plates and cups flying. He had Troy pinned to the wall, held up by his shirt collar, in two seconds flat. “Say that again,” Lochlan quietly growled in his brother’s face.
Curse Touched: A Paranormal Vampire Romance (A Touch of Vampire Book 2) Page 27