Page 39 of A Touch Of Death

It's Zayn who answers Nix as he walks into the bedroom, Ezra hot on his tail. "Because touching a fae's ear when it's not glamoured is the equivalent to performing a sexual act on a human. A fae's ear is profoundly sensitive and is considered an erogenous zone. You're currently having an extreme sexual effect on Novia."

My cheeks flame, and I bury my face into my pillow, ignoring the twinge of pain in my back. Instead of moving away like I'd have expected, Nix shimmies closer, making sure every inch of my back and legs are touching him. His hand flexes in mine, while his other slides around my hip and rests just below my navel. His nose presses into the back of my neck, and when he speaks, his breath whispers over my skin. "Huh. Well that's good to know."

Feeling him so close to me sets off the strange feeling I get any time one of them is near enough or brings out strong emotions in me. My heartbeat picks up pace, the need to get closer grows stronger. There’s a feeling that claws at me, reminding me of the mating bonds my sister tried explaining to me before. It's like there's a caged animal behind my ribs that's begging to be released. Nix must hear the rapid pace of my heart because his hand crawls from my stomach and to the spot on my chest where my heart lies beneath.

Spencer is still clutching my hand, and when I look up at him, there's a small smile tugging at his lips. He bites his bottom lip to stop it from emerging completely, but it does nothing to stop my already awakened libido.

Ezra breaks the sudden tension I'm feeling, walking around Zayn and standing at the end of the bed, gripping onto the metal frame until his knuckles turn white. "Why aren't you healed already? Do you need food or something to drink?"

"She's depleted all of her energy," Zayn points out, looking first at Nix's position, then to his hand, and then to Spencer's hand clutched in mine. He sends me a look that's tinged with concern and...longing? It's gone before I can make any sense of it. He turns towards Ezra and says, "She needs the sun. Let's take her outside for a little while, and then we'll all have a discussion about everything that happened."

Everyone nods or voices their agreement, and before I can even lift myself out of bed, I'm being scooped up by a set of muscular arms that feel like they're made of steel. How the hell did the man get out of bed and haul me into his arms so fast? "Nix, I'm pretty sure I can use my legs."

"Why waste more energy when I'm more than happy to carry you?" he asks with a cheeky grin. I laugh, followed by a whine and sharp cry when the injuries in my back pull. "Maybe I shouldn't make you laugh yet, huh?"

"Good idea," I strain out. Nix shuffles me slightly so I'm comfortable in his arms, and we all pile out of the house one after the other.

We end up sitting at the small clearing Nix, Zayn, and I found when Spence built my room. Nix sits down with me still in his arms and deposits me in his lap as though it's exactly where I'm meant to be. A pretty big part of me agrees too. Though, a strong feeling tells me that either one of them could have manhandled me into their lap, and I'd believe the same thing. Nix tugs me close to his chest, and Zayn sits to the left of us. Spencer settles against a tree to the right while Ezra sits in the middle of the small clearing facing my direction.

A light touch on my arm makes me jump and cringe with the movement. I turn to see Zayn rolling up the left sleeve of the shirt I'm wearing, exposing more of my skin to the sun’s rays. I thank him and give him a smile that he returns easily.

"How did I end up in a long-sleeved shirt and leggings?" I ask the group of guys, not that I really care how. I'm sure my white shirt is ruined and sports a couple of holes and a tear or two. Given that I've been out for a week, it's no wonder I've had my clothes changed.

Ezra clears his throat. "I don't think that matters much. You're clean, dressed, and alive. I think that's all that we need to focus on."

He doesn't look at me when he says it, and I'm pretty sure I see a light blush on his cheeks. I look at Zayn, who's still watching me while he rolls the other sleeve up, and motion my eyes to Ezra with an eyebrow raise. He gives me a nod, trying to hide his smile, and I bite my lip to stop the laugh that's bubbling in my chest.

As soon as my forearms are bared, I settle against Nix's chest and lay my arms out. Almost immediately, energy begins to filter into me. My eyes flutter closed, and a sigh leaves my lips as I drop my head against Nix's shoulder. None of them speak for a little while, allowing me to absorb as much energy as I can before they no doubt ask about me having a phasing ability that nofae should have.

It's so quiet that I feel myself falling asleep as my energy restores itself, the breeze tickling my face and the soothing sound of nature all around us. Nix's finger sliding my hair behind my ear wakes me up enough to hear him say, "I already miss the pointy ears."

