Fae Touched (Fae Touched Book 1): Paranormal Romance Read online

  Fae Touched

  Fae Touched: Book one

  Lisa Rae Roman

  All rights are reserved. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without the express, written consent of the author.

  Copyright © 2019 by Lisa Rae Roman

  Kindle Edition

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places or incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover design by Emily Cotler @waxcreative.com

  ISBN: 978-1-7331834-0-6

  Glossary

  Anwyll (an-wheel): Witches. Initially human students of the Sídhe who were genetically altered by the use of ancient Fae spells and magical symbols into their skin.

  Athair (at-her): A renegade group of Fae Touched who want to destroy the peace between humans and the magical community.

  Blood-bound: Vampires who have partaken in the Calling and are magically bonded by a blood vow to a region’s Dádhe House.

  Ca’anam (kah-ah-nom): A female shifter, witch, or human magically bound, or truemated, to a Ferwyn male’s life source by the completion of the third Mating Mark.

  Calling: The solemn ritual whereby every vampire is magically tied to a higher ranking member of the region’s ruling Dádhe House.

  Caraidh (kah-rah-aye): A vampire chosen to protect the blood-bound in their region’s Dádhe House.

  Dádhe (daw-die): Vampires. First created from humans who were transformed by an infusion of Sídhe blood and magic.

  Facility: A covert human-run agency whose purpose is to locate and control Na’fhul with active magic, utilizing their unique abilities for the benefit of the American government.

  Fae: Magical beings from the land of Faery who once walked among humans, and created the Fae Touched before leaving Earth’s realm.

  Fae Touched: The species of nonhumans who possess a form of Fae magic, whether born with the ability or created by magical means.

  Ferwyn (fair-when): Wolf shifters. Enhanced by the magic of the Faery realm and the Sídhe lords, the Ferwyn learned to convert from their natural wolf form into humanlike bodies.

  Glaofin (glay-fen): When a male Ferwyn chooses to live out the remainder of his life as a wolf due to the death of his Ca’anam or advanced age.

  Infusion: The process Dádhe uses to turn a human into an immortal vampire by a transfusion of blood and magic.

  Jumper: A Na’fhuil, or Fae halfblood, whose magic allows them to rebound off the edges of the Rip, traveling short distances in the blink of an eye with or without a passenger.

  Knights of Humanity (KoH): The human-run organization whose agenda is to repeal the Fae Touched sovereignty laws to forced segregation of the magical community from the larger, nonmagical populace.

  Mating Marks: Three Marks, or bites, that a Ferwyn male places on a female of any race except the Dádhe to become magically bonded mates.

  Mud Island/Blood Island: A small peninsula in Memphis, Tennessee which is the sovereign seat of the East South Central Region and the home base of its reigning Fae Touched queen.

  Na’fhuil (nah-fuel): Fae Halfbloods. Direct descendants of a Sídhe lord’s or lady’s human offspring.

  Nine: Made up of individual monarchs who rule the nine Fae Touched regions.

  Príoh (pree-oh): An Alpha male who is the head of the region’s Ferwyn Clan, which includes every wolf shifter pack in the territory.

  Rip: A pathway between the realms of Earth and Faery that was created by the Sídhe. The bridge between the worlds was closed after the departure of the Fae a millennium ago.

  Sídhe (shee): Fae. The magical races who inhabit the land of Faery.

  Thlán (thlawn): A vampire charged with the protection of the leader of their region’s Dádhe House.

  Untouched: Humans. The majority of Earth’s populace who cannot use magic.

  Walker: A Na’fhuil, or Fae halfblood, who travels inside the Rip instead of pushing off its boundaries.

  For the full, in-depth glossary please visit:

  lisaraeroman.com/glossary

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Glossary

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Excerpt: Fae Divided

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  “Always go out looking your best. You just might meet the love of your life.”

  Bridget MacCarthy

  The vampire queen had power, wealth, eternal beauty—and abysmal taste in clothes.

  Abigail MacCarthy wedged herself between the boutique’s towering shelves of designer jeans, retreating until her shoulders hit the wall. Her gaze darted to the store’s guarded front door, then shot to the equally blocked emergency exit and back to her boss, Cindy, who was assisting their sole remaining customer with her latest unfortunate choice in outfits.

  The Dádhe, vampires informally, were allergic to UV rays. And being naturally nocturnal, they were the easiest of the nonhuman races to avoid during daylight hours. A fact Abby chose to ignore when she agreed to cover the nightshift for a sick co-worker. It’d been a mistake; a monumental lapse in judgment that could cost her everything.

  After two years on the run, she really should have known better.

  In Abby’s defense, no one could have anticipated the ruler of the East South Central’s Fae Touched population—which included every witch, shifter, and vampire in the four-state region—would choose to visit La Bella. The Dádhe queen had previously never stepped foot inside the store. And it was just rotten luck all three members of the Guard accompanying her that night were Ferwyn males.

