Sun warmed Kate’s back, and she stirred. She had a vague recollection of hearing snickers through the night, but when she opened her eyes, her bedroom was empty—though, a few books were missing from her nightstand TBR pile.
Kate squinted in the late morning light and sat up.
Her first thought was about the Prince. It had been two days since she abandoned him in the alley. If the fae assassins had found him and he was all right, they would be in the kitchen making coffee like every other day. But no sound came from the kitchenette. They must have still been out looking.
Kate’s phone beeped. When she tapped the screen, a notification from her calendar popped up:
DEPARTMENT FUNDRAISER DANCE
8:00pm
Lily’s fundraiser. The one Kate had sworn up and down she would attend.
She still hadn’t heard from Lily. She wondered if Lily would even still want her to come.
Kate chewed on her lip as she dragged herself out of the bed and into the bathroom. But when she looked in the vanity mirror, she screamed.
“It’s…” Mor fought a smile. He was the only one not buckled over, stifling snickers. “…it’s called ‘fairy-locks’.”
Shayne burst out laughing and buried his face in the couch cushions. He’d become a red-faced mess the moment the trio of assassins had walked into the apartment and seen Kate. Dranian had slapped a fist against his mouth, but it hadn’t silenced his snorts.
“Well how do I get them out?!” Kate screamed at them. “I tried brushing, but it’s like you knotted my hair and glued it!!”
“You’ll have to cut your hair off,” Dranian composed himself long enough to say, and Shayne threw his head back and roared.
“Don’t lie to her, Dranian,” Mor said. “Your trick is cruel enough on its own. And we don’t need the extra curses of falsehoods following us around.” Mor headed into the kitchenette and pulled over the coffee maker.
“I warned you,” Shayne said as he stood from the couch. “You should have just told us about your knitting club.”
“I have to go to a formal dance tonight!” Kate shouted at Shayne this time. Shayne ignored her by scooping the coffee for Mor, so Kate smacked his arm. “I can’t go looking like this.”
“So, don’t go.” Shayne shrugged.
“I have to go. It’s the only way to get Lily back,” Kate said.
Shayne stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. “You care about that human friend that much?” he challenged.
“Yes. And I’m going to make you pay for putting these knots in my hair!”
A wicked smile spread over Shayne’s face. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this upset, Kate Kole. You weren’t even this mad when we tried to kill you at the academy.”
Kate bit her lips together and turned on Dranian.
“Okay. First, you’re going to tell me how to get all these horrible knots out of my hair.”
Dranian tried to keep his lips pinched, but after a second he blurted, “Rinse it with hot water and the paste will melt.” He smacked a cactus plant off the counter as he said it. Then, after dirt and roots scattered over the tiles, he rigidly stomped to the broom closet to clean up his mess.
“Second”—Kate pointed to her hair—“you’re going to redeem yourselves from this terrible prank by coming with me tonight, and we’re going to collectively make my friend have the best night of her life at this stupid fundraiser. Do you all understand?”
Mor’s smirk vanished. “That is a bad idea. One of these fools will cause a scene.” He nodded to Shayne and Dranian.
“Not. My. Problem.” Kate snatched her brush off the countertop and went to flush her hair with hot water.
Whispers of winter arrived. The air ached with prickles of frost, and Kate’s breath became a fountain of pale mist every time she opened her mouth. The last remnants of fall were being swept up by the icy breeze and tucked away to hide until next year. The city was still; Ontarians were nestled into their homes with their fireplaces on, unaware of the creatures that walked the roads of their town as dusk arrived.
“This is a waste of time,” Dranian muttered as Kate and three fae assassins walked into the community centre beneath strings of twinkling bulbs and cheap party streamers. “What if Cress is dead?”
Moonlight glistened into the lobby through the unwashed windows, marking a silver path across an otherwise dark hall. Kate brushed a hand down the front of her sleek black dress, asking herself whether she looked okay or completely ridiculous in such a form-fitting outfit. She missed her fluffy slippers and the yellow sweater she’d given away.
Her first step in sent her wobbling on her heels. Dranian’s hand flashed to her arm to steady her. As soon as she was balanced, he tore his hand away and rolled his eyes. Kate stifled a smile. Dranian still appeared sore about Kate forcing him to spend the morning delicately untangling her hair with a wet brush.
