Page 15 of Faking with the Fae King

An amused expression covers Kayla’s light face as she steps inside and puffs her purple bangs out of her eyes. Tall and plump, she wears distressed jeans and one of her slogan tees, this one saying:I’m not always sassy. Sometimes I sleep.

Violeta comes next, a smile dancing over her tan face. The golden highlights in her long brown hair catch the light, framing her features perfectly. She’s short and curvy, anda cream-colored cropped sweater falls off one shoulder to show the pumpkin-orange tank top underneath.

The three of them surge forward, eyeing the drinks and cupcakes as more women pour through the door behind them, Willow, Emily, Abril, Madison, Destiny, and Rachel. The next ten minutes are a whirl of Autumn mixing cocktails and Skye sprinkling matching cereals onto cupcakes.

We overflow the available couches, so I perch on the arm of one, my hip brushing Skye’s shoulder. I take a sip of my cocoa puffs white Russian. Yum. The cereal milk makes the coffee cocktail wonderfully mocha, and Skye has sprinkled chocolate cereal across the top of my cupcake.

Autumn takes the arm opposite me, holding her crunch berry cocktail as she bites into her cupcake topped with fruity cereal bits.

For several minutes, everyone eats and drinks, complimenting both Skye and Autumn. Then Kayla shoots me a questioning glance. “You wanna say why we’re here?”

“All of you could see Severin fly, right?” I ask. “And how he turned the green into a garden?”

Everyone nods, and Jasmine teases, “You mean the flying shadow daddy of hotness who’s your fiancé?”

Wow, that spell Severin did to make everyone accept the fae is seriously powerful. The other women aren’t batting at eye that a guy just flew out of the sky!

“Okay, so…” I take a quick sip of fortification. “You remember that day a month ago when all of those people filmed a fantasy movie on Main Street?”

“You mean the one with orcs?” Kayla says.

“Yep. Only… it wasn’t a movie, and those weren’t actors,” I say. “They were fae.”

Skye and Autumn gasp, but the rest of the women nod as if it’s no big deal, still swayed by Severin’s spell.

“That’s the day Naomi opened the door to Faerie and brought magic to Earth.”

“Naomi, as inourNaomi who owns this bookshop?” Skye asks.

“Yes.”

“I can’t believe you kept this from us,” Autumn says, sounding hurt.

Skye gives a small nod, her bright-pink mouth making a sad moue.

“Sorry. I didn’t knowhowto talk about it.” I wince, hating that I’ve hurt their feelings. “The only reason I have any idea is because I barged in and demanded to know what was happening in my town.” I meet their eyes, one after the other. “It turns out the door to Faerie lets magic flow to Earth, specifically here to Ferndale Falls. It was a trickle at first, but I think it’s getting stronger. There was a big pulse of magic earlier today right before Severin showed up. Have you felt a strange electricity in the air?”

This time, everybody gasps.

“Oh. My. God!” Jasmine says. “I thought I was losing my mind!”

“Me, too.” Violetta nods. “I didn’t know who to talk to about it.”

“I’m glad you said something,” Kayla says. “I’ve been feeling it for weeks. What does it mean? Why can we remember Severin changing the green, but those other people can’t?”

I meet Skye and Autumn’s eyes and take a big breath. “I think it means you’re all witches.”

The chorus of “Whats?” and “Witches?” is punctuated by Skye’s, “That’s so exciting!”

Autumn, ever more practical, leans forward and says, “How can you know?”

“When all those fae came to town a month ago, one of them told me I’m a witch and there are lots of witches in Ferndale Falls.”

“And you believed them?” Jasmine asks.

“I didn’t at first, because I haven’t seen any proof that I have magical powers. But today changed all of that. I think all of us being able to see and feel magic means it’s true.”

“If we’re witches,” Skye says, “are we supposed to start doing spells and waving wands and stuff?”

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