Page 117 of Welcome to Fae Cafe

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Page 117 of Welcome to Fae Cafe

Kate sank into the chair. She pictured her baristas trying to enter this place, certain they’d be driven into the ground with this many Shadow Fairies. She clasped her trembling hands, trying to sort through her foggy memories.

“Bonswick,” she whispered. “That’s your name, isn’t it?”

Instead of answering her question, the fae looked her over with shameless interest. “I’ll never get it,” he said. “A prince who had everything he wanted falls for a helpless human insect. What a tale for the legend books.”

The fae—Bonswick—grabbed the armrests of Kate’s chair. His mouth came provocatively close to hers and curled into a wicked smile. “What’s worse, Human? To be able to do nothing to save yourself, or to be viewed as an insect on the shoes of the fairy gods?” he asked. “Or both?”

“You think I’m an insect?”

“Yes. You are unworthy to exist.”

Kate held his gaze as she slid a hand into her pocket. “That’s sweet of you.”

His smile widened as he dragged his thumb across her bottom lip. “You speak like a sarcastic fairy female. Perhaps that’s why he doesn’t think of you as a human.”

“Maybe.”

Kate tore the medallion from her pocket and smacked it against his cheek.

Bonswick ripped himself back, kicking her chair over as a sizzling sound filled the room. The medallion clattered to the floor, and his hand slapped over his pale cheek.

Kate crashed to the tiles and rolled from the chair. She winced and licked her lip, tasting blood. Through her fluttering lashes, she eyed the closest window, half-hidden behind a fae body. It was cracked open an inch; icy air slid through.

Her hair was grabbed, and she was yanked to her feet. The fae bent her head backward to expose her throat, his silvery eyes grazing over it like a hot string running along her neck.

“That was for Mor,” she rasped, throat bobbing.

His warm breath rushed over her when he laughed. “Queensbane,” he whispered. “Maybe I can understand after all, Human.” He tossed her back toward the chair, and Kate landed in it with a thud that echoed into the tall ceiling.

A poorly timed laugh tumbled from Kate’s mouth. She tried to stop, but it bubbled out faster than she could control it, her nerves turning her self-control to mush.

The fae grabbed her hands. His nails dug into the flesh above her knuckles and turned her last chuckle into a shriek. He pinned her like that until Shadow Fairies brought rope and wound it around her chest, tying her arms down to the chair.

“Laugh all your wishes away, Human. I can make you miserable while I wait for the illegitimate Prince to come hold up his end of our bargain,” Bonswick said. “And I assure you, you’ll wish you’d never met me after he’s gone.” He tore his nails out, and Kate gripped the armrests, fighting to not release a sound.

Greyson’s face had been horrified before Kate vanished. Lily had just been a hostage on the job. Neither of them would be okay if Kate didn’t make it back. It was the first pulse of fear that paralyzed her into the chair.

Yet, still, she hoped he wouldn’t come.

As the hour trickled by, Kate watched the large wooden entrance doors, willing them to stay closed. The fae spat on her as they passed and whispered lullaby-like songs that made her want to get up and dance. Her feet moved, and she tried to stand, but she only lifted the chair along with her, and they all burst out laughing.

Shadow Fairies blew her kisses, and icy wind flitted over her skin. She shivered as a prickling sensation pulled her flesh tight. She’d never felt a menacing cold that struck so deeply into her bones. Her knees shook as she tried to catch her breath.

Lily’s voice entered her subconscious through the haze. She imagined her friend telling her to try and figure out where she was, to gather clues and find an escape route. Kate glanced back at the cracked-open window. Her head was growing heavy, and her thoughts spun. If she’d been brought here by normal humans, she might have stood a chance at outrunning them in a sprint. But there was no way she was going to escape a pack of fae, especially ones that could disappear and reappear in front of her.

She squeezed her eyes shut when one of them sang again. A tear escaped, running down her dry cheek as she tried to block out the sound. The sweet, horrifying tune trickled over her flesh and into her ears like a hot ribbon. She’d never heard anything like it. She never wanted to again.

The singing ceased, and whispers filled the room. A familiar touch of warmth pressed her cold skin. Kate’s eyelids were sticky when she peeled them open, and through her dizziness she saw a blurry silhouette of someone walking toward her in a police uniform.

She shook her head. She wanted to tell him to stop.

Bonswick sliced through her ropes with a dagger. He grabbed a handful of Kate’s shirt, wrenched her from her seat, and threw her forward.

Cress caught her. He wrapped a warm arm around her frozen body, and he pressed his mouth to her ear. She could feel his heart through her numbness.

“Katherine Lewis,” he said so quietly, Kate almost didn’t hear the words, but her body went rigid involuntarily, “I want you to walk out of here without looking back. And I want you to go live a happy life.”

Just like that, Cress released her.


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