Page 102 of Touched

He nods. “They made it.”

Relief washes over me. I turn to the troll. “Thanks for the update. So, again… why are you here, Trevor?”

He walks closer. “They made it to the cabin and are safe for now.Butyou have a job to do. You need to round up the Sylph. News travels fast.”

I have a job to do?

Round up the Sylph?

What Sylph? How the fuck do I even find more Sylph?

Why is it my job?

Son of a bitch!

I jerk to my feet, towering over the red-haired troll. “The Dark Fae. They know about the Trahans already.” It’s a statement, not a question. “Fuck!”

Are they going to find Aeris?

“We gotta get back to Aeris.”

Looking around, I frantically grab a small duffle that’s on the floor, and stuff it with the second change of clothes I managed to salvage last night. A add several more boxes of ammunition, then, glance in the gun safe. “Trevor, there was a large survival bag in the closet, can you see if it’s still there… and if so, if it’s useable?” He nods, hurrying into the lone closet of the room and rummaging through the debris. After digging through my destroyed clothing and shoes, he pulls out the camouflage bag. Grinning, he brings it over. Together, we empty the safe into it. I also snag my extra magazine that was tossed to the floor. It stays loaded to switch in a shootout, even though my normal rounds probably won’t do jack shit to any magickal creatures.

Maybe it’ll at least slow them down.

It’s better than nothing.

Hauling the large bag and the small duffel up, I grunt, “Let’s go. I need to get back to Aeris.”

He grabs my wrist, his grip scarily strong, but I yank it away. He doesn’t cower. Staring at me, he says, “No. First you need to round up the nearby Sylph, Callum. They are your people. Allies. The FaeDorcha have an army… The four of you can’t fight this alone.”

Sylph nearby?

The four of us? Wait… Trevor knows about Devyn?

Of course he does. Devyn told us that she was in the Preserve at Grams’s request… waiting for me.

Holding the bags tightly, I grind my teeth. “They’re gonna launch their war over the Trahans? And what the fuck are you talking about? Sylph nearby? There are Sylph nearby?” I stumble, my grip tightening on the bags, while reaching for my piece with my other hand.

These fuckers are heavy.

No shit, Callum. It’s a damn survival bag full of weapons and ammo.

He motions for me to give him the heavy bag, growling, “Stupid man. They don’t care about the Trahans. They’re mad you destroyed their serum.” He waddles closer, looking up at me with stern eyes. I drop the bag to the floor, and it thuds loudly, bullets clinking inside. Trevor lifts it easily, saying, “And they’re not just going after Aeris. They’re going after everything and everyone. They’ll start with Laric. And of course, there are Sylph around… did you think you were the only one?”

Aeris’s home. Where her parents are.

And no!

I snap, “No. Grams is a Sylph.First, we’ll get Aeris and the others.Then,we find the Sylph.Then, we take down these fuckers.”

Trevor stoically stares, unmoving.

I grunt, “Fuck. Fine!”

* * *

“How did you sleep, Aeris?” Cyrus asks.

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