Page 69 of Touched

Nothing bad happens.

Once on the other side, I look over to see Trevor impatiently waiting for me and ask, “How did you find Laric?”

“I’m a troll.” He shrugs as though that answers the question before walking away from the safety of the wards, and away from my home much faster than I’d anticipated. He gruffly says, “Now, to get into the Preserve, you’ll need to chant this three times…

“The strong of the Sylph save the blood of the Fae.”

You got that?”

That’s it?

I nod. “Yes, I’ve got it. And… I think I know how to get there. I can feel him, Trevor. It’s like we’re connected.”

Trevor looks back at me with a smirk. “Of course, you can. He’s your Kindred. Youareconnected.”

Following behind him, trying to keep up, I gasp, “Are you going there, too?”

Without looking back, he answers, “Not tonight. I already got an earful last night.”

We move steadily while Trevor keeps an ear out, listening for any indication we’re being followed… or tracked. Nothing happens as we make our way through dense foliage. I could fly, but then I’d leave Trevor behind. Within forty minutes, we reach the wards of Callum’s sanctuary. Trevor looks up at me, “Say the incantation.” I do. Then, testing it, I easily slip through the incandescent green wards. Once I reach the other side, he mutters, “We part ways here. Take to the sky. You’ll know where to go. Your Kindred bond will lead you right to Callum. You’re safe within these borders. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

He crosses his arms as I stare down at him.

He grumbles, “Any time now.”

I didn’t realize he was waiting on me to take off. “Oh, sorry,” I mutter before heading back through the wards to quickly embrace him. “Thank you, Trevor.”

This grumpy little troll is becoming my friend.

He grunts, but his strong little arms close around me before patting my back. Letting go, he shoves me back through the wards. Once on the other side, I look back. He’s disappearing through the trees.

How is he so fast?

Spreading my wings wide, I fly up high, listening to my body as it guides the way to my Kindred.

My Callum.

It seems like a horribly long flight, but the scenery is magnificent. I enjoy the look of the city at night, but the view of the bayou is just as beautiful on this cloudless night.

It’s different from Laric. More wild… untamed.

Even though I move quickly through the air, I see and hear the many inhabitants of the bayou. The way the frogs, insects, birds, and a few mammals speak up in the darkness of night creates a beautiful symphony.

Closing my eyes, I instinctively know I’m nearing Callum. My senses heighten and my core heats. Remembering the way his tongue felt in my most intimate place sends tingles over my skin. Even though I’m still airborne, I clench my thighs together as the ache between them intensifies.

After a while, I see a wavy shimmer, almost smoke like in the distance. Closing my eyes, I propel myself even faster toward it. Warmth pools in my chest as my heart-rate intensifies. Opening my eyes, I look down and see a glow coming from a few windows on a small dwelling.

Callum.

Dropping down to the ground, I settle onto my feet. The creatures of the night get louder at my disturbance. The ground is soft and soggy beneath my feet. The cry of a bobcat erupts nearby. My back straightens as my head whips around.

Before I can worry about having to evade the bobcat, Callum’s scent hits me. Light pours out onto the ground and I’m in his arms in a flash.

“Little fairy,” he purrs into my ear. His voice and touch, though calm, awaken every nerve ending within my body.

Pulling away to see his face, I meet his crystal blue eyes shimmering in the moonlight. His lips crush mine causing me to moan into his mouth as wetness pools between my thighs at his touch.

I’m so enflamed, I’d let him take me here on the ground, but another cry from a bobcat, this one seemingly closer, has him scooping me up and racing into the small home.

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