Page 33 of Fake Dating a Human 101

“You didn’t destroy it.”

Lily’s gaze snapped over and there Shayne was, lying in the dirt. Her gun was in his hands. He turned it over, studying it.

She moved to retrieve it, but he yanked it away to where she couldn’t reach. “I should toss this into a river,” he said. “Before you use it, ugly Human. Before you get bold and make enemies with the wrong High Lord or kill the wrong fairy and land yourself before the wrong court, or worse.”

Lily sighed and gave up trying to steal it back. “I’ve already used my gun. And it was a good thing I had it on me. In case you didn’t notice, that fairy-killing weapon saved my life today.”

“Hmm. It looked to me like you ran out of ammo and almost died,” he said.

“I didn’t run out of ammo. I just didn’t have time to dig into my stash.” She lifted her leg and tapped her ankle where she’d stuffed her spare cartridges in her sock. It looked ridiculous but it kept them close. “I only keep a few in my sweater pockets because it’s easier to move around. Would you rather I have walked into that fight with nothing and been pummelled by antlered monsters?”

Shayne stared at her for a moment. Then he bit his lip over his smile. “Sometimes when you talk, I want to tell you to stop talking. Especially when you get sassy like that.”

She tsked and raised a brow. “Why?”

He tapped the end of the gun against his chin, and Lily’s stomach tightened. She fought the impulse to bat the weapon away from his head before he shot his own face off.

“Because your mouth keeps moving. And when your mouth moves and says things I like… I’m not sure. I suppose I want to kiss it.” He shrugged. “You should be careful what you say to me, ugly Human.”

Heat blossomed in Lily’s neck and cheeks. She dragged her wide eyes back to the sky above. She would never understand why he said things like that—why he thought aloud. Why he would blab a bunch of nonsense about liking her mouth minutes after having a great idea to marry some fairy woman from the House of his enemies to solidify a peace deal.

“You just called me ugly twice in under thirty seconds,” she pointed out. “I don’t care if you hate my look, but even the fox knows it’s rude to keep saying it.” She rolled onto her side to sleep, facing away from him. Knowing she probably wouldn’t actually sleep at all after everything she’d seen today.

Shayne’s chuckles lifted through the dark. “I told you I have my reasons,” he said. “What would you like me to call you then? Messy-Haired Scarecrow? Dagger-Eyed Demoness? Human-with-lips-that-like-to-lie?”

She flipped onto her back to glare at him. “What did I lie about, Shayne?” She wasn’t sure at what point in this conversation she’d gotten angry or why every one of her emotions stood on end. Even for the walk, her eyes had been darting between the trees, and her heart had leapt from her chest every time someone stepped on a branch and made a sound.

“Oh, I don’t know, Messy-Haired Scarecrow. You lied about this, for starters.” He held up the gun. “We both know your fun little activities this year had nothing to do with working overtime.”

Lily released an exasperated sound. “This again? You’re really not going to let that go?”

“Probably not,” he admitted. “I suppose I’m still curious why you thought you had to defend yourself against us.”

“Not againstyou, Shayne.” She saw an opportunity and grabbed the gun back. Then she tucked it into her sweater on the opposite side. “It’s all the other fairies I’m worried about. I told you that.”

“Why, Scarecrow, why? Why were you so worried all this time? You didn’t think we’d protect you?” he asked. “Because as I recall, the one who stepped into this dungeon of fairy terrorby choicewas you.” He waved a finger around at the forest. “You. Are. A.Hazard. To. Yourself.”

Lily closed her eyes in disbelief. “Maybe, but I can also take care of myself, Shayne,” she said for the hundredth time. “I’ve been doing it my whole life. I never had money, or a home, or real guardians before I met Kate, so I learned how to survive without a family.” She pointed at him. “You’re not my family! And I’m not a damsel in distress who needs saving. I’m perfectly capable of doing what I need to in order to survive on my own!”

Shayne dragged his round eyes to hers. He looked at her so intensely, she swallowed and tried to think of something else to say. She wasn’t sure apologizing for raising her voice was the right thing…

He suddenly rolled on top of her, and she gasped. “When did I ever say I would take care of you, Lily Baker? Hmm?” he asked while his body pinned her down. She tried poking at his eyes to make him get off, but he grappled both her hands and restrained them above her head with one of his. “Do you really think I’m obsessive about guarding you—foryou?” He used his free hand to shake a finger in her face. “No, no, no. I’m loyal to my master,Kate. Imagine the devastation she’d feel if something happened to you here.”

Lily’s body relaxed against the ground, her hands going slack in his grip. Anything sensible she might have replied with lost their value as Shayne leaned a little closer, leaving his mouth hanging an inch above hers. His lips parted, and Lily’s gaze flickered down to them.

“You seem ever so determined to remind everyone that you can take care of yourself. But no one is invincible.Especiallyhumans, andespeciallyhere. You know that full well after fighting those fairies on the hill. Your hands are still shaking. So what exactly did you go through in your human life that made you need to put on this façade—even when you feel this way?” he asked.

The quiet squeaks of nighttime bugs lifted through the woods. A gust of wind sailed in, making the flames dance and the gold light flicker on Shayne’s cheeks.

He didn’t move. Neither did she.

“Let me go, Shayne.” She whispered it this time. Her eyes grew warm, and only the chilly wind brought them relief.

Shayne studied her, his deep blue gaze roaming over her face, his white hair fluttering in the breeze. Then he rolled off.

The coolness of the night rushed in like a wave the moment his body left.

The same bugs whistled from their hiding places among the trees. A mocking audience.

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