Page 91 of Fake Fae-Ancée

"Of course!" Nicolai grinned, slapping the armrest with his fist. "Hell, I'll even help you find a decent bride! One that really suits you. One that will give you plenty of heirs."

That last one really stung.

"Thank you, brother," I said quietly "I appreciate that."

Kai

The wallagainst my back was as cold as the blood in my veins.

The door to the salon was ajar. I could hear every little sound.

Every word.

"I'm so relieved," Nicolai just said for the seventy-seventh time or so, maybe it was less, but my head was spinning and I had lost count.

Yuri had disappeared when I had woken up. Why exactly I had gone to look for him in this strange house was a mystery to me. It was as if invisible hands were pulling me toward him. A force that was so much stronger than me.

And here I was, pressing my back against the wall next to the door, not believing my ears.

"Once it's all over, I'll find myself a decent bride."His words rang out like a nasty alarm clock."She is only here to make the prophecy look real."

I stiffened when I heard them getting out of their chairs, their voices a distant muttering now, like I was sitting deep down in a well and they were talking far above me. Apparently they shook hands, I could hear their big paws smack together. They were probably relieved that this thing wasn’t standing between them anymore.

The big fat fake Fae fiancée thing.

I stood frozen as the door opened and Nicolai stomped out of the salon, not seeing me hiding behind the door. I slid farther into the corner, heart kicking in my chest.

When Nicolai had disappeared and I was sure Yuri had gotten back to whatever the fuck he’d been doing in this salon in the middle of the night, I slipped away, careful not to make a sound.

* * *

I booked two flights.One straight home for the day after the ball. Economy class, cheapest seat I could find. There really wasn’t a plan. Just a vague idea of me getting a few of my things out of the penthouse and then getting the hell out of everything.

Thus the second flight, a one way ticket to Montreal. No special reason, it just popped into my mind as I sat next to the bed on the floor in a rectangle of faint moonlight the window cast into the room, typing frantically on my cellphone. Canada seemed nice. I liked maple syrup. And they had a huge Breacher problem. There was always need for mercenary hunters. Chances were I was more needed there than here.

Provided I got my powers back, once this was over. I glanced at the ring on my finger, rose-gold shining in the semi-darkness.

Damn, we were so over…

The confirmation mail popped into my inbox. Sighing, I switched off my phone and sat in the darkness for a while, willing the lump in my throat to disappear.

There was no anger left in me, only a cold void. Yuri hadn’t even lied to his brother. Our deal was to make the divorce final as soon as this charade was over. And if I had secretly hoped otherwise, I had only myself to blame. After all, I had been the one too weak to sign the divorce papers. If I had let Yuri Alexejeviv Kalinin get under my skin a second time, it was my own fault. Not his. The sooner I came to terms with it, the better.

He would be king.

And I would be free.

What had sounded like the solution to all my problems a few weeks ago now felt like lead in my veins.

"Get a grip and stop being such a goddamn burden."Aunt Gytha had always said."Make yourself useful."

That's what I would do.

I got up and crept back into the still-empty bed, shivering as I curled into a ball under the sheets that carried his scent.

I would make myself useful. I would help him get his throne back.

And then it was time for me to leave.

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