Page 62 of Twisted Devotion

“Be careful,” he murmurs in my ear before letting me go.

I slow my pace and approach the bed, smiling with trepidation at my best friend. He looks the same, though that doesn’t shock me. Fae look human anyway. His eyes appear tired and his white-blond hair is tied back in a messy bun, but other than that, he looks good. Strong.

He’s human.

“Hey there,” I say, not surprised at this point that my eyes are filling with tears again.

“Hey there,” he echoes in a groggy voice.

“How are you feeling?” I ask, reaching toward him, but I wait for him to take my hand. When he does, and gives it a little squeeze, I feel a million times better—like I can finally breathe.

“Exhausted, but in a good way. It is weird. I do not see auras or feel emotions anymore, which is odd but nice. It lets me focus on other things.”

“I’m going to chat with one of the technicians,” Jackson says. “I’ll leave the two of you to chat.”

Once Jax is out of the room, Seth smiles at me.

“What?” I ask.

“He did not take his eyes off you for a second the entire time he was in the room.”

My pulse ticks unevenly, and I’m glad Seth can no longer hear it. “Don’t worry about that. Just focus on recovering from the procedure.”

His mouth kicks up. “You like him,” he accuses in a tired voice.

“Oh, hush. You’re all hyped up on pain meds.”

Seth smiles. “You like him greatly. It’s all over your face.”

I shrug. “Fine. I like him. But only like forty-three percent of the time.”

He laughs, then winces, sucking in a sharp breath and squeezing his eyes shut for a moment.

I pull my hand back and gasp. “Shit. I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

Waving my concern away, he pulls me back down to sit on the edge of the bed. “I’m fine, just a little achy all over.”

I nod. “That usually lasts a few days, but the worst should be over in the first twenty-four hours. We’ll keep you overnight to make sure everything is fine, and I’m sure Tristan has you all set up to finish your recovery at the hotel.”

“Yes. I spoke to Skylar earlier today.”

“Good.” I glance around the room. “I’ll have them bring in a cot so I have somewhere to sleep.”

He arches a brow at me. “You have a place to sleep. In your bed.” He smirks. “Or Jackson’s.”

Rolling my eyes, I shake my head. “I’m staying with you.”

“No, you are not. Skylar said you were on duty tonight.”

“I’ll get someone to cover me,” I tell him. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s not,” he agrees, “which is why you don’t need to sleep on an uncomfortable bed. Tristan and Aurora will be here to check on me later.”

“What about Adam?” I counter.

“Allison and Monica are babysitting,” he answers.

I sigh. “Fine. But I’m only going under the condition that I’m coming back first thing tomorrow.”

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