Denial (Goblin's Kiss Series Book One) (10 page)

Dismissed and on
my way back to her was exactly what I had time to do after I talked
to Trigger and sent them on the mission. Of course, I usually took
care of the culprit by giving back what was theirs behind my
brother
’
s back. Friggin
’
modern day Robin Hood. Everyone
who knew had become accustomed to it. Few took advantage of my
unsaid generosity and I preferred it that way for my sake and
theirs.

When I caught up to her earlier, I
completely did not see the confrontational side of Emma Steele
hitting me until it was out there and staring at me in the face.
She wanted answers and she was the one cornering me to get them.
Wow! She was amazing.

I told her what I had to and took
one small ounce for my own selfish desires. I almost screwed up and
kissed her. I told myself I just wanted to gauge her reaction, but
it turned into something much more than that.

She did however react even
stronger than before with the slightest touch. I drew a line up her
arm and around her cheek with my trigger finger. She lost all
inhibition. She stopped breathing completely. Her heart even
stopped for a total of three seconds. It scared me so bad I left
before she opened her eyes.

I
’
d never been more afraid in my whole life like I was at that
moment.

And that dang
phone. I saw the text. Dang ape punk. He saw me as red flag and
wanted her attention back on him though he was a dog. He
didn
’
t respect this girl for all her pureness. Innocence.
Kindness. Passion.

I stood outside
her window all night studying her sleep patterns. She slept sound,
but she tossed her body around a lot. I could only tell this by the
way her breathing changed so much. How could I be so in tune with
this one girl when in as many years I hadn
’
t figured out any other
person, human or not, and the way their sleep patterns played out.
Not that I
’
ve ever tried. Or did now.
Somehow, I just knew.

I certainly have
never had anyone read me like she does and linger on it. Magic or
no magic. Was it because she didn
’
t understand it herself and it
was new for her too? Or maybe she was reading me too well and
thought I was the enemy because she
’
d not met anyone like me. My kind
perhaps take for granted what we can do. The power we
hold.

I left her again only to dress and
beat her to school. I watched from my Jeep as she pulled into the
parking lot. I waited till the timing was right and hopped out of
the Jeep. Up the side and one row over, she came to a stop when she
saw me.

At first I
thought she might run, but she didn
’
t. One honest truth.
That
’
s what I
’
d planned. I thought all night
about what to choose. Here goes.

She started to turn away so I
moved quicker to get to her.

“Just wait a
minute, please.” I
’
d never used that word before.
Ever.

She stopped and kept her back to
me. “I will tell you one thing if you do the same for me.” She
started to walk off and I tried it again, “Please.”

She stopped again. Wow! Powerful
word.

“What is your one thing?” she said
in front of her, not to me.

“You
’
re not completely
human.”

I
should not
have done
that.

“You gotta give me more than
that.”

Heck, she was
forceful for such a kittenish creature. And I liked it.
“I
’
m
not either.”

I laid it out
there. Now I had to wait. Not long though. My king wants what he
wants and I wasn
’
t aiming for him to be the winner
in this game now.

She eventually pivoted her feet
just enough to cut her eyes at me. “I knew as much.”

That was her give? No
way.

“When
you
’
re ready for more, you know where to find me.” And she left
me standing there, alone again.

I had the
distinct feeling I wasn
’
t calling the shots anymore. That
was new for me.

“Cahn!
”

I knew the
voice. Crap! If it wasn
’
t one dogface king down my throat
to get this girl, it was the other one sending a lackey to check in
to see if I had her or not.

“Will, how nice
to see you,” I slapped on the charm when I pivoted to him in the
parking lot blocking his view of her retreating backside. Easy to
be so damn cool about reality when I wasn
’
t around her. She made me do
and say things that weren
’
t natural for
me.

“Cut the crap.
I
’
m
not here for niceties. Where
’
s the girl?”
Will
’
s foul breath came a little too close to me. His large sized
head was disturbing to look at each time I had dealings with him. A
human might say he is giant midget if that
’
s even
possible.

“She is around. Still checking the
details,” I lied.

“Whatever. Boss
says you got days and he
’
s coming for her. He wants his
bride.”

Yeah, get in
line. “I will be in touch with Caydon myself. I answer to my realm,
not yours. Toodles,” I shoved off from the yellow convertible
I
’
d
leaned on in an escape from his dog breath.
Couldn
’
t they send someone a little less conspicuous? And smells
better.

I hurried into
school and made it to class in time, but little time to come up
with a plan.
Like, an hour
tops.

He was so
maddening. He told me what I knew, not what I
don
’
t. He only confirmed the truth, not revealing anything. His
glowing list of attributes were diminishing fast.
Not
that I noticed them
in any certain detail.

