It would be a lie to say the next month is any easier than before Adam’s death because it gets harder after the day of his memorial. Tensions are high with the dark and light fae so close to war. After I was attacked, Tristan explained that his meeting with Jules was unsuccessful in putting an end to the war. He said I was targeted because of my affiliation with the dark fae. Because of that, I now have one of the dark fae with me most of the time—including when I go home for Christmas break. It’s quite the sight, Skylar drinking hot chocolate in our kitchen with my parents. Either she’s an amazing actress, or she didn’t hate spending time with humans as much as she wants me to think.
Christmas is hard. Mom and Dad make an effort for me, I think, but it isn’t the same. We do the tree thing, open presents, and Dad cooks a turkey, but we go through the motions of celebrating as if we’re being forced to do it.
After the first real snowfall of the season, I drive over to the cemetery and clear off Adam’s stone. Kneeling in front of it for a while, I wish him a merry Christmas before I leave. I can never spend much time there. It still hurts too much.
I travel back to campus a few days later, unable to spend any more time in that house with nothing to do.
With the first semester over, I don’t have anything to work on for a week and a half. I thoroughly clean my room, leaving Allison’s side alone. There isn’t much I don’t do to distract myself. I shift my furniture only to move it back an hour later and wash my bedding and all of my clothes. I clean the bathroom. Hell, I sweep and mop the floor.
Now, almost two weeks into my final semester of college, my life falls into a comfortable routine. I go to class, study in the library or the lounge, and help out at the Westbrook Hotel. My placement is over, but I’ll use any excuse to spend time with Tristan, something I never could’ve predicted would happen.
On the couch in Tristan’s office, I’m half sitting, half lying, reading over the preliminary papers for my business proposal final assignment when he storms into the room and slams the door behind him.
“Long day?” I ask, glancing at him over my paper.
He lets out a heavy sigh. “I didn’t know you were here.”
I frown. “I don’t have to be. Do you want me to leave?”
He approaches the couch. “That is the last thing I want, Rory.” He rakes his fingers through his hair, messing up the already tousled strands.
“Okay,” I murmur, offering him my hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He slides his hand into mine and sits on the edge of the coffee table beside the couch. “Four more of ours were found dead this morning. I sent Max out to get some answers.”
“What happened at that meeting, Tris?” I ask. He’s been keeping quiet about the light fae since Adam died. I think he’s worried about putting more on me, but I want to be there for him like he was there for me.
He bows his head, looking at our hands as he brushes his thumb across the top of my knuckles. “Let’s just say a ceasefire isn’t in the cards. Jules is hell-bent on seeing me fall.”
“Jules doesn’t want to coexist,” I say. “What could the light leader possibly want? Power over the light fae isn’t enough?” I sit up, dropping my paper onto the couch beside me, and my knees touch his.
Tristan shrugs. “To lead all of the fae, the dark included. Some are open to the idea of coexistence. On both sides. Except in Jules’s plan, I’m no longer included.”
My jaw clenches. “We have to do something about this. Now.”
A hint of a smile touches his lips. “Are you worried about me?”
I raise my eyebrows, pulling my hand free from his. “Are you kidding? Of course I’m worried! Your enemy is planning to kill you!”
“It’s been that way since we both became leaders, sweetheart. This isn’t new. To be honest, this wouldn’t be a priority for me if not for the light fae killing mine. Skylar is still preparing the retaliation group.”
I press my lips together, hesitating before I say, “The war is about to start, isn’t it?”
He shakes his head. “The war started the moment they killed one of ours.”
I nod. “What can I do to help?” I shoot him a look when he chuckles. “I’m serious. I want to help.”
He leans forward, brushing the hair away from my face. “I know you do. After everything you’ve been through over the last four months, you still want to help. You can’t imagine how that makes me feel.”
“Tristan Westbrook, Leader of the Dark Fae, feels?” I gasp mockingly. “Alert the press.”
He tweaks my chin. “Smart mouth,” he says.
I press my lips against his in a quick peck. “Touché,” I murmur.
His eyes flick over to the paper I was working on. “What’s that?”
I pick it up and hand it to him. “My business proposal for class. It’s not great, but I think I can make it work. I couldn’t come up with anything else. Nothing seemed good enough. I’m hoping my professor will accept it.”
