Page 42 of Taken By the Fae

Fuck yeah, I am.

I shake my head, grappling with a response. “Just because I don’t hate you anymore, just because I care if you’re in danger, doesn’t mean—”

“What?” he cuts in. “That you feel something for me?”

My heart stutters. Maybe I do feel something for Tristan, but I’ll be damned if I let myself admit it out loud. I cast my gaze away from him. “I shouldn’t have interrupted. You’re busy with fae politics. I’ll let you get back to it.” His words play over in my head on a loop.You feel something for me. I need to get out of this room, away from his presence that makes my skin heat and my pulse race.

I stand from the couch, walking toward the door, my heart in my throat and a voice at the back of my head urging me to turn around.

“I never thought of you as someone who’d walk away from a challenge.” Tristan’s voice carries across the room, stopping me in my tracks.

When I whirl around, he’s right there. I instinctively move to step back, but he catches my wrist, holding me in place.

“You areverychallenging,” I mutter, staring at the deep blue of his tie that makes his eyes seem even more vibrant.

A breath of laughter rumbles through his chest. “Touché.”

“And you shouldn’t… think about me.”

“Why?” He steps in closer, brushing his thumb over the pulse in my wrist. “Because you never think of me?”

“Because I’m human,” I say, finally meeting his eyes. The desire there nearly knocks the air out of my lungs, but I force myself to continue. “And that would make you a hypocrite.”

His brows inch closer. “I don’t follow.”

“You think you can punish other fae in your court for having relationships with humans while doingthis?” I pull my wrist out of his grasp. “Perhaps your king should take a better look at who he has working for him.”

Tristan’s expression smooths into something impossible to decipher. “I think you’ve been misinformed.”

I cross my arms. “What are you talking about?”

He glances down, dragging his tongue over his bottom lip before his gaze returns to mine. “There is no rule against fae dating humans. They need to be careful among them to ensure our abilities remain secret, but—”

“I have to go,” I interrupt, my chest tightening under the pressure of Tristan’s words.He thinks about me.He shouldn’t, especially with everything happening in his court, but knowing that he thinks of me, as I think of him, sends a thrill through me. Which is something I can’t deal with at this exact moment.

Something in my voice must give him pause, because he doesn’t try to stop me from leaving this time.

I make it to the streetcar stop near the hotel just in time to grab a seat before the doors close. Once we start moving, I pull out my phone and send a text to Allison.

I’m on my way home. We need to talk. Now.

ChapterTwelve

Allison is sitting on the end of her bed, pulling on her tennis shoes, when I storm into our room and throw my bag down next to my desk. Her eyes widen before I even open my mouth.

“Why did you lie to me?” I ask in a calm tone, trying to allow her a chance to explain before I snap. I don’t want to be mad at my best friend, but my voice is low and uneven as I try to keep my cool.

She shakes her head, her brows scrunching together. “What are you talking about, Ro?”

I fold my arms over my chest. “There isn’t a rule about fae dating humans.”

Her gaze drops away from mine. “I didn’t lie—you know I can’t—I just… didn’t correct you when you assumed Oliver was my indiscretion.”

I open my mouth, then snap it shut and take a deep breath. “I’m going to need more than that, Al.”

She nods, then sighs. “Oliver doesn’t love me.” Her voice is level and calm, as if she isn’t upset by what she’s telling me, whereas I’m gaping at her, shaking my head.

“Of course he does.”

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