Page 12

Shayne Lyro and the Fox

Two days left.

Shayne could not believe Luc. He couldn’t believe that self-centred fox stole his note, read his secret, and still brought Cress and Mor here. That he hadn’t even seen the error of his ways or apologized now that Kate, Greyson, and Violet were alone and in danger of being approached. In fact, the moment everyone agreed to switch locations so the House of Lyro might not track them, Luc disappeared. He must have thought no one was watching—but Shayne saw it.

The fox returned thirty minutes later and slipped into the back of the group.

Dranian evaded Cress as they marched through the woods. Cress continuously tried to sneak up on him, tried to smack the back of Dranian’s neck or poke Dranian’s hand. Ever since Luc admitted that all they had to do was touch to get their bodies back to normal, Cress hadn’t let Dranian out of his sight.

“Just give him his body back,” Mycra murmured to Dranian after Cress’s fourth failed attempt. “You don’t need it anymore.”

Shayne watched Dranian shake his head. And despite Shayne’s troubles, he smirked.

The situation was everything Shayne could have ever dreamed of. But his laughter fizzled out when reality set it. He’d lost his smile somewhere between his decision not to kill a dreamslipper and having his human home threatened.

He released a heavy breath and fiddled with a button on his coat now that Lily had returned it to him. It was all he could do not to stare at the pretty human as she led the way up front with Mor like she owned the forest. Like she belonged here, which she didn’t.

Lily, Lily, Lily. What was he going to do with her?

Shayne noticed Cress scheming another sneak-up attempt on Dranian. He almost made it too, but Shayne flicked a pebble ahead with his toe. It hit the back of Dranian’s leg, and Dranian whirled just in time to duck Cress’s swinging fist.

Alright, he couldn’t help it. Shayne laughed.

But once again, his laugh fell off, hit the dirt, and was trampled beneath his bare feet as he walked.

He had to tell them. He had to tell Cress, and Mor, and Dranian. He couldn’t let his true brothers stay here when Kate, Violet, and Greyson were in trouble. They had no idea how important it was that they return before the two days were up. Shayne pressed his fingers against his faeborn heart, an ache forming there. He wasn’t sure he could solve his problem to begin with, but now that Cress and Mor were here, it only made sense for them to take everyone home with them. Except for Shayne.

Shayne would tell them their humans were in trouble as soon as he dealt with the fox. And then he would head to the House of Riothin to try to save his future. It was the only way Hans-Der Lyro might be afraid enough to keep the House of Lyro from meddling with Shayne’s life. Shayne didn’t have the heart to admit to his friends that if Lord Riothin decided not to kill him, Shayne would still likely have to stay there for several years before he could slip away and return to the human world. That only then would things have passed over, and he might be free.

Years of casting fake smiles in an enemy House was better than a lifetime in a highest chair.

“What a fool.” Cress fell into step beside Shayne and folded his arms. His scowl seemed fitting on the body he wore.

“You make a good Dranian,” Shayne said. “Maybe you two should stay switched.”

Cress’s eyes rounded, and only when he spotted Shayne’s smirk did he seem to realize it was a joke. “I’ll not have you making such preposterous suggestions in my presence, Shayne,” he stated. “We came all the way here for that body. Imagine how distressed I was to wake up from my nap and realize my eyes had changed colour, and my shapely hair was different, and my face—oh, my face! It’s awful.”

Mycra cast a mean look back at Cress. She took hold of Dranian’s arm as if to assure him Cress was crazy, and Cress made a loud, repulsed noise.

“Don’t you dare think about doing anything of the frisky sort in that form, Dranian! If you violate my precious body, if you even think about kissing that female with my mouth, I’ll take your tongue and bury you in a cauldron of bloodsucking slugs!” Cress shouted in return.

Dranian tugged his arm away from Mycra, and they both stepped a few inches away from each other. But a minute later, Mycra leaned to whisper something to Dranian. Shayne watched how Dranian looked back at her with what might have been the grump’s best version of a smile. How his eyes followed Mycra wherever she went. How he was always just an arm’s reach away.

