When I open my eyes, it’s still dark outside. It takes more effort than usual for me to slide into a sitting position. My entire body aches as if I ran a marathon without any preparation, but the unbearable pain in my chest is gone. Everything else I can handle.
My eyes scan the dark room as I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand. After flicking on a lamp, I wander the perimeter of the room, never having had the chance outside of my dream to see what it looks like. I shouldn’t care, but I’m curious. I squint and wobble over to the bookshelves lining one wall. I run my finger along the spines and glance out the windows that cover the far wall, looking out over the city from a magnificent height. Everything is neat and simple. There’s nothing else that expresses Tristan’s personality out in the open. A pang of sadness grows in my stomach. I wonder if he’s this closed-off with Max and Skylar. I hope not. Everyone needs people to share things with, even a fae leader.
Once I’ve finished exploring, I grab the blanket off the bed. Wrapping it around myself to try to keep warm, I slip out of the room. The black silk trails behind me like a train as I pad down the hallway in search of Tristan. I stop at the only other door in the hallway, and poke my head inside to find him sitting behind a desk.
He glances up the moment I open the door and watches me walk into the room. “You should be sleeping,” he says in a hushed tone.
“I woke up.” I approach his desk. He changed out of his formal attire into a black T-shirt and slacks. I rub at my temples, wanting to close my eyes against the light beside him.
Tristan rises and walks around the desk, making me turn so I continue to face him. “Are you in pain?” The concern is so clear on his face, I’m shocked. It looks like he cares. He does, a voice at the back of my mind sings.
I shrug. “A little. Nothing compared to earlier, though. I’m fine.”
“Will you let me help you?”
My forehead creases. “Okay.” Apprehension rings loud in my voice.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. No more needles.” The unease in my chest lets up.
He lifts his hand, and I find myself stepping toward him. He cups the side of my face, and my skin tingles with a familiar warmth as the aching in my body melts away under his touch. My eyes travel over his face—his soft, focused eyes; his strong jaw and the stubble that shadows it; his lips . . . My gaze gets stuck there too long. I watch the corner of his mouth twitch, and I realize he’s no longer touching my cheek.
“How’s that?” His voice makes me shift my eyes upward.
Clearing my throat, I say, “Better. Thank you.”
He nods, and the weirdest part is, I can feel the relief shimmer through him. He’s glad I’m okay. I don’t know how I know that, but—
. . . there could be unforeseen side effects . . .
My hand flies to my mouth as my wide eyes meet Tristan’s blazing gaze. He’s realized what just happened.
“Holy shit,” I breathe, my hand falling to my side.
He licks his lips. “I suppose this evens the playing field a bit,” he muses, his brows shifting closer together.
“I can feel you.”
He nods. “A gift from your fae ancestors, I’d guess. I wasn’t sure what my blood would do, but it seems to have stirred a bit of magic in you.”
“Magic? Hold the hell up. Am I fae now?” He looks like he’s trying not to laugh, and I smack his arm. “Well, I don’t know!”
“You can relax. You’re not fae.”
I can still feel the light amusement coursing through him. My eyes flicker across his face as his emotions become more subdued.
His eyes narrow a fraction. “I think that’s enough for now.”
I arch a brow. “Says the guy that’s been able to read my emotions since day one. Sucks to be on the other side, doesn’t it?”
He chuckles. “If you’d like to know what I’m feeling, Aurora, I have no problem sharing that with you.”
I shake my head. “This is too weird.”
“Does the connection bother you?”
“Not right now.” I purse my lips. “How long is this going to last?”
He shrugs. “This isn’t something I’ve experienced before. A human being able to feel what I’m feeling. It’s as new to me as it is to you, I’m afraid.”
I release a breath and shoot him a smile. “Lucky us.”
He tweaks my chin. “Look at it this way. At least you’re not stuck feeling Max’s emotions. He tends to keep them locked up tight, but depending on the day, when he makes them known, it’s no fun for anyone.”
I groan. The thought of being connected to Max makes me shudder. “Ugh, I hate when you’re right.”
His laugh is a deep sound that booms throughout the room. It’s genuine. I know that with a fresh certainty I feel in my chest. This reading emotions thing could get dangerous.
I glance over at his desk. “What are you doing up so late?”
His eyes flicker across my face in the dim light. “I spoke to Allison while you were asleep. She knows you’re okay. I don’t take what happened tonight lightly. I will find out who is behind this, and there will be consequences.” The tang of anger radiating from him makes me frown. I miss the light emotions he was giving off a few minutes ago.
“You think it was one of your fae?” I ask, masking my surprise at his reaction to the situation. I’m not fae—not his to protect.
“No, I know it wasn’t.”
