Maybe—
I nod. “Yeah. That’s him.”
Before Oberon can say anything else, the door opens and Helix walks back into the throne room on his own.
Oberon gestures at him. “Helix.” Then, as if I’ve never met him before, he tells me, “A member of my old guard. I’m glad to see you’ve survived Melisandre’s reign, Captain.”
Helix nods. “Thank you, your highness. I’ve done what you’ve ordered. The castle is clear, with my best soldiers going through Melisandre’s staff now, searching for any whose loyalty might not be to the true and proper king.”
“Well done. As efficient as ever, and as ambitious, I’m sure. I can work with that. Now, what can you tell me of the Seelie known as—”
He looks at me again.
“Rys,” I supply.
“Rys.”
Helix stops dead in his tracks. His back goes ramrod straight, his features entirely expressionless. He hesitates for way longer than I can take before he says, “Melisandre punished him.”
“Punished him,” I squeak out. Oh, man. I knew it. “How did she punish him?”
Helix stays quiet.
Oberon leans forward in his throne. “Answer the Shadow,” he commands. “What did my treasonous consort do with one of my fae?”
“Rysdan was charged with being a traitor. Rather than call for his head or his soul, Melisandre chose leniency for a former favored soldier.”
“Leniency,” repeats Oberon. “That doesn’t sound like her.”
Helix hesitates before admitting, “He was put into Siúcra.”
“As I thought. A fate worse than death then, disguised as kindness. Just like Melisandre.”
“Why?” I wonder. “What’s…” I try to repeat what Helix said. I butcher it and it comes out like, “sucker?”
“Siúcra,” Oberon corrects, his voice going almost gentle as he addresses me. “The inescapable prison of Faerie. Once you’re locked inside, there’s no getting out.”
“What? Ever?”
“I’m afraid not.”
Whoa.
I… I don’t know what to say about that. All this time, I let myself believe that Rys was okay. That even though the last time I saw him he was being bombarded by Melisandre’s soldiers, he was fine. I convinced myself that he’d finally stopped chasing me because he respected Nine’s claim, and that without his brand on my skin, Rys couldn’t find me.
But he’s in prison. Faerie prison.
The Fae Queen ordered me and Nine into a cell once. I remember making a joke about it, calling it fairy jail, almost amazed that something like that existed. There were only a handful of cells built inside of her elaborate castle, far away from her throne room, and it never occurred to me to wonder if the cells were permanent—or only a holding area for those Melisandre wanted to punish.
Like Rys.
Oberon can’t lie to me. When he says that there’s no escape from this Siúcra place, he means it. And that means that Rys is—
He’s—
Gone.
I should be happy. I should be relieved. The golden fae, the monster with an angel’s face who haunted my nightmares and stole my sister from me… he can’t come after me again. I’m finally free of him, except there’s part of me that can’t forget his earnest declarations of affection and how careful he was to keep me from harm, even when I pushed him way further than I ever should have.
He tricked my mom—but he didn’t hurt her. He killed Madelaine—but he’s fae and he didn’t understand the importance of human friendships. He turned Nine into his rival—but then he held his own against his comrades so that I could escape with my soul mate after Melisandre turned Nine into a statue.
Overall, I should hate Rys.
I don’t.
I always thought he was the villain in my story. Of course, that ended up being Melisandre. Gillespie, too, if I’m being honest. Rys was just Rys, and I might not have wanted to be his ffrindau, but I never wanted to see him punished because of me, either.
This sucks.
Nine told me something like that once when I called Rys a monster. There’s no good and bad. Despite being called the Cursed Ones and the Blessed Ones, it comes down to light and dark—and it’s pretty literal at that. The Light Fae rule during the sun, the Dark Fae belong to the shadows, but good and bad? Human concepts. Just like people, the fae are complicated.
Maybe I’m more fae than I thought. I hate the idea of owing Rys anything. Him being stuck in that Su-crah place… yeah, that’s on me.
And I hate that, too.
“But… you’re the king. Can’t you do something? He wouldn’t be in there if it wasn’t for me.”
“I can’t. Believe me, there’s no escape.”
