The Goblin King's Mischief, page 22
I scrunched my eyebrows. “Are you unwell?” I asked as I descended the spiral staircase.
“What brings you here?”
I tilted my head at his question but gestured toward Tadhg, who was already approaching Aodh to greet him. “Eithne is off today, so I came down to feed Tadhg. And you?”
He stared fixedly into the pot of water he had put over the fire. “Breakfast,” he muttered.
Uncertainty coiled inside me. Why is he being so distant? I thought I’d made progress. Despite my frown, I tried to make my voice light. “Shall I help, then?”
His eyes slid to mine, and my heart skipped a beat at the intensity I found there. My face flushed. He looked like he was about to take me right there in the kitchen. “Do you know how to cook?” His tone didn’t match the mundane nature of his question at all.
I trembled, attempting to breathe enough to answer him. “H-how hard can it be?”
And then he looked away, and my knees nearly buckled as if his gaze had been holding me up.
“Sure,” he said. “Why don’t you slice some bread and cheese while I make the tea?”
I nodded though he didn’t look at me to see.
It seemed whatever relief I’d found the night before, the same could not be said for Aodh. Whether it was the energy of the holiday or something else, I couldn’t say. But as I sliced a few pieces of bread from a loaf on the worktable—thick and uneven slices due to my unpracticed hand—I wondered why he hadn’t just taken care of himself the way I had.
I glanced over at him. The energy was rolling off him, and he seemed to take up much more space than usual as he prowled around the kitchen looking for whatever he was looking for.
Tadhg let out an insistent meow, and I shifted my eyes to him as he stared up at me from the floor. Grabbing the wedge of cheese, I broke off a hunk and put it on the floor for him.
But when I straightened, I found Aodh standing before me. My breath hitched, and I stepped back, my bum bumping into the worktable behind me.
He reached out, gripping the ledge of the table on either side of my hips as he stared down at me with an intense and unreadable expression.
I could feel the heat of his body, not a foot from mine, and I swallowed with difficulty.
The feeling coming from him was fierce but confusing, and I didn’t dare move in the chance it was arising from a place of anger.
“Your Majesty?” I whispered unsteadily.
Chapter
Fifty-Five
“Stop.” His order was hushed but firm.
My mind spun to think of what I’d been doing to so offend him.
The ferocity of his gaze wavered, and he seemed to wince. “Stop making me…”
My heart panged in sympathy. I didn’t know what he was trying to say, but I didn’t like to see him struggling. I lifted my hand, reaching toward his face in an instinctive need to comfort him. “What—?”
He snatched my wrist before I could touch him. His fingers burned with heat, and his pulse pounded against the sensitive skin of my wrist.
“Don’t,” he growled.
I stilled, watching him carefully as sadness welled up inside me.
He let out a long, stuttering sigh, closing his eyes. “I don’t…want…” His words trailed off.
“What don’t you want, Your Majesty?” I asked softly.
He winced again as if the very sound of my voice caused him pain. Opening his eyes, he fixed me with a steady stare. “I don’t want to want you.”
I held my breath, a thrill running through me.
“So stop it.” With every word he spoke, his tone turned from a fierce demand to a hopeless plea. “Stop doing whatever it is you’re doing to get inside my head. I was just fine before you showed up, and I don’t want this.”
An odd mixture of feelings swirled inside me. It was clear everything I’d done thus far to earn Aodh’s favor had worked to some degree. And that should have made me beyond happy. But I couldn’t really feel joy when he looked so miserable. He clearly wanted me—perhaps not enough to indulge in such a feeling but enough that he felt a pull.
I blinked slowly before gazing into his eyes. “Very well, Your Majesty.”
I won’t tell you how much I love you anymore. I won’t say how my body yearns for yours—even if those were the answers to questions you asked me directly. If this is what you want, I think my point has already been made. But do not take my silence as any indication those unspoken things are no longer true.
Though I gave in to his request immediately, he did not move away. He stood, hovering over me with my wrist still in his hand. If he thought my yielding to his demand meant I would push him away, he was mistaken.
“Good,” he said, his tone a little surprised and confused that it had been so easy.
I gave him a small, polite smile to show we were in agreement.
He stared down at me for another moment, that analytical gaze of his sweeping over my face. Then he released my wrist and stepped back. The shadow of regret flitted over his expression before he turned away.
I watched while he made his way to the pot of boiling water and pulled it out to ladle some into a teapot.
There was no space in me to feel regret that he had effectively rejected me yet again. I was too full of sympathy for the pain his desire was causing him, joy that somewhere within him he still wanted me, and, of course, my never-wavering hope.
And I wasn’t discouraged by my agreement to no longer openly express my feelings toward him because I knew I didn’t need to. He could tell me to stop doing what I was doing, and I could stop with my overt actions. But that wouldn’t help him. I would still be me. Those declarations I had so boldly made weren’t who I was. And if he actually wanted me, then that wouldn’t change by me simply silencing my speech.
The atmosphere between us as we breakfasted off the kitchen worktable was thick and silent. I could feel the heavy energy coming from him, but it didn’t dampen the light in my heart. I ate contentedly as though the world belonged to me. And so it did with every furtive glance Aodh took at me.
