Touch (Touched by the Fae Book 3)

by Jessica Lynch

  “We need a nurse, stat,” calls out Amy, her voice going from apprehensive yet genial to business-like in an instant. “The doctor is down. Frankie, go find Nurse Pritchard. Someone has to check on him.”

  A familiar blonde female works her way through the small crowd. I gulp as it seems to part, letting her through.

  I slink further away, hoping that the shadows do their job.

  “Allow me,” purrs Diana as she pushes past the final two techs ahead of her.

  Her golden fae eyes flash as she spies Gillespie on the floor, and I’m the only one in the room who notices.

  Welp. That’s my cue to get the hell out of here.

  Clutching my prized necklace tight in my fist, I slip even further into the shadows and let them finally guide me home.

  10

  I stumble on the landing. I don’t fall, though, reaching out to steady myself against the couch as I pop into existence.

  I did it.

  I fucking did it.

  Gillespie’s necklace is clutched in my other hand. As Callie jumps up from her place on the other end of the couch, her eyes widening as she squeaks out her mate’s name, I hold it up.

  The pink crystal shimmers in the weak lamplight, throwing sparkles across the floor.

  “Riley, are you okay? We were so worried!” Callie is holding onto her phone, the twin to the one I left behind in the pocket of my hoodie. She tightens her grip on it. “You didn’t call. We thought you were in trouble!”

  Ash comes striding into the living room, his tawny hair streaming behind him as he glides in that eerily perfect way that the fae have. “Callie. She’s here now. It’s alright. Let her breathe.”

  “Two days,” she squeaks. “Almost three. What happened?”

  I’m stuck between the two of them, Callie on my right, Ash floating in on my left. All these weeks spent living with my parents and I’m still not used to being around them—or how much worry, concern, and affection is coming off them both.

  I knew that my being missing would freak them out. Popping into the asylum was supposed to be an in-and-out mission. Of course, Gillespie changed all that.

  I shove that all behind me. My whole life, I’ve been a pro at compartmentalizing. Don’t want to deal with it? Shove it in the back of my mind and promise that I’ll deal with it later.

  If there’s one thing I learned about having parents again for the first time since I was fifteen, it’s that Callie and Ash are going to be after me to tell them where I went and what happened while I was gone.

  Later.

  I’ll do that later.

  Wrapping the twine around my glove, tucking the nail and the seeing stone out of sight, I turn to my right—to Callie—and hold out the crystal.

  “Is this it? Please, tell me this is it.”

  We all know what my mission was about. Callie hesitates for a second, as if appraising the Brinkburn is the last of her worries, but she must have picked up on the urgency in my tone because she meets me halfway.

  She extends her free hand, letting the crystal nestle on top of three fingers. Peering closely, she squints a little, seeing through any kind of glamour that’s protecting this stupid thing.

  Finally, she nods.

  I take it back from Callie before thrusting it at Ash. “Here—”

  My graceful, ethereal father actually stumbles back, throwing his hands up as if protecting himself.

  “Ash? What are you doing?”

  “You know I can’t take that.”

  “Sorry, sorry!”

  I cradle the necklace against my chest, moving it as far away from him as possible. What was I thinking? How could I forget?

  During my training, when Ash was teaching me about portals, he also told me about the Brinkburn itself. When he first said that he couldn’t touch the stone, he meant it. The point of the stone or the crystal or whatever the hell it is is that it has the power to neutralize fae magic. With another power, it can cancel out Melisandre’s spell and bring Nine back to me. But if Ash touched it? It might just neutralize him.

  I asked him what that meant. As far as I knew, the only thing that affected the fae was iron. Ash, unsurprisingly, changed the subject. The matter was closed after that.

  There was one tiny upside to being locked away. Because I purposely didn’t want to think about the mess I was in, I focused on things that I needed to understand.

  Like the Brinkburn.

