A Touch of Death

by J. J. Dean

  My consciousness is wavering, and my body grows heavier and heavier. Just before I pass out entirely, I feel a slight tugging of my left arm and leg. My eyes flicker open briefly - when did I close them? - to see water rushing over my head as I uselessly glide through the water. The bubbles leaving my mouth with the small amount of air I had in me is the last thing I see before my vision turns black, and I'm swept away by the currents.

  Chapter 2

  Phoenix

  "This is stupid."

  I sigh. It's not the first time Ezra has stated his displeasure for our impromptu trip, but I swear on the Fates, I will fuck him up if he keeps bitching about it.

  "Dude. Quit the damn whining, would you? You've already made it obvious how much you'd rather be at home pampering yourself like a little bitch instead of trekking through the wilderness. Suck it up, man."

  The glare he gives me would make weaker men wilt under the scrutiny. Sadly for the stuck up incubus, his death glares don't faze me. Years of his company has left me and the others immune to his daggered looks, but he still gives it the ol' college try.

  "I just don't understand why we all had to tag along on this little adventure." He crosses his arms like a petulant child and kicks a pile of leaves out of his way as we meander through the forest. Why they had to tag along?

  "Excuse me? I remember telling you I'd go alone. You're the dick who insisted on joining me." I give the others an eye roll and shake my head. Just as I was ready to leave, backpack strapped over my shoulders, Ezra decided that he wanted in on my trip. He didn't ask where we were going, just announced he was coming and slammed the door in my face to go get ready. At least Spencer and Zayn waited for an invitation before getting ready to join me.

  "Well, that was before I knew we'd be hiking through the woods. This is the shittiest trip ever." The sun is rising slowly, bringing the first rays of the morning with it, and there's a slight breeze that has a chilly bite to it. It's beautiful out here, but of course the incubus wouldn't appreciate it. He's not an outdoors man, that much is obvious.

  Zayn snorts, and Spencer turns his backwards hat covered head towards Ezra with an eyebrow raise. "Do I need to remind you of the lame trips you've forced us on over the years? If Nix wants to take a hike in the forest, then so be it. It beats the time you got us arrested in Vegas because you were pissed from losing at black jack. I'll take walking through the woods over that any day."

  I'm grinning at the reminder of the time the incubus was forced to admit he was wrong. That particular trip had turned into a disaster. He's always been a sore loser, but he was adamant on going to the casino despite our protests. Spending the night in jail was worth watching Ezra having to rebuff the old biker guy's attempts at hitting on him, though.

  "At least my trips are supposed to be fun. I don't even know what the purpose of this hike is other than to let that animal get his daily dose of exercise in. I thought we'd be doing something productive." He jerks his thumb at me, and I roll my eyes again. His eyebrows are drawn down in confusion, and I see the worry in his brown eyes when I look over to him. I think he knows this has something to do with our wakeup call this morning.

  Startled out of sleep at the ass crack of dawn, drenched in sweat, shaking, and adrenaline coursing through my body. I felt panicked, my heart beating double time, and it was as though I couldn't catch my breath. I bolted out of my bed and swung my door open, only to find the other three standing outside their rooms in similar states. None of us understood what had happened, but before I could question it with the others, a sudden urge to go to the forest came over me. I needed to go. Had to. Something was tugging me to the woods, and a prickling sensation scurried down my spine when I thought about ignoring the pull. We all dressed and gathered our things, ready for a long hike before the sun came up, and set off to the forest an hour away from our house.

  But Ezra has a point when he says he doesn't know what the reasoning behind my sudden urge to trek through the forest is. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure either, but the need to go held me captive, and I couldn't deny it. I don't understand why the incubus was adamant about joining me, but I'm sure it has to do with the same feeling I had before we left.

  "It's more than that, and you know it. Just quit your complaining for a few minutes, man. You're giving me a headache," I growl, quickly losing my temper with the grumpy asshole.

