Page 5 of A Touch Of Death

Halfway through the drive, a thought that doesn't belong to me manages to filter through my confused musings and into my head.

I'm so fucking cold.

Just as the thought reverberates in my mind, the body in my lap begins to shiver more noticeably. Then her teeth begin to clack together, chattering as though she's still in the freezing water and not a warm truck with a walking, talking furnace wrapped around her legs. I suppose being submerged in water for an undetermined amount of time will do that to someone.

Without much thought on my part, I lift my arm and wrap it around the fae's waist, hugging her to my stomach. She cuddles into me like a kitten, like she can't get close enough. Her movements are jerky and awkward, but at least the tranquiliser is slowly wearing off. A hiss of air pushes its way through my teeth when her freezing cold hand crawls under my t-shirt and sprawls over my skin. She wasn't kidding, she really is cold.

Another thought trickles into my head.

I don't remember what it's like to be this warm.

I'll be damned ten times over if that single thought alone doesn't break my heart while also simultaneously intriguing me. Where has she been in the last five years when all of the Naturals thought there were no fae left? What could she have possibly suffered if the woman doesn't even remember warmth?

My eyebrows furrow, and I turn to face the window, hiding my facial expression from the others. If they see the worry, anger, and concern on my face, they'll ask what caused it, and I'd have to explain that I can hear the woman's thoughts. If I let on now that I can hear what the fae is thinking, I'll end up running commentary for the rest of the journey. Call me selfish, but I'm rather enjoying being the only one able to hear what she's thinking right now, even if she's asleep, and the thoughts make me a little murderous with all of the scenarios I’m conjuring.

The fae snuggles further into my stomach, and a soft sigh slips from between her full lips. A soft pink hue begins to stain them, the blue finally fading as she warms. Her thoughts turn clouded again, only snippets of broken memories filtering through. Giving up on my struggle to make sense of what I'm seeing, I block her from my mind and let her sleep soundly for the rest of the journey home.

The rest of the drive drones on, silence thick in the air. Ezra parks quickly as soon as we reach the house. He opens the door for Nix, while Spencer opens mine for me.

"Shall I take her, or are you going to go caveman and snatch her away again?" I tease Nix, who snorts in return.

"You take her. I'd rather not awkwardly drag her over the seat just to carry her into the house. I have some sense about me." He snickers and carefully lifts the fae's feet, placing them back down gently when he's out of the truck.

I gather the woman in my arms and climb out of the truck after him. Her arms automatically wrap around my shoulders, and her nose presses into my neck. Her nose is freezing, but the warmth of her breath soothes the sting of the cold as she breathes evenly, still fast asleep.

Spencer unlocks the door, and we all pile inside, the others flicking on the lights ahead of me as though they've briefly forgotten I'm a vampire, and I can see in the dark. I want to laugh at the way they seem all out of sorts, but I don't want to risk waking the fae, so I ignore them all and head straight to Nix's room since it's the closest.

The door is already open from our quick departure this morning, so I steadily carry the fae into the room and deposit her on the messy bed. Nix tugs the comforter from underneath her, only to drape it back over her. The fae groans in her sleep and burrows down into the bed, hugging the comforter to her chest like it's the most precious thing she's ever held.

I catch Nix watching her with a perplexed frown before I turn away and head out to the living room. I hear him following behind me, albeit somewhat reluctantly. We enter the living room to find Spencer and Ezra already on the couch with coffee in hand.

"There's enough coffee in the pot if any of you want some," Spence calls out before taking a sip of his drink.

Nix heads straight for the kitchen. I move to sit on the armchair, and when Nix comes back from the kitchen, he sits on the opposite end of the couch to Ezra, handing me a cool bottle of water. I offer him my thanks, and we all settle into our seats. The only sounds to be heard are the ticking of the clock on the wall and the drip of the faulty tap in the kitchen sink.

"So, we're just going to wait for her to wake up, right?" Nix questions, rubbing his hand over his stubbled jaw. "Like, we aren't going to do anything else while she sleeps?"

"We should probably discuss what we're going to do with the fae when she wakes up. Obviously, we'll need to question her, but what do we do after that?" Spence chimes in.

He's right, we do need a plan for what we're going to do with the fae once she's awake and well. But as of right now, there isn't much else to do. "Maybe we can decide what to do when the fae wakes and tells us what we need to know. We'll have a better understanding of what situation we've found ourselves in and what kind of position the fae is in. It can't be anything good given her state when we found her."

"Zayn's right. We should wait until the fae wakes up. I'm exhausted and can't think straight right now, so I'm going to take a much needed nap while we wait." Ezra leans back further into his seat, propping his legs up on the coffee table just as the words leave his mouth. Within seconds, he's fast asleep, a light snore breaking the silence of the otherwise quiet room. I shake my head, amazed how he can fall asleep in such a little amount of time.

Nix sits up and downs the rest of his coffee, ignoring the fact that it's still scalding hot. "Alright, then. Well, I'm going to do shit. Other shit that doesn't include sitting on my ass, waiting. I'll be outside."

He shoots off the couch and is out the door in seconds. Being a shifter of all sorts, it's not unusual for him to want to be surrounded by nature, but his mannerisms seem...off? He's never been in that much of a rush to leave the house before. The only other time was this morning. What the hell is he up to?

Spencer slowly heaves himself from his seat, setting his mug on the coffee table. "I'm going to catch a few more z's too. Fate knows I'm not used to being awake so early. If I'm not awake by the time the fae wakes up, force me up, or I'll sleep through the entire day."

I nod and give him a knowing smile, then watch him head to his room. The entire house is cloaked in silence - save for Ezra's increasingly loud snores - so detecting a noise in Nix's room is easy enough to hear, even without my excellent hearing. The sound is faint, like wood gliding across wood. Could that be the window?

I sit and listen. There's a thud, the faint wood moving against wood again, and a deep voice muttering, "Motherfucker." A voice that belongs to Nix. Why the hell is he trying to climb through his own damn window?

I lift myself from my chair, and, on silent feet, I briskly walk to his room. I open the door without making a noise and poke my head into the room. The fae lies in the same position we left her, curled around the comforter with her hands gripping the fabric in an iron grip. I then swing my head towards the window, finding it open, but no Nix. I search the room with a narrowed gaze. I know he's in here. The window wasn't open when we left the fae here, and I know I heard him.

The fae shivers and cuddles further into the bed, tugging the comforter higher over her shoulders so only her head pokes out. I move towards the window to shut it and flip the lock. The sound of paws tapping against wooden flooring sounds behind me, and I can tell Nix is trying to be quiet. I subtly take a peek into his mind, only to have to stifle a laugh when I hear his thoughts.

Why the hell did I change into an animal with claws, for fuck’s sake? Better yet, why aren't claws quieter on wooden flooring? Obviously, stealth isn't compatible with claws. Wait... why is he just standing there like a statue? He's not even looking outside. Is he... Oh shit. Hi, Zayn.

---