Page 77 of Twisted Gift

Tristan carries the body of his best friend into the building, and it takes everything in me not to sink to my knees and break.

With all of the connections Tristan has in both the fae and human worlds, it isn’t difficult for him to get someone to the hotel to clean Max up. After she leaves, Tristan lets Nikolai and Allison know that Skylar and Oliver can say goodbye.

I have to leave the room at that point.

Once Tristan and I are upstairs in his bedroom, he sinks onto the end of the bed and sighs. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he says in a broken voice.

“I know,” I murmur, kneeling before him. I rest my hands on his knees and meet his gaze. “We’re going to get through this, Tris, just like everything else.”

“How do you know that?”

Surprise flashes through me, but I try to keep it off my face. I’ve never seen Tristan so unsure before. I take a deep breath and let it out. “Do you remember what you told me the night I was grieving over Adam and didn’t think I was going to be able to survive it?”

Without hesitation, he nods. “I told you that you underestimated your own strength.”

A faint smile touches my lips. “You did. And you know what? You do, too, Tris.Youare the strongest personIknow.”

Something like gratitude flashes in his eyes. “Come here.” He slips his arms around my waist and guides me onto his lap. He shakes his head. “Without you—”

“Don’t,” I cut him off, placing my finger against his lips. “I’m here.” I lower my face and kiss him softly. “I’m right here.”

“I don’t know what to do,” he admits.

“That’s okay.” I push my fingers gently through his hair, brushing the fallen strands away from his face. “Believe it or not, you don’t have to have all of the answers.”

His eyes flick to mine. “My people need me to have answers. They’re going to want to know what happened.” A haunted look passes over his face, and he leans forward, resting his forehead against my collarbone.

I hold him against me, rubbing my hand up and down his back. “I’m not sure what family Max had, but if you have phone numbers, I can get in contact with them.” The last thing Tristan needs right now is to tell people his best friend is dead, especially the family of that friend.

“He has a sister,” he says quietly. “Skylar should have her information.”

“I’ll take care of it,” I tell him.

There’s a moment of silence, and then he says, “Thank you.”

I lean back and cup his cheek, grazing his skin with my thumb. “I need to shower. The hot water might help you relax a little.”

It takes him a moment to nod, but when he does, I slide off his lap and take his hand, leading him into the bathroom.

My only job right now is to comfort Tristan in any way that I can. All I can do is be there for him—whatever he needs—and hope it’s enough to get him through this.

20

We both sleep terribly that night. That is, once we finally get to bed. Tristan has thrown himself into work mode, and I physically have to drag him to the bedroom. He lets me, of course. I no longer have the fae strength I was oncegiftedby my fae ancestor Jules to even come close to being able to actually drag him anywhere. My frustration doesn’t come from that reality; it’s the reasoning behind it. This wasn’t my choice. Not becoming fae—not having it taken away from me.

We can’t know that The Experiment was destroyed when that building was. There’s a good chance our fight with them is only beginning.

I head toward the guest room where Nikolai and Skylar are staying. The two of them together—it was a bit of a shock, but I get it. Nikolai probably loves the challenge Skylar poses—how she doesn’t fawn over him like most women. I pause when Nikolai slips out of the room, closing the door behind him. “Hey,” I say softly, nodding at the door. “How’s she doing?”

He shakes his head. “I’ve never seen her like this, so... deflated. I’m worried about her.” He sighs, and I can see the worry in the lines on his face. He wants to help her, but he doesn’t know how.

“How areyoudoing?” I ask.

He waves me off. “I’m fine.” He drags his hand through his hair. “What about you and Tristan?”

I shrug. “He’s not taking it very well. He’s blaming himself for what happened, and there’s nothing I can say that will change his mind.”

Nikolai nods. “Skylar, too.”

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