The fool was practically obsessed with her.

Shayne stopped fiddling with the button on his coat and chewed on his thumbnail instead. He’d considered more than once he might be best off to grab Mycra Sentorious and drag her back to the House of Lyro with him. She would be a good bargaining chip. She might be enough to give Shayne a way out in the end.

His gaze hit the ground.

Could he steal Dranian’s happiness for his own? Even if Shayne miraculously found a way to use Mycra to set himself free, Jethwire and Massie would just make their returned dreamslipper haunt him like they had before. Eventually, Shayne would probably be driven mad. He might run himself off a cliff or face some other dramatic end of his own doing.

He didn’t want to see Mycra as a prisoner again anyway. And he didn’t want to leave Dranian alone. One of them had to take care of Dranian, and Shayne knew it wouldn’t be him.

He never imagined when he first went to his childling home that he wouldn’t be able to return to the human realm. That his blood brothers would know of his life there. That they would do this to him. He should have never left the café to begin with. He should have suffered through the nightmares for eternity.

Shayne’s stare found Lily’s back again. Truly, he’d thought he would eventually force Lily to marry him, and he could give her the happily ever after he knew she secretly wanted. He thought he might become a police officer too and terrorize the poorly behaved humans of the city at her side. He hadn’t even found a way to steal a kiss from those tempting lips of hers yet.

“Did you know you were in love with a human?”

How many times had Massie’s voice sang through Shayne’s head with those wretched words? Shayne rubbed his forehead and pressed a hand over his heart as it flittered off for a beat. Massie was diabolical. He sputtered nonsense for fun. Just because Shayne had found comfort in his moments with Lily and had often thought of her over the long months of battling his nightmares, it did not mean he loved her.

It was just another trap.

Shayne chewed on the inside of his cheek as he watched the way Lily walked. The way her hair swished with her movements. The way she breathed. The way she—

He nearly fell when she looked back over her shoulder and almost caught him staring.

Shayne’s hand found his chest again—right over his wildly thudding heart. He kept his eyes on the back of Dranian’s head after that. Because…

Who was he kidding?

She was probably already his mate.

Lily didn’t know what she did to him every time she spoke or breathed, or why she was such an attractive target to his hellish brothers. She had no idea why Shayne had tried to tether her to him with a vine after he saw her in his fairy realm. And he would never tell her.

She didn’t like him back—Shayne knew that. It wouldn’t have stopped him from chasing her day in and day out, but it was enough to make the impending separation easier for him.

Lily Baker, the proud human who thought she could do anything and solve anyone. She’d never solved him. His slow grin returned at the thought.

Perhaps in several years, when he finally caught up to the others in the human realm, Lily would be married to some human idiot half as handsome as Shayne. Maybe she would have childlings of her own. Maybe she would have found another happily ever after.

He frowned.

Nope. No, he did not like that one bit.

“We’ll stop here,” Mor decided, looking around. A crystal creek laid ahead with a shore covered in lush greenery. “There are rash weeds everywhere. Be careful where you step,” he added.

Lily slumped to sit and catch her breath, and Mor sat down beside her. The two looked like they’d been attacked by an artist with all their tattoos peeking out everywhere. He didn’t join them though. He waited.

Then, right on cue, the voice Shayne had been waiting for lifted from the back.

“I’ll go fetch firewood,” Luc said. It was stated in disgust as he looked around at all the rash weeds. The moment Luc headed into the trees, Shayne doubled back and went after him.

Luc must have heard Shayne coming, but he didn’t react as he drifted down a slope and rounded a small cliff. It was clear though when Luc stopped walking and released a loud sigh.

He turned around.

Shayne punched him.

Luc’s whole body spun; he caught himself on the cliffside before he could fall into a rash bush. He dragged his gaze back to Shayne and slowly wiped a fresh bead of blood off his bottom lip. “Fascinating,” he said.

“How could you lead them here with breadcrumbs?” Shayne accused. “I’m going crazy every moment Cress and Mor aren’t at home! You know what will happen to Kate and Violet in two days now that they’re alone!”

