Jude Stephens

Touch of a Vampire

Book Two of the Evolved Series

By

Jude Stephens

This book is dedicated Mark and Megan

I would like to thank everyone who read my first
book and took the time to tell me how much you liked it. It means
the world to me.

Smashwords Edition,
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TOUCH OF A
VAMPIRE

JUDE STEPHENS

Published by Solstice
Publishing at Smashwords

Copyright 2010 Jude
Stephens

Chapter 1

I was going to die. They would find my body floating
in Lake Ontario. I had done something stupid. This was the first
stupid thing I’d done since Roberto left two weeks ago to wrap up
some business dealings before we began searching for my tribal clan
to continue my Sensay training.

A few short months ago I was a normal physical
therapist trying to re-enter the dating world and then wham! I find
out I’m a uniquely evolved being who has special abilities. And I
fell in love with a freaking vampire who was going to be really mad
at me for getting myself into this predicament. I promised him I
would take little steps with my abilities and until now that’s
exactly what I had done.

I was down by the dock practicing reaching out with
my senses, when I amazed myself by hearing a school of salmon out
in the lake. I wanted to watch them. I got a sense from the school
they were feeding on some plankton. Spotting a row boat on the
shore, I worked hard to get it into the water and was quite proud
when I paddled the hundred or so yards to where the salmon were.
When I reached my destination I closed my eyes and put my feet up
to relax. I reached out with my senses and marveled at the images I
got from the school. They were frenzied. The plankton they found
was rich with vital nutrients. All in all it was a good day to be a
Chinook salmon. Not such a good day to be a Sensay that wasn’t a
strong swimmer.

The first inkling something was wrong was when I put
my feet on the floor of the row boat and found water above my
ankles. I promptly grabbed the oars to start back towards the
shore. There was one thing I was unaware of. It’s really hard to
paddle a boat that was sinking. I tried to paddle for a few minutes
but got nowhere with the increasingly weighted down boat. I knew I
would have to make a swim for the shore but was not happy about it.
I could swim, but I don’t think I’d ever gone the distance that
would get me safely back to the shore.

With a great deal of trepidation I jumped into the
cool water. I started out pretty good. I was pleased with myself
and then a severe cramp hit. I doubled over with excruciating pain
and promptly sank. I fought panic as I tried to stay afloat by
flapping my arms. In no time at all my arms were burning and felt
leaden. I began to sink again. This time, with a certainty I
wouldn’t be coming back up, I wondered who would be at my funeral.
Probably only my best friend Janel, since the rest of my recent
acquaintances were vampires who only go out after sunset. I hope
she remembers that I want to be cremated.

I got the sensation I was
floating…it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. When the blackness
surrounded me, I felt my mother’s arms close around me. A feeling
of peace engulfed me until a voice rudely shouted in my head,
“
OLIVIA! I will not allow this! Open your
eyes and swim. You will obey me or so help me God, I will paddle
your sweet luscious ass the next time I see you.
”

That tone was not something I was used to hearing
come from that voice. Struggling, I managed to break free of the
darkness to see why he was angry with me.

Alex?
I
spoke back to him with my mind.
Where are
you? I’m confused. It’s the middle of the afternoon.

“
I’m in
Sweden. It’s almost nine p.m. here. Listen to me Baby, you need to
swim. I know you’re tired and your arms ache. Listen to the sound
of my voice. Concentrate on that. I need you to live, Baby. I
refuse to let you go
.”

I forced my tired limbs to start moving. I didn’t
want to die. Not yet. I have a purpose. I need to avenge my
parents’ deaths. I need to make sure The Guardians didn’t kill
anymore innocent people.

“
That’s
it, Baby; use your anger to push yourself. Don’t let them get away
with taking your Mom and Dad away from you.
”

I pictured my Mom and Dad as I found them several
weeks ago with their throats slit. I concentrated on that and took
one stroke at a time. Remarkably, the pain seemed to flee as I
became determined to get to the shore. When I reached the shore I
was able to pull myself out onto the sandy beach.

“
Alex?” I spoke out loud, but
there was no reply. “Alex? Are you still with me?”
Nothing.

Maybe I imagined the whole thing though it sure
sounded like Alex, even though I had never heard him raise his
voice to me. We connected like this once before when he was taken
by The Guardians and tortured. It’s been several weeks since I last
saw him. Six weeks and three days to be exact. But who’s counting?
I still missed him, but he wasn’t the one I chose.

