Goblin Cursed, page 23
A goblin, with a red cap that dripped with what suspiciously looked like blood, stepped forward.
The air seemed to grow stale as his eyes narrowed. "So are you saying you renounce your duties to goblin kind, God of mine?"
"A carefully worded question. One would think twice how you word things, my dear Mast. You wouldn't want me to misunderstand your question for insolence." He deliberately turned his back on the angry goblin and spoke to the general assembly in harsher tones. "Let me say here and now that I do what I want. I will not be questioned. Anyone who dares to do so will feel the full extent of my wrath."
An angry goblin, who was larger than any goblin I'd seen before, even larger than Kut, stepped forward. His body vibrated with repressed rage.
His voice was impossibly high-pitched yet grated like sandpaper as he said, "That isn't our holiness. It's more fairie tricks, and I won't stand for it, I tell you!"
Shit. I'd no sooner thought the word than Bab had shot my arm out. The goblin clutched and clawed at his throat as he rose off the ground.
"What kind of Darth Vader shit is that?" I said, unable to believe what I was seeing.
"I have control of them," he said simply as the goblin thrashed.
Revulsion roiled in my gut. "Ok, you've proved your point. Put him down."
But Bab wasn't listening. The goblin's thrashes grew less and less until they finally ceased altogether. Until he hung there limply. Bab dropped my arm, and the body fell to the ground, motionless.
"Now, I have proven my point," he said to me coldly.
He let his actions hang like a pendulum over the stunned crowd. Ignoring the outburst, he said, "As your benevolent God, I understand you, my People, will need to know how to move forward."
Swinging his gaze over the crowd, he leveled it at one after another. As each of them cowered under his eye, I had to agree: that had most certainly gotten his point across.
Continuing on in a louder voice, he said, "Since a bone is required to be on the altar, it is my choice to stay with the faerie. When and if I grow bored, I will return. Until that time, I am appointing Kutulun and Mabye Royal Messengers. If you have a need of me, send them to call on the Princess. As my vessel, you will treat her as your God, for I am her, and she is me. She will answer your call. She will take care of you."
My stomach dropped at his words. This was not happening.
I thought hard at Bab. "Oh, no. I will not be a glorified, goblin babysitter."
"You fucked up, Princess. Now, you must pay the price. We all have to answer for our sins." He said simply. Then, as if his metaphysical guilt trip hadn't been enough, he added, "Besides, there is no way they are going to let you walk out of here if they don't hear these words. They are scared. They need to be taken care of. Since it was you that made such an egregious error, it only makes sense that the person to do that is you."
I tried to think of a way to argue that, but he was right. I had messed up. It was up to me to make it right. I was the only one who could.
It was nice to know I didn't have to fight him anymore. That, as crazy as things would sometimes undoubtedly get, that we would always be on the same page. I let out a sigh of relief at the knowledge, and the weight of control of my body came back over me.
With the weight came a calm. Today, I'd made peace with the demons inside me, vampire and goblin alike. The freedom of that realization made me positively giddy. It most certainly wasn't an appropriate time for it considering there were two areas where it was clear pieces of the Jeffries clan law. A quick deduction helped me to see it was Nadine and Tillie. This was further clarified when I heard grunts and screams behind me. I spun on my heel the same time Sven did, albeit slower. I was simultaneously horrified and relieved to see Becca and John strung between a cluster of goblins. Their intention to mimic what they'd done to the other members of the Jeffries clan was clear.
"Wait!" I cried out.
At my voice, the goblins hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with following orders from a faerie. I continued on anyway, adding steel to my tone, and said, "That isn't how things work up here."
"Well, they should," Bab said, grumbling in my head.
A thought hit me. I focused hard to make sure the next question I asked would only be in my head.
I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I asked Bab, "Does this mean I have subjects who will obey my every command?"
I could feel his mirroring smile as he said, "But of course."
I unsuccessfully tried to swallow my smile as I said to the goblins, "Tie them up and bring them back to my car."