“Then I’m not sure why you think—”
His anger rises, but his calm and collected expression holds. If I weren’t privy to his emotions, I wouldn’t notice the shift. “They won’t get away with harming you, Aurora. Whoever ordered this action knows you’re significant. That’s why it happened.”
I swallow. “I don’t understand why.”
“Don’t be naive.” His breath tickles my cheek, a reminder of how close he is. “You know I care about you.” The worry and attraction swirling inside him become muddled, making my head spin. I need to figure out a way to turn this off.
Swallowing, I say, “I’m not naive. I knew there was something, or you would’ve figured out another way to approach the situation after you couldn’t wipe my memories.” I shrug, still pretty drowsy. “And I—” I clamp my mouth shut before I say anything. I’m not sure what I was going to say, considering my mind is still caught on the whole I care about you thing. “I understand,” I say. If I can feel his emotions right now, he can feel mine. I don’t have to to say it back.
“Good.”
I shake my head. “Not good.” My throat tingles as if I’m going to hurl. My stomach feels heavy, and my pulse is uneven. “Someone wants me dead.” The words have to fight to make it through the chattering of my teeth. Clenching my jaw to try to make it stop, I watch Tristan’s eyes focus on my face.
“Aurora, you’re okay.”
My eyes sting as I hold back tears, gripping the blanket around me tighter. It’s all too much. I can feel my heartbeat in my throat as black spots dance across my line of sight, and my ears ring. The light fae want to kill me; Tristan is acting . . . not like the Tristan I’ve come to tolerate; Allison is putting herself in danger; my brother has cancer again, and I can’t even think about school.
“Hey.” His smooth, certain voice brings me back from the edge. His hand is on my shoulder. “Breathe.”
I stare at him, and he nods.
“Take a deep breath for me, Rory.”
Rory. I say it over in my head. That’s new.
I inhale, and all I can smell is him. Fresh, warm . . . comforting.
“Good girl,” he praises. “Now again.”
I hold his gaze, standing so close I can count his eyelashes. The pressure in my chest eases, and my throat isn’t so tight I can’t breathe. My grip on the blanket loosens as I exhale again, and my pulse returns to a normal pace.
His eyes flick back and forth across my face. “Okay?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “I’m good,” I say, placing my hand over where his still rests on my shoulder. “Thank you.”
His lips curl into the most genuine smile I’ve ever seen from him when he lets his hand fall back to his side. “How are you feeling now? Are you up for a late dinner?”
“What were you thinking? I don’t eat, uh, emotions.”
“Though you seem to be enjoying the fact you can sense mine.” He licks his bottom lip. “Anything you want, name it. I don’t have to feed on emotions all the time, just enough to keep me alive. I can feed once a week, and it’s plenty. That’s to say, I eat human food, too.”
I catch my lower lip between my teeth. “You never talk about it.”
“About what?”
“Feeding. Being fae.”
His forehead creases. “I wasn’t aware you wanted to hear about it.”
My cheeks heat. “I’m saying you can talk about it. It’s not going to freak me out.” I need to stop talking.
His eyes lighten as pleasant surprise flares through the new bond we share. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Oh-kay.” The word comes out more like two words.
He tilts his head. “You’re quite the human.”
There goes my pulse again. “Did you just meet me?”
He chuckles. “It feels like I’ve known you much longer.”
That brings an unexpected smile to my lips. “Yeah, I guess you’re not so terrible yourself.”
“All right, smart mouth. Let’s see what we can find in the kitchen.”
I drape the blanket over a chair and follow him out of the office.
Tonight is not going how I thought it would.
It’s been a week and a half since Tristan saved my life and showed me a different side to the fae leader I’ve been dealing with. I still think about it every day. I go to class and think about him. I sit in my room doing homework and think about him; there aren’t many times I’m not thinking about him. I have no idea what to do, so I’ve decided to avoid it—and by it, I mean Tristan. As much as possible. He’s respected me and stayed out of my dreams, but when I’m awake, I’m never sure when I’m going to see him.
As the days pass, fewer and fewer of his emotions seep through. The ones that do are a mixture of worry, anger, and uncertainty, as if maybe he’s trying to figure something out. It’s rare he feels anything light or warm. Considering the constant pressure he’s under, it’s understandable.
One day, I can’t sense his emotions at all. Part of me is relieved, but hell, it was interesting knowing I had a leg up on at least one of his fae abilities for a handful of days. Oh, well. I’ll take being human over being able to read emotions any day. Even with the absence of his emotions, I still think about him way too much.
At the hotel on Monday, I almost kiss Skylar when she tells me Tristan is out of the office all day. I don’t because I value my life, but the heavy sense of relief that pours over me is borderline embarrassing.
“Tristan wanted to talk to you about something,” she says.
I hesitate before asking, “What . . . uh, what did he want to talk to me about?”
