Page 5 of Forever Touched

If only.

Banishing the impossible thought, I hopped into the driver’s seat and started the engine. It rolled over easily, thanks to my constant tinkering, but I grimaced at the high-pitched squeal the garage door made as it lifted. I made a mental note to replace the rollers soon, then carefully eased out of the garage. If either Octavia or Georgina heardme leaving, they’d bombard me with texts, adding to my already long errand list.

Thankfully, no texts came in while I steered away from the seaside property and turned onto the road that would lead me to Bangor. As soon as the coast was clear, I whipped off my hat and tossed it on the passenger seat. Cranking the music, I rolled down my window and basked in the feel of the wind stirring my hair. These precious moments on the road were the only ones I had to myself, and I made the most of them the only way I could. The music effectively drowned out my thoughts, while the wind swept away any lingering traces of the world I lived in.

It was a ruse, though. A temporary band-aid fix.

As much as I yearned to leave this life behind, I couldn’t. I was stuck. For how long, I didn’t know. If Mistress kept finding reasons to dock my pay, I’d be hereforever.

Feeling another shiver creep up my spine, I gripped the steering wheel and stomped on the gas. The wind whistled through my ears, whipping long silvery strands of hair across my face.

I wouldn’t be stuck here forever, I firmly told myself. I’d take matters into my own hands if I had to. It wouldn’t be hard. In fact, it would be easy. Easier than breathing.

With a mere thought, I could make this all go away.

But I wasn’t ready to pay that price. Not yet, anyway. I’d been stuck here for six years, but I could last a little while longer.

By the time I arrived in Bangor forty minutes later, my mood had darkened considerably. Knowing that I wouldn’t get paid for the next twenty-four hours definitely made it hard to stay positive. Mistress knew just how to pull my strings. Robbing me of the ability to pay off my debt was the number one way to secure my obedience. I wouldn’t be slacking off anytime soon.

Grabbing my hat, I made sure it was sitting low on my head before leaving the car. Bangor was a big enough city that I easily blended in without being recognized, but Mistress didn’t like to take chances—not when it came to me. I was lucky she even let me drive into the city by myself.

Scurrying from one place to the next, I quickly knocked off the to-do list, saving the blood supply store for last. As soon as I was finished, I’d make good on my promise to Pepper and indulge in a large breakfast. My stomach growled at the thought of finally being filled, and I hurriedly entered the store to collect my order.

As usual, a human manned the shop—at least during the daytime hours. Vampires like my mistress and her daughters couldn’t tolerate the sun and, therefore, mostly slept during the day and went out at night. Since they hadn’t been born as vampires like Venturi were, life wasn’t handed to them on a golden platter. They had to work for a living like the rest of the world, not that Georgina or Octavia had ever worked a day in their lives.

The Faircrofts weremadevampires, also known as Feltore. They weren’t royalty or even nobility, even if they wanted to be. Still, their mansion was as close to Sanctum Isle as it could get while remaining on the mainland. I’d never stepped foot on the island where most of the Venturi lived and probably never would. Only a few Feltore were allowed to mingle with their kingdom’s elite, and the Faircrofts had been trying for decades to infiltrate that exclusive circle.

They still were, but not for the same reasons anymore. Everything had changed six years ago when Mistress lost her husband. Unfortunately for me, I was stuck in the middle of their scheming and knew far too much.

But, despite how desperately I wanted to leave this life behind, I understood their motives for getting close to the vampire elite.Understood and agreed.

Which was why I was able to set aside my own dreams and focus on the task at hand. I’d seen the human male dozens of times before, but when I entered the shop, he greeted me with a blank look. Thralled to forget. Most of the humans who fraternized with vampires were, including the humans who visited Dreamscape. It was the only way to ensure that the vampire’s existence remained a secret. Even witches practiced spells of forgetting on humans. The fewer of them who knew about supernaturals, the better.

“You here for an order?” the human asked me, skipping pleasantries.

Nodding, I held out my cooler for him to take. “Order for Margaret Smith.” I wasn’t allowed to speak the Faircroft name in public, but my presence here had never been questioned before. Blood had become a lot more accessible for the past six years, and vampires were encouraged to visit establishments where blood was freely given. It cut back on attacks that often led to human deaths. Fewer human deaths meant less chances of vampire exposure.

I understood this plan and actually agreed with it, but the word “free” was a joke. Blood wasexpensive.

When the human male returned with my cooler now stocked full of blood bags, I was painfully reminded of that fact.

“That’ll be two thousand,” he said, holding out his hand.

Shocked, I pushed back my baseball cap to gape at him. “Two thousand? There must be a mistake. It’s usually only fifteen hundred.”

He shrugged. “Business has been slower than usual, so our prices increased.”

“But . . . but I don’t have two thousand with me.”

He shrugged again and lowered his hand. “You can come back later, or I can just cancel your order.”

When he moved as if to return the blood bags, panic fluttered in my chest. “No, that’s okay. I have the money. Here.” I dug into my pocket and pulled out the extra five hundred he needed. As he took the money and handed over the cooler, my stomach growled miserably. Sighing, I exited the store with my precious cargo. Pepper would be upset that I’d sacrificed my well-being yet again, giving up the only money I had to ensure I stayed in Mistress’s good graces, but what other choice did I have?

The only way I was going to pay off this blood debt was with sacrifice. Nothing short of giving up my soul would make Mistress free me of my indenture.

By the time I made it back to Glassport, I could barely keep my eyes open. Witches needed food and sleep the same way humans did, and I was running dangerously low on both, especially after the longer than usual night I’d just had. Mistress rarely kept the fridge stocked with anything but blood, so chances were I wouldn’t get anything to eat until after I’d earned some tips this evening.

Tips that weren’t mine to keep tonight, I reminded myself. Still, I couldn’t perform my duties if I starved to death. I’d keep just enough to buy a sandwich and save a few scraps for Pepper. Just the thought of a sandwich made my mouth begin to water.

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