The other half of the morning Kate had spent trying unsuccessfully to teach Shayne how to drive a car he said he bought. The lesson lasted until the fae admitted the car was stolen and Kate had jumped out of it and smacked his shoulder. The shortened lesson was for the best anyway since it turned out Shayne had horrifyingly aggressive road rage. He nearly ripped the steering wheel out of the car when someone cut him off downtown. After they got back to the café, Shayne had gotten abnormally charming, feeding Kate dozens of totally fake compliments which she knew he was only doing so she wouldn’t command him to return the stolen car.
But none of them had complained this afternoon when Kate told them all to dress up and do their hair. She’d come out of the bathroom and was caught off guard by how fast, and how well, they cleaned up. Their glamourous charm was only the icing on the cake though. It was the comfort of having them walking into this fundraiser beside her that was the biggest relief of all.
The truth was, Kate might not have come if she’d had to walk in alone.
“When are we going to continue looking for Cress?” Dranian muttered in a growl to Mor again as the scent of warm appetizers drifted out from the main hall. The comment sounded like it was meant to be a whisper.
“Listen, if even one of you can make my friend laugh tonight, I’ll help you search for your Prince in the morning,” Kate decided. “I’ll tell you everything I can about what happened, with the exception of details regarding my knitting club.” She didn’t mention that there weren’t many details that didn’t include the knitting club.
Dranian and Mor exchanged a glance. They both looked at Shayne.
Shayne sighed. “Fine. I’ll do it. Point me in the direction of your human friend with the ugly hair,” he said to Kate.
Kate’s jaw dropped. “Lily’s hair is not ugly.”
Shayne didn’t reply, but his face said it all.
“What if Cress is watching us and wondering what we’re doing here when we should be searching for him?” Dranian’s hands were in fists. They’d been like that since they left the apartment.
“Stop worrying. Your Prince isn’t watching us,” Kate assured.
Dranian snarled, “How could you know that, Human?”
“Because I don’t feel his prying gaze all over my back,” she said, and Mor’s hand found her arm fast enough to jolt her to a stop. Kate blinked up at his sharp brown-silver eyes.
“Did you just say… you can feel his gaze?” Mor asked.
Kate tugged her arm back. “You guys are all seriously so grabby.”
Music started playing from inside, and when a young woman in a red dress with a dozen arm tattoos stepped into the dancefloor lights, Kate bolted for her. Mor’s hand slid off her arm.
“Lil!” Kate shouted, drawing Connor to glance up from where he was accepting a drink across the room. His snoopy eyes travelled over Kate’s black dress until Kate turned her back to him.
Lily seemed rigid, but she wasn’t quick enough to hide her sigh of relief. “I didn’t think you were still coming,” she admitted.
“I promised I would.”
A slight smile found Lily before she shooed it away. She glanced past Kate and slow-blinked at the trio of fae marching into the hall with their slicked hair, their perfect faces, their pretty eyes, and their stylish suits. Shayne was the only one who didn’t walk like he was on a runway, and Kate imagined him curling his toes in the shoes she’d forced him to wear.
“Please tell me they’re not here for the—”
“I brought backup,” Kate said.
Lily shook her head. “Seriously, Kate? Why are you still letting those guys near you? I spent the whole week trying the tough love thing and you didn’t even budge! Do you know how hard it was not to go barging in there every hour to see if you were okay?”
The question barely left Lily’s mouth when Shayne swooped in and took her hand. He made eye contact as he planted a light kiss on her knuckles. “My task this evening is to make you laugh, pretty human—”
“Don’t call her that. Her name is Lily,” Kate said.
“—and I rarely fail at my tasks.”
Lily scowled. “Seriously?” she said to Kate again.
“Yeah, well. They weren’t actually supposed to tell you about their task.”
Shayne flashed his beautiful grin that left no room for apologies.
When Shayne’s allure took up too much space, Kate took Lily’s other hand and tugged her away from the assassins. They reached the edge of the dance floor where a table held hot finger foods. Lily grabbed a bun and shoved half of it in her mouth in what was clearly stress eating.
Kate chewed on her lip. “I don’t want to fight,” she said, and Lily’s face softened.
“Me either,” Lily said through a wad of bun.
“I’m going to send them away after tonight. I think the power is getting to my head.” Kate nodded toward the fae. “I should have just listened to you in the first place.”
“What power? Are you talking about that enslaving them nonsense again?” Lily whispered back. She made an exasperated face and took another large bite of bread.
“This morning I made one of them brush my hair.” Kate grimaced. “I need to send them away, right? I wanted to keep them around to run the café for the first few days, at least. But it feels wrong to make them stay now when…” She looked off, unsure how to finish the sentence.
