Page 88 of Fake Dating a Human 101

Lily sat up, and just then, Shayne’s guttural scream filled the woods.

Her body went cold. She whirled to see DraniansnapShayne’s leg back into place. She blinked. Then a gag hit the back of her throat, and she smacked a fist over her mouth to hold everything in.

“There. Now it can meld,” Dranian mumbled. “Try not to walk on it for at least…” His voice trailed off as Shayne climbed to his feet.

Shayne’s chest was slick with sweat, his body was covered in dry blood, and his eyes were red with bloodshot. Lily’s mouth parted at the purpling bruises and the gash in his side and leg. He needed to be in a hospital, not walking around in the woods. He didn’t seem to know it though as he stretched like he’d just woken up from a nice nap.

Lily rose to her feet too, and the movement caught Shayne’s eye. He wandered over and took hold of the flaps of his coat she only now realized she was wearing. He had a devilish smile when he tugged her to him. Then he stuck his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a handful of folded papers.

“I have some letters to deliver before it’s too late,” he said to everyone, even though his gaze stayed on Lily. “And while I’m at it—I shoved a young fairy through the gate into the human realm earlier. If you could find her and give her a job at the café, I’d appreciate it. She was a servant, so she’ll be a hard worker.” He glanced back at Cress now. “Should work out for the best since Cress is always complaining about how understaffed Fae Café is.”

Cress grunted. “I donotalways complain about that.”

“Why are you asking us to find her? Why can’t you do it yourself?” Lily asked him. Shayne’s attention drew back, his smirk not as wide anymore. He twisted his lips to the side like he was contemplating what to say, but he didn’t end up saying a thing.

A small, pathetic smile found Lily’s own face, and she looked at the ground. “I’m not stupid. I know you think I’m the only one here who hasn’t clued in yet that you’re staying in the Ever Corners,” she said.

At that, Shayne’s smile vanished altogether.

Luc’s grew though. “Oh dear,” he murmured, seemingly to himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose as his grin broadened, but he didn’t explain what he found so funny. Lily thought about throwing a rock at him.

Shayne swallowed and straightened up her coat, brushed dirt off the shoulders, folded down the collar. Then he dropped his hands. “You’ll be promoted to a detective in no time, ugly Human,” he said to her. “It pays better anyway.” He bit his lip for a moment, then he added, “Don’t worry about me. You’ve spent all this time immune to my witty words and dazzling looks. There’s no reason to start caring too much.”

Lily’s mouth parted. She really couldn’t tell if he was putting on an act, or if he was really that oblivious.

Immune to his ‘witty words’ and ‘good looks’? Notoncehad she been immune to him. She’d spent the last year losing her mind over him. He’d always made sure his presence was everywhere, even if he wasn’t physically with her. There wasn’t a single workday in the last six months where she hadn’t stolen glances at the front door of the station to see if he would visit, or a single shift at the café she wasn’t aware of exactly where in the room he was standing.

Lily’s jaw remained dropped as Shayne reached forward and ruffled her hair in a‘see you later, buddy’sort of way. Like they were just friends, and all was well. Like it shouldn’t bother her that he wasn’t coming home.

She stared at him, even when he couldn’t meet her eyes. He took in a deep breath and plastered a smile back onto his face as he huffed it out. “We should get moving,” he called to everyone.

“Agreed. We need to get Lily back to the human realm before Levress and the Brotherhood of Assassins find our trail,” Cress said. A large crease hung between Cress’s eyebrows when Lily’s wide gaze fired over to him next, and even though Lily had made a few conclusions by now, that one, she hadn’t seen coming.

“Wait… you’re staying here, too? I thought Luc was just rambling about all that,” Lily said. When Cress didn’t deny anything, Lily took a step toward him. Pain burned up her legs from her long hours of being strapped into fairy heels. “What about Kate?” It came out high-pitched.

Had all these fae lost their minds? Was this a joke?

From the other side of the clearing, Luc squeaked another laugh.

Cress clasped his hands together. “This is for Kate,” he said as his mouth tipped down at the corners. He wasn’t chewing on his tongue. “And I haven’t yet decided what to do. We likely only have hours before everything chasing us closes in.” His turquoise eyes settled on the fire in the middle of the group. “We’ll take you back home immediately. Then we’ll stand in front of the human gate and guard it for as long as possible. If we succeed in holding them off, you’ll be safe. If they kill us, the forces of the Ever Corners won’t have a reason to go into the human realm anymore anyway—”

Laughter rang through the trees. Luc slapped a hand over his mouth and slid behind a tree trunk, but it was no use. It echoed deep into the woods.

“What in the name of the sky deities is so funny, Luc?!” Mor growled and folded his arms.

“Oh dear. I think I’ve given myself away.” Luc peeked out around the tree and bit his bottom lip over a grin.

Lily stared at him in disbelief. “Did he hit his head on a rock while I was gone or something?” she asked the group.

Mycra sighed across the clearing and poked at the fire with a stick, making Dranian’s head snap toward her. “Wait… do you know what he’s laughing about?” he grumbled.

She shrugged. “I saw his dreams. But it’s not my place to voice what I see inside people’s heads.” She tossed something into the fire. A second later, she smirked too. “It is pretty funny though,” she admitted.

“Why don’t we place bets to see who will find us first?” Luc suggested. “I think it’ll be the House of Lyro.”

“Why would we place bets on that? That is outrageous,” Cress barked. “And why Lyro?”

“Because they’re already marching up the hills past this forest?” Luc guessed, but by the look on his face, it didn’t seem like a guess at all. It dawned on Lily that he was telling them all to move.

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