For a second, they stood, motionless. I held my breath. Would they actually do it? It only took a second to pass before I got my answer. Shouts were called out, and they scrambled around the clearing as they scurried around to obey my order and find something to secure them with. A satisfied smile fell over my face.
Sven shook his head next to me, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're liking this too much."
I merely shrugged, not bothering to deny it.
He cocked his head to the side and asked, "How did you know my marking you would do that?"
I held my breath, waiting to feel that familiar uncomfortable feeling at the mention of being marked. When nothing came, my smile grew even wider. I'd done it. I'd gotten over my fear of being marked. I'd made peace with the new me. Demons and all.
Feeling pretty damn good, I turned back towards the car and started walking. He fell in step beside me.
"Well?" he prompted.
I looked at him, heat welling in my chest. Gods, I wanted to kiss him. Revel in his taste. Thank the world for him.
Instead, I answered his question, "I didn't. But from everything I've seen in my life, I knew it had to do something."
Sven looked at me for a couple more blinks then shook his head, a smile flirting at the edges of his lips. "You're something else, Cy Vanguard."
A pack of goblins rushed by us, saving me from admitting how I felt the same way about him. I laughed as I kicked and squirmed in their raised hands. By the time they'd rounded the bend, they'd almost dropped him at least a half a dozen times. And to think usually, I would have to deal with all of that nonsense, but instead, I could just walk lazily back to my car and know that everything would be ready and waiting?
A girl could get used to this.
Chapter 24
A fuzzed image appeared on the TV screen as Tyler and I made our way through the lobby.
The news anchor said with her plastic smile, "And in other news, the unidentified creatures spotted around New York City over the last two months have been identified. It's a half dozen brown-throated sloths. They'd gotten loose en route to the rain forests of South America, where they were being reintroduced to the wild. Their transport car had overturned, and they had escaped. The good news is they have all been rounded up and are now back on their way to live the rest of their days peacefully."
Sloths. Right. My eyes rolled so hard, I think they hit the back of my skull.
"I still can't believe you were framed." Tyler prattled on as we made our way through the lobby of the police station.
I stopped to give him the stink eye. His feet did a staccato shuffle to halt his perpetually peppy stride.
"You mean you actually thought I set fire to the Jeffries' house?" I asked, not bothering to keep the disgust out of my voice.
"Well, no." He sputtered. "What I meant was-"
Thinning my lips, I gave him a dead-panned stare and made my way to the door. Alone.
"Just tell Burdock he better have that press release stating my innocence like he said. And Tyler? Have it done like yesterday. I don't need to lose business over this."
The winter wind howled into the building as I opened the door. I hated winter in the city. There was no escaping the wind. The tightly packed buildings funneled it into an inescapable river. Buttoning the top button on my leather jacket, I braved the frigid blast. I ignored Tyler's mumbled "yes, ma'am" behind me. I didn't do, ma'am. I didn't need to feel older than I did.
Ok, at the moment, that was kind of a lie. My body felt better than it ever had. A perk of the second vampire mark, I guess. What other fun and exciting abilities had I gotten from the second mark? I'd have to ask Sven next time I saw him. For the first time, the thought didn't come with fear. I breathed a sigh of relief.
At the thought of Sven, I couldn't help the grin that came to my face. There was a man. Vampire or not. He was full-on man meat. I didn't know how much longer I could remind myself that we were just friends and believe it. He had, after all, literally put his life on the line to help me today. No questions asked. And he'd even tried to talk me out of the second mark. I shivered as I remembered the pleasure of his bite. Who knew being bitten by a vampire could feel so good? It made me 60 degrees warmer just thinking about it.
I turned down the darkening Park Row, lost in the memory of the chaos a mere eight hours ago. So much had changed. Yet, I was the same. Funny how life worked like that.
As I passed the Southern District Court, I saw a familiar glow in the fading light. A smile widened my face, and I changed my course to follow. The two sculptures Justice and Authority towered over me, their robes forever frozen in time like wings of an angel. Usually, their beauty brought me joy, but not today. Justice's shield seemed to scream "turn back," and Authority's scroll was at the ready, like a sword prepared to engage in battle. My feet slowed at the feeling starting to creep up my spine.