“Westbrook Inc. hosts a charity gala every year, and he wants you to spearhead the planning of the event.”
“Are you serious?” Excitement bubbles through me. An event like this would look amazing on my resume.
She gives me a look.
“Wow. I mean, this is awesome. I would love to.” I make a mental note to text Allison when I get a break. We’re going out for drinks tonight to celebrate. Our friendship has been somewhat strained lately with the whole Evan thing, but there’s no one I’d rather toast to this new opportunity with.
“Great.” She feigns enthusiasm. “You’ll be working with me. Max is also on the gala committee along with several other employees, but I’m sure that won’t be a problem, right?”
“Right,” I answer, my voice more uptight than normal. “When do we start?”
“Now, and it’s going to take more than your one day a week here. Can you make that work?”
“Of course. My Friday class finishes at noon, so I’ll come here right after, and I can do some evenings and weekends, too.”
“Good,” she says before handing me a list. “This is everything we have to do.”
I scan the paper until the words blur. “Sure. When is the event?”
“A month tomorrow,” she answers.
“That’s soon.”
“You can read a calendar. Good for you. Let’s get to work.”
After a couple of hours, Skylar announces she’s leaving for the day, and Max takes her place on the other side of the table. He’s dressed in more casual attire than I’m used to seeing around here. He’s wearing a navy blue collared shirt with a loosely knotted tie and black jeans.
“You’re still alive, I see,” he says after sitting across from me.
I force a smile. “Looks like it.”
“What’s keeping you around, blondie?” he asks, raking a hand through the mop of hair on his head.
“Uh, my education,” I answer. “I need this to graduate.”
“You don’t need the dozens of extra hours this charity event will give you.”
“Maybe I enjoy doing something for a good cause. Or maybe I like working here.”
“Really?” he inquires with an amused expression.
I shrug. “Yeah. Do you hate me or something? Are you still mad you didn’t get to kill me?”
Max laughs. “I don’t get to have a lot of fun around here, so I find entertainment in screwing with you. You’re such an easy target.”
I stare at him, scowling. “You’re such a child. I’ve been working my ass off around here for a while now, and you’ve treated me like shit since the beginning.” I stand and walk out of the room, leaving my belongings behind. I need some air—I need to take a break so I don’t attack Max and get my ass handed to me. Stepping off the elevator into the lobby, I offer Marisa a quick wave on my way to the door.
“Aurora, come here,” she calls after me, so I turn and walk to the reception desk.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“You look pissed. I didn’t think Mr. Westbrook was in the office today.”
I laugh. As agitated as I am, Marisa is good at making me feel better. “Yeah, he’s not.” Which is making avoiding him a bit easier. “It’s Max.”
“Ugh, he’s a major dick. All the time.”
“Tell me about it.” I sigh.
“Remember when you told me you play piano?”
I nod.
She glances around as if to make sure no one is overhearing our exchange. “I saw some movers bring a piano into the ballroom.” She points to a hallway off of the lobby. “The double doors at the end of the hall. You can’t miss it.”
“You can’t be serious,” I say, my fingers already itching to play.
She grins. “It’ll make you feel better.” She drops a key on the counter. “No one else is in there. Go take a break and relax.”
“Thank you.” I grab the key and head for the ballroom before I can talk myself out of it. I hurry down the hallway as if I’m about to be caught doing something I shouldn’t.
After unlocking the door and closing it behind me, I take in the room. It’s elegant: gold walls, high ceilings, over-the-top chandeliers. The marble floor is so smooth it makes me want to lie on it and stare at the twinkling lights. My eyes land on the piano, and I suck in a breath as I walk over to it. It’s the most amazing piano I’ve ever seen. I can see my reflection in the glossy black finish. I lift the lid that covers the keys; they look as if they’ve never been touched. I run my fingers along them without pressing any and then sit on the bench. With a breath, forcing the tension out of my system, I put my fingers to the keys again. I can lose myself in the music. That’s what convinced me to come in here. A part of me is worried I’ll get caught, but the other part doesn’t care.
I wrote a song the last time I went home for a weekend. I don’t know where it came from, but the lyrics flew through me. As my fingers graze the keys, I sing, keeping in tune with the soft, deep key of the song that matches the lyrics.
He’s an unstable bomb
He makes me feel wrong
He makes me feel right
But that’s not for tonight
By the middle of the song, I’m belting it out with thick emotion laced in every word.
I hate that I wrote this damn song, but even more, I hate that it’s about him.
He shows his soft side
And will start to confide
But then makes a huge mess
Of the life I have left
The song comes to a close. Eyes shut and my hands in my lap, I sit there, taking several deep breaths before I open them again.
Clapping sounds behind me, shooting a wicked shiver up my spine, and I freeze.
