Denial (Goblin's Kiss Series Book One) (31 page)

She was as focused on me as I was
on her.

Apparently we were too focused
since neither of us knew someone was standing in front of us. A
throat cleared.

On the way she
whispered something about the guys at Starbucks being from the
goblin realms and that they were not worth our worry. It struck me
odd. I shrugged her off with another ‘later
’
, but how could she have
even guessed that? Who had she talked to?

We followed the
guard, my own, to Joshlin
’
s meeting room with the long,
conference room desk. My brother sat at the head of the table
leaving me to his left and Emma to his right. The document was on
the regular recycled type of paper that the people within the walls
of the goblin realm made themselves. It was a place that was
self-sufficient in everything and ninety percent catered to Joshlin
the magnificent.

I
’
m ready to just have it over with.

Joshlin spoke for a while enjoying
the sound of his own voice, then read the agreement. When he was
done, Emma picked up the ink-filled writing instrument and hovered
over the paper aiming her dangerously tell-all eyes at me. Just
me.

Joshlin disliked this connection
we had, for he slammed a fist down on the table and demanded she
sign it without delay. Tactfulness had never been one of his strong
points. In fact, bedding women seemed to be his only ability and he
had to force that. He was just useless.

He needed to be
replaced, but I couldn
’
t see how it could happen. Maybe
I was a coward and all I wanted now was to keep her safe. All plans
changed when she arrived.

Her hands shook with fear giving
the first appearance of how much he could unravel her and make her
feel weak. I hated him for it.

Joshlin would
use a person
’
s fear for his own gain and
that
’
s exactly what I saw in his eyes at that moment. He slammed
the fist again and this time she gritted her teeth and steeled an
angry look into his face, not fear. I felt it before it started
this time.

Uh, oh!

Her hand that
was about to sign unfurled and dropped the object in its fold. She
squeezed it shut tight and lifted the other hand. All at the same
time I bounded over the table and flattened myself against her as
she leashed out the single most powerful current of electricity
I
’
ve
ever encountered in my lifetime. Joshlin was thrown through the
wall into the next room and the shock of it was plastered on every
face in the room as they all just stood and stared at their king…in
a heap…on the floor…out cold.

I dragged my
heavily charged self off the top of her and pulled her to standing.
She appeared unharmed and basically calm though static cling may
give both of us issues. Her eyes stayed on the motionless goblin
king as I asked her if she could walk. She didn
’
t answer or move. We
needed to leave before he woke. Panic filled me at Joshlin waking
and the realization hitting him that she had a few more jolts
within her than he
’
d been led to
believe.

So much for plan A, step
one.

Plan B would have to
do.

RUN!

I have no idea
what I just did or how I did it, but it was awesome. It felt good.
It felt...
horrible
.

Did I kill
him?

I found my voice after the break
out run and tug Ames had with his vice grip escape quick
plan.

“Is he alive?”

“If
we
’
re lucky, no. We
’
re not going to get that
lucky.”

“Are you okay?” I asked
him.

“Me? Yeah. Why?”

“Didn
’
t I hurt you too?” I know he felt
the electricity. “I seem to shoot out all different forms. Being a
human light bulb was a first for me.”

“No. I felt the
surge, but it doesn
’
t affect me
much.”

Oh! “I just electrocuted you and
you show no signs of pain. Why is that?”

“Later.
Let
’
s get to safety right now.”

“Ames?”

“Trust me.
I
’
m
scorched and burned on the inside, but where you
’
re concerned, my skin
is fireproof.”

I reserved the conversation for
later. It was a weird statement.

Barreling down
hallways Ames managed to text and run. Guessing it was the readied
car on the other end I raced through my mind to make sense of what
I
’d just done.
I’
d made a mess of everything. Ames had it
all fixed and freedom was just around the corner when I screwed
everything up.

Maybe
they
’
d be better off without me.

“You should just
leave me. If he gets me, then everyone will be fine and no one else
has to get hurt. You
’
re the brave one Ames, not
me.”

“Not gonna
happen,” he quipped showing me a glimpse of the little knife laced
with his version of Tylenol sticking out of his sleeve. Who else
would he hurt
for
me
?

“I mean it,
Ames. I know you can take care of all this. Make it better like you
always do, but attached to me, I
’
m trouble. If you cut me loose,
you
’
re free to go back to a run-free life like you
like.”

We were outside
running through trees now. He stopped abruptly and cut me off too
close. His breath mingled with mine and his body flushed against
me.
“Who said I liked that life? Besides, I
’
m in too deep now. I
can
’
t go back.”

Can
’
t go back? “So you regret saving me and want to go back, but
can
’
t because you made Joshlin mad?” I asked braver than I felt.
Once, weeks ago, I reminded myself I was through with guys for a
while. So why does this incessant draw to him refuse to go
away?

