Page 18 of Shattered Illusion

“Uhhh…” Thaddeus trails off, making me glance back at him. His icy blue cheeks have taken on a pinkish hue, and his eyes dart around everywhere, refusing to make contact with me. “While I’m flattered, Bailey,” he murmurs awkwardly, “I have a girlfriend.”

“Huh?”

What the fuck is he talking about?

“You,” he points at me, “just uhh… declared your love for me.”

I snort at his ridiculousness. Silly man. Doesn’t he know coffee is my true love? If he doesn’t, he’s about to learn that lesson right now.

“Totally wasn’t talking to you, Thaddy,” I giggle.

“But,” he peeks his head into my dorm, then back out into the hallway, “I’m the only one here.”

I hold up my coffee, shaking it in his face for good measure. “Obviously, you missed Mr. Tall, Dark, and Steamy’s entrance.” I raise a brow, just waiting for that moment my words click in his brain.

“Oh fuck.” If I thought his cheeks were pink before, it’s nothing compared to how bright they are now. “I thought… I mean…”

“It’s okay. Just don’t let it happen again. Between us,” I make a come hither motion, and he steps in closer as I rise on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “He tends to get jealous.”

A loud guffaw bellows from between Thaddeus’ lips, echoing down the expanse of the hallway. His laughter makes me giggle as I step back, opening the door wider to let him in.

Kicking the door closed, I head back over to the couch, placing my coffee on the small black table in front of it. “Can you give me a few minutes to shower? I didn’t get a chance to last night, and I’m not normally up this early anyway.”

He raises a white brow at me. “One in the afternoon is early?”

“What?” I squeak. “One?”

“Yeah, I figured you were tired, so I decided to wait an extra hour. I just didn’t think you’d still be sleeping.”

“Fuck. I’m so sorry. I know you have better things to be doing than waiting around for me all damn day. I promise I’ll be quick.”

“Go ahead, sunshine.” He nods toward the hallway. “I cleared my day so we can go over the runes, and I can take you on a tour so you’re not lost come Monday.”

He doesn’t have to tell me twice. Thaddeus holds out the bag in passing, and I grab it with a quick murmured, “Thank you.”

Something that smells awfully delicious wafts from the bag when I pop it open, making my mouth water. The wrapper is easy to peel, and as I’m about to take a bite, what Thaddeus called it earlier registers.

“Hey, Thaddy?”

“Yeah, sunshine?”

“What’s a Faeberry?”

My question makes him chuckle. “It’s one of the berries from the Fae realm.” I hit him with a droll look, barely containing the duh that wants to slip out of my mouth. “Think of it as a cross between a strawberry, raspberry, and a blueberry.”

“Is it safe? It’s not going to, like, ya know, make me hallucinate?”

Thaddy shakes his head. “Perfectly safe, sunshine. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

With a shrug, I stuff the whole muffin in my mouth and then quickly snatch my bags from the floor before beelining in the direction of the hallway, tossing my bags on the floor of the bathroom, and starting the shower. The bathroom is definitely something you’d see in any apartment—supernatural and human alike. A glassed-in shower with white tiles across the floor and up the wall, a toilet with a hanging cabinet above it, and a counter with drawers and a sink resting on top. Simple and basic. Not that I need anything more than that. But damn, a girl would commit murder for a bathtub. Okay, not murder. Maybe a light maiming.

My toiletries are still on top in my purse, making it easy for me to pull them out and set them up around the bathroom. I’llhave to officially “move in” later, but this will do for now. After relieving myself, I toss my hair up in a bun, then jump into the scalding hot water, give myself a quick scrub, and shave my pits.

A quick glance at my legs, and I know I don’t need to shave them yet. I just did that two nights ago before I had to stand around at the lagoon in nothing but a bikini. So they should be good for another few days. Maybe now that I’m not confined to the human sectors and have access to money, I can use my savings stash to get that laser hair removal I’ve been wanting.

When I feel sufficiently cleansed, I shut off the water and climb out, using one of the fluffy towels on the rack to dry myself off. After wrapping it around my body, I rummage through my bags looking for something to wear.

Shit. I should have asked Thaddeus what he wanted me to dress in so we could do this.

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