by J. J. Dean
"Well, shit." Eloquent, I know. Unfortunately, it's the only thing I can think to say when we discover what could very well be the last existing fae. One that very well might have created a tether to all four of us. A mating bond tether.
Things are sure going to be interesting when she wakes up.
Chapter 3
Zayn
"Okay , so she's a fae. But what does the tether mean?" Ezra asks, a perplexed frown adorning his face. The genuine confusion that mars his features is the only reason I don't laugh. I've never seen him so confused over something in all the time I've known him.
But that's the question, isn't it? What does it mean? fae are only known to take one mate, and a mate of fae blood at that. Could this be a mistake? A cosmic accident the Fates have made? We'll find out soon enough. "I don't know. We'll have to wait until she wakes up, so we can question her."
"We should probably put some clothes on her, don't you think? We'll take her home, so she can rest and give the tranquiliser some time to wear off." Spencer walks to one of the abandoned backpacks as he talks, retrieving one of Nix's shirts and a pair of his socks. Given that he's the biggest of the four of us, the shirt will act more like a dress on the fae. Especially with how slim she is. She’s tiny. I’d guess her height at five foot, give or take an inch. She looks half-starved and in dire need of a meal or five. I wonder where she's been all this time.
Spencer kneels on her other side, and with my help, we dress her, covering her bruised skin with the large grey shirt. Surprising me, Ezra kneels down by her feet, resting them in his lap as he looks them over. "Nix, get me some water and fetch the bandages from my pack, would you?"
"Sure, man." Nix gathers a small container and makes his way to the river, gathering water for Ezra. His pants are caked in mud and soaked to the bone, but he doesn't seem to care. I know the cold won't bother him. He lives in a perpetual state of overheating. He heads to the pack and gathers bandages and disinfectant pads before kneeling next to the incubus. Working as a team, they clean the fae's feet, wary of the cuts that litter her toes and her heels. They efficiently bandage her tiny feet then put a sock on each.
When they look up to find Spencer staring with his mouth hanging open, and me watching with a raised eyebrow, they speak at the same time. "What?"
"Nothing. It's just that we've never seen you two get along that well for more than two minutes. You assholes are always at each other’s throats. Colour me surprised," Spence answers. I snort when Nix and Ezra look at one another and scowl.
"As amusing as this is, we should probably get the fae to the house. She's still soaked and needs somewhere to warm up and rest. Let's go," I tell them. We all gather our things, and just as I'm about to pick up the fae, Nix swoops in and snatches her from the ground, carrying her bridal style. I give him a teasing smirk which he opts to ignore.
All four of us trudge through the forest, heading back the way we came. We reach Nix's truck in no time. Ezra climbs into the driver’s seat, while Spencer takes up the passenger’s side. I slide into the backseat. As gently as he can, Nix shimmies the fae into the backseat with me, lying the upper half of her body on my lap while he jumps in beside me. He rests her legs on his lap and wraps his arms around her knees to give her some of the warmth he always emits.
I shuffle in my seat to find a comfier spot to rest the fae's head and end up with my arm under her head and her face tucked into the crook of my elbow. Her skin feels warm, but a shiver wracks her body when her forehead touches the bare skin of my arm.
The drive home is quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts. My brain is too wired to hear anyone else's, which gives me a temporary relief from having to block everyone out. I've lost count how many times I've eavesdropped on someone's inner thoughts and replied to whatever they thought. It's a curse as much as it is a gift.
Halfway through the drive, a thought that doesn't belong to me manages to filter through my confused musings and into my head.
I'm so fucking cold.
Just as the thought reverberates in my mind, the body in my lap begins to shiver more noticeably. Then her teeth begin to clack together, chattering as though she's still in the freezing water and not a warm truck with a walking, talking furnace wrapped around her legs. I suppose being submerged in water for an undetermined amount of time will do that to someone.
