Page 16 of Twisted Fate

Her head snaps up, and she sways on her feet. “Oliver is here?”

I reach out and grab her, steadying her, and nod.

Allison swears loudly, her hands shaking at her sides. Her wide eyes are slightly bloodshot, as though she’s been crying. I’ve never seen her so frightened.Why is she so afraid of Tristan? What did shedo?

“Breathe, okay? We’re going to figure this out.”

She shakes her head. “I can’t...” She closes her eyes and licks her lips.

“You can’t what? Come on. We need to go.”

Her eyes fly open, and she grips my arms.

“Easy, Allison. You’re okay.” Her grip is tight. She’s hurting me, but I grit my teeth and force a passive expression.

“I’m so sorry,” she whimpers.

“You ran because you were scared. It’s okay. We’re going to get through this.” I say it more for my benefit, to reassure myself I’ll figure out how to discredit Tristan’s idea that I have fae in my family tree.

She shakes her head again. “I’m so sorry.”

I’m about to question her incessant apologizing when she whips us around and pushes me against the cold brick of the building. I don’t have time to open my mouth to speak.

Allison’s expression shifts to a distant, unfamiliar look as she cuts off my oxygen, gripping my throat. Panic clamps down on my chest. Dizziness floods in, and I can’t move. Black spots dot my vision, but I can’t fight her off. I can’t make a sound.

The back door swings open with a loud smack against the brick, and Allison wrenches her hand away as if she’s been burned. She looks terrified at her own actions. As fast as she went all fae on my ass, she vanishes.

With Allison no longer holding me by my throat, I sway on my feet. The pavement rushes to meet me like we’re old friends. I close my eyes in preparation for the impact, but it doesn’t come. It takes me a few long seconds to realize someone is holding me. I pry my eyes open to find Tristan. He’s glaring at me, his unfairly gorgeous features dark and sharp in the moonlight. Every one of his eyelashes casts a dark shadow on his cheeks.

I hear him snarl, a beast in a pretty package, and then I pass out.

Iblink several times before I realize I’m looking at the familiar ceiling above my bed. I’m back in my dorm room with no idea how I got here. I sit up in a panic and wince at the lingering dizziness. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I use the nightstand to help me to my feet. I’m surprised to find my cell phone sitting on the table, but I grab it, scrolling through my contacts until I find Oliver’s name.

“Aurora? Hey, what’s up?”

“Where are you?”

“I’m in my room. Are you okay?”

“When did you get home?”

“What?” He laughs. “I didn’t go out last night.”

The clock in my room reads just after noon. “You were home? The whole night?”

“Yeah . . .” he says, sounding worried. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” I lie without a thought. “Have you heard from Allison today?”

“She’s fine,” he says in a casual tone.

I press my lips together. “You talked to her?”

“She’s fine,” he repeats in the same tone.

What the hell?“I’ll talk to you later, Oliver.” I hang up before he has a chance to say anything else. As I change out of last night’s clothes, the rage of being manipulated fills me. I didn’t ask for any of this. I have no idea what’s going on, no idea what happened last night after I passed out, but I have a good idea where to look for answers.

I’m on my way to the Westbrook Hotel before I can talk myself out of it.

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