The Masked Fae (Royal Fae of Rose Briar Woods 1)

BRAHM

Ibarely have a leg over the top of the stone balcony railing when Alice opens the door that leads into her room and comes out to meet me, saying, “You must tell me your name. All day long, I’ve thought of you as ‘the bandit,’ and to be honest, it’s quite tedious.”

“You’ve thought of me all day, Alice?”

Her eyes go wide, and I smile at her discomfort.

“That’s not what I meant,” she insists, ushering me into her room. “I was merely hungry, and you promised food. Perhaps I am no better than a stray cat, but I’m quite fond of people who promise me meals.”

“Was I supposed to bring food?” I ask, intrigued by her strange mood.

She whips back, hand on her stomach dramatically, looking like she’s going to perish from hunger. “You didn’t forget—you wouldn’t.” She narrows her eyes into slits. “You couldn’t.”

Instead of a meal, I produce a small vial that was entirely too much trouble to procure. I had just returned from Corrinmead when I found Alice and Regina in the hall with Ian.

“What’s that?” she asks.

“Let’s call it an antidote.” I take her hand and press the precious vial into her palm. “Place one drop on your tongue before you eat, and the effects of the Fae food should go unnoticed.”

“Truly?” she asks, looking properly impressed. She studies the small glass container, turning it in her hand. It glows faintly in the candlelit room. “So, it’s bottled magic?”

“Something like that,” I say with a smile. “And it’s not easy to obtain—do not misplace, break, or misuse it.”

She turns her eyes on me. “Where did you find it?”

“I have my ways.”

“Shall we test it?” She nods her head toward a tray that lies abandoned on a table by the fire. A kitchen maid must have brought it this evening. “I’ll feel better if you are with me the first time I use it, just in case there are ill effects.”

I jerk my head toward the table, telling her to be my guest.

She pauses after opening the stopper, shooting me a look. “You realize this requires me to put a lot of trust in you, don’t you?”

I lean against the wall, enjoying this far too much. “If I had nefarious intentions, I had plenty of opportunities to act upon them before now.”

She frowns, pressing her lips to the side as she thinks. “I suppose that’s true.”

Before she takes a drop from the stopper, she turns back to me, eyeing me so intently, I almost squirm under her gaze.

“What’s your name?” she finally asks.

“Why does it matter?”

“How can I possibly trust someone who won’t even give me his name?”

I push away from the wall, stalking toward her, careful to keep my head tilted away from the candles. “How can you eat if you do not take the concoction?”

“Fine.” She smiles, looking mischievous. “Instead, show me your face.”

“I’m leaving.” I turn to go. “Take it or don’t—starve or let yourself become a puppet of the Fae. The choice is yours.”

“Wait!” she cries softly, chasing after me. “Don’t go. I won’t ask again, I swear. Eat with me—there is plenty.”

I look back, worried by how tempted I am by Alice’s offer. It wouldn’t be a hardship to share a cozy meal by the fire, just the two of us, no titles getting in the way.

“It’s not safe for me to linger,” I remind her.

Her face falls. “Oh, yes.”