Page 186 of Taken By the Fae

Her eyes narrow. “You have no idea what it’s like to lose—”

“I’ve lost plenty,” I snap at her. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know that.”

Tristan’s hand rests at the small of my back. “This is happening today,” he announces. “You’d better eat that food and get your energy up.” He reaches for my hand and laces his fingers through mine before the two of us leave the room. The door is almost shut behind us when Dr. Collins wails.

* * *

“What the fuck did you just say?” Skylar demands in a vicious tone, her cheeks flushed with anger.

Tristan sighs, offering a thoughtful look despite the icy glare Skylar is shooting him.

Nikolai and I are sitting on the couch in the living room, while Tristan and Skylar stand several feet away in the space between us and the dining room.

“I understand this may seem—”

“Absolutely insane?” she snaps. “That’s because it is. You can’t behuman. The seelie court needs you.” She shakes her head, her brows pinching. “Fuck,Ineed you, Tristan.”

He smiles, resting his hands on her shoulders. “Here’s the thing, Skylar. You don’t. In the years I’ve known you, you’ve grown into one of the strongest people I’ve met. Which is why when Rowan sought a replacement for my position in court, I gave him your name without hesitation.”

She blinks at him. “You what?”

Tristan lets his hands fall back to his sides. “You'll be summoned to appear before the king to make it official, but as of today, you are a knight of the seelie court.”

Several beats of silence pass, and Nikolai and I exchange a wary glance.

Skylar finally clears her throat. “I don’t know what to say.”

Tristan touches her cheek. “You don’t have to say anything. Just know I have the utmost confidence in you and hope you’ll forgive me for this decision.”

Her facade cracks, and she throws her arms around him. They stay like that for several moments, holding each other tightly, and it makes my chest ache.

Tristan is giving up everything he’s ever known to be with me, and it might not even work. That thought has my stomach in painful knots and threatens to send me into a spiral if I allow myself to think about it for too long.

Tristan and Skylar finally break apart, walking over to join us in the living room.

“Guess that makes us coworkers now, huh?” Nikolai grins at Skylar.

“Fucking hell,” she mutters.

* * *

Nikolai and Allison stay back with Oliver while we take Dr. Collins to her off-site lab across the city, but I’m glad Skylar is with us. I’m not sure I could get through this alone.

We drive through the city in a tinted SUV. Dr. Collins is sitting in the passenger seat, giving directions to one of the seelie fae from Tristan’s security team. Skylar is sitting in the seat behind her, ready to pounce if necessary. By the sharp expression on her face, she’s itching for the chance.

I’m sitting next to her, while Tristan is in the row behind us with another fae. He reaches forward and slips his fingers through mine, tracing slow circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. I focus on that to keep my pulse from skyrocketing.

With traffic, we take almost an hour to get to the other side of the city. The car turns onto a long dirt road and finally comes to a stop in front of a rundown gray brick building. It’s all on one level and spread out. The windows are boarded up, and ones that still have glass are mostly broken.

“Need a new investment property?” Skylar asks Tristan in a dry tone.

He chuckles.

We get out of the car, the two fae from Tristan’s security team on either side of Dr. Collins as we walk into the building. If anyone were to wander into the building, they’d see nothing but an empty, dusty old warehouse. Except we’re not anyone. We’re here for a reason.

Dr. Collins walks in front of us toward the far side of the room. Our shoes echo off the cement floors until we come to a stop in front of a wall. Dr. Collins runs her hand along it, pausing a few times, then stops and presses her hand firmly against it.

My eyes widen as the wall moves back and to the side, revealing a doorway to a landing and a set of stairs to a basement.

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