Page 18 of Fake Fae-Ancée

"Kai! What the hell happened to your back?"

"What? What is it?"

"Look!"

I twisted, craning my neck to look at my back in the mirror.

I stifled a curse. A massive scar, almost as long as my own arm, ran down my spine in a burning red line. It looked freshly healed. And like someone had tried to cut my back open with a magical can opener. I gulped and just then my head gave another painful throb.

"What happened?" Charly, hovering next to me, grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Oh, that," I said quickly, trying to sound casual. "It’s just a scratch."

"A scratch? From what, a Velociraptor? What the hell did you do last night?"

Yeah, whatdidI do last night? I ignored the chill this question triggered.

"Job hazard," I shrugged and winced at the sudden pain flashing down my back. "Although it hurts like the dickens…"

Charly let go of my arms.

"Shouldn’t you go see a doctor?"

"No." I shook my head. "I’ll have it checked, but not now. We should hurry. We’re late as it is."

Charly gave me skeptical glance.

"Look, I get it. You’re worried. But we don’t have the time," I said more urgently this time. "Will you help me pick out another dress? One that's a little more... high-necked. We don't want to alarm the wedding guests, do we?"

Charly frowned some more but turned to my wall of clothes willingly enough while I peeled out of the purple dress.

The herd of panic-unicorns was back, a roaring stampede trampling through my head. I craned my arm, touching the aching lash between my shoulder blades. I flinched, stifling a hiss of pain as the touch whiplashed a white hot lance down my spine. Electric shocks crackled through my shoulder and down my arm, racing into the ring like a hammer blow. My pulse racing, I stared at my finger with the rose-golden band. The echo of pain rippled through my body like fading thunder.

"Kai?"

Charly was suddenly next to me, grabbing my hand with the ring, hazel eyes as wide as saucers.

"What is that?" she asked slowly and a little panicky.

"Nothing!" I pulled my hand away.

"This is a ring!" Charly insisted.

"No it’s not!"

"Kai, why are you wearing a ring?" She glared at me, the corner of her mouth pulled down.

Great. I wasn't going to get anywhere with an excuse here.

"Okay, okay." I took half a step back, kneading my hands. "Let’s say maybe there's a story with the ring and everything and maybe there’s something I don’t want to tell right now and…"

Charly's eyes grew even wider and she mouthed an overexcited, "Ohmygod!"

"Please," I cut her off. "Please, keep this to yourself. I don’t want to spoil Lily’s and Claudio’s big day. Please?"

I stared her down.

"Okay, okay, I promise." Charly pressed her lips into a line, making a zipping movement.

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