Page 89 of Taken By the Fae

He frowns and walks toward me.

I jump onto the bed to get across to the other side, away from him, but he catches my leg and pulls me back, maneuvering himself on top of me, and pins my arms to the mattress above my head.

“Get off of me,” I scream, tears pricking my eyes as I buck my hips to get him off. I grunt, digging my nails into his hands, and he bares his teeth at me, and I shudder. Each one is razor sharp, gleaming, and ready to rip me to shreds.

“Scream away. No one can hear you.” He grins, and I think I’m going to be sick.

My scream rips through the air, and I lift my knee to catch him in the stomach as hard as I can. He grunts but doesn’t move, so I do it again. He lets go of one of my hands to cage my leg, so I use that opportunity to lash out, dragging my nails across his cheek.

He hisses and rolls off of me, standing beside the bed. “You should eat something,” he says in a tight voice, his teeth appearing normal again. “I took a lot of energy. You should replenish it.”

There’s no way I can stomach anything right now. With a snarl, I kick the tray off the table, sending it to the floor in a pile of food, juice, and shattered glass. My temples throb with an impending headache. “Why are you doing this?” I ask again, sitting up and pressing my back into the headboard.

He exhales through his nose. “Because, sweet Aurora, you’re the way to Tristan’s heart—and I’m going to use that to destroy him.”

My eyes widen, and I stare at him for several beats. “I thought you were my friend.” The words come out quieter than I wanted, and I clench my jaw at the feeling of weakness.

“Hmm… I could be,” he offers.

“What’s your plan? You think you can just keep me here?” I clench my hands into fists so I’m not tempted to scratch my nails down his face again, though I’d like nothing more. Right now, I need information.I need him to bring Elijah back.

“Help me destroy Tristan Westbrook, and you can go back to your mundane life and do whatever you want—as can your brother. All you have to do is say yes.”

My pulse ticks faster at the weight of his words, and I hate myself for even pretending that working with Jules is an option. “What does eliminating Tristan mean for you?”

He studies me for a moment, as if he’s considering whether it’s safe to share that information. “Tristan is one of the most powerful fae in existence. Of course, that’s why the seelie king knighted him.”

“I imagine the unseelie queen knightedyoufor a reason,” I point out.

He laughs, but there’s not an ounce of humor in it. “I was merely her plaything for many decades before she decided to use me for something more significant.”

“So what? Getting Tristan out of the way will reflect well on you in the eyes of your queen?”

“For someone new to this world, you catch on fast.”

It’s not that complicated. My snarky remark gets stuck on my tongue.

Tristan was right. Jules wants power over the seelie fae. He’s crazy if he thinks I’ll help him. But maybe if I play along, I can figure a way out of this with betraying Tristan or losing my brother.

“Consider what this could mean foryou, Aurora. You could get your brother back and return to your old life, just like that.”

Silence stretches between us, and I drop my gaze to my lap, squeezing my eyes shut and biting my bottom lip to stop it from trembling. I’ll figure out a way to save them both, but for now, I have no other option.

“Fine,” I finally say, and that one word feels like I’ve already lost.

When I force myself to look at him again, he narrows his eyes as if he might not believe me, but then he says, “You’re making the right choice.”

He leaves the room, the door clicking shut behind him, and I press my face into the pillow to quiet the sound of my sobs.

* * *

It’s dark outside the window when I open my eyes. I use the bathroom connected to the bedroom, and while I’m washing my hands, I catch my reflection in the mirror.What am I doing?I need to find a way out of here before Jules has the chance to force me into doing something that will hurt Tristan.

When I leave the bathroom, I stop dead when my eyes land on Allison's unseelie boyfriend standing in the other room. He left the bedroom door wide open…

My eyes narrow. “You’re involved with this?”

Evan hesitates. “In a way.”

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