For his part, Tadhg seemed to take the greatest advantage of this unusual meal, alternately soliciting food from both Aodh and me before slinking off to do whatever it was spunkies did most of the time.
After all the food had been eaten and the tea drunk, we lingered at the table.
I would not be the first to leave his side, and so I waited for him to either depart or dismiss me. But to my delight, he seemed to hesitate.
Finally, he stood up straighter and dipped his head in a formal bow. “The goblins will be arriving again soon.” He eyed my robe. “We best get dressed for the rest of the celebration.”
“Thank you for the company, Your Majesty, and for the tea.” I smiled warmly.
He watched me for a long moment, then nodded. “You head up first. I’ll take the dishes to the scullery.”
“Would you like some help?”
“No, thank you. Go on ahead.”
I smiled again before doing as he urged.
As I ascended to my bedroom, I wondered how likely it would be for Aodh to give in to his desire for me. Would he be able to overcome his reservations on his own? Could I quietly do something to help him along? Was it time to push him to have a real conversation about why he was so reluctant to begin with? I couldn’t let him know I was Mischief, but asking why he didn’t want to want me was a completely reasonable question. If I left it alone, would he release his doubts before the summer solstice deadline?
I was deep in those thoughts when I stepped into the hallway that led to my chambers, but they were pushed to the background when I saw Graeme arriving at the guest room door.
My eyebrows rose as I took in his disheveled appearance. His hair was tangled with elf locks, and his shirt was torn.
“Graeme?” I called.
He turned to me slowly. I was relieved to see he didn’t have a black eye.
“What happened to you?” I studied him to make sure there wasn’t blood anywhere.
He snorted, and a languid smile spread across his face. “Selwyn.”
Chapter
Fifty-Six
My eyes nearly popped out of my head.
Turning the knob of his bedroom door, Graeme gestured with his head. “Come in. I’ve figured some things out.”
I closed the door behind me as I entered the space.
Graeme removed his jacket and shirt, then made his way to the water pitcher and basin on the washing table.
He poured the water, which was now likely quite cold since it had been filled for him the previous night, and thrust his hands into the basin.
I eyed my brother’s shirtless form. There were red marks on his chest. “Did you two fight? You look terrible.”
Graeme splashed water on his face, then dried it with a towel. “You’re too innocent for this world, little sister.”
I pursed my lips, taking his comment as an insult.
“No, we didn’t fight.” He looked down at the marks. “Oh, he really got me, didn’t he? These are love bites.”
I crossed my arms. “So you got what you wanted, then? You finally bedded Selwyn?”
My brother turned to me, frowning. “In a manner of speaking.” Moving toward the luggage pushed up against the wall, he knelt and started to dig through it.
“What does that mean?”
Finding what he was looking for, Graeme threw clean clothes onto the bed and turned toward me. “I had sex with him, but he didn’t have sex with me.”
My eyebrows scrunched together. I didn’t have the patience for riddles.
He held up his hand to silence me before I could voice my complaint. “He asked me to glamour my appearance”—he frowned seriously—“to look like your elf.”
My mouth dropped open. “What?” My volume was much louder than I intended. “H-he—”
Graeme nodded. “It seems that grumpy kelpie is in love with the Goblin King.”
I reached out, steadying myself before sinking onto the bed. “So that’s what he meant. That’s why he hates me so much?”
“Yep.” Graeme punctuated the word with a loud pop of his lips. “I suppose the good news for you is that not only does your elf not know about it, but he’s also not interested in males at all—at least according to Selwyn.”
I sighed. “So he was just jealous of me being with Aodh? Was it really that simple?”
Graeme shrugged. “Seems so.”
I looked up at my brother, frowning in realization. “Oh, but Graeme… How could you do that to him? Don’t you think indulging in that kind of request will only hurt him more in the long run?”
Graeme seemed to consider my words carefully before answering. “I’m not sure. It really could go either way. Perhaps by having what he wanted even in his imagination, it will be enough for him to let go. Perhaps you’re right, and the farce of it all will only hurt him more deeply. But whether it hurts him more or not is not really the question.”
“What is, then?”
“Will he let go? The fact is this one-sided love of his is truly not going anywhere. And in order for him to live the rest of his life, he needs to let it go. So whether this will hurt him more, I couldn’t say. But this will force him to come to terms with that inevitable fact one way or the other, especially since…”
I waited for him to continue.
“Especially since I told him I would only do it the once.”
I looked carefully at my brother’s expression. “You didn’t want to do it to begin with, did you?”
He met my eyes, then averted his gaze. “Well,” he said lightly. “It did hurt my pride a little to have the fae I was trying to seduce ask me to be someone else, but…I couldn’t refuse when he begged me so piteously.”
Silence hung in the air as if Graeme could still hear Selwyn’s pleas.
“Are you all right?” I asked gently.
My brother flinched and glanced at me in surprise. “Me?” He smiled softly. “Yeah, I’m fine. I suppose we can all stand to be brought down a peg now and then. Besides, it’s not as though I’m in love with him or anything. But…I do want to help him.”
