The café was gold with early light and glistening with fresh, powdery snow clinging to every shallow ledge when Kate came in. She glanced at Freida’s red scarf hanging on the coat hooks, unused since the day Kate had visited the knitting club. She walked over and covered it up with her coat, then headed for the counter.
Cress stepped in to cut her off. Two steaming, full-to-the-brim mugs of coffee were in his hands. He handed them to her.
“Would you hold these for a moment, Human?” he asked with an odd smile.
Kate took them carefully, her eyes darting back and forth between the mugs while she tried not to spill any. “Why’d you make them so full?”
Cress’s fingers drifted from the mugs to her wrists. Kate’s eyes fired up to his when his light touch moved up her arms, over her shoulders to her neck, and then slid gently back into her hair. The coffee sloshed over the mugs’ brims when she took a small step back, and she froze again before they spilled.
Kate’s eyes were wide as Cress brought his mouth in and kissed her softly. It was sweet, and careful, and deep, and not casual at all. He held her head still, keeping his lips firmly on hers as the seconds sped by. Kate’s mouth was left parted when he pulled back. She was sure she hadn’t blinked since the second he handed her the coffees.
Cress studied her. Like he was waiting for her to say something. But she had no idea what to say after that.
“What are you doing?” Kate demanded. Coffee rolled over the mugs’ edges and dripped to the floor as she failed to hold still. “And don’t lie and say you did that just because you think I’m pretty or something stupid like that.”
Cress tilted his head, seeming more frustrated than anything. “You’re not that pretty. You’re just adequate,” he said. Kate’s jaw dropped a little, and he raised his hands as if she’d misinterpreted. “I mean, you’re quite pretty for a human, of course. But you’re nothing compared to a fairy female. My betrothed is far more beautiful.” Then he muttered, “Even if she has the ugly soul of a hungry hogbeast.”
Kate blinked.
Two full cups of coffee were splashed into Cress’s face. He grimaced as the liquid rolled down his neck and soaked his shirt.
Kate walked over and slammed the mugs down on the counter before storming up the stairs to her apartment. She tapped a fist against her heart to make sure it was still working. She felt hot.
Mor stood before the full-length mirror in her room, tying his apron.
“Cress is engaged?!” Kate shouted at him when she barged in.
Mor raised an eyebrow. “Yes. To the High Princess of the North.” He went back to smoothing his apron.
Kate gaped. She tried to smack his arm.
Mor buckled and raised his hands as a shield, so Kate grabbed a novel off her bookshelf and tried to smack him with that, too, but he darted out of the way too fast.
“You don’t see a problem with keeping that from me?!” she barked.
“Queensbane, what’s wrong with you, crazy Human?!” he shouted back at her, using his height to reach over her and pluck the novel from her fingers.
Kate marched back out of her apartment, banging the door behind her. She thudded down the stairs to find Cress leaning against the counter on his palms—no, gripping the edge of the counter so tightly that his knuckles were white.
Shayne was a basket case of laughter on the floor behind the counter. “How?!” he wailed. “How could you let it happen again?! How—” He slapped a hand over his eyes when tears gushed out. “How did you manage to get enchanted twice?!”
“Stop. Laughing. Or I’ll Cut. Out. Your. Tongue.”
Kate didn’t wait around to hear more. She went back to the coat rack, grabbed her coat—and her red scarf—and swung the door open. Cress appeared and yanked the door shut before she could leave, creating a robust fae barrier between her and escape.
“Let me explain,” he said, but Kate pushed against him. “Katherine!” he tried. “Human, I didn’t mean for this to… I mean I…” He put a hand over his forehead like he had a headache, and Kate slipped under his arm while his eyes were closed. “You can’t go out alone!” he growled after her.
Kate met the cold while she was still buttoning her coat. She moved to avoid pedestrians, refusing to look any of her friendly neighbours in the eyes so she wouldn’t be forced to greet them. She heard the café’s bell behind her, and she knew Cress was following her.
She walked down to the harbour and all around the cold city on the longest walk of her life.
Cress never caught up or tried calling out. He never showed himself.
But his warm gaze was on her back.
It was three days before she saw him again. Kate returned to the café the following morning to find out that Shayne had locked Cress in her upstairs closet. “It’s for his own good. He would kill me later for letting him humiliate himself by tearing apart the city to get to you at all hours. It’s for your own good, too,” was what Shayne said.
Kate counted down the days and hours as they passed. She stared at the calendar on the wall, dreading the arrival of Christmas.
She started washing dishes with vigour on the third day. A mug splashed back into the soapy water when Cress emerged from the stairs of her apartment. He looked angry and exhausted. Shayne had a shiny, new black eye on his handsome face.
Cress stopped walking when he saw Kate.
She dried her hands on a towel and went to meet him, but he grabbed her wet hands around the towel. “I want to make you laugh, Human. Hearing your laugh is my highest obsession. And your smile, too. And for some faeborn-cursed reason, I’m fascinated by your lack of evil—”
“Aaaaaand back into the closet you go,” Shayne said, yanking Cress back by his shoulder. “I guess it’s not worn off yet.”
Cress growled but didn’t object. “I thought I was okay to see her, but I’m not,” he muttered to Shayne. He glared at Kate this time. “You did this.” He pointed to his own head.
“No, you did this,” Kate assured, refusing to take the blame this time.
