Page 75 of Twisted Fate

My bottom lip trembles. “I thought...” My voice breaks off, and more tears spring free, rolling down my cheeks.

Tristan swipes the tears off my face with his thumbs. “You should get some sleep,” he says softly.

I shake my head. “I can’t sleep.” I try to shift away from him so I can get up. “I should go back to the hospital and wait for visiting hours. That way I’m there when he wakes up.”

He sighs. “Aurora, I don’t think you should sit at the hospital all night.”

“What the hell else am I supposed to do?” I snap, sitting up.

He runs his hand up and down my arm. “Let me help you,” he murmurs.

“How?” I ask, my voice trembling with a fresh onslaught of tears.

“You trust me?” he checks.

“You know I do.”

A faint smile touches his lips. “Lie back and close your eyes.”

I follow his instruction and reach for his hand. “You’re not going to leave, are you?”

He gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m not going anywhere, Rory.” He snakes his arm around my waist and pulls me back against him. “I’m going to help you sleep, all right?”

“Okay.” I hug the arm he has wrapped around me.

He leans in and whispers words into my ear, soft and lulling, until exhaustion floods in, and I drift off into a black, dreamless sleep.

The following morning, I wake up in a tangle of limbs. My pulse increases as I become aware that my legs are wrapped around one of Tristan’s. Not only that, but my arms hug his midsection, and my cheek is pressed against his chest. His heart beats against my ear as his chest rises and falls in time with the rhythm.

Glancing around while trying to keep my head still, I try to think of a way to get off the bed without waking him. I pull back, freeing one arm, but he’s lying on the other. I flick my eyes to his face to make sure his eyes are still closed, and I shift to the side so I can slip my legs free. Of course, I lean too far back and lose my balance. I’m heading for the hardwood floor, and I’m going to smack my tailbone hard.

At the last minute, Tristan grabs my wrist and pulls me back onto the bed.

I suck in a sharp breath and wince. “How long have you been awake?”

“Oh, long enough,” he murmurs, a slight curve shaping his lips.

I laugh sheepishly. “Great.” As I look around the room, the events from the past twenty-four hours come back in a painful rush. I rake my fingers through the mess of curls on my head and swing my legs over the side of the bed. “I should get ready and head to the hospital with my parents.”

“Okay.”

Tristan Westbrook is crawling out of my bed—where he slept beside me last night. I’ve imagined this moment, and it didn’t include having to go to a hospital let alone downstairs to see my parents.

He kisses my cheek on his way out of the room.

I use this opportunity to change into a pair of dark jeans and a loose T-shirt. I’m sitting at the end of my bed to pull on some socks when Tristan knocks on my door. I tell him to come in and force a small smile when he closes the door behind him.

“You should head back to the city,” I say, standing and grabbing my phone from the table beside my bed. “I’m sure you want to check in at the office and see how the rest of last night went.”

“I don’t need to check in. I’m fine right here.”

“Tristan,” I say, looking at him. “I don’t know how long I’m going to stay here. I’m not going to ask you to hang around for me. I haven’t forgotten everything you have to deal with right now. You were here for me last night. Now you need to be there for your people.”

He sighs. “You’ll call me if you need anything?”

I nod. “Go home. Deal with the light fae. No one else needs to die. Work with them and figure out a way to coexist.”

“All right,” he concedes.

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