Chapter 2
Zera
Zera’s heart beat erratically as she tried to wrap her head around what was going on. Sweat trickled down her back, her whole body suddenly hot as her fear turned to rage. Maverick’s body heat only angered her more as he hovered next to her like an overbearing prick.
The nerve of this man. To think she’d ever agree to go on this date in the first place. This fake date had only put her in danger, and she didn’t even get a meal out of it.
But it hadn’t just put her in danger. Her son could grow up without ever knowing her. A reality that made it hard for her to breathe. Not that Maverick acted as if he knew she was a mom, but still.
And now he had the gall to ask her to pretend to be his wife. This was a mistake. It was all a huge mistake.
She glanced around, checking for the exits, but it was clear whoever was here for Maverick had all of them covered. It was too late to make a run for it now.
Her lungs felt tight and constricted. She tried to steady her breath, but panic clawed at her chest. At the same time, her stomach growled, a painful reminder that even her dinner had made her want to puke.
“Are you all right?” Maverick asked, his brows furrowed as if he was legitimately concerned about her.
She scoffed. “No, not even close. I’m pissed, scared, and starving. Are you happy now?”
She fixed him with a death stare, daring him to respond.
He shifted uncomfortably, breaking his usual controlled demeanor.
“Look, I know I messed up,” he began, his voice barely above a whisper.
“But please, hear me out. I didn’t mean for this to happen, okay?
I was supposed to be here gathering intel about the restaurant owner.
That’s why I’ve been coming here so often under the guise of a player who dates someone new every week. ”
“Oh, really?” Zera spat, anger bubbling up inside her. “You just use random women to cover your ass?”
“No, you have it all wrong,” he insisted, leaning in as if there were any room left between them.
“My partner was a Kobold goblin who could morph her features. But she decided to go into the public sector for reasons that are beyond me. That’s why I turned to FaeMatch and found you.
” He paused, glancing nervously around the room.
“We’re running out of time. Gareth is getting closer. ”
As if on cue, Zera spotted the guy he called Gareth nearing their booth, his sickening pale complexion, sharp nose, and bald head gleaming in the low light. Another bout of panic surged within her, threatening to spill over.
“Please, play along,” Maverick begged, giving her the breadbasket and cheese as a peace offering. “Then we can go our separate ways and never have to see each other again.”
“Promise?”
He nodded. “You have my word.”
Zera hesitated, torn between anger and fear. Finally, she grabbed a piece of bread and shoved it into her mouth, nodding her reluctant acceptance to cooperate. She didn’t trust herself to speak without cursing him out and totally shattering any chance she had of getting out of there alive.
She hoped she could keep it together long enough to make it through this ordeal and back to her son.
Life as a single mom was the hardest job she’d ever had, but being with Cole, watching him grow and experience life…
It was the best thing in the whole world, and she didn’t want to miss another second of it.
Gareth approached their booth like a predator stalking its target, and Zera’s heart skipped a beat. She took a deep breath, willing herself to stay calm.
“Ah, Dane Brown.” Gareth greeted Maverick with a smile that didn’t quite reach his cold eyes.
“Gareth, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” Maverick replied smoothly despite the tension radiating off him.
Gareth chuckled darkly and slid into the seat across from them.
Zera’s whole body tensed. Who exactly was this man? And how did he know Maverick? She glanced up at Maverick, searching for any clues, but his expression remained unreadable.
“It has, hasn’t it?” Gareth sneered, plucking a fork off the table.
Zera’s mind raced as the two men exchanged tense pleasantries, the sounds of Maverick’s fork scraping at his steak tartare and the smacking of his lips as he digested the food grating on her every nerve.
She had to get out of there. She had to get back home to Cole. Her heart ached, and she didn’t want to think about what this fae might do if she tried to run. She couldn’t tell what power the elven elemental had, but he had to be powerful to make the werewolf beside her squirm.
Everything about Gareth’s demeanor screamed that he killed for fun, and she didn’t want to be here when that happened.
“And who is this lovely creature at your side?” Gareth asked, his gaze finally falling on Zera, making her skin crawl.