  Gillespie is a halfling. No doubt about that since I saw the points of his ears. Like I’m supposed to be able to, he can wield this powerful crystal. I mean, hell, he wore it around his neck. That’s some cockiness right there.

  Makes sense to me, though. The more I thought about it, the more I had to accept that the crystal can do everything that Ash promised. And you know why? Because Gillespie is a halfling. He never should’ve been able to push past the iron and salt barrier that was strong enough to keep me trapped.

  Unless he had a magical stone that neutralized fae magic.

  Like I do now.

  Here goes nothing.

  I still don’t know what it was that broke the paralysis spell on my parents. I have my suspicions about that, too, and I hope like hell I’m wrong. No time to worry about that right now, though.

  Reaching up on my tip-toes, I widen the necklace as far as it goes before lowering it over Nine’s head. I take a deep breath, say a fervent prayer, and let it fall so that the Brinkburn settles over his chest just like Ash explained ages ago.

  For a heartbeat, nothing happens. Then, to my surprise—despite my dad warning me how it would work—the pale pink stone starts to glow. A shot of pure white light jumps out of the crystal before arcing and streaking outward like a contained firework.

  It all happens so fast after that.

  Nine’s body goes boneless. As soon as he collapses, I drop to my knees and pull the necklace off of him. The nail gets tangled in his long, dark hair. I quickly unthread it from the thick strands. Once I have the whole necklace free, I pull it over my head, tucking the charms under the blue nurses’ scrubs.

  He’s not a statue anymore.

  Is he alive?

  Yes.

  His chest rises and falls. Even though his eyes are still clamped shut, I run my hand along his cheek. Cool, but not chilly. His skin is soft, too; no longer is he hard as stone.

  I shudder out a breath.

  Now all I have to do is wait for him to wake up again.

  I don’t want to leave him alone, but I’m also extremely aware that it’s been way too long since I’ve changed my panties, had a shower, or even brushed my teeth. My hair’s a disaster and I had to trade my comfy jeans and my hoodie for shapeless scrubs to placate my bastard doctor.

  Nine deserves better than that.

  So, as soon as I’ve changed into my own clothes and my mouth is minty fresh and clean, I hurry back into the living room. One quick look reveals that Nine hasn’t moved an inch while I was gone.

  I meet Callie’s gaze. She was the one who told me that my Shadow Man would be okay while I took a few minutes for myself. Now that I’m back, she nods and shares a smile before moving away from him, allowing me to take her place next to Nine.

  He sleeps for more than an hour. I keep checking to see if his chest is moving, ready and willing to pull the Brinkburn back out if that’ll do something. That’s my last resort. Since Nine is no longer a statue—no longer under Melisndre’s spell—I don’t want to let the necklace get too close to him in case it hurts him instead.

  Why won’t he wake up?

  I remind myself that the same thing happened with Ash. Because of the shadow travel, he was too weak to wake up as soon as Callie did. It’s still light out. The clock reads that it’s after six o’clock. Thanks to daylight saving time, I’ve got a couple of more hours before the sun goes down and, hopefully, the moonlight revives him.

  Luckily, I don’t have to wait that long.

  A few minutes past seven, Nine’s otherworldly silve
r eyes spring open. Like with Ash, he goes from entirely out of commission to running on all cylinders in seconds. It must be a fae thing. He’ll never show any weakness so, even though he probably has no idea where he is or what’s going on, he immediately adopts an expression of disdain mixed with utter lack of interest.

  And then his gaze lands on me and everything changes.

  He goes from lying on his back to crouching on his knees in front of me in a heartbeat. His actions are so fast, so fluid, that I totally wasn't expecting it. I shriek, suddenly falling, only to be saved by his hand

  Nine lets go of me the instant that I’m steady again.

  Resting on his heels, an unnamed emotion tugging at his lips, my Shadow Man only has eyes for me as he stares. His pointed ears twitch, his slender fingers digging into the hardwood floor as if he’s itching to reach for me again, but won’t let himself give in to the impulse.

