Twisted Devotion: A Fae Paranormal Romance

by Jessi Elliott

  Jackson’s eyes meet mine, and he smiles. “That’s much better.”

  His thumb brushes my jaw and he uses his free hand to cover mine, guiding it between us and wrapping it around his cock. After a few pumps, he shifts his hand away, letting me work his shaft on my own. I keep the pace, alternating the pressure, making him breathe heavier.

  “That’s it,” he murmurs. “Don’t stop.”

  I increase the speed slightly and lean into him, pressing my lips to his neck before dragging my tongue up the length of it. Peppering kisses along his sharp, stubble-covered jaw, I use my other hand to fondle his balls.

  He sucks in a sharp breath. “Jesus, Red. Easy.”

  I smirk against his skin, pumping harder and faster in response.

  “Fuck,” he mutters.

  He seals his mouth over mine and rolls his hips, thrusting against my hand, and groans deeply, coming apart in my hand—and against my thigh. He kisses my cheek and rests his forehead against mine until his breathing returns to normal. Then he guides me under the hot spray of water and cleans himself off me, gently soaping up my body and rinsing it off. He takes his time, and I don’t mind one bit.

  My back is to him, and he presses his chest into my shoulder blades, tickling the shell of my ear with his lips as he says, “You’re going to be my undoing.”

  Chapter 16

  Jackson and I spend the next three weeks dancing around each other, taunting each other until one of us snaps—which typically ends up with him carrying me to his bed and making me come so hard I can’t think straight. It’s become something of a twisted routine, one I’ll miss dearly once my job is complete.

  On my way to the facility, I can’t stop thinking about the night before, about the way Jackson tied me up and practically tortured several orgasms out of me using nothing but a vibrator and his sweet, wicked voice.

  “I can’t stop thinking about it, either,” he murmurs from the driver’s seat.

  I press my lips together against a smile, heat rising in my cheeks. “Well, stop,” I tell him. “We’re going to work.”

  He chuckles. “I’ll stop when you stop, Red.”

  “Wanna bet?” I say without thinking.

  Jackson glances sideways at me. “Because that went so well the last time?” he teases, and I grant him a small laugh.

  “Yeah, okay. Whatever.” The easygoing banter back and forth puts me in a good mood to start the day, and I haven’t even had my morning coffee yet.

  When we get to the facility, though, the first place I head after dropping my things in the office is to the coffee maker in the kitchen.

  The morning passes slowly. Jackson’s schedule is clear, but he has a consultation with the architect for the new facility later today.

  When the afternoon rolls around, Jackson goes into his meeting. This isn’t one I sit in on, considering I won’t be working for him at the new facility. From what he’s told me, the plan is to build it on this property. They’ll keep this building operating while the construction takes place over a couple of years, and then tear it down once the new facility is open.

  I get up to stretch my legs, heading into the hall, and almost collide with Bethany as I step out of Jackson’s office.

  “Slow down there,” I tease her.

  She does a double-take, as if she wasn’t expecting to see me, which immediately catches my attention.

  Something isn’t right.

  “Sorry, Kels.” She laughs, but it’s not nearly genuine enough to throw me off course.

  I face her, frowning. “Is everything okay?”

  She nods, but doesn’t vocalize a response.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, crossing my arms as I step toward her.

  “Kelsey,” she shakes her head, “you should go back to Jax’s office.”

  “No. You need to tell me what’s happening right now.”

  Bethany bites her lip, glancing at the ground. “I can’t.”

  “What do you mean you can’t?”

  “He asked me not to. I’m so—”

  Her words are cut off by shouting coming from one of the pre-treatment rooms. It’s not uncommon for clients to get upset before the procedure. But there weren’t any appointments on the calendar today.

  “Kelsey—”

  There’s more shouting. Normally, the noise wouldn’t bother me, wouldn’t cause me any concern. But this time, my head snaps up so fast my vision blurs.

