Page 17 of Touched

She’s so fucking beautiful.

I want her. I want to know all there is to know about her.

But I can’t scare her away. Calm down, Callum.

“I think it’s safe to say that neither of us were thinking too clearly yesterday. It was a very strange afternoon, that’s for sure. It’s not every day I hit a woman with my truck, and then, watch her magickally heal right before my eyes. Not to mention, to then be looked at as some fucking loony-toon out there in the street talking to an invisible person.” My tone is teasing yet inquiring.

Shifting nervously, she pulls her hand from beneath mine and back into her lap. Beginning to twiddle her fingers together, it almost appears as though she’s making small circles. I feel another light breeze blow past me, but this time it feels as if it’s swirling around her and me. I can’t help but get the feeling she has something to do with these weird occurrences of random wind spouts that keep happening to me.

She sighs before quietly saying, “I don’t quite know how to say this… I’ve never had a conversation like this before, so… I’m not exactly sure how to tell you. I don’t want you to be fearful of me.” Lifting her golden hued-amber eyes to meet mine, I feel waves of energy rolling over us as our gazes lock. I watch her as she searches my face, taking in my expression. I could get lost in her golden irises. There’s something so unique about them… I can’t explain it. When I stare into them, I feel as if time stops. The world around us just simply fades away.

“I wouldn’t be here right now if I thought I was in danger, Aeris. I don’t believe you’ll hurt me—at least not on purpose. I want to know what happened yesterday and who, or what, you are. I want to understand why I can see you… feel you,” Bringing my hand to her face, I gently caress her cheek with the pad of my thumb. Her eyes flutter at my touch and another jolt of electricity travels from my hand straight to my heart, causing it to race against my chest. The urge to lean in and capture her lips with mine is almost too much to withstand.

Closing her eyes, she swallows hard, before darting her tongue out to wet her lips.

My body immediately responds to the light pink tip as it caresses her full lower lip.

Stop it. Not now.

Listen to what she’s trying to tell you, Callum.

I can see she’s contemplating what she’s about to say to me. I grow more anxious at each passing moment as I wait for her to finally tell me her secret.

“Callum, I don’t know how else to say this so I’m just going to get it out. Once you know, you can choose to believe me… or not. If you do believe me, I’ll answer any questions that I can. If you don’t, and you choose to get up and walk away… then, that is fine, too. I’ll leave and you’ll never see me again. You can forget this ever happened.”

What the hell is she about to say?

No matter what the fuck it is, there is absolutely no way I’ll ever forget her.

I’m not walking away.

Before I can even respond, she looks me straight in the eyes, saying the last words I ever expected to come from her beautiful pink lips. “I’m Fae… er, in human terms, a fairy.”

Out of everything Aeris could’ve said, hearing the words, “I’m a fairy” didn’t even rank on my radar. From the corner of my eye, I see her watching me, once again biting her lip as she anxiously awaits my response.

Is she serious?

She just said she’s a fairy. Or as we say, Feu Follet.

A fucking fairy?

On one hand, as I consider her ethereal looks, her unusual mode of dress, and how her voice is almost lyrical, with a magnetic pull… I think I can believe her. However, the rational part of my brain says Feu Follet, are just lore, stories from deep in the bayous.

Aren’t they?

She’s got to be pulling my leg. There’s a rational explanation.

Or is there?

She’s disappeared from sight multiple times. Her injuries healed almost in front of my eyes.

A fairy?

A damn Feu Fallot.

As a detective, I’ve seen so many things that can’t be explained by normal means. Plus, as a dyed-in-the-wool-born-and-bred native to this state, I have ancestors who are steeped in the legends and mysticism of the region. Plus, several who practice or heavily researched Voodoo. Hell, my grandmother, who is still alive and kicking, has always alluded to the fact that we have Sylph blood in our lineage. When I’ve asked her how she knows this, she’s merely smirked. Then, she’d proceed to tell me that Sylph are an invisible, fairy-like being dedicated to the element of air.

Of course, I’m a bit of a skeptic thanks to my job and well, being human. I always responded that if they were invisible, then, how did someone from our family manage to see them long enough to have a relationship that produced children?

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