Page 125 of Taken By the Fae

“It’s my choice.” I drag my gaze back to his. “It’s also my hope that the courts will one day coexist so me not picking one won’t be such a big deal.”

The tension in his expression is reflected in his posture, and it puts me on edge. “I understand,” he finally says. “I don’t like it, but I… respect your decision.”

My eyes widen, and I shift in my seat, clearing my throat. “Thank you.” Needing the conversation to move away from me, I bring it back to the previous topic and ask, “What’s the spring equinox ceremony?”

Some of the tension leaves Tristan’s shoulders. “A celebration among the seelie fae. It used to be a period when passage between the fae and human worlds was easiest; however, that became obsolete after the war that destroyed our world and we moved here permanently.”

“But you still celebrate it?”

Tristan nods. “Hoping to return to our world one day, I suppose.”

I take a moment to try to read him. When I hit a mental brick wall, it’s clear he’s blocking his emotions just as I am. My pulse jumps when Tristan’s eyes flit toward me. Heat flares in my cheeks, and I drop my gaze, feeling as if I’ve been caught doing something wrong.

I try to cover up my embarrassment by saying, “Maybe this planned attack you heard about is a rogue group of fae, not something orchestrated by the queen?”

“It’s possible,” Tristan offers, flicking a glance toward Nikolai, “butheshould know what’s going on in the unseelie court.”

“Because you always know everything happening in yours,” Nikolai remarks dryly.

“I’ve been at this for decades longer than you, Sterling,” Tristan says in a short tone, sitting straighter.

“Then protect your king and have your little party.” Nikolai turns to me and stands. “I think we should go.”

Tristan growls, but I focus on Nikolai as I nod stiffly and get up. This meeting feels unfinished, but it also doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere good.

“Aurora.” Tristan’s voice makes me freeze halfway across the room. “Could I have a moment?”

Nikolai whirls around, but I grab his arm and shake my head. “It’s okay.” He stares at me with a hard expression before he gives me a curt nod and leaves. The door closing echoes in the silence.

Tristan walks around the desk, closing the distance between us. The butterflies in my stomach flutter crazily, attuned to his presence, which sets me on edge.

Tristan’s eyes flick across my face, taking me in as if he’s doing it for the first time. His face is different. His fae knight mask is gone; this is the Tristan only I get to see. He tilts his head slightly. “How are you doing?” His voice is soft. It makes my chest tighten.

Tossing the question around in my head, I try to decide the best way to answer it. “I’m—” The wordfinewon’t come out. I try again. “I’m—”Okaydoesn’t want to work either. I can’t say the words I want to. My brows tug together and my jaw clenches.

“First time you’ve tried lying since you became fae?” he asks.

I close my eyes, exhaling through my nose. When I open them again, he’s still watching me, waiting for an answer. “Things are different.” I stumble to the side when my head spins out of nowhere.Why do I feel like this already?

Tristan reaches for me immediately, but I pull back fast enough so he doesn’t touch me. “You aren’t well,” he observes with a frown. The concern and confusion are etched on his face; I don’t need to read his emotions. “When was the last time you fed?”

“Yesterday.”

He frowns, rubbing his jaw idly. “You may need to feed daily for a while until your body gets used to this new sustenance.”

Panic is like ice in my veins; I don’twantto feed every day. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Aurora—”

“I’m figuring it out, okay? I’m… managing.” When my voice cracks, I cringe. I need to leave. I can’t keep looking at him.

“It didn’t look that way at the job fair.”

“I’m better.” It’s not a lie. Iamdoing better since then, though I know I’ll slip back to that place if I don’t feed again soon.

He wets his lips. “Are we going to act as though we mean nothing to each other? You don’t want me to care about you anymore?”

Fucking hell.My eyes burn, but I force the tears back. “Please—”

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