  Without warning, I bolt for the door to the room.

  Bethany shifts, appearing in front of me. “Kelsey, wait—”

  I push past her before she can finish, storming down the hall toward the sound of two sets of voices. One is loud, angry, and the other is a controlled calm—Jackson. I storm into the room before I can stop myself, sucking in a sharp breath even though I know what I’m going to see.

  Jackson sits on one side of the table, but my eyes skip over him, landing on the one person I never imagined I’d see here.

  “Seth,” I whisper, my voice cracking.

  His painfully familiar face blanches as his moss-green eyes snap toward me. “I . . .” he trails off, staring down at the table. His white-blond hair falls forward, creating a curtain over his face.

  “Kelsey,” Jackson’s voice floods my senses, deep and firm. “You need to leave.”

  I don’t look at him. I can’t take my eyes off my best friend. My best friend I haven’t seen in months, who looks the same—broad chested and muscular, dressed in casual washed-out jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. But he also looks like a complete stranger.

  He can’t be here.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, biting my bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

  Seth says nothing, just closes his eyes and balls his hands into fists on the top of the table.

  Jackson rises from his chair. “I’m very sorry about this,” he says to Seth before turning toward me. “Get her out of here, Bethany.”

  When she steps closer, I bite out, “Don’t touch me,” and she backs off immediately.

  Jackson sighs. “Call security,” he instructs Bethany, and she hurries out of the room.

  “Look at me,” I beg Seth. “Please.” I blink quickly so the tears gathering in my eyes won’t fall.

  Slowly, Seth opens his eyes and turns his gaze toward me. “I’m sorry, Kelsey.”

  Shaking my head, I whisper, “I don’t understand.”

  Seth opens his mouth to respond, but Jackson steps between us, facing me. “You need to leave. Now.”

  “The hell I do,” I snap. “I’m not going anywhere until someone explains to me why my best friend is sitting in this room as if he’s a client.”

  “I am,” Seth says.

  Jackson closes his eyes momentarily, as if he’s trying to keep his cool. “You don’t have to explain yourself, Seth.” He opens his eyes and glowers at me. “Out. Now.” He grabs my arm and pushes me toward the open door.

  I stumble back, my voice catching in my throat when I see Seth’s watery gaze over Jackson’s shoulder. My brief lapse in control allows Jackson to guide me into the hall, pulling the door closed behind him.

  “Go wait in my office.” His voice is low, gravelly, as if he’s barely keeping himself in check. His heart is beating fast and sweat dots his brow. He’s working very hard to rein in his emotions.

  “Jackson, I—”

  “Go,” he repeats, harsher this time, and I flinch, pulling my arm free from his grasp.

  Bethany shows up again, with Dex, Leigh, and Eva flanking her. My stomach twists at the sight. They’re here to detain me. My own team. I’ve crossed a line, but I can’t find the will to feel anything about it, not knowing what’s going to happen once I walk away from this.

  I feel the exact moment my heart cleaves in two.

  The hard expression chiseled into Jackson’s features slips, and I almost think he’s going to wrap his arms around me. But then, he flicks his gaze to the security team behind me and nods before turning awa
y and walking back into the room, shutting the door behind him. The lock echoes through the hall, and it takes everything in me not to collapse on the floor.

  “Kelsey . . .” Bethany’s voice is soft, and I clench my jaw so tight my gums ache.

  I swallow hard. “Call off the dogs,” I mutter, turning and walking away, stopping in front of Jackson’s office and letting myself in. I close the door and fall back against it, squeezing my eyes shut against the tears. A sob claws its way up my throat, and I struggle to stifle it with my fist pressed against my mouth. It does little to quiet the sound of heartbreak that fills the room as I cry out in the worst pain I’ve ever experienced.

  My shoulders shake as I pace back and forth in front of the desk, desperately trying to pull back, to get my emotions under control. I’ve snapped. Through years of foster families—both decent and awful—battles with fae and humans alike, and working with the most infuriating man on this earth, I’ve kept a level head. But this . . . this sends me over the edge.

