Page 27 of A Touch Of Death

"If you don't mind the extra company, I'd be happy to join you," he says, depositing the books on one of the shelves of his bookcase.

With a smile, I tell him, "Of course, I don't mind. I'm sure Nix won't either."

He nods, and we walk out to the living room. Nix's eyes flick to mine, and he gives me a toothy grin. His gaze drifts to Zayn briefly, and I see him nod slightly, grin still in place. He turns back to me, and says, "Alright, let's roll."

Just before we leave, I look over to Ezra, who's still sitting in the armchair with a face like thunder. There's a scowl on his face, and his lips are pressed in a tight line. Ignoring the look, I ask, "Do you want to come for a walk with us, Ezra?"

His head snaps up, and he turns to face me. His eyes are wide with surprise before they return back to their scowl. "No, but thank you for the offer. I have things to do."

And then he turns to face the TV again, slouching in his seat and turning the volume up. What's his deal? He was nice to me yesterday, and now it's as though I'm a nuisance to him. He's clearly brushing me off, but why?

Don't worry yourself over it. He'll be fine. He's just going through an internal struggle.

Zayn's voice is soothing, even in my head. Internal struggle? About what? Me staying, maybe? Or is it something unrelated? I frown, unsure why the idea of Ezra struggling at all has my stomach knotting uncomfortably. But before I can ask my questions, Nix is hustling me outside.

The moment I step past the door, a gentle wind drifts over me. The breeze is heavenly on my skin, the cool touch welcome on my face and arms. The sun is high in the sky, and the air is warm. It's a beautiful day, but I can't help feeling like it's tinged with worry. The fear of being caught and captured niggles at the back of my brain like a looming fog of darkness.

"You're safe, Novia. We won't let anything hurt you," Zayn says quietly from beside me.

I nod and take a deep breath. I can do this. I have the protection of a vampire and a shifter. They won't let anything happen to me.

A calloused hand slips into mine, and I startle. Nix squeezes my hand gently and tugs me along. He sets a course on a path I hadn't noticed on my previous adventure in the outdoors when I'd been overwhelmed and not in any mindset to be concerned for my well being. The path is gravelly and wide enough for all three of us to walk along side by side. Nix doesn't let go of my hand as we stroll along the trail bordered by trees.

We walk in comfortable silence for a little while, and I find myself relaxing the deeper into the forest we go. The air cools the further we walk, but it's still a pleasant feeling. Shadows dance between the trees, but the sun is still bright and vibrant, beaming rays breaking through the gaps in the trees.

Nix leads us to a small clearing, veering off the path we'd been walking on. Wildflowers are sprinkled throughout the long blades of grass, the sun brightening their already vivid colours. Nix tugs on my hand again, pulling me towards a tree with a trunk so large that if I were to wrap my arms around it, my hands wouldn't come close to touching.

I let go of Nix's hand and sit down with my back against the bark of the tree. Zayn sits next to me, his arm brushing mine. Nix sprawls on his side in front of me, propping his head up on his fist.

Leaning my head back against the tree bark, I release a contented sigh. "This was a good idea."

They both make a noise of agreement, and then it's silent again, only the leaves rustling in the breeze and the chirps of birds to be heard from all around us. It's so peaceful. If I close my eyes, it almost feels like I'm sitting beneath my favourite tree a mile into the woods from what was once my home.

Before I lose myself to those memories, I open my eyes and turn my head towards Zayn. "Isn't it funny how vampires are perceived as being unable to walk in daylight? Where did humans get that from? That vampires would combust in the sun?"

Zayn laughs heartily, his head dropping back with the force of it. It pulls a grin to my face, watching him carefree and relaxed.

"I'm not entirely sure when that tale came about, but like most myths and stories, they're all born from a grain of truth. The sun impairs a vampire's vision. Our sight is sensitive to the sun since we're able to see easily in the dark. That's why many vampires prefer night to day. Being in the sun only dampens the sharpness of my sight, but that's the only effect it has on vampires. I’m perfectly capable of walking in the sun without bursting into flames or glittering like a disco ball." He sends me a grin that I return.

"Yeah, don't ever just swing the curtains open around him. Last time I did that, he walked into a wall before he could see again. Turns out I’d blinded him for a few seconds, and his vision went white before dulling down enough to see," Nix laughs out.

"And your payback was worth the embarrassment of walking directly into that wall."

"What was the payback?" I ask, thoroughly intrigued by this story as though I'm discovering something precious and not playful banter between two friends.

Nix snorts and says, "He'd painted my face with makeup when I was asleep, but projected pictures in my head of my face as it is normally every time I looked in the mirror or a reflective surface, making me believe there was nothing out of the ordinary. Spent the day training with my face looking like a drag queen, and I didn't even know it until the end of the day."

I'm laughing so hard by the time Nix finishes talking that my ribs hurt and tears have formed in my eyes. I'd have paid great money to see Nix wearing makeup.

Suddenly, a vision of Nix truly dolled up, with eyeliner, eye shadow, and even contouring, pops into my head, and I completely lose it. Loud laughter pours from me, mixing with long, drawn out wheezes when I try to catch my breath.

"He showed you, didn't he?" he asks me before turning to Zayn without an answer from me. With amusement in his voice, he says, "You dick."

Zayn shrugs, but the grin remains on his face. Nix laughs before he falls onto his back, crossing his hands over his stomach while he basks in the sun.

We're sitting in a spot where the sun is directly beaming down on us, and I can feel my body growing energised. Afae trait I'm enjoying since my body no longer feels strung tighter than a bow string, and I feel like I could run a marathon without any trouble. If I concentrated enough on the feeling of the energy seeping into my skin, I could feel my powers replenishing until almost bursting. It's a wonderful feeling, given that this is the first time I've been at full strength in so long.

The energy is buzzing just underneath my skin, like an added layer that covers my entire body. I relish in the feeling, thankful to be under the sun again. When I can't absorb anymore, the buzzing settles, but I'm still able to feel my newly replenished energy source.

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