Page 11 of Taken By the Fae

“We? No—”

Allison steps forward faster than I’ve ever seen her move and grabs my hands. “Come with me.” Her plea is desperate.

“What?” I squeak, trying to pull free of her grasp. She’s unrelenting, and her effortless strength is a pulse-pounding reminder of how crazy the last twelve hours have been. My best friend being fae is the tip of the fucking iceberg.How the hell didn’t I notice anything before?I feel more and more ridiculous about missing it the longer I look at her. The girl has never had a bad skin day; her complexion is blemish-free, her face chiseled and appealing, though she, like Tristan, appears otherwise human.

She must see something in my expression, because she lets go, her voice rough with unshed tears when she says, “I never wanted you to find out what I am. You didn’t need to know.”

“Didn’t need to know?” I echo, shaking my head. “Like I didn’t need to know about my fae ancestors? Did you keep that from me, too?” I don’t entirely trust what Tristan told me—okay,trustis probably the wrong word, considering he can’t lie, but seeking answers elsewhere seems like a better bet.

She freezes. “You’re part of a fae bloodline?” Something like recognition passes over her face. “That’s why—I’ve always sensedsomethingon you, but I never knew what, and I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. It was clear you didn’t know or you would’ve known about me, so I ignored it.”

I stare at her silently, still trying to figure out how I missed it.

Her eyes bounce across my face. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but we can’t stay here, Aurora.” She grabs her bag, shouldering it and shoving her feet into the shoes she left by the door. She stops and looks at me over her shoulder. “Please, I’ll explain everything. Just come with me.”

I hesitate. “Where?”

“My cousin Theo owns a nightclub across town. We can go there and figure things out.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, glancing between her and the door. “Your cousin—”

“Is also fae,” she interjects, “and he’s always looked out for me.”

Raking my fingers through my hair, I exhale a heavy breath. “I don’t know, Al.” I have a lot of questions, but I’m not sure I’m ready to hear the answers. I trust Allison far more than Tristan, but this whole thing… It's too much.

“You’re scared,” she says, walking back to me. “I understand. You have every right to be scared and confused and angry. I didn’t want to suck you into this world. I thought I was doing everything necessary to keep you out of it, to keep you safe, but I fucked up and I am so sorry.”

My eyes sting, and I blink quickly, forcing the tears back. There’s a nagging voice in my head telling me I should be more insistent she tells me why Tristan is trying to track her down, but I shove it aside for now. Allison is my best friend, and I sure as hell trust her more than the fae who held me captive. “Okay,” I finally say. “Let’s go.”

She starts toward the door again before pausing. “I’d normally shift there, but I don’t think that’s something I should put you through today.”

Shift? That must be what Skylar did at the hotel to disappear seemingly into thin air. There’s not a chance in hell I’m going to do that. “Fae can teleport anywhere?”

“Uh, not really.” She walks to her desk, grabbing the jacket on the back of her chair, and shrugs it on. “We can move locations with an ability called shifting, but there are limitations in terms of distance. I haven’t tested it, but the farthest I’ve gone is across the city, which would typically take half an hour driving.” She pulls her hair out of her jacket before zipping it up, then wets her lips. “We also can’t shift somewhere we’ve never been.”

“Right.” I nod along, as if my best friend isn’t telling me about her supernatural abilities. “How does it work?”

She shrugs. “I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember, so it’s second nature. I just visualize where I want to go, focus on it, and I shift there.”

“Oh. Cool?” I offer weakly.

She almost cracks a smile. “For new fae, I’d imagine it would take a lot of concentration and practice.”

“New fae?” I echo. “Wait. How long haveyoubeen fae?”

Allison purses her lips. “Almost twenty-three years. I was born fae, like Tristan, though not all are.”

“How does someone who wasn’t born fae become one?” I ask before I can stop myself.

“It’s an involved process. A fae needs to feed on them while transferring their own energy into the human. They both need to be equals in that sense. It’s dangerous because their energy levels become extremely low during the process. Once that equal level is reached, the fae will drain the remaining human energy, so only the fae energy remains.”

“That doesn’t kill them?”

She shakes her head. “The human exists in a sort of in-between state. They need to feed on human emotions to complete the transition. Once that is done, a fae is made.”

“Oh. You were born fae, so does that mean—”

“Both my parents are fae. My mom was born fae, and she changed my dad.”

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