Then her light bobbed around the corner. I bit my lip to keep from smiling. I'd missed my surprising little friend. There was something to be said for a real friend. The kind that didn't have agendas or weird underlying currents. Just straightforward, honest friends. As soon as I rounded the corner, the glow appeared two inches in front of my face.
Kittie was wrapped up in a mink pelt scrap, complete with a tiny hat that sat in a spiral on top of her head. The brown looked out of place with her usual emo self. I'd sooner die than tell her that the color set off her hair like stars in the sky. A grin split her face.
Her permanently mischievous grin crooked as she said, "Hey, largie. Miss me?"
An overwhelming feeling of gratitude for her and her newfound friendship came over me.
I bit my lip and said, "Yeah, I think I did."
Blunt honesty with no witty banter was not the norm for us, so it made her pause. Her tiny face searched my eyes. After a second, she bobbed in understanding. Then a shiver wracked her body, sending pixie dust to the snow covered pavement. It was fresh snow here. People were creatures of habit and didn't venture off the path from the walkway to the door. Not to mention, the courthouse was closed now. Nobody was coming this way.
It was the perfect place to meet each other. I put out my hand so that she could land in it. No sense in her catching her death by coming out to see me. She landed on it, and I cupped my fingers around her, so they acted as a wind barrier.
The wind stopped whipping the fur on her hat around, so I knew I'd done my job.
"So is it true?" she asked in a rush, obviously dying to know. "Are you a goblin God now?"
I laughed and pushed down the uncomfortable feeling that came up. I reminded myself I was ok with this. There was nothing to be uneasy about. Instead, I focused on the positive parts, like having my own personal muscle. I was smiling sooner than I thought possible.
"I suppose it is," I said, with a wry grin.
I could almost feel Bab roll his eyes. "Of course, you get all of the credit, how typical."
His words just made me smile bigger.
She let out a low whistle. "Faerie princess and goblin God. That's quite the resume you've got there."
"Don't forget Bounty Hunter." I teased, wrinkling my nose at her.
She rolled her eyes at me. "Yes, gods forbid. Faerie princess and goblin God is nothing in comparison."
I laughed and tweaked her hat. "You'd be surprised."
The laughter disappeared from her face, and suddenly it was my turn to be confused. That hadn't made her mad, had it? She jammed her hat back onto her head, but it didn't take me long to realize her gaze was not on me. Instantly on the defense, I turned around. What I saw made my heart beat double time.
Standing there were two vampires. The blacks of their cloaks were stark against the white of the snow, but their pale faces stood out clear as the noonday sun in the rapidly darkening light. Shit.
"Don't worry your pretty little head," Bab said.
No sooner had he said the words than I could feel him taking control of my body. I didn't fight it. My hand came out, independent of my doing. Could I actually not have to live in fear of vampires any more? Hope flared in my chest.
I waited for the vampire to lift off the ground, but nothing happened. Well, fuck.
"What in the hell?" Bab growled.
Kittie bobbed in shock. "Holy, deep voice."
We ignored her. Bab tried again.
I only let him try twice more before I said to him, "It looks like your only effect is on goblins. You're going to have to let me have this one."
Reluctantly, I could feel control return to my body. I ignored the rubbery feel of getting my limbs' usage back and started retreating to the back of the closed-off alcove, looking around for a way out. There was a trash can at the end. Maybe I could boost myself onto it?
The vampires advanced in on me as I backed away. I took the wallet out of my purse and flung it at them.
"Look, take my money, I don't want any trouble," I said in an attempt to divert their attention.
It fell without notice at their feet. They stepped over it and laughed.
"Oh, we're not here for your money. Are we, Pall?"
The one called Pall shook his head and licked his lips. Razor-sharp canines grew over his lips. "Not even a little. We're interested in a faerie. Going to get our own proper supply now that the supply in the city has been all but cut off."
