Page 101 of Taken By the Fae

“Of course—”

“Alone.”

Tristan drags his hand through his already messy hair and down his unshaven face. He looks as wrecked as I feel. “You want to leave?” The confusion on his face makes the ache in my chest blossom, especially when a bit slips through the shield he’s keeping around his emotions.

“No.” I shake my head. “But I have to.”

“Let me help you through this.” He reaches for my hand, but I step away before he can touch me. I’ll lose the strength I need to leave if I let him touch me.

“Don’t,” I breathe, my lower lip trembling. “Please let me go.” My chest is so tight it feels as if it’s about to explode.

“Why?” he challenges, desperation creeping into his usually confident tone.

“Because,” I say, fresh tears filling my eyes. “This—us—is considered treason in your world, remember?” Until I know whatyou answer to the unseelie court nowmeans, I assume I have no place in the seelie court.

His hands clench into fists, as if he’s fighting the urge to reach for me. “We’ll figure that out. Remember what you told me? About not putting down a book before you finish the story? Our story isn’t over yet.” His words knock the air out of my lungs in a swift, painfulwhoosh. “Aurora.” My name is a prayer on his lips. He’s begging me not to leave. I can see it in his eyes. In fact, it’s the last thing I see before I back out of the room and walk out of his suite.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

It’s been a week since I killed Jules.

I haven’t left my dorm since I collapsed into bed after getting back from the hotel—after walking away from Tristan.

Allison has barely left my side since she came home later that day and found me crying on our bathroom floor. No words passed between us as she helped me up and back into bed, where she sat with me until I fell asleep.

During the following days, I don’t leave my bed much. My joints ache and my head pounds. Medication doesn’t touch the pain, and I can barely eat anything or drink water without it coming back up.

With each day that passes, the…symptomsof becoming fae are getting more severe, likely because I haven’t fed yet. Along with the physical pain, the weight of guilt on my chest for walking away from Tristan is all but unbearable. And yet, each time he asks to see me—whether it be through Allison or the missed calls and texts—I ignore him.

I’ve texted my parents a few times, telling them I caught some wicked flu on campus and don’t want to bring the germs around Elijah. That buys me a couple more weeks without having to stress over visiting them for the first time since I changed. I’m desperate to see my brother, to see for myself that he’s okay after Jules kept him in a coma all that time, but I can’t get past the fear of being around them when I’m like this. It clings to me like Saran Wrap.

Allison keeps telling me that feeding will make things easier—at least physically—and she even offers to teach me on several occasions, but the thought makes my stomach churn.

“I spoke to your professors today,” she says, walking into our room and closing the door. “They’ve agreed to let you transfer to online courses without academic penalty.”

I sit up, leaning back against the headboard. “Really?” It’s a damn shame; I enjoy class and learning among my peers, but being stuck in a room with thirty or more people for hours sounds like the worst idea right now. It’s currently the winter study week, meaning there aren’t any classes, but the thought of going back next week makes me nauseous.

She nods. “I told them about your brother being in the hospital, and they understood you’d want to be with him and your parents as much as possible. A couple of them suggested deferring your semester since it’s only February, but I made sure they were supportive of you graduating on time. I know how important that is to you.”

My chest swells, and I manage a small smile. “Thanks, Al.” I wince at the sudden build-up of sound from the hallway. A group of students are having a normal conversation, but their voices are like nails on a chalkboard. I want to cover my ears, to turn the sound off.

“You’ll be able to control your senses better once you’ve fed,” she says gently. “I’m shocked you’ve lasted this long, though that probably has something to do with the energy you took from Jules.”

“Right…”

She sits on the side of her bed, facing mine and pressing her lips together as her brows scrunch closer. “We need to talk. I know you don’t want to see Tristan, but there are some things you just can’t avoid any longer—like feeding. You should know, once you feed for the first time, your teeth will change and you’ll grow, um, claws, like you saw on me.”

My stomach drops. I was sincerely hoping by some miracle I had dodged the mouth full of fangs thing, and the thought of havingclawsmakes me want to cry.

“Okay,” I force out, the back of my neck tingling as my anxiety climbs.

“After human energy has nourished your body, you’ll rely on it more. You won’t be able to go for a week without feeding like this. But you’ll be able to use glamour to hide your inhuman features—the ears, eyes, skin, claws, and teeth. It’s one of the easier fae abilities, so long as you stay fed. It’ll become as natural as breathing, and you’ll need it to survive in the human world.”

I nod slowly, fighting the urge to cry that is growing stronger by the second.I don’t want this.

“Do you have questions?”

“Probably a thousand,” I say in a thick voice, my gaze focused on the blanket in my lap as I pull on a loose thread. As much as part of me wants to accept her help, I’m finding it difficult to do so. Allison has been my best friend for three and a half years, but the thought of her seeing me this way, struggling to adapt to this new life, it’s a hard pill to swallow and one I continue fighting. Not as adamantly as I am with Tristan; it’s a little difficult to avoid her completely when we live together.

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