Cress snarled as he headed back up the stairs, followed by Shayne.
Kate went back to washing the mugs, shaking her head.
A snowstorm picked up outside. A few teenagers pushed in and patted snowflakes off their hats and mitts.
“Three more days,” Kate whispered below the howling of the wind against the windows. Her gaze flickered back up to the calendar where Christmas Day was highlighted in red with a small drawing of holly berries.
“Three more days until I lose you, Cress,” she said to all those in the café who weren’t listening.
“I have a question.” Lily untangled Christmas lights by the window. The tree sat in the café’s corner, covered in tinsel that sparkled in the early morning light. The sweet scents of pine and sap filled the café.
From her seat by the fireplace, Kate flicked aside the Fae Café social media page on her phone. A different photo filled the screen, one with a list of obscure fae names. She quickly pushed that screen away, too, and stuffed her phone into her pocket.
“What’s your question?” she asked Lily.
Lily rested her elbow on her knee where she squatted. “What happened to the real Officer Riley?”
Strange, terrible thoughts came to Kate’s mind as she made her guesses. She’d never found the nerve to ask the fae.
“He’s wandering around the human realm with his pockets full of fairy gold,” Cress announced as he strutted over. He stopped, standing over Kate’s chair. Though it seemed like most of his anger had passed over, his brows were furrowed. He extended a hand toward Kate like he wanted to help her up.
“Are you feeling better?” Kate asked warily. She gave him her hand, and he tugged her to her feet.
“Yes.” He mumbled it. “But I curse the day I met you, Kate Kole.”
That brought a smile to her face. “How sweet.”
He grunted and tugged Kate to the coat rack. “Human—”
Kate cut him off. “Your fiancée seems like a real gem with that ‘hungry hogbeast personality’. I can’t imagine why you left her to come here for even a moment.”
Cress’s turquoise eyes darkened a little.
“She must be happy you’re going back. That is, if you’re still planning to go back,” Kate remarked, hugging her arms to herself. Cress didn’t contradict her, and Kate released the breath she was holding. “I was sort of hoping that kiss thing had changed your mind. But I guess we’re still at square one. Lucky her.”
Cress’s jaw slid to the side. “I cannot articulate the joy and merriment it will bring me if you’re jealous,” he said. And there it was—the first hint of a smile. He smothered it away though and hardened his face.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Kate said.
“I don’t need to do such a thing, Human. You’re doing it for me.”
Kate shook her head in disbelief. “You’re the worst.”
“You’re irritatingly immune to tricks.”
“You’re astoundingly self-absorbed,” she stated.
“Yes, well, I’m a prince. It’s only natural. Now, for the next two days until the human Christmas, you’re mine, Katherine Lewis.” Cress reached for her coat and handed it to her.
After blinking at it, Kate reluctantly took her coat and slid it on. “Where are we going?”
“On a human date. And I’m going to buy you something that will make sure you remember me long after I’m gone.”
Kate made a face. “You mean I’m going to buy something—”
“Call it whatever you like. Let’s go.”
The air was cold but even so, the walk to the subway felt short. As did the ride to the mall.
When they came in, Christmas carols hummed through the aisles and the smell of cinnamon buns wafted from a baked treat kiosk. Stores were filled with sale signs, frantic retail workers, and rushing shoppers.
Cress took his time. He slid his fingers between Kate’s as they walked hand-in-hand like their last date.
Kate thought of the calendar back at the café that was haunting her days and nights. Her grip tightened around his knuckles. “What did you want to buy?”
“Something that will distract you once you meet a human male in your happy life. Something that will catch your eye every time you walk past it and remind you that you liked me before you liked him. Something big.”
“What makes you think I like you?” Kate chuckled.
“Oh, come on, Human.” Cress’s wide grin said it all. “I’m handsome and powerful and you’re a weak human who can’t help herself.”
“Tell that to the last two enchanted kisses you tried to give me—”
“I don’t want to talk about that.” His smile fell. “I’m bad at fairy tricks because I avoided them as a childling. That’s the only reason,” he assured, veering Kate into a store of framed prints and paintings.
Artwork hung on the walls like a miniature museum. Cress scanned the pictures one by one.
“Human art is horrendous,” he remarked, and pointed. “Look at that one.”
Kate pushed his hand down and fought a blush as a sales worker walked by and heard everything. “Well, you don’t have to buy me art. Why don’t you just get something small? Like a pair of earrings?”
Cress’s nose wrinkled. “No. It’ll be something big. Something you must put right in the middle of your new house.”
“My new house?” Kate raised a brow.
“The one you move into when you leave this city.”
Kate slid her hand out of his with a sigh. She pulled off her hat and raked her fingers through her hair. “Is that what this is about? You’re going to try to convince me to move from Toronto again?”
Cress turned to face her, his expression serious now. “It’s the only way, Katherine.”
“I outwitted your assassins. I’m sure I can survive any other fae that show up after you leave.” She thought of her phone in her pocket. “You’re being ridiculous.”
Cress stared at her until she put her hat back on. Then his eyes lifted to something behind her, and his face lit up. “That one!” he said, pointing to a painting by the entrance. “Give me your wallet, Human,” he said. “I’ll buy that one for you.”
Kate turned to find a watercolour painting of a sunny countertop. Atop the counter was a detailed painting of a basket full of chocolate chip cookies.