“I regret
nothing and I don
’
t want to go back in any way.
Only forward. And you feel the same way I do. Deny it and I will
let you go. But if I
’
m right, then I promise you now,
no matter where we go I will keep you safe and
protected.”

I
didn
’
t deny anything. I didn
’
t
say
anything. For that soundproof
moment, we were starkly alone in an empty world where no bad guys
existed and no one was hunting me down. And I think he was
admitting in his guy kind of way that he cared for me. I was still
sorting out whether that was in an attraction way or an obligation
way.

I decided to say one thing trying
to bite back the grimace making its way to the surface, “If you go,
I go.”

His infectious
smile was the best medicine for any sickness I could contract. It
said many things, among some things I
’
d like to keep to myself, but it
was far from just a friendly gesture. Worse, I felt that same
feeling that kept coming back like the first day I saw him with
Christina Fowler. The possessive jealous one. And there was no one
to be jealous of here.

We survived long enough to get
back to the Jeep with the two guys inferring that we were in hot
pursuit.

“Crazy taxi driving, coming up!”
Trigger excitedly charged as we jumped into the moving vehicle. We
had no way of knowing if they were on our tails or not. When we
left, the king was out cold.

Winding around roads and creating
confusion for our pursuers was intentional. Trigger was enjoying it
way too much. He was an action kind of guy and reminded us often
that this is what he signed up for when he joined our little motley
crew. Wicker was halfway there. He was the cold, calculating one of
the group. His eyes were watching every direction for malcontent or
evil deeds.

And Ames. He was the leader of our
crew. The mighty Robin Hood. He was constantly forming a plan and
setting it into action making sure of the variables and
reevaluating at every turn.

And me. I was
the outcast. I seemed to be the least informed, least useful, least
controlled. Other than that, I am the reason for the whole fiasco
in the first place. If I
’
d never been born, they
wouldn
’
t be fighting for me.

Trigger and Ames had some kind of
silent communication going with their eyes because several times
now Ames nodded or answered an unasked question and turned the car
a different direction. They really were a great team despite their
argumentative natures.

Winding curves and squealing tires
led us to safety just like they planned. We pulled into a four
story parking garage and remained there for thirty minutes until
the coast was clear.

Back at the cabin we were all
wired and jumpy with every little noise. Hours passed and Ames was
calming, but not completely. Alert and needing to exert energy, I
resorted to asking the three guys if they were up for a run. I miss
running. And they needed the energy release more than me. Each of
them looked like they wanted to punch walls and maybe even each
other.

Fortunately for all of us, they
said yes.

The run was a
good idea. Tired out, we all exited to separate places in the house
for down time. I didn
’
t really want to be away from
Emma, but I knew she needed time to herself.

I...wanted to talk.

Feeling way too female like, I
went to the extra room and moved over the treadmill so I could burn
a few more brain cells off before I got the bright idea to have a
slumber party next.

She had no idea
why her overexertion of powers didn
’
t affect me the way it did
others, but I had a hunch. Her ancestors saw to that. One day, I
would be forced to tell her more.

I heard the
shower turn on and knew she
’
d gone into the bathroom. I
stepped up the pace on the mill a little faster to stop the male
brain in my body from seeing her naked in my
mind
’
s eye. It didn
’
t go over well to face her next
with inappropriate thoughts running through my brain, much less in
the same bed.

Although I knew
inside I
’
d confirmed again today that it was more than just her body I
wanted. She was graceful and poised even for the unpracticed
warrior she was. Her heart was for others, not herself. And she
looked at me as more than what I am. She saw who I was without
knowing what stigmas my life has dictated to me.

She thought I was brave. Little
did she know, I was not brave enough to fulfill a duty owed to my
father. Instead I continued to stand in the shadows of one who
would see the people come to ruin before he let his precious
servants get a day off.

The shower cut off. I stood in the
corner of the room long enough to hear the sequence of doors
opening and closing to tell me she was in the bedroom. Open, shut.
Open, shut.

I stunk. A shower, maybe even cold
at this point, would do me good.

I grabbed a fresh towel out of the
hall closet and opened the door of the bathroom.

“Aaa!”

The door slammed
on my face, but not before I caught sight of bare legs. My eyes
naturally started upward and as thankful as I was the door closed,
it didn
’
t help my imagination.

“You need to knock, Ames
Cahn.”

“I thought I heard you go in the
bedroom,” I screamed through the door.

“You.thought.wrong.” Boy, was she
in an outrage.

“I promise I
didn
’
t see anything.”

That was
apparently the wrong thing to say too, because she started swearing
words I didn
’
t know she
used.

Worse, I wished
now I
’
d at least got to see her sweet perfections since I was being
punished for it.

“Emma, I promise I saw
nothing.”