Page 56 of Touched

“I’m going to tell them about us first thing this morning. Hopefully, Cyrus will be at my side. I know that once I tell him we Zinged, he’ll understand.” Callum takes my hand and I turn mine, weaving my fingers with his like a basket. “No matter what, I will come back to you, Callum. I promise.”

Callum reaches out with his free hand, cupping my cheek. Using the pad of his thumb, he wipes away another tear as it slides down my cheek. “If you don’t for some reason… I will find a way to come to you, little fairy. Once these brothers are dealt with, my full attention will be on you… and on us. We just have to stay positive and know that everything will be okay.”

Leaning over, I press my cheek into his warm palm. Then, releasing his hand, I wrap my arms around his neck and crash my lips to his. My heart flutters against my chest as his warm, full taste consumes me. I moan into his mouth as his tongue slips past my lips and entangles with mine. Goosebumps cover every inch of my body as the sound of a gentle breeze fills the truck. I feel my hair whip around behind me.

After a moment, I break the kiss, whispering against his lips, “I’ll see you soon, my love.” With those words, I open the door and step out onto the moist ground. It squishes under my feet. Leaning my head back, I unfurl my wings, taking to the sky. Bursting through the dense foliage, I head back to Laric as fast as I can fly and the horizon changes with pre-dawn colors.

Iwatch the sky until I can no longer see any evidence of Aeris. Then, I sigh before getting out of my truck and shoving my keys deep in my pocket. It takes some effort to maneuver the old trunk to the tailgate and drop it to the ground. It lands in the soggy terrain with a resounding thud. I groan as I double-fist it, dragging it through the swampy landscape over to where the boat is waiting.

Exactly where Grams said it would be.

Once I have the trunk safely stowed inside the flat-bottomed boat—the only type of boat you can use out here—I jump in and begin the arduous task of getting to the cabin. The bayou dips and weaves, and if I didn’t know exactly which path to take, it would be super easy to get hopelessly lost. As I carefully make my way through the natural maze, I see various predators’ eyes watching me from the water and the bank. I barely control my shudder. Regardless of what my heritage is, I’ve never been big on things with sharp teeth.

If nothing else, the Rougarou proved that fact tonight. Using the smooth wooden oar, I glide through the swampy water, the soft noises of the birds, frogs, and insects somehow lull me into an odd sense of security. It’s as if the breeze is whispering,“You’re safe here. This is your land. Your people’s land.”

Images of my time with Aeris flood my mind as I make my way, further calming me. Adding a low whistle to the pre-dawn sounds, I recall how responsive she was to my touch. How she willingly gave all of herself to me. I still don’t quite grasp the concept of us having ‘Zinged’ or being Kindred. Fated mates is still something I need to get used to. But I do suspect it’s something along the lines of love at first sight.

Granted, I never believed inthatphenomenon either. I’ve never had reason to. I’ve never actually been in love before. Now,lustat first sight? Absolutely. I’ve seen evidence of that time and again. Lust is carnal. It’s sex. As law enforcement, night after night in the Quarter, people loudly proclaim their love for one another, usually after having copious amounts of alcohol. Some may even become an actual couple in the light of day, once the beer goggles wear off, but my cynicism and track record has always led me to suspect otherwise.

Finally, I make it to the long, worn, wooden dock outside of the cabin. After pulling myself alongside it, I hop out and tie the boat off to the trunk of a cypress tree. Somehow, I manage to get the heavy antique trunk out of the low bottom of the boat and onto the dock without either of us ending up in the water. Then, grunting, I try to hoist it. I’m unsuccessful, so I proceed to cuss profoundly as I drag it up to the cabin by its sturdy brass handle. Having to make several stops to readjust my hands and use my leg strength.

“Man, it’s been some time since anyone’s been here,” I grumble as I finally unlock the door with the iron skeleton key Grams gave me. The heavy wooden door, gray with age, creaks and groans from disuse as it swings open. “At least whoever was here last had the foresight to cover the furniture,” I mutter as I see the dusty white sheets covering the scant items within the room. The dawn colors of the sky and rising sun help make it possible.

It doesn’t take long to uncover everything. After shaking out the sheets on the porch and folding them, I shove them in the small armoire.

I light the many candles strewn about the cabin. I’d light a fire, but since it’s summer in Louisiana and I’m in a cabin with no electricity in the middle of the swamp, I decide not to. There is a generator in a small alcove out back, but the gas cans are still in the boat. I don’t have the energy to lug them up here after fighting with the damn trunk. Then, I’ll have to try to crank the damn thing. It’ll need to be done shortly, though. It’s probably been at least a decade since anyone’s crossed the threshold here. Opening the windows and doors, I let down the bug screens to air the cabin out. Hopefully it’ll also get some air flow going in here. It musky and stale smelling on top of being ridiculously humid.

I certainly don’t want to let the mosquitoes in here to feast on me.

That would be akin to torture.

I don’t worry about what I’ll be eating or drinking since I have a few waters, Powerades, and some snacks in a backpack to hold me over for a few hours. Grams mentioned sending Trevor out in the light of day, with enough provisions, to last a few weeks. In the meantime, I prime the pump at the sink, and within a short while, crystal-clear well water is flowing. It smells funky, but it is safe to drink.

Moving, I grab the keys from my pocket and work on the ancient padlock on the trunk. Once I have it opened again, I pull everything out, laying it out to see exactly what I have here so I can prepare.

Thanks to Grams’s knowledge, the Trahan brothers aren’t going to know what’s hit them. I just need to explain myself to Lieutenant Antoine, probably not thewholetruth, and hope I don’t end up committed somewhere in the process.

“You promised Aeris, asshole,” I murmur, taking the leather-bound, dried vine-wrapped book and leaning back in the chair. “So, let’s do what we do best. Research our enemy so we can come up with a viable plan of action.Then,we’ll call the Lieutenant.”

Opening the old book, I don’t bother with the handwritten table of contents. Instead, I start at the beginning… page one.

“The Sylph are…”

* * *

Just as the first rays of the day are peaking at the edges of the horizon, I slip back through the wards undetected, thanks to the spell I found in the Archives. Making my way to my bedroom window, I carefully climb inside only to come up short when I see Cyrus propped up on my bed, a book beside him that’s he’s ignoring, and a look of absolute rage clearly displayed on his handsome face.

Oh, hells. This is not going to be good.

“Where the hells have you been?” he hisses, glaring daggers at me. His voice rises, and he purposefully lowers it, though the rage within his voice is still palpable. “Do youknowwhat Da would’ve done if he had come in here and found you gone? Are youcrazy, Aeris? What the hells are you doing?”

My shoulders slump, whether from his berating or the exhaustion that’s now engulfing me from everything this night has revealed. I shrug jerkily.

Then, I sigh, knowing I’m probably about to tell him everything. “I’m not sure what you want me to say, Cyrus. I doubt very much you want the truth,” I tiredly admit. “Now, why are you in here? What are you doing in my room?”

All I want to do is collapse onto my bed and relive every delicious moment I spent with Callum. Instead, I’m facing the inquisition of a lifetime from my brother.

“There was a… disturbance of some kind in the human world last night.” His eyes narrow on me. “The Elders came by and wanted to speak toallof us, at the request of the queen, so I offered to come get you. Thankfully, they asked Da and Ma to accompany them immediately. I’m not allowed in chamber meetings, as you know. So, in here I came… looking for you… only to find you completely gone. Not just from your room, but from Laric! I wouldn’t have been able to lie and tell them you were sleeping. How the hells did you get through the wards undetected, Aeris?”

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