Page 64 of By the Fae

“He’s an incubus,” said Sugar Paste.

Holly looked at me for clarification. I whispered into her ear, though I knew Taur and Dima would have no trouble hearing. “He does what I do to you, baby girl, but he gets paid for it. A shit-ton. I do it for free because you’re so fucking cute.”

Suddenly, Taur became fascinated by a spot on the radiator. Holly squeaked, her face going flame red. She wriggled in her seat. I sat back in mine, feeling smug. For about a second.

Mal might be right, you know?Dima said into my mind. I realised he’d trained his blood-red gaze on me and hadn’t relented.

Oh, D. Not you too?

You just thought she was adorable.

No, I didn’t.

You fucking did, mate. I can hear all your thoughts. Even if I weren’t a mind reader, I’d know you are falling for her. Don’t do it. Just don’t. Not unless you’re prepared to go through what Mal did. Don’t you remember it at all?

Of course I do.

It was awful. Really, truly awful. To watch your friend go through that. And Mal was more than a friend. He was like a brother, or an uncle you actually like. He was only two decades older than me, but he took me in when I was a broken, hormonal mess. When I had nothing. And when Dima self-excommunicated from the other vampires, Mal opened his arms, and his home. It wasn’t this exact apartment; we had moved several times over the years, but we always moved together. He was family.

D, I promise you I won’t fall in love with her.

He raised a brow.Prove me wrong. Say that out loud.

I ignored him.What do Taur and Sugar Paste think?Perhaps if all my flatmates agreed, there was something I was missing.

Taur thinks she’s nice enough. He likes that she doesn’t try to make conversation with him. He’s still very conscious of scaring the shit out of her,Dima said.But, he wants you to be happy, and . . .He puffed out a breath of exasperation. The fucker doesn’t even breathe.He thinks you’ve not been as snappy recently, and you’re not making dick jokes all the time, or trying to grope him—

Hey, I haven’t done that in ages—

He thinks you’re a nicer person when you’re around Holly.

What about Sugar Paste?I said, sidestepping the last comment. That one needed to be dissected alone.

Dima rolled his blood-red eyes.She’s in love with her already. She wants you to get married, and she thinks you’ll produce the most adorable brood, all golden blonde curls, and dungarees. She wants to double date. To go on holiday together. Your kids to marry each other.I didn’t miss the look of longing that passed over his face as he gazed down into his glass of B positive.

“So, Holly,” Sugar Paste began, blissfully interrupting our conversation. She looped a string of mozzarella around her tongue. “Are there any other fit guys at work?”

“Babe, I’m right here,” Taur said.

“Well,” said Holly, and I determinately kept my thoughts from drifting anywhere near,she’s cute. “They’re all fae, so they’re all very attractive. And large. And often shirtless.”

Don’t be pleased she didn’t say Seth’s name. Don’t think that out loud in your head.

“Got your eye on anyone in particular?” Sugar Paste continued, well aware of the buttons she was prodding.

Dima’s eyes were boring into mine, waiting, yet I didn’t feel his minty invasion. He wasn’t forcing himself in, and I was grateful for the sliver of privacy.

Holly flicked her gaze to me, and back to Sugar Paste. “Um . . .” She picked up a bottle of ketchup, almost knocking it down in the process, and squeezed it over her pizza. She used too much force. The lid pinged off. A crimson geyser shot from the hole, drenching her pizza, one of Taur’s, and the front of his white shirt.

“Shit, that’ll stain,” Sugar Paste said, already standing up and pulling the garment over her mate’s head, revealing Taur’s tattooed, shredded-to-fuck torso. Instead of letting my thirsty eyes travel over him, as I ordinarily would, I found myself watching Holly.

Evidently, it was too much for her. She turned her head to me, cupped her hand around her eye like a horse’s blinker, and mouthed, “Oh my Gods.”

I swiped an errant splatter of ketchup from her cheek with my thumb.

Taur is half naked and you can’t take your eyes off the human.

I held my breath. Cleared my head.Just because I’m no longer sexually preying on my flatmate anymore does not mean I am in love with the human,I said, though still forcing myself to look away from her. It was true. I did once, for a few years, desperately want to bed Taur. But he was mated now. He had a wife. That’s why I was no longer interested in him. It had nothing to do with Holly.

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