Page 66 of Taken By the Fae

“She’s alive,” he says, his posture stiff. “Stay here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

I stop him before he can turn away. “Be careful,” I say in a firm voice and lean up to kiss him.

He returns the kiss chastely and then he’s gone.

ChapterSeventeen

Aweek later, Skylar has almost fully recovered from the attack, which, considering she almost died, is incredible. I don’t know all the details, just that she was ambushed and wrapped in iron chains that burned her skin and drained her energy until a group of seelies came across them and stepped in, saving her life.

Despite our rocky start, I’m glad she’s okay. That being said, the unseelie fae attacking Skylar only worries me more about Allison. She’s adamant about trusting Evan, but I can’t help the knot in my stomach every time I think about what happened to Skylar happening to her. But I can’t think about that, not today.

Westbrook Inc.’s annual charity gala is here, and I can’t remember a time when I’ve worked this hard on something. Which is probably why I feel as though I’m going to vomit the minute I wake up.

Tristan wanted me to stay over last night, but I declined; I needed to keep a clear head for today.

I haven’t slept at the hotel since that night after the bar. I’m not sure Tristan slept at all with the uproar over the attack on Skylar. He and Max stayed with her while she healed. Meanwhile, I curled up on the couch in Tristan’s living room in front of the fireplace.

My dorm room is a far cry from Tristan’s penthouse, but a sense of relief fills my chest when I peek over and see Allison asleep. When she’s here, that means she isn’t sleeping at Evan’s. It’s not that I don’t want my best friend to be happy—that’sallI want, but I can’t stand knowing she could get hurt, or be punished by the king for disobeying seelie law. Tristan hasn’t turned her over to the court, and I haven’t brought it up. Because if he’s doing this for me, going against his king… I can’t think about what it means.

I toss back my comforter and stare at the ceiling before getting out of bed and tiptoeing into the bathroom to take a shower. Afterwards, I towel dry my hair and change into a sweater and leggings. I don’t plan on putting on my dress until the last moment; I still have work to do at the hotel before the gala, all of which has been on me since Skylar has been out of commission.

My phone is buzzing on my dresser when I walk out of the bathroom. I snatch it up before the sound wakes Allison and swipe blindly at the screen to answer it.

“Hello?” I whisper.

“I wasn’t sure you’d be awake yet,” Tristan says. “I wanted to check in before you got sucked into the chaos of today.”

My pulse kicks up at the deep sound of his voice, and I slip into the hallway, closing the door behind me. “What are you talking about? I’m fine.”

“You’re deflecting, which is all right. I understand you’re nervous. You’ve put significant work into this event and you’re taking it as seriously as I do every year. I am very grateful for that.”

I stumble on my words before getting out, “I’m happy to help.”

“I know,” he says softly. “Would you like to join me for breakfast at the office?”

I catch my lower lip between my teeth and lean against the wall, trying not to smile. “I don’t know, Tristan.”

“We can order room service. The kitchen makes excellent French toast.”

Talking to this Tristan throws me off. It’s different from having a conversation with the intense, strong-willed fae knight, always focused on protecting his people. Times like these, I can pretend that he’s just a guy asking me to breakfast. Which makes it difficult to say no.

I sigh, a grin touching my lips. “Okay, fine.”

Tristan chuckles. “I’ll see you soon.”

Sneaking back into my room, I throw everything I’ll need for tonight into a suitcase and head out.

I arrive at the Westbrook Hotel half an hour later and scan my ID card to get in the back door. Skylar hooked me up with it a couple of weeks ago so I wouldn’t have to come in through the lobby.

I fidget with my phone on the ride to the office and step off the elevator to find Max sitting at the desk.

“You’re here early, blondie,” he says.

“Couldn’t sleep.”

Max nods. “I think Tristan’s in his office.”

“Great,” I say. “What areyoudoing here this early?”

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