Page 100 of Twisted Fate

The cement floor is hard against my back, and it takes me a minute to sit up. I glance sideways where Jules’s body still lies with the iron stake sticking out of his chest, and I wonder how long I spent in that in-between state. I peek at my arm and frown when I find it’s uninjured. I move it with care, confusion flooding through me. Did Jules heal me before he died?

I hear shuffling upstairs, but I can’t move fast enough to hide from the two people that come barreling down the stairs. I’m not sure why, but I know they’re light fae. There’s one guy, appearing to be in his late twenties, with sandy brown hair, and another, younger-looking guy, with dark red hair. They both look as if they could take me out in a matter of seconds. Against muscles like that, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

Glancing back and forth between me and Jules’s body, the redhead growls deep in his throat. He takes a step toward me, and I kick my feet, pushing myself away so I can scramble upright.

“Back off, man. You know we can’t touch her now,” the older one says.

“The hell we can,” he snaps. “She killed our leader.”

“You know what that means,” he replies.

I lift my head.Idon’t know what that means. “What are you saying?” I speak for the first time, and the men look at each other.

“You took his life, which means you took his position in our world.”

Any response dies on my lips.

“You’re the new leader of the light fae, Aurora Marshall.”

My eyes widen. “I’m no leader and certainly not of the light fae.”

“Jules was our leader,” the brown-haired one says. “You took his place when you took his life.”

I shake my head. “I’m human. I can’t be your leader.” When the men exchange looks, my stomach twists. “What?” I demand.

“You’re not anymore.”

My mouth goes dry. “I...”

“You’re fae,” he says.

“Get out,” I say. “Now.” They look at each other and leave without another word.

You’re fae.

Those words play over in my head until it’s spinning. My legs give out, and I drop to my knees on the floor beside Jules.

“You son of a bitch,” I say through my teeth as tears fill my eyes. I rip the iron stake from his chest and cry out when it burns my skin.

The back emergency exit flies open and breaks off its hinges, slamming onto the floor, and Tristan storms into the room with Allison and Max flanking him. His eyes find mine right away, and my breath halts.

The three of them stop dead in their tracks, staring at me with wide eyes. Max glances at Jules’s lifeless body, and the recognition that flashes in his eyes is mirrored by Allison’s and Tristan’s expressions.

I cast my gaze down as Max and Allison move around me to grab Jules and haul him out the back door.

The room is silent, and then it isn’t. I can hear Tristan breathing, his heart pounding. I can hear the faint sound of his shoes against the floor as he closes the distance between us. I can hear everything I couldn’t before.

I can’t bring myself to look at him. If I do, I’ll shatter.

“Aurora,” he murmurs, and his voice cracks.

My chest tightens, and my hands shake at my sides.

“Aurora, look at me,” he says in a deep, tight voice, as if he’s struggling to hang on.

I shake my head, clenching my jaw.

I feel his presence before I see the tops of his shoes reach mine. He reaches out and cups my face, allowing me to keep my head down. His thumbs brush across my cheeks. My heart drops, and tears well in my eyes.

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