Page 41 of Welcome to Fae Cafe

“Do as she says,” Kate instructed.

A muscle feathered in the fae’s jaw. “Just for this instance?” he asked through tight lips. “Or forever?”

“Getback!” Lily screamed again.

The fae slowly drew his fingers off Kate’s shirt. He stepped backward, and Lily nudged her way between them. “Go upstairs, Kate,” she said through heavy breaths. “I’ll take him down to the station.”

“No.” Kate put her hand on Lily’s shoulder. “Just let him go.”

“What?” Lily looked back at her with round eyes that said,“Are you serious?”

The fae vanished and reappeared before Lily, slapping the gun away while her head was turned, and Lily jolted as she tried to hold onto her weapon. The fae snatched her wrist and twisted until the gun dropped from her hand into his.

In a heartbeat, he was pointing the gun at Lily against the wall.

“You can’t…shoota cop,” Lily said, raising her hands.

“Is that a command?” The fae scowled, positioning the gun.

He pulled the trigger before either of them could move—Lily’s shriek rang through the café, Kate’s heart faltered. But there was no blast.

The fae glanced down at the gun, his mouth twisting to the side. He shook it a little. He tried pulling the trigger again, and still—nothing. A low growl rumbled from his throat as he turned it over in his hands. “Queensbane,” he muttered to himself.

Kate stifled an untimely grin. An anxious laugh squeaked out. She slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle it, but it wasn’t enough. She snorted through her fingers.

Lily’s glossed-over eyes dragged to Kate. Her hands were still frozen in the air.

A lock of the fae’s curly hair fell from its bun as he shook the gun up and down. He tried tapping it against the counter. Lily watched, and even though it looked like she might cry, a slow smile spread across her face, too.

“Are you crazy, Kate?” she whispered.

“I hope not.” Kate’s raspy laughter sailed through the café, too loud to stifle now.

“Then why are you laughing?”

“B…” Kate dropped to a knee and flattened her hand against the floor to support herself as she lost control. “Because he’s an idiot.”

The fae’sbrown-silver eyes lifted from the gun at that.

“He can’t shoot a gun,” Kate said, and Lily’s gaze snapped back to the fae. She seemed to realize Kate was right. She slowly reached for her pepper spray.

Not even the pounding rain could drown out Kate’s laughter. The fae’s chest rose and fell. He lowered the gun and held it at his side as he looked between the girls.

“Get out,” Kate said when she could speak again.

When he didn’t move, Kate picked up the broom off the floor. “Get out!” she shouted, and Lily began shouting, too, raising her pepper spray as a threat.

“Get out!”

“Getout!”

Kate swung the broom, missing the fae as he staggered backward. “Out!” she called again, chasing after him with it. Lily followed behind with her finger on the spray button.

“Get out! Get out, get out, getout!” Kate swung the broom again, and the fae barely ducked it. With one last glare at the two girls swinging cleaning utensils and pepper spray, he vanished into thin air and Lily’s gun clattered to the floor where he’d been standing.

Kate leaned forward with her palms on her knees. “Un. Real.” Her whisper was dry.

Lily staggered back and fell against the wall, her pepper spray clutched in her bone-white fingers. “Is…” she stammered, “Is that the guy who’s been messing with you, Kate?”

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