“This is my wife, Charlotte,” Maverick answered smoothly, placing a protective hand on hers where they rested in her lap. It was gentle and oddly comforting. All part of his act. “Charlotte, this is an old… friend of mine.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go as far as calling us friends.” Gareth set the fork down and wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin before resting his elbows on the table. A total power move. “Would you? Because as I see it, friends would’ve sent an invitation to your nuptials.”
Zera swallowed hard. He knew. Somehow this Gareth guy knew they were lying.
What would they do if he discovered this was their first date?
Kill them? She didn’t want to be there to find out, but she was way out of her comfort zone.
Even with her pixie dust, there was no way she could create a diversion big enough to get them out of here without someone seeing.
“But then you’re calling yourselves married, and I don’t see any wedding bands.” He fixed them with a pointed gaze, a dangerous glint in his eye.
Maverick’s grip on Zera’s hand tightened, and she could feel his tension building. She had to do something or else this man was going to kill them before they even had a chance to escape. She had to stall.
If she used just a little of her pixie dust, maybe they wouldn’t notice the brief change in eye color.
With a deep breath in, she reached within the depths of what little power she had and let it wash over her. No one would notice that her magic put a few rings on their fingers, right?
When Gareth wasn’t looking, she closed her eyes briefly and let the warmth of pixie dust trickle up her spine through a special nerve only pixies had that ran from where her useless pixie wings lay dormant underneath her fair skin, across her shoulders, and down to her fingertips.
She fluttered her fingers under the table, the pixie dust creating matching wedding bands for herself and Maverick. She opened her eyes, the film of subtle brown safely restored.
Gareth’s gaze narrowed on her, but whether he noticed the change or not, he didn’t make it known.
Maverick caught a glimpse of their new rings and frowned but quickly composed himself.
She raised her chin in pride. She didn’t have to be a trained spy to play this game.
“You mean this ring?” She brandished her left hand from under the table with a forced smile she prayed was convincing.
Gareth’s eyes flicked to the rings, and a slow, wicked grin spread across his face.
“Well, I stand corrected, then,” he drawled, leaning back in his chair. “So you did actually settle down after all. I must confess, I knew you were engaged, but I’m surprised to hear you actually went through with it as a man of your… prowess.”
Zera noticed how Maverick’s jaw twitched. Gareth must’ve hit a nerve.
“But I stand corrected. It’s such a rare occasion when I’m wrong,” the elven man chuckled darkly. “We should get a proper drink to toast the happy couple and to your eternal happiness, yes?”
Zera flashed a smile in response, but inside, her every instinct screamed at her to run. It wasn’t the rational part of her, though. She knew she’d be dead before she could stand.
Instead, she focused on her breath. In and out, steady and slow.
She had to keep it together. It was one night.
She could get through this. Maverick was a professional spy, right?
He had to know how to get out of these types of situations.
She was in competent hands. At least that was what she was telling herself.
“We’ve got drinks, thanks.” Maverick’s voice was tight as he replied in an attempt to shut down the suggestion.
Zera noticed Gareth’s men had them surrounded now and were slowly closing in, blocking any potential escape routes. She knew they had to play along if they wanted to make it out alive. She took a sip of her drink, fully aware of the eyes on her.
Gareth’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Come now, don’t be rude. Let’s drink to honor the newlyweds.”
He didn’t wait for a response and snapped his fingers at the waiter across the restaurant. This elf must have telepathic powers because the waiter instantly ran off to fetch his order without even coming to the table.
The unease in Zera’s chest intensified, and she looked to Maverick for guidance. He was silent, his eyes trained on Gareth and his expression unreadable. Yet he must’ve sensed her distress as his hand quickly found hers under the table, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Zera took a deep breath, focusing on the warmth of his touch to quell the fear threatening to consume her. He might’ve been a prick, but she knew he was the only one who could get her out of there alive, and at least right now, he was being supportive and nice.
Not the type of qualities she was used to in a wolf.
But this was so not the time to be thinking about that. She had to focus on staying calm. Not just for her own sake but for Cole’s. Moisture pricked at her eyes at the thought of never seeing him again. She wouldn’t let that happen.
Bloody fae, she had to get out of there.