Touch (Touched by the Fae 3)

No?

He shakes his head, wincing slightly at the motion before stopping. His jaw tightens as he announces, “I forbid this mating. He can stay like he is. I won’t let him have my daughter.”

I almost don’t believe what I’m hearing. I’ve known this guy for… what? Like half an hour? And he thinks he’s going to separate me from Nine?

Callie tries to interject. “Ash—”

“I will not stand here and allow our daughter to bond herself to a Cursed One, fate or no fate. Ninetroir has always hated humans. He’d make her life miserable.”

Is he fucking serious?

For too many years, Nine was the only person in my life who cared about me. So he had a disdain for other humans. He never hid that. But he liked me. He loves me.

I’m beginning to wonder if it was a mistake, taking this hard-headed fae male with me when I fled from Melisandre.

Callie eases toward her mate, trying to calm him as if she can sense that he’s a walking timebomb and the fuse is already lit.

And then there’s me. I’m seconds away from exploding myself.

“Ash, sweetheart. You have to admit that that’s not the biggest problem we have at the moment. The queen’s soldiers came after our baby once before. Now that we’re home again, we have to focus on that.”

“She’s a shade-walker, and a good one. She has to be. Zella is right. Discounting our wards, the shadows would cover our trail. I have no idea how she knew to bring us here, but Melisandre won’t be able to trace it unless she touched her.”

Callie’s hand flies to her face, her fingers running nervously over her bottom lip. “Do you think she did?”

Okay. I’ve had enough of this. “Hey! Can you not talk about me like I’m not here?”

He goes on as if he didn’t hear me. “I can sense it on her skin. The possessive brand, the fae-touch… it belongs to Ninetroir. Zella is telling the truth. That’s the mark of a ffrindau.”

“Soul mate,” whispers my mom.

He jerks his head, an angry nod that has him wincing again a second later. He’s hiding it pretty well, but the shadows and the iron are still affecting him.

But that doesn’t stop him from reacting when Callie lowers her hand, hugging herself.

“So it’s done. Our baby is mated to the Dark Fae I gave her to. This is all my fault.”

Ash surges forward, wrapping Callie up in a comforting hug that sends a rush of mixed emotions through me.

“I swear to Oberon,” he vows solemnly, “I will end Ninetroir before I let him claim our child.”

Yup. This has gone way too far now.

Am I the only one who remembers that it’s the Fae Queen we should all be worrying about? Not the frozen Nine statue?

“Oh my God. Really? I am literally right here. Nine, too. In case you haven’t realized it by now, I chose to take him with us because he’s mine. I love him. How would you like it if someone tried to separate you two? Ash? Callie? Huh?”

Know what? I think I’ve finally got my point across.

At my purposeful use of their names, my mother winces. Too bad. I’m still coming to grips that these two are my parents after believing for my entire life that I didn’t have any. Between my abandonment issues and my panic disorder, they’re lucky that I’m not running from this apartment, screaming at them to get away from me. In the heat of the moment, I’ve finally decided that I should just call them by their names because, shit, mom and dad… I can’t.

Damn it.

Callie seems to understand, even if she doesn’t like it. “Of course. We’re sorry.” She lays her hand on the side of Ash’s throat. “Aren’t we?”

Ash, who was visibly bristling following my heated question, relaxes under Callie’s reassuring touch. He nods, then swallows roughly, his Adam’s apple rising and falling with the motion. He unscrews his jaw just enough to say, “Yes.”

The word seems like it’s been dragged out of him. At least I know it’s the truth.