Page 122 of Welcome to Fae Cafe

His mate. She was innocent. She always had been.

This was right. This was the proper end, the one the Prince of the North deserved. Cress’s turquoise eyes slid over to find her one last time.

He had written an ending to this story; a false one. But even so, this was not how he saw their real story ending.

Bonswick tore his blade back out, and Cress collapsed in a lake of his own deep red. Dozens of Shadow Fairies at Bonswick’s side watched as the Prince of the North took his last breath and let his eyes fall closed.

“Time to leave. Great things await us in the Corners now,” he heard Bonswick say. Then he heard the softpopsof vanishing Shadow Fairies.

Once upon a time, a fairy prince waged a war on a powerful queene. But he lost. And all those he loved paid the price.

Cress’s fairy life leaked away. All his memories floated off with him. He relaxed to let himself go, until a raspy voice broke through the darkness.

“Cress?” she said. “Cress!”

Queensbane…

Kate Kole was alive.

42

Kate Kole and the Thing That Happened

Two Hours Ago

It was a quiet morning, the day after Boxing Day. Kate kept to herself, editing her novel at the table in the corner while Lily mindlessly puttered around in her police uniform to get things cleaned up before she had to leave. They’d spent Christmas night together with the fae baristas drinking apple cider and sharing childhood stories—which turned out to be far more of a sinister event than Kate or Lily expected. Kate hadn’t spoken a word all day. Neither had Mor or Dranian, so it was really just Shayne who told everyone’s stories, and Lily who told hers and Kate’s.

“I don’t understand why you have to go in, Human,” Mor said as Lily packed the garland and pinecones from the bistro tables into boxes. “You said officers don’t have to work after they’ve been held hostage and such.”

“I have to do two months of therapy and get the department’s therapist to sign off before they’ll let me go back on patrol.” Lily rolled her eyes. “Trust me, it’s not like I want to go.”

“And you still have to wear your uniform?” Kate made a face from the corner. Her voice had cracked when she spoke up. She went quiet again.

At least everyone was talking.

Her fingers traced over the keys of her laptop, imagining a fae prince pecking at them. She’d read the entire novel twice in the last twenty-four hours. She’d just started back at the beginning.

Greyson pushed through the café door with an uneasy expression. He held up a box of takeout from the street meat truck. “Hotdogs?” he said to Mor.

Shayne appeared from the kitchen. “Hotdogs?” His grin appeared, and with the combination of his handsome smile and Greyson’s food surprise, it brought a little warmth to Fae Café for the first time in three days. “I’ll get the ketchup!” Shayne disappeared back into the kitchen.

Greyson set the box on the counter and took a wary look at Mor. It seemed like he wanted to ask if the fae was all right, but he dragged a hand through his shaggy hair and turned to Kate instead.

“You ever going to let me read that?” he asked.

“When it’s published,” Kate told him.

“What’s the title?”

Kate thought about it. “I’m going to call itHigh Court of the Coffee Bean.”

Mor grunted. “That’s ridiculous.” But the corner of his mouth turned up. “And just because we’ve established a new High Court here among the humans doesn’t mean I’m acknowledging Shayne as my High King,” he added.

“You’ll submit to my rulership unless you want your pretty, luminous hair to end up in fairy locks,” Shayne said as he appeared and plunked the ketchup bottle on the counter. His grip tightened around it when a presence appeared at the door even though the door hadn’t opened.

Kate fell out of her chair when she saw the dark-haired fae with glossy silver eyes standing past the tables.

Shayne ripped a short blade from his pocket and sent it spiralling across the café, but Bonswick stepped aside, and Shayne’s blade speared the window, releasing a web of cracks. Lily tore her gun out, her hands shaking on the grip, and Greyson took Kate’s arm.

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