I laugh and hug his arm closer to my stomach, dropping the glamour that I didn't even realise I'd put back up with my renewed energy. It's something that I didn’t have to think about anymore. I've been glamouring my ears since my dad taught me how. It takes up barely any energy, so I never notice that I've done it, but I suppose it shows how drained I was if my ears were on display in all of their pointed glory.

"That's better," he whispers, brushing my hair to the side until it all rests over my shoulder and down my chest.

After a little while, my skin begins to glow faintly. The aches and pains in my limbs disappear, and the pain in my back begins to fade. The glow grows until I resemble a flashlight, and I finally feel like myself again.

"Lean forward a sec," Nix says, putting pressure on my back. As soon as I'm leaning, he slides my shirt up, exposing my entire back. His hand brushes over where my bullet wounds had been, but there's no pain. His finger starts at my lower back and slowly makes its way up my spine until he reaches the spot just under my shoulder blade. The soft touch elicits a shiver from me, but neither one of us mentions it. "Well, you're good as new, babe."

He rolls my shirt back down and smooths it into place. Before I can move away from his lap, his arms wrap around me again, pulling me tight against his chest now that there's no risk of hurting me. I don't even fight him; I just melt into him like he's mine to melt into.

Nix's arms tighten for a moment, and a noise similar to a growl mixed with a purr leaves him, but before I can turn my head to ask him what caused that, Zayn asks, "Novia, are you ready to talk about what happened?"

I bite my lip but nod anyway. It's only fair I tell them everything. My dad made me promise I’d never reveal how different I am, but I know I can break this promise now. I trust these men enough to tell them all I know.

Zayn sits up straighter. "Okay. I believe the biggest question we'd like answered is how you were able to phase. I've researched a lot while you were... anyway, I know that fae don't possess the ability to phase. Most fae have the same abilities: glamour, filtering energy, healing, and sensing auras. Then there are some with abilities that are solely unique, like the dusting that puts someone to sleep, or being able to sense dishonesty and lies."

I give him a nod and explain. "Dusting is an ability that hasn't manifested in any fae inover twenty years. The last fae to have dusting was my mom. Sensing lies is my unique ability, but the dusting seems to be hereditary, though Dahlia didn't have that ability. She was able to keep flowers living with a single touch. If a flower began to wilt, all she had to do was touch a petal, and it would spring back to life."

I play with the ring on my finger with a sad smile, watching it glint in the sunlight. My body is still glowing, so I reach my hand out to Spencer, who takes it immediately as he shuffles closer. As I slowly filter the excess energy to Spencer, I continue. "You're right, though. fae don't phase. There are a few things I can do that I shouldn't be able to. Things that shouldn't be possible."

"Like the will-o-the-wisps?" Ezra asks. He's shuffled closer too, sitting two feet away from Nix and I with his legs crossed and his elbows on his knees.

I look at him with confusion. How does he know about the wisps? I look at the others and see them looking at me, waiting on an answer. Zayn speaks up. "The day we found you, we were walking through the woods with no destination in mind. Each of us felt a pull towards the forest, though Nix felt it the strongest. We'd been walking when Nix spotted the first wisp. We followed, the pull drawing us nearer while every wisp began to fade more and more. The last wisp we found had you lying beneath it before it disappeared."

I'm staring at Zayn with my eyes as wide as dinner plates. I... I lead them to me. Without even knowing it, I used my wisps to lead them to me. I've never been more grateful for the extra ability I shouldn't even possess.

My breath leaves me in a whoosh, and I drop back into Nix's chest, hearing him make a noise that sounded like anoompf. I shake my head and clear my throat. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, like the will-o-the-wisps. It's one of five abilities I'vehad since birth that no other fae has ever had. That shouldn’t be possible for any fae to have. The wisps and being able to phase are two. I can't die of natural causes, which I found out when I was eleven, and I became severely sick. Three children passed away from whatever illness we had, but I healed after a week. Other children became sick, and they passed away before the sickness was contained. Only I healed. Another ability I have is to slow my heartbeat until it's barely beating. It helps the healing process somehow. Like, if I'm not using energy to keep my heart beating, that energy goes towards healing any wound I have. It's difficult to do, and it'll trigger when my life is on the line, so it's not something I willingly use."

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