Without much thought on my part, I lift my arm and wrap it around the fae's waist, hugging her to my stomach. She cuddles into me like a kitten, like she can't get close enough. Her movements are jerky and awkward, but at least the tranquiliser is slowly wearing off. A hiss of air pushes its way through my teeth when her freezing cold hand crawls under my t-shirt and sprawls over my skin. She wasn't kidding, she really is cold.
Another thought trickles into my head.
I don't remember what it's like to be this warm.
I'll be damned ten times over if that single thought alone doesn't break my heart while also simultaneously intriguing me. Where has she been in the last five years when all of the Naturals thought there were no fae left? What could she have possibly suffered if the woman doesn't even remember warmth?
My eyebrows furrow, and I turn to face the window, hiding my facial expression from the others. If they see the worry, anger, and concern on my face, they'll ask what caused it, and I'd have to explain that I can hear the woman's thoughts. If I let on now that I can hear what the fae is thinking, I'll end up running commentary for the rest of the journey. Call me selfish, but I'm rather enjoying being the only one able to hear what she's thinking right now, even if she's asleep, and the thoughts make me a little murderous with all of the scenarios I’m conjuring.
The fae snuggles further into my stomach, and a soft sigh slips from between her full lips. A soft pink hue begins to stain them, the blue finally fading as she warms. Her thoughts turn clouded again, only snippets of broken memories filtering through. Giving up on my struggle to make sense of what I'm seeing, I block her from my mind and let her sleep soundly for the rest of the journey home.
The rest of the drive drones on, silence thick in the air. Ezra parks quickly as soon as we reach the house. He opens the door for Nix, while Spencer opens mine for me.
"Shall I take her, or are you going to go caveman and snatch her away again?" I tease Nix, who snorts in return.
"You take her. I'd rather not awkwardly drag her over the seat just to carry her into the house. I have some sense about me." He snickers and carefully lifts the fae's feet, placing them back down gently when he's out of the truck.
I gather the woman in my arms and climb out of the truck after him. Her arms automatically wrap around my shoulders, and her nose presses into my neck. Her nose is freezing, but the warmth of her breath soothes the sting of the cold as she breathes evenly, still fast asleep.
Spencer unlocks the door, and we all pile inside, the others flicking on the lights ahead of me as though they've briefly forgotten I'm a vampire, and I can see in the dark. I want to laugh at the way they seem all out of sorts, but I don't want to risk waking the fae, so I ignore them all and head straight to Nix's room since it's the closest.
The door is already open from our quick departure this morning, so I steadily carry the fae into the room and deposit her on the messy bed. Nix tugs the comforter from underneath her, only to drape it back over her. The fae groans in her sleep and burrows down into the bed, hugging the comforter to her chest like it's the most precious thing she's ever held.
I catch Nix watching her with a perplexed frown before I turn away and head out to the living room. I hear him following behind me, albeit somewhat reluctantly. We enter the living room to find Spencer and Ezra already on the couch with coffee in hand.
"There's enough coffee in the pot if any of you want some," Spence calls out before taking a sip of his drink.
Nix heads straight for the kitchen. I move to sit on the armchair, and when Nix comes back from the kitchen, he sits on the opposite end of the couch to Ezra, handing
me a cool bottle of water. I offer him my thanks, and we all settle into our seats. The only sounds to be heard are the ticking of the clock on the wall and the drip of the faulty tap in the kitchen sink.
"So, we're just going to wait for her to wake up, right?" Nix questions, rubbing his hand over his stubbled jaw. "Like, we aren't going to do anything else while she sleeps?"
"We should probably discuss what we're going to do with the fae when she wakes up. Obviously, we'll need to question her, but what do we do after that?" Spence chimes in.
He's right, we do need a plan for what we're going to do with the fae once she's awake and well. But as of right now, there isn't much else to do. "Maybe we can decide what to do when the fae wakes and tells us what we need to know. We'll have a better understanding of what situation we've found ourselves in and what kind of position the fae is in. It can't be anything good given her state when we found her."