Luc tilted his head curiously. He stood tall, folded his arms, and tapped a finger against his bicep. “Do I?” he asked.

The pretense only boiled Shayne’s frustration more. He should have known not to trust a fox. What was Dranian thinking keeping company with an enemy?

Shayne pointed in Luc’s face. “You might not care about humans like we do, Zelsor—”

“You’re right. I don’t.” Luc angled his head again. “What are you saying, exactly?”

Shayne drew his fairsaber. Luc’s silvery gaze flickered down to it. “I’m saying this goes beyond me being concerned for Dranian’s feelings being hurt once you’re dead.”

A funny smile broke across Luc’s face. “Oh dear.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do you mean to tell me that our dear Violet is in trouble—again? And it’s not even because of me this time?”

Shayne’s fist balled around his fairsaber handle. “You’re out of your mind. Admit it.” He pointed back to the others with his blade. “They have no idea how warped you really are inside.”

“Ah.” Luc nodded. “Probably not. But I suppose they don’t know how messed up you truly are at this point either.”

Shayne lowered his saber and worked his jaw. “I’m not messed up. I’m the only Lyro with a clear head. Even my family knows it, despite my best efforts to prove otherwise.”

Luc licked the remaining blood from his lip and folded his hands behind his back. “Well, before you blame me for putting Violet Miller and whoever else in danger, perhaps you should consider what might put them back out of danger. No threat comes without a solution, North Fairy.”

Shayne opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again and said, “I have a solution. Lord Riothin is the solution. And if that doesn’t work… I’ll do what I need to. I’m not afraid of that chair.”

Luc’s heart-shaped mouth pinched. He took too long to think. But finally, he said, “Excellent. At least we’re clear on that.” He stooped down and grabbed three thick, dry sticks, then stood and handed the wood to Shayne. “Don’t stand around here with me then. I’m getting the feeling you’re running out of time to save those humans.”

“What do you mean, you’re getting the feeling ? You know I am.” Shayne stuffed his fairsaber away and got a better hold on the sticks.

Luc smiled and said nothing else. He gathered four more sticks. Then he said, “Check your pockets, you fool,” and he disappeared.

Shayne blinked at the empty space by the cliff. He looked down at his coat. He shimmied the wood to one arm so he could stuff his hand into his pocket, and he stilled when his fingers grazed a papery texture. His fingers folded around the shape as he drew it out and lifted it slowly. He stared in disbelief at the origami crane.

All the sticks fell from his arm and bounced over the ground. Shayne used both hands to open the note, and when he saw it, he stifled an airy sound of disbelief.

His own letter.

Luc had been bluffing. He’d burned his own note. The nine tailed fox had no idea why Mor and Cress shouldn’t be in the Ever Corners, no idea what would happen to the unprotected humans back home. He hadn’t known anything—until Shayne had just told him. And now Luc had all the answers he wanted.

Shayne released an old fairy curse and trudged back to the creek by himself.

Shayne watched Luc guzzle fresh water from the creek. It didn’t seem fair that one person could have the ability to do so many tricky things in one faeborn-cursed lifetime. Sure, Shayne was grateful Luc had saved his life. But he wanted to march up behind Luc, shove him face-first in the shallow river, and hold his head down for a while.

“What’s going on with you?” Mor asked.

Shayne’s gaze darted up. He hadn’t even heard Mor come over.

Mor pulled off his jacket and sat down beside him. “And why in the name of the sky deities are you spitting daggers at Zelsor with your eyes?”

“I’m thinking about stuffing a handful of rash weeds down the back of his coat while he’s sleeping,” Shayne admitted, rolling a handful of berries between his fingers. He extended them toward Mor. He wasn’t hungry.

Mor took the berries and flicked one into his mouth. “He’ll only become a bigger pest if you let on that you’re riled up, you know. You of all people should understand how that works.”

Shayne tapped a finger against his knee. “Why haven’t you demanded an answer?” he asked, changing the subject. “I lied and came here instead of going to fun-filled-Florida with Greyson. Cress hasn’t even punched me for it yet.”

