Page 184 of Taken By the Fae

I swallow past the lump in my throat. “Yes, I do.”

Tristan insisted on being the one to interrogate Dr. Collins, so I followed him. If he’s going to talk to her about making him human, Iwillbe there.

“Your heart is trying to burst from your chest.” Tristan’s velvet soft voice reels me back in, and I glance up at him.

“I’m fine,” I lie smoothly, because I’d rather bury myself in something important than face the anxiety winding around my throat like a noose. I’m worried about whatI’mgoing to do upon seeing the woman who practically tortured me.

Tristan stops at the last door at the end of the hall, and the fae guard nods at him, flipping each of the four locks open. We walk inside and the guard closes the door, relocking it.

Seeing the room brings me right back to the time I spent here. Nothing has changed, except the woman tied to a chair is no longer me.

The doctor lifts her head when she hears us come in. She glances toward the tray of food on the floor next to her, then looks at Tristan and me. The pantsuit she was wearing is wrinkled and dirty now. The rest of her appears disheveled and frail, but there isn’t an inkling of guilt in my chest. She doesn’t deserve comfort, not after everything she’s done.

Tristan approaches at a slow pace. The lethal precision of each step he takes would make anyone nervous. Dr. Collins’s fear is clear; her eyes are wide, and her hands are shaking where they’re shackled at her sides.

“I’m going to make this very simple,” Tristan says calmly. “You will answer my questions, do as I ask, and then you’re free to leave.”

My eyes swing toward him.He’s going to let her go?

“I-I can’t help you,” she forces out, voice trembling.

Tristan shakes his head. “Try again.”

“Why are you doing this?”

I bark out a laugh. “That sounds familiar. What is it you said to me when I asked you that very question? Oh, right.You should consider yourself lucky. And you should. You’ve hurt many people, and instead of killing you, Tristan is giving you a chance to save yourself.”

Her shoulders shake, and she sniffles. “What do you want?”

“That’s better,” I comment.

“We need two things from you, and then you’ll be on your way.”

Her eyes narrow at him. “What?”

“First, you’re going to tell us everything you know about the other Experiment facilities.”

“I won’t. They exist to protect humans from you monsters,” she seethes.

Tristan offers a dark chuckle. “You will,” he says in an affable tone. “You can do it willingly or I can make you speak. It’s up to you. I’m giving you achoice, which is more than you gave Aurora.”

“There are too many operations around the world,” she says. “You’ll never find them all.”

“We have a team of people upstairs who’d beg to differ,” I say, crossing my arms.

Tristan nods. “Why don’t we start with the major ones? You must have a roster of locations somewhere.”

Dr. Collins looks at me. “Of course. In the building you destroyed.”

“Hmm… I don’t believe for a second there was only a single copy of that list. I’m sure you have databases full of useful information, so why don’t you tell us about that,” I suggest sharply. I’m not in the mood for this to take longer than it needs to. Dr. Collins is pushing her luck.

She says nothing.

“I’d start talking, doctor,” Tristan warns, “or this is going to get very unpleasant for you, very fast.” He steps closer to her, and she pulls against the restraints. “Start talking,” he repeats.

After a stretch of silence, Tristan closes the distance between them and grips her chin, forcing her to look at him. She struggles in his grasp, but it’s pointless.

“Where are the databases with the information on the other Experiment facilities?” His voice is a gentle, melodic caress. It tickles my mind, and he’s not even directing the question at me. That’s how powerful his manipulation is.

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