Denial (Goblin's Kiss Series Book One) (37 page)

Trigger flanked
the back while I stalked the front door. I didn
’
t think Brooks would
let us get this close without some type of radar alert to his own
liking. He had to know we were too close whether he was inside or
out.

“How does a goblin realm king lose
the ability to make his enemy unaware of his presence in an
attack?” the older voice of a wiser one sounded behind my back. I
inched back a half step knowing a dagger was probably in my back
and confirmed it with its pointed edge jabbing my shoulder
blade.

“How is it that I am not dead if I
am still considered the enemy?”

“Who said you were the
enemy?”

“Who said—

“Oh, stop with the crap questions
you two and kill each other if you must. We have work to do,”
Trigger nonchalantly walked through the front door from the
inside.

“And perhaps a
certain watchman of the goblin realm who has been assigned to keep
riff-raff from the front entrance should watch his own back when
it
’
s
up against an iron blade of his own making.”

“Wicker, you
were always the true pirate of the realm. While I appreciate the
sick way of admiring my blacksmithing skills, I
don
’
t care for the comedy routine. I
’
ll admit you bested me and
now we can get on with the reason why you three are risking your
necks to execution of the worst kind.” Brooks had his own humor out
there in the open despite his outward display of anger. He was only
mad if we got caught.

“You best get
inside before any other sees you. Treason won
’
t help me keep my
family safe, nor any of yours.”

We followed into
the warm interior of the cabin. The fire was blazing as if
he
’
d
just been inside with the poker standing against the hearth. On the
table was a half eaten bowl of soup that was still
steaming.

“Did we interrupt?
” I asked
ferociously, dying of hunger.

“Beside the point. For which you
need to make fast so you can be gone.”

I sat in the only chair in the
room and told him a short version of where Emma was and why. He
knew some of the details from the inside and from what his daughter
had divulged from her sneak outs to bring him bread and
cheese.

Wicker
’
s face lit up at the prospect of
Katelyn coming here, but it darkened after he realized she was
risking her life to do it. How have I never noticed his interest in
her before?

Wicker asked Brooks her route and
I knew all too well the wheels turning in his brain were mapping
out where to thwart her from doing it again.

If I knew women
like I did lately, he
’
d never keep her away. It seemed
Emma could finagle around any plan I had if she set her mind to it.
Her absence from me was proof of that, though she
didn
’
t choose this aversion.

“I will help the
best I can. Katelyn has a ritual lately. She is due back before
this night is through to bring my weekly rations even at my empty
threats to punish her. She isn
’
t a girl anymore and it pains me
to know she has a right to make up her own mind. One day she will
marry,” Brooks eyed Wicker, “and I will have to let her go. I just
want her alive to do that.”

His narrowed eyes at Wicker making
the tension in the room deep and hard to cut away. “If she is hurt
trying to help any of you, I will hold each of you
responsible.”

That was not an empty
threat.

A plan was made.
Wicker would handle Katelyn
’
s visit and get information to
her that we were coming in at nightfall the next night. Trigger
would make the circles to be sure the routine for the surrounding
guards was still all the same.

I was in charge of weapons. We
needed more. Brooks gave me one spare knife, but I needed a
long-range weapon. A sword.

Taking out one guard would be
easy. Many would mean backup.

The darkness
without a moon was now obscenely weighing on my patience. Every
sound and every tick of the non-existent watch was killing me. I
prayed Emma was safely sleeping and no harm had come to her. I knew
I had to wait this out for it to go right, but to know another
second of her being there meant she might be hurt was eating my
insides. I haven
’
t eaten in two days and it was
starting to affect my senses, but I didn
’
t care. I just needed her
safe.

Wicker returned
way too happy with his visit to Katelyn. I didn
’
t have to ask if
she
’
d come, his face said it all. I didn
’
t even ask if all was set,
his demeanor told what I needed.

After a good five minutes, he
tuned in again. We were sharing a loaf of bread shared by her.
“Katelyn told me something.”

“Get on with
it,” I didn
’
t have any
friggin
’
idea where this would go.

“Joshlin means to take her as his
bride tomorrow night and make it official without telling Emma. He
wants her off guard and forced to say yes in front of the realm so
she cannot turn away.”

I bolted upright
into the tree where I was leaned against and shook the tree with
every amount of rage I could muster. My fists were bloody by the
time I screamed a thousand inappropriate things inside as to what
I
’
d
do to that piece of s—

“It
won
’
t happen, Cahn. We will have her before he lays a finger on
her.”

I knew my face was bulging with
something worse than fire, but I knew Wicker was my best hope if
only for the boiling rage hidden deep in his heart for
years.

“I know if
anyone can do this, you can. I haven
’
t thanked you,
Wicker.”

“For what?
Putting up with your sorry butt or dealing with your wuss ways when
it comes to
that
girl?”

