Twisted Fate

by Jessi Elliott

  The cement floor is hard against my back, and it takes me a minute to sit up. I glance sideways where Jules’s body still lies with the iron stake sticking out of his chest, and I wonder how long I spent in that in-between state. I peek at my arm and frown when I find it’s uninjured. I move it with care, confusion flooding through me. Did Jules heal me before he died?

  I hear shuffling upstairs, but I can’t move fast enough to hide from the two people that come barreling down the stairs. I’m not sure why, but I know they’re light fae. There’s one guy, appearing to be in his late twenties, with sandy brown hair, and another, younger-looking guy, with dark red hair. They both look as if they could take me out in a matter of seconds. Against muscles like that, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

  Glancing back and forth between me and Jules’s body, the redhead growls deep in his throat. He takes a step toward me, and I kick my feet, pushing myself away so I can scramble upright.

  “Back off, man. You know we can’t touch her now,” the older one says.

  “The hell we can,” he snaps. “She killed our leader.”

  “You know what that means,” he replies.

  I lift my head. I don’t know what that means. “What are you saying?” I speak for the first time, and the men look at each other.

  “You took his life, which means you took his position in our world.”

  Any response dies on my lips.

  “You’re the new leader of the light fae, Aurora Marshall.”

  My eyes widen. “I’m no leader and certainly not of the light fae.”

  “Jules was our leader,” the brown-haired one says. “You took his place when you took his life.”

  I shake my head. “I’m human. I can’t be your leader.” When the men exchange looks, my stomach twists. “What?” I demand.

  “You’re not anymore.”

  My mouth goes dry. “I . . .”

  “You’re fae,” he says.

  “Get out,” I say. “Now.” They look at each other and leave without another word.

  You’re fae.

  Those words play over in my head until it’s spinning. My legs give out, and I drop to my knees on the floor beside Jules.

  “You son of a bitch,” I say through my teeth as tears fill my eyes. I rip the iron stake from his chest and cry out when it burns my skin.

  The back emergency exit flies open and breaks off its hinges, slamming onto the floor, and Tristan storms into the room with Allison and Max flanking him. His eyes find mine right away, and my breath halts.

  The three of them stop dead in their tracks, staring at me with wide eyes. Max glances at Jules’s lifeless body, and the recognition that flashes in his eyes is mirrored by Allison’s and Tristan’s expressions.

  I cast my gaze down as Max and Allison move around me to grab Jules and haul him out the back door.

  The room is silent, and then it isn’t. I can hear Tristan breathing, his heart pounding. I can hear the faint sound of his shoes against the floor as he closes the distance between us. I can hear everything I couldn’t before.

  I can’t bring myself to look at him. If I do, I’ll shatter.

  “Aurora,” he murmurs, and his voice cracks.

  My chest tightens, and my hands shake at my sides.

  “Aurora, look at me,” he says in a deep, tight voice, as if he’s struggling to hang on.

  I shake my head, clenching my jaw.

  I feel his presence before I see the tops of his shoes reach mine. He reaches out and cups my face, allowing me to keep my head down. His thumbs brush across my cheeks. My heart drops, and tears well in my eyes.

  “Look at me, please,” he begs.

  I lift my face enough to meet his gaze, and the tears slip down my cheeks, wetting his fingers. His eyes are wide and panic-filled. His face is pale, and his expression is strained; he’s terrified.

  “What have I done?” I breathe. And then I shatter.

  Tristan catches me before I hit the floor and cradles me in his arms, brushing my hair back out of my face as his eyes search mine. He guides us the rest of the way to the floor and pulls me against him. I bury myself there as he holds me to him, and it takes me a while to realize the unfamiliar movement in the rise and fall of his chest. He’s crying.

  Tightness snakes around my chest, making it hard to breathe as I grip the front of his shirt and rest my forehead against his. Seeing Tristan like this—I can’t bear it. “I couldn’t let anyone else get hurt,” I cry. “Please, Tris, you have to understand.” I don’t know if his tears are because I went after Jules without him, or for what happened because I did.

  “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he grinds out. “You weren’t supposed to . . .” He stops and clears his throat. He leans back and wipes his face with the back of his hand.

  “I’m sorry,” I mumble, the burning in my eyes threatening more tears. “If I had known this would happen—”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he cuts me off. “It did happen.” Tristan stands, pulling me with him, and I wrap my arms around myself. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

  We meet Allison and Max in the parking lot and drive back to the Westbrook Hotel. Tristan and I ride up to the penthouse, and he guides me into the bathroom. “I’ll be right outside,” he murmurs before leaving me alone.