  Ezra turns, opening his mouth to retaliate, but before he can, Spencer doubles over with a pained groan. Zayn follows suit, and then Ezra falls to the floor writhing in agony. A sudden pain in my back tears an agonised growl from me, and I fall to my knees, panting heavily through the pain. It's over as quickly as it happens, but my heartbeat stutters, and a wave of adrenaline courses through me. The same panicked feeling I experienced when I woke up bubbles in my gut, and when I look at the others, it's to find them all looking around the forest with the same sense of worry.

  "What the hell was that?" Spencer whispers, his breaths coming in fast while his entire body trembles. He removes his hat to run a hand through his blonde hair shakily before shoving it back onto his head with jerky movements.

  I look around stiffly, anxiety clawing at me. Just as I hear Ezra reply that he has no idea, I spot a flickering light ten feet in front of me. It's a small light hovering just above the ground, but the orb isn't strong. It looks weak as it flickers, as though the light's strength is wavering somehow. Zayn, observant as ever, notices me staring at the spot between the trees.

  "What is it, Phoenix?" His voice is quiet and controlled, but I can hear the concern he can't quite disguise.

  I nod towards the light that looks as though it's fading and say, "Can you see that, or is it just me?"

  Zayn's head turns towards where I’ve locked my gaze, and he inhales sharply. He stands and walks closer to the dimming light. "That's a will-o'-the-wisp. What the hell is that doing here?"

  Movement sounds behind me, and I know Spencer and Ezra have moved to take a closer look, finally noticing the unusual glow. We're all silent for a moment, and that's when I feel the tugging in my chest. The same pull that brought me to the forest tugs me closer to the light. "You guys are feeling that, right?"

  As an answer, all three of them walk closer to the wisp, nodding their heads in confirmation. Relief comes quick knowing I'm not going crazy and the others finally feel the same sensation to follow the unknown. Even Ezra draws closer to the light without question.

  Just as we get closer, the light vanishes, and another springs up a foot behind it. We walk closer to the wisp, our feet shuffling the debris on the forest floor. Once again, just as we get close enough to the wisp, it vanishes, and another appears further away. The glows are looking less and less vibrant, the brightness fading with every wisp that appears. We follow each one, the tugging in my chest growing more prominent the further into the woods the wisps lead us.

  With the last wisp, the light flickers even more, and there's barely a glow to it. It looks like the wisp is dying. However, that's not what has my heart shooting up into my throat, my palms growing clammy, and dizziness clouding my brain. No, it's the body that lies motionless under the last faintly glowing wisp.

  The four of us are quiet as we watch the wisp lower over the body until the skin of the stranger absorbs the last of the light. With the light gone, we all walk closer to the body that's lying half in and half out of the water of the river. I hadn't even noticed with my focus on the wisps only. Now that I'm paying attention, I take a look at my surroundings and find that the stranger is lying on a relatively wide river with muddy banking. I can hear the sound of a crashing waterfall in the distance, the sound of water pelting water loud to my oversensitive hearing. How I didn't hear that before, I’ll never know, but now it's a prominent sound in the otherwise quiet forest.

  My focus snaps back to the stranger in the water when there's a stuttering inhale and a choked noise. I slowly walk closer to the body, aware of the others not too far behind me. Looking over the slim body, I
note that the stranger is definitely a woman. A very naked woman, with worryingly pale skin and soaked blonde hair. She's stick thin with her ribs poking out under her skin and hollow cheeks that sharpen her cheek bones. Her lips are an alarming shade of blue, and her eyes look bruised, purple and blue hues covering her eyelids and staining her under eyes.

  She looks half dead already.

  My heart picks up pace, and the thudding quickly overrides the sound of the waterfall. I tear my backpack off and throw it towards Spencer, who catches it easily. Without much thought, I launch myself onto the muddy bank, my feet sinking into the wet sludge, but my only goal is to reach the deathly pale woman who doesn't look to have taken a breath since the last one I heard.