“And you
didn
’
t just sneak off to go see Katelyn for her wicked ways of
meeting daddy with food for no other reason than to get
information.” Repressing a sigh I know he was trying to hide,
Wicker stated the obvious. “
So we
’
re both whooped. Females will be
the death of us.”

“In some ways we already are, but
not in a bad way I think. I think...she makes me stronger, able to
stand.”

“You mean own up
to who you are. You
’
re actually considering taking
him completely out, aren
’
t you?” Wicker had hope in his
voice.

“Yeah. If she does it with me, I
will.”

“Wow, it took a woman to make Ames
Cahn see the truth. Who would have guessed?”

“And you will be
alone the rest of your life if you don
’
t do the
same.”

“Nope.”
Wicker
’
s face stayed in a solid grin
like I
’
d not seen on him. “I told her tonight that
I
’
d
like to see her if she will allow it.”

Wow! He did it.
I flipped my head over for just long enough to see that his smile
was indeed unlike any facial expression he
’
d ever given before.
“And?”

“She said yes. If I
lived.”

Ominous, but honest.

We settled into a comfortable
silence and waited for the sun.

Katelyn shook me awake whispering
fiercely in my face like a crow pecking my eyeballs out. My skin
pricked against her fingernails biting into my
shoulders.

“What did you
say?”
I said
groggily.

“I overheard
Joshlin telling his men to ready the realm for the wedding. He
didn
’
t mean for three days from now. He means today, uh...when you
get up it is today.” Her eyebrows snapped together telling me I was
annoying her with my laziness.

“What? He
said
today
?”

She sat beside me now making the
bed dip. My blurry eyes adjusted enough to see that she was fully
clothed.

“Yes, he said to alert the
servants that the dress was to be done by morning and he wanted
approval.”

I shrugged
forward, “That doesn
’
t mean today
necessarily.”

“Yes, it does. He said to have his
dress uniform prepared for the ceremony tonight. That only means
one thing.”

I had to assume he only wore it
for “special occasions” by the way her voice sounded but it made me
too sick to say it.

“I
can
’
t do that, Katelyn. I won
’
t marry him.”

She sighed
heavily and even giggled like we
’
d always been the best of
friends. She was so unwillingly and untrusting just a day ago. Two
days ago. Whatever.
She took
my hand in hers.
“Would you like to hear
the good news or not?”

Her brown eyes rolled and she
smile too big to be upset with the news she just shared. “What
could possibly be good about this?”

Katelyn hopped
off the bed and twirled like a little girl making her blonde hair
blur through the air like a merry-go-round. “I ran into a friend.
Or rather good friend...or,”
she sighed stoping herself.

Oh my. What was going
on?

“Paul Wicker found me outside the
realm visiting my father and told me—

I crushed her arms into my grip
and screamed in her face, “YOU SAW WICKER?” I had to whisper yell
to not get attention from unwanted guards.

“Oh, Emma. You doubted me all
along. I have known Paul since we were young and in classes
together. He is several years older, but I have always known him.
Oh, yes. I know him.” The gleam in her eye was sparkly and
wet.

“You like that dry humored sour
man,” I accused.

Her mouth
tightened. “You don
’
t know him. He is
sweet.”

Wicker?
“Are we talking about the
same man? Tall, dark headed, stern and rigid in every
step.”

“And sexy in
every military pose he holds, broody in every word he says with his
deep resonant voice, eats like a lion, tracks like a panther, and
uses a weapon like he
’
s in love with
it.”

I agreed with
half of it. Sexy wasn
’
t a word I associated with
Wicker, but to each his own.

“What did you find out?” I asked
trying to get back on task. I grabbed my gown and started to dress
right in front of her. I kept my bra from my own human life and
refused to stop wearing their archaic clothes after the first hours
here. I wore their silly dresses, but underneath I was still me.
Besides, who would ever admit they were wearing something labeled
pantaloons?

“That Ames is right inside the
haze ready to attack today. I told Paul what Joshlin had planned
for today and he assured me that it would never take place. He told
me that once Ames knew, he would storm the place without
delay.”

No doubt. That left little time.
“Look, I need you to do something. I want to know where they have
my dress. I have an idea. And I need knives. Any kind.”

Katelyn
’
s eyes widened. “What are you
going to do with them?”

“I
don’
t want to hurt him...well mostly. But
I do want to scare him into stalling or not wanting me whichever
works.”
“The not wanting you part won
’
t work. He wants every woman and
you got some power in there. He will never let you
go.”

“That
’
s what I
’
m afraid of. So I need a
backup plan. Even if Ames and the guys get in, Joshlin has power
too. I don
’
t want to see them dead
either.”

Her eyes went
distant for a second, “
No. I
don’
t want them hurt
either.”