Page 94 of Fake Dating a Human 101

He only realized it when Lily’s face turned toward him and her mouth parted, her eyes wide. Her cheeks became pink like all the flowers in the universe blossomed inside them. “I… That’s…” She shook her head. Then she stood like she had something important to say—to him, to everyone. But she said nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing, nothing, andstillnothing.

So, Mor spoke up. “That’s ridiculous,” he said in what sounded like a feeble attempt to come to her defense, but he waited with strange, worried eyes like he was also wondering why she didn’t deny it.

“Want to help me out, Dreamslipper?” Luc said to Mycra. “You saw inside her head.”

Mycra instantly raised her hands. “I’m staying out of this.”

And that was it. That was proof enough.

Shayne gasped. Loudly. He slapped both his hands over his mouth, and he pointed right in Lily’s human face.

“You’re in love with me!” He bellowed it for the whole Dark Corner to hear, accidentally producing the biggest smile he’d ever formed.

He found himself moving across the room, pushing aside a chair, kicking over candlesticks and stepping in Dranian’s food as he scurriedoverthe table to close the gap between them—even though she backed away and continued to shake her head like the little liar she was trying to be.

“It’s alright, Trisencor.” Luc was still talking for some reason. “You wouldn’t have been able to sense it.Heshould have figured it out though.” He might have nodded toward Shayne’s back because he added, “And you call yourself a romantic. Idiot.” He sighed. “That’s why she’d be better off with me.”

“You like me. Admit it!” Shayne demanded of Lily. “Tell me the truth, ugly Human!”

Instantly, Lily stood at attention and blurted, “I do like you. I would take a bullet for you if I had to.” But her jaw dropped, and her mouth hung open. Her hand came over it, and a strange sort of deadly accusation moved across her eyes, telling Shayne he’d done something wrong even though he had no idea what. That was, until he realized…

“Oh…”

Shame. Shame on him for forgetting—again. Queensbane, he was really in for it now.

He grinned anyway. A love confession under the force of enslavement was still a love confession.

“How do you feel about marriage?” he asked her. “Do you want to get married before Cress and Kate and rub it in their faces?”

Lily and Cress growled at the same time, “What?!”

Shayne grabbed Lily’s hands so she couldn’t flee, or hit him, because she was giving off slight ‘I want to punch you’vibes.

“No, Shayne!” she said. “I don’t need a guy to take care of me, which is why I’ve always said I’m not getting married—”

“Yes, you are,” he corrected with a chuckle. “And when you do, I’ll take your last name. Mine sucks. EverythingLyrosucks.”

Somewhere behind them, Mor was trying so hard not to laugh, he squeaked. Then, in his low voice, he said, “I apologize, Cress. But this is quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever witnessed in my entire faeborn life.”

“I’ll wear hoodies all the time and push up my sleeves to my elbows,” Shayne promised. “You’ll love it.” He clasped Lily’s hand and tugged her back to the table, then he nudged Dranian out of his seat so he could sit beside her—Lily—the human who loved him so much she could die. Who probably was having a hard time keeping her hands off him now that they were engaged.

Females.

“This is outrageous!” Cress stated. “That doesnotcount as a proposal! I’m getting married first! I call the human right of dibs!”

“We’ll see,” Shayne said.

Luc rubbed his temples at the end of the table. “Oh dear. You’re all exhausting sometimes,” he muttered. “I was planning to return to the human realm, but in this moment, I’m considering just being King and ruling over my subjects with an iron fist. It would be less annoying than dealing with all of you.”

“You’re returning to the human realm?” Mor asked in surprise. “Will the Shadow Court allow that?”

Luc sighed. “I’m King, Trisencor. I can do what I want. Besides, I have a job now in the human realm to go back to.”

“What job? I didn’t hear of any job.” Cress looked around the table like he was trying to figure out if anyone else knew about it.

---