Page 183 of Taken By the Fae

My heartbeat is hammering against my rib cage, threatening to burst free. “What are you—”

“You were right when you said we don’t have forever,” he murmurs. Silence hangs between us for several beats.

“I don’t understand,” I whisper, my lower lip trembling and my eyes burning.

Tristan steps forward. “What you went through those days you were locked up in that place is unimaginable. I don’t condone what was done, and I’m glad those monsters are gone. But what they did…” He shakes his head. “They did the impossible, Rory. They took a fae and they made you human again.”

My mouth is bone dry. I’m too afraid to speak.

“I’ve been thinking about it.” A muscle ticks along his jaw. “They’ve done the procedure successfully more than once now.” His expression is calm, peaceful. A stark contrast to the panic and fear etched into my features.

My heart stops and hot tears spring in my eyes. “You…” My eyes bounce all over his face. “You want to becomehuman?”

His smile widens. “I want you. Forever. But I would never ask you to become fae again. If I do this, if I become human, we can grow old together. I will die satisfied, having spent my life loving you.”

My knees buckle, and Tristan catches me, guiding me to the floor. He kneels in front of me, holding my face in his hands.

“This is a lot, I know. I love you with every part of me, and if you’ll do me the incredible honor of spending your life with me, I will continue to love and care for you until our last day together on this earth.”

Tears roll freely down my cheeks, and I don’t bother wiping them away.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a black velvet box. He lifts his gaze to my face as he opens it. “Aurora Marshall, will you marry me?”

My eyes widen at the gorgeous diamond caged by an intricate rose gold band. I blink at it a few times to make sure my eyes aren’t deceiving me before I meet his gaze, nodding as my lips curl into a smile. “Yes. Of course, I’ll marry you.Yes.”

He pulls the ring out of the box and slips it onto my finger. We both stare at it glittering against my skin, and then at each other before we rise to our feet. His arms come around me at the same moment I lean up and brush my lips against his, letting my eyes fall shut as I melt into him and deepen the kiss. My fingers push through his hair and his hands squeeze my hips. I miss being able to hear our combined heartbeats, but as I break the kiss and hug him tight, pressing my ear against his chest, I feel it beating steadily. For me. Forus.

For as long as we both shall live.

ChapterFifty

We spend the next morning sitting with Nikolai, Skylar, Allison, and Oliver, discussing what to do with Dr. Collins. That’s after Allison spots my glittering engagement ring and squeals about it for ten minutes.

Dr. Collins has been kept in a room in the hotel's basement, monitored by fae Tristan trusts, while we waited for direction from the royal courts. Tristan and Nikolai received word late last night—they’ve been granted discretion to handle her as they see fit.

When I brought her back to the hotel, it was so Tristan could choose how she died. It was a twisted idea, but after everything I’d been through at the facility, it felt right, even if an inherent part of me knew the whole thing was very wrong.

Tristan says nothing about his interest in becoming human; I keep my mouth shut, majorly because I’m still trying to work through it myself. The idea of living a human life with Tristan is exciting, but the chance that the procedure won’t work like it didn’t for many other fae has me absolutely terrified.

“Kill her,” Oliver says in a low voice, tracing the rim of his coffee cup with his finger.

Skylar speaks before I process Oliver’s grim suggestion. “That would be a waste. Why are you even here?”

Oliver flinches, his cheeks flushing, and says nothing more.

“Easy, Sky,” Nikolai says in a soft tone.

She exhales a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry,” she says to Oliver, “I get you cared about him—we all did—but we need to look at the bigger picture. Ensure Max didn’t die for nothing. It’s what he would’ve wanted.”

Oliver nods, blinking away the wetness in his eyes.

“Let’s use her to get some answers,” Allison says. “It’s a good place to start. We need to find out where the other facilities are and what their plans are. From there, we can come up with a strategy to deal with them.”

That we all agree on.

Now, walking down the dim lower-level hallway toward the room Dr. Collins is being kept in—the room I was in when Max brought me here—I can’t stop my hands from shaking as nervous energy crackles through me.

Tristan gives the hand he’s holding a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to be here.”

---