Page 81 of Taken By the Fae

“One thing at a time,” he says softly as the elevator stops and the door slides open. We walk side by side as my heart beats in my throat. Tristan’s hand rests at the small of my back, guiding me forward as we walk into Elijah’s room, where Dr. Collins is nowhere to be seen.

I let out a shaky breath and approach Elijah, brushing the hair away from his forehead and pressing a soft kiss there, while Tristan walks around the bed, observing my brother. “Anything?” I ask in a quiet voice.

He purses his lips, reaching for Elijah’s wrist, and wraps his fingers around it as if he’s searching for a pulse. Closing his eyes, several seconds pass before he lowers Elijah’s arm back to the bed. His brows tug closer as his lips form a frown, making my stomach sink.

“Tristan?”

He opens his eyes and looks at me. “The doctor was right.”

I shake my head. “I don’t…” I trail off, looking down at Elijah. “An unseelie fae did this to him?”

“Yes.” His tone has a sharpness that makes my eyes prick with tears as I clasp Elijah’s hand in both of mine.

“How did this happen?”

Tristan exhales a heavy sigh. “This sort of magic goes hand in hand with the dream walking ability fae possess.”

My voice cracks when I say, “Explain, please.”

“Aurora, are you—”

“I need to know what’s happening to my brother, Tristan.”

He nods. “This is the work of a powerful fae—or several. They are keeping your brother locked in a dreamscape.”

I bite my bottom lip to stop it from trembling. “Oh god,” I breathe. “Does that mean… Are they making him see things?” My grip on his hand tightens.

“It’s possible, but based on his stats,” Tristan offers, gesturing to the machines with cords attached to various spots on Elijah’s body, “he isn’t in distress.”

That grants me a sliver of relief. “Can you bring him out of it?”

“I wish I could, Rory. Only the fae who started the dream can end it. They’re holding your brother captive; if any fae could come in here and pull him out, it wouldn’t be very effective to accomplish whatever it is this fae is after.”

My stomach roils, and I clench my jaw against the bile rising in my throat. “Are you able to tell who did this?”

“Not with complete certainty.”

I frown at him. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t tell by looking at your brother, but I have a good idea of who’s behind it.”

I pull back from Elijah’s bed, letting his hand slip from mine, and look at Tristan. “Who?” My voice is low, hard.

“There’s only one unseelie fae with the power to do something like this—Jules.”

My chin quivers as my vision blurs, and I quickly blink back the tears burning my eyes. “Why would he do this? I’ve never met the guy. What reason could he possibly have for hurting me like this?”

Tristan drops his gaze, and it feels like a punch to the gut. “He’s doing this because of me.” He walks around the bed, and I turn to face him. “Jules has targeted you to get at me.” A muscle feathers along his jaw. “Because attacking the seelies wasn’t enough…” He shakes his head. “Aurora, I am so sorry.” His gaze slams into me, filled with darkness and regret, and it knocks the air out of my lungs.

“No,” I say in a firm voice, swallowing hard. “This isn’t your fault. This is on Jules, and he is going to pay for what he’s done.”

“I promise you, he will,” Tristan vows.

I glance back at Elijah and sigh shakily. “What should we do about the doctor?”

“I’m still considering that,” he says. “We don’t know what she knows, and it could be helpful to have her looking for a way to bring Elijah out of this.”

“Okay,” I say hesitantly.

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