“Boundaries mean nothing to you, do they?” Tristan’s amused voice carries through the empty room and latches onto my heart, sending it racing.
I scowl and turn to look at him. “You’re one to talk.”
He approaches at the same time I stand from the bench. Leaning against the side of the piano, I try to pull off a casual stance that fails epically. Damn. I need to get better at this shit.
“I own this hotel, Aurora, therefore nowhere is out of bounds for me.”
I roll my eyes. “Because that’s what I meant,” I respond dryly.
“I didn’t know you could play,” he comments, glancing at the piano.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“Duly noted. That song you were playing, did you write it?”
My cheeks flush, and I want to look away. By the smug grin tugging at his lips, I can tell he already knows. “Yeah.”
“I like it.”
I rock back on my heels, wishing I could use that fae shifting trick to get the hell out of this room, away from his gaze. “Uh, thanks.”
“Max said you took off. What happened?”
I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter now. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Do I need to be concerned?”
“If there were reason to be concerned, you would know. What are you doing here? Skylar said you’d be gone all day.”
“All right,” he concedes. “I had business to attend to this morning, but my afternoon meetings got canceled, so I came back. Care to join me for lunch?”
I sigh, shaking my head because hell yes I want to, but I shouldn’t. “Tristan.”
“Aurora,” he levels.
“I’m not sure what you think you’re doing when it comes to me, but—”
He closes the distance between us in a second, stopping just before he presses me against the piano. “Neither do I,” he says on an exhale.
When I don’t balk, he takes another step and creates a cage with his arms. “But when we’re close, your heartbeat kicks up, your cheeks flush, and best of all, you get this look in your eyes, and I never know if you’re going to smack me or let me closer.”
“Depends on the day,” I say without thinking.
He chuckles. “How’s today looking?”
My eyes narrow. “Not great.” I’ve gotten good at saying the exact opposite of what the voice in my head is screaming. She wants me to wrap myself around him and never let go, which is why I shove that voice away and force out the safe answer.
“Is that so?” he inquires.
I tilt my head back so I can look him in the eyes. “You want to get closer to me?”
His eyes darken. “Hmm.”
“Okay, then tell me what’s going on. Was that meeting this morning about the light fae?”
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he says, ignoring what I asked.
I shoot him a look. “I have not. Quit evading my questions.”
“Quit evading me,” he counters.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I look away. “I’ve been busy.”
“You’re spiraling, Rory,” he murmurs. “I don’t want you to worry about the light fae. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
My mouth goes dry. If I could speak, I have no idea what I’d say. I’d rather know I can protect myself, but his reassurance that my safety means something makes it hard to keep convincing myself he’s the bad guy. Maybe he’s not the bad guy anymore . . .
“During the meeting this morning, I was informed that a female by the name of Danielle was the light fae who poisoned you.”
I have to swallow more than once before I say, “What? No. She’s in my program. We study together. Hell, she bought me—” Oh my god. The coffee. “She poisoned my coffee,” I whisper.
He nods. “She confessed. I’m sorry.” I can’t feel his emotions anymore, but the furrow of his brows and downturn of his lips tells me enough. He’s upset that I’m upset.
“But why?” I ask in a small voice.
“I had Max spend some time with her to see whether he could find out. All he gathered is that she felt bitter toward you because of something her leader said. Jules is always screwing with people, so I’m not surprised.”
“Max?” The idea of him doing something to help me—it’s almost unfathomable. “What would Jules have to say about me?”
“We don’t know. Danielle stopped talking after she told Max about Jules, so she’s been dealt with.” I knew what that meant. I wouldn’t see Danielle in class anymore.
Tears gather in my eyes. “Max killed her.” It isn’t a question.
Tristan nods, his back straight, as if my being upset is making him uncomfortable. “Would you have liked me to spare her?”
My whole body tenses. “I couldn’t make that call.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to. I told you—I will protect my people.”
My eyes widen, and heat rises in my cheeks. “If your blood activated some weird magic inside of me, why didn’t the fae poison she tried to kill me with do anything like that?” I’m almost pissed at myself for not thinking about it sooner, but in my defense, I’ve been doing my best to try to forget that night.
He presses his lips together. “You remember the black veins under your skin? From what I found out, those appeared as your body tried to fight the poison off, but because you’re human, it didn’t work.”
I sigh. “This is so messed up. Do you think the light fae are going to come after me again?”
“I’m handling this.” He lowers his voice. “I’m not going to let you get hurt.” His fiery gaze burns into me, making my pulse race as his words terrify me and bring me comfort at the same time. Nothing makes sense right now.
“I told Skylar I would work on the charity gala with her and Max,” I say, looking away. “I should get back to work.” I drop my gaze to his arm, and he lets it fall to his side. Then I hurry out of the room before he can say anything else.