Page 49 of Forever Touched

At the sound of approaching footsteps, I adjusted my mask, struggling to wipe the emotions from my face. Confidence.Charm. Those were the emotions that allowed me a semblance of control. Without control, I couldn’t fend them off when their hunger took over.

Just in the nick of time, I managed to tilt my lips in an alluring smile, greeting my guest with a sultry look. “Welcome,” I said, holding still so the male filling the bedroom doorway could take me in.

I was stark naked, per his orders. Councilman Torres didn’t like anything getting in the way of his time with me. He was over two hundred years old, but since he was a Venturi, he had the looks and stamina of a twenty-year-old. As usual, he got right down to business and started feverishly undressing.

“I’ve missed you, my Star,” he said, greedily eyeing my breasts while he tore off his shirt. “I’ve been in meetings all week and couldn’t get away.”

“Sounds stressful,” I cooed, hating that I couldn’t quite hide a slight tremor. “Maybe you should lay back and let me do all the work tonight.”

“Not tonight, Star baby. Daddy is too hungry. I need all of you.”

My blood ran cold as he yanked off his pants, revealing howhungryhe was. At the sight, another piece of me shriveled up anddied. I tried to speak again. Tried to take back control. But he was on the bed in a flash, his eyes blazing with lust. Despite my years of training, I tensed, desperately trying to find a way out of this.

He would eventually feed on me as all my clients did, but he had something else on his mind right now. Something that had me inwardly recoiling. It was nearly impossible for me to stop him in this near-feral state. Without a fresh blood link, his will overpowered my influence.

So I did the only thing I could do and tightly sealed my thighs shut.

Annoyance immediately flashed in his eyes. “I thought you were over this, Star. Now stop testing my patience and open those pretty thighs.”

“I’m still sore from a previous client,” I quickly said, trying to sound apologetic. “If you could just feed on me first and share your venom, I’ll gladly spread my legs for you.”

That seemed to appease him. When he licked his lips and hungrily eyed my neck, I forced myself to tilt my head back, encouraging him to bite me. More than happy to oblige, he crawled on top of me, his fangs already descended. But as I felt the sharp tips graze my throat, I flinched.

Horror filled me.

Desperate to cover up my slip, I reached for his stiff erection. He grabbed my wrist, hard enough that I cried out in pain. His other hand gripped my jaw and forced my gaze to his. I stared at him with wide eyes, knowing that I’d screwed up big time. I was going to be in a world of pain very, very soon.

“Why is my pretty little Star acting like a frightened rabbit tonight?” he said, digging his fingers into my jaw so hard that tears filled my eyes. “You haven’t been this jumpy in years.” Before Icould respond, a feral gleam entered his gaze. “Doesn’t matter. Your resistance is only making me more hungry. Fight this all you want, Star baby. I’m eager to play the predator tonight.”

In a flash, he savagely bit into my neck and crushed me to him. I gasped from the pain, a pain I knew wasn’t going away anytime soon. He had no intention of sharing his venom with me tonight, not after I’d pulled away from him. There was only one thing I had left to protect myself.

As I struggled to gain control of his mind, he started to grope me. Each touch was a punishing bruise, a reminder of how mortal, howweakI was. My body couldn’t handle the rough treatment without breaking, and that’s exactly what Councilman Torres seemed intent on doing.

“Please,” I whimpered, cringing away from his hands. I needed to focus.Focus. But I was too scared. Tooterrified. So terrified that a scream built in my head, just like the last time I’d been attacked. But this time, I directed it toward something. Towardsomeone. Toward the male who’d invaded my world and saved me when I’d needed it most. Who’d proved himself to be so much more than a cruel, witch-hating prince.

As the desperate scream exploded through my mind, I heard anactualexplosion, one that rang in my ears and rattled the bed. Startled by the noise, Torres jerked his fangs free to lift his head. In the next instant, he bared his bloody fangs at something I couldn’t see.

“I’m not done yet. She’smine,” he growled, clutching me to him so hard that I couldn’t breathe.

“No, she isn’t.” The intruder’s voice was dark and dangerous, promising untold violence. “And you’ll pay with your life for touching what isn’t yours.”

“We’ll see about that!” Torres roared, then shoved me aside soforcefully that I tumbled off the bed and hit the floor. As the two males collided in a blur of fangs, claws, and fury, I crawled to the corner of the room and curled into a ball.

Within seconds, the room was a warzone. It looked like abombhad gone off. Glass and wood exploded through the air, and I covered my head as something sliced into my arm. The two males raged across the room, destroying everything they touched.

As quickly as the fight started, it ended with Torres on the ground, a huge chunk of the bed’s frame protruding from his stomach. He bellowed in agony, reaching up to pull it out, but the other male shoved it farther in and savagely twisted. At the awful wet sounds Torres made, I uncovered my head to morbidly watch him.

He’d tortured me so many times. He’d stolen somethingpricelessfrom me. Seeing him so miserable spoke to that dark part of me, the part thathehad helped create. It took pleasure in his anguish, basking in the glow of sweet revenge. And when the other male punched a hole straight through Torres’ chest, grabbing his heart so he could rip it out, the darkness all but sighed in contentment.

As the light left Torres’ eyes, I continued to watch, wanting to make sure that he was good and dead. That he would never,evertouch me again. When his heart hit the floor with a wetthump, I finally focused on the other male. On my rescuer. My savior. My . . .

“Everett?” Disbelief coated the word. It couldn’t be him. This was only a dream, my imaginationwishingit was him. I’d pushed him away. I’d told him not to come back.

He had no earthly reason to be here.

But he moved toward me anyway. He crossed the room in great strides and knelt before me. And then he reached for me. Hesitantly. As if afraid to touch me. Tohurtme. Not caring if this was only a dream, I uncurled from my protective ball and threw myself at him.He gently caught me, and I tightly wrapped my arms around his neck.

He might not be real, but I was going to hold on to this dream for as long as I could.

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