Page 4 of A Touch Of Death

I scramble to my feet awkwardly, coating my mud caved legs with dry dirt and bits of grass. Spencer looks up questioningly but doesn't say anything. Zayn turns to face me, calm and curious, and Ezra gives me one of his infamous eyebrow raises. I don't answer their unspoken question. Instead, I walk away, stopping when I've moved ten feet away from the woman. I turn and face the others. I stay still and focus on the feeling in my chest. Sure enough, the soothing warmth turns into the very same tugging sensation as before. My eyes widen before my eyebrows pinch together.

"What is it, Nix?" Zayn asks, slowly rising from the ground to watch me. I appreciate that he doesn't try to pull answers from my head like he could. Not that it would bother me, but because I can't really make sense of what's going on right now.

Instead of answering him, I tell them all, "Move away from the girl and tell me what you feel."

They do as I ask, moving away the same amount of distance I have. I wait patiently, eyeing them studiously. Sure enough, when they stop and stand still for a moment, their eyes widen, and their gazes flicker to one another before landing on me.

"Yeah, I'm feeling it too. It's the same thing that had me rushing out of the house to go for a hike." My eyes dart back to the woman who lies motionless in the grass.

Ezra clears his throat and looks away before telling us, "I felt it too. That's why I insisted on joining you."

Hearing his confirmation settles something inside me. Zayn looks at Spencer, who nods slowly, and says, "We did, too."

"What does it mean, though? Was the pull leading us to her the entire time?" Ezra asks, folding his arms over his chest as his gaze runs over the woman.

"It seems that way. But I don't know a single Natural that can create a pull like that," Spencer responds, rubbing his hand through his hair. Come to think of it, I don't remember any other supernatural being able to create a tether like this woman seems to have. Other than-

"fae can." Zayn's voice is confident as he moves towards the woman, leaving the rest of us stunned and staring at him as though he's lost his mind. Kneeling next to her, he tilts her head carefully side to side. He lifts her arm gently, looking it over and placing it down gently when he's done. It looks like he's searching for something.

I clear my throat and shake my head, treading closer with slow movements. "Z, buddy. fae don't exist anymore. Haven't for five years now. No one has seen a single fae since they all disappeared years ago, and if-"

"fae are the only beings that can create tethers, the only Naturals that are able to create a pull to other beings. And normally, a tether is only created for a mating bond. A fae will create a tether to find her bonded and draw them to her."

He lets his words hang in the air while Ezra, Spencer, and myself all stare at him like absolute idiots. A mating bond? A fae? Does he even know what he's saying? The last fae that was ever seen was five years ago after going missing, and not one had made an appearance since. No one knows what the hell happened to the fae, but one day they just... vanished. It's as though they hadn't ever existed to begin with. Not a single trace was left behind, just the disappearance of an entire species of Naturals. Now, not only does Zayn think we've stumbled upon one, but he thinks she’s created a tether to us. That's crazy. Not to mention it would be a bonding tether, and fae only take fae mates. It doesn't make sense.

"It doesn't make sense, Nix. You're right. But-" Zayn cuts himself off when he brushes the woman's hair aside. His breath leaves him in a whoosh of air, and he sinks back onto the heels of his feet, still holding the woman's hair away from her head. He brushes the locks of black hair from his face before nodding towards her. "She's a fae. Look."

I shuffle closer, and I hear the others do the same. Leaning down, I look to where Zayn points to her ear. It’s as pale as the rest of her body, but the top is pointed instead of rounded. Zayn bends her ear forward slightly, uncovering the spot just behind it. There's a light brown mark that looks like a birthmark right at the edge of her hair, tucked behind her slim, pointed ear. The mark looks like a rune. A fae rune. Fuck a duck in a pond full of feathers.This just got interesting.

"Well, shit." Eloquent, I know. Unfortunately, it's the only thing I can think to say when we discover what could very well be the last existing fae. One that very well might have created a tether to all four of us. Amating bondtether.

Things are sure going to be interesting when she wakes up.

Chapter 3

Zayn

"Okay, so she's a fae. But what does the tether mean?" Ezra asks, a perplexed frown adorning his face. The genuine confusion that mars his features is the only reason I don't laugh. I've never seen him so confused over something in all the time I've known him.

But that's the question, isn't it? What does it mean? fae are only known to take one mate, and a mate of fae blood at that. Could this be a mistake? A cosmic accident the Fates have made? We'll find out soon enough. "I don't know. We'll have to wait until she wakes up, so we can question her."

"We should probably put some clothes on her, don't you think? We'll take her home, so she can rest and give the tranquiliser some time to wear off." Spencer walks to one of the abandoned backpacks as he talks, retrieving one of Nix's shirts and a pair of his socks. Given that he's the biggest of the four of us, the shirt will act more like a dress on the fae. Especially with how slim she is. She’s tiny. I’d guess her height at five foot, give or take an inch. She looks half-starved and in dire need of a meal or five. I wonder where she's been all this time.

Spencer kneels on her other side, and with my help, we dress her, covering her bruised skin with the large grey shirt. Surprising me, Ezra kneels down by her feet, resting them in his lap as he looks them over. "Nix, get me some water and fetch the bandages from my pack, would you?"

"Sure, man." Nix gathers a small container and makes his way to the river, gathering water for Ezra. His pants are caked in mud and soaked to the bone, but he doesn't seem to care. I know the cold won't bother him. He lives in a perpetual state of overheating. He heads to the pack and gathers bandages and disinfectant pads before kneeling next to the incubus. Working as a team, they clean the fae's feet, wary of the cuts that litter her toes and her heels. They efficiently bandage her tiny feet then put a sock on each.

When they look up to find Spencer staring with his mouth hanging open, and me watching with a raised eyebrow, they speak at the same time. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just that we've never seen you two get along that well for more than two minutes. You assholes are always at each other’s throats. Colour me surprised," Spence answers. I snort when Nix and Ezra look at one another and scowl.

"As amusing as this is, we should probably get the fae to the house. She's still soaked and needs somewhere to warm up and rest. Let's go," I tell them. We all gather our things, and just as I'm about to pick up the fae, Nix swoops in and snatches her from the ground, carrying her bridal style. I give him a teasing smirk which he opts to ignore.

All four of us trudge through the forest, heading back the way we came. We reach Nix's truck in no time. Ezra climbs into the driver’s seat, while Spencer takes up the passenger’s side. I slide into the backseat. As gently as he can, Nix shimmies the fae into the backseat with me, lying the upper half of her body on my lap while he jumps in beside me. He rests her legs on his lap and wraps his arms around her knees to give her some of the warmth he always emits.

I shuffle in my seat to find a comfier spot to rest the fae's head and end up with my arm under her head and her face tucked into the crook of my elbow. Her skin feels warm, but a shiver wracks her body when her forehead touches the bare skin of my arm.

The drive home is quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts. My brain is too wired to hear anyone else's, which gives me a temporary relief from having to block everyone out. I've lost count how many times I've eavesdropped on someone's inner thoughts and replied to whatever they thought. It's a curse as much as it is a gift.

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