  I force myself through the sludge and the water until I reach her side, not hesitating to slide my hands carefully underneath her and pick her up in my arms, cradling her to my chest gently. Water seeps into my shirt, but I couldn't care less. My focus is on the woman in my arms. I shuffle her slightly, so she's in a comfortable position, and notice how little she weighs. She's light, too light. There's hardly any meat on her bones, and my chest constricts painfully.

  I turn carefully in the water and trudge up the bank where Zayn stands. He looks as anxious to look over the woman as I am. With slow movements, I lower the woman to the soft grass where Zayn stands. Before the woman even touches the ground, Zayn is on her.

  "She's not breathing. I just heard her breathing stop. Move over, Nix." He puts a gentle hand on my shoulder, and I move over to make room for him. Kneeling on the grass beside the woman, I watch Zayn push down on her chest, providing CPR. "She's taken in too much water. Nix, continue with the compressions."

  I do as I'm told, immediately taking up the position and pushing on the woman's chest. Zayn leans over to breathe into the woman's mouth, pinching her nose while he does so. Nothing changes, and my anxiety grows.

  It’s a few more seconds before the woman coughs and splutters as she empties the water from her body. Zayn moves back a fraction in shock. The woman struggles to turn her head and can't seem to move her body, so Spencer rushes over to roll her slightly, helping her rid herself of the water onto the grass beside her. He brushes the hair out of her face and rubs her bare back in soothing motions. An unusual gesture for the mage who's usually withdrawn with strangers.

  Just as she finishes emptying her stomach, her eyes fly open, and my gaze meets the most unusual set of eyes I've ever seen. Her left eye is the colour of ice with deep blue hues that ring her iris. Her right eye is the colour of grass in the spring. Bright and vibrant, with deep emerald flecks throughout. They're stunning, and I can't look away.

  She stares at me for a moment, mismatched eyes wide open but slightly dazed, like she isn’t all completely aware of what’s going on around her. With a rasp, she asks, "You saved me?"

  I nod, my eyes never leaving hers. Knowing she's breathing and alive, I joke, "Yeah, looked like you needed saving. Hope you don't mind."

  She pauses and then cracks the smallest of smiles, flashing the briefest hint of straight, pearly white teeth. Her eyelids begin to droop, and her smile fades. Before she's unconscious again, she whispers a soft joke in return, "My hero."

  Zayn rushes back to her side to check her over more thoroughly now that we know she's not lying at death's door. "She seems fine. No vital injuries, only scratches and a few deeper cuts along her body. Her feet are pretty banged up. There's a puncture mark in her shoulder. Looks like something pierced the skin pretty deep."

  His eyebrows draw down in confusion. I know that look. Being a vampire who can read the minds of those around him comes in handy sometimes. He's peering into her mind while she sleeps. Normally I'd object, but given the state of the woman before me, I think having all the information we can get would help greatly. A swift inhale announces Zayn's return from the woman's head. "It was a tranq dart. Someone shot her with a sedative, so she can't move for a little while until it wears off."

  "Someone shot her? What the fuck?" There's a growl in Ezra's voice that shocks me despite feeling a little growly myself at the thought of someone shooting this woman. My head snaps up from her pale face to see him watching the unconscious stranger on the grass intently. I've never seen him look so murderous before. Seems he’s feeling the same as me.

  "I don't know. I can't see much more. Her head is clouded. I only saw bits and pieces that aren't making sense, but I definitely saw a tranq dart and a figure holding a gun." Zayn's posture is rigid, and his jaw clenches. I notice Spencer is watching the woman just as intently as the others, just as intently as me. What the hell is going on?

  With furrowed eyebrows, I look at the guys. There's a tingle in my chest that reminds me of the tugging sensation I've felt since waking up. The feeling isn't as strong as it was, but it's there, right under the skin above my heart. It's less of a tugging pull, but more of a comfortable warmth that's settled under my ribcage. My eyes widen as realisation barrels into me like an oncoming train. I move my gaze go to the woman, and my mouth parts in shock. I turn to the others, but they're all still watching the unconscious stranger intently.