  Abby should have fled along with the rest of La Bella’s clientele, but the arrival of the monarch and her trio of wolf shifter bodyguards had frozen her in place. Then it’d been too late to run without drawing unwanted attention.

  Fingers shaking, Abby reached inside the pocket of her navy pencil skirt for the small bottle of perfume she applied whenever the less nose-sensitive female shifters came into the shop. She withdrew the uncapped rollerball for the third time since sundown and glided the jasmine fragrance over the pulse points at her wrists and throat. The heavy floral scent might not be enough to mask her unique smell from the more primal males of the Ferwyn race, but she had to try something.

  Abby’s boss continued to flit around their prestigious client on the other side of the store. Each item the vampire had chosen was lovely on its own but in that particular combination? Not so much.

  “Lady Standish,” Cindy said tentatively. “Your majesty—”

  “Lady Rose,” the queen corrected, preening in front of the dressi
ng room mirrors in white leather pants and chunky platform sandals. Her dark, wavy hair brushed over her bare shoulders as she twisted gracefully to get a better view of her shapely backside. “We do not use formal titles quite the same way humans do.”

  “Of course, forgive me.” Cindy quit fussing with the silk laces on the vampire’s strapless corset and desperately scanned the room.

  “Milady is fine, if you prefer.” Lady Rose’s bright green eyes remained fixated on her reflection.

  “Yes, um…milady.” Cindy opened her mouth and then quickly shut it, clearly at a loss how to tell the beautiful Dádhe she looked like a high-class stripper—an extremely successful one.

  Although Cindy owned one of the few upscale lady’s boutiques in Memphis, she had a surprisingly poor sense of style and relied heavily on her handpicked sales staff to uphold La Bella’s classy reputation. Abby had been hired because she had a knack for putting together flattering outfits for any woman’s body type. But she’d made herself scarce since the arrival of the queen, and Cindy was floundering badly on her own.

  Abby’s dream of a career in fashion ended as a teenager after the death of her parents, and the unwelcome discovery of her gift that steered her education in a far different direction. Still, with no other talents at her disposal, at least not ones she was willing to disclose, Abby was grateful for the seemingly frivolous skill. It had helped her find employment across the country in stores like La Bella; places that insulated her from the more dangerous magical races. But safety was an illusion. A temporary one.

  Cindy had finally spotted her.

  Abby closed her eyes, deliberately shutting out her boss’ unspoken plea. Like a toddler playing peekaboo, she pretended for one wishful moment that the outside world couldn’t see her if she couldn’t see them. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a child any longer, or invisible.

  Why couldn’t it have been a team of witches escorting the queen?

  Ferwyn males were too risky to be near with their heightened sense of smell and blatant disregard for personal space, but the Anwyll, or witches, were a race Abby dealt with daily at the boutique. Fooling an ordinary Anwyll was easy as long they had no reason to doubt her humanity.

  Abby marshaled her courage and opened her eyes.

  She left the inadequate hiding spot behind, weaving between the boutique’s long, narrow aisle of clothing racks. After pausing to nab a tailored white jacket from a circular stand, she reluctantly headed for the store’s array of shoes and the massive shifter blocking them.

  Clan Walker’s beta was at least six-foot-five and stood with thick legs spread wide, hands clasped behind him. The outwardly casual stance placed his bulging biceps on display along with the unsheathed sword and small, round shield that hung from his belt. The military pose also made it impossible to miss the large gun in the leather holster under his left arm. It was against the law for the Fae Touched to carry firearms on American soil—unless part of a monarch’s security force.

  Her tentative approach faltered as the Ferwyn perused her body as though searching for threats. Straightening her shoulders, Abby forced herself to keep walking.

  She could do this! What other choice was there?

  “Would you excuse me, please?” she asked, stopping a few yards from the unnerving beta, fighting to keep her voice calm and even.

  He didn’t budge.

  Flicking her fingers in a shooing motion, she held onto what hopefully passed as a friendly smile.

  His lips twitched, but he didn’t move. Not a blessed inch.

  “Now what,” she muttered.

  The tow-headed shifter barring La Bella’s front entrance softly chuckled, diverting Abby’s attention. The Guard member she hadn’t immediately recognized from the local news appeared to be in his mid-twenties, but could be decades older as Ferwyns aged slower and lived longer than humans.

  The shifter winked and then flashed her a cocky grin while scraping his chin-length hair away from a boyishly attractive face.

  Abby tried her best to return his smile but hurriedly looked away when her lower lip trembled. Getting through the night without her true abilities being discovered was all that mattered. The last thing she could afford was any of the Ferwyn males becoming suspicious.

  Quietly exhaling, she threw up a silent prayer that the multiple perfume applications would be enough to cloud her scent and stepped forward. She lifted onto her tiptoes, leaving as much space between them as possible.

