Page 80 of Fake Dating a Human 101

There was a garden in the new place. The realization didn’t land right away, but after the fragrance had washed over Lily enough times, she was sure there had to be flowers somewhere nearby. She didn’t recall seeing bright blossoms or bushes on her way in, although, she didn’t remember much of the walk at all. What she did remember, however, was the danger of the food.

It took her only a day or two of refusing to swallow what she ate and spitting it out when no one was looking to clear her head. It was a miracle Jethwire hadn’t told her new captors that she’d learned about the food, or that she might try to keep from eating it. But when she was led through the halls, she continued to stumble around and stare off in a daze so they wouldn’t realize she was coherent.

The music was odd. It reminded her of a stringed melody in an orchestra except that it moved around in a different way, like a tangible current rolling over her skin and shivering down her toes, making her want to dance. She fought the urge day and night, clasping her hands together in front of her and counting to one hundred over and over so she wouldn’t be tempted to start twirling through the room they locked her in.

After two days, her stomach ached with hunger, and her arms trembled in weakness. She wasn’t sure she could resist anymore. The scent of food washed through the room three times a day, but by some miracle, whenever a fairy arrived with a tray for her, she still kept herself from eating.

Lily curled into a ball and hugged her knees to fight the cold in the evenings. She rocked back and forth and sang in a raspy voice to distract herself from the things pressing in, threatening to drive her crazy. It was Kate’s favourite song—a catchy one about a breakup. A large tear slid down her cheek when she realized.

“I can’t do this, Kate,” she said in apology. “I’m not going to make it back to you.”

It had taken Lily too long to come to grips with it. But now she knew.

She’d lied to Jessica Lewis. She wouldn’t be there to protect Kate and Greyson because she wasn’t going to survive this. She was already crumbling, teetering on the cusp of losing her mind, and the pressure was only growing heavier by the minute.

At least her siblings had the baristas to look out for them now. Maybe they didn’t really need Lily anymore anyway. Maybe she’d been fooling herself this whole time thinking that she could do a better job of keeping Kate and Greyson safe than the fae. Maybe Lily had been stupid to try and come up with all those gadgets and weapons at Desmount Tech. All that research and technical design seemed like a far-off dream now, something of the past. Just another thing she’d distracted herself with instead of spending time with the people she loved.

Now she was trapped in a haunted house like something from a terrible movie she and Kate would have clutched each other through as they watched. Only this horror movie was filled with pretty creatures who ate and drank and danced and sang and mocked her.

She lifted her hands to study the rough cuts along her knuckles, her chipped fingernails, and the dirt caked into every crevice. She didn’t even have clear memories of what the mess was from. Then she hugged her knees again, laid her head down upon them, and resumed humming Kate’s favourite song.

“What song is that?”

Lily sprang from the bed and landed on her feet.

A black-haired fairy stood at the door. She might have met him before, but she didn’t remember her first day of existing in this place, and therefore she had no idea who this was. Bruises and lacerations covered his face and neck, and it looked like several of his fingers had been broken and put back together like he was some kind of Frankenstein doll.

The fairy’s eyes roamed up and down her body, taking in her red dress, all the strands that had come loose from her braided hair, and her feet glued to the floor. “You were humming just now, weren’t you?” He drew into the room, and Lily took a step back toward the bed. “And since you’re not dancing,” his gaze flickered up to hers, “I’ll assume you’re unaffected by the enchantments of the food and music of this place, which is interesting to say the least.” He grabbed her hand when he was close enough. He lifted her arm and studied her tattoos, tracing a finger over the ones at her shoulder.

Lily tore herself away. “You’re right,” she said, then swallowed. “Your food doesn’t affect me, so you can stop trying to feed it to me.” Her empty stomach hated her for the comment. “I won’t be any fun to you or the rest of the fairies here. I was a waste of your money, so you should just chuck me outside and get rid of me.”

Her argument was so unconvincing, she was almost embarrassed she’d said it aloud.

The fairy laughed. “No human is immune to fairy food,” he remarked. “If Shayne Lyro really cared about humans so much, he should have told you that while you were in the care of his household.”

Lily’s stomach turned.

Shayne Lyro? The fairy had said it clear as a bell.

Shayne…knewthis fairy?

Lily looked him over, but she didn’t recall hearing anything about a fairy with jet-black hair and a reason to be all banged up. There weren’t many clues to work off either. Apart from his dark blue coat and the yellowing marks on his jaw and fingers, he seemed like every other fairy she’d crossed—calculated, manipulative, and greedy.

“How do you know Shayne Lyro?” she asked. “Are you friends?” A bit of hope slipped out with the question.

The fairy laughed again, throwing his head back and barking at the ceiling. “Friends?” he asked when he was finished. He shook his head. “We’re something of the opposite, I’d say. More like enemies.” He scratched his head.

Lily’s heart sank. “Ah.” She glanced around the room, but there wasn’t much in it useful for self defense. Not even a pen or a rock. “So, you couldn’t deliver a message to him for me?”

“A message? Certainly not. But you could have delivered it to him yourself if you’d asked sooner,” he said, and Lily looked up at him in surprise. “He just left.”

She had to blink a few times before that settled in. “He just… left? Here?”

No, that couldn’t have been right. She glanced in the direction of the hallways, thinking about the various rooms she’d been in. If Shayne was in this place, he would have come to find her. He would have at least shown himself. He would have tried to help her.

The fairy clasped his hands behind his back and sauntered around the room. “Yes, Lily Baker. He just lefthere. It seems to be terrible timing for you, too, since he enjoys meddling when I’m trying to mess around with humans,” he said. “But he is engaged to my beautiful cousin, so maybe if you ask her to deliver a message, it might reach him. I should warn you though—she’s the jealous sort, and you’re quite pretty. She might poison you instead.”

Lily stared. She watched the fairy move about, studying the room.

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