Lily sighed through her full mouth, tossed the last bite of bun into the nearby trash can, and put her hands on her hips. “Did you go see that therapist I suggested? The one in the pamphlet?”
“Oh, come on, Lil! You saw Mor evaporate into thin air!” Kate waved a hand toward the trio of perfection glowing like a porcelain water fountain depicting the gods.
Lily opened her mouth like she was about to object, but as she studied the fae, her words seemed to get stuck somewhere.
“If I tell one of them to kiss your shoe, they’ll do it,” Kate promised. “I mean, I wouldn’t actually force someone to do something like that, obviously—”
“Do it.” Lily’s gaze fired back to Kate. “If you want to prove that this isn’t all a sham, make one of them kiss my shoe.”
Kate swallowed, thinking of the fairy-locks. Her gaze settled on Dranian with his popped collar and smooth auburn hair. As though he was being summoned, the fae marched over, eyeing Kate peculiarly.
“I apologize for this in advance,” Kate rasped when he was close enough. “But I need you to do something.”
“Your tone worries me, Human,” Dranian warned. His ever-present snarl seemed to deepen.
“Well… you should never mess with a girl’s hair.” Kate shook her finger in the air. “Now… please, kiss my friend’s shoe.”
The assassin’s green eyes narrowed.
Lily looked back and forth between them. “Why do you keep calling her that? Human?” She imitated his voice when she said it.
“Take off your shoe, Lily,” Kate said when Dranian twitched forward.
“What? Why?”
“Because this is going to be way too embarrassing for him if he has to get on the floor.”
But Lily wasn’t fast enough—Dranian dropped to a knee and Lily jumped back with a shriek when he snatched her foot. He tried to raise it just as his shoulder was grabbed and he was torn back up to his feet by Connor.
Connor inserted himself in front of Lily and Kate, staring Dranian down even though he was shorter.
Kate cringed and slapped a hand to her forehead. “Well, this just got interesting.”
“Out of my way.” Dranian’s tight lips curved around the words, enforced by his wild eyes and rigid jaw. “Or I’ll tear you to pieces.”
Connor’s chin dropped. “Did you just threaten a cop?”
“Take off your shoe, Lily!” Kate pleaded, reaching for it herself.
Lily scrambled to get her heel free, and she threw it at Dranian. The fae caught it in midair and pulled the black slingback heel to his mouth. He pecked it.
Connor made a repulsed face. “What’s wrong with you?”
Dranian’s shoulders relaxed. He dropped the shoe on the floor with a clatter, but his deadly glower didn’t leave Kate. His cheeks were flushed; he looked like he’d been slapped.
“Are you out of your mind, Human?!” Mor’s deep voice boomed as he marched over. “Don’t you know about his past?! You just made him…” It was like he couldn’t even spit out the horrid words. Back by the lobby entrance, Shayne wasn’t smiling anymore, either.
Dranian pushed past Connor to get to Kate. He stood over her, a tower of muscle and fury. It was the first time Kate realized how small she was in comparison. How easy it would be for him to snap her in half with one hand.
“Hey,” Lily tugged Kate back an inch, “take it easy.” But her voice was soft. “I’m sorry about the shoe. It’s my fault—I made her tell you to do that.”
“You’ll pay for it, Human,” Dranian promised Lily without taking his loathing eyes off Kate.
“No, Lily is totally off limits,” Kate said back. “You know what? Go home, all of you. Bringing you here was a huge mistake.” She swallowed the new lump in her throat and put her gaze on the floor. Lily wrung her hands beside her.
Dranian turned his back to them and left without another word. Mor followed.
A second later, Shayne sauntered over to Kate with his hands in his pockets. “Can I have your permission to stay?” he asked. “I have a task to finish.” He gazed over at Lily and bit his lip over a taunting smile.
“Forget it,” Lily said. “I won’t laugh for you.”
“You will. I promise.”
Kate stared after the other two fae disappearing into the cold night. When the community hall door slammed shut behind them, she felt the rush of wind sail all the way through the lobby, across the dance floor, and over her warm skin.
“Why was Mor so upset that I made Dranian do that?” Kate asked, and Shayne’s smile faded.
“Well, you never learned Dranian’s story.” He glanced at his shoes, tapping the toe against the floor like he wanted to kick them off. “I’d better stay here to make sure Dranian doesn’t come back with his fairspear and stab all these lovely plastic air bubbles in a fit of rage,” he said, glancing up at the balloons.
