Denial (Goblin's Kiss Series Book One) (39 page)

I searched for another knife
blindly as his hands dropped and I ran from him ripping lace and
dress from every section I could seize under my trembling
hands.

Ames was closing
in with Trigger and Wicker right behind. I measured the distance. I
wasn
’
t going to make it.

Flipping around
with just my “
pantaloons
” and feeling to see if
the top of my dress was intact, I had all four of my other knives
ready and aimed.

Joshin broke off
his run abruptly. “You wouldn
’
t kill your king you cursed
witch.”

Not one guard or anyone was
helping me. Or Joshlin.

“Maybe not
intentionally, but who knows. I
’
ve only been taught recently how
to harness this extreme power you seek, so it
’
s hard to say what
might happen when I unleash it.”

“She might not, but I
would.”

Emma was strong
and confident, but without any amount of self-preservation for her
own safety when it was a heated moment. I was seriously worried
with the idea that she might destroy herself with her own power,
but I couldn
’
t stop wondering what she might
do next.

The knives in
her hand left her and moved on their own accord in an upward spiral
all seeking one destination. As they billowed through an unmarked
pattern and all turned to point at our beloved
king
’
s head, the crowd around us made the second collective gasp
to make the scene cinematic and anticipatory.

She
wouldn
’
t do it intentionally and I in no way would let her. She
could never live with herself.

However surprised she might have
been at her own abilities, she then opened her mouth like she
does.

“Now, you
wouldn
’
t want to make me angrier right now, dear King Joshlin. All
these good subjects wouldn
’
t want to see their mighty and
generous king stabbed to the point of death, or worse, defaced and
gruesomely ugly for all his female friends.”

She
wasn
’
t joking, I think.

Bedraggled and
confused, Joshlin looked to me for help. Like hell! “I am afraid
Ames, dear brother, that if you ask
the
witch
to stand down, she may do worse to
you then she already has. You can
’
t win her over either. You
haven’t kissed her yet, have you? Perhaps letting her go would save
your sorry ass.”

Not that I would take long to
forget his sick self. And how the heck did he know about the
curse?

Joshlin was trying to destroy the
knives by waving at them, but he rarely came to practice and was
weak. And he didn't care about me no matter how he spun it. He
realized the peanut sized magic he was putting out did nothing to
her amount of wielding that many objects at one time. Neither of us
could.

“I
won
’
t back down. She is mine to manage and will remain so,” he
barked at me. The angled glint of iron suspended in air blinked and
wiggled a foot closer to the target making him back into the corner
of the room where everyone standing there had moved far
away.

Emma
’
s face was drawn up tight with
the energy she held back. She wouldn
’
t be able to hold it much longer.
I knew what had to be done.

“Forget plan A guys, plan C is now
in effect.”

I heard Trigger ask Wicker what
that plan was and Wicker telling him to shut up.

My hand slipped
into hers. Even then did I feel the anxiety leave her body with one
touch. “You don
’
t want to do this. He
isn
’
t worth becoming a murderer.”

“But he would have hurt me, just
to hurt you,” she pleaded.

“You
’
re stronger than this. He
can
’
t hurt me or you now. I
’
ve got you and I
don
’
t plan to let go until you tell me to.”

“So plan C is letting me decide?”
she smiled.

I gave in to her
mind control over me. She was my very soul. Whether I wholly like
that yet or not, I didn
’
t know.

“I like that plan,” she told me as
she turned back to the evil tyrant I called a brother. Emma knew
what he was capable of now, that much was clear.

I readied my knife for the quick
and effortless. I hated that it would be so easy to take his life,
but I would.not.lose.her.

“I will keep
these aimed at your head as you bow down and give up your crown to
the entire room watching,” she silenced his face turning purple
with the knives wiggling like before. “I will
not
marry you. You will
not
make this realm
continue to be at your beck and call. And I will not acknowledge
that I am what you say unless Ames is back where he belongs.” She
turned to me, then to the ceiling. Did she know the two people
painted above her head were my parents? If she
didn
’
t know for sure, she was an unusually great
guesser!

Down her eyes came back to
mine.

“In the room he
stashed me that day we both came, the vent system holds a very
distinct echo that allows the “waiting one” to hear every syllable
of what
’
s going on. I heard every word from the conversation and know
who you are. I didn
’
t tell you only because I wanted
you to tell me on your own. Since that is all said and done now,
there
’
s no need to deny who and what you are. If I can accept my
fate, then it
’
s time you did.” Her eyes lifted
to my parents again.

Swallowing the
air that seemed to disappear around me, I stared at the beautiful
woman before me. She was persistent if not demanding. If she
wouldn
’
t deny her calling, I wouldn
’
t either. “I will, if you
will.”

Her lips curled up, her thin
eyebrow followed. Slowly Emma said to me, “I will.”

