I meet his thrusts, lifting my hips off the mattress each time. We pull each other closer, our lips battling for control with each stroke, each thrust, until Tristan reaches his own climax, growling deep in his throat.
Our heavy breathing mingles as we break away slightly. He takes his time sliding out of me and gets off the bed. “I’ll be right back,” he says, still a little breathless, and less than a minute later, he’s lying next to me again, his head propped on his hand. His grin is wicked. “We should’ve done that the night we met. I could’ve won you over a long time ago.”
I roll my eyes and push him clear off the side of the bed, smiling at the thud he makes hitting the floor.
He gets up, unfazed, and kisses my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin the moment.”
I flick a glance in his direction, unable to stop the smile from touching my lips. “Nothing in the world could ruin what we just did.”
We lie together in silence. The only sound is our quiet, steady breathing. Tristan traces slow circles on my shoulder with his finger, lulling me into a sleepy, content state. He pulls the sheet across my naked body and wraps his arm around my waist. Despite the number of times I’ve slept beside Tristan in this bed, anticipating this day, it is so much more satisfying than I imagined.
In this moment, there are no dark fae or light fae, there’s only us, and that’s all I want.
I wake up 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. With a quick glance beside me, I see Tristan is still asleep. 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. Each passing moment makes it harder to breathe as a clear picture forms in my head. The light and pleasant feeling I had when I woke up is gone, replaced with a pit of unease in my stomach. Even while looking at Tristan’s calm and relaxed face, all I can think about is Jules plotting his next attack in his grand plan to destroy Tristan and rule the entire fae race. My chest tightens, and I fight the urge to reach over and touch his face. I don’t want to wake him.
Sliding off the bed, I head into the bathroom, pulling my clothes back on and tying my hair up. I peek over to the bed, relieved to find him still asleep, then slip out of the room. I grab my jacket and bag, putting on my shoes at the entryway before I step onto the elevator and ride down to the lobby of the hotel.
There’s a good chance I’m the only girl who has left Tristan Westbrook alone, naked in his bed, after a night of mind-blowing sex, but I have to do this.
It’s not even ten o’clock, so the lobby is empty aside from a few employees. I wave to the concierge on my way out the door and get on the streetcar heading toward campus.
After I take the fastest shower I’ve ever had, I change into black leggings, a sweater, and boots. I pull a comb through my hair and tie it back so it’s out of the way. Standing in front of my desk, I hesitate before I open the bottom drawer and grab the iron stakes. The night Tristan and I met, he confirmed the myth about fae and how iron is poisonous to them.
I slide one into each of my boots and another one at the back of my leggings. I hold the last one in my hand for a moment and slide it up my shirt, securing it between my breasts. I hope my bra will keep it in place until I need to use it. I pull on my jacket, check the time on my phone before tossing it onto my bed, and walk out of my room.
When I woke up this morning, I knew where Jules was. Maybe he wanted me to know where he is. Maybe he screwed with my head more than I can remember. The smart thing to do would be to call Tristan and tell him where Jules is, but I need to do this for myself. This whole thing—the fae war—isn’t about me, but the moment Jules messed with my life, my feelings, it became about me on some level. He made it personal when he decided to manipulate me and feed on my emotions, and now he’s going to answer for what he did.
Campus is quiet as I walk across it to where Jules is—in the basement of his pub. I’m not surprised to find the door unlocked even though it isn’t open yet. My heart hammers in my chest as I step inside. The place is empty, televisions off, and chairs on tables. My shoes feel like they weigh a thousand pounds each as I walk across the old wood floor toward the basement stairs. I hesitate before reaching for the door handle, my mind racing through the ways this scenario could end. I push them away, knowing it’s too late to think about that now.
My eyes do a quick scan of the space. It appears to be a simple basement storage area that’s been partially converted into a hangout space. Boxes cover half of the room, while the other half has been decorated with an antique-looking rug to cover the concrete, some old couches, and a coffee table, along with a couple of rolling chairs.
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he isn’t here.
“I have to say, I didn’t think you’d come alone,” Jules says, walking out of another room at a relaxed pace. He looks at ease, no creases in his forehead, no sharp, calculating expression.
My jaw clenches at his cliché line. “No one else could be bothered to deal with your pathetic ass,” I say, my tone laced with sarcasm.
He tilts his head to the side, his eyes wandering over my face. “I’m surprised you came at all, especially after Evan took you back to Tristan. It’s a shame I had to kill him for helping you. He didn’t know what loyalty was.”
My eyes widen, and the sting of tears surprises me. I was never crazy about Evan, but he helped me get away from Jules, and I’m grateful for that. He didn’t deserve to die. “What do you know about loyalty?”
He smirks, ignoring my remark. “Why are you here?”
I bark out a laugh. “I need to spell it out for you?”
He prowls closer, stopping a foot away, making my back stiffen. “I want to hear you say it,” he says.
I swallow. “You used me.”
“It was never about you, Aurora, not really.”
I shake my head. “The light and dark fae can coexist. You and Tristan can lead together.”
“You don’t get it.” He swipes his hand through his hair. “I won’t lead with someone. I want the fae race to grow, become more powerful, and to do so, they need a leader that’ll do anything to make that happen. They need me.”
“You’re insane if you think Tristan’s people would follow you if you kill him. They’ll destroy you for it and make all of your people watch.”