Starbucks is a necessary pit stop on my way to the Westbrook Hotel Monday morning. I grab coffee for myself and Marisa. She’s been nothing but kind to me since my placement started, so I like to bring her little treats every week to express my thanks.
“Where’d you get that dress? You look amazing,” she says after I hand her a coffee.
I smile, glancing down at the knee-length, navy dress I’m wearing. “Thanks. Honestly, I can’t remember. A thrift store, maybe? I needed business attire for this placement and didn’t have a lot to spend, so I went hunting.”
“You hit the jackpot. Teach me your ways. I’m getting tired of the same variation of pantsuits every day.” She laughs and takes a sip of her coffee.
“For sure.” We exchange numbers so we can set up a day to go shopping together before I glance at the time and cringe. It’s a few minutes after nine. “I’d better get upstairs.”
“Have a good one, and thanks for the coffee.”
I muster a smile. “I’ll try my best.”
I’m almost halfway to the office when the elevator stops and a man and woman in business wear step on. After the door slides shut, the woman looks over at me, tossing her long, dark red hair over her shoulder. “I cannot believe Tristan let you live,” she seethes.
I should ignore her, but my lips move before I can press them together. “I can’t believe he puts up with people as ignorant as you. Welcome to the human world. Where humans live.”
Her lips twist into a cruel smile in the same moment the man pulls the emergency stop, halting the elevator.
Shit.
My free hand curls into a fist when they corner me, and my pulse skyrockets, fear raging through me as I assess the situation. I knew working here would have some hazards, but I was hoping an altercation like this wasn’t going to happen. I suppose I should’ve known better.
The man runs a hand through his black hair and flicks a glance at the woman. “I’m dying to taste her. You know nervous energy is my favorite, but ladies first.”
My mouth goes dry. This is not happening.
The woman laughs. “She’s not so mouthy now.” She steps toward me, the tips of her high heels almost touching mine.
“Don’t you dare touch me,” I growl. I’m about two seconds away from throwing my coffee in her face.
She rolls her eyes. “Well, now she’s annoying.” She shoves me hard, narrowing her eyes at me. “What the hell makes you so special?”
I grit my teeth, my shoulder blades throbbing from being pinned against the wall. “What’s it to you? God, don’t tell me you’re jealous?” If I’m being harassed in an elevator because this chick has the hots for Tristan, I swear to—
The woman grabs my face, digging her fingers into my skin. “Say another word, and I’ll steal every living emotion you’ve got.”
My head starts spinning, the woman’s voice echoing around me. This bitch is feeding on me, and I can’t move a muscle to do anything about it.
“Easy there,” the man says. “If Tristan is keeping her around, I doubt he’ll take too kindly to you killing her.”
Dying in an elevator isn’t something I had planned for today.
“Whatever,” she snaps, finally backing off. She slams her fist against the emergency stop again, making the elevator continue its ascent, and I stand there frozen until they get off a couple of floors later without another word. When the door slides shut, I let out a breath and tip my head back against the wall. I spend the rest of the ride trying to shake off the odd, forced calmness in my muscles.
Arriving at the twentieth floor, I step off the elevator and freeze when I see Max sitting behind the reception desk.
He glances up as I approach and smirks. “Morning, blondie. Is that coffee for me?”
“Not a chance. What are you doing out here? Boss man got you working the phones today?”
His eyes narrow. “Boss man? I’m sure he’d love you calling him that.”
Shaking my head, I blow out a breath as I turn away and step toward the office doors. I drop my things at my temporary spot and make my way to Tristan’s office. I knock a few times before letting myself in.
Tristan is sitting behind his desk having an animated conversation with someone on his phone. I take a seat on the couch while I drink my coffee and wait for him to finish. I tap my fingers against the side of my cup and stare at the unlit fireplace, debating whether I should tell him what happened on my way up here. I’m quick to decide against it, noting the dark look on his face. I try not to eavesdrop, but the tone of his voice is sharp and agitated. The Tristan I’m used to is the image of self-control, so hearing him this way is unsettling. His hair looks as if he’s run his fingers through it about ten times too many, and his tie is pulled away from his collar.
Tristan is sitting across the room, but I feel him everywhere. How could I have forgotten what that was like? That constant presence . . . it’s not all that unpleasant anymore, which makes my head spin.
I glance away when he catches me watching him.
He joins me once he’s off the phone and sits on the couch across from me. “Good morning,” he says in his normal, smooth voice.
“Morning.” I look over at him and bite my lip.
“What is that?” he asks, a sharpness latching onto his tone. It makes my pulse jump.
My forehead creases in confusion. “What?”
Before I can shift away, his hand is tilting my face to the side, his fingers brushing along my jaw. I wince at the stabbing pain that follows his touch. He drops his hand and pins me with a dark stare. “What happened?”
I bite the inside of my cheek. “Nothing. It’s fine.”
“You want to play this game, Aurora? Really?”
I scowl. “I’m not playing any game. I just know it’s not worth talking about. I can take care of myself.”
“Clearly,” he remarks, his brows tugged closer as if he’s disappointed that I’m not confiding in him.