Forgetting others around us, I
crushed her to me. She relaxed into my chest and her breath mingled
with mine.

Screams split
open the air as Emma left my arms and pivoted a step away. Her
scream for him to stop didn
’
t work so she unleashed. A blast
blew through the ceiling as Joshlin raised his hands in the air
intending some retaliation, but didn
’
t expect Emma
’
s fast unpracticed
action of dropping the knives that were even with his waist and
hitting the ground. The part that made everyone scream was the
earth rattling below us and breaking the steps apart at his feet.
He tripped, stumbled, and ran as fast as the falling ceiling parts
could follow behind him. She was going to bury us all if she kept
it up.

I yelled her
name. She didn
’
t
stop.

I tried again but grabbed her from
behind and pulled her against me. The rumbling began to cease as I
stroked her hair and arms practically yelling in her ear canal,
“You can control this, Emma.”

“But he
’
s getting away,” she pleaded her
own warning. The floor still rocked, but it was
slowing.

“Let him.
He
’
s
not worth it. The guards can chase him with the
trace.”

“He will come back. What trace?”
She was frantic and the walls rattled.

“He
won
’
t. I know where he is going? Our people have traces on him.”
I looked around. It wasn
’
t for all ears to
hear.

Her voice screeched, verging on
hysteria and a heavy loss of control, “How?”

My turn for a knowing smile. “He
is my brother. And I will tell you the rest in private.”

“Not by blood.”

She at least gave up on the trace
part, but she did know other things. She was full of revealing
secrets.

“My, my. Someone knows even more
than I thought.” I stroked her bare shoulders where the horrid
"wedding" dress was falling apart. The floor stilled.

Wicker laughed behind us.
“I knew
I liked this girl.”

“I had some
help. What I didn
’
t know, I asked.” She blushed,
her energy depleting and coming into reign. I was beating the wrath
she could deal out by calming her. The fact that I could do that
was just amazing enough I wanted to test it out over and over, but
that would mean making her agitated and angry. Enough things
already angered her. I wouldn
’
t have to wait long before
Joshlin did something else.

“Well, we have lots of time
to...talk now.” I was allowed to enjoy her pink cheeks without
looking away now.

The way he looks at me is
just...well, no one has ever looked at me that way. His eyes tell
me he wants to say something. The solitary gaze he holds on me is
focused, but beyond comprehending other than the high energy and
amount of feelings being shot out from both of us.

I can hardly
keep my arms from wrapping around him so tightly that I know I
won
’
t be separated from him again. I don
’
t know how to explain it or
why the feeling has become such a detrimental aspect of my
existence. I find myself watching him shift his weight to hold me
closer and neither of us wanting to let go.

Even stranger to
notice, I find that he is tracking the way I move, like before, but
fitting himself to me as I do. This moment is a turning point for
us. It defines who the two of us will be together with no more
guesses or wonderings about where we stand with each other. My
chest tightened and pressed out to ease the pain of pulling apart
because we can
’
t stand like this
forever.

And I want him
to tell me all is right with the world though I know
it
’
s
not. Somehow, in so short a time, I have come to rely on this man
like he is a lifejacket pulling me back to shore. I want to tell
him thank you for all he has done to save me, not giving me to his
brother, and letting me have him as a precious gift for only me. I
also know how brave he will have to be to take on the role of king.
It will not be easy.

“Will you be okay?” he asked me
quietly pressing a light kiss to the top of my head while taking
off his jacket.

I looked over my shoulder towards
the blast in the door where Joshlin fled.

“He cannot get
to you again?” I felt his jacket fit around me. His hands flitted
across the top of my chest making me jump, but looking down I saw
he was covering where Joshlin had me on display like a hooker. I
looked once more to be sure Joshlin wasn
’
t running in with a
cannon.

“I—

“He is a coward. He will hide in
the mountain until I do something about it.”

I jerked my head back letting my
words resonate to make a point, “What will you do?”
“Nothing, for now. We will create an enforcement group to survey
and decide the best move. And we will want to see what he plans
before we do anything else. Patience will be on our
side.”

“I once heard that patience is a
vulture in wait to take out its prey when all seems
safe.”

“No, you heard wrong.”

“No, I say
right. If I wanted patience, I
’
d call myself Mary Poppins and
sing away the urgency. But seeing as how I have no umbrella, I
can
’
t do that now, can I?”

Ames smirked at me with a slight
lift of his lip forming a smile.

It dawned on me
what he
might
be
saying by the
we
will decide on best moves part. “So you will help this group
or start them?”

A heavy sigh made his chest rise
against me. “I will lead them.”

“Why is it so hard for you to
accept it?”

“Nothing.” He
ran his hands through his hair like he always did when he evaded to
truth. He may think I didn
’
t notice his glance at Wicker,
but I did.