Page 95 of Taken By the Fae

Iwake with the most delicious ache between my legs, and a smile curls my lips before I even open my eyes. Last night was incredible. It felt like something I’ve been waiting my entire life to experience, and it surpassed my expectations of what being with Tristan would be like.

I blink a few times, squinting at the sunlight shining in through the window. Tristan is still asleep beside me. I lie on my side, watching the rise and fall of his chest. I could watch this forever, basking in the normalcy of it, but the longer I lie there thinking about how great last night was, the more panic trickles in. The light, pleasant feeling from only minutes ago is gone, replaced with a pit of unease in my stomach. Even while looking at Tristan’s relaxed face, all I can think about is Jules plotting his next attack to kill Tristan. My chest tightens, and I fight the urge to reach over and touch his face. I don’t want to wake him.

My phone buzzes from the nightstand, and I roll over and grab it. I read the message three times before the words register.

Morning, honey. We didn’t want to wake you with a phone call. Your dad and I spoke to Elijah’s doctor this morning. She thought he was showing signs of waking up through the night, but his condition hadn’t changed as of this morning. They are running more tests today, and we will keep you posted. Love you.

Oh my god. Elijah started to wake up?

My chest tightens with such anger, it steals the breath from my lungs, and I stumble out of Tristan’s bed.

Jules is taunting me. Instead of attacking Tristan directly, he’s coming after me—my family.

You’re the way to Tristan’s heart—and I’m going to use that to destroy him.

Jules’s words play on repeat until I’m clenching my hands so tightly my fingernails slice into my palms.Shit. I hurry into the bathroom, close the door, and turn on the sink. I hold my hands under the water, wincing at the bit of blood that washes away.

There’s a soft knock at the bathroom door. “Aurora?”

I close my eyes, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” I choke out.

The door opens slowly, and Tristan steps inside, meeting my gaze in the mirror above the sink. Worry fills his deep blue eyes, and he presses his lips together for a moment. “Talk to me,” he murmurs.

I exhale a shaky breath and turn to face him. “They thought my brother was waking up.”

Tristan’s brows knit. “What happened?”

I let him read the text, and when he goes to hand my phone back, he notices the marks on my palms. Without a word, he sets my phone on the vanity behind me and takes my hands, brushing his thumbs over the red crescent-shaped cuts. My skin warms under his touch, tingling as his healing magic erases the marks.

“Thanks,” I mumble, blinking back tears.

“Aurora—”

“I’ll kill Jules for this.” I pocket my phone and look at him. “At least I would if I didn’t need him to wake Elijah up.”

A dark look passes over Tristan’s face. “Killing him would sever his magic. It would no longer exist.”

My eyes widen, a sudden sense of urgency making my skin itch. “Does that mean… If we kill Jules, will Elijah wake up?”

He nods, lifting his hands and resting them on my shoulders. “We should take a beat. Figure this out with Skylar and—”

“No,” I cut him off as my pulse kicks up, pushing away from the vanity and walking back into his bedroom. “I’m not waiting any longer. I’m going after that son of a bitch.” Once I go home and shower, change, and arm myself with the iron fence stakes I picked up weeks ago.

Will I be able to bring myself to kill him? Will I bestrongenough?

The questions echo through my head, the answer to both coming almost immediately.

I’ll do whatever is necessary to bring Elijah back.

Tristan follows me. “I’ll take you back to campus. You should at least talk to Allison, and I can brief Skylar so we have backup. We aren’t doing anything without a solid plan in place.” His voice is firm, his expression sharp and focused. Seeing him like this reminds me just how much power he holds in the fae world—something I’m still figuring out; I have to trust his judgment here, because mine is clearly impaired by my desperation to wake my brother up.

I don’t want to tell Tristan about Jules’s plan to use me against him, and so long as we deal with Jules permanently, Tristan doesn’t have to know.

I nod. “Let’s go.”

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