Page 2 of Forever Touched

She suddenly let go of the hoop and fell backward. Silver hair and sequins flashed as she arched through the air in a freefall to the ground.

My heart stopped.

I couldn’t scent her from here, but if I had to guess, I’d say she was human. A fall from that height could badly injure or even kill her.

The crowd beneath her parted as she fell, but they didn’t attempt to catch her. A sudden need to save her struck me. The need was so strong that I was halfway across the room before I could think better of it.

Time slowed. I reached for her, using my supernatural speed to beat her descent to the ground. Yards away from catching her, she abruptly twisted. Faster and faster until she spun like a top. Before she could smack into the ground, something jerked her to a halt. I slowed, confused. She kept twisting, her legs spreading in an upside down split. As they did, I finally saw it. The silk silver fabric wrapped around one of her ankles.

I quietly swore.

The fall had been an act. One that I’d fallen for hook, line, and sinker.

Her body twisted once more, her spine gracefully arching as she caught the fabric, contorting herself in half. At the impressive move, the crowd unfroze. Several males wolf-whistled and hollered their appreciation. She continued to spin, holding the pose for several seconds.

I watched, unable to look away. Not wanting to. I was wholly captivated by this intriguing female.

As if she could feel my gaze, she turned her head and our eyes collided. Once more, I was struck by her ethereal beauty. This close, the silver mask couldn’t hide the color of her eyes. Dark brown around the edges and bright amber at their centers. They were like bursts of sunlight, so intense that I was struck dumb. I gaped at her like a fool, completely forgetting where I was.

Everything about this female drew me in. She was the flame, and I was the helpless moth. And she knew it. Her lips tilted into that amused smirk once more. As her body twisted away from me, she threw me a wink.

At the flirtatious gesture, my cock went rock hard, straining against my pants. Like a besotted idiot, I drifted closer, overcome with the desire to touch her. Something about her screamed forbidden. She was adorned head to toe in silver, which should have turned me off. But the “untouchable” vibes only made me want to touch her more.

My legs carried me closer, close enough to touch her. But before I could make contact, she curled into a ball and shimmied up the silken fabric. I swallowed my disappointment, stepping back so I could watch her climb up to the silver hoop once more.

When she reached it, she began to dance, in a way I’d never seen before. Using the hoop and fabric, she glided through the air, sensually contorting her body in ways that made my blood heat. She moved with the fluid grace of a vampire, and yet, I was still fairly certain she was human.

Enraptured, I watched her for who knew how long. The music picked up again and so did the dancing. Bodies gyrated around me, but I didn’t move from my spot. I continued to watch her, unaware of how much time ticked by.

The spotlight on her suddenly winked out.

I jerked, as if jolted from a trance. Then blinked. Just once, but that was all it took for her to disappear. Fog shrouded the air once more, so thick that the flashing red lights couldn’t penetrate it. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I strained to catch a glimpse of her. But, no matter how hard I searched, she was nowhere to be found.

“Where is she?”

I hadn’t meant to say the words out loud, but a male vampire nearby heard them and slurred, “Star always vanishes at midnight. Where she goes, no one knows.”

He laughed, the sound crazed enough that I knew he was blood drunk. No one had recognized me yet, including him, despite my sloppy attempt at staying hidden. The mask helped, and picking out individual scents was nearly impossible in a place like this. Still, I’d lingered too long. Time to pull my own vanishing act.

Slipping past the drunk vampire, I made for the exit, careful not to make eye contact with anyone and give away my identity.

The nightclub might not be the den of secretive activity my father suspected it was, but I knew one thing for certain.

I was definitely coming back.

1

ADALYN

“Adalyn!”

The all-too-familiar shout dispelled my dream, and the images scattered before I could commit them to memory.

Sighing, I rubbed my eyes and struggled to clear the fog from my tired brain.

“Adalyn,now,” the shout came again, more demanding this time.

“Coming.” My reply came out as a dry rasp, but I knew Mistress could hear it. Forcing my stiff limbs into action, I pushed myself into a sitting position. My head promptly pounded, and I grabbed it with a muffled groan.

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