Kate chewed on her lip. “You can stay.”
“What? No, Kate, command him to leave! We need to talk about all this!” Lily said.
But Kate nodded toward Shayne. “You didn’t want to be here alone, and now you’ve got us. And I guess this means you believe me now,” she pointed out. Lily’s mouth parted, but she seemed to have no comeback for that.
A new song came through the static speakers, and Shayne extended a hand to Lily to seal the deal. He wiggled his fingers when she didn’t take it. Finally, Lily raised her hand and Shayne snatched it, lacing their fingers together so she couldn’t change her mind.
“Make sure Lily has fun,” Kate said to Shayne.
“Yes, Human.” Shayne escorted a stricken-faced Lily to the dance floor where other couples were swaying. He twirled her into his embrace, and they blended right in, taking up the spotlight in the middle.
Kate glanced warily at Connor, still gaping beside her. She thought about escaping to find a drink. Someone carried out a punch bowl right on cue, and she turned for the refreshments table.
The chandelier of gold balloons swayed when the lobby door opened again, and Kate’s gaze darted back to it, hoping to see a pair of well-dressed fae. But only Officer Westbow came in. Kate brushed her bangs down over her face so he wouldn’t recognize her, though she doubted he’d miss the unmistakeable colour of her hair. She was a breath away from darting for the washrooms to hide when Connor drifted to her side with his finger tapping his glass.
“I know I didn’t just imagine all that,” he remarked, staring down the white-haired fae spinning Lily and dazzling the other couples on the dance floor.
“Those guys are just actors I hired, so let them be,” Kate said.
Connor released a doubtful grunt and sipped his drink. After a moment, he set it down and grabbed Kate’s arm, pulling her to the dance floor. The jerky motion caught Shayne’s eye from where he hugged Lily to himself.
Connor tugged Kate until they stood below the balloon chandelier. She thought about coming up with an excuse to not dance—broken ankle, feeling sick, allergic to idiots—but she reluctantly settled in when she caught a sympathetic look from Lily.
“Allow me to tell you a joke, Human,” Shayne said loudly to Lily, turning heads. The fae’s attention dropped to where Connor’s hands locked behind Kate’s waist.
“Of all the ugly humans in this room, that one”—Shayne nodded toward Connor’s back, and Connor craned his neck like he knew he was being talked about—“is the most repulsive one of all. Though, I suppose that’s not really a joke, is it?”
Connor stopped dancing.
Kate’s lips peeled apart.
After a moment, Lily’s laughter erupted across the dance floor.
Shayne could have left after he got what he wanted, but he didn’t. He became a marvelous date to Lily for the entire evening. He made people laugh all night, and he became so popular among Lily’s coworkers that they tried pressuring her into bringing him to next week’s bake sale at the station.
Kate told Shayne to walk Lily home afterward, even though Lily insisted she was fine and reminded her that she carried a gun for a living. Even so, Shayne ripped off his shoes with a dramatic flair and ushered Lily off toward her apartment in his bare feet.
Apart from the night traffic, Toronto was fast asleep. Only the heavy moon and the chugging boats in the distance kept Kate company as she wandered the docks by the lake. She imagined Mor would be brewing decaf lattes back at the café for some late-night reading time to cool Dranian’s temper.
She realized she was smiling. Maybe Kate was crazy to try and get them to fit into regular human life. The fae had completely destroyed book club, but they’d also unpacked everything at the café, got the fireplace running, and had put up signs in the windows to announce the opening tomorrow morning. Even moody Dranian spent the last days studying drink combinations in preparation for the big event, and Kate had caught him in the back sneaking tastes of whipped cream and humming to himself as he put together the menu.
“Aren’t you cold?” Connor’s voice cut into her thoughts.
Kate glanced toward the road that would take her home before she answered. “Yeah.” Suddenly the docks felt less peaceful.
The sound of Connor shucking his coat filled the cool night air. Kate sighed and walked down the dock before he could try offering it to her.
“Wait up!” Connor took her arm and whirled her back. “Are you trying to get away from me or something?” He threw his jacket over Kate’s shoulders and held the flaps tight together at her front, turning it into a straight jacket. He didn’t look like he was in a rush to let go.
“It’s weird that we’ve known each other as long as we have and you still don’t seem to catch on when I try to avoid you,” Kate said, glaring down at his coat prison.
Connor grunted. “Remember your place, Kate Kole. Remember that I know who you really are.”
