Page 15 of A Touch Of Death

I’m beyond relieved that Zayn isn’t here right now to bear witness to my perverted thoughts and to have a first row view of how far I’ve fallen. I need a verbal lashing from him as much as I need a damn hole in my head, so I best keep those things vaulted in the back of my brain.

Regardless of not needing inappropriate images of the fae inmy head, there's a tugging in my chest that demands I go to Novia. That tugging can kiss my arse because I refuse to move from this seat even with Nix watching me like a hawk.

The minutes tick by slowly, dragging by one second at a time, until I finally snap. “Would you please stop staring at me? I can feel your eyes burning a whole in my bloody face.”

He doesn’t answer straight away, so I force my gaze to turn to him. His smile has disappeared, and his eyes have narrowed slightly. I know that look all too well. He’s trying to assess me, my thoughts and feelings. After all the years I’ve known him, I know he’s about to turn therapist.

“Save the session, Nix. I don’t want to talk about it, and I don’t want to discuss thefae. Drop it.”

Once again, I don't receive an answer. His eyebrow pulls up, and he looks away. He nods to himself before lifting from the couch and walking towards his room. That's it? He's not going to force the issue? Because Nix isn't anything if not a pro at pushing things people don't wish to talk about.

I hear his bedroom door open and close with a thud, and I'm left sitting in the living room by myself with a movie blaring through the speakers and without a clue as to what the hell it's about. I really was expecting more resistance.

I decide to shake it off and check my mobile for any messages from Zayn or Spencer. The three of us have been awake since the crack of dawn with nothing to do now that our original mission is no longer active. When I asked what we should do next, Zayn perked up and dragged Spencer out of the house, leaving me to wait around for Novia and Nix to wake up.

Still no messages.

The pair have been gone for almost three hours now. What the hell are they doing that could be taking so long?

With nothing else to do, I settle into Spencer's chair and focus on the movie that's playing. I get about an hour in when Novia comes back into the living room, the sound of her sock-covered feet shuffling over the wooden flooring. As she walks around my chair, the scent of my shampoo and body wash reaches me. In the corner of my eye, I see my shirt hanging on her, the sweatpants loose on her waist and rolled at the bottom. My jaw clenches, and I have to clamp my hands together to stop reaching for her. Having her smelling like me and wearing my clothes while looking nothing short of stunning in them is really testing my self-control.

"Thank you for the clothes and everything." Her voice is soft, the rasp slowly fading the more she uses her voice. Annoyingly, it's quickly becoming one of my favourite sounds to hear, and I've only been graced with hearing her talk for two days. I don't need anyone to tell me just how ridiculous that is because I'm already fully aware.

She sits on the couch, and I offer a nod, eyes still on my movie. "You're welcome. Sorry we didn't think to offer a shower sooner."

I catch her smile in my peripheral, and my breath catches briefly. Jesus, why is she having this kind of effect on me? "It's fine. It wasn't high on my priority list, so I can imagine it was pretty low on yours and the others’ too."

She isn't wrong, but it makes me feel awful regardless.

"It should have been high on the list, so I'm sorry." I turn my head away from the movie and finally look at her. I almost wish I hadn't. If I thought she was gorgeous before, caked in dirt and wild hair and all, then she's a thing of utter beauty now. Her skin is pale, flawless and unmarked. Her almost white blond hair is a shade darker when it's wet, and it hangs in damp waves down her chest, reaching just under her breasts. All traces of bruises and cuts have disappeared, leaving her with a healthy glow and bright eyes. Her blue eye is brighter than her green, but they're mesmerising with thick eyelashes framing them.

I look quickly away before my traitor brain makes me do something I don't want to do. Just as I start focusing back on the movie, her sweet voice asks, "What are you watching?"

A quick glance in her direction shows her leaning into the couch, watching the movie even though she has no idea what it's about or what's happening. This is the first thing she's watching anything since leaving the facility. This movie won't do.

With an inward eyeroll directed at my stupid self, I turn the movie off and flick through the selection until I findGrown Ups, a comedy and one of my favourites. I turn the volume up a fraction more and settle back into the chair. In a near whisper, she asks the same question, but rephrases slightly. "What are we watching?"

For some reason that I don't even want to think about, my heart pauses then beats a little faster when she says 'we'. The sound of the word leaving her full lips does something funny to me, something I'm not entirely annoyed or pleased about.

We need answers, and bloody fast.

"It's a comedy movie. It's a favourite of mine, but if you don't like it, we'll turn another movie on until we find something you like the sound of." I cross my arms over my chest and quiet down while the movie begins. Novia doesn't say anything more, just tucks her legs underneath her and glues her eyes to the TV screen. Nix comes out of his room some time after, freshly-showered and dressed in clean clothing. We all get comfortable and pay attention to the antics of Adam Sandler and his friends.

Already forty minutes into the movie, Novia has snorted, choked on the water that Nix brought her, and laughed until she wheezed and cried. Her reactions alone have been enough to amuse me, so I've been paying more attention to Novia than the movie itself. One look at Nix proves he's doing the same thing. At least that makes me feel less like an idiot.

Zayn and Spencer walk through the front door just as Novia begins a new round of laughter, dragging Nix with her. The guys pause by the door, arms loaded with various shaped and sized bags and boxes. They both look stunned for a second before Zayn's eyes light up, and a grin breaks out over his face. Spencer's mouth is pulled up in a small smile, something I've rarely ever seen him do before the last couple of days.

Instead of interrupting like I expected them to do, they quietly dispose of their bags and join the three of us in the living room. They both sit on the double couch, careful not to distract Novia from the movie she seems to be enjoying as much as I normally do. Novia watches the movie until the credits roll, while the four of us have been watching her like morons, anticipating her reactions. Every laugh, snort, and grin made my heart beat faster, and I couldn’t have looked away from her even if I’d tried.

Now, however, when she turns her head with a blinding smile on her face, we're all quick to make out as though we haven't been staring at her like total creepers.

"Hey, when did you guys get there?" she asks Zayn and Spence, her white-toothed smile still on display. She's tucked into the couch, curled slightly over the arm of the chair, but her legs aren't tucked underneath her anymore. She's somehow stretched them out until her sock-covered feet lean against Nix's thigh. Once again, I’m annoyed at myself when a flare of jealousy rises in my chest. I work hard to tamper it down, but Nix catches the glare I send him. He sends me a small smirk before intentionally moving his hand until it rests on Novia's ankle. I've never had such an intense urge to slap the man before today.

I miss most of the back and forth between Novia, Spencer, and Zayn thanks to the furry fucker, but I manage to catch Novia's confused outburst. "You bought me clothes?"

My head snaps to Zayn, who looks a little sheepish. "I figured you didn't have anything of your own after... I just wanted you to have a few things of your own, that's all. And Spencer agreed when I explained in the car. You should have some things to call your own now that you're free from that place."

Novia's mouth pops open in shock, and tears fill her eyes. Her hand raises shakily, and she covers her mouth, but her eyes flicker between Zayn and Spencer.

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