  “Riley…” His voice is just the same as I remember. Lyrical. Beautiful. But there’s also that harsh edge that’s undeniably Nine, and the barely constrained disappointment that I did something wrong. “What did you do to me?”

  Not the greeting I expected. “What do you mean, what did I do? I saved you.”

  “I’m in the Iron.” It’s not a question. Throwing a searching look at me, Nine straightens, his signature duster barely wafting behind him as he rips his gaze away from my annoyed scowl before heading straight for the window at the other end of the living room.

  The blinds are drawn. He jerks them open, cracking the two slats he yanked, letting the last of the daylight stream in.

  He’s not a vampire, but I’ve seen him get caught in a stray sunbeam before. It’s like when he grabbed me without my permission. It burns him. Sure, he heals almost immediately, but as he shoves his pale hand in the sunlight, nothing seems to happen.

  I gulp, my scowl fading into an openly worried expression.

  Uh-oh.

  Nine steps back. He marvels at his hand, twisting it back and forth, showing off his skin. There’s a mild streak of red, almost like sunburn, but it’s nothing compared to the fire that used to scorch his flesh.

  “How long has it been?”

  I… I don’t know.

  “Tell me.”

  “A while,” I confess. “I lost track. But it’s been a while.”

  “It’s been too long. I have to go back. As soon as night falls, I have to take a portal back to Faerie. It’s the only thing I can do.”

  From off to my left, I hear a click as a door closes. I search the room.

  Ash and Callie are gone.

  She probably dragged him out of the room so that I could have some privacy with Nine. I appreciate it at the same time as I wish they would’ve stayed behind me to offer me moral support.

  Spinning back, I cringe when I see the dark look in Nine’s normally silver eyes. His black eyebrows are a pair of slashes in his astonishingly beautiful face, a terrible expression that only highlights how incredible he is.

  This is not what I was expecting out of our reunion. To Nine, he’s only been gone for seconds. But to me? I’ve spent weeks worried about him, pushing myself farther than I ever had because I had one goal: to bring Nine back.

  I spent days in a glorified closet. I remember every fucking second of what it was like to be trapped in that room, forced to talk to Gillespie, terrified that I’d never see Nine or my parents again.

  I touched that creepy bastard.

  And Nine has the balls to look at me like I’ve done something wrong.

  Maybe I was too impatient. As a statue, it’s not like he would’ve known if I waited a few more hours before I tried to bring him back with the Brinkburn. I haven't eaten enough. Lord knows I could use a shower and a nap.

  I hadn’t cared, though. The second I stumbled back into our apartment in Newport, I had to know if everything I went through was worth it. If the crystal shattered the spell on Nine, if I saved him, I could get past it all—I just needed my Shadow Man.

  And all he wants to do is leave.

  His explanations are worthless. I can barely hear them over the pulse of blood in my head, and the breaking of my heart.

  “I’ll never survive here. The sun… it’s not made for my kind. And the iron… I can feel it around me already. Weakening me. Stealing my strength. I won’t be able to protect you anymore. Don’t you see?”

  “What did you expect me to do?” I snap. “Leave you behind? Leave you with her?”

  Nine reaches for me, his burned hand heading toward my cheek, pausing when a few inches still linger between us. He pulls back, and sighs. “Shadow—”

  That name.

  That name.

  “Don’t call me that.”

  He nods. “I understand.”

  Does he?

  I want to launch myself at him. Throw myself into his arms, let him touch me while I’m pressing my skin against his, my lips against his. Was that kiss a fluke? Did I imagine his whole claiming me in front of the queen and her court?

  I think I left that Nine behind in Faerie. Because this Nine? There’s something in the set of his jaw, the dark look in his silver gaze that has me feeling like I’m a kid again and I’ve upset my Shadow Man.

  The scoff escapes me. It’s either that or a sob. “And I’m not asking you to protect me, Nine.”

