His hands fall to his sides. “I think that answers my question.”
My throat is too dry to speak; my voice will crack if I try, so I stay silent. This interview is over. I reach for the door and step into the hallway, feeling Tristan’s gaze on my back. My feet carry me toward the lobby, but my mind is elsewhere. I’m almost far enough away to let myself relax when I hear his send-off.
“Good to meet you, Miss Marshall. I’ll see you on Monday.”
Allison jumps when I return to our room and slam the door shut, throwing my bag onto my bed. My mind is still going a million miles an hour with no end in sight.
“We have to talk about the fae. Now.” I need answers, or I’m going to unhinge. My life has been uprooted and flipped upside down, but knowing there’s so much I don’t know is making my anxiety dig its claws in deep.
She sits up on her bed and turns her attention to me.
“Especially since I went for my interview . . .” She nods along, but she has no idea where I’m going with this. “Tristan is my mentor.”
She stiffens. “What the hell? How?”
“How? He screwed with my program coordinator’s head, Al. He made her put me with his company, and now my life is ruined.” It sounds melodramatic, but it’s true.
“We’ll figure this out, Aurora. I promise.”
“There’s nothing we can do. I’m stuck with this. I need a placement to graduate, so I’m going to have to bite the bullet and show up on Monday.” It’s days away, but I’m already wound up tight, my mind running through the possible ways it could go.
“Are you sure there isn’t a way to get a new mentor?”
If I weren’t so freaked, I’d hug her. Allison always tries to come up with a positive solution. Her suggestion might’ve worked, except Tristan was the last mentor available. “I don’t have a choice.” Damn that arrogant fae for screwing with me like this.
“I wish there was something I could do,” she says, her voice filled with worry.
“I know,” I say. “You know him better than I do. What can you tell me?”
She sighs. “You’re sure you want me to tell you about him?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” There’s something about him, something that tells me he won’t hurt me. He’s had plenty of opportunities to and hasn’t yet. There’s a chance my fae lineage—as insane as that whole story is—will keep me safe when it comes to Tristan. That doesn’t mean I trust him, far from it, but if I’m going to deal with him to complete this part of my degree, I’m going to need every piece of information Allison can give me.
She pats the spot beside her, and I walk over and sit. “I’ll tell you what I’ve heard. First off, Tristan is a man of his word. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the situation. He’s big into respect—”
I laugh, cutting her off. “I find that a little hard to believe.”
She frowns. “He has a small circle of people he trusts.”
“He doesn’t have many friends. Shocking,” I remark dryly.
“Aurora, this is serious. You could be in danger every moment you’re at that hotel. Other fae might not accept his decision to let you go.”
“That’s comforting. Thank you.” I’m fidgeting with my hands in my lap. The more we talk about Tristan, the more I want to hop on a train and get the hell out of Dodge.
“I’m telling you what you need to know. Stay quiet. Don’t be witty or smart or—”
“Or me?” I shake my head. “I’m not going to cower in the corner and be his bitch. He’s screwing with my life, so I’m going to make this a living hell for him.”
“Aurora.” She clasps her hands together in front of her as if she’s about to pray. A girl who’s never set foot in a church or said grace in the years I’ve known her. “Please don’t put yourself in unnecessary danger.”
I roll my eyes. “Relax. I’m not going to be stupid.”
She eyes me with a look of concern. “Tristan can be very charming, and he’s a good leader. As much as the guy freaks me out, I can’t deny that. Do what you can to stay on his good side. He already seems to like you, which is odd for him. It’s either going to help keep you safe or put a target on your back.”
“Awesome. Like there was a target on your back? I still don’t know why,” I say, prompting her to explain it to me.
She scratches the back of her neck. “I broke one of his rules. Fae living in the human world are required to follow certain rules. One of which has to do with who we associate with romantically.”
My forehead creases. “Are you kidding me? Fae aren’t allowed to be with humans? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard since I found out about the fae.”
“Tristan is kind of—”
“A complete sociopath,” I offer. He went after Allison because of her relationship with Oliver? The leader of the fae had nothing more important to do than track one fae who’s dating a human? It doesn’t make sense. I remind myself that not much about Tristan does.
She cringes. “You should be careful how you speak about him, or to him for that matter.”
“I’m not going to walk on eggshells around him.”
“I’m just saying, the guy can be intense. And he’s fae—the leader—which makes him incredibly powerful. Like, more powerful than the average fae.”
I sigh. Of course he is. “Why’s that?”
“Generations of magic passed down to him. We all have the same abilities he does, but his are magnified because he’s the leader. The power from each of his ancestors now lives inside him, making him stronger than me or Max, for example.”
I blow out a breath. “Thanks for the info. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind the next time he does something to piss me off.” I’d bet good money that’ll be sooner rather than later.
“Tristan has taken an interest in you,” she says.
A faint flutter in my stomach makes the tops of my ears burn. “Why do you say that? Because he’s stuck? Because I was kidnapped by mistake, and now I’m an obligation?”
She presses her lips together. “He doesn’t usually pay attention to humans outside of his business.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better. I don’t want his attention.” The slight shift in my pulse tries to make a liar out of me.
“I know that, and I understand. My advice is to lie low and keep your head down as much as possible.”
I arch a brow at her. “Does that sound like me?”
“Aurora, I’m serious. This is for your own safety.”
“You think he’s going to hurt me?” A faint voice in my head says no. It holds no merit, and yet, I want to believe it.
She hesitates. “No, I don’t, but he’s not who I’m worried about. Tristan has enemies, Aurora.”
“Now that I believe.”
“You stumbled into this world at potentially the worst possible moment.”
I arch a brow. “As if there would’ve been a good time?”
“No, of course not, I just mean that . . .” she pauses, and her brows tug close as if she’s trying to decide how to say something. “I think you should know all of the facts before you walk into work on Monday.”
“Okay,” I say hesitantly. “I’m all ears.”