Page 75 of Taken By the Fae

ChapterTwenty

The following morning, I wake in a tangle of limbs. My pulse kicks up as I become aware my legs are wrapped around one of Tristan’s. My arms hug his midsection, and my cheek is pressed against his warm, solid chest. His heart beats against my ear as his chest rises and falls in time with the steady rhythm.

Glancing around while trying to keep my head still, I try to think of a way to get off the bed without waking him. I pull back carefully, freeing one arm, but he’s lying on the other. I sneak a glance at his face to make sure his eyes are still closed, then shift to the side so I can slip my legs free. Of course, I lean too far back and lose my balance. I’m heading for the hardwood floor, and I’m going to smack my tailbone hard. The fluffy purple IKEA rug won’t cushion my fall, either.

At the last second, Tristan grabs my wrist with inhuman speed, pulling me back onto the bed.

I suck in a sharp breath and cringe when he releases me. “How long have you been awake?”

“Long enough,” he murmurs with a slight curve of his lips.

I laugh sheepishly, scooting back against the mountain of pillows at the headboard. “Great.” As I look around the room, the events from the past twenty-four hours come back in a painful rush. I rake my fingers through the mess of curls on my head and swing my legs over the side of the bed. “I should get ready and head to the hospital with my parents.”

Tristan Westbrook is crawling out of my bed—where he slept beside me last night. When I imagined this moment, it didn’t include having to go to a hospital… let alone downstairs to face my parents.

He kisses my cheek on his way past and slips out of the room while I get dressed. Once he returns a few minutes later, I tell him, “You should head back to the city. I’m sure you want to check in at the office and see how the rest of the gala went.”

“I’m fine right here.”

“I don’t know how long I’m going to be here, and you can’t hang around for me—I won’t ask you to. I haven’t forgotten everything you have to deal with. You were here for me last night, and you have no idea how grateful I am for that.” I pause. “Come to think of it, you probably do, considering the whole fae emotions radar thing you have.”

He chuckles softly, nodding.

“You need to be there for your people now.”

He sighs, and his brows knit. There’s a long moment of hesitation before he says, “You’ll let me know if you need anything?” When I nod, he concedes. “All right.”

I walk toward him. “Thank you,” I whisper, “for everything.”

He leans in and kisses my forehead. “Keep me posted.”

“I will,” I promise.

We walk downstairs, and Tristan says goodbye to my parents. They stay in the kitchen while I walk him to the door, where he pulls me into his arms. “I’ll see you soon,” he murmurs, his lips brushing my ear. His fingers splay across my cheek, and he rests his forehead against mine. “Hang in there.”

The rush of tears that gathers in my eyes doesn’t surprise me at this point. “I’m trying,” I force out in a hoarse voice.

His lips press against mine in a whisper of a kiss. It’s slow and tender and unlike anything I’d expect from Tristan. He smiles before walking outside and heading for his car. My cheeks are warm when I close the door, and I lean against it for several beats before returning to the kitchen, where Mom and Dad are drinking coffee at the table.

“Tristan didn’t want to stay for breakfast?”Mom asks.

“He had to get back to the office,” I answer, getting myself some coffee.

“He seems like a decent man,” Dad says.

I peer at him over my mug.Where is he going with this?

“He also appears to care about you a great deal.”

I shrug. “He’s… It’s complicated.”

Mom chuckles, but it sounds nowhere near her normal, carefree laugh. “All the best things are.”

I’m not sure that’s true, but I keep that to myself. “We should go to the hospital.”

“Visitors aren’t allowed for another hour,” Dad says.

“I want to be there the minute they are. If there’s a chance he can hear us, he should know we’re there.”

---