I huff out a breath and grab his hand, lifting it to my face until his fingertips are pressed against the spot where the fae woman dug her nails into my skin. “Heal it so we can move on, will you?”
“Now you’re asking—?”
“Yes,” I cut in, still holding his hand against my face.
He shifts closer, which is unnecessary, sending my heart racing. “Tell me what happened, and I’ll be happy to help.”
My eyes snap to his. “Are you kidding me?”
He holds my gaze. “I need to know what goes on in my hotel, Aurora, so you can tell me, or I can find out on my own.”
I clench my jaw until my teeth ache. “A couple of fae ambushed me in the elevator on my way up here.” I swallow, casting my gaze down as embarrassment floods through me. “The woman started feeding on me.”
Tristan tilts my head back up as the familiar warmth of his healing magic shimmers across my cheek. His gentle touch is a stark contrast to the hard, violent expression darkening his features.
“Can you chill?” I don’t want to look at him anymore.
He pulls his hand away from my face. “You’d like me to allow my people to threaten you?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. I just don’t want to make a bigger issue.”
He chuckles. “Since when?”
I scowl. “This is exactly why I wasn’t going to bring it up.”
The smile fades from his lips. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Okay.” I tug at a tiny loose thread on my dress for no reason other than to have something to do with my hands. “Thanks for the healing,” I mumble.
He nods.
“Is everything okay? I mean, apart from what I just told you.”
“Why do you ask?” He clasps his hands together and pins me with his intense gaze. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but the endless blue makes it hard to look away.
“When I came in, the tension in the air was enough to suffocate a person, human or otherwise.”
His lips twitch. “You’re worried?”
I blink, ignoring the dip my stomach does when I look at his mouth. “Well, yeah.”
“That’s interesting,” he muses.
I ignore his comment. “What’s going on?” I can’t help but wonder whether it’s related to those fae I saw fighting the other day.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
Images of Tristan’s nightmare scene flash through my mind. Yeah, I am worried.
I set my cup on the coffee table and cross my arms. “Skylar isn’t here to boss me around, so I’ve got nothing else to do but sit here until you talk.” I shoot him a fake smile.
He laughs like what I’ve said is humorous.
“What?” I snap.
“I find it amusing that you think you have control here.” He points at the door. “The moment you stepped into this office you lost it.”
My pulse races as anger bubbles in me. Every time I think we’re making progress, that he’s going to treat me like something more than a toy for his amusement, he goes and ruins it with a line like that. “Were you not validated as a child?”
He tilts his head to the side.
“I’m curious,” I say. “You couldn’t have been born an asshole, so I’m wondering when you picked it up.”
“Ah, Aurora, you’re as charming as ever.” He stands and walks back to his desk.
I follow, leaving my coffee behind. “Should I go ask Max why you have an entire tree up your ass?” I push.
His eyes snap to mine as he walks around the desk to stand opposite me. He towers over me, but I don’t back down. “Enough,” he growls. “I don’t want to talk about this. End of discussion.”
“There was never any discussion. You upended my life, and now you won’t tell me anything,” I shoot back, my voice rising with each word. I shouldn’t care, and I had no right to ask, but something inside of me—maybe my concern for Allison and my curiosity about the light and dark fae—made me ask anyway.
He blows out a breath, shaking his head. “Why do you want to know what’s going on?”
“Because something tells me I’m missing information. I know more about the fae world than I’d ever wish to, but not everything. Call me crazy, but I don’t make a habit of putting a book down halfway through the story.”
“What about the ones you don’t enjoy?”
I shrug. “Sometimes I need to remind myself to give them a chance.”
“You’re right. You don’t know the whole story,” he says.
“I know about the whole dark and light thing,” I say. Maybe now is when I’ll get some real answers.
He nods, but he doesn’t look surprised. “We’ve been at war with them for as long as history can remember. They’ve been killing ours for centuries.”
The idea of Allison being in danger surfaces. Even looking at Tristan, a pang of concern passes through me—something I was not expecting.
I swallow, but the lump in my throat remains. “Why?”
“You know what a war means. I think you can figure it out.”
I nod. “Wait. Were my ancestors light or dark?”
He tilts his head, looking at me through his lashes. “Do you have a preference?” I found out about the different sides a couple of days ago. Of course, I don’t have a preference, but I would still like to know.
My brows shift closer together. “Which were they?” I push.
“They were dark.”
“Were?” I ask in a low voice.
He frowns. “I don’t know if they’re still around.”
My stomach drops. I’m not sure why knowing that makes my chest ache. I never met them, but they’re still family. “Oh.”
“I’m still looking into it,” he says.
I nod. “What was that phone call about?” I ask, shifting the conversation.
“It’s been calm for the most part on both sides until recent weeks. We’re losing numbers. Lucky for us, they can’t kill too many at once out in the open. It would attract too much human attention.” He sighs, rubbing his jaw. “I’m trying to figure out a solution that results in the least number of tragedies when it comes to my people.”
“What’s your solution?”
“I’d rather not kill anyone, but I will if it comes to that. I refuse to allow my people to continue living in fear.”