  After getting undressed, I stand under the hot spray of water, staring at the marble tile for a while before I wash myself off. Maybe if I stay in here long enough, everything will sort itself out, and I won’t be the leader of the light fae anymore. I almost laugh at the thought. I’m not naive enough to believe that could happen. I’m stuck with this because of the choices I made.

  How much did Jules manipulate my life to work in favor of his goal to destroy Tristan? What was real? What is real? There’s no way to know for sure. For all I know, Jules screwed with my head to make me fall for Tristan. My stomach twists, and I wince. The thought makes me feel sick.

  I step out of the shower after I’ve rinsed the soap off and wrap myself in a towel. I change into the set of dry clothes Tristan left me and dry my hair the best I can.

  Standing in front of the large vanity mirror, I study my reflection. I look the same. Same hair and eyes and skin. Nothing about my appearance has changed. If it weren’t for the drastic difference I feel, I could almost pretend that none of this happened, that I wasn’t the new leader of the light fae. Almost. However, the changes are too significant to ignore. I can see and hear better, but shifting scares me too much to think about. In fact, nothing about this new situation doesn’t scare me. Every breath I take is an effort, and I don’t know how long I can keep it up.

  Running my fingers through my damp hair, I let loose a heavy sigh, not wanting to leave the room. I don’t want to go out there and face Tristan—face what I did by killing Jules. I’m still so confused. Did Tristan know a human killing a fae leader would make that person fae? If he did, why didn’t he tell me? He didn’t think you’d be so reckless as to go after Jules alone, a sharp voice in my head says.

  I open the door and step into the bedroom to find Tristan sitting at the end of his bed. He looks up when I enter the room and stands, waiting for me to approach.

  “Hey you,” he murmurs.

  My lips form a smile, but it isn’t real. “Where are Allison and Max?”

  “Max said he was going to see Oliver. Allison is downstairs with Skylar trying to keep everyone calm. Word travels fast around here.”

  “As if I needed to give the dark fae more reason to hate me.” I tug at the hem of my shirt.

  “It’ll be an adjustment,” he says. “For everyone.”

  I chew my bottom lip, my eyes burning. “Maybe it shouldn’t be.” My voice is small.

  Tristan’s gaze intensifies. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  Swallowing the lump in my throat, I sigh. “I think I need some time.” The words leave an unpleasant taste in my mouth.

  His jaw tightens. “Of course. It’s not going t
o be easy, but we will figure this out, Rory. You’re not alone.”

  “I did this, and I need time to process it. Alone.” Time to go through these last months and decide what was real.

  Tristan drags his hand through his already messy hair and down his unshaven face. He looks as wrecked as I feel. “You want to leave?” The confusion on his face makes the ache in my chest blossom.

  “No,” I shake my head, “but I have to.”

  “You’re overwhelmed. That’s understandable. Let me help you through this.” He reaches for my hand, but I step away before he can touch me. I’ll lose the strength I need to leave if I let him touch me.

  “Don’t,” I breathe, my lower lip trembling. “Please let me go.” My chest is so tight it feels as if it’s about to explode.

  “Why?” he challenges, desperation creeping into his usually confident tone.

  “Because,” I snap, “Jules did whatever this is.” I gesture between us. “I would never have been at that party if it weren’t for him. You and I would never have met.”

  “You’re saying because of the way we met—?”

  “How can we be sure what’s between us is real? What if it’s nothing more than some fucked up byproduct of Jules’s plan to rule the fae?” My eyes sting, threatening more tears.

  He frowns, his brows inching closer. “Do you honestly believe that?”

  “I don’t know what to believe right now! I just killed a man who has been screwing with my life and hurting the people I care about. Now I’m not only fae, but the light fae fucking leader because I killed him!”

  His hands clench into fists, as if he’s fighting the urge to reach for me. “Jules might be the reason we met, but he’s not the reason we care about each other. What’s it going to take for you to realize that?”

  I bite the inside of my cheek, then sigh. “Time,” I whisper. “I need some time.”

  “Remember what you told me? About not putting down a book before you finish the story? Our story isn’t over yet.” His words knock the air out of my lungs in a swift, painful whoosh. “Aurora.” My name is a prayer on his lips. He’s begging me not to leave. I can see it in his eyes. In fact, it’s the last thing I see before I back out of the room and walk out of his suite.

  I almost don’t make it into the elevator before my chest explodes in a shower of fiery pain. I made a mistake by going after Jules. It was stupid and reckless. I screwed up, and now I’m facing the consequences—I’m going to face the consequences. Forever.

  I walk back to campus. My hands and face are frozen by the time I make it to my dorm. When I get to my room, I’m thankful for the first time that Allison didn’t lock the door when she left, because I’m pretty sure my key is somewhere at Tristan’s. I can’t go back there, not now—maybe not ever.