Kate worked her jaw, wishing she’d gone home with Lily and Shayne. Wondering why on earth she’d felt like going for a walk in the middle of the night. “How could I forget when you remind me every time you want something?” She couldn’t even look at him right now. She settled her gaze on the distant boats glowing against the dark water.
But Connor shoved her face back toward him with his thumb, and Kate winced at his breath that smelled like chewed appetizers and a compulsive need to assert dominance at inappropriate times.
“You’re right, I do want something. I always have, Kate, and maybe I’m feeling brave enough tonight to ask for it.” His gaze dropped to her mouth, and he took in a fast, deep breath.
“Oh, for the love of—please don’t—”
Connor’s mouth smashed against her face, and Kate released a shrill sound. His big lips encompassed hers like a wet muzzle. She kicked his foot with her heel.
“Connor!” she shouted as soon as he let her breathe.
He laughed and pulled the flaps of the coat tighter when she wriggled her arms to try and push him off. When that didn’t work, she threatened him. “Lily’s going to kill you for this!”
“I’m not afraid of Lily Baker,” he said, puckering his mouth again.
Connor was torn back so hard, Kate fell forward. Someone’s arm caught her as the coat slid off her shoulders, and she found herself grabbing onto a navy sweater for support.
Cool wind sailed against Kate’s skin with the jacket gone. She stared at the spot where her fingers curled tightly around the soft fabric at someone’s chest. The fragrance of deep, cold earth and sweet flowers washed over her.
“Officer Riley?” Connor half-asked, half-shouted from where he stumbled back on the dock.
Kate looked up and instantly dropped her fistful of Cress’s sweater. The fae Prince’s turquoise eyes flickered over to the policeman.
“C… Connor…” Kate wasn’t sure if she was accusing Connor or warning him to run for his life. She also didn’t know what to do next as Cress strode down the dock and took hold of Connor’s collar, squeezing the fabric the same way Connor had trapped Kate.
Kate reached out to do something as the policeman gasped. In one sweep, Cress kicked Connor’s legs out, lifted him, and tossed him off the dock.
A loud splash sounded below, and Kate released a raspy gasp. “You can’t do that!” she shouted, racing to the dock’s edge.
Cress said nothing—he reached for her, took her hand, and began leading her back up the dock.
“Wait, we can’t just leave him! What if he drowns?” she said.
The fae Prince stopped walking. When he turned and looked back at her, it was clear he wasn’t concerned about the outcome. After studying Kate’s face for a moment, he released a low growl and marched back. Cress pulled off his sweater and dove into the dark water.
Kate pressed a hand against her chest as she crept along the dock and searched the lake. She didn’t even see bubbles. She scooped Cress’s sweater off the ground as she waited, fidgeting with the navy material.
Sputtering filled the air as Connor’s face appeared above the water. The fae Prince climbed the ladder, dragging Connor by his shirt and lifting him onto the dock with one hand like Connor was a bag of garbage being tossed to the curb.
Connor coughed as he hit the moist wood panels.
Cress marched back. Kate extended the sweater toward him with a shaking hand. He took it, found the hole, and reached to pull it over Kate’s head. He freed her hair with quick flicks and adjusted the shoulders as she slowly threaded her arms through the sleeves. He didn’t make eye contact. He just took her hand again and began walking back into town.
“Aren’t you freezing?” she asked him. She hugged her free arm to herself, trapping in the sweater’s heat. It was soft on the inside.
Cress’s hand tightened in hers, but he didn’t respond.
Kate felt like she was dreaming as they left the harbour path and crossed three roads to reach Hanes Street. The Prince avoided the streetlights and kept to the edges of buildings.
“Where have you been?” Kate tried again in a small voice. “Your assassins have been looking everywhere for you. They think you’re dead.”
His gaze stayed ahead as the glow of the café windows came into view. All the other shops and apartments down the street were dark. There were no cars left on the road.
Cress walked to the café door, swung it open, and dropped her hand. When she didn’t walk in, he said, “Get inside before the cold makes you ill.” His voice was low and quiet; not the bossy, demeaning tone he’d used before.
They were the only words he’d said since he appeared at the docks.
Kate shifted her weight on the sidewalk. “You shouldn’t have done that to Connor. The police will be looking for you now—”
“Go in, Human, before my brothers find out I’ve touched you.”
Kate still didn’t move, so Cress put a hand against her lower back and shoved her inside. He closed the door behind her, and the scents of coffee beans and pastries filled her nose.
She spun around, but the fae Prince had already left.
