Page 8 of Kiss of Magic

He sank back onto his bar stool and she put a fresh beer in front of him.

“This one’s on the house. I’m Dani, by the way.”

He tipped the bottle at her.

“Blake. Cheers.” He took a long swig. “Can I ask a question?”

“You’re going to ask why I work at this shit-hole where I have to dress like a cheap hooker.”

“Bingo.”

She gave the bar a wipe with a damp cloth.

“It’s not so bad. Manager’s a jerk but he lets us keep our tips. And it’s easy, you know? I serve drinks, smile, and at the end of my shift I go home and don’t have to think about anything. The hours suit me too. I can sleep all day if I want to.”

“Ah. No boyfriend to cook breakfast for?”

“You asking if I’m single?”

“That obvious, huh?”

He shot her a dazzling smile and despite herself, she felt her pulse leap. She opened her mouth to say something smart but suddenly her focus wasn’t on him anymore. He turned to see what she was staring at.

An incredibly beautiful man had entered the bar. His long blond hair fell to his shoulders, framing a fine-boned face and piercing blue eyes. He had an ethereal quality, an otherworldliness that drew the gaze. But that wasn’t what had snagged Dani’s attention. It was the big cross-bow in his hands.

Time froze. As if in slow-motion, she saw him raise the weapon towards her.Fae,her mind supplied.He’s fae.But that was ridiculous. What was a fae doing in a downtown dive full of humans?

Her eyes locked onto the finger on the trigger. She watched as it started to tighten, unable to move or speak. She tried to recall a spell, a charm, anything to stop the inevitable. But her mind was paralysed with fear.

And suddenly Blake was vaulting the bar and pushing her to the ground behind it.

Four

She was thrown to the floor as the arrow shot overhead, smashing into the shelf of alcohol at the exact height her head had been a moment ago. Glass shattered and Blake hurled himself on top of her, shielding her from the jagged shards.

She could hear the sounds of screaming and confusion, as customers ran for the exits. Turning her head, she saw Barry the manager crouching behind the bar further down, stabbing frenziedly at the silent alarm that would summon the police.

“Blake, you need to go.”

“Stay down,” he growled.

His weight pressed her flat, his body long and heavy on hers. Her heart was beating like a caged bird and she was sure he’d feel it, even through his leather coat.

She couldn’t let him risk his life for her. He didn’t know what he was up against. He might be strong and brave but he was only a human, after all. The fae would extinguish his life without a thought.

“Blake, you have to get out of here.” She pushed at him fruitlessly. “He’s after me, you can save yourself.”

He didn’t answer. He pulled himself onto his knees and shot a glance over the bar. The fae was sauntering towards them, casually reloading as he came. Blake pulled a gun from under his coat and Dani’s eyes widened.

“You carry a weapon?”

“Never know when it might come in handy.”

“But that won’t kill him,” she said desperately. “I know this sounds crazy but that man… he’s not human.”

“Some kind of fae, right?” Blake took aim. The fae continued to stroll towards them, supremely unconcerned. Human bullets were no threat to its kind. Dani’s mouth fell open.

“How… how did you…”

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