Page 57 of Once Upon a Fable

Breathe!

For a few endless moments, she remained dead. Her soul teased with the idea of leaping free and escaping me. But as I turned to grab a cup of water from the tap, to splash her with ice, her mouth wrenched wide, and she gulped air.

She coughed.

Over and over, she gasped and choked.

Rolling onto her hands and knees, she retched. Her back arched with frantic breaths, and her hair cascaded around her, leaving her looking as wild as I felt.

Relief washed through me.

What the hell was that?

Why do I care if she lives or dies?

I backed up until my spine hit the opposite wall.

I stood in silence as her body slowly calmed and her lungs gulped their fill of oxygen. Only once she stopped coughing and the blue tinge from her lips receded did she drop to her ass and touch both hands to her tender throat.

With glossy, hate-filled eyes, she glowered at me across the room. “You said...”Cough. Followed by a painful wince. “That I’d live...another...day.”

Crossing my arms, I didn’t speak.

I didn’t give her what she wanted.

She could wait forever, but she’d never hear me apologize, explain, orpromise never to hurt her again. They would be lies. Whatever minor weakness I’d just felt were gone. Dead.Over.

Unfortunately, her face was now even more stunning. Her skin ghostly white, her cheeks bright red, her eyes a slash of leaf and earth. She looked touched by death and slightly unhinged because of it.

She almost looked like me.

With gritted teeth and sluggish movements, she forced herself to her feet. Swaying a little, she clutched the wall behind her and tipped her chin with anger. “You destroyed my things.”

“You’re in my home. That makes them mine. It makeseverythingmine. Mine to use. Mine to destroy. Mine to kill.”

Get it?

She bared her teeth like a feral cat. “If you use me, you can’t kill me.”

“Says who?”

“Says our deal!”

“A deal I’m still debating if the trade-off is worth it.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“You’re a trespasser.”

She stiffened. “How long?”

I scowled. “How long what?”

“How long must I remain your plaything?”

“Until I tire of feeding you, talking to you, fucking you.”

“I want...”Cough. “To go home.”