I made my choice all those weeks ago, and I didn’t
regret my decision. The last six weeks with Roberto have been
heaven. It was very much like a honeymoon, though we didn’t legally
tie the knot or anything. I think Roberto is waiting until I get
through my Sensay training. And, of course, there was my bond with
Alex that still needed to be broken. Both Roberto and Alex were
looking into a way to sever the bond. Alex bound himself to me
without my permission. I had feelings for Alex at the time, but
when I bind myself to someone I want it to be my choice.

Even though I love Roberto with all of my heart, I
wasn’t sure that we were ready for that step yet. I looked down at
myself. My khaki shorts and tank top were soaking wet and my pretty
sandals were more than likely ruined. My long brown hair hung
unattractively in clumps around my face. I wasn’t looking forward
to the teasing I would get from Antonio when I returned to the
house.

I thought back to the day Antonio, one of the day
guards, arrived here. Andy, along with Mark, were the two day
guards here in Oswego when I arrived. Mark was still here and as
talkative today as he was then. In the few months I’d known him he
maybe spoke a dozen words to me. Andy on the other hand was an easy
going sort who had swept my best friend Janel off her feet and
absconded with her to the Bahamas.

While starting the short hike back to the house I
thought about how much I missed Janel. She and Andy had gone off on
a romantic trip to the Bahamas several weeks ago. It was only
supposed to be a two week vacation, but after a few weeks, Janel
called me to tell me she wanted to stay a while longer. It seems
the Bahamas is a popular destination for The Evolved. Who would
have thought it? Andy had taken her on an excursion to Cat Island,
a small island off the beaten track.

There she had encountered several different evolved
species partying and decided she needed to stay and study them. I
was a little bit jealous she was learning more about The Evolved
than I was, and I was a member of the so called club.

Still, I loved this last month with having Roberto
all to myself and wouldn’t trade places with Janel for all the
money in the world, but I was growing anxious to learn more about
what I am.

Finding out I was a Sensay not too long ago was a
shock, but I was slowly learning more about my abilities every day.
My sense of smell was my first ability to manifest and it was the
one I was learning to control better than the others.

Thank goodness
, I thought to myself. It truly was not pleasant to have to
smell a garbage dumpster in ninety degree weather when you were
miles away from it. On the other hand, there were some scents that
made me weak in the knees. While taking a walk with Roberto one
night, I came across the smell of cinnamon. I stopped in my tracks,
closed my eyes and breathed deeply. The fragrance was absolutely
magnificent. The scent was rich and strong and made my mouth
water.

Roberto laughed and said, “Piccolina... am I going
to have to be jealous of Tomas?” I opened my eyes and gave him a
perplexed look. “Who’s Tomas?”

“
Tomas is the baker at the Oswego
Bakery and Deli. He is making his famous cinnamon rolls for the
morning rush. And by the look on your face he just gave you an
orgasm.”

I laughed. “It was close to one. Did you smell that
too? Sometimes having this sharp sense of smell really pays
off.”

Roberto’s eyes turned dark. “I do smell the
cinnamon… and it smells good, but I much prefer your scent Olivia,
especially when you’re aroused. Let’s go home and I will sprinkle
your delicious body with cinnamon and lick every bit off.”

I sighed remembering how he did just that. Roberto
was very talented with his tongue.

I still was having trouble controlling my sense of
touch. Though, I was getting better at it. I’ve learned to block
unpleasant feelings by focusing on the sensation and picturing a
barrier between the pain and my skin. It was almost as if I were
putting on body armor. The one problem I keep coming up against is
that I lose focus when the pain becomes extreme. The same goes for
pleasure which I would have thought wouldn’t have been a problem
but sometimes it frustrates me.

I tend to get overwhelmed with passion and have
desires I can’t control. So far Roberto hasn’t complained, even
when some business associates came to meet with him a few weeks
ago, and he asked me to stay while they discussed expansion plans
for the Platza del la viva, Roberto’s casino in Atlantic City.
Roberto was dressed casually in black pants and black t-shirt. When
he leaned against the desk in his office I couldn’t help but stare
at his muscular thighs and daydream about how powerful his thighs
were. I began picturing his naked body and how he moved in and out
of me and the next thing I knew I was breathing hard and aching
with a sexual need that was painful.