"Zayn's right. We should wait until the fae wakes up. I'm exhausted and can't think straight right now, so I'm going to take a much needed nap while we wait." Ezra leans back further into his seat, propping his legs up on the coffee table just as the words leave his mouth. Within seconds, he's fast asleep, a light snore breaking the silence of the otherwise quiet room. I shake my head, amazed how he can fall asleep in such a little amount of time.
Nix sits up and downs the rest of his coffee, ignoring the fact that it's still scalding hot. "Alright, then. Well, I'm going to do shit. Other shit that doesn't include sitting on my ass, waiting. I'll be outside."
He shoots off the couch and is out the door in seconds. Being a shifter of all sorts, it's not unusual for him to want to be surrounded by nature, but his mannerisms seem...off? He's never been in that much of a rush to leave the house before. The only other time was this morning. What the hell is he up to?
Spencer slowly heaves himself from his seat, setting his mug on the coffee table. "I'm going to catch a few more z's too. Fate knows I'm not used to being awake so early. If I'm not awake by the time the fae wakes up, force me up, or I'll sleep through the entire day."
I nod and give him a knowing smile, then watch him head to his room. The entire house is cloaked in silence - save for Ezra's increasingly loud snores - so detecting a noise in Nix's room is easy enough to hear, even without my excellent hearing. The sound is faint, like wood gliding across wood. Could that be the window?
I sit and listen. There's a thud, the faint wood moving against wood again, and a deep voice muttering, "Motherfucker." A voice that belongs to Nix. Why the hell is he trying to climb through his own damn window?
I lift myself from my chair, and, on silent feet, I briskly walk to his room. I open the door without making a noise and poke my head into the room. The fae lies in the same position we left her, curled around the comforter with her hands gripping the fabric in an iron grip. I then swing my head towards the window, finding it open, but no Nix. I search the room with a narrowed gaze. I know he's in here. The window wasn't open when we left the fae here, and I know I heard him.
The fae shivers and cuddles further into the bed, tugging the comforter higher over her shoulders so only her head pokes out. I move towards the window to shut it and flip the lock. The sound of paws tapping against wooden flooring sounds behind me, and I can tell Nix is trying to be quiet. I subtly take a peek into his mind, only to have to stifle a laugh when I hear his thoughts.
Why the hell did I change into an animal with claws, for fuck’s sake? Better yet, why aren't claws quieter on wooden flooring? Obviously, stealth isn't compatible with claws. Wait... why is he just standing there like a statue? He's not even looking outside. Is he... Oh shit. Hi, Zayn.
I turn with a grin plastered on my face, only to find Nix in the form of a Fennec Fox. His fur is white as snow, instead of the usual tan and white colouring most Fennec Foxes have. His blue eyes stand out more against his fur, and his fluffy tail swishes as he watches me. I don't know how he does it, but even in his small fox form, he looks as sheepish as he would as a man.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't see you here to save you the embarrassment. But seriously? Climbing through your own window? I question your intelligence sometimes," I whisper, snickering quietly when the little fox rolls his eyes at me. I mean, it’s his room. He could have just walked straight in here, and we wouldn’t have questioned him. He narrows his eyes at me, and a thought spills into my head.
Don't you dare tell Spencer and Ezra, or I'll chew the shit out of all your shoes.
"Consider me warned. Try not to wake the fae, though. She needs her rest. And if I assume correctly, you'll be staying here for the remainder of your time, so I suppose you can alert us when she wakes up." I give him half a grin before heading towards the door, bending slightly to give the fox a scratch on his head.
Just before I leave the room, I catch Nix jumping onto the bed and curling into a ball on the pillow next to the fae's head. I guess he's feeling the bond harder than the rest of us. It would make sense given his shifter nature. Mating bonds are always strongest with shifters. Seeing as though Nix is, in a sense, a jack of all trades, it must have been a little more difficult to leave the fae alone. Being able to turn into more than one animal would give his mating senses a stronger pull, I'm sure. Well, given that I'm right, and the tether she created really is a mating bond.
Naturals all have a mating bond of some sort, except for demons. I’ve never heard of a demon with a mating bond, and Ezra has never mentioned it before, so I assume they’re the only race without the ability to forge a bond like that.
