Denial (Goblin's Kiss Series Book One) (18 page)

How did this guy
know what I eat? And why did he do this? Maybe it was a
coincidence. Sensing my disquiet, he answered my
mind
’
s confusion with his own question.

“Is there something missing?” the
dark, too deep voice asked.

“Uh, no.
It
’
s
fine. Just wondering why it
’
s here.” Nervous
didn
’
t describe what my mind was thinking for
real.

“I just want you comfortable. Ease
you into this.”

Red alert. Ease
into what? I didn
’
t flinch though. I got the
feeling I shouldn
’
t make this man
mad.

“I
’
m all good here.” I gave a furtive glance back in Ames
direction just for the sake of knowing where he stood in relation
to me.

“Would you like to indulge?” he
spread his hands across the table. His sultry voice might be
construed as inappropriate.

Yes. “No.
I
’
m good.
” Now I was repeating
myself. Heck, he made me mushy gushy sounding.

He moved over to
a section of the long table where three high back dining chairs
sat. A guard was taking away the third chair and leaving just the
two. I wondered why there was a third and if I
’
d interrupted
something by being here. Where was the rest of the family? I looked
around the room. Guards. Ellen.

Ames.

He stood on the bottom step of the
huge floor to ceiling velvety room. I surveyed him noting he was
standing alone like he was important or something. That made me
wonder. I turned back to the hot dude sitting all swag happy and
waiting for me to make my next move. His knees spread out and his
arm leaned across the back of the chair like a GQ male
model.

“Who are you?” I asked slowly. I
had a bad feeling. Remember those bad intentions? They were
crawling up my leg and settling somewhere in the vicinity of my
stomach.

“Joshlin. I am
at your service, as you will be at mine.” He kissed my hand again,
stared at my eyes. I
’
d fall under the lull of his
voice if it didn
’
t creep me out a bit, but right
now I just wanted to be back with Ames. I chanced a look at him. He
just watched giving me nothing but I still got the itch behind my
brain that he wasn
’
t happy with any of
this.

I
’
m supposed to know who he is? I am sure he must be the king
talked about, but he is so young. “Joshlin who?
You
’
ll have to forgive me. I
’
ve only recently learned I had a
family of freaks like me.”

There. That would ward him off his
sex appeal like Ames asked me too. Only Ames and I stood out so
dag-blad much.

“Milady. Your
lineage is exquisite and your abilities I am told are astounding.
You would be a most fascinating queen for the realm. Please accept
my apology for my guard as he has not informed you well of your
needs or affairs. I will remedy that shortly. For now.” His face
drew up at something giving Ames a nasty look. Then his face
changed altogether and I noticed his attention
wasn
’
t on any direction it should be. I looked back to see a very
pretty girl standing in the door.

Queen? Did he
say that in the same sentence meaning me or the girl he was now
staring at? I just didn
’
t get the whole call me
princess-and-queen thing but this guy gave me false feelings that
more felt like the heebie-jeebies and the very opposite of Ames. He
was all Casanova, but Dracula
scary
.

“For now, I must leave you and
return at dinner. Please enjoy the pleasures before you and I will
see to it you are well informed before I return.”

He nodded at
Ames who did the same impassive glare, but once again I saw the
flicker of anger cross his face. I didn
’
t get to ask what the guy
meant by the “queen”
statement?

Joshlin walked quickly out the
door with the girl and the doors were closed. Well, so much for
meeting the kinfolk.

He was such a filthy piece of
crap. He hid his bimbos from her to snag her in. He spread out a
bribe to snare her senses and he still left with one of them under
disguise. Not that they chose it, but he still indulged in lust and
evil. He was wrong for her and she deserved better.

No, that
wasn
’
t me either. But still.

Trigger and Jones were there too
fast. I was thankful I knew all the guards, but I was no fool.
Joshlin had others on the outside in the human world watching me
and anyone else he wanted surveillanced. I remained watched when
need be, and hidden all the rest of the time. These two would side
with me in the end though. Help me get her away from him. Trigger
was good for his name. It might just go off.

“Man! That was unreal. He totally
played her.”

“Shut up,
Trigger,” I snapped before he could release things I wanted to tell
her myself. Or rather I didn
’
t want anyone else telling
her.

Emma stomped
down the steps and right up to me. She put a finger to my chest
making my mind go in places it shouldn
’
t especially given the
present circumstances, but she the one who kept with the
habit.

“Who is that
really, Ames? Who are you? Something is very wrong with all this.
What little info you gave is not adding up. Tell me now Ames Cahn
what the heck else is going on.” She was the fuming kitten at full
speed ahead. I couldn
’
t let her hear the truth about
the real Joshlin. It was sick.

She was too
pure. I never,
never
thought I
’
d ever want something
more.

She had to be mine. I had to play
the cards right if it was to happen. Now, if only my friends here
would help me out with the right kind of help.

“Why my dear Emma, your guy here
is the kings very own assassin.”

