Page 112 of Taken By the Fae

“No,” Mom says, “though another doctor mentioned she’d transferred hospitals.”

The knots in my stomach give a painful squeeze. I still don’t know the extent of Dr. Collins’s involvement in the fae world, and it looks like now I never will. I remind myself it doesn’t matter. Jules is dead and my brother is okay.

“What have you been up to?” Mom asks.

I press my lips together.If only she knew. “I was just looking through some job postings online. Allison, Oliver, and I are going to a job fair tomorrow, so I’ll probably edit my resume this afternoon and make sure it’s perfect in case I want to give it to any of the companies.”

“Good plan.” I can hear the smile in her voice. “You must be getting excited for graduation, or are you too buried under schoolwork and studying right now?”

I laugh. “Yes, but also yes.”

“You’ve worked so hard, Aurora. I just… I hope you know how proud of you we are.”

A lump forms in my throat, and I blink back tears. “I know, Mom. Thank you.”

She sniffles. “I’ll let you get back to it. Elijah and I are heading to the mall in a few minutes to get a new game he’s had his eye on.”

“Have fun,” I say. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Love you.”

“Love you,” I echo before ending the call and setting my phone down on my desk with a shaky sigh. I miss my family and I want to see them, but that doesn't feel like something I’m ready for yet. What if it’s so overwhelming I can’t glamour my fae features? I can’t imagine, especially after everything they’ve been through lately, they’ll be able to handle their daughter with pointy ears, glowing eyes, and all the rest. Until I know I can control it all, I have to keep my distance.

* * *

I wake with a gut full of nerves and a wicked headache, not to mention feeling as if I’d run a marathon and didn’t sleep all night. It’s safe to say the energy Nikolai transferred to me has worn out. I don’t have time to think about that now. Sucking energy from a human is going to have to wait until after the job fair today.

Once Allison is done in the bathroom, she returns to the bedroom and glamours me to conceal my inhuman features. I’m thankful she’s still willing to do it, but I know there will come a day soon where I’ll have to do it myself.

With a quick, “thank you,” I slip inside and put on the same formal black jumpsuit and blazer I wore to my internship interview. I curl my hair into loose waves after doing my makeup, dabbing a little extra concealer under my eyes to hide the evidence of my restless night.

Oliver meets us outside our building, and the three of us take an Uber to the Westbrook Hotel. My knee bounces anxiously the entire drive there, and my pulse is all over the place as I get out of the car.

My heels echo on the marble stairs, and it takes everything in me not to think back to the time I stormed up these stairs, demanding to see Tristan after Allison was taken. Being back here—it doesn’t take much for my head to go there, to those first encounters I had with Tristan. When he was just Tristan Westbrook, the infuriatingly arrogant and equally attractive seelie fae knight. Before he was the man I called mine.

Allison, Oliver, and I walk inside together, and I can hear my heart beating over both of theirs. I need to relax. Deep breaths. Icando this.

Marisa rushes over from the concierge desk as we make our way across the lobby. “Hey!” Her voice is cheerful and warm; the smile on her face is genuine and pleasant.

I smile, my eyes doing a quick scan of the room before they land on her. “Hey, Marisa. How are you?”

I tune out the second she starts talking. People are walking around, checking in and out of their suites, sitting around the lounge area, watching one of the flat screens attached to pillars that separate the room into smaller, cozy sections. Listening closer, I pick up on bits of conversations happening in the hotel restaurant; the orders being given in the kitchen, and the buzz of activity coming from the ballroom we’re headed for.

Allison taps my elbow, and I snap back to the moment, offering an apologetic smile as Marisa leads us to the ballroom as if I don’t know where it is, chatting with Allison until we reach the open double doors.

Allison reaches over and squeezes my hand before we walk in, getting enveloped by the buzz of dozens of separate conversations.

I grip the manila folder filled with copies of my resume and take a deep breath as I look around the room at the different presentations. Oliver goes one way, while Allison and I go the other and start walking down the aisle of tables and scanning the different company names.

We inch closer to Westbrook Inc.’s table, and I pause when my eyes meet Skylar’s. She offers me a nod, but I don’t approach. I’m not sure what keeps me away, but I blink in surprise when Allison walks over and starts chatting with her.

I turn in the opposite direction and walk to another row of tables, reading over the different company names until I come across one for a publishing company. I smile at the middle-aged woman behind the table and take an informational pamphlet from the stack, skimming it as I keep walking.

“Aurora, hey!”

I turn to find Lucas, a guy from my program, coming toward me. We’ve shared several classes over the years and completed a few group projects together. He has soft brown hair and a kind smile, and he’s wearing a flattering black button-down and slacks, looking much fancier than I’ve ever seen him.

“Hey,” I reply, slipping the pamphlet into my folder. “How’s it going?”

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