Page 20 of Fake Fae-Ancée

"Thanks a lot, sucker."

The telltale stinging in my eyes was hard to suppress. Claudio was the closest I had to a family. Growing up, we’d been thick as thieves, Daemon-boy and the Dark Fae, two paranormal outcasts against the rest of the neighborhood kids. He and his mom had let me in and fed me when Aunt Gytha had once again refused to let me back in after another row… Underneath the grumpy facade Claudio was the most caring guy you could ever wish for.

He doesn't need you anymore!

"Hey, are you crying?"

"Shut up."

"You are crying."

"You're gonna cry if you don't shut up."

"Guys, no tears on my wedding day," Lily scolded us gently, taking Claudio’s arm.

I stepped aside to let Charly and Gabriel offer their congratulations and plucked another glass of champagne from a passing tray, downing it in one go.

They all don't need you anymore.

"Kai, look." Charly pulled me closer, whispering in my ear. "Over there."

I almost crushed my glass. At the other end of the hall, Yuri Alexeyevich Kalinin was in the process of taking an entire tray full of appetizers from a perplexed waiter.

"Your date is here" Charly wiggled her eyebrows and squeezed my arm. I tried to silence her with a look, but it was too late, Lily next to us had apparently gained paranormal hearing.

"Your what? Kai has a date?" She blinked excitedly, scanning the hall.

"You brought a date?" Claudio also asked.

"No, I didn’t!"

"Isn't that… Kalinin? Your old army buddy?" Lily tugged on Claudio’s sleeve, performing an excited little hop. Great. Now they were all staring like a school of awestruck goldfish.

"I could hardly not invite him, could I?" grumbled Claudio, scowling at me.

"He’syour date?"

"No!" I hissed.

"We haven't seen him since that thing in France," Charly lowered her voice. "He looks different."

"Yeah, I like what he’s done with his hair. So corporate." Lily nodded. "And he's been working out, too."

"No, no, he's always looked like that. He does work with Kai at P.A.S.H., you have to be ultra fit in that job," Charly objected.

I rolled my eyes. He didn’t workwithme! More likeagainstme. But either way, when you were busy all day chasing monsters, recapturing Breachers, and disrupting police investigations, you needed a certain level of physical fitness. Not that Kalinin needed to know that he looked like it too, it would inflate his planet-sized ego even more.

"Anyway, nice."

"Hey, we can hear you!"

"Come on, I’m married now, not blind."

"Will you keep it down?!"

Suddenly, all eyes were on me again.

"Easy cowgirl, no one's going to steal him from you." Charly grinned even wider.

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