  I close the door and lean against it, scanning the room. Everything looks the same, except different. Nothing has been touched or moved, but it’s as if I’m seeing it all through new eyes. Panic rises to the surface again as I think about everything. I fall back against the door and slide until my butt hits the floor. Pressing my knees against my chest, I wrap my arms around them and hide my face. My shoulders shake as I’m overcome with sobs, and I hug my knees tighter.

  I should’ve stayed with Adam. I dig my fingers into the side of my leg as tears fall down my cheeks. This isn’t what I came back for. If I knew what was going to happen, if I’d had the choice, I never would’ve woken up.

  For the first time since Adam died, I experience a pain stronger than what I felt that day. There’s a physical emptiness in my chest. I don’t know how to describe it, but I feel it there.

  Sitting with my head in my hands, I cry until there’s nothing left. It’s like losing Adam all over again, except this time I feel as if I’ve lost Tristan. I don’t know how I’m going to get through the night, let alone the rest of my life as not only one of the fae, but as the light fae leader. The thought of everything I felt with Tristan being fabricated by Jules’s meddling makes the bile in my stomach rise; I have to swallow it.

  Sometime after midnight, I pull myself off the floor and crawl into bed. I lie awake, staring at the door as if I’m expecting Tristan to walk through it and refuse to leave. For all the times he showed up and I wanted him to leave, I’d give anything to have him here now. To know that what I feel for him is real. Until I know the truth, whatever we were is over. It has to be. After everything we’ve endured together since we met, we end in the most tragic way I can imagine—in a cruel twist of fate.

  STAY TUNED FOR TWISTED GIFT, THE STEAMY, FAE-FILLED SEQUEL TO TWISTED FATE, COMING FALL 2018.

  Reviews are everything to an author. If you enjoyed Twisted Fate, please consider leaving a review on Goodreads and your favorite bookseller’s website.

  First and foremost, I need to thank my family. Without them, this book wouldn’t exist. Their love and support is the most important thing to me. They are my inspiration to work hard for the goals I want to achieve.

  To the friends who have supported me since the day I announced I was writing a book. Special thanks to the ones who said they would buy it before they knew what it was about or if it was any good.

  To my incredible critique partner, Allison Alexander: I don’t have sufficient words to express my gratitude for your friendship. I can’t imagine going through this journey without you, and I’m so excited to continue working with you in the future.

  To my epic critique partners, Beck Wilkinson and Destiny Murtaugh: thank you for your unwavering support and suggestions.

  To my amazing team of beta readers: thank you for loving Aurora and Tristan (and the rest of the gang) as much as I do. Your honesty and compassion makes my heart happy. Special thanks to Jenna Streety for being an awesome friend who let me bounce ideas off her too many times to count.

  To Jacquie Pugh who wrote the lyrics Aurora sings in the ballroom scene: thank you for helping add a beautiful level of authenticity to the story.

  To my cover designer, Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations: I’m in awe of your work. Thank you for bringing my vision of the perfect cover for this book to life.

  To my editor, Maggie Morris of The Indie Editor: You are a-freaking-mazing. I can’t imagine working with anyone else on my debut novel, and I can’t wait to work with you again in the near future. Your suggestions were pure gold and took Twisted Fate to the next level.

  To Kim Chance: for not only proofreading Twisted Fate but for being such a bright, encouraging light in the writing community. You are the bee’s knees, Kim.

  To Stacey Blake at Champagne Book Design: thank you for working with a debut indie author and for making Twisted Fate look amazing.

  To the wonderful ladies at Love Between the Sheets Promotions: thank you for making the release of Twisted Fate so smooth and epic.

  To the bloggers who reviewed and pimped Twisted Fate: I did the book blogging thing for a long time, I know the work that goes into each post, so thank you for taking the time for my book.

  To all my amazing online writer friends: I’m not going to list names because I know I’m going to forget someone and then I’ll feel terrible. You guys know who you are, and thank you.

  Last, but in no way least, thank you, the reader, for giving Twisted Fate a chance. I want to hug each and every one of you.

  Jessi Elliott is a newly graduated law clerk and debut author of both young adult and new adult romantic fiction. Her love of writing was born after many years of reading and reviewing books on her blog.

  She lives in Southwestern Ontario with her family and two adorable cats.

  When she’s not plotting her next writing project, she likes to spend her time hanging with friends and family, getting lost in a steamy romance novel, watching Friends, and drinking coffee.

  You can find Jessi at www.jessielliott.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can sign up for her newsletter to stay up to date on book news and upcoming releases.

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ssi Elliott’s Twisted Sweethearts, for exclusive news, promos, review opportunities, and giveaways!