Page 64 of Welcome to Fae Cafe

“Wait! Wait!” Thelma whispered, and Cress shot her a look for stopping him. “Not yet!” The old woman held the sleeve of Cress’s plaid button-up coat. Cress huffed impatiently as Thelma peered around the tree trunk. Her spirally gray hair glowed with morning dew.

The low rumble of a human chariot on four wheels trickled through the air and Cress waited, crouched with his fist smooshed against his lazy cheek. A large black bag was slung over his shoulder.

“Now!” Thelma said, shoving him forward.

Cress caught his feet and glided across the yard as smooth as the Northern winds, peeking through trees and shrubs to ensure no humans were watching. The neighbour’s chariot rumbled down the street as Cress came to their spare chariot parked before the house. He flung the vessel door open and began hauling fistfuls of leaves into the backseat from the large bag.

“That’s not enough!” Thelma’s voice came from beside him. Her floral gardening gloves covered her hands.

“I thought you were going to stay back and keep watch!” Cress whispered in return.

“Heck, no! I came to show these neighbours of mine not to mess with me.” Thelma picked up the whole bag and dumped half into the vessel. Cress’s eyes widened. He reached to help her until only half the leaves were left.

“We can’t fit much more,” he said, glancing into the bag.

“Then we’ll put them somewhere else.” Thelma headed to the house and nudged a loose window open. She glanced back at Cress with a wicked smile and gave him a nod.

Cress looked between the old woman and the window.

“Queensbane,” he muttered, hiding a preposterous grin. He hoisted the bag over to the house and held it up, tipping it into the window so the remaining leaves spilled into the quaint living room beyond.

Thelma looked over her shoulder and gasped. “They’re coming back!” she said, and Cress tore the bag back out. Leaves spurted across the grass.

He looked both ways for somewhere to hide until Thelma grabbed his arm and began tugging him back toward her own yard. The old woman snickered as they hustled, and Cress smothered a grin.

“What will you do if they come over angry?” he asked.

“I’ll just get you to answer the door!” Thelma’s roaring laughter rang through the pines as Cress reached around to support her weight. She leaned against him, limping as fast as she could.

“You’re an evil human,” he said. But the old woman’s joy seeped into his bones, leaving a thousand phantom giggles in the air, and after a moment, Cress’s smile faded.

Evilwas immoral agendas hidden behind cruel smiles and the threat of death in the air.

The truth was, Thelma Lewis was far from being evil. Cress didn’t believe there was a drop of evil in her, whether her granddaughter was a fairy killer or not.

When they came into the house, Thelma hobbled into the kitchen. “I’ll make tea. We earned it.”

“I’ll help,” Cress said, but he paused as his own words rang clear in his ears. “Actually… I’ll be right back, Grandma Lewis.” Before Thelma could ask, Cress disappeared up the stairs and into his room. He shut the door.

His hand pressed roughly against his chest. “What are you doing, Cressica?” he growled.

He should not care that the old woman was kind, or that she promised to teach him how to makefreshly baked chocolate chip cookies, or that she had a contagious laugh. These were his weaknesses, and he had fallen into them with disgraceful ease. If she was a fairy, Thelma would have been excellent at laying traps, not because she wanted to hurt anyone, but because everyone would be drawn in by her warmth and baking.

Cress turned to lean his back against the door. His gaze traced the objects in the room. Objects that reminded him of a human girl he had come to kill. Hair ties, mirrors, and crimson lipstick lay in baskets atop the dresser. Forgotten clothes were tucked into the drawers. A small book collection filled the far shelf, and a tall lamp rested beside the bed, perfect for reading.

Cress closed his eyes with a tight jaw, inviting the cold to return to his gaze.

He moved for the nightstand and tore the drawer open, lifting out the gold-winged handle of his fairsaber. His thumb traced over the button that would draw out the hidden blade. Enough was enough. He had to destroy Kate Kole before it was too late and he lost everything that mattered.

The scent of herbal tea drifted into the room from downstairs and Cress released a heavy breath. There was no point in hurting the old woman. She’d already admitted that her human illness would bring upon her end soon anyway.

But. Kate. Faeborn-cursed.Kole.

Cress had to end this today before his constant need to be near her, to learn all about her, and to hear her raspy voice overtook him and drove him mad. Hiding in her quarters was all he could do to keep himself from charging through the city of humans to find her for all the wrong reasons.

He was not ready when he saw her.

It had been several days since Cress laid eyes on his human target, but for whatever absurd reason, he had forgotten the preposterous depths of green in her eyes and the potency of her offensively innocent fragrance.

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