Page 74 of Taken By the Fae

Tristan is dressed when I come back and turn on my bedside lamp, flicking off the ceiling light and giving the room a soft golden glow.

“Get some sleep,” he says, stepping toward the door.

I pick at the hem of my hoodie. “You don’t have to sleep in the guest room.”

“I don’t want to upset your parents.”

“They sleep downstairs. So long as you don’t snore obnoxiously or something, they won’t have a reason to come up here and check where you’re sleeping.” I press my lips together. “Stay. Please.”

He exhales slowly. “Okay.” He watches me crawl into bed, then walks around to the other side and sits on top of the bedding.

“This doesn’t feel real,” I whisper.

“That’s understandable.” He reaches over and tucks my hair away from my face.

“My head is spinning so fast. I’m trying to figure this whole thing out, but I know there’s no explanation.”

He frowns. “You’re doing what you can. You’re here with your family.”

“But I can’t help him,” I whisper as I lie back and stretch out my legs. “I…” I choke on a sob and turn my face to look at him.

His eyes search mine as he gets under the sheets and lies on his side, and then he wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me against him. There’s plenty of room for two people in my queen-size bed, but Tristan presses right against me, and I don’t want him to move. I can’t help but think just how substantially things have changed between us since we met. I trust him, care for him deeply, and definitely enjoy how he challenges me.

I never thought the seelie fae knight would be anything more than a threat to everything I’ve been working toward, and yet, I can’t imagine surviving this without him. He showed up for me like I never could have expected, and in doing so ruined any chance I had at ignoring the way I feel about him any longer. I want to be with Tristan, whatever that means, and whatever it takes to make that work. It terrifies me; I’ve never wanted anything so badly, but there’s a beacon of warmth in my chest that tells me I’m moving in the right direction, even though I have no idea where it leads.

I press my face into the crook of his neck and cling to him.He holds me until the sobbing quiets. I knew the silence would come in time, after crying for so long, but the fear of the unknown still weighs on my chest.

He cups my cheek in his hand and draws my face away so that I’m looking at him. An idea hits me so fast I don’t have time to register it before I say, “Can you heal him?”

Tristan’s face falls, and he shakes his head. “I’m sorry.”

“But you healed me—the day we met after Max hurt me—you healed me.”

“You had cuts and bruises and a mild concussion. I can heal superficial injuries or even broken limbs, but we aren’t sure what’s wrong with your brother yet. I can’t fix something I don’t know.”

My bottom lip trembles. “I thought…” My voice breaks, and more tears spring free, rolling down my cheeks.

Tristan wipes away my tears. “You should get some sleep,” he says softly.

“I can’t sleep.” I try to shift away from him so I can get up. “I should go back to the hospital, so I’m there when he wakes up.”

“I don’t think you should sit at the hospital all night, especially when we don’t know when he’s going to wake up.” Despite the gentle tone of his voice, the underlyingif he wakes upchips away at the growing crack in my chest.

“What else am I supposed to do?” I snap, sitting up.

He runs his hand up and down my arm and murmurs, “Let me help you.”

“How?” I ask, my voice trembling with a fresh onslaught of tears.

“You trust me?” he checks.

I nod without hesitation.

“Lie back and close your eyes. I’m going to take the energy tied to the emotions that are preventing you from sleeping.”

“Okay.” My voice doesn’t waver; he’ll take care of me, and every part of me knows that. I follow his instructions and reach for his hand. “You’re not going to leave, are you?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” He slides his arm around my waist, pulling me against him, and I hug the arm he has wrapped around me. He leans in and whispers in my ear, soft and lulling, until exhaustion floods in; I don’t fight the wave of darkness as it pulls me under.

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