The Fae Book 3: Butcher and Raine

Chapter 7 (Raine): To His Knees

One week after I'd stolen the key to Butcher's motorcycle, I was sitting in a booth across from Harmony and Daisy at The Diner when Butcher walked in. His eyes zeroed in on my friends and he headed straight for our table.

Shit.

"Butcher's here," I said quietly to my friends. "He just walked in and he's headed over here."

"Oh, fuck," Harmony muttered, and she and Daisy both grabbed their phones and shot off texts. Their husbands were somewhere close by, unwilling to let their wives too far away when pregnant.

"We'll be fine," Daisy said calmly. "The fae will protect us. Burr's on his way with Hatch."

Seconds later, Butcher stood beside our booth, and the man was so big, I couldn't even try to slip past him if I suddenly decided that witness protection was my best option.

He can't see you. He can't see you, I kept reminding myself.

"Where is she?"

No hello, no greeting, no exchanging pleasantries, remarking on the unusually fine weather we'd been enjoying...just straight to the deep, rumbly point the second he stopped by our table.

"Who?" Harmony brazened it out.

"Don't play me. You won't like the consequences."

Outside, lightning flashed and cracked so loudly that everyone in the diner turned to look outside.

He was looking right at Harmony who was glaring right back at the man. I guess when you grew up with the King of the Fae, not much intimidated you. "Is she here?"

"No." It was a good lie, I thought. Calm, unflinching, steady. But not good enough.

His eyes narrowed. "You're lying. Tell me where she is."

"She went to the bathroom," Daisy improvised.

"Lie," he said. "She's here." He looked right at me.

Daisy sucked in her breath and Harmony looked pissed.

He can't see you. He can't see you. Stay calm.

"Here's your food, ladies!" Dottie, our server, stopped next to Butcher, glancing up at him warily. He immediately noticed the three breakfast plates and Harmony and Daisy froze, both of them trying not to look at me to gauge my reaction.

Dottie, showing great common sense, tried to stay as far away from Butcher as possible, placing a plate down in front of Harmony, then Daisy.

"And, here you go, Raine," she said, placing my plate in front of me. "Eat up for that baby!"

Dottie hurried away, unaware of what she'd just done.

Butcher stretched a hand out to feel for me -- and fairies for the win! -- they shielded me and his hand bounced off the shield they put up. When Butcher withdrew his hand, I noticed an expression on that expressionless face for the first time ever: confusion. Everything was telling him I was here, he sensed I was here, but he couldn't see me or feel me.

Then the cavalry arrived in the form of Hatch and Burr, possibly the only men I knew who wouldn't be afraid of Butcher. Burr for obvious reasons and Hatch because he'd take on Burr and didn't give a fuck that he was fighting the King of the Fae.

The lightning outside the window doubled in intensity as Burr stopped right in front of Butcher.

"Well, Bitcher, good to see you again. I've been waiting a while to reconnect on the advice of some friends, but I'm told I have to wait just a little bit longer to take you down."