Page 46 of Faerie Gift

He and Persephone were here together. My worst nightmare come to life. Surely the apocalypse had arrived.

“I wasn’t kissing her,” he insisted with a shake of his head. “You’re seeing what you want to see.”

My eyes bugged out. Seeing what Iwantedto see? He had to be joking. I’dneverwant to see this if I lived to be a thousand years old and had seen it all. “I’m looking at what’s right in front of my face. There’s no way you can spin this situation around to make it better,” I snarled. Because a snarl was better than hysterical laughter.

Melia would have joined in my outrage, surely, and stepped forward to place her hand on my arm like she thought I would attack. I wasn’t sure if she meant to stop me or offer backup.

“I shouldn’t have to defend myself in the first place. We’re justfriends, Tavi.” Mike pointed over his shoulder toward Persephone. “You and me?” He pointed that finger at me and back to himself. “We’re friends too, and that means I can hang out with whoever I want to hang out with and without telling you.Orasking permission.”

“Right, you and I are friends. And friends don’t lie to each other. They certainly don’t sneak off to make out with someone likeher.”

His words stung, and I took a step back. This was probably playing too many of my cards at once. I didn’t care.

Persephone tried to cover a snort and failed, probably on purpose. One more sound out of her and I’d slash her face with my claws.

“Okay, first of all, I wasn’t sneaking off,” Mike said, holding up that finger again to count the ways in which he had the high ground. A shadow darkened his eyes—regret or anger, I didn’t know.

“And second of all,” Mike continued, “you can’t ‘sneak off’ in a common area. Look where we are. In a very public space. I’m here in a public space with a friend. That’s it. Come on, Tavi. Be reasonable. There’s no need for you to act all pissy over nothing.”

I took a deep breath and held myself erect to shove the queasiness aside. Thiswasa public space and he made a good point. But that didn’t matter right now. I was hurt so deeply even my wolf couldn’t rise to the occasion. I was wounded. This felt like the worst betrayal I’d ever experienced.

Twice he’d called Persephone a friend, and I really hated how he’d lumped her and me into the same category.

“A friend? You think she’s a friend? Oh, no. No way. You’re here with a girl who has made it her personal mission to torture me and you’re going to stand in front of me andlie?” I said, fighting to keep the sharpness out of my voice. “I haveeyes, Mike. I can clearly see what’s going on, and your trying to make excuses is only verifying what I’ve already seen.”

Persephone was inspecting her nails. Bored with our argument. I tuned her out.

Mike scoffed. “So what? Does it changeourfriendship, no matter what you think you saw tonight? Tavi, Tavi.” Mike’s tone went soft and mellow as he huffed a laugh. And it terrified me. It was a carefully disciplined shield telling me exactly where we stood.

It wasn’t good.

“Does it change how you feel about me?” he asked plainly.

I hesitated. “I…I don’t know. Maybe it does. Maybe it means you aren’t the person I thought you were. Maybe—” I broke off suddenly, scrambling to hide my emotions before they leaked out of me, either as tears or a scream. Knowing there was nothing else to say.

Melia’s fingers tightened on my shoulder. A gesture of comfort or a warning not to go too far?

“I’m the samemeI always am. For you to come in here and start accusing me— God, I can’t believe this is happening right now.” Mike raised his arms, running his fingers through his hair. “This is completely ridiculous.”

I pointed over my shoulder toward the exit. “You know what? We’re just going to go. You guys can have the room to yourselves. Clearly Melia and I are interrupting something important. Forget we were here. No big deal.”

My lip trembled and I bit down to keep it from showing. Then whirling around, I grabbed hold of Melia, wanting to run out of the room but forcing myself to a sedate walk.

“Aren’t we going to talk about this?” Mike called after me.

I didn’t deign to answer him, tears stinging my eyes and my throat feeling like I’d clogged it with wet cotton. Wet cotton with razor blades embedded in it.

“Messed up,” Melia said under her breath. “With Persephone, of all people.”

With Persephone, of all people. My thoughts exactly.

“I know what I saw,” I replied slowly, forcing every word. Even though I couldn’t swear they were kissing, itlookedlike they were. That I would swear to. “I know what I saw,” I repeated.

It wasn’t quite the dramatic exit of the century but it would have to do. I was done with Crown Prince Michael Thornwood and his mixed signals. It was time for me to take them as they really were—a big old fatno.

After tonight, I wanted nothing to do with him again.

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