Page 4 of Taken By the Fae

“I’m glad to hear that.” He steps forward, bringing his hand toward my face, and frowns when I inhale sharply, balling my hands into fists. His gaze drops to them for a second before returning to mine. “You’re going to fight me?”

“Don’t fucking touch me. Whoareyou?”

“That doesn’t matter right now.” He lifts his hand to my face before I can move away and holds me in place. His fingers brush along my jaw and the throbbing slowly fades, leaving a warm, tingling sensation as he moves them over the sharp pain radiating from my forehead, wiping it away with a simple touch.

My eyes widen, and I turn my face away from his hand as I stumble back a step. “Wh-what the hell was that?” My heart pounds as I reach up once more and find the gash in my forehead completely healed.

“You’re welcome,” he says with no explanation.

My brows pinch together, and I all but whisper, “Are you going to tell me who you are now?”

“Tristan, there are more important things to deal with right now.” Skylar is back with a tablet in her hand. She taps a few times on the screen before glancing between us.

“I’ll deal with what I decide needs to be dealt with, Skylar.”

“Or just let me go,” I suggest. “No need to deal with me at all.”

“The human makes an excellent suggestion, and that’s coming from me.”

Human?

“Skylar,” Tristan says, and there’s a warning in his voice that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand straight.

“Fine. Want me to handle this?” she asks Tristan, pointing a manicured finger in my direction.

Now both sets of eyes are on me, and Tristan sighs. “No. I think this requires my attention. Perhaps you should speak with Max and remind him how things work around here. I will deal with him later.”

“Very well,” she says, and I expect her to walk away, so imagine my surprise when she vanishes in the time I take to blink. She was standing only four feet from me, and now she’s gone.

My hand flies to my mouth as I suck in a sharp breath. “What just…” I trail off, unable to finish my sentence as my head spins.

Tristan glances at me as if he’s waiting for me to find my words, his eyes roaming over my face, calculating but not unkindly.

I jerk my fingers through my hair, pressing them into my scalp, urging myself to wake up from this horrifically realistic nightmare. When Tristan steps forward, I reel back, bumping into the doorframe to another room in the hallway.

“Aurora, I need you to listen to me,” he says in a calm voice.How does he know my name?

I shake my head adamantly. “Stay away from me!”

“I’m afraid that’s not going to work.” He advances once more, and my back collides with the wall; I have nowhere to go. In an instant, I lose it. I try to push him away, slamming my hands against his solid chest, but he doesn’t move an inch. “What the hell are you?” I demand through chattering teeth, fighting to keep tears back. None of this makes any sense.

His eyes flick across my face, and he sighs. “Calm down. Take a deep breath.” He waits until I exhale before he continues. “I’m a fae knight, Aurora, though I imagine that means nothing to you.” My brows shoot up, and he adds, “I thought not.”

“Why am I here?” I ask, forcing myself to hold his steely gaze.

“That is the eternal question, isn’t it?”

I close my eyes, letting out a shaky breath. “Fae,” I whisper in disbelief.

“Yes.”

Forcing my eyes open, I study him closely.Fae aren’t real, I tell myself. They are mythical,fictionalcreatures with sharp teeth and pointy ears and—He’s lying. He must be. But then, what explanation is there for his ability to heal my injuries? For Max moving so fast and Skylar disappearing into thin air?

As much as I want to deny everything, what I saw with my own eyes is making it difficult to discredit. It’s possible I’m suffering from some wicked, drug-induced hallucinations. I can’t count that out yet.

“I suppose you’re in shock,” Tristan offers, cocking his head to the side, and a bit of his light brown, almost blond hair falls across his forehead.

I lick the dryness from my lips. “You—you look human,” I attempt to rationalize aloud. “I don’t… This doesn’t make sense.”

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