It’s something I’ve been thinking about for almost a decade. I want to open my own independent bookstore and café. The exact plans have changed several times since I came up with this business proposal. I’ve known since Adam passed that I wanted to make it a charity where all profits after operating costs go to financially struggling families with sick children.
Tristan scans the pages, and I become more nervous by the second. “I think you should do it,” he says.
“You think I could use this for my assignment?” I check.
“Sure, but that’s not what I meant. I think you should do it,” he repeats.
“Do it? As in—?”
“Open the business, Aurora.”
“What? I can’t do that.” I shake my head. “That requires a commercial building, marketing, employees, and, oh yeah, money. I’ve spent thousands of dollars getting my degree. I’m dead broke.”
“Let me pay for it,” he says in a casual tone.
My brows tug together, and I gape at him. “No. No way. Absolutely not.”
His lips twitch. “Then partner with me.”
“What did you just say?”
“You’ve made it clear you can’t start this business venture as a sole proprietor, so partner with me. I have the necessary funds, and you have the ideas. It’s simple.”
“I think the word you’re looking for is crazy, Tristan. This is a college assignment. I haven’t graduated. I can’t open my own business. I have approximately zero experience, and—”
“You have plenty of experience, sweetheart. You’ve worked here for months. Do you think I would’ve given you the responsibility I did if I didn’t think you could handle it?” He sighs. “Aurora, I arranged that placement for your protection. There was no way to know what would happen after you found out about the fae, and with your lineage being a dead end, I couldn’t count on that to protect you—from my own people as well as the light fae. That aside, the choices I made in regard to your working at my company were smart business decisions. You impressed everyone, though most would never say it. You can do this. We can do this.”
I thrust my fingers through my hair, and try my best to wrap my head around the idea of Tristan protecting me from his world—even back then. “I don’t know,” I mumble, biting my bottom lip.
He smiles. “I’m not expecting an answer right away, Rory. Think about it. Talk to your professor about using it for your assignment, but think about how amazing it would be to create it.”
“You’re serious,” I breathe.
“I’m serious.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him forward until our lips meet. I close my eyes and kiss him hard, my fingers gripping the ends of his hair as a lump forms in my throat. He grips my waist and lifts me onto his lap, taking control of the the kiss as his tongue teases its way into my mouth. I gasp against his lips when he presses against me, my heart racing when his fingers trail up my shirt until they reach the edge of my bra.
I pull away enough to look at him, my chest rising and falling fast. “Maybe we should slow down,” I suggest, every nerve in my body tingling with need. Everything escalated so fast, I need a minute to catch up.
He shifts me back onto the couch. “Are you okay?”
“Of course,” I say. “That was . . . I have a lot to think about.”
He nods, his eyes flicking back and forth across my face. “You do.”
I glance at the floor, pressing my lips together. “I haven’t made this thing between us easy for you, and I’m sorry. I thought the first day I met you would be the last day.” I lift my gaze until our eyes meet. “It’s no secret that when I did see you after that day, it wasn’t a good thing. I dreaded those moments when you popped up out of nowhere with your hidden agendas and ridiculous fae charm.”
He chuckles, and I shoot him a look.
“We challenge each other every single day; it’s our thing,” I say.
He tilts his head to the side, a hint of a grin playing at the corner of his mouth as if he agrees.
“It was easier to hate you than to admit I had feelings for someone who kidnapped me, someone fae, who I didn’t know existed until said kidnapping.” Glancing away, I sigh. “I’m rambling. I promise there’s a point to this whole thing.”
“I’m listening,” he says.
“I’m still struggling with . . . this. You’re so sure of yourself when it comes to us, and I’m over here with no idea what I’m doing. Every other aspect of my life is under my control, for the most part. Everything has a plan. That’s how I’ve chosen to live—it’s what keeps me sane. So, when you came along and I fell for you, I panicked. You being in my life forced me to consider a different future for myself than the one I’ve had planned forever. You didn’t just nudge me out of my comfort zone, Tris, you freaking launched me so far away from it, I’m not sure what it feels like anymore.”
“Aurora—”
“No, listen for a minute.” I need to get this out. “I’m not saying this is going to be easy, but . . .” I flick my eyes up until they reach his. “I want to try.”
Tristan leans in and cups my cheeks, his thumbs skimming across my face. “You’re too good for me,” he whispers, and rests his forehead against mine.
“That’s not true,” I say. “Please, tell me you’ll try, too.”
He kisses my brow and offers a soft smirk. “Oh, I’m all in, sweetheart.”