Page 82 of Fake Fae-Ancée

We had killed that waltz. Had floated across the room like a perfectly oiled machine. Every step, every turn had been spot on.

However, I had not noticed anything about it. The flow had been perfect. Every push, every pull where it should be. Kai had lain perfectly in my arms, let herself be carried along, taking my lead. The flush on her cheeks now triggered another kind of heat in me.

"The grand entrance at the ball is yours for sure, Your Royal Highness!"

The dance instructor beamed at Baba as if expecting approval. Auntie Yli-Pekkala looked extremely pleased, a grim crease between her eyebrows.

"Very good," she said. "Only two more weeks."

A little later, the dance instructor packed up his stuff and debated some more organizational matters with Bates.

Kai was standing a little away from me at the kitchen counter and had taken a glass of water.

That red dress looked damn hot on her, hugging the soft lines of her curves, highlighting her waist. Of course, she would have looked much hotter without that dress. Bear paced, sending me mental images of tearing the dress in half at her back, and bending her over the counter...

"You two were very convincing."

Baba just popped out of nowhere to stand next to me, a suggestive grin on her perfect face. Wherever the old Witch had learned to sneak up on people...

"What?" Her question had thrown me completely off my game. "Convincing?"

Baba's eyebrows danced up and down. "My prince, if you can convince me, you can convince everyone else." Her eyes darted to Kai, who was setting down her water glass, and then back to me.

I frowned.

Whatever the Witch was implying, it was better not to take it all too seriously. Kai and I would split up as soon as this was over — even though Bear wouldn’t have any of it and bristled furiously as soon as my thoughts wandered in this direction. But things were as they were. We had both signed the divorce papers. Whether we had had earth-shattering sex or not didn't matter.

But if it helped make the sham look more convincing and satisfy the Witch, it should be fine with me.

Baba turned to go, blowing out white smoke.

"Whatever you do, just keep going, little prince." She gave me a twirling wave on her way out. "Two more weeks until the ball. I recommend that you both keep practicing."

* * *

"Why Helsinki, anyway?"

Kai sat across from me in the wide padded seat and looked out the window. Outside, the runway began to roll by and the faint hum of the turbines made the plane vibrate. Like an animal ready to pounce.

I clicked my tongue. "Didn't you pay attention in history class?"

Kai tilted her head and gave me a mischievous squint that put my body on instant alert and made Bear growl gleefully in the background.

"Haha, of course I know that after the French Revolution, the Fae kicked the shifters out of Russia. But why choose Helsinki as your capital? Isn't it a bit chilly there?"

I grinned. "We don't mind the cold."

She huffed a laugh and looked out the window again. I had to forcibly tear my eyes away from her and force myself to look at my phone. The latest message from Taggart had popped up there, who had been keeping me up to date without interruption for two days.

Taggart: "Nox now in Valencia. Encircled by P.A.S.H. agents."

I frowned.

The Nox situation had come to a surprising head a few days earlier. After several weeks of not even showing a black wingtip, last Thursday, out of nowhere, he had flown a surprise attack against the building where my penthouse was located.

With a splintering crack, one of his Witch-iron spears had crashed through one of the windows and got stuck in it.

P.A.S.H. air defense had immediately taken pursuit before Nox could drive further, more serious attacks. Two drones and several agents — all birdshifters — had chased him across the city until he had fled New Hamburg completely.

---