Jay met me in
the hallway and assured me he
’
d take the new guy out if he was
badgering me. I guessed Jay didn
’
t find it creepy that he just
admitted he is spying on me. I laughed it off and told him thank
you, but I could handle it. No one knew my extra talents and I
needed it to stay that way.

I made it
through the morning with little drama other than the parking lot
and a stray freshman in a panic because they
couldn
’
t figure out what
doth
and
alas
meant in their old English lesson from the day
before. Mrs. Ryman saved me with helping the student so I could go
on to class. Now, my writing class today was a different story
altogether.

Ames wrote...a lot. I got the
impression he wasn't the writer type.

Not the writing, but the amount.
He looked like might have even enjoyed it a little. He gave me
space for which I was grateful but I more wanted
answers.

Finally, my dam broke. “What do
you want?”

He skillfully turned his head and
looked down at the paper.

YOU!

I croaked. Yes
sir, I croaked out the next words from my mouth.
“That
’
s not gonna happen.”

His devil smile played on his lips
leaving a dimple in the side of his cheek. I wanted to kiss that
dimple. Ack!

He slid his eyes back down to his
own paper. I watched so careful to his every single move. I could
see the words along the top of his paper but not where his hand
covered the rest. The top line read,

Her eyes like the sun, her hair
like the yellow licks of a flame.

I had to see what it was she had
that made the king so harnessed to have her.

I took the task in hope for a
favor of the king. She would take me to a new world.

What the heck did that mean? Was
it a poem? I leaned into him not realizing how close I was making
myself, “Is that a clue?” I said to his ear. My breath was warm
because I was so nervous. He jerked back at my words. Tiny devil
bunnies were biting at the insides of my stomach to make me calm
down. Not working.

“Sorry, I
didn
’
t mean to make you mad or something?” I muttered hating
myself for forgetting my place. His eyes
narrowed.

After a moment
of neck popping and closed eyes, he came back to me.
“It
’
s not that at all.” His voice had the same hoarse sound
he
’
d
made before when he closed his eyes.

“Am I hurting
you? If I am it
’
s because I
don
’
t understand what exactly I do. I know I can hurt people.” I
whispered this so low I wasn't sure if he heard.
I don’
t
know why, but the thought just rubbed me the wrong way. It
wasn
’
t fair that I could make pain
just burst in someone. I hated this stupid magic
junk.

“Oh this is
painful, Emma. But it
’
s not the pain you think.” He
flashed a pirate smile. A hint of laughter and something else was
in his voice, but it never fully reached the surface for me to
decipher.

I wanted to know. If I could
breathe it would be easier to ask the question on my mind, but it
took me a moment to stop my flyaway puddle of goo I was stuck in
from that odd reply. Did it mean...or did it mean nothing at
all?

“That
’
s good
isn
’
t it?” I asked after my voice was a little less
shaky.

His eyes cut to
mine. I swear the pupils moved around. I said before that they
glowed, but I wasn
’
t sure what else to call it and
regardless, it did funny things to my insides. I felt the heat rise
in my belly like it never had with boys.

I blinked back
my thoughts and heard him speak. “You see? You have the same.” His
smile slid open as he gestured to my eyes. “
You feel it, don
’
t you?” He touched my cheek like
before. Oh boy.

He had a way
with questions and answers. He seemed to rarely
“
answer
” and often question. One could dance around an entire
conversation and he never gave one ounce of the
truth.

And his other qualities from
before were starting to not look so bad. In a good way. Still, my
life had been filled with doubt so I held back.

The list I
started before...glowing was an understatement. But I can add
arrogant, inconsiderate, rude—gorgeous, and cocky. Put all that
aside and see heroic and caring simply because he checked on me
yesterday and hadn't berated me for screwing up the windows in
class. At least I think so. I
want
to think so.

Before I refused
to give him one second of my time, now I can
’
t seem to stop
watching every second of every move he makes.

In the middle of
my reverie, he forcefully jumped back two spaces with his chair and
separated the two of us. Miss Cauldron came
over
, no doubt noticing
the whispering. She looked down at my paper and then
his.

“Mr. Cahn, you have nothing on
your paper.”

I surveyed what she said and found
nothing. The words were gone.

Out of
time.
Out
of time. I
’
d watched her for a day before
I
’
d
really met her only seeing her from fifty yards away hanging with
her friends. I
’
d decided to wait till school
started and I could physically see her.

She
didn
’
t know the half of it. In some ways, nor did
I.

Her parents had
been the goblin king and queen of another realm who invaded my
realm before the one we have now. The current appointed ruler is a
ruthless tyrant who found the still alive elder vagrant
who
’
d survived that fateful day. This girl was his
secret.