Page 66 of Welcome to Fae Cafe

Crook friends?

It all hit Cress at once:

The Sisterhood of Assassins were protecting Kate Kole.

The Shadow Fairies were in the human realm.

Bonswick…

Cress’s mind felt like a heavy stone. He rubbed his temples over a blossoming headache, thinking of Shadow Fairies finding his brothers while he was asleep.

When he realized Thelma was waiting for him to get clean, Cress marched to the water room, shut the door, and cranked the lever on the bath. Steam filled the small space, blurring his vision to match his clouded mind.

Had the fairies of the Dark Corner come for Cress? What if Levress had grown impatient and made a bargain with Bonswick? For the first time since Cress had squared off with the Lord of the East at the Queene’s feast, he regretted his behaviour. Perhaps the Queene no longer wished for Cress to rule the North Corner of Ever. Perhaps she felt only a host of Shadow Fairies would be strong enough to kill off four of the greatest assassins of the North.

Cress scrubbed his forehead and sighed. But a new thought entered his mind. He glanced in the direction of the kitchen, hidden by the closed water room door.

What if the Shadow Fairies weren’t here for him at all? What if Levress had sent them to assassinate Kate Kole so that Cress could come home guiltless and marry Princess Haven?

An agonized breath escaped him when he thought of his human target. How could he have begged Kate Kole to stay with him like that in the alley? He could not decide if he was more humiliated or angry that he had sputtered such nonsense.

He reached to wrench the water off when the tub was full and billowing steam. He grabbed the bottle off the counter and dumped in a lob of soap.

“Come then, Fairies of the Dark,” he invited as he tore off his foul-smelling shirt. “End Kate Kole and set me free of her. I shall be better off for it.”

Cress sank into the hot water and leaned his cheek against his fist. He needed to warn Mor. If the Shadow Fairies were after Kate Kole, then his brothers would be in danger, too.

Thelma would scold him for being out late tonight.

Even though Cress’s judgements were heavy and shadowed, an unexpected smile found him at the thought.

24

Kate Kole and the Fundraiser No One Wanted to Go To

Sun warmed Kate’s back, and she stirred. She had a vague recollection of hearing snickers through the night, but when she opened her eyes, her bedroom was empty—though, a few books were missing from her nightstand TBR pile.

Kate squinted in the late morning light and sat up.

Her first thought was about the Prince. It had been two days since she abandoned him in the alley. If the fae assassins had found him and he was all right, they would be in the kitchen making coffee like every other day. But no sound came from the kitchenette. They must have still been out looking.

Kate’s phone beeped. When she tapped the screen, a notification from her calendar popped up:

DEPARTMENT FUNDRAISER DANCE

8:00pm

Lily’s fundraiser. The one Kate had sworn up and down she would attend.

She still hadn’t heard from Lily. She wondered if Lily would even still want her to come.

Kate chewed on her lip as she dragged herself out of the bed and into the bathroom. But when she looked in the vanity mirror, she screamed.

“It’s…” Mor fought a smile. He was the only one not buckled over, stifling snickers. “…it’s called ‘fairy-locks’.”

Shayne burst out laughing and buried his face in the couch cushions. He’d become a red-faced mess the moment the trio of assassins had walked into the apartment and seen Kate. Dranian had slapped a fist against his mouth, but it hadn’t silenced his snorts.

“Well how do I get them out?!” Kate screamed at them. “I tried brushing, but it’s like you knotted my hair and glued it!!”

---