Page 21 of A Touch Of Death

Novia smiles and disappears into the bathroom, the door shutting quietly behind her. Just as the door closes, Zayn and Spencer come into the room.

“You okay, man?” I ask, socking Zayn in the shoulder playfully.

He offers me a sheepish smile but nods. With a quiet voice, so only my ears can hear, he says, “I believe more now than ever that there’s a mating bond tethering us to her. I didn’t notice it before because she was drenched in water and lying on death’s door when we found her, and-“

He stops himself suddenly, and I look questioningly at him, but his eyes dart to the bathroom. It’s then that I hear Novia open the door and re-enter the living room, wearing Ezra’s clothes and cut free.

“Hey. I’m sorry about... all of that. Are you okay?” she asks Zayn, worry woven through her words for the vampire.

He gives her a soft smile and nods, telling her, “Completely fine. No need to worry.”

“Okay.” She nods again and moves towards the couch, sitting in the spot I’m quickly beginning to refer to as hers. She pulls the throwover from the back of the couch and lays it over her lap, snuggling down into the cushions.

I watch Ezra leave the kitchen and ask Novia if she wants a drink. When she asks for a glass of water, he’s rushing off to comply. And he still won’t admit that he likes her. I’d snort if it wouldn’t give my thoughts away.

While Ezra waits on the woman, Zayn decides to continue our conversation in my mind where the others won’t be privy.

As I was saying, when we found her, I couldn’t smell her blood because she was covered in dirt and soaked to the bone. When she cut herself on the glass and the smell reached my nose, it was as though everything inside me lit up like a firework. She’s all I could see, smell, hear, and think of. It’s not something I’ve ever felt before, and certainly not something I’ve experienced when drinking blood in the past. I’ll need to research it before discussing it with her, but I’m almost certain it’s a mating bond.

I give him a subtle nod, mulling his words over in my head. The more I think on them, the more strength grows within my theory that I’ve found my mate, too.

What do you mean? Found your mate?

Well, that serves me right for forgetting to cap my thoughts. I give Zayn a side-eye, catching him watching me intently. It won’t hurt to tell him, seeing as though his thoughts border my own, right? If I explain, then I won’t have to keep it to myself. Who better to confide in than the man who’s just admitted he believes he’s bonded to Novia, and who clearly seems to like the woman.

I move to the couch, sitting as close to Novia as I can without sitting on top of her. Her arm brushes mine, and her folded legs lift for me to slide my own underneath hers so her knees rest on my thigh. She seems to do it all subconsciously, not really putting much thought into her actions, just doing what feels right. That makes me smile, but I wipe it away with my hand.

As soon as I’m comfortable and I see Zayn sit into his armchair, I explain.

She’s my mate, for sure. Since that first tug that led us to her, my animals have been restless unless I’m around her. I need to shift more now than ever because my animals aren’t settling like they normally do. Thing is, when I leave to do just that, to release any of my animals that are clawing at me, they don’t want to move away from the house. They don’t want to be too far from Novia. They need her, just like I do. I know that kind of thing is a mating bond from what I’ve heard from my kind over the years. I just don’t understand how it’s possible. Fae only takefae mates, so how have my animals already chosen her and are begging me to claim her?

With a quick glance, I see Zayn looking thoughtful. He nods to himself and leans back into his chair. Spencer joins us, sitting in his seat and resting a leg on his knee. When Ezra returns to the living room, he sits on the two-seater couch after handing Novia her drink.

Spencer picks up the remote and turns Netflix on, searching through the selections. While the others watch, commenting on movies, and Novia points out which ones she hasn’t seen or sound like she’d enjoy, I send a thought to Zayn.

Were you serious when you said Novia already plans on leaving?

His face turns grim, likely feeling the same horrible empty feeling in the pit of his stomach at the thought of her leaving gives us. I see his gaze slide to Novia when she laughs at something Spencer says about one of the movies before they come back to me.

She’s definitely planning on leaving. I heard her thoughts as though she’d spoken them out loud.

He sends me everything he saw play out in Novia’s head: her worry, confusion, heartache, more confusion. Her entire thought process is sent to me like a telepathic email, and I suddenly realise how scared and alone she feels. She hides it well, but it’s all there. The fear of being alone, of not having anyone to rely on or someone to comfort her when she needs it. She’s terrified out of her mind for what comes next, of facing the world alone after spending so much time as a prisoner.

She doesn’t want to leave, Nix. She was upset with the idea but couldn’t understand why the idea of leaving was affecting her as it was. I believe she’s feeling the same connection, but she’s confused, and she’s been through so much already. She understands what’s going on right now less than we do.

My chest clenches, and my hand drops to Novia’s knee without putting too much thought into it. She looks at my hand and then faces me, a shy smile on her face, before she looks back to the television. I feel her settle her body against me, and my sensitive hearing catches the softest sigh of contentment she releases.

My animals settle instantly.

Somethingdeeperinside my chest settles.

I look over Novia, watching her smile and snort when Ezra says something about a movie being shittier thanTwilight. I watch her eyes light up when Spence finds a comedy with the same actor in it as the one she’d watched yesterday. I can almost sense how at home she feels, how content she is here with us. It’s only been a few days, but she already has a spot here. The simple thought of her leaving aggravates my animals, and I know I wouldn’t be able to stop any of them from breaking free and dragging her back here if she decided to leave. So... I think she should stay.

I agree. I’d like her to remain here with us. She has nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to. We’re all she has. And, honestly, I don’t think I could let her go, either. Mating bonds are rare for us vampires. Very few have found their Blood Mates, and if my reaction to the scent of her blood earlier is any indication, she’s mine.

I smirk at the vampire and nod. It’s settled with the two of us. She stays. We just need to lure Spencer and Ezra to our side. Should be easy enough since I have a strong feeling they both want her here as much as we do.

Spencer finally picks the movie Novia was keen to watch, and we all settle in for movie night. With a flick of his hand, Spencer switches the lights off, and a bowl of popcorn appears on his lap, one on Novia’s, and a ridiculously big bowl on mine. I send him an appreciative grin, teeth and all, and hear Novia giggle beside me.

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