Page 96 of Faking with the Fae King

“Close enough!”

Skye adds a bridal veil to my plastic tiara, and Autumn hands out penis straws with the cereal-milk cocktails. Somehow, she found ones with knots.

May stays by my side as the others get their drinks. Then she turns to me with narrowed eyes and whisper-hisses, “What’s this about your marriage beingfake?”

“What?” I yelp. “You can’tknow that! I already told my three people I’m allowed to tell!” God, are there going to be magical repercussions or something?

“You didn’ttell me-tell me.” She taps her temple. “Telepath, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.” Whew. I sag in relief. Then I shoot her a hard look. “Hey! No fair. If you read my mind, you already know everything with Severin is completely real!”

“Yeah, but I had to tease you just a little.” She holds her thumb and index finger an inch apart. “I go traveling for one month, and you go and get engaged! And to Severin!”

“Stop giving her a hard time.” Autumn says, stepping close to hand us cocktails.

“Yeah,” Skye says. “Hannah put her happiness on the line for the whole town.”

“Doing so let me find my happiness.” I lift my glass. “That’s what I call a win-win.”

“Ferndale Falls looks amazing! I almost didn’t recognize it! You’ve done an incredible job.” May lifts her glass. “To Hannah.”

Everyone toasts. “To Hannah!”

Pleased embarrassment flames in my cheeks, but I can’t stop smiling as I take a gulp of my cocoa puffs white Russian.

We all drink, giggling to see each other sucking on the penis straws.

Then Kayla hands out pins she made. Mine says: This Witch Is Getting Hitched. The others say: Bride’s Coven.

Instead of regular cupcakes, Skye made ones shaped like little cauldrons, with purple “potion” icing frothing out the tops and “Love Spell” written on the sides.

Jasmine pulls out a bunch of bachelorettenever-have-I-ever cards, and we settle in for a drinking game, laughing over things like who’s been caught in the act or who’s had sex in public. I totally drink for that second one. I’m pretty sure the sky above town counts, right?

It’s tipsy and fun, and with May here, I truly have all of my besties around me. Somehow, the five of us squeeze onto the longest couch, with me in the middle. I throw my arms wide and try to hug them all at once. “I love you guys.”

“Aww.” They pile on from both sides, squishing me into a somewhat flat—and very happy—Hannah pancake.

Late the next afternoon, I use my butt to push open the door as I back out of Cake My Day, my arms full of a tray of cookies. They’re not exactly the same as Nan’s oatmeal chocolate chip, but they’re as amazing as everything Pepperpot bakes.

“Town meeting in ten,” I call back to her, and she gives me a wave.

Evening sunlight slants from the west, capturing all of downtown in a golden glow.

It’s amazing what a difference the last month and a half has made. Everything’s changed as I amble toward Town Hall, passing one open shop after the next. People fill the sidewalks, laughing and eating and talking. Even my old nemesis, Main Street’s infamous pothole, is gone, completely patched and smoothed over so you can’t tell where it was.Severin had his people bury the foundation crystal for the protection spell there, and the hole no longer gulps asphalt like a bottomless stomach. “Gotcha at last,” I whisper.

“I’m the queen of flowers!” A little girl runs across the green, shrieking with laughter. A line of tulips follows like ducks imprinted on their mother. Huh! It seems we might already have a new generation of witches.

Then I startle and stop, squinting toward the sidewalk on the other side of the green. There’s a unicorn walking down Main Street. A freaking unicorn! Unlike most of the other shifter fae I’ve met, they tend to remain in their animal form when they come to Earth. I wonder what the protective spell shows the non-magical humans—a horse on the loose?

Blue and her flock of pixies zip past my head, her high voice crying out, “Come on! You can’t be late.”

I grin and follow her into the Town Hall, hurrying across the lobby and into the meeting room.

Severin stands scowling at the old coffee urn, one hand pressed to its side. “This is hardly an adequate temperature.”

“Yep, one of the burners died. I need to buy a new one.” And I can. I have the budget now for this and so many more things the town needs. All because of the man at my side and a Faerie bargain I couldn’t refuse.

I set down the tray of cookies, and Severin snags one, even as I pretend to try to bat his hand away. It doesn’t matter if he takes one—I bought extra, and having the budget to do so is a constant joy.

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