Page 84 of By the Fae

“Here you are, Ma’am,” they said when we reached what looked like a private-ish area at the back of the restaurant. The lighting here was much darker, more ambient than the main dining space, and there were far fewer diners. They pulled out a chair for me at an empty table. “I’ll let Mr Calder know this evening’s date has arrived.”

Wait, did they mean to say that?This evening’s?

They bent closer to me, spreading a napkin on my lap, but making a big show of it. “Get the lobster frittata, and the La Rouge Ridicule Cher wine. Mummy takes it out of his pocket money.” They stood, fixed their smile, and I gawked at them, unsure what to say.

“I love your boots, by the way,” they said, and then left.

I smiled over at the other diners on neighbouring tables, who all rather congenially ignored me. Cool.

Tinkly, harp-like fae music played in the background. A low din of chatter and cutlery jangling filled the space. The air-conditioning unit blasted an icy breeze straight through the fabric of my dress, as though I were wearing nothing but a crocheted blanket. My skin goose-pimpled, and my nipples pulled into taut peaks.

Don’t think about him. Don’t think about him.

I took a sip of water, picked up a leather-bound menu, and opened to a random page. I squinted down at the tiny cursive text and nearly choked. My Gods, these prices. Three-hundred silvers for a steak? I glanced around at the other tables in ahave you seen this joke?sort of way. Yet again, I was universally ignored.

Nearby, a door creaked open, and a shadow dropped into the seat opposite me. I lowered the menu and looked up at my visitor, and my heart simply exploded in my chest. The air left my lungs in a whoosh of excited laughter, my smile already hurting my cheeks.

“Goldie?”

Chapter 29.

Holly

“Goldie?!” Goldie said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out an oddly familiar, tiny compact mirror. He clicked it open and peered at his reflection, his face falling. “Figures,” he said, snapping it shut. “Fucking typical.”

“What’s going on?”

Goldie looked at me with pure hatred. Even when he’d ‘hated’ me at the very beginning, I never saw this look on his face. One of utter contempt. His brow knotted in an unfamiliar way, his jaw jutted like a petulant child, his eyes narrowed to slits.

“You’re rather slow,” he said. Something was off with his accent.

That’s when I saw it, the faint, flickering shadow around his head. Not just his head, his whole body. Like water poured onto glowing embers. Not enough to smoke, just enough so that the edges appeared hazy. I’d seen it on him before, but it was so subtle I never paid it any mind until now.

I jammed my glasses back onto my face. Now, in the crystal clarity, I knew it wasn’t Goldie. I mean, he looked exactly like him, in every detail, even down to the healing scar on his finger. But it wasn’t him. It was the way he held himself, the angle of his mouth, that posh accent. This wasn’t my Goldie.

My Goldie.

“Seth?”

He blew out a breath. “Nobody told you about me, did they?”

I had so many questions. Churning in my stomach, climbing my throat. I swallowed them down.

Green eyes. Green eyes!

You know what Seth is, right?Goldie had said that to me.

He’s a summer fae?I’d said back.

He was no summer fae.

“Can you change back? To how you looked before?” I couldn’t bear to look at Goldie and know it wasn’t really him.

Seth actually laughed. So loud, I thought people might stare, but nobody turned. “Darling, it’s not something I can change. Only you can do that.”

What the heck did that mean?

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