Page 79 of Touched

I shudder at the thought. I’m suddenly cold as the wind surrounds me, whipping at my hair and prickling my skin. Tossing things about the cabin.

Callum rises from his chair and rubs his palms down the length of my arms. “Shh,” he comforts me. “We’ll get through this. We’ll figure it out.”

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, to calm the storm threatening to spill out of me.

This cannot be happening. I will not allow it. Humans with magickal abilities…

No, that absolutely cannot happen.

The results would be catastrophic.

“Wait, what?” The question is out of me before I have a chance to thoroughly understand what Cyrus just stated.

“These Rougarou want to create a concoction to change the chemistry of normal humans into… well, for lack of better terms here… monsters?”

Cyrus frowns. “I didn’t say monsters. We Fae arenotmonsters.”

Pushing up from the wall, I take a step forward to the table where Aeris’s brother sits. “I never saidyouwere monsters. I said they want tocreatemonsters. What do you think will happen when they start to experiment? Nothing good comes of messing around with nature. Haven’t you heard of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?” Cy and I both stare at him with confusion on our faces. He mutters, “No, of course you haven’t. Shit!” His hands rake through his already tousled hair. “Doctor Jekyll is a doctor who experiments on himself and basically splits himself in half. He turns himself into two separate people. The doctor, his human self, is brilliant, but the counterpart is a psychotic, mass murderer who cannot be controlled. Good became evil because he messed with shit that shouldn’t be messed with.” He sighs again. “Science works great in textbooks, but when you start implementing it into the real world, into real living things, bad shit always happens! Natural progression is there for a fucking reason.”

Aeris slips her hand around my arm. Her touch is all I need to pull me back from the cusps of the cliff I currently dangle over.

Aeris.

My world. My home.

Shifting my attention to her, I see her eyes are filled with love, patience, and kindness.

She’s too good for me. Yet somehow, she’s also my fated mate.

How the fuck did I get this lucky?

Cyrus clears his throat abruptly, breaking the spell I seem to fall under every time I look into Aeris’s golden eyes. “Thanks for the lesson. Now, as I was saying, they’re wanting to create an army of human-turned-Fae creatures. No one knows if they’ve started… if they’ve had any success in this yet… or any failures. Nothing. We know nothing. All of the intelligence we have, and yet, we have no idea of how far into this plan they are.”

Aeris tilts her head, staring intently at the floor. She pinches the bridge of her nose.

“What is it?” Cyrus asks, his forehead creasing as he looks at her.

She unfolds her hand, palm up, but keeps her gaze on the floor. “There was something Ma and Da said before I left… it’s now haunting me. ‘This is only the beginning.’ What do you think they meant by that?” She lifts her eyes, her steadfast attention on her brother. “I thought maybe it had to do with me and Callum being together and breaking down barriers set forth from the war.”

“But… do you think it has to do with the Rougarou and the magick plants they’re harvesting?”

“I wish I knew.” Cyrus stands beginning to pace in the small kitchen. “As my affinity is the earth, it’s bothering me not knowing this.”

“What does that mean, your affinity is the earth?” I ask.

Aeris motions to her brother. “He can control plants, the trees, dirt, anything earth-related, whereas my affinity, as you know, is air.”

He’s a dude Poison Ivy. But his kiss doesn’t kill. Does it?

Not kissing him. Don’t care.

I nod. “Got it.”

I’m beginning to wonder if Sylphs have any affinities.

Am I able to control anything? Create anything? Possess anything?

Fuck, I wouldn’t want to possess a damn thing.

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