Page 173 of Taken By the Fae

“Aurora.” His voice makes me meet his gaze quickly, and he almost smiles. “What do you need?”

I shake my head. “I came to check on you.” Walking around the desk, I take the drink and set it on the other side of me. “I’m glad I did. You don’t look so good.”

He reaches over and caresses my cheek. “Don’t worry about me, Rory. If anything, I should worry about you.” He is. I can tell by the way he hasn’t taken his eyes off me since we got back to the hotel. I’m scared and hurt and angry, but I didn’t just lose my best friend. He did, and taking care of him allows me to keep my mind off the fact I was just put through hell.

“Iamworried about you. What happened to Max—Death takes a toll on a person, no matter who they are.”

He drops his hand, glancing away. “I need to prepare a statement.”

“It can wait. You’re not well enough.”

“It can’t wait, Aurora. My people deserve to know the danger they face.”

“Of course they do.” I bite the inside of my cheek until I taste blood and cringe. “But if anyone should make a statement, it’s the queen and the king.”

“I’ll handle it,” he says firmly. “I don’t want you anywhere near the royals, especially given you’re human again.”

“I want to help,” I point out, an edge to my voice. “Tell me what I can do to help you.”

He presses his fingers against his temples. “You can call the local feeding unit and have Destiny send a human over.”

My brows tug closer as a flare of… what—possessiveness?—races through me. “You just said it—I’m human again.”

He stiffens, and when I shift closer, he shakes his head. “Stop.”

“Would you relax? You’ve saved my ass enough times.”

“Aurora,” he murmurs.

“Tristan, please,” I say, trying to smooth his hair down. “Let me do this for you.”

He lets out a slow breath, holding my gaze. “You’re sure?”

“Of course.”

Tristan stands, and we walk over to the couch, sitting side by side.

I reach over and take his hand. “I love you,” I say in a hushed tone.

He leans down and kisses my cheek. “I love you.” He closes his eyes and slides his fingers through mine. His thumb brushes soft circles across my skin as he siphons my energy into himself. It trickles out of me slowly, and I lean into him, closing my eyes as a pleasant warmth fills my veins, making me sigh.

I understand the humans in the feeder unit more now. This is… intense—in the best way. Being able to give Tristan strength, to take care of him like this, leaves me with a heady feeling and a primal need growing between my legs that has me pressing my thighs together.

Tristan pulls his hand back just as I’m feeling a little fuzzy. “Are you all right?”

I open my eyes to find him looking at me with concern, and I smile. “I’m perfectly fine.” When I go to stand and the room tilts, I lean back against the couch cushion. “I think I’m going to sit here for a few more minutes.”

Guilt darkens his features. “I took too much.”

I shake my head. “I’m okay. Just give me a couple of minutes, and I’ll be good to go.” He already looks better. Brighter eyes. Straighter posture. A weird fluttering grows in my stomach;I did that for him.

He frowns, then sighs. “Thank you.” Kissing my forehead, he says, “I should get back to work.”

I grab the back of his shirt when he tries to get off the couch. “You should take it easy.” I want to pull him back onto the couch and straddle him, distract him with my mouth until the tension in his muscles eases and the worry lines in his face fade.

A pang of sadness blossoms in my chest at that moment when I find myself wishing I could feel his emotions. There’s a lot about being fae I won’t miss, but that is one thing I definitely will.

He turns and glances down at where I have a fistful of his shirt. “You know I can’t do that.”

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