Page 26 of Taken By the Fae

The tequila works through me quickly, warming my stomach and bringing heat to my chest and cheeks. It’s certainly making this conversation easier. So much so, I ask, “Will you show me what you look like without glamour?”

Her eyes widen. “Why?”

I shrug. “I’m curious. Terrified, but curious nonetheless. I seem to be part of this world now, whether or not I like it. I don’t want seeing a fae’s true appearance for the first time to catch me off guard—I want to be prepared.”

Allison hesitates. “I don’t want to scare you.”

“Please,” I push.

With a heavy sigh, she puts some distance between us on the bed and turns to face me. Closing her eyes, her chest rises as she inhales slowly, then lets it out. The changes are subtle at first, the shimmering bluish tint to her skin, making it appear luminescent, the sharpness of her jaw. But then I notice her ears are no longer rounded at the top but pointed, and when she opens her eyes, I suck in a breath, my heart lurching.They’re glowing.

“Holy shit,” I breathe.

Allison smiles, and my heart nearly halts in my chest. Each of her teeth are pointed—she has a mouth full of fangs. I drop my gaze, and my eyes widen when I see her fingernails have morphed into claws.

My throat goes dry, and I stare at my best friend who still looks like Allison but… not. My heart is in my throat and my pulse is jackhammering beneath my skin. “I… can see why you need the glamour,” I finally get out.

She nods, then puts her glamour back up. Her appearance slowly returns to what I’m used to, and I let out a shaky breath. “Okay?” she checks.

I can’t stop staring at her, waiting for the razor-sharp teeth and glowing eyes to return. “Yeah. Uh, what’s next in the fae tutoring lesson?”

“Let’s go back to Tristan. He’s…” She starts then stops, as if she’s considering the best way to explain the fae knight. “Tristan is a man of his word and he’s big into respect.”

“Hard to believe,” I mutter, leaning over to set the bottle of tequila on the bedside table.

She frowns. “He has a small circle of fae he trusts.”

“He doesn’t have many friends. Shocking,” I remark dryly, fidgeting with my hands in my lap. The more we talk about Tristan, the more I want to hop on a train and get the hell out of Dodge when I think of having to face him on Monday.

“Aurora, this isn’t a joke. You may need this internship to graduate, but you need to be careful. Stay quiet. Don’t be witty or smart or—”

“Orme?” I shake my head. “He’s screwing with my life. I won’t make this easy for him.”

“Aurora.” She clasps her hands together in front of her as if she’s about to pray. A girl who’s never set foot in a church or said grace in the years I’ve known her. “Please don’t put yourself in unnecessary danger.”

I sigh, deflating a little. “Relax, Al. I won’t be stupid, but I’m also not going to walk on eggshells around him.”

“I’m just saying, the guy can be intense. And he’s fae—a knight—which makes him incredibly powerful. Like, more powerful than the average fae.”

Of course he is.“Why’s that?”

“All fae have the same abilities, but his are magnified because of his position. Power from the king’s ancestors lives inside him, making him stronger than me, for example.”

I blow out a breath. “Thanks for the info. I’ll keep that in mind the next time he pisses me off.” I’d bet good money that’ll be sooner rather than later.

She eyes me with concern. “Tristan can be very charming, and he’s good at what he does—in both the human and fae communities. As much as the guy freaks me out, I can’t deny that. Do what you can to stay on his good side, especially since he’s taken an interest in you.”

A faint flutter in my stomach makes the tops of my ears burn. “Why do you say that? Because he’s stuck? Because I was taken by mistake and now I’m an obligation?”

She presses her lips together. “He rarely pays attention to humans outside of his business.”

“I don’t want his attention.” The slight shift in my pulse tries to make a liar out of me.

She arches a brow at me. “We both know that isn’t entirely true. Regardless, my advice is to keep your head down as much as possible.”

I arch a brow. “Does that sound like me?”

“Aurora, I’m serious. This is for your own safety.”

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