Page 62 of Forever Touched

As his hold on me loosened, I stepped away without finishing the sentence and quickly began to dress.

“You’re my what?” he pressed, still sounding angry. “My solemae? You can say it, Adalyn, because it’s true. You’remine.”

Now it wasmyturn to be angry. Whirling to face him, I snapped, “I’m not yours. I’m notanyones. I’m my own person, okay? No oneownsme, not even you.”

When surprise chased the anger from his eyes, I turned and resumed dressing.

“Adalyn,” he softly murmured after a moment, making me feel all sorts of vulnerable. “I didn’t mean it like that. I would never think of you as a possession.”

My throat closed. He sounded so genuine that I couldn’t help but believe him. Still, he needed to know why I’d reacted so strongly. Why this soulmate thing freaked me out so much. “It’s just that males have treated me like an object for years,” I began. “My head is pretty messed up because of it, which makes this soulmate stuff sort of terrifying. I want to show you who I really am, but I’m still afraid of what that will do to me. Whatyouwill do.”

Wow. I sure hoped that confession didn’t end up biting me in the butt. I’d seriously just stripped myself bare, emotionally speaking.

“God, Adalyn. I’ve been such a selfish bastard,” he said with a sigh. “You must hate me.”

Smiling a little, I finished buttoning up my borrowed jeans before facing him again. “I don’t hate you, Everett. I probablyshould, but I can’t make myself do it. Now get dressed. I’m starving and want to apologize to Kenna for stealing her clothing.”

When he just stared at me, still processing all that I’d said, I swept past him and crooned, “Better hurry. If I make it downstairs before you do, I might tell your family how we met. And not the PG version.”

“Adalyn,” he growled.

I laughed and hurried from the room.

19

ADALYN

Everett found me frozen at the bottom of the stairs.

Voices came from the room just around the corner.Severalof them. Loud and carefree and . . . happy. I could hear laughter, teasing, and even giggling from little children. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but not this.

I was used to shouts and criticism and barked orders. Would the carefree mood change the moment I entered the room?

“What’s wrong?” Everett quietly asked, stopping on the stair beside me.

At his close proximity, some of my nerves faded, but I couldn’t help feeling like I was about to intrude on something special. Once again, it was painfully clear that I didn’t belong in this world.

“You didn’t tell me there would be this many people,” I replied, careful to keep my tone light.

He descended the final stair to fully face me. “I heard Kade arrive with the twins a few minutes ago. Why? Are you feeling shy?”

When his mouth curved into a teasing smirk, I gave him a flat look. Normally, I’d tease him right back, but I was feeling too much like a fish out of water at the moment.

Noticing how tense I was, his expression softened. “Just be yourself, Adalyn. You don’t have to pretend with them. They’ll accept you just as you are.”

He might as well have ordered me to dance naked in front of hiswhole family. Without a mask on, without ashield, he had no idea how hard it was for me to survive this world.

Seeing the doubt on my face, he reached out and threaded his fingers through mine. “Come on,” he said, giving my hand a little squeeze. “They won’t bite. I promise.”

I completely ignored his lame joke, too focused on his warm palm pressed against mine. He’d seemed to take my hand almost without thinking, like comforting me through touch was something he did all the time. Shocked at how good it felt to have my hand in his, I let him guide me past the foyer and into the room beyond without protest.

The massive living room was decorated in earth tones, with floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed the early morning light to filter in—minus harmful UV rays. The window treatment must be for Kade’s wife, since Loch had said she was a Feltore. Now that it wasn’t dark, I could see a peaceful blue lake surrounded by thick woods just outside. We were miles from everything, secluded in a little oasis.

Which meant that I was a sitting duck if the rest of the royal family decided they didn’t like me.

Everett didn’t give me a chance to change my mind, though. As soon as we turned the corner and saw a kitchen-full of people—correction,vampires—he said, “Everyone, this is Adalyn.”

The happy sounds immediately switched off. Even the two children sitting in highchairs stopped what they were doing to stare. It felt like I’d been thrust into a spotlight, the crowd eagerly waiting for me to start my performance. The need to hide, to slip on a mask and pretend I was someone else, trembled through me.

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