Page 6 of Twisted Gift

“I was wondering when I’d run into you.” Nikolai’s voice is smooth, warm. Friendly, yet arrogant. As if I need more to be confused about when it comes to him.

My eyes scan him, noting the slight curl of his pale pink lips, the dark stubble along his sharp jaw, the glimmer in his brilliant, emerald-green eyes. His black hair is damp with sweat from the stage lights and messily swept across his forehead.

“You shouldn’t feed off unsuspecting humans,” I say, my voice cold and stern. A warning.

His deep laugh echoes off the walls around us in the hallway. “Don’t get upset with me feeding just because you don’t want to, Aurora.”

My eyes narrow as my heartbeat kicks up. How would he know I haven’t fed? Is my appearance giving that away without me having to say a word? I try to reach out and feel his emotions as I’d been able to do with my classmates. It’s the one thing I’ve learned how to do on my own. I figured it out by willing my thoughts to be consumed by them, like a thick haze of smoke, but when I try with Nikolai, I hit a cold, solid wall. I recoil, shivering.

“I like to keep that private,” he murmurs lazily as he looks me over.

I scowl. “What the hell do you want, Nikolai?”

His grin is a flash of perfect teeth. “So you do remember me.”

“People don’t usually forget the faces of those who attack them.”

He rolls his eyes. “Are you always this dramatic, or is it because you’re hungry?”

I cross my arms over my chest. “What’s it to you?” The pettiness in my voice makes me cringe, but this guy is annoying.

“You’re our leader, Aurora, and it’s pretty obvious how you’re handling the transition.”

“Why do you think that’s any business of yours?” I challenge.

He leans against the wall, holding my gaze. “Because, believe it or not, I want to help you. Not all of the light fae would agree with me,” he lowers his voice, “but I’m relieved Jules is gone. I’ve grown bored of the fighting between us and the dark, so I wouldn’t mind it ending. The way I see it, there’s more of a chance of that happening now that you’re the leader on our side. Especially considering you and Westbrook—”

“Don’t,” I cut him off, shaking my head.

He arches a brow. “What? You two aren’t...?”

I shoot him a look. “We arenottalking about this.”

He holds his hands out in a defensive gesture. “Fair enough. But you can’t keep hiding from your position in our world.”

“I know that,” I snap.

He sighs. “And you need to feed.” His eyes bounce between mine. “You’ll fade quickly if you continue to avoid it. It’s not a choice. You can’t justnotfeed. You won’t survive.”

I look away, swallowing the lump in my throat. This is thelastthing I want to talk about right now. I just want him to leave me alone.

“I can help you.” The softness of his voice takes me by surprise. “If you let me, I can show you how to live with this.” He steps forward, closing the bit of space between us, and reaches for my hand, holding it in both of his. Before I can pull away, his voice stops me. “I was Jules’s second-in-command, his confidant even though he was a prick most of the time,” he closes his eyes and bows his head. “I am pledging the same to you now.”

What the actual fuck?

My throat goes dry. “Th-thank you,” is all I say. Not,Hey, dude, remember that time you stood by while that other guy was tossing me around like a rag doll? Not cool.

He lets go of my hand and straightens, meeting my eyes with a steady gaze. “When you’re ready, let me know.” He steps aside, giving me space to get past, and I offer him a single nod before walking back to the bar. Now’s not the time to get into a long-winded conversation with Nikolai. I’m not concerned; I get the feeling I’ll be seeing a lot of him from now on.

“Hey!” hollers a friendly, familiar voice.

I lean back to look past Allison and find Oliver and Max sitting at the bar, beers in their hands. Forcing a smile, I say, “Hey.” My eyes shift from Oliver to Max, then back to Allison. A weight settles on my chest as I take note of the light and dark fae mingling in one room. I shouldn’t be so wary of the idea, considering this—both sides living together peacefully—is the goal. Still, I’m worried a fight is going to break out at any moment, and someone is going to get hurt. With the light and dark still at odds, it’s not an unwarranted though. Allison must sense my unease because she pats my leg and offers me a reassuring smile.

Forcing myself to relax, I try to enjoy the conversation our group is having. I smile and nod along, but after a while, I struggle to keep my eyes open.

I sigh during a break in the conversation. “I’m going to head home.”

Allison turns to me, her back to the guys. “You okay?” she asks, trying to keep her voice quiet.

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