“Have you considered talking about it instead of retaliating physically? Words are powerful weapons.”
“No,” he says. “The time for talking was before the light fae started killing.”
“So, you want to add to the bloodshed?”
A muscle ticks along his sharp jaw. “This isn’t your fight.”
“You’re right. Forgive me for losing my head and forgetting my place.” I’m not sure why I’m so upset, or why I offered my opinion. There’s nothing I can do to protect Allison that she can’t do herself, but with this new information I’ve learned, it makes me feel like a caged animal.
“Hmm,” he murmurs, and I take a healthy step back as the corner of his mouth lifts. “You seem concerned.”
I glare at him. “I am concerned. My best friend could be in danger. I don’t want her to get hurt. And you—” I bite the inside of my cheek. “It’s dangerous,” I mutter.
“I will protect my people, Aurora.”
“Who protects you?” I blurt. If my concern for him wasn’t clear by the energy I’ve been giving off, he knows about it now. It’s funny, it doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.
He’s silent for a few beats. “You never fail to surprise me.”
“Why do you say that?”
He pins me with a focused gaze that turns the temperature of my body way up. “You spend your time trying to hate me for what happened when we met, which is fair, but you don’t, do you?”
The muscles in my jaw tighten. “Are you kidding?”
“Your cheeks flush when I’m around, and I make your pulse race. I can hear your heartbeat right now.”
“An excellent observation,” I remark dryly despite the dampness on my palms.
“I affect you.”
My pulse jumps, and he smirks as if to say told you. “That’s ridiculous,” I say.
“Is that why your heart is trying to beat its way out of your chest right now?”
“No,” I grumble. “You’re wrong.”
Tristan cocks his head. “I don’t think I am.” His eyes glimmer with heat, and my throat goes dry. “Now you look afraid,” he muses.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I’m used to you being upfront with your feelings, so this is new.”
My eyes narrow. “Are you expecting me to say I’m head over heels for you and will worship at your feet?” I laugh. “Just because I don’t hate you anymore, just because I care if you’re in danger, doesn’t mean—”
“What? That you feel something for me?”
My heart stutters, and at this point, I don’t care that he heard it. Maybe I do feel something for Tristan, but I’ll be damned if I let myself admit it out loud. I cast my gaze away from him. “You’re busy enough with fae politics today. You don’t need to deal with me.” His words play over in my head on a loop. You feel something for me. I need to get out of this room, away from his presence that makes my head spin. “Staying here isn’t going to help anything, so I might as well go back to my dorm and prep for my study group tonight.”
“Be my guest,” he replies.
I brush past him, grabbing my things from the couch. Then I head for the door and slam it shut behind me.
Marisa frowns at me when I walk through the lobby downstairs. “You’re heading home already?”
I nod. “Yeah, I—”
“Get your ass back here, blondie.” Max approaches us from the elevator. He wasn’t sitting at the desk upstairs when I left, so I thought I’d gotten lucky.
I sigh. “Maybe not.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asks. He glances at Marisa and offers her a nod.
“Home,” I say.
He shakes his head and grabs my arm before he walks away, dragging me with him. Because that’s not an odd thing to do in a lobby full of people. Subtlety is lost on Max.
“What the hell, Max? Let go of me,” I demand.
“Chill out, human.” He releases his grip and faces me. “What did you do?”
“What are you talking about?” I counter.
“Tristan is up there snapping at people; he’s pissed. So, I’ll ask again. What did you do?”
“I tried to help.”
He barks out a laugh. “Why would you want to help? We kidnapped you. We forced you into this world, and now you want to help? What do you think that says about you?”
It’s my turn to laugh. “You’re the one who kidnapped me. What do you think that says about you?”
He grins. “Fair point.” He shrugs. “Do what you want, blondie, but try not to piss Tristan off. For some reason, he seems to care about you, but when he’s moody we’re the ones who have to deal with it.”
“Then he needs to grow up and control his emotions.”
His eyes flash with amusement. “You feel free to let him know. I would love to see where that gets you.”
“I bet you would.” I adjust the bag on my shoulder. “I’m going home. Skylar isn’t here, and Tristan isn’t in the mentoring mood. I’ll be back next week.”
“Your choice.” He rakes his fingers through his hair. “How’s that roommate of yours doing?”
“Allison? What do you mean? She’s fine.”
He tilts his head. “Really?” He draws out the word.
I scowl. “Yeah, really. Why?”
“I’m surprised she got off so easily with Tristan.”
“What are you talking about? So she’s dating Oliver. Big deal.”
“She got in trouble for dating a human?” He laughs. “Is that what she told you?”
My eyes narrow. “Don’t. I know what you’re trying to do, and it’s not going to work.”
He holds up his hands. “Think whatever you want, blondie. There’s no rule against fae dating humans. Your friend managed to sneak around the truth without lying. I’m sort of impressed.”
I swallow, my chest tightening under the pressure of Max’s words. “I have to go.” I don’t wait for him to say anything else.
While I wait for the streetcar, I pull out my phone and send a new message to Allison.
I’m coming home. We need to talk. Now.