Mor’s brown-silver eyes turned sharp, and Shayne wondered if he shouldn’t have brought it up. If maybe Mor was the one who’d be handing out the punches. If those punches were about to come this minute.

Shayne looked off toward the horizon sinking from pink to deep red and orange. The day was slipping away, and every minute passed too quickly. Soon it would be night. Soon it would be ‘one day left’.

Mor huffed. “When I refused to take away your memories, Shayne, I didn’t realize the alternative would be this .” He nodded to the forest at their backs. “Now we’re all here—some of us not by choice.”

“I had my reasons for asking,” Shayne said.

“It doesn’t matter now. We’ll go home in the morning.” Mor tossed the rest of the berries into his mouth all at once.

Shayne closed his eyes and tugged on his hair. “Mor…” Mor was quiet as he waited. “Things are never simple here, are they?” When Shayne opened his eyes, Mor was frowning. “I think the first thing you should do when you get home is pay the Sisterhood of Assassins a visit. Bring them a cake or something. Try to get on Freida’s good side for once.”

Mor bristled. “Disgusting,” he muttered. “And why are you speaking like you won’t be there?”

Shayne angled toward where everyone was milling about, warming their hands at the fire, cooking roots, eating berries. He would miss Cress’s temper tantrums. He would miss Dranian’s moods. He would miss Mor’s quiet insight. He would miss Kate’s scolding, and Greyson’s coolness, and Violet’s observations. He would miss seeing Lily’s pretty face. And her stink face. And her surprised face. And her annoyed face. And her quit-getting-in-my-face face.

Shayne shouted over the camp, “Just for curiosity’s sake, if I tell you all to leave, as your rightful King, would you go home right now?” Then he added, “Without me?”

A series of expressions and grumbles lifted from all directions along the lines of:

“I would never leave my forever friend behind.”

“That is preposterous!”

“Are you crazy, Shayne?”

“What an idiot.”—That last one was Luc.

Shayne found a weak smile and looked at the ground. That was answer enough.

No, he couldn’t tell any of them what was at stake. He was lucky Luc was keeping his mouth shut. It was clear Shayne’s real brothers would try to stop him once they realized his predicament, and his one and only solution would be destroyed before he could even try.

He had one day left after today. One day to make sure his allies returned to the human realm and never came back. It wouldn’t be easy, but there was a fairy here who might be obnoxiously clever enough to make it happen, and heartless enough to let Shayne walk into danger without putting up a fuss.

Because Shayne had to be long gone when they found out about everything.

Shayne shook the pretty human awake at midnight. His crossbow was heavy on his back as he brushed a strand of Lily’s maize hair out of her eyes. The moonlight glowed over her cheeks as her lashes fluttered.

Mor, Cress, Dranian, and Mycra were all on the other side of the fire. Only Luc was nearby, and his snorty breathing was shallow enough to assure Shayne he was a light sleeper.

When Lily’s gaze locked onto Shayne above her, she sat up quickly.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” She looked right and left, reaching for her atrocious gun, but Shayne grabbed her hand, and she stilled.

“Nothing.” His tongue turned prickly. “Nothing at all, ugly Human.”

She rubbed her eyes. “Then why’d you wake me up?” Her words were slurred with sleep. “What time is it? Is it time to go home?”

Shayne cracked a smile. “Soon.” He pulled her to her feet with him and held her steady as she teetered. When she looked up at him in question with her half-open, sleepy eyes, he said, “Don’t hate me. I need to do this just once.”

Her lips parted, and her gaze flickered down to his mouth. He smiled—she got the idea.

“Shayne…”

“Shh.”

He dragged her tight against him, and he kissed her.

The sky deities must have been jealous—he kissed her well . Lily’s lips melted against his, her sharp, quiet inhale becoming music that rivalled the creek’s trickling water. Shayne’s thumb dragged along her cheek, pushing her hair back as he spilled every ounce of his enchanting persuasion into her soft mouth.

