Page 59 of Twisted Fate

“Sure. Wait here,” he instructs, taking the paper from me.

I stand in the hall and wait for him to return.

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Max growls from inside the room.

I bite the inside of my cheek. Whatever the meeting is about, he’s unhappy with it.

“Whatareyou saying?” a female voice asks.

“We can’t keep letting them attack. Our numbers are dwindling as it is. We have to take action. Fight back.Now.”

Someone slams their fist on the table, and I suck in a breath from behind the door. There’s a pause in conversation when the employee returns to the door and hands me back the list.

“Thanks,” I say. He closes the door in my face without a word as if he’s worried I’ve already heard too much. I return to the conference room and give Skylar the list. “All good.”

“Fine. I need you to call the bartender to confirm what they’re bringing.”

“Sure.” I glance at my hands then back at her. “Can I ask you something?”

“If you must,” she answers.

“When I went to Tristan’s office, he seemed to be in a pretty important meeting about the issues that have been going on with the light fae.”

“That’s not a question.”

“Right. I was wondering why you’re sitting here working on this human event and not in there offering your opinion. I’m sure you have one.”

She laughs, stapling some pages together. “I chose to sit out of that meeting. I sit in enough meetings for Westbrook Inc. as it is. I lead the physical training. Teaching fae how to protect themselves and each other. Max gets to sit in there and take notes, which I’ll be briefed on later. This power struggle between the two sides has been going on for a long time. Too many of ours have died. We’re going to retaliate soon, and we’re going to make sure we have the resources and power behind us to win. That takes time, training, and planning.”

“When is this going to happen?” I’m not sure I want an answer.

“Don’t worry about it,” she grumbles, and with that, she goes back to work as though I’m not there.

All I can do after that is worry about it. What will happen once the dark fae launch their retaliation? How many innocent humans will get killed in the crossfire? What will happen when Allison finds out the dark fae—her people—are going to kill the light fae, including her boyfriend? What the hell is going to happen tome?

It’s dark outside when I collect my things. Skylar left hours ago, but I wanted to keep working. The charity gala is fast approaching, and being given the opportunity to spearhead it makes me want to ensure it’s a smashing success. It’ll look good on my resume, and it’s a great opportunity to gain some contacts in the business world. So I’m all for the extra work, even if it means juggling my responsibilities.

I flip the light off on my way out and peek down the hall to see Tristan’s light still on. I walk to his office, my flats not making much sound, and knock on his door before I slip inside, letting the door close behind me. “Can I talk to you?”

He glances up from the paperwork on his desk.

I take that as my cue to speak. “I had a conversation with Allison’s—uh, Evan the other day.”

His eyes narrow. “He approached you?” A muscle ticks along Tristan’s jaw. “What did he say?”

“He wants to meet with you. Something about wanting to prove he’s not a threat.”

He arches a brow. “He and Allison are still seeing each other.” It’s not a question.

“My loyalty lies with my best friend, Tristan. I understand why the rule is in place, but shouldn’t you be willing to at least hear him out? Listen to what he has to say. Not all of the light fae have to be enemies.” I shrug. “But hey, that’s just one human’s opinion.”

Tristan chuckles. “You say that like your opinion doesn’t mean anything. It does.”

I nod. “Okay, then while were on the relative topic, I think you need to put on your big boy pants—you have an unfairly huge closet full of them—sit down with their leader and call for a freaking ceasefire. Why do fae have to keep dying?”

“While your idea is decent in theory, it’s more complicated than that.”

“From my experience, which some would say is minimal, there’s nothing about the fae world that isn’t. Stop using that as an excuse. You have a solution right in front of you, but you won’t consider it because it’s not complicated enough.”

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