Page 31 of Sincerely, Secretary of Doom

“Don’t mind him. He got betrothed a few months ago and he’s transformed into an absolute bridezilla,” Mor said to Violet as he pushed past her and Shayne.

Violet stayed by the door and watched Mor approach the counter.

As soon as the turquoise-eyed guy saw Mor there, his face went from moderately perturbed to shocked, then to cold, wild, and demanding. Violet thought Mor might get into a fist fight right in the middle of the café after everything else that had already happened in the last hour. A few low words were exchanged, but Violet couldn’t hear what they said over the chatter in the café, even when she strained to listen.

The turquoise-eyed guy reached below the counter and drew out apink sweater. He threw it at Mor. Mor took it without another word and carried it back through the tables, making a few coffee-drinking-girls lift their heads to stare. Violet snorted a laugh. Those girls would probably run away screaming if they knew what Mor was.

Mor stole memories. Mor ruined lives. Mor—

Shayne sauntered into Violet’s vision, bringing her attention to his pointed ears. “You’re pretty,” he stated. A mischievous look entered his blue eyes, and his smiling mouth twisted to the side. “How about a kiss, pretty Human?” he offered, and Violet blinked.

“What?”

Mor was close enough to have heard. Shayne stole a look at him like he was waiting to see his reaction. But Mor appeared unfazed as he reached Violet. The Master of Doom even released a grunt-laugh.

“Please do,” he said, and Violet’s jaw dropped. “I would love to see how that goes for you,” he added.

Shayne studied Mor for a moment, but he didn’t try kissing anyone. Another guy emerged from a narrow hall and stood beside Shayne. He had auburn hair, thick arms, and wore oven mitts. He was also scowling and didn’t bother to say hi or introduce himself like Shayne had.

Mor handed Violet the pink sweater. “Put this on,” he instructed.

“Right now? In this summer heat?” Violet looked at him like he was crazy. “I’ll die in that.”

“You’re far less likely to dieinthis thanoutof it,” Mor said back. “It’s fairy yarn. Any fairy who comes near you will smell the Sisterhood of Assassins and know to stay away, lest they risk the wrath of the Sisterhood. It’s like armour.”

Violet took the sweater. The material was extremely soft, the kind you’d want to snuggle up in on a blustery winter day to keep warm. The complete opposite of what anyone would want to wear mid-summer.

Apparently feeling Violet had been thinking too long, Mor stole the auburn-haired guy’s oven mitts and put them on. He grabbed the sweater back from Violet and used his lobster-mitt hands to take her arm and wrangle her into it.

“Ow!” Violet complained as he stuffed her hands down the sleeves.

The two guys behind Mor just watched. Shayne winced a little. He leaned over with a cupped hand to whisper to the auburn-haired guy. “He’s like an infant trying to rip the legs off an insect,” he said way too loudly.

The auburn-haired guy nodded, straight faced.

When Mor’s sweater attack was successful and Violet was well snuggled into it, the Master of Doom put his hands on her shoulders. “Shall I take you home with me, rebellious secretary?” he asked. “Or would you like to sleep here for the next day or two until I can solve your scent problem?”

Violet raised an eyebrow. “Are you joking?”

“Not at all,” he stated. “You have two options. Make a choice.”

Shayne raised a hand behind him. “I vote she stays here. If you let me kiss her, I can even make sure she stays hereforever.”

“I’ll cut out your tongue if you try feeding her anything, Shayne, including your mouth,” Mor warned. He looked back at Violet, glancing back and forth between her eyes, waiting for her decision. A decision Violet would never make in a million years when Zorah was still back at the garden house.

A second later, Shayne mumbled, “I can still kiss her without a tongue. Won’t be quite as good but—”

“I’m not going to stay in your creepy cathedral,” Violet blurted at Mor. “And don’t get any ideas about holding me hostage again, you heartless vampire!”

Shayne slapped a hand over his mouth, failing to hide a laugh. The auburn-haired guy’s solemn mouth twitched, too.

“Well, you can’t go back to your human home now that it’s been fairy tricked. Anything you touch will alert the Shadow Fairy that you’re there, even nudging a single pebble,” Mor said. He released her shoulders and dragged the oven mitts off.

Shayne and the auburn-haired fairy exchanged a look.

“Is this the same Shadow Fairy you refuse to tell us about, Mor?” the auburn-haired guy asked in a deep voice. Shayne smacked the auburn-haired guy in the stomach like he’d given away a secret.

“So much for not letting Mor know that we know about that. No fairy match prize for you,” Shayne whispered through his teeth.

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