Page 88 of Welcome to Fae Cafe

She pulled the girl’s apartment door closed behind her when she left, sealing herself out with the cold.

On a humid night, Katherine Lewis had been listening to music with her headphones on while sleeping in the backseat of her parents’ car. The weather was an odd mush of melting snow on the roadsides, along with a late fall thunderstorm lighting up the sky in unpredictable flashes. There was so much rain, so much thunder, and so much noise. Only Kate’s music was enough to drown it out.

But the car smashing was the loudest sound of all.

There were things about that day Kate didn’t remember. Parts of the accident happened too fast. Other parts became frozen in time like a museum of dark pictures trapped in ice lining the walls of Kate’s memories.

She didn’t remember seeing the headlights of the oncoming car. She didn’t remember being dragged out of the car or being taken to the hospital. She didn’t remember most of what happened in the numb, cold days that followed.

But she remembered the girl with orange-red hair being pulled from the backseat of the other car.

Kate trudged back through the snow to the café. She found Mor sitting on the counter inside, scowling with ice pressed against his forehead. “She slugged me with a human oven pan,” he accused Kate when she came in.

Cress hovered by the door with his arms folded. As Lily babied Mor and passed him a bandage with a slightly sarcastic look of sympathy, Cress leaned forward to whisper in Kate’s ear.

“Don’t go outside alone again, Human.” His tone was dark. “Don’t go anywhere I can’t see you if you’re alone.”

Kate sighed. “You’re bossy.”

His hands found Kate’s waist. Cress pulled her into the narrow hallway and placed her against the wall, taking her shoulders and pinning them there. He looked angry.

“What? You have to admit that youarebossy—”

“This isn’t a jest,” he said. “Shadow Fairies aren’t to be underestimated, Human.”

“You said I don’t need to concern myself with those fairies. And you said the two that followed us at the mall wouldno longer be a problem.” Kate tilted her head. “What’s really bothering you? You’re not actually my boyfriend, Cress. We were only pretending.”

“Of course I know that. What are you suggesting?” He forced a revulsed face, but his eye twitched.

“So, then why are you so upset that I went outside for like three seconds by myself?” Kate asked.

Cress’s throat bobbed. His bright eyes flickered down to her mouth for just a second, and his hands suddenly felt warm on her shoulders.

Kate’s heart did a strange twist at the look on his face. “Wait…” she rasped and lifted a finger between them. Time seemed to stand still. “Don’t do that.”

Cress’s eyes flickered between hers. He didn’t deny anything.

“The last time you kissed me, it was for a trick.”

“Yes,” he admitted in a low, detached voice. His hands slid off her shoulders and into his pockets. “That was purely the reason. I have nothing to gain by doing it again. I’m at this café for other reasons.”

Kate released an uneven chuckle. “Wait a minute, you’re not actually starting to fall in love with—”

Cress’s hand slapped over her mouth, halting her words. His eyes were wide.

They stood there like that, frozen in place, until Kate reached up and peeled his fingers away. “—the café,” she finished. “I was asking if you were starting to fall in love withthe café.”

The Prince blinked a few times. “Yes, of course. That was totally obvious,” he said. His breathing seemed heavier.

Kate hoped his super hearing couldn’t pick up her pounding heart. “Right…” Without another word about it, she turned and headed back to the others, not really seeing where she was going. She slumped onto a stool at the counter. She was very aware of Cress existing somewhere behind her. Every movement she made felt like too much.

After minutes of numbly listening to Lily and Mor bicker, Kate glanced back to the hallway. It looked empty. “Where’d Cress go?” she asked.

Lily and Mor stopped talking. Shayne and Dranian looked up from where they fought for foot space on the single foot stool between the fireplace chairs.

Mor’s brows pulled together as he sniffed. “He’s gone,” he seemed to realize. He moved around the counter and went to the door to peer out at the descending blizzard filling the streets. The wind had picked up since Kate was out; it nearly roared now.

Mor gave Kate an odd look as he came back in and stood over her on the barstool. “You smell of worry, Human,” he said. “Your rhythm is racing.” It sounded like an accusation.

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