  She was short and barely caught the toes of the red-soled pumps on the top shelf with her fingertips. Lowering to her heels, she turned to make a quick escape and almost screamed. The large shifter’s nose was less than a foot from her face. He gripped her shoulder, holding her in place before she thought to react.

  “What are you?” His accent was thick and Southern. He breathed in deeply, and the dark stubble on his jaw grazed her cheek as he sniffed her hair. “Not a witch.”

  A menacing snarl sounded from the direction of the third and most dangerous Ferwyn escorting the queen. The beta didn’t seem to notice his commander’s warning.

  What had she been thinking? It had been insanity to believe she could fool a group of male wolf shifters for long. Abby knew better than even to try.

  She’d been taught better.

  “Let her go, Tucker,” Alpha Samuel Walker ordered, his deep growl rumbling directly above Abby. “Now.”

  As head of the region’s Guard, Samuel Walker was one of the highest-ranking Fae Touched in the ESC. As the príoh of its Ferwyn Clan, he was in charge of every wolf shifter in the territory and the Alpha of its strongest pack. Though he was several inches shorter than Tucker, he was no less formidable. Built like a boxer with a broad chest, defined arms, and a thick but flat waistline, Clan Walker’s leader radiated authority. There was no doubt in Abby’s mind which male currently sandwiching her was the more dominant shifter.

  In contrast to his intimidating demeanor, his sandy-blond hair was disheveled. The jagged layers sticking up in every direction around a ruggedly masculine face, the windswept style softening the sharp angles of his high cheekbones and square jawline.

  Abby’s fingers itched to straighten the beautiful chaos, despite her escalating fear. Rather than give in to the ludicrous temptation, she death-gripped the articles in her hands.

  What was wrong with her?

  “I said back off, lieutenant.” Samuel glared at his subordinate, amber eyes narrowing.

  Tucker raised his brows but released her so abruptly that Abby lost her balance. She backpedaled into a solid wall of warm flesh and then hopped forward with a squeak, teetering on her thin-heeled pumps.

  Samuel grasped her from behind, cupping the side of her neck with one hand while the other held onto her arm. When she was steady, he leaned down until his nose bumped her temple and drew in a lungful of air.

  Abby’s heartbeat skyrocketed. Everything she’d done to stay off the Fae Touched community’s radar could be wiped out with a single whiff.

  “Be calm.” He inhaled again, his thumb making small circles at the base of her skull, the rough pads of his fingertips resting on the rapid pulse in her throat.

  Was he kidding?

  “I need to go.” Abby wanted desperately to break the deceptively gentle hold and run. Instead, she held perfectly still, her silk blouse sticking to her damp skin as she resisted the instinctive urge that all prey possessed to flee from an apex predator. Running would make things worse—if that were even possible.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” Samuel said. He wrapped the long fall of her ponytail around his knuckles and brought the captured blond ends to his nose. “But I need to know what species you are.”

  “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The fingers tangled in her hair were inappropriately intimate, even for a Ferwyn male. Abby sensed the commander wasn’t purposely trying to scare her, but he was doing a bang-up job of it anyway. “I’m human. Untouched by Fae magic,” she told him, working to control
the quiver in her voice and failing.

  She had always been a miserable liar.

  “Commander, what are you doing?” Lady Rose interrupted the tense exchange, fists on her slender hips. “Release the girl so we can finish up here.”

  Abby waited, hardly daring to breathe while Samuel slowly unraveled her ponytail and stepped away.

  “Thank you,” she said without thinking, the polite response written into her DNA at birth and honed at her Southern mother’s knee. No matter how inane the reply sounded, she was grateful for anything that placed distance between them. Anything that kept the powerful Alpha from figuring out who Abby was. What she was.

  Her legs felt like they wouldn’t hold her weight, but she managed a slow, steady pace toward her boss and the impatiently waiting vampire queen.

  “Close your mouth, Noah.”

  At Samuel’s clipped words, Abby stopped and glanced behind her.

  It was another mistake.

  The commander’s irises glinted more yellow than brown under the harsh lights of the boutique, his attention squarely on Abby instead of the young shifter by the door. His penetrating gaze bore into hers as he brought his knuckles to his nose and sniffed.

  Abby turned and bolted.

  Fifteen minutes later and the three Ferwyn warriors were still scrutinizing her every move. The commander hadn’t stopped watching her since their earlier confrontation, and Abby’s nerves were stretched thin.

  On the upside, Lady Rose donned the lightweight blazer without complaint, the slim-cut jacket covering the skimpy bustier. The queen also agreed to exchange the clunky sandals for the sleeker pumps. Abby hoped she liked the new look enough to purchase the outfit and leave the store, taking Samuel and the rest of the Guard with her.

  After being relieved of vampire duty, Abby waited nearby while her boss promoted the expensive clothing.

  “What do you think, milady?” Cindy finally asked.

  The queen didn’t answer, addressing Abby instead. “I’m more interested in what you think, Miss…”