Page 41 of A Touch Of Death

He nods quickly. "Yeah. I enforced them as soon as we got home, but they were fine before then too. I'll just have to keep checking on them, make sure they're still working."

Novia's head snaps up and asks, "How far out are the runes? What's the parameter?"

"Uh, about a mile from the house in all directions. Why?" Spencer answers.

Realisation dawns on me just before Novia answers. "That's how they found me. The runes are blocking whatever is helping them find me. We were well out of the barrier of the runes, which meant I was easy to find. We just need to figure how what they're using to search for me."

Nix nods. "It could be a tracker. Like an ordinary human tracker. Or, they could have moreNaturals in that facility and used one of them to track you. Whatever it is, we'll work it out."

"We'll work it out," she repeats, looking distracted while she plays with the ring on her finger.

We sit in the sun a little while longer, making sure Novia receives all the energy she can get. When her stomach growls, and we remember she hasn't had food since passing out in pain, we hastily return to the house.

Just before I walk through the door after the guys, Novia stops me with a gentle hand on my arm. She had started lagging behind us but stayed close enough that I could hear her walking at the back of me. I turn to face her, and I'm surprised when she steps close enough to timidly wrap her arms around my waist and squeeze. Shock has me turning to stone, but when she begins to pull away, my arms dart up to wrap around her in a tight hug. I didn't realise until now how much I needed the contact, to know she really was okay and alive. How I've come to feel this way in such a short time is something I'd love to know.

All too soon, Novia pulls away. She crosses her arms over her chest, and a light blush taints her cheeks.

"What was that for?" I ask her. Not that I'm complaining, but I am pretty damn curious.

She clears her throat and says, "Thank you. For cleaning me up and dressing me and just taking care of me while I was out for so long. I appreciate it."

I blink and blink again. How did she know- Fucking Zayn.

"You're very welcome, Novia. You didn't need to thank me for it, though."

She shrugs as though it's no big deal, but the way she clung to me just now tells me it meant a great deal to her. "Sure I did. Taking care of me when I can't do it myself is definitely something to thank someone for. So, thank you."

I nod, awestruck that she's thanking me for something any of the others would have done if I'd allowed them. Her head rises, and she gives me a cute smile that I really wish didn't do anything to me as she takes a step closer. When she's just short of a foot away from me, she leans up and drops the sweetest kiss onto my cheek. She's gone in the next blink, walking through the door like she didn't just figuratively drop me on my arse from that small contact alone.

Shaking my head and doing my best to remind myself that I should be keeping my distance, I walk into the house to find Nix and Spencer arguing about who gets the remote for the TV. Zayn and Novia are leaning against the island counter whispering about who knows what, so I head straight for the kitchen to cook something for Novia. How ridiculous that we managed to forget the woman hasn't had a meal since the morning she was shot. Fucking idiots, each one of us.

"Did you want anything specific to eat, love?" I ask Novia without turning. I'm also rolling my fucking eyes at the term of endearment that keeps slipping out. Since the first time I said it, it's like the word stuck, and it's all I can think to call her. Bloody typical that would happen, like I'm not suffering enough.

I almost miss Novia's answer with the way I'm giving the stove a death glare, but I catch it in time. "Could we, uh, maybe have that spaghetti meatballs you made before?"

My smile is brief, but I can't deny the feeling of happiness it gives me to know that she enjoys my cooking. Turning my head enough to see her, I say, "Of course. Why don't you go to your room and relax. I'll bring your food when it's done."

Once again, I'm gifted a blinding smile that has my chest tightening, and she says, "Okay. Thank you, Ezra."

I nod and busy myself with fetching the ingredients I need while simultaneously pretending like hearing my name fall from her lips does nothing for me. I hear Novia and Zayn leave the room, their conversation picking back up effortlessly. When it's just me in the kitchen, I place my hands on either side of the stove and hang my head, blowing out a long breath.

"You alright, bro?" Nix asks from directly behind me.

My body tenses before relaxing again, and I turn my head enough to talk to him without showing my entire face. "Yep. Just fine."

"Looks like it," he quips, sarcasm dripping off each word.

"I'm fine, Phoenix."

"Sure, you are. Because every man who's fine melts a marble counter with his incubus power," he says with a smirk I can hear.

Wait, what did he-

I look down, and sure enough I've melted two hand prints into the marble counter. "Shit! Bloody hell. Spencer, can you fix this, please?"

Spencer joins Nix and I in the kitchen and whistles low when he sees the damage I unwittingly made to the countertop. His hand sparks gold, and, with a wave of his palm, my handprints have disappeared, and the counter is back as it was. "Wanna share why you're melting shit?"

He says it like it was intentional. "No. I'd like to cook thefae her dinner and then go about my day, so if you'll both leave me to it, I'd be humbly grateful."

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