Page 42 of Twisted Gift

Before I open my mouth, I go over my practiced opening line a few times in my head to make sure I’ve got it right. And then, instead, I say, “I suppose icebreaker games are out of the question?”

Oh no.Where thehelldid that come from?

Panic floods through me as I brace for one of the fae to lunge for my throat. Instead, I’m shocked to hear a few breathy laughs from the crowd. That’s not to say some don’t look royally pissed, because, oh boy, do they ever.

Fighting back a hard-core cringe, I stand taller. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t funny.”

“It was kind of funny,” Max chimes in, and Tristan silences him with a look.

I clear my throat. “Right, well, thank you all for coming. I know some of you would rather be anywhere else, so it means even more that you’re here.” I give that a moment to sink in before I continue. “As new to this world as I am, I know two things for certain.” I angle my body toward the dark fae. “One, Tristan has always had your best interests in mind no matter the circumstance. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for any of you.” Next, I face the light fae. “And two, I want you to be confident thatIhaveyourbest interests at heart. Even as a human, I wanted to help put a stop to this war. That’s still my goal, and now I’m asking for your help.”

There is a brief moment of silence, and then everyone starts yelling.

I flinch in surprise, stumbling back a step. Tristan steadies me with a hand at the small of my back, and I send him a thankful look.

The dark fae are trying to yell over the light fae, and everyone is yelling at me. It’s all just noise. There’s no point in trying to interrupt them now. If this is what they need to get out of their systems before we can come to somewhat of an agreement, fine. If we have to stand here for an hour while they do that,fine.

Adrenaline courses through my body, prickling my fingertips.

“This is never going to work,” one fae shouts over everyone.

Another growls in response. “Not if you’re going to stand there being a prick about it!”

The first fae throws his fist at the other, baring his teeth as it connects with the guy’s jaw.

Before I can move, Skylar shifts, materializing between the guys and tearing them apart without losing a beat. Each of her fists is full of the guys’ shirts.

“Enough,” she snaps in a voice cold enough to freeze the hottest parts of hell. “If you’re going to be children, you can leave. In fact, please do. I have zero desire to stand here and listen to you bitch about how hard this transition is going to be. If you’re not willing to put in a little effort to keep the people you give a shit about safe, you don’t deserve to be here.”

“But—”

“Oh, shut up.” She rolls her eyes and then shoves the guy away before pointing a manicured finger toward the door. “Out.”

He narrows his eyes, but something flashes in Skylar’s gaze that makes him back away without another word.

Once he’s gone, she turns to the other guy. “You have anything else to say?”

His face is a thundercloud, but he shakes his head.

Skylar nods. “Excellent.” She shifts back to stand with our group with a smooth expression as if none of that just happened.

Tristan steps forward, and the fae turn their attention to him. “You can’t stand here and tell me you’re not tired of this. Of being concerned whenever the people you love leave your sight, for fear that you won’t see them again. At this point, we’re all just trying to survive.” He sighs. “What the hell kind of life is that? Certainly not one I’d like to live.”

I scan the crowd, pleased to find at least everyone is listening to what he’s saying.

“You have a chance here to make this world your home and a place you feel safe. We don’t have to follow in our ancestors’ footsteps. History is just that. It’s time to write our own story.” He shoots me a quick wink that makes my stomach flip.

Our story isn’t over yet.No. It’s just beginning.

“They’re still killing ours! At least two of our people have gone missing in the last week,” someone from the dark fae group hollers.

“Bullshit,” one of the light snaps.

“Yeah, yourdarkfae haven’t stopped attacking either,” another light fae adds. “We’re missing people, too!”

Tristan frowns. “I’d like more information. Surely someone here knows something.”

“If it’s not fae attacking each other, whois?” someone in the crowd shouts.

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