Page 72 of By the Fae

“He literally didn’t take his eyes off you for the entire set.”

“I . . . I . . .” I didn’t have anything to say. My mind felt like it was in the baby basket of a shopping trolley being pushed at the speed of light through a railway tunnel. “He hates me,” I eventually said, realising, as I said it, it was the most idiotic sounding thing ever.

Abby laughed. “Not from where I was standing, Hols.”

No. My sister had to be mistaken. Goldie was romantically dead. He didn’t fall in love full stop. Let alone with a human.

There is nothing I like more than watching you fall apart beneath me,he’d said.

At work, will you still be a jerk to me?I’d asked.Of course.

Please don’t think what I’m about to do next means that I like you.

Damn damn damn his infuriating fae mouth.

Great, and now he was making me swear.

“Hey, Abs?” said one of the guys from the band, appearing in front of our booth, interrupting my inner panic. I think it was Travis, the drummer. “Gal’s brother is having an after party at his place. You coming? We’re leaving now.”

Abby looked at me.

“Go,” I said. “Have fun, but don’t drink or do drugs.”

She smiled, wrapped her pinky around mine, and hugged me. Immediately, Travis had his arm over Abby’s shoulders and the pair were walking away, chatting and laughing like kids on a school trip.

On the other side of the booth, I caught a flash of shiny yellow hair. I straightened my back and raised my arm to wave, only to witness a succubus approaching Goldie. She wore pretty much nothing besides underwear and some sort of studded leather straps on her breasts. She placed a hand on his forearm. My heart dropped into my guts. Was I jealous?

“Hey sweetheart, fancy seeing you here,” she said, her voice carrying over the din. Either that or I’d zoned in on it.

I slumped further in my seat, hiding all but the top of my head from view.

“Oh, hi, Clara,” Goldie said.

No! He knew her?

“It’s Sophie. I was just wondering if you’d overcome your little problem since we last met, or if you are . . . in need of assistance?”

The pounding of blood in my ears was so loud I had to strain to hear the rest.

“I’m here with someone,” he replied. And the pounding turned to angels singing. “But thanks.”

“The human in the dungarees?”

“Yes, the human. And before you ask for a three way, I’m not sharing her.”

“Pity,” she said, her fingers still infuriatingly walking along his chest. “Anything I can do to tempt you?”

“Sorry, Sophie,” Goldie said, forcibly removing her hand and dropping it back at her side. “She’s mine.”

If they said any words after this, I didn’t hear them.

She’s mine.

He literally didn’t take his eyes off you for the entire set.

He’s obviously in love with you.

She’s mine.

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