An old sadness, one I’d seen far too often, entered his gaze as he looked at me. “I’ve seen what a heart’s longing can cost someone, and I don’t want him to go through that any longer than he has to. I may have started this to help you and for a bit of amusement, but now I see some good can come of it. I’d like to help him heal if I can.”
I rose to my feet and closed the distance between us, embracing my brother around the middle as he rested his chin atop my head. “My sweet, soft-hearted brother,” I murmured, patting his bare back. “You—” I pulled away from our hug.
“I, what? Keep going. I love it when you compliment me.”
“You stink like sweat and…”
“Selwyn juice?”
I cringed. “Ugh, ew! Why would you say that?”
He laughed the way only teasing brothers can. “You’re the one who wanted to give me a hug before I properly bathed.”
“You should have warned me,” I complained.
“But then I wouldn’t get to see your reaction, and it’s hilarious. Plus, I’ll never say no to my little sister showing me affection.”
“Blegh,” I gagged. “Gods, you’re so gross. Go take a bath already. I have to get ready for the rest of the celebration.”
“I love you, too!” he called after me as I exited and shut the door behind me.
I rolled my eyes and huffed my annoyance before shaking it off and going to my room to dress.
Chapter
Fifty-Seven
I couldn’t think about how alluring Aodh looked in the morning sunshine or how solid his arm felt beneath my fingertips as he led me out into the palace grounds.
There was much too much going on to hold onto those thoughts.
Charlie was directing a trio of guards where to plant the samcenn-pole as the ribbons we’d worked so hard on fluttered in the breeze.
Rosemary and Lottie were carrying a table toward a long row of tables that had already been set out while Gráinne directed the bakers as they arrived with their baskets of bannocks.
A group of musicians was already settling in not far from the samcenn-pole, and they struck up a lively tune just as Odilie approached us.
She bowed to us. “Bealtaine blessings, Your Majesties.”
I smiled at her. “And to you, Odilie.”
But her amethyst eyes said she had not come merely to wish us a happy holiday. “Um, I fear there are too many bannocks and not enough people to pass them out, Your Majesty. I worry the crowd will get impatient. Shall I ask a few citizens if they wouldn’t mind helping?”
“Let’s not take from their celebration unless absolutely necessary,” I said. “I’ll help pass out bannocks myself.”
Her eyes widened. “You, Your Majesty?”
“Of course, why not?”
“B-but wouldn’t you rather enjoy the festivities? You worked so hard to organize the whole thing.”
I nodded. “Therefore, it’s my responsibility to see it goes smoothly. Besides, the faster we pass out the bannocks, the quicker we can all enjoy the party.”
She smiled up at me, and I pulled my hand from Aodh’s arm.
“If you’ll excuse me, Your Majesty,” I said.
“I’ll help as well,” he offered, following us before we’d even taken two steps toward the tables.
I grinned. “Your help is much appreciated. Thank you.”
He stared at me silently for a moment. “All the better to pass them out quickly, right?”
As surprised as Odilie had been that Aodh and I had offered to help, Gráinne nearly toppled over when Aodh asked her where she wanted him.
With everyone’s hard work, we were ready when the goblins began to arrive at the front gate.
And once they were on the grounds, everything became a blur of music, swirling dances around the samcenn-pole, and laughter. Even from my vantage point at the bannock tables, I could see just how much the goblins were enjoying themselves.
People ate and drank, told jokes, and sang songs. And it wasn’t just our bannocks for fare either. Some of the local restaurateurs, innkeepers, and tavern owners had brought along food and drink to sell. But even more goblins had packed meals from home and openly shared with those around them.
I shook my head when I saw Tadhg in dog form doing tricks for scraps.
The children of the orphanage were thrilled to receive their bannocks. Aodh and I even earned a smile of approval from Kathleen when she came to the table though I knew all this only went a short way in addressing her very real concerns.
At one point, I saw Charlie dancing with a human, her bronze curls shining in the sunlight as he spun her around.
Toward the end of the line, when we began running low on bannocks, I spotted my brother approaching Selwyn, who sat in the grass not far from the samcenn-pole. Selwyn didn’t seem keen on whatever Graeme said to him. But in that playful way my brother had, he bumped him with his shoulder, and Selwyn smiled. It wasn’t the sly or nasty smile I’d seen from him either; it was warm and genuine.
I couldn’t help but grin when they both stood up and took a twirl around the samcenn-pole.
“What are you looking at?” Aodh asked from beside me.
I pointed to Selwyn and Graeme as the song ended and they collapsed in exhausted laughter. “Has Selwyn gotten a bannock yet?” I asked Aodh.
Aodh frowned. “Not that I saw.”
I took one from the small stack still on the table. “I’ll be right back.”
Making my way through the crowd and winding between laid out blankets, smiling at those who greeted me, took longer than expected even though Selwyn and Graeme weren’t that far from me.
I approached them, and Selwyn’s eyes widened as they both looked up at me. Then his face tightened.
I knew he didn’t like me, and I could understand why. I couldn’t even blame him. Aodh had a way of making people fall for him after all. But I didn’t want to fight with him anymore if I could make peace. I tried to adopt my friendliest smile.