I shut the door with a soft click of the latch and head to my room. Instead of catching up on sleep like the others, I move towards the large wall length bookshelf that lines the right side of my room. I scour the large collection I've accumulated over the years and spot the one I'm looking for. It's a very thick book, one on the various types of Naturals. Like a Supernatural Thesaurus. It contains species that have long been extinct, tales of Naturals that were said to roam the Earth but had never been documented, and the lists of Naturals that currently exist.
I pull the book from the shelf and head to my desk, placing the book down with care. The book is ancient, the cover and spine tattered and scuffed in places. The pages are worn and yellowing, the crisp paper fragile and easy to tear. Thanks to the witch who owned the book before me, there's a spell in place that keeps the entire book together. The book won't break, regardless of how easily breakable it looks. The witch also spelled the book to automatically add new species when they appear or adjust entries when a species dies out. I'm in possession of the only book in the world that holds the entire history of species of Naturals. It wasn't cheap, but after living for so long and accumulating a great deal of money, it was worth every penny I spent on it.
I flick through the pages, taking care in every turn of the paper despite knowing it won’t break. I stop when I reach the section I'm looking for. It's the section that appeared five years ago when all the fae disappeared. I skim the page, running over the words I've read a hundred times since then. The last paragraph gives me pause as it has every other time I've read this very passage:
'And so a new story begins. The prophesied will return, a being born of life and death, who lives with the earth and spirits. With the return of the blessed being will bring the hope for supernaturals of all kinds, for the last fae will hold the only chance of survival. Our only chance at salvation.'
I pause, then reread the paragraph. The last fae? As far as we're aware, the last fae currently sleeps in the room across my own, tucked away in Nix's bed. Unless there are others that we don't know about. Perhaps many of them went into hiding, and fae aren't truly extinct. Just because they haven't been seen in five years, it’s not to say they're all gone.
My eyebrows furrow in confusion, and I carefully close the book, resting my hand on the front cover. If the race of the fae has been diminished, and the only living fae resides in Nix's room, would that mean this passage is about her? Is she
the being born of life and death? But what could that possibly mean? Life and death, earth and spirit. I’ve been around for decades, ten years short of a century, but that doesn’t make sense to me. We need answers, fast. As much as I'd like the fae to take all the time she needs to rest, I really hope she wakes soon, so I get the answers I need.
Chapter 4
Novia
I wake up slowly, my eyelids feeling like they're made of sandpaper and my mouth as dry as cotton. Dread pools heavily in my stomach with the prospect that I'm going to wake up to see my family and friends still lying in their cages, lifeless eyes wide open and mouths parted in shock just before they died. I squeeze my eyes tighter and pull the comforter closer to my chest, the warmth comforting me instantly.
Wait, what?
My eyes fly open, and I suck in a sharp intake of air. Where the hell am I? Panic begins to sharpen my mind when I don't recognise anything in the room I'm in. The walls are coloured a soft beige, with shelves filled with a random assortment of knick-knacks. There's a desk against the wall opposite the bed, stacked books, papers, and stationary. This obviously isn't my cell, and it clearly doesn't look like a prison. In fact, the room feels kind of homey and lived in.
The curtains are open, showing the beginnings of a sunset. I wrack my brain, trying to conjure my most recent memories. I had escaped the facility, and I was running through the forest but Davis caught up to me, and... was there a waterfall? I think I jumped. Did that really happen?
Slowly, I move the comforter away from me and go to check my left shoulder for the dart I vaguely remember Davis shooting me with. When I look down, my body is covered in a large dark grey shirt. With furrowed eyebrows, I move the neckline over slightly until it falls off my left shoulder, and I check the bare skin that shows. Sure enough, there's a small mark embedded into my shoulder where the dart used to be. That would mean I really did jump off the cliff. How didn't I die, then? How could I still be alive? That jump should have killed me, without a doubt. That was no small waterfall I’d jumped into.