  I push my fingers through my hair, messing up the curls I didn’t bother styling today.

  Seth can’t do this to me.

  Fear wraps its tendrils around my throat, squeezing tight enough to make it impossible to take a deep breath. He wants the procedure—wants to be human. He could die. He will die if he becomes human, but he could also die trying to become human. The thought of losing him makes my knees weak. I stumble over to the couch and my legs give out as I sink onto the cushions.

  Until this moment, I have been completely neutral when it comes to this whole business. If fae want to become human, that’s their choice. But the moment I saw Seth sitting there, I wanted to burn this place down. Fear is a dangerous thing.

  So is betrayal, and Jackson betrayed me in the worst possible way. He knows I’ve been alone so many times in my life, knows how much I’ve lost, and still, he sat in that room with Seth to discuss removing his immortality.

  It can’t be more than fifteen minutes before Jackson slips into the room, closing the door behind him.

  My gaze flies to him. So many things are on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t form words to string a coherent sentence together. I rush toward him, my eyes narrowed and my heart pounding in my chest.

  “Kelsey—”

  “How could you?” I slam my palms into his shoulders, pushing him back until he hits the wall beside the door. “How could you?” I yell, holding him there as tears fill my eyes.

  “He came to me,” he says in a level voice.

  “He . . .” I shake my head as a tear slips free and rolls down my cheek. “He’s my best friend, Jackson.” The words taste like venom on my lips as I talk through gritted teeth.

  He nods, not trying to free himself from my grip. “I don’t need to remind you of client confidentiality.”

  “You can’t do this. He can’t do this.”

  Jackson sighs. “It’s his choice.”

  “No! This isn’t . . . he can’t . . . no.”

  He reaches for me, his fingers grazing my hips. “You know this is his choice. I’m sorry, Kelsey.”

  I open my mouth to yell again, but instead I whisper, “I can’t lose him.” Dropping my hands, I let him go, stepping back as the weight of this cruel revelation settles in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

  “You won’t.”

  I shake my head, blinking back more tears. “You can’t say that. You never say that to a client’s . . . whatever I am.”

  He frowns, nodding. “I will do everything in my power to make sure of it.”

  “Even if he—if he makes it through the procedure, I’m still going to lose him.” I sniffle, far past caring that I’ve completely fallen apart in front of Jackson. “He’ll be human, and I won’t be. He’ll die of sickness or old age, and I—”

  “Have the same choice he does.”

  My mouth drops open, my bottom lip trembling. “You can’t be serious right now.”

  “I’m telling you something you already know.” His brows knit. “We don’t need to talk about this right now. You’re upset, and I’m sorry. Why don’t you let me take you home? I don’t have any appointments this afternoon.”

  “Just the one you knew would ruin me.”

  He flinches. “I . . . I’m doing my job. I’m looking at the situation with Seth as a client, not—”

  “Someone I care about?” I cut in, disgust clear in my tone. “How could you keep this from me? You were supposed to be in a meeting with the architect.”

  “I was.” His voice is infuriatingly calm. “I met with Seth after that appointment.”

  I shake my head, the dark tendrils of devastation clawing their way back up my throat. I don’t have the energy to yell at him again. It won’t do any good. “Please,” I whisper, “don’t let him do this. Refuse him the procedure.”

  He presses his lips together. “I think you need to talk to Seth about this, Red. I can’t do anything now that you know, so you may as well have the discussion with him.”

  “It won’t be enough,” I tell him. “I need you to send him away without taking his immortality.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Can’t or won’t?” I shoot back angrily. If this is about good business, I will need more restraint than I have right now not to throw Jackson through a wall.

  There’s a knock at the door before he can answer.

  I turn enough to see Seth’s face in the small window there, and my chest tightens at the sight of his solemn expression.

