Page 60 of A Touch Of Death

I cap my thoughts away from the unstable vampire and check how much energy I have. Inwardly cringing at just how little I have left, I mutter a whispered curse that doesn’t go unnoticed.

“What? Novia, what is it?” Nix asks in rapid succession, worry etched on his handsome face.

Slowly moving my head to face him completely, I whisper, “I’m going to need you guys to trust me and brace yourselves.”

“What does that mean?” Ezra questions abruptly. “Novia, what the hell does that mean?”

With a heavy sigh that draws out another growl from Zayn, cutting me off immediately, I pat his chest which seems to soothe him a little. Whispering, I say, “I’m going to have literally zero energy after this, so you three will have to handle whatever comes next. I have to tell you, it’s barely anything.”

I take a long breath, making sure it’s quiet enough not to provoke the vampire, and bring forth the very last of my energy. My hand fills with gold dust, so slow that it doesn’t draw any attention. I can feel the very last of my energy depleting entirely, all of it forming in my hand to create all the dust I can manage.

There’s a tickle just above my top lip, the feel of liquid gliding slowly from my nostril. Zayn’s eyes snap to that very spot, quickly cluing me into the fact that the liquid is blood, and I’m now running on adrenaline alone.

Ignoring my nosebleed since it’s captured Zayn’s attention, I lift my dust-filled hand so slowly that my arm physically aches. My finger twitches, and I curse internally when Zayn’s eyes move towards the medium-sized ball of dust.

His lip twists in another snarl, and I vaguely hear the others shouting for me to move, but everything dulls until only Zayn fills my vision. Sounds disappear, and I can feel the painful thudding of my heart. Zayn’s hand moves faster than I’ve ever seen him move, but his hand grips mine only a second too late. The accumulated ball of dust flies from my hand and hits Zayn directly in the face. I send my blessings to Fate that my hand was high enough to aim at his face because, with his next swift inhale, his eyes roll to the back of his head, and he drops to the floor like a rock.

I’m not far behind him, the adrenaline seeping out of my body now that my vampire is down for the count. Arms catch me just before my head hits the floor, and I feel more blood leaking from my nose. My body feels like dead weight, heavy and uncooperative. I can’t even find a miniscule bit of energy to lift my damn head.

“She said she didn’t have anything left. Shit.” From the deep growl in the voice, it’s safe to assume it belongs to Nix. I try to raise my hand to comfort him, but I simply can’t. My entire body feels drained, lifeless and empty.

“Sunlight. She needs sunlight. Nix, pick her up. Ez and I will grab Sleeping Beauty.”

I feel movement around me and clothes brushing against my bare skin, but I can’t move my head to see what’s happening around me. Then there’s a set of muscular arms scooping me from the floor. My eyes slowly close while my head hangs over Nix’s arm, and my arms dangle uselessly.

More blood drips from my nose, the trickle thickening and trailing over my cheek. That’s slightly concerning. I’ve never had a nosebleed when I’ve exhausted my energy, though I don’t think I’ve ever been so depleted before. When I was captured, they found a way to suppress our abilities. I wasn’t ever able to use an ounce of what little energy we were left with, so the bleeding nose is new.

Everything around me is disoriented when I open my eyes again, so I opt to keep them closed, losing myself to the feel of Nix’s firm hold on me. I have no idea when we get outside, or even how, but some time later there’s a gentle breeze caressing my skin.

“Alright, babe. Now would be a great time to start inhaling sun rays. Come on, soak up that Vitamin D,” Nix babbles. I’d snort if I could.

I feel him walking, my body jostling with his movements. Not a moment later, I’m being lowered to the ground, handled gently until my back is leaning lifelessly against the hard contours of his chest. His large hands rub soothing motions up and down my arms as we sit and wait for my body to regain every inch of energy I’ve lost.

My head is tilted to the side, and Nix’s intense blue gaze looks me over carefully. My vision seems to be growing more focused, and the slurred sound sharpens the more I sit in the sun. “There we go. Your nosebleed has stopped, and you’ve got more colour to your cheeks. Getting some D really agrees with you, huh?”

Still lacking the energy to laugh like I want to, my mouth turns up into a strained smile. Nix’s hand comes up to cup my cheek, keeping my head facing him while I greedily soak in the rays.

Ever so slowly, I regain control over my body, feeling my energy replenish. With a whisper, I say, “Your D is the only one I’ve had. The sun’s D doesn’t count.”

Nix’s chest vibrates with his deep laughter, and I grin, relishing the sound. As I gain more control, I realise I’ve been haphazardly wrapped in a sheet. At least I’m not sitting outside in the nude again.

It takes longer to gather enough energy to sit myself up properly. When I move too fast, I’m forced to drop my head onto my knees as everything goes blurry, and I grow dizzy. Nix rubs a hand over my back, much to my appreciation.

We sit like that for a little while, the sun beating on my back and neck when Nix brushes my hair to the side. I soak in the energy the sun provides, feeling better and better the more we sit against a tree in this secluded area. I can see the hotel from here, so we haven’t moved too far, only enough to stay hidden from prying eyes.

Just as my energy is almost filled to the brim, Spencer walks out of the forest behind us, slowing his steps when his eyes find us. He visibly relaxes and comes to crouch in front of me. He tucks my hair behind my ear and says, “How’re you feeling?”

“Better. Just a little bit more, and I’ll start glowing like the rear end of a firefly,” I tell him with a wry smirk. He grins before standing and holding his hands out for me to take. I slide my hands into his, and he pulls me from the floor. I grip the sheet around me before it falls away, tightening it further around my chest to keep it in place in case a stranger decides to take a walk through the forest early in the morning.

Spence takes a backpack off his shoulder that I didn’t notice, pulling clothes from within. He holds them out to me and says, “I grabbed a few things for you before I left Ezra to deal with Zayn. He was still out cold when I left. That dust sure packs a punch.”

I snort and accept the clothes. “Yeah. And that was a very small amount.”

He grins again and shakes his head. He gestures to the clothes and says, “Throw those on, and then we’ll get you home.

Chapter 29

Novia

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