Page 134 of Taken By the Fae

I pull out the paper for the second time today and offer it to him, waiting as he looks it over as Tristan did.

“I’ll be damned,” he comments.

I fold my arms over my chest. “Creepy, right?” I try not to think about the times I was definitely flirting with him before I knew who he really was…Gross.

Nikolai shakes his head, his forehead creased with confusion as he folds the paper and hands it back to me. “You were named after your great-great-great grandmother, who was married to him?

“I always thought Aurora was taken from my nan’s middle name. I didn’t know the name went back that far.”

“Are you going to look into it more?”

“I don’t see the point,” I tell him. “It won’t change anything that happened. That, and there’s no one alive to get information from. Tristan looked into my lineage when we met—wethoughtthey’d all perished in the fae war.”

Nikolai nods thoughtfully. “Let me know if you change your mind about looking into it. I may have some contacts Westbrook doesn’t.”

Nikolai wanting to help brings a genuine smile to my lips, which is rare these days. “Thanks, Nik.”

“Oooh, I got a nickname.” He grins, bumping his shoulder against mine.

I roll my eyes in response.

“What should I call you? We could stick with gorgeous, because it’s true, but I kind of want something a little more… original.”

“How about my name?” I offer dryly.

Nikolai sighs dramatically. “You are so boring sometimes.”

* * *

When I get back to the dorm, I change into the comfiest sweats I own before grabbing one of the many unread books from my shelf and curl up on my bed. Glancing over at Allison’s, I frown as I realize how infrequently I’ve seen her these days. She’s as busy as I am with school, and we always just seem to miss each other at the dorm. Once the semester ends, I’m going to insist we take a trip to celebrate graduation, mostly so I just spend some time with my best friend.

I’m only a chapter into my book when a knock sounds at the door. My eyes flick toward the sound, and I hold my breath. Not wanting to deal with anyone else tonight, I ignore it, focusing on the book in my lap.

My gaze darts up from the page as Max appears. He stops near the end of my bed and crosses his arms.

“What the hell?” I breathe, clutching my chest. “Way to waltz in without an invitation.”

He barks out a laugh. “You’re one to talk.”

I narrow my eyes. “What’s with the shifting? You never used to do that.”

He shrugs. “Tristan didn’t want us doing it around you. He thought it’d freak you out as a human, but I figured now that you can do it yourself, that request no longer applies.”

“Whatever,” is all I say, because Ihaven’tdone it myself yet. “Why were you in the office earlier? You couldn’t have done that elsewhere?”

“Ollie and I were having drinks at the bar and we stumbled in there to find some quiet.” He smirks. “We lost track of time.” It’s clear by the lines in his forehead and the twist of his lips he’s got something more to say.

“What can I do for you, Max?”

His eyes meet mine, then drop to the book I’m holding. “You can read?”

“Funny.”

He tilts his head as if he’s trying to look at the cover. “Huh. Anyway, I need your help.”

My brow lifts. “Youneedmyhelp?”

He scowls. “Try not to sound so thrilled about it, would you?”

---