Page 62 of A Touch Of Death

He pulls me towards his body and gives me a deeper kiss that has my toes curling in my shoes. I sigh against his lips, wrapping my arms around his waist and sinking into him with effortless ease. Nix pulls away before dropping a sweeter kiss on my lips. He gives me a wink that has butterflies stirring in my belly, and then takes off into the forest with the shattered tracker.

When Nix disappears, I turn to face Spencer, my cheeks heated and my bottom lip captured by my teeth. The mage's lips twitch, but he doesn't comment on Nix's PDA. He simply holds my hand out for my to take. I do so immediately, and he twines our fingers together. "Let's get you home."

Spencer hooks his backpack over his shoulder and we make our way through the trees. We walk in comfortable silence, content to walk side by side with only the sound of nature surrounding us. Every now and then, Spencer's thumb will brush my skin softly, sending those butterflies soaring.

After a little while, Spencer breaks the silence. "How are you feeling?"

I look over at him before watching where I'm going. "I'm fine. My energy is up, just shy of glow mode. I could do with a shower. Crazy vampire Zayn put a wrench in my plan to take a long shower when he appeared in the bathroom."

In my peripheral, I catch him comically grimace. He adjusts his hat, a tic I've noticed he does when there's something on his mind. "Sorry about that. We lost him halfway to finding you. I forgot how fast that asshole is on an ordinary day."

Squeezing his hand briefly, I tell him, "It's fine. I'll just shower when we're home."

His hand tightens a fraction before it relaxes again, and I feel myself leaning closer to him as we navigate our way through the woods. I hear Spencer inhale, but before he can speak a word, there's a loud snapping of a twig further into the forest. We both freeze, Spencer's hand tightening further around my hand. He tugs me closer to him while scanning our surroundings with a keen eye.

Keeping his voice to a near whisper, he says, "Stay right by my side."

Walking even closer until my side is practically suctioned to his, I nod and whisper my agreement. We begin walking again when we don't hear anything else, but Spencer's hand doesn't slacken. With every rustle of the forest, the tension builds.

All it took was that one startling noise to corrupt the peace and tranquillity of the forest. The shadows look more ominous now, the air seeming to feel chillier than before. There's a hair-raising sensation tickling the back of my neck, causing dread to pool deep in my stomach. Something doesn't feel right.

Like an echo of my thoughts, Spencer whispers, "Something isn't right."

Not a second later, there's movement in the air. A high-pitched whirring noise is obnoxious against the quiet of the forest, growing louder at an alarming rate. It’s too late when I see the dart that's aiming for me.

Spencer spots the dart at the same time. With a faster reaction time, he pushes me out of the way, his body replacing mine. I land ass first on the ground, scrambling to sit up. My eyes catch the weapon flying through the air with such a speed that with one blink, the dart finds itself buried in Spencer's chest. The effect is almost instant.

Spencer's wide eyes meet mine. With a strained voice, he rasps, "Run, Novia."

And then he's out cold. His eyes roll to the back of his head, his body dropping to the ground with a heavy thud. I'm left staring at empty space where he once stood.

I crawl awkwardly towards him, reaching him quickly. I check for a pulse, heaving out a gust of air when I feel the steady pattern in his neck. His breathing is slow and steady, and his face is relaxed in deep slumber. They shot him with a fucking tranq dart. A dart that was meant...

For me.

Shit.

My eyes dart around the forest, panicked and too fast to really take in my surroundings. My pulse quickens, and a sinking feeling plummets down on me like a boulder from a cliff top. I sit back on my heels, pressing a hand to Spencer's chest and listening for anything out of the ordinary.

The sound of feet shuffling across foliage has my spine stiffening, and that dread in my stomach expands until I feel physically sick. I can hear more than one set of footsteps moving through the forest around me, and my head drops to Spencer's chest.

When my head rises next, I'm surrounded.

Stepping out from between the trees are several men in head to toe black tactical gear. From their combat boots and thick gloves to the caps on their heads and the bandanas that cover the lower half of their faces, there's not an inch of skin on display. Each man is wielding a black rifle, tucked against their chests with iron grips. This is just great. After the effort I went through to get rid of that stupid fucking tracking device, and they found me anyway. Of course they did.

Subtly, I move closer to the downed mage while watching the mercenaries as they form a circle around me and Spence. I stand slowly, keeping my ankle pressed against Spencer's side just to make sure I know he's still there. I keep my hand out to absorb as much of the sun's energy as I can until I'm on the brink of glowing before lowering it to my side, replenishing the energy I used to heal myself. One of the men surrounding me tilts his head a fraction, the movement just enough for me to catch it.

Loud, obnoxious clapping breaks the silence that suddenly cloaks the forest now that the tiny army around me. My head snaps to the direction it's coming from, and without putting much thought into it, I glamour Spencer. With a quick glance down, I see an invisible spot where Spencer should be, but the feel of his body against my ankle assures me he's still near.

My eyes meet the man with the tilted head briefly, and I watch as his eyes dart to the invisible space and back to me. I can feel my eyes widen in fear. He's going to give Spencer away. Panic claws at me, but I lock it down, steeling my spine against what's to come.

The clapping gets louder until the very bane of my existence walks out from the trees, through the gap the men have made, and stands a few feet away from me. Davis drops his hands to his hips. There's a smirk on his face that sends a shudder down my spine, but I don't react. I remove all emotions from my face and stare at the man that had a big hand in my suffering over the years of my captivity.

"Hey there, pet," he sneers, his scar contorting in a way that does nothing but paint me with a brush of terror. I keep my silence, watching his eyes grow irritated. He crosses his arms over his chest and narrows a sinister glare on me. A chill slithers down the back of my neck, and it takes all I have not to wrap my arms around my middle and curl into myself. I'll be damned six ways to Sunday if I let this asshole have that kind of power over me again. Five years of torture is more than enough. I won't break a second time. Fuck fear. Fuck that facility that brought me to my knees and gutted me in the process. And fuck this bastard who thinks I'll cower like I did before.

They may have taken my people from me, may have stripped me of my family, but what they don't know is I still have something to fight for. I have a home. I made my own family. I have people who care for me, and I will not lose that for the likes of this human.

It's time to start fighting.

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