Page 86 of Forever Touched

“Rocky!” she barked, releasing my hair with a disgusted curl of her lip. When the bouncer joined us once more, she shoved me toward him. “Return Star to her room. And make sure she gets somefood.”

Tossing me one last glare, as if my body’s needs had just ruined her life, she angrily stormed down the hallway.

Rocky watched her go, then inclined his head for me to follow him. I quickly assured Everett that all was well, but I could still feel how upset he was. If my employers continued to manhandle me, I doubted he would stay away much longer.

When Rocky and I reached my new room, he wordlessly held the door open for me. Expecting him to leave just as silently, I was shocked when he paused to say, “My wife is mortal.”

I turned to face him. “She’s human?”

He nodded. “I wanted to have children. We’re still trying.”

“Oh.” I understood enough about vampires to know that their females were barren. The king himself had chosen to marry humans instead of a Venturi female, his desire for heirs more important to him than having a queen by his side. Still, it took years, sometimes decades for a vampire to conceive a child. I gave Rocky a small smile. “Best of luck to you.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Nodding, he simply replied, “I’ll get you some food.”

“Thanks,” I said. He really was nice for a bouncer. Too bad he worked for Mistress.

As he shut the door, I turned and started to pace. I’d just bought myself some time, but for how long? Mistress hadn’t sent me home, which meant that she still wanted me to work tonight. To entertainclients. They knew I was here, and a handful of them were already prepared to spend an hour with me this evening. Mistress would be livid if I forced her to turn them away again, but forcing myself to have sex with them was even worse.Muchworse. The thought made me want to hurl my guts out.

I’d never enjoyed being a blood whore, but now that my feelings for Everett were growing, I downright hated the thought of being touched by any other male but him.

There was only one thing I could do. One thing I could live with. But doing it could ruin everything.

When Rocky returned with food, my stomach was tied into so many knots that I couldn’t eat. Even when I’d lost my virginity to Councilman Torres, I hadn’t felt this ill. I’d always managed to endure what needed to be done in order to survive this life, but things were different now.Iwas different.

The more time I spent with Everett, the more Adalyn came outfrom hiding. Star was cracking.Breaking. Even a mask couldn’t hide the real me anymore. And the real me couldn’t endure this place. Sherefusedto.

It didn’t matter that I still owed the Faircrofts an insurmountable blood debt. It didn’t matter that I’dagreedto this job, that I’d accepted it in order to work off my indenture and seek revenge on the vampires responsible for my father’s death.

It didn’t matter, because this body wasn’t for sale anymore. This body wasmine, and I would no longer give it to anyone undeserving.

As a new sense of resolve filled me, I stopped pacing to laugh. I laughed like a person unhinged, like someone who’d just discovered that their world was about to implode. Because it was. This dangerous world I lived in was about to shatter into a billion pieces. I could only hope that I didn’t shatter with it.

That moment came an hour later.

Mistress stormed back inside my room, and I slowly rose from the living room couch to face her. She took one look at me and froze. “What do you think you’re doing? You should benakedright now. And where’s your mask? Your first client will be here in ten minutes.”

I glanced down at my baggy jeans and threadbare sweater, then looked back up at her with a shrug. “Send them in. But this is all they’re going to see.”

Her eyes practically bugged out of her head. “This isn’t funny, Adalyn. Remove your clothes and get into the bedroomnow.”

“Is that an order?” I dared to ask. “Are youforcingme to have sex?”

Her face turned beet red. “Ofcoursenot. Youagreedto this job. You jumped at the chance when I offered it to you.”

I shrugged again. “Well, I’ve changed my mind. I can’t handle it anymore, so I’ve decided to quit.”

Quit.

Quit.

Quit.

The word danced through the air, taunting her and damning me.

I’d done it. I’d finally uttered the words I should have said the moment my innocence had been stripped from me. The moment I’d realized that giving up my soul wasn’t worth surviving this life.

I felt intoxicated.Empowered. I was nowhere near free, but I was in complete control of this moment. I didn’t know how long Mistress stared at me, but I didn’t look away once. My normal submissiveness was nowhere to be found, and I refused to take back my condemning words.

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