Page 17 of Taken By the Fae

“She’s here awaiting my orders.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

Tristan wets his lips, and I have to stop myself from letting my gaze drop to his mouth. “You really shouldn’t know any more than you already do, but I suspect you won’t leave well enough alone and return to your life like you should. Just know, this world you’ve stumbled into is dangerous, Aurora. The less you know, the better. Knowledge may be powerful, but it’ll also thrust you deeper into a world that could easily tear you apart.”

My heart beats like the wings of a hummingbird, but I hold his gaze. “You really don’t know me at all.”

The corner of his mouth pulls up slightly, and he exhales a short laugh. “Fae laws are much like your own,” he continues. “Actions have consequences and there are punishments for misconduct.”

I frown. “What misconduct are you talking about?”

He says nothing.

“What did she do?” I push, though I’m not sure why. It’s something I should ask Allison. I trust her answer over Tristan’s, anyway. “What areyougoing to do?” I amend.

“I’ll treat the situation as I see fit.” His voice is firm, unforgiving, and his response is utterly useless. “It’s time for you to leave.”

“I’m not leaving without her,” I say. “You lost our deal. I found her first.”

Tristan arches a brow, a faint smirk on his lips, and glances over his shoulder when there’s a knock at the door. When it opens, I stiffen, and Max steps into the suite, his eyes landing on me immediately. A potent mixture of fear and disgust goes to war inside me, and I step closer to Tristan without thinking, as if some part of me feels he’s safe—at least safer than Max.

“Back for more fun, blondie?” he taunts.

I recoil, revulsion twisting my expression as my last encounter with him plays on a loop in my head.

“Miss Marshall was just on her way out,” Tristan says smoothly.

“You’re letting the human go? Again?” Max questions. “She could open her mouth and put us all in danger. Wipe her memory. We’ve got the one we were after.”

I look between them and take a couple of steps away from them both, my heart rate kicking up as they turn to watch me.

“I’m handling it,” Tristan says in a firm tone, flicking his eyes to me. Evidently, he isn’t going to tell Max he tried andcouldn’tuse his freaky fae manipulation on me.

“Fine,” Max mutters, his teeth flashing in a snarl when he glances at me. His eyes quickly return to Tristan. “We need to talk. I’ll be in your study when you’re done with this.”

I can’t help the small gasp that escapes my lips when he shifts out of the room. That’s definitely not something I’m going to get used to anytime soon. “What abouthismisconduct?” I ask. “Shouldn’t he receive punishment for his actions against me? Or does it not matter because I’m not fae?”

His jaw works. “There are no laws to prevent fae from taking humans.”

My brows tug closer as I glare at him. “I don’t have the mental capacity to get into how fucked up that is. So just let Allison go, and we’ll be on our way.”

“I don’t see that happening,” he says mildly.

I grind my molars, my muscles tensing as I fight the urge to take a swing at him. I’m not a particularly violent person, but Tristan knows just the right thing to say to get my blood boiling. “You don’t think people will wonder where Allison is? She has friends and a boyfriend. People will question her whereabouts.”

Tristan sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She will return to her life soon enough.”

Some of the tension in my chest releases, and my lips part in surprise. At least he said he’ll let her go. “After you’re done with her? Because she answers to you?”

“Yes. Just as you do. That’s how it works when you choose to return to a world that wasn’t meant for you.”

“I donotanswer to you.”

Tristan moves closer, faster than my eyes can register the movement. “I saved your life. Twice.”

“My life was in danger twicebecauseof you!” I wait for him to respond with some high-handed remark, but he stands there with a stoic expression.

“How unusual,” he says thoughtfully, licking his bottom lip.

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