Page 154 of Taken By the Fae

“Right.” I draw out the word, confusion clear in my voice. Until it hits me, knocking the air out of my lungs. “They made you human,” I breathe.

He nods, and I feel a brush of his gratitude against my senses. It’s soft and warm, like being wrapped in a warm towel after an afternoon of swimming. Evidently, feeding on Marisa has brought back some of my abilities. “I, like you, wasn’t born fae, but turned a long time ago to be with the woman I thought was my soulmate. I was wrong. Fast forward to almost a month ago, the talented and dedicated team here helped fix my mistake and gave me my life back.”

My back straightens as I pin him with a glare. “I don’t want to hear your success story or whatever.”

“But you should,” he insists. “If you’re lucky, it’ll be yours, too.” He comes at me without warning, but I’m fast enough to sidestep him and whirl around to slam my foot into his stomach, sending him stumbling back. He grunts in pain, coughing as his lungs struggle to fill with air. “Aurora,” he says hoarsely, “we don’t have to do this.”

“You’ve made it pretty clear we do,” I shoot back, advancing once more. Grabbing the front of his shirt, I shove him back into a wall of shelves, the sound of glass bottles smashing against the floor music to my ears. I want to destroy this place on my way out.

“Listen to me,” Carter says through his teeth as I keep him pinned to the shelves.

I bark out a sharp laugh, tightening my grip and leaning in as I tap into his emotions. “Hard pass.”

Carter grunts, shoving me with what I imagine is his full body weight, and I give him an inch of space, dropping one arm to my side but keeping the other gripping his shoulder. I dig my fingers in, and he makes a strangled sound of pain at the back of his throat before I pull on his energy. Slowly, so Carter knows exactly what I’m doing and that he can’t do a thing to stop it. “Aurora,stop.”

All I can think is that this guy works for the people keeping me here, planning to perform a procedure that may or may not kill me. I lean in close enough my nose nearly touches his, and lower my voice. “I’m not going to let you—”

There’s a sharp poke of a needle in the side of my neck, and I suck in a startled breath, my eyes widening as I reach for the shelves behind Carter. My legs go numb, the muscles struggling to keep me upright, and my grip slips off the shelves. I sway on my feet, my vision blurring and my ears ringing. Carter’s arms come around me as warmth floods through my veins and my legs give out. Whatever poison he shot into me drags me into the darkness.

ChapterForty-Three

“She’s waking up…” an unfamiliar voice says, the tone low, scared.

Of me?There’s no way they fear someone strapped to a bed.

Considering you all but drained the last person who was in the room while you were tied down, it’s a possibility.Damn that pesky little voice at the back of my head. She’s almost as annoying as the voices floating around the room.

My head pounds as if I spent the night drinking cheap wine.Is it morning? Night?Hell, I have no idea.

“I told you she wouldn’t be out long.” That sounds like Dr. Collins.

I pry my eyes open and lift my head enough to peek around the room, wincing as the pain behind my eyes intensifies with each movement. Dr. Collins is standing beside the bed, with Marisa and a younger looking man behind her. Carter stands against the wall across from the bed. His expression is calm, unconcerned—the complete opposite of the guy standing near Marisa, looking at me as if I’m a monster.

To him, you are.

I close my eyes again, willing the stabbing pain to subside.

“Give her something for the pain,” Carter instructs in a level tone.

“Go ahead, Aaron. She won’t hurt you,” Dr. Collins says.

I want to laugh, but it’ll make the pain worse.

When Aaron doesn’t move, Carter huffs out an annoyed sigh. His shoes echo on the floor as he approaches the bed.

I turn my head to the side, facing him, and narrow my eyes as he pushes something into my IV line, his hands covered by black leather gloves.Why are you helping me?The words are on my tongue, but my lips don’t move.

“Clear the room,” Carter says, keeping his eyes on me.

“Carter,” Dr. Collins warns. “We don’t have time to—”

“Five minutes,” he says, flicking his gaze away from me.

I continue to watch him, how he handles the machines attached to me with care. Considering this is the same guy who slammed me into the side of Tristan’s car, I’m confused by his actions. Maybe the Experiment screwed with him—made him nicer? Either way, he doesn’t seem to mind.

Shifting my gaze, I watch the rest of the lab coats leave the room. When the door clicks shut, I turn my head to look at the ceiling.

Carter sits on the edge of the bed, as if he’s comfortable with me—as if we’re friends. “Aurora,” he says.

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