I don’t even know how to answer that.
Nine taught me a lot of things when I was a kid and he was getting me ready for a lifetime of being the target of the Fae Queen. I learned about touch magic and iron, how a fae can’t lie, and the power of a bargain.
One of the most important lessons he drilled into my skull was about never letting yourself get in the debt of the fae. A contract needed to be just that—a contract with set terms and no wiggle room. If I accept Melisandre’s conditions that she’ll set Nine free from her spell for a favor she can call it in at any time, it’ll be even worse than if she made me a statue right off.
She could make me do anything and still trap me in Faerie for the rest of my life.
But what can I do?
I open my mouth.
And that’s when Rys does the same.
“Riley, the pocket!”
Without anyone noticing it, Rys moved away from his post right behind the queen, taking up a position closer to where the statues of my parents are. At his shout, he has the attention of the entire room.
He has his sword out. With his free hand, he gestures toward his chest.
It hits me in an instant what he means.
Rys is the one who taught me about the pockets. About how, as the Shadow, I’m drawn to them—and how I can make them work for me. With the last of Nine’s shadow forming a weak portal at the point where the two walls meet, it’s just enough of a pocket to trigger my shadow magic.
And now that I’m still buzzing with the power of Nine’s touch, the shadows are so attuned to me, I could pull that toward me with barely any effort at all.
This… this just might work.
I bolt toward the corner. The whole room is so stunned at how openly Rys just betrayed his queen, no one even tries to stop me. I dash right by him, sparing only a single look as I aim right for the portal.
He nods, then lifts his sword even higher.
Rys was right, I realize as I tuck my body behind the towering statue of my father. When he told me that I can’t rely on Nine to save me… he was right. Nine can’t save me—but I sure as hell can save Nine.
Know what? Rys wasn’t a monster, either. He was fae, and he meant it when he said he would never harm me.
I should’ve known better than to doubt him when he said so.
The fae can’t lie.
It all happens so fast after that. As soon as he shouts to me, Melisandre slashes her hand through the air. Her guards immediately surround him. As I frantically begin to pull the shadows toward me, weave them around me, the last glimpse I have of Rys is the scarred fae falling under the weight of the Fae Queen’s devoted guards.
Despite our history, I wish I could save him, too.
Melisandre stands alone.
Her long blonde curls float behind her, as does the train to her gown, like there’s wind in a room with no windows. She’s as intimidating as she is lovely.
And it’s all an act.
“Don’t refuse me, Shadow. I won’t make the same offer again.”
Yeah. I didn’t think she would.
I better hope that I make this count.
I clench my fists, close my eyes until they’re mere slits in my face, then pull. It’s amazing how quickly the shadows respond. The weak portal comes alive, tripling in size with my first attempt. It triples again with the second. As if I’ve been trained for this—as if this is what I was born to do—I call on the shadows a third time until there’s enough power surrounding me, I can easily encompass half the throne room.
As quick as the surge came, it fizzles out just as fast. There were maybe a few seconds when I thought I could pull this off, then reality comes crashing in.
Good thing I manage to finish wrapping the shadows around all of us before I start to flag. Me, the statue of Nine in the center of the throne room, plus my parents. I feel the answering tug in my gut, know that I’m pushing myself to my absolute limits, and close my eyes all the way.
I don’t need to see the fury on the Fae Queen’s innocent-looking face to know that she’s absolutely livid.
“Stop her,” she commands her guards in a throaty roar. “Don’t let the halfling escape!”
Too late, Queenie.
If it wasn’t for the power Nine transferred over when he shared his touch magic with me, I don’t think I could’ve done it. With my last bit of strength, I hold tight to my three passengers and push us through the shadows surrounding us.
I don’t know where we’re going to end up.
Doesn’t matter.
Anywhere is better than here.
Touch
Riley and Nine’s story concludes in the third and final installment of the Touched by the Fae series. Keep reading for a peek at the cover and the description, followed by where to pre-order your copy today!
Pre-Order Now
Touch (Touched by the Fae #3)
The prophecy is coming true. It’s either the Fae Queen dies or I do—and, for the first time ever, I have something to live for.
My parents are alive. Melisandre, the cruel Fae Queen, is holding them hostage. She thinks that they’re all the leverage she needs to lure me into her clutches.
She isn’t wrong.
But Nine, the Dark Fae who has looked out for me since I was a kid, won’t let me sacrifice myself. The Shadow Prophecy says that only I can defeat the Fae Queen and end the Reign of the Damned.
Then again, it also says that I’m gonna need the help of my fated mate. Who, I just discovered when he gave up his freedom in my place, is Nine.
Whoa.
I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to have anything to do with the fae.
Too bad I don’t have a choice.
Okay. Okay. One step at at a time.
Step One: Save Nine.
Step Two: Get to know my parents.
Step Three: Defeat the Fae Queen and save Faerie.
When I discover that there’s a way to do all three of those, I’m game… until I find out that it requires me to do something I swore I wouldn’t.
I have to go back to Black Pine. I have to go back to the asylum. Then, if I survive the confrontation with the Fae Queen, I can finally—finally—put this whole Shadow crap behind me.
No biggie.
With my Shadow Man at my side, and my newfound powers, I know I can do this.
And all it will cost me is one last touch.
**Touch is the third and final book in a trilogy featuring a wary & independent half-fae heroine, the Dark Fae who has shadowed her her entire life, and her quest to learn about who she really is and why the powerful Fae Queen wants her dead.
Coming April 3, 2020
Pre-order now!
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About the Author
Jessica lives in New Jersey with her family, including enough pets to cement her status as the neighborhood’s future Cat Lady. She spends her days working in retail, and her nights lost in whatever world the current novel she is reading or working on is set in. After writing for fun for more than a decade, she has finally decided to take some of the stories out of her head and put them out there for others who might also enjoy them!
Also by Jessica Lynch
Welcome to Hamlet
Obsession*
Devotion*
Don’t Trust Me
Ophelia
Let Nothing You Dismay
I’ll Never Stop
Wherever You Go
Here Comes the Bride
Gloria
Te
soro
Welcome to Hamlet: I-III
(incl. the first three books, plus Execution)
No Outsiders Allowed: IV-VI
Mirrorside
Tame the Spark*
Stalk the Moon
Hunt the Stars
The Witch in the Woods
Hide from the Heart
Chase the Beauty
The Other Duet
(incl. the first two books, plus Track Down Dudley)
The Claws Clause
Mates*
Hungry Like a Wolf
Of Mistletoe and Mating
Season of the Witch
Sunglasses at Night
Ghost of Jealousy
Touched by the Fae
Favor*
Asylum
Shadow
Touch
* prequel story
Shadow (Touched by the Fae Book 2) Page 22