That
wasn
’
t the right kind of help.

“Dude,
discretion would be good here.” I wanted to puke. And murder him. I
didn
’
t need any more mirth behind my eyes right now to tell him
what I was going to do to him.

“You were sent to kill me?” It was
an accusation, not a question.

“No
, I was sent to bring you
back.”

So much for friends. I would put
some action behind my eyeful of warning when I got Trigger alone
next.

“I
don’
t believe you!”

Smart girl.

“For who?” She quizzed with her
heart growing more nervous the more we talked. She waited for an
answer.

I
didn
’
t get the chance. My
friend
did. “You
didn
’
t tell her who she is, pal of mine. How could you lead her on
and not tell her the single most important detail to her
existence?”

I am going to
put a fist through his face and break every bone in his jaw if he
doesn
’
t...“Shut up. Just shut up, Trigger.”

“No pal. She has
a right to know. He
’
s heading back for her in an
hour. He
’
s a room away from her as we speak waiting to strike. Once,
when they sent me to retrieve a beekeeper, I got stung on
the—please don
’
t ask—and the guy was going to
attack me while the litter buggers were—

“Dammit.
I
’
ll
tell her alright. Just disappear so I can.”

Emma
’
s fear spiked therefore jolting
mine. I ran my fingers through my hair twice to keep my hands off
her. Whatever happened next, she promised she
wouldn
’
t run. She
promised
. I told myself that three
more times before I had her yanked away from prying
ears.

“Just out with it, Ames. It will
be easier if you just say it. You owe it to me.”

I stood too close. The hot guy
syndrome had some kind of lulling voice thing going on, but nothing
like how he affected my nerves when he was close to me. Everything
went haywire.

He gulped a
large amount of air and said to my face with huge eyes, “You are
Jem. The daughter of someone high up on the food chain and Joshlin
won
’
t stop until he has that status.”

I blinked back my fear and laughed
feeling chastened but relieved all the same. “I thought you were
gonna say I was in trouble or something. Like a bad guy or villain
was a room over and he was here to kill me.”

He took another breath and squared
my shoulders with both his big arms. “It is worse than death, Emma.
Worse in your eyes I know that now. I know you. I thought I could
pass you off as useless in power to thwart him off a while longer
so I could come up with a plan. He means to take you as his
bride.”

“HIS WHAT?” I
screeched in his face. Somewhere around us I heard a laugh. The
guard named Trigger heard me. The other one didn
’
t speak at
all.

He screamed a triumphant hoot and
holler to the air.

“He wants to take you back to this
compound of horribleness and marry you so that he can stay king,"
the one named Trigger offered attempting humor. I ignored him and
aimed for Ames.

“Why on earth does he need me?” I
blasted my arms out beside me feigning anger to hide the fear. I
could blast this place to another continent. And I was so caught
under this suave guy's spell for the brief few minutes that I
didn't contemplate the game plan of the devil. Now I felt like the
room was getting heavy with liquid fire and someone might light a
match just to see me explode.

“Because you are the lost princess
who can make him the king forever. He just needs you to make it all
complete,” he blurted out like it hurt to say.

I was still in denial of this
catastrophic event and totally denying that he just called me a
princess. “Why now?”

“Because you will turn eighteen in
a month. If he takes you,” he squirmed about, “into his bed, he
thinks it makes you bound to him forever.”

Ahhh! So the magic deed on the
magic night. Not.gonna.happen.

“Sorry to inform
you boys, but I
’
m not available that night. Busy.
If he thinks for one second I will go with him or let him do
anything to my body, he is crazy loco.”

“He
won
’
t ask permission,
” he
whispered letting his sorrow seep through me like a disease. I felt
everything he did.

I looked at my hand burning with
secrets. His emotions were running wild and extremely
indecipherable. “What is this with you? Why do I feel your emotions
so strong and no one else?”

He drew me
further from the eavesdroppers. He smiled for the first time since
we came to the place, a dimple showing on the right side.
His
dimples
. My heart smiled until he
said his next words.

“You bound yourself to me in a
different way. Our connection is strong because you...well it just
is.” He pushed away from me instead of closer.

I tried to
breathe, “What? That
’
s impossible. As in you believe
that there is no other?”

“I believe you
are bound to me and no other, yes.” Strands of hair fell across his
forehead the way I imagined in my own fairy tale knight story.
Just, it
’
s supposed to be a dragon, not a relentless goblin princess
rescue. I was in so much trouble. "It wasn't something I saw
coming."

He was so
maddening. Didn
’
t he see what I meant to say?
“And how about you...to me?” I asked. It wasn't that I wanted to
look hopeful, just explanations.

He looked at me solidifying his
gaze like a lock on target. “I am bound to you and will be whether
you choose me or not.”

Bound, but it
was different for one than the other. I am so confused. Like
soulmates?
Choose
. He had some kind of hidden
secret in the middle of that statement.