“No one walks out of Siúcra,” murmurs Nine. “It’s not so easy as that. It requires a sacrifice, and that’s if you even found a way out. The prison never lets anyone leave.”
I look from Nine to the king and back. “So Rys…”
“He’s alive,” offers Oberon.
“But he’s in jail.”
He looks to Helix.
Helix nods.
“Yes.”
“So I’m betting he’d rather not be.”
“If the prison has its hooks in your Seelie, then he wouldn’t be,” agrees Oberon. “I can’t give you the Seelie’s freedom. Siúcra claims its own and, even as the Summer King, my power only goes so far and that’s with the whole Court behind me. I’ve only just reclaimed my crown. Money and permission to shade-walk as you please, that I can do.”
And that’s still giving me a lot, since I already asked him to kill the Fae Queen so that I didn’t have to.
“I understand.”
I don’t like it, but I understand.
“Then we have an agreement.”
I slump under the weight of his announcement. Whoa. Did I make a mistake? Probably. It wouldn’t be the first time, and I’m eager to get away from Faerie while Oberon is still pleased with me.
He waves Helix forward, lowering his voice so that he can have a private conversation with the lead soldier. I’m sure Nine is listening but I take his action as what it is: a dismissal.
Yup. Time to go.
I reach out with my senses. There aren’t as many shadows in this room without Melisandre’s power—her glamour hid her Unseelie nature, but the shadows gave her away—but I’m a pro at wrangling them now. I gather up enough to create a portal that would lead us back to the human world.
Nine immediately knows what I’ve done. He glances over at the patch of darkness blooming in the far corner of the emptied throne room, then looks at me.
“You ready?” he asks.
As he does, he holds his hand out. Without even a second’s thought, I slip my glove into the nestle of his palm.
His touch is everything that I need.
“Always.”
Zella
Thank you so much for reading the Touched by the Fae series! I hope you enjoyed it, and I’m happy to announce that there’s one more short story for these two, as well as a spin-off series set in this same world.
First up, there’s Zella (due out on 05/15/20). It’s an extended epilogue featuring Riley and Nine a few weeks after the events of this book and will serve as an insight into their HEA after everything blows over.
When it comes to the spin-off, I wasn’t sure at first whether I wanted to go back and write Ash and Callie’s story, or give Rys an adventure of his own. In the end, I decided to go with Rys, who will be the hero of my next series, Imprisoned by the Fae (though expect to see appearances from a couple of characters from this series in it).
Now, keep reading for a peek at the cover and the description of the first book, Trapped, followed by where to pre-order your copy today—as well as a sneak peek at the prequel coming soon!
xoxo,
Jessica
Available Now
Trapped (Imprisoned by the Fae #1)
I didn't mean to cros
s over into Faerie. It was an accident. And now... now I'm in jail.
Fairy jail. It's a thing.
When I refused the attentions of a Seelie noble, I earned myself a one-way ticket to Siúcra, the most infamous prison in the Fae Queen's Court.
I'm still reeling over the fact that the fae are real. That Faerie is a real place, and that there are real consequences to being a human surrounded by the amazingly gorgeous—if also amazingly heartless—creatures in this world.
Their cruelty doesn't stop after I'm captured. Turns out, I'm the only human in my wing of the prison. And, I find out pretty quickly, the only female.
Ah, crap.
Thank goodness for Rys. He might not be the friendliest cellmate, but so long as I don't ask him questions about why he's locked up, he's willing to watch my back. Know what? That totally works for me, especially since I can't seem to keep my eyes off of his.
I'm in jail. Falling for another prisoner should be the last thing on my mind. Then again, Rys is a Light Fae. A Seelie. He's one of them. Sure, he might be stuck here with me now, but he used to guard this place. He knows the way out—he just doesn't want to leave.
He's got a past. One look at the ragged scar ruining his otherwise perfect fae features and even I can tell that he's not as innocent as he claims. But no matter how hard I try to get him to see things my way, he refuses to get involved.
Just like he refuses to admit that he can sense the crazy attraction brewing between us.
It started out as protection before it blossomed into something... more, whether he wants to pretend or not. And when he finally decides it's time for him to break free, I know I'll do whatever I have to to make sure that he takes me with him.
