Denial (Goblin's Kiss Series Book One) (40 page)

“Nothing me.
That
’
s not an answer. I want to know,” I pressed him hoping a
little humor might loosen him up. I gave Wicker the same copious
look Ames just did.

“I will show you.”

Evasive, but we would see. He
snatched my arm backward and half turned to look around us and then
returned to me. His mouth opened and closed, his face contradicting
his last words.

“But first,” his eyes had
something hungry in them and spelling out something dangerously
close to what I have wanted for weeks now. “I have
to...”

He leaned in and stopped just
close enough our eyes were still glued open bright green to
sapphire blue. Both our breathing picked up.

“I
wouldn
’
t do that if I were you,” a voice behind us called. “You know
her fate.”

"We will find a way,” he barked at
Paul Wicker.

He realized I
wasn
’
t backing down. “Then at least ask her first.” Paul looked at
me. “He told you what this kiss means?”

I blushed twenty shades of
tomorrow, but shook my head. He was standing with us when Joshlin
announced it.

“Is this what you want, Emma?
Me?”

He saw my bottom lip open to speak
and glued his eyes on it waiting. It was reckless and unknowing,
dangerous and possibly ill-fated. But sometimes life is just
that.

“Ames, I
haven
’
t wanted anything else more in my life.”

I took him for my own right then
and there not waiting for him to kiss me first.

I
can
’
t say any explanation could cover the magic of one kiss, but
this one tops any other kiss in history. As unbelievable as it
sounds, sparks flew inside and out. Like fireworks let loose in the
stand, electricity moved around us making our energies come alive
into one entity. His lips were exactly how I imagined, soft and as
nervous as mine. I wanted to never stop, never breath again. And I
felt the way he was just as taken aback as I was by the odd
occurrence and only deepened it further. This kiss was all about
feeling how we were melding together into one. His hand pressed
into the curve of my back. The hunger I saw in his eyes, felt, for
so long was all I could feel in this kiss. He was gentle, but it
was filled with need. We disconnected enough to confirm to each
other that what we both felt and saw was of the same energy. Like a
swirl of light bouncing around in my mind
’
s eye telling me this man
was mine. No one would believe me, but I saw that light move
between our bodies.

Hoarse and raspy he asked,
“Something just happened. Did you...feel it too?”

I was thinking
NS Sherlock, but I felt that might damper the mood. “Is it some
kind of alpha goblin ritual bonding kind of thing,
cuz
’
I would have liked a warning?” I waved my hands around to
exaggerate my point.

“Emma, I think
it means a little more than that,” he blushed. He actually turned
pink, but I wouldn
’
t tell him
that.

“It means
exactly what you think it does, my king.” A man I
didn
’
t know dressed in the guard
’
s uniform entered and bowed to
us.

I still held on
to Ames refusing to let go but accepted that he trusted this man
since he didn
’
t give off bad vibes in any way.
“Anyone going to enlighten me?”

Ames
wouldn
’
t look my way to answer. The hush of silence was thick around
us until a throat cleared and shattered the private bubble
I
’
d
kept us in even if bodies were stirring around
us.

“It means, my
dear princess, that you are the new queen of this realm whether you
choose to be, cursed or not. It is not by way of extinguishing our
last king, but rather by receiving the kiss of the true king. It is
why, I think, he is able to lighten your load when
you
’
re about to pop. Research told me that if a true king and
true queen come together, the match would be like no other. Careful
looking told me that it was your generation for it to happen. I
also believe curses can be lifted or wrongly
claimed.”

This man looked over at Katelyn
who appeared to be hiding her face from all of us. She seemed to be
the instigator of telling some of my own secrets.

Ames cleared his
throat and said to her, “I can
’
t thank you enough for all
you
’
ve done for her. Telling him was a good move on your part and
very brave. I can only wonder what all you suffered to gain the
knowledge we have now.”

“Just be glad it
didn
’
t fall into the wrong hands. When I found her in the book
room alone, I wanted to kill you myself, Cahn.” The guard regarded
Katelyn like she was important to him.

“Why
didn
’
t you say something last night?” Ames asked like he was
desperate.

“It
wasn
’
t needed then and I didn
’
t think you were this smitten
with the girl. It
’
s been a long time
coming.”

Oh, gawd. He was talking about all
the past girlfriends. I wanted to really die of embarrassment but
it was a little awesome to know I might be the only girl who could
keep the great and mighty Ames Cahn intrigued longer than the
rest.

I looked back
and forth to between men. They both believed the whole combined
abilities and calming thingy to be true. “Aside from the adventure
to gain the knowledge, are you meaning his kiss is some all
powerful true love
’
s kiss like Snow White or
something? I
’
m in a freaking fairy tale?” And
to think I was just joking about things like this the day all this
began.

“Go back to the all powerful kiss
part. I like that. Best part of the tale,” Ames said way too smug
ignoring my concerns.

“Yeah. Watch it
you. How do I know it wasn
’
t a bunch of magic hooey that
made that powerful kiss so good?”

