Page 56 of Chaos Tempted

I realize… it probablywasa fake mating ritual, just to mess with me—so they could abandon me and break my heart. Theconnection I felt was just some magic tricking me into believing a bond existed. We didn’t even have a public ceremony or announcement.

They are all probably mocking the dumb human who thought any of them could love her, or believing they even find me attractive. I imagine them laughing cruelly at my stupidity while they now are having sex with several beautifulElvenfemales.

And my keeper, she never cared for me.

My father? He traded me for a peace treaty and never tried to contact me in all these years.

What a fool I have been. A human servant? With a prince?Andhis gorgeous advisors?

The idea is outrageous. Sure, I was suspicious at first. I was right to be skeptical, but theymademe believe in all their pretty words. Tricked me. All of them. Having a go with me. Using me. Destroying me.

A sob tears from my chest.

Then I notice the forest is dead silent, and a trickle of foreboding hits me. But if there’s something ready to end me, I don’t know if I have it in me to fight.

Every single thingin my life is a lie. I have nothing. I am nothing.

Then a ghoul emerges from the shrubs. His distended gut and lanky arms and legs are only exaggerated by the way it’s creeping toward me with malice.

Patiently, I wait for it to attack and eviscerate me. I’m not faster than a ghoul. I have no weapon. To run will only delay the inevitable. And part of me wants the pain to end.

The ghoul cocks its head when I don’t react to its presence. “Why’s not running? No screams?”

“Why should I?” I ask.

“Makes you tastes better for me.”

“Hmm.” I nod and then shake my head. “No. Don’t feel like it.”

“Don’t wants to live?”

I shrug. A strange pressure on my back distracts me. It feels like a pebble is lodged in my bodice. I suppose I must have picked it up from the road.

“You needs to screams,” it encourages, showing off its nasty serrated teeth.

“For you?” I ask, trying to wiggle the rock free from my clothing. But the stone shifts to feel like it’s moved inside my body.

“For you,” it says. “You should fights.”

I laugh and continue to laugh—hard. “What a strange world I find myself in.”

“Me too,” the ghoul agrees. “Very strange.”

My eyes narrow. Itisstrange that the only fraction of concern since I woke up is from a ghoul. And it’s odd that the stone in my body is a phantom feeling. There’s nothing there. It can’t be real. This all feels like… a dream.

A dream.

“There’s a belief that if you die in your dream, you die in your life.” Then I ask the ghoul, “What do you think happens?”

“What you believes?” the ghoul questions back.

“I don’t want to believe their love was a lie. And I want to wake up from this.” I punch myself in the sternum, near where I feel the rock settled.

As I fall back, I hear the ghoul ask, “But what if itisstill all a lie?”

25

WAKING

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