Page 3 of Twisted Devotion

A muscle ticks along her jaw, but before she can answer, my phone starts chirping from my bag on the back of my chair. I pull it out and frown at the screen.

My eyes lock on Aurora as I swipe across the screen and lift the phone to my ear. “Tristan,” I say. “Your wife and I were just talking about you.”

“I’m flattered.” His deep voice echoes through the phone as if he has me on speaker.

“I’m the one who should be flattered. You never call me.” I laugh, but the sound lacks any real humor. “What’s going on?” I ask, my stomach dipping with unease.I should tell him now. Get it over with.

He sighs. “We need to talk. Preferably in person.”

I lean back in my seat, crossing one leg over the other to stop my knee from bouncing. “Why?”

“We have a favor to ask you.”

“We?”

“Hey, Kels,” Nikolai says.

“Goody,” I mutter into the phone. “What have you guys gotten yourselves into?”

Tristan clears his throat. “Can you meet us in an hour at the hotel?”

“I guess so.” I pause. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

“See you soon, Kelsey,” Tristan says, and the line goes dead.

2

After breakfast, I reluctantly leave Allison and Aurora to meet the guys at the hotel.

My mind races faster than my car moves in the midmorning traffic.What could be wrong enough to have Tristan and Nikolai needing to talk to me out of nowhere?Maybe I could have pushed my anxiety aside about the sudden need to meet had Tristan not sounded so concerned when he called.

The potential reasons I come up with don’t make a whole lot of sense, but with nothing to go on, rationality goes out the window. My thought process jumps from the possibility of The Experiment coming back to another fae territory war. It’s as if I can’t accept the fact that the fae aren’t in immediate danger. That my lifecanbe peaceful.

After losing my foster parents and spending the following years adjusting to fae life—while fighting to protect and save other fae—I suppose my gut reaction is warranted. Which makes getting out of Rockdale all the more important. Too many terrible things have happened here to start over. I need a fresh start. A new city. A new life. Somewhere the monsters from my past can’t find me. As terribly as I miss Seth, maybe he had the right idea by leaving the minute he could.

Once I’ve circled the block several times to find a parking space, I head into the Westbrook Hotel and check in with the receptionist in the lobby. She hands over a security pass, and I head for the elevator bank around the corner, pressing the up button when I get there and peering around the space while I wait. There’s soft music playing and the whole place seems to sparkle—likely due to the ornate chandeliers reflecting off the shiny white marble floor.

My entire condo could fit inside the lobby. Twice—no, three times. There’s almosttoomuch space. I appreciate the coziness of my place and would never take it for granted—especially considering Tristan covered my rent until I started seeing money come in from my personal training. He refuses to allow me to pay him back now that I can, which only speaks more to his generosity over the years.

The door slides open and a few hotel guests step out. I move to the side to let them by and open my mouth when my eyes land on Skylar.

Her appearance is intimidating to most—myself included when I first met her. With shiny, pin-straight obsidian hair that falls just below her breasts, and a sleek plum dress that hugs her slight curves, the woman oozes confidence and power.

She nods at me in greeting. “You here to see the guys?”

I close my mouth and smile tightly instead of answering.

She regards me with slightly narrowed, dark-brown eyes. “Hmm,” she finally says, “your aura is . . . murky.”

“Murky,” I deadpan, sticking my arm out to stop the elevator from closing before I can get on. “What does that even mean?”

“Not great. Like you’re dreading this meeting.” Skylar shrugs. “You know how to conceal it. Why don’t you?”

“Because,” I tell her, “we don’t have to anymore. Why should I?”

Pursing her deep red painted lips, she pauses before saying, “Fair enough. They’re waiting for you in Tristan’s office, so I won’t keep you. We have eternity, but Tristan doesn’t.” She pats my shoulder on her way past, and it does nothing beneficial for my nerves.

I let out a heavy breath and get on the elevator, pressing the button to the office floor. I tap my foot the entire ride up, groaning inwardly when the door opens and I have to get off. Flashing my badge at the guy sitting behind the desk, I walk down the hall to the last office—ignoring the way the hair on the back of my neck stands straight at the chilling sensation of being watched. If I look sideways, there will be dozens of eyes watching my every step from behind cubicles. While the Westbrook has some human employees, most are fae and know the role I played in taking down The Experiment. All of us—the ones who fought on the frontlines—are practically royalty now.

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