**Trapped is the first book in an exciting new fae series by the author of Touched by the Fae. Featuring a directionally-challenged, mouthy human heroine, the scarred Light Fae who'd rather stay in jail, and their quest to save Faerie together—well, once they break out of Siúcra, that is.
It's also a steamy supernatural prison romance, with a bunch of profanity, an attempted sexual assault (don't worry, the guy gets what's coming to him!), and is fully intended for adult readers only.
Coming June 5, 2020
Pre-order now!
Tricked
Sneak peek at the prequel
“We’ll know each other very well before long. What’s your name?”
There’s something in the way his whole attitude has seemed to change. I didn’t respond to commands like a well-trained pet—I didn’t come to heel like he obviously expected I should—so now he’s trying to be kind.
I swallow back some of my anger. This guy is my only chance right now.
“My name is...”
When I hesitate, the fae widens his eyes, making them flash hypnotically. “Tell me.”
He really wants to know. And I normally would think that he’s just trying to be friendly, maybe get to know me like he said, but his eagerness and his demand have me waiting a second longer.
Is it just me or, whenever I give one of these creatures my name, something bad happens? I told the pixie and she tricked me into following her so deeply into the woods, I could’ve never found the fairy circle again anyway. I told the dwarves, too. Not only did they convince me to accompany them to the market, but Mitzie just about got me to give her my promise ring after using my name.
I’ve heard there was power in names before. Is it true? Hell if I know, but I’m not about to take any chances.
Not with this guy.
“Elle,” I tell him.
Close enough. Even though she named me, my mother couldn’t bring herself to call me Hel so Elle it was. I won’t forget that he means me if he uses it, and I keep my full name a secret to myself. It might be overkill but… I’m in Faerie. I’m beginning to think there’s no such thing as overkill in this place.
Available Now
Tricked (Imprisoned by the Fae #0.5)
I didn't mean to cross over into Faerie. It was an accident. And now... now I'm in trouble.
Have you ever had a really bad day? Like the type where you want to just pull the blanket over your head, go back to sleep, and wake up when it’s all over?
Yeah. Me, too.
It all started with a stupid fight. Honestly, I was probably looking a reason to storm out of the apartment and get away from my boyfriend’s disappointed sighs for a few minutes. A walk in the nearest park was just what I needed.
What I didn’t need? To impulsively walk through a ring of strange-looking mushrooms only to end up in the mythical, magical world from my mother’s supposedly made-up fairy tales.
Faerie. I’m in Faerie.
As soon as I cross over, I’m lost. The fairy circle is gone, the trees all look the same, and I don’t have any idea where I am, or how I’m going to get home.
I think I can trust the pixie.
Nope.
Maybe the pair of dwarves who seem so kind?
Yeah. Seem is the key word there.
By the time I’m on my way to the auction block at the Faerie market, I can’t help but stew over all of the ways I’ve been tricked. This sucks.
And it only gets worse after that…
**Tricked is a prequel novella set directly before the first book in the Imprisoned by the Fae series, Trapped. It's the story of how Elle ended up in Faerie, and what led her to be thrown into the infamous prison, Siúcra.
Coming May 8, 2020
Get it 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 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! She loves Broadway and the Mets, as well as reading in her free time.
JessicaLynchWrites.com
[email protected]
Also by Jessica Lynch
Welcome to Hamlet
Don’t Trust Me
You Were Made For Me*
Ophelia
Let Nothing You Dismay
I’ll Never Stop
Wherever You Go
Here Comes the Bride
Gloria
Tesoro
That Girl Will Never Be Mine
Welcome to Hamlet: I-III**
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**
The Claws Clause
Mates*
Hungry Like a Wolf
Of Mistletoe and Mating
No Way
Season of the Witch
Rogue
Sunglasses at Night
Ghost of Jealousy
Touched by the Fae
Favor*
Asylum
Shadow
Touch
Zella
Imprisoned by the Fae
Tricked*
Trapped
Escaped
Freed
* prequel story
** boxed set collection
h friends
Touch (Touched by the Fae Book 3) Page 18