  His lips thin. “That’s my duty.”

  Right. His duty all because of a bargain he made with my mother more than twenty years ago.

  “Callie told me all about it. About how the Fae Queen sent her soldiers after me, and how she used your debt to my father to trick you into agreeing to watch over me. Well, in case you haven’t noticed it yet, my… my parents are back. You don’t have to do your duty anymore, okay?”

  “A human could never trick a fae.”

  Of course that’s what the Dark Fae took away from everything I just said.

  “Whatever.”

  “Riley—”

  This is the night in the cemetery all over again. When his honesty was too much for me and I couldn't take it.

  I sent him away then.

  This time, I don’t. I can't.

  Because I know—I know—that if I push Nine away this time, if I tell him to go away, there’s a good chance he won’t come back.

  I can’t do this. And when Nine reaches for me again, I pull back, dodging his fingers. I won’t give him the satisfaction of sending him away.

  I storm out of the apartment on my own instead.

  11

  “Riley, wait up.”

  Ah, come on. Nine sent my mother down here after me?

  I can’t believe this.

  Pretending I don’t hear her, I keep on walking, even picking up the pace. Sure, Callie is as human as I am—well, more, since I’m half—and the tech and the iron in the world around us doesn’t affect her even a little. Whether it’s day or night out, she can chase me all she wants and, as the pitter-patter of her light steps follow behind me, I’m willing to bet that that’s her plan.

  Back in March, back when Melisandre’s spell on her was first broken, she wouldn't have been able to. She’s gotten so much better lately. Once she realized that, as different as Newport is… as different as the world is… since she was captured and taken to Faerie, mostly everything around her was essentially the same at its core, she even started to take evening walks on her own.

  She said it was because she wanted to see just how much everything changed. I suspected it was because she had a hard time sitting around, fretting while Ash taught me maneuvers with his sword as he helped me plot how I was going to steal Gillespie’s necklace.

  Still, I know it’s not fair. The world overwhelms her, and Callie doesn’t like to be away from Ash for too long. There’s only one thing that would actually compel her to willingly leave on her own.

  Me.

  I turn the corner, picking up the pace, longing for the days when I could just go, even run from a cop if I wanted to, and know that no one would
be running after me.

  I went from being on my own to having a mom, a dad, and a mate who wants to leave me the first chance he gets.

  I scoff. Lucky me.

  Nine’s less than enthusiastic reaction is messing with me. Just because he’s basically taken my heart and put it through a paper shredder, that doesn’t mean that I should take it out on Callie. She’s been nothing but kind and supportive to me since I rescued her from Faerie.

  It’s not her fault that Nine’s being such a dick.

  I stop short, waiting for Callie to catch up to me. When I hear her soft pants, her breathing a little heavy since she had to jog to reach me in time, I place my hands on my hips.

  “What?”

  “Where are you going?”

  I grit my teeth to keep from snapping at her. Her question is almost innocent and, besides, if she wants to pretend that I’m not seconds away from losing it, so can I.

  Exhaling roughly through my nose, I say, “For a walk.”

  “By yourself? You just got back. Aren’t you hungry? Tired?” She pauses for a second, then totally blows her spot by adding, “Don’t you want to see your mate?”

  “Yes to the first. Yes to the second. That’s why I’m out here.” Lie. “I saw Nine. He’s fine. Now I want to get some food, get some sleep, and put this fucking day behind me.”

  Callie’s face screws up, torn between curiosity and sympathy. She doesn't know what I’ve been through—that’s on purpose—but she’d have to be way more optimistic than a fae-bonded human can be to think that I was missing for more than two days for a good reason.

  She doesn’t ask, probably because I already refused to talk about it before, and it’s not like that’s why she came running after me.

  And we both know it.

  She drops the pretenses just a little. Instead of bringing up my trip to Black Pine, she focuses right on my Shadow Man.