  I scramble to my feet awkwardly, coating my mud caved legs with dry dirt and bits of grass. Spencer looks up questioningly but doesn't say anything. Zayn turns to face me, calm and curious, and Ezra gives me one of his infamous eyebrow raises. I don't answer their unspoken question. Instead, I walk away, stopping when I've moved ten feet away from the woman. I turn and face the others. I stay still and focus on the feeling in my chest. Sure enough, the soothing warmth turns into the very same tugging sensation as before. My eyes widen before my eyebrows pinch together.

  "What is it, Nix?" Zayn asks, slowly rising from the ground to watch me. I appreciate that he doesn't try to pull answers from my head like he could. Not that it would bother me, but because I can't really make sense of what's going on right now.

  Instead of answering him, I tell them all, "Move away from the girl and tell me what you feel."

  They do as I ask, moving away the same amount of distance I have. I wait patiently, eyeing them studiously. Sure enough, when they stop and stand still for a moment, their eyes widen, and their gazes flicker to one another before landing on me.

  "Yeah, I'm feeling it too. It's the same thing that had me rushing out of the house to go for a hike." My eyes dart back to the woman who lies motionless in the grass.

  Ezra clears his throat and looks away before telling us, "I felt it too. That's why I insisted on joining you."

  Hearing his confirmation settles something inside me. Zayn looks at Spencer, who nods slowly, and says, "We did, too."

  "What does it mean, though? Was the pull leading us to her the entire time?" Ezra asks, folding his arms over his chest as his gaze runs over the woman.

  "It seems that way. But I don't know a single Natural that can create a pull like that," Spencer responds, rubbing his hand through his hair. Come to think of it, I don't remember any other supernatural being able to create a tether like this woman seems to have. Other than-

  "fae can." Zayn's voice is confident as he moves towards the woman, leaving the rest of us stunned and staring at him as though he's lost his mind. Kneeling next to her, he tilts her head carefully side to side. He lifts her arm gently, looking it over and placing it down gently when he's done. It looks like he's searching for something.

  I clear my throat and shake my head, treading closer with slow movements. "Z, buddy. fae don't exist anymore. Haven't for five years now. No one has seen a single fae since they all disappeared years ago, and if-"

  "fae are the only beings that can create tethers, the only Naturals that are able to create a pull to other beings. And normally, a tether is only created for a mating bond. A fae will create a tether to find her bonded and draw them to her."

  He lets his words hang in the air while Ezra, Spencer, and myself all stare at him like absolute idiots. A mating bond? A fae? Does he even know what he's saying? The last fae that was ever se
en was five years ago after going missing, and not one had made an appearance since. No one knows what the hell happened to the fae, but one day they just... vanished. It's as though they hadn't ever existed to begin with. Not a single trace was left behind, just the disappearance of an entire species of Naturals. Now, not only does Zayn think we've stumbled upon one, but he thinks she’s created a tether to us. That's crazy. Not to mention it would be a bonding tether, and fae only take fae mates. It doesn't make sense.

  "It doesn't make sense, Nix. You're right. But-" Zayn cuts himself off when he brushes the woman's hair aside. His breath leaves him in a whoosh of air, and he sinks back onto the heels of his feet, still holding the woman's hair away from her head. He brushes the locks of black hair from his face before nodding towards her. "She's a fae. Look."

  I shuffle closer, and I hear the others do the same. Leaning down, I look to where Zayn points to her ear. It’s as pale as the rest of her body, but the top is pointed instead of rounded. Zayn bends her ear forward slightly, uncovering the spot just behind it. There's a light brown mark that looks like a birthmark right at the edge of her hair, tucked behind her slim, pointed ear. The mark looks like a rune. A fae rune. Fuck a duck in a pond full of feathers. This just got interesting.