Fae's Deception - M. Lynn Page 0,14

on the table. She was ready to attack the stack of perfect, fluffy pancakes covered in some kind of green berry she didn’t recognize.

“Try the Gelsi berries.” He winked. “You won’t regret it.”

He left before she had a chance to say anything else. Giving in, she slumped into the chair and took a tiny bite of a berry. A mixture of sweet and sour juices exploded in her mouth. “Oh, goodness,” she groaned, taking another bite.

Before she knew it, the plate sat empty and she wished there was more.

As the storm continued to rage outside, weariness clouded her mind. If Griff was gone, she might as well crawl back into bed and pretend for just a few more hours everything was as it should be.

“Myles!” Brea screamed, shooting up in bed, her chest heaving.

He was a prominent figure in every dream she’d had since arriving in the fae world. She didn’t know how long ago that was or why she just wanted to stay in bed. Dr. Cochran probably would have told her she was depressed, but she just felt so tired.

Every time she woke, she found a plate from Leith, but she hadn’t seen him since he brought the first meal. None of the meals since had anything like pancakes. Instead, he seemed to think she could live on nuts and fruit. No matter how good the fruit was, it was never enough.

More than anything, she wanted a hamburger.

But something told her she couldn’t just ask Leith to head over to Wendy’s.

“Ughhh,” she sighed. “I want a Frosty.” Instead, she ate what he offered.

Each time she tried to open the door, it was locked, but the anger she’d been known for didn’t come. In fact, few emotions did. It was almost like her world of vibrant colors had turned into shades of gray.

She’d even tried summoning whatever that light blast thing was so she could get out of this room and away from the people imprisoning her, but to no avail.

Each day Griff didn’t return was another she hoped he never did.

He told her to trust him, that he’d never lie to her.

But this room was a prison just like her room at the Clarkson Institute and the actual prison cell she’d occupied before Lochlan showed up.

She sniffed the sleeping gown she’d been wearing since that first night and wrinkled her nose. Her hair was matted across the back of her head.

And still, the storm outside raged on, never ending, never quieting.

Lying on her bed, she rested her head on the pillow and tried to summon some kind of sadness or fear or guilt. Just… something.

It didn’t come.

“I want to go home,” she whispered to herself. She wanted to return to a mom who gave up on her, a dad who didn’t understand her, and classmates who ridiculed her.

Yet, that desire for normalcy was an abstract feeling, not one she could grasp or hold on to. It was always just out of reach.

“I hate you, Griff whatever-your-last-name-is.”

Even those words had no power behind them.

Wherever she went in life, she was a prisoner, held down by her circumstances. The world she’d known didn’t exist for her anymore, yet neither did this one. It couldn’t.

So, why had nothing ever felt more real?

In this world that was nothing more than a fairytale, why did her prison hurt more than it had before?

Her appetite gone after so many days in the same room, Brea knocked the plate from Leith’s hands the moment he appeared.

“I can’t eat any more of that stupid fruit.” For the first time in days, her anger returned in small waves.

Calmly, Leith bent to clean up the mess, and Brea saw her chance. She darted past him into the main room, searching for a way out. Lunging for the front door, Brea stumbled into a world recovering from the storms.

A spotted horse lifted its head to regard her, and she met familiar brown eyes. No, not familiar because she knew the animal, but only because horses were one of the few creatures she understood, and riding was one of the few activities she’d ever been good at.

Considering her options, she looked from the horse to the path leading away from the cottage. Making a quick decision, she climbed over the low stone wall and approached the horse.

“I’m a friend,” she whispered. “Please help me get out of here.”

The horse stamped its foot and neighed.

“Stop!” Leith yelled.

As if that word held power, Brea’s limbs immobilized, stuck in a current that threatened