"Faerie?" I asked, feigning confusion. I was almost to the cans. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Bitch! Don't be coy." Pall said, slamming his fist into the cement wall. A fist-sized hole formed in the wall. "We know you're a faerie. And we're taking you. Finders keepers. Sven will just have to find himself a new whore."
"He won't mind." laughed the other one.
Hurt zinged through my chest at the mention of Sven's name. Gods, I wish he was here. My eyes flicked behind the advancing vampires. Some insane part of my brain thought if I wanted him there enough, I could will it. I put all of my energy into it. Sven. I felt a flutter in my chest, like a distant memory.
But he didn't come, and my knees hitting the trash can behind me told me time was up. I had to save myself. Fine. My heart slammed against my chest. I had two choices: fight or run. With my increased abilities, I could maybe have given one of them a run for their money, but not two. That left run. So be it. I jumped. My feet crashed onto the metal lid of the trash cans. I could hear the vampires scramble behind me. The top of the wall was easily still two feet over my head. Way too high to reach to pull myself up, but maybe…
Pushing with all of my newfound strength, I jumped again. To my shock, I soared above the wall. I laughed, relief cutting through me like a snipped kite string.
Shock dropped my stomach as I felt a hand close around my ankle. The force of it drug me down, and I fell back to the earth. Trash cans crashed and clattered seconds before I smashed into them. When I landed on a soft body instead of hard metal, it became apparent as to why.
Tucking and rolling, I pushed off the heap and leaped to my feet, right in front of the second vampire. His head tilted to the side, and he bared fangs that glinted off the street lights. That was the only warning I had. I'd just managed to get my hands up in time before he was on me. His jaws snapped and clicked inches from my neck. I screamed as he thrashed over me. Gritting my teeth, it took all of my effort to hold him at bay. Seconds passed. He was too powerful, and my muscles shook with the effort to keep those precious inches between us. Those inches meant my life or death. My arms began to buckle. The gleam in his eye was hard to miss. I shook my head in denial. This couldn't be happening.
"Cy, shut 'em!" Came Kittie's high-pitched cry from above.
Instinctively, I knew what she was going to do. I squeezed my eyes shut. In an instant, a storm of red light and shimmer flashed behind my eyelids. Pixie dust. The vampire screamed and let go. I could feel him thrash next to me. When the lights stopped flashing, I opened my eyes. The vampire clawed and scratched at his face. Now was my chance.
I went to dart around him to take a break for the street. With a gasp, I threw out a hand to stop myself. The other vampire blocked the alley, a cocky smile on his face. He wagged an eyebrow at me. There was no way I could take him out by myself. My eyes darted to the mouth of the alley again, half expecting to see Sven. Nothing. I don't know why I thought he was going to show up. It was almost a palpable buzz in my veins. It was a thought I was going to have to get out of my head. No one was coming to save me. I had to save myself.
My eyes fell on the garbage cans. They were crushed, useless. What was I going to do? The vampire at the end of the alley prowled towards me. I flicked a quick glance at the other vampire. He was pulling himself to his feet. Whatever it was, I had to do it now; I was out of time.
I only had this one chance. This second to getaway. There was only one thing I could do.
My hands shook as I braced my feet, said a quick prayer, and then shouted, "Never, never, never."
And just like that, I felt the weight of my wings, back again. I was ready for them and had them beating before a thought even had time to form. Weightlessness took over my body as I raised into the air. Right on time, too. The vampire had just opened his eyes. They were red and burnt.
"Come here, you little bitch." He shouted, jumping for me.
Fear bloomed in my gut as his fingertips hit my foot. I didn't know if it was the fear or what but the flutter I'd felt earlier intensified in my chest. Breathing deeply, I worked my muscles, giving all my focus to it. Then something hit my wings. Something large. Something solid. My wings brushed against them again and again, the effort to stay moving, to keep me in the air, increasing a hundredfold. It felt like they were hitting a wall. But there was no wall behind me that I would be striking.