  “Talk to him,” Jackson offers.

  I shake my head again. “I can’t.”

  “Look at me.”

  Oh god.

  It’s the voice. The voice of his that gets me every time. I can’t ignore it. So, I obey.

  “Talk to him,” he repeats. “He’s your best friend, and your heart is breaking. I can see that. He should know where you stand. He cares about you and values what you have to say, so give him the opportunity to hear you.”

  My lower lip trembles. “Fine,” I finally say, and Jackson nods, opening the door so Seth can come in.

  “I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” Seth says as Jackson excuses himself from the room, leaving the two of us alone.

  “This way,” I echo, nodding in direction. “Were you going to tell me?” The thought of him making this decision and going behind my back to get the procedure done makes me want to cry and scream and hit things.

  “We have not spoken in a few months, and—”

  “Whose fault is that?” I snap.

  Seth frowns. “It’s mine. I know that.”

  “So, you were just going to get the procedure and let me find out you were human?”

  He glances down. “I’m not sure. I didn’t want to tell you, didn’t want to go through this. Before you came into the room, Jackson and I were discussing it, and he suggested I tell you. He left it up to me, but said it was important to have people who cared about me and who I cared for be part of the process.”

  I lean against the wall, mildly concerned that my knees are going to give out. “I don’t understand, Seth. Why are you doing this? Why do you want to be human?”

  Seth inhales deeply and exhales on a sigh. “I was born fae many years ago. So many, I’ve stopped counting. I want the chance at a different life. One where I don’t have to feed on people’s energy to survive.”

  “How long have you been thinking about this?”

  He scratches the back of his neck. “Quite some time. Since around when The Experiment was at its peak. And after the battle, things progressively got worse. It took a bigger toll on me than I initially realized. Having to harm people, even humans determined to hurt our kind, impacted my outlook on eternity.”

  I nod absently. Seth is the most empathetic person I know, so what he’s saying makes complete sense, but I don’t know how to respond to it.

  “I know this is probably the last thing you were expecting,” he says.

  “Well, yeah. I understood t
hat you needed some time away after everything, but for you to finally come back and do this? I can’t wrap my head around it, Seth. You’re my best friend, and I want the world for you, but the thought of losing you . . . it makes me want to keel over and throw up.”

  He reaches for me but I move away, and his brows furrow. “Please try to understand.” His voice cracks, and the sound brings tears to my eyes.

  “Seth—”

  “Please,” he whispers, his eyes glassy. “I am terrified. I need to do this, but the thought of you hating me for it . . .”

  My eyes widen. “Stop.” I shake my head, grabbing his wrists. “I could never—I will never hate you, okay? It’s not possible.”

  Seth has been a part of my life since I became fae. There is no version of me that could exist without caring about him. Even if he does become human. While the thought terrifies me to the marrow of my bones, in the end, I’ll support him no matter what. Like he did for me when I needed it most. When my life depended on it.

  There’s a brief moment of hesitation before Seth hauls me against his chest and wraps his arms around me as if he’s afraid to let go.

  Truth is, I’m terrified, too.

  Chapter 17

  Seth followed us back to Jackson’s for dinner. He wanted to talk about becoming human, but the atmosphere of the facility was still filled with tension, so Jackson suggested we move the conversation to the giant, plush couches in his living room.

  Now, Jackson makes himself scarce, saying something about checking on dinner and leaving Seth and I alone.

  Sitting next to my best friend, who I haven’t seen in months, is weird. Even weirder is his reason for being here. As much as I’m still struggling with it, I’m glad something brought him back.

  Seth reaches over and takes my hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “The reason I want to become human,” he starts, making my stomach twist with nerves, “is more than just wanting a different life than the one I’ve been living for a long time.”

  “Okay,” I say, trying to sound supportive, to encourage him to keep talking.

  “Please understand, I don’t say this to upset you,” he breaks off, sighing. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, dropping his chin and staring at his lap.