Magic rang in his ears when he pulled away. He’d expected to like the kiss, but queensbane, he hadn’t quite expected his chest to erupt with flame. He brushed his fingers along Lily’s flushed cheeks one last time as her wide blue gaze took him in. As the enchantment did its work and transformed him into the most gorgeous thing she’d ever laid eyes upon—though, that was nothing new for him. Just the same situation as always.

“Lily,” he said. Truly, he liked using her real name when he could get away with it. “I want you to do something for me. Go right back to sleep after this, and in the morning, go home with everyone. Don’t try to stay.”

She said nothing as she absorbed his words.

“And miss me a lot,” he added, just for the sake of it. “Don’t go running off to find some ugly human male to fake date instead.” Obviously, her enchantment would wear off long before that instruction was applicable. “Tell our friends at the station we broke up. They’ll believe you this time when I don’t come around.”

He should have let her go then; time was getting away from him. He was lucky his real brothers hadn’t woken up. “And last…” He bit his lips over a grin. “Tell me you’ve completely fallen head-over-heels in love with me. I want to hear you say it from those pretty lips before I go.” He didn’t care one bit that she had to utter it under an enchantment. That she might remember this later and wonder what in the world he’d made her do.

He’d revelled in fake dating her for ages. He could revel in a fake love confession, too.

Lily looked back and forth between his eyes. Her mouth twisted a little. Then, she did it: “I’ve fallen for you, Shayne,” she said. She even held eye contact as she said it—it was the best.

Shayne smiled. “You’ll never understand what you do to me, Lily Baker.” He took her shoulders and guided her back to the ground to put her back to bed. Lily stared as he laid her back, as he dragged off his crossbow, pulled off his coat, and tossed it over her. “Ugly Human… you know I never thought you were ugly, right?” He pulled the coat right up to her neck and tucked it in around her shoulders. Then he flicked the end of her nose. “Sleep tight.”

He waited until she closed her eyes before he refastened his crossbow, stood, and turned for Foxy Luc. But as soon as he turned, he found Luc standing there. Already wide awake. A peculiar look on his fair face.

It was a shame. Shayne would have liked to whack him out of his sleep.

Nevertheless, Shayne turned and headed for the creek. He waded through the shallow water in silence, careful not to flick a rock or hit a branch or do anything else that might stir his brothers awake. Luc was just as quiet as he followed.

They moved to the sound of squeaking moonbugs until they reached a nearby cave. And there, Shayne turned to Luc, grabbed his hand, and slapped his paper crane into Luc’s palm.

“I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you, Foxy. But I’m not a fool. I won’t bring any of them with me to a House as dangerous as Riothin,” he said. And then, “I’m going away for a bit.”

Luc didn’t object, but he raised a scarlet brow. “And how long will you be gone, exactly?”

“A while,” Shayne admitted. He didn’t want to think about whether or not a while would turn into forever . “Don’t forget that you took Dranian’s arm, and there’s no fairy I care about more than that one. So make it right and die for him if you must.” Shayne stepped in closer. “If I’m forced to become the next High Lord of the House of Lyro, and I find out you’ve let something happen to my best friend, I will hunt you down for as long as you live.”

Luc smirked and twirled the paper crane in his fingers. “Try,” he invited. “Please, North Fairy. I would really enjoy seeing how it would go for you, High Lord or not.”

Shayne took in a deep breath and swallowed. “I don’t trust you, but I’m counting on you because I must. Make sure they all go home. No exceptions. I want no one left here.”

Luc grunted. “Yes, well, my bestie Dranian would hold it against me if something happened to the humans at home anyway now that I’ve summoned Trisencor and Cressica here. I’ll get everyone home. You just keep your family issues away from my apartment and my dog.”

Shayne folded his arms. “Tell me one last thing. Where do you keep disappearing off to?” he asked.

Luc smiled. He tucked the paper crane into his over-the-top black coat. “Just because I know your secrets doesn’t mean I owe you mine.” He paused. His nose wrinkled, and he sniffed.

“Well keep mine,” Shayne snapped. “At least until morning when I’m long gone.”