“Oh, so it
was
so good
was it?” He said “
so good
” inside of quotation marks
with such a dopey grin I wanted to pop him across that kissable
mouth with my fist.

Oh, forget it. “Oh, yes oh sexy
one. You are the god of perfect kissing.” So help me, he bowed to
me.

I huffed but I
wasn
’
t really mad. “What does it mean, mister?” I
didn
’
t know who this guard of all knowing was telling me
I
’
d
just kissed a guy and it made me queen of the broken to pieces
castle.

“Sorry,
I
’
m
Katelyn
’
s father, Brooks Tanner,” he stuck out his hand to me. “And
it means that you are linked by lineage and that you have the
choice of which realm you rule from.” He looked at Ames. “Yes, we
are both aware of the written text in her own realm saying she has
another destiny. We can deal with that later.”

Ames gave him a knowing look like
my destiny was an open book or something.

I screwed my face up. “Ew. We are
related?” I stuck my tongue out wanting him to be anything but
joking.

Brooks
’
exasperated expression said otherwise. “Certainly
not. If you were, would I have let you two tongue tango a few
minutes ago?”

Point well made. “So, then?” I was
anxious to learn. This man was twice my age, and hard looking or
not, I trusted him if Ames did.

“So, it means a king and queen are
reunited once more. It has been three generations since the true
bloodlines found their way back to each other.”

This sounded strangely like
relations again. “So were not related?” I asked for
clarification.

Brooks rolled his eyes and Ames
let him have one of his rare smiles while eyeing my own movements
intensely. “It means, sweet little one, that the kings and queens
of old have found their way back because the two families that you
descended from were both magical and keepers of the Goblins Guild.
You just happen to be the offspring of a magical mistake in our
history. Or happy coincidence. The realms separated and formed
lines of opposition and your father took a leader position. Your
great, great grandfather was the king of a realm in the upper Rocky
Mountains. Perhaps now, we can have unity again. Perhaps it was all
meant to be anyway and we are just puppets in the bigger game.
Either way, the broken line will be restored.”

“How is my family
involved?”

A look from Brooks to Ames passed
over. “A little research in the library book rooms would be good
for both of you. I sense that Ames wants to share much of the
details himself, but I will add that sometimes a fortune told is a
life ruined. Sometimes they are greased with wrongdoing. Better to
check on these things thoroughly.”

Ames was severely agitated with
that statement, but it felt like a riddle to me.
“I thought I had that covered already?” Ames asked
Brooks.

“More than likely.” Brooks didn’t
smile.

“O-kay. I will
remember that.” I finally broke off my interrogation with
Katelyn
’
s father to look at how Ames was taking all this with him
knowing I was analyzing his face. His expression looked as if he
just kept confirming his own suspicions, but it was his emotional
energy that told me more. “You knew all this,
didn
’
t you?”

His careful gaze directed back to
Brooks, “I will show her tonight and explain
everything.”

I should not
have accepted this conversation as some kind of commonplace
solution to what I evidently still didn
’
t know, but with Ames it had
become a habit and I was yet to get dead or enslaved forever as it
had looked at times. It would have to stop. And
soon.

Brooks nodded.
“Very well, Master
Cahn. If it would do well to honor you, I would like to take camp
back inside and appoint someone...younger to the
outside.”

Ames
didn
’
t flinch a muscle. “Done, only if you and Wicker can work
together as Captain and Deputy to the guard in harmony and not
habitually male bash each other?”

Brooks shook his
head. Wicker scoffed in the back. Brooks was aware of
Wicker
’
s motivations.

Ames smiled, “Done. And Wicker
will continue over the newlings as he is so very good at
it.”

“And I will see to Joshlin and his
whereabouts. It would behoove us to have his location ASAP!” Brooks
stated.

Wicker
’
s voice chimed in behind Brooks,
“It would be my pleasure. I already have his long and lat. Just
need a team to corner and cage him in. And I assume the post as
teacher if, and only if, I can have Katelyn to assist
me.”

My face was suddenly alight. What
was this?

Ames answered
him with a knowing smile, by Brooks frowned before answering, “I
guess I can
’
t stop it. I am glad to have such
a fine man added to the family.”

Whoa! Did I miss something? Either
way, I already felt ten times better even if no one caught me up or
even thought of me until silent in the background Trigger chimed
in.

“Better tell her
who you are now,” Trigger offered his wisdom stepping forward and
draping an arm across my shoulders. “She
’
ll soon find out she has
more than one fighting to have her.”

A snarl emerged from Ames and
Trigger backed away so fast.

“She already knew who I was before
today,” Ames aimlessly looked towards where Joshlin had been
standing trapped by my knife attack. Was he seriously worried
Joshlin could woo me from him?

“You
’
re a little late to the party,”
Katelyn sassed to Trigger. He made a face at her.

“Well, if that
doesn
’
t take all. Does she know all your other secrets? Like the
ones that spell E.M.M.A across your forehead and how you
haven
’
t noticed another girl since
she
showed up.”

“Shut up, Trigger.” Ames had
unknowingly moved closer to me—I think.