Luc pursed his lips and angled his head. “Oh dear. It might be difficult now, considering she already knows.”

Shayne’s brows tugged inward. “ She ? Who?”

Luc sighed dramatically. “How shameful, North Fairy. You’ve gotten so used to being unable to detect her feelings that you can’t even tell when she’s close enough to grab?” Luc airslipped to the cave entrance and reached around the corner.

He pulled Lily into the mouth of the cave, and Shayne’s stomach dropped.

Oh.

‘ She’ .

Curse the Ever Corner stars.

Lily’s eyes were fierce and alert. Shayne studied the strangeness; how she seemed completely herself in that moment, in no rush to hold him, or climb all over him, or make the world a better place for him.

He wanted to ask what she was doing there, why she hadn’t listened. But it was clear. It was so clear, it hurt—his heart and his pride.

It was the first time in his whole life he’d failed to enchant someone with a kiss.

“Let her go,” Shayne whispered.

“Actually, I think she wants to be held right now,” Luc said, tugging Lily a little closer.

“Let her go!” Shayne shouted it this time.

Luc’s jaw slid to the side. But he slowly peeled his fingers off her. Then he said, “Say your goodbyes, dear Lily. When we get back to the others, we’re going home.”

Luc wasted no time backing up several steps and waiting at the entrance. He studied his coat, checked his pockets, but it was obvious he was still eavesdropping.

“Queensbane,” Shayne said under his breath. “Ugly Human…”

“Don’t call me that anymore,” she rasped.

Shayne bit his lips. Then he said, “Lily—”

Lily stepped toward him and smacked his chest. He went still. He let her do it again a second later. She wasn’t hitting him hard anyway. Not that he would have stopped her if she was.

“You’re the worst,” she croaked. It was a miracle of the sky deities she wasn’t crying—thick tears rested in her eyes. They just couldn’t seem to spill over.

The next time she tried to swat his chest, he grabbed her wrist. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, holding his hand tight against her back as her head came along his shoulder. She fought it with everything she had, but eventually, a cry slipped out, and Shayne’s shoulder dampened.

It had taken her a million faeborn years to finally cry in front of him.

He hadn’t wanted to leave like this. This was all wrong; she might not go home willingly this way. She might do something utterly foolish like try to stay. “Luc,” Shayne called. “Can you take away her memory of this?”

Lily’s gun was out so fast, aimed backward at Luc’s heart—Luc went rigid in the cave’s entrance.

“Don’t you dare come near me,” she said.

Luc eyed the weapon. “I think I’ll stay out of this one.” He bristled as his fingers dragged over the chain of his foxtail necklace. “But dawn is approaching—I shouldn’t have to remind you of that.”

Shayne pulled back and smeared away the last of Lily’s tears with his thumb. “It might not be goodbye forever,” he promised. “It might just be for a while.”

Even he knew how ridiculous that sounded. Lily looked like she wanted to hit him again.

Shayne glanced out the mouth of the cave where the moon looked heavy in the sky and the stars threatened to disappear into a haze. “Luc,” he begged. “Keep your word.”

Luc put his hands on his hips and dropped his head forward. “Oh dear. She’s going to dislike me even more after this,” he muttered. In the same heartbeat, he airslipped to their side.

It was magnificent how Lily knew exactly where Luc would end up when she tried to punch him. Luc barely ducked before his foxy face would have been crushed, but he grabbed her—a pale hand around her tattooed arm—and Shayne felt Lily slide from his grip in an instant. They vanished.

The cave was empty.

It was quiet.

Shayne’s hands slowly fell back to his sides.

He stared at the place Lily had been just a second ago. He adjusted the strap of his crossbow. He checked for his fairsaber. He rubbed his sore chest.

And he headed out.

It only occurred to Shayne once he was marching through the dark woods that Lily’s love confession had come without being under the influence of an enchantment. His smile was weak and flat when he realized.

He was jealous humans could lie without feeling needles on their tongue.

“See you in another lifetime, pretty Human,” he murmured into the wind.