Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
Ismiled at Lieutenant Sato with a basket over my arm overflowing with the sweets I’d made that morning. I didn’t have as much energy to expend on magic as before the accident—it was an accident that I wasn’t dead—but they should still work.
“I wondered if I could talk to your prisoners.”
She frowned at the basket. “Are you trying to bribe an officer?”
I shook my head and put the basket behind me. “These aren’t for you. These are for the goblins.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And why would you want to give macarons and fudge to goblins?”
“It’s my magic. I baked helpfulness into them. If the goblins eat it, they’ll be more likely to help me.”
She scrunched up her face. “And you want their help why?”
“I need to know why they wanted the Lady of the Wild Woods released. And I need to know if she’s actually dead or if she’s coming back.”
Her eyes widened in horror. “You think she’s coming back?”
I shuddered. “I hope not, but I’d sleep better at night if I was sure she were staying dead.”
She leaned her chin on her fist. “This is highly irregular, but I would also like reassurance that the monster isn’t coming back.” She stood up. “So, I’ll take you to the Granite. They’re being held in my husband’s dungeon.”
“The goblin king has a dungeon in the bank?” And suddenly my great plan was a sticky morass.
“He has a lot of dungeons, but he calls them vaults.” She looped her arm around mine, gave me a wide smile, and tugged me toward the door.
I’d snuck out of the shop after I’d baked my goods, without telling my dad or the devil about it.
I’d even left the rabbit dozing on the pretty green velvet chair instead of taking him with me.
If he was the devil’s soul, he could stay in my kitchen while I did what I could to get to the bottom of the goblin’s deal to release the Wild Woods psycho.
I climbed into Sato’s black car, trying not to stare at the goblins in the front as well as in the car behind us. Bodyguards. Lots of bodyguards. Someone took her security seriously. The goblin king’s bride was precious, at least until she had his child.
“Why did you marry the goblin king? You don’t seem the type to run away from your life,” I murmured.
I suddenly realized how incredibly rude that was and got all flushed and horrified.
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business, it’s just…
” I met the eyes of the goblin driving the car and suddenly had a difficult time swallowing.
He made the goblin band that had been chasing me look like gentle creatures.
“Don’t worry about it.” She patted my arm. “We started writing a long time ago, and he fell in love with my prose, so he decided to become respectable so I could love him back.”
“That’s…” Impossible. “Unexpected.”
“That’s the goblin king. He was also tired of war all the time. So much blood, so little of anything else. He hasn’t mentioned that you’re a goblin-fairy, which I find suspicious. I’m going to watch him look at you at the bank and see if I can read anything into it.”
“Why are you telling me that?”
“I’m on your side. I’m the goblin king’s bride, but I’m also Lady Justice. You don’t have to smell of fear when I mention him, because he isn’t going to do anything to hurt you.”
I gave her a shaky smile. “You can smell my fear?”
She tapped her nose. “I’ve got a goblin nose. I can also see in the dark. I could tell you what you smell like when you look at your devil, but I don’t think you want to hear it.”
Denial never helped anyone. I straightened. Ow. Maybe not quite so straight. “What do I smell like when I look at him?”
She smiled, mischief in her dark eyes. “Admiration, the softy fuzzy kind that gets people into trouble.”
“I’d be crazy to date someone who put my father in a cage.”
“Did he? That’s not good.”
“Yeah. He’s not good. That’s why he released the Lady of the Wild Woods.”
“No, he released her to consolidate your debts. He didn’t pursue her because he was focused on keeping you safe and happy.
If he’d realized that she’d come back to kill you, he would’ve stuck you in a cage to keep you safe while he hunted her down.
That’s what I smell when I look at him. A scary level of devotion and fixation.
But he doesn’t want to put you in a cage, or you wouldn’t be here on your own. ”
I gave her a mild smile that didn’t reflect the tumultuous state of my heart. She made him sound almost good, but that couldn’t be right. He’d put my dad in a cage. Who did that?
We pulled up in front of the enormous granite stone building, the most secure place in the city—and not just because it was made of solid stone. Most of it was the goblins that worked there. The gray stone reflected the gloomy day as we walked up the steps toward our doom.
It was hard to get up all the stairs, and I was moving slowly, so Sato had to adjust her pace to stay with me.
“Are you okay?” she asked, frowning at me. “Now I feel stupid for not asking earlier. When did you get out of the hospital?”
“I’m fine.” I just hurt all over and was miserable without my rabbit. I needed to do this on my own, although Divinity had given me a look when I left him that made me feel so incredibly guilty. I’d bake him some nice rabbit cakes later to make up for it. Maybe I’d let him bite me.
Then I remembered biting the devil on the stairs. So delicious, like… Nope. I was focusing on the steps I was climbing up to the double doors instead of my recent bad choices. One bad choice at a time.
Sato patted my shoulder. “It’s going to be fine. I’ll stay with you so nothing bad happens.”
I shook my head. “I need to see them alone.”
She sighed heavily. “We’ll see what we can do.”
Inside, a hush fell over everything as the goblins looked at her, focused with so much intensity, it made my skin crawl.
“My dearest heart, what brings you to my bank?” the goblin king himself said, stepping out of the shadows, wearing a gray suit that screamed boring banker, but his eyes held a world of trouble that I wanted absolutely nothing to do with.
“My good friend Kesty wants to question the goblins in your vault. You know the ones.” Her eyes were hard, like she was forcing herself not to get distracted by his scent or whatever she liked about the terrifying creature.
“Of course,” he said smoothly, and then he looked at me. He looked for a beat too long before he turned his smile on his wife. “Ebon can escort her. You know how comfortable he is with fairies.”
“I do know. But she isn’t a fairy. I’ll be staying with her.”
His eyes flickered slightly, but his smile remained steady. “Such a good friend for such a short acquaintance.”
“She’s a neighbor. And she makes the best chocolate cake.”
“Ah.” He glanced at me again, but there was amusement this time. “In that case, a friend of my wife’s is a friend of mine.”
Sato hissed and pulled me away from him. “You do not want to be friends with the goblin king,” she whispered to me, but he could obviously hear her.
“You wound me,” he said, amusement in his voice as he looked at her in a way that made me think of predator and prey.
“Good.” She sniffed at him, but her eyes were shining. She liked him chasing her. And she liked chasing him.
After that weird stand-off, we took the elevator deep down into the earth and stepped out in a tall metal hall with assassin goblins all over the place.
Like hanging from the walls and ceiling.
I tried not to notice them, particularly the ones directly above me.
I had to focus on my goal before I ran away screaming.
Another goblin stepped in front of us, something less goblin about him. Maybe the expression on his face, which was less guarded.
The goblin king nodded at him. “Ebon, join us. We’re going to visit the prisoners. The individuals have been secured in the observation rooms?”
The new goblin nodded then saw me. For a second, his nostrils flared as he tried to figure out what I was and then he nodded.
“You’re the fairy-goblin who recently opened a bakery.
My wife bought some of your crystal thingies.
I don’t know what they’re called. Look like mini-ice sculptures, only more intricate.
She wanted to talk to you, but she’s too shy.
She would’ve said how well you bake and how much happiness your delicacies gave her. ”
I smiled at him. Compliments for my baking were always more than welcome. “Thank you. I hope she comes back and stays for tea sometime. You could come with her.”
He shrugged. “Goblins tend to put off customers.”
“I’m half goblin. If you’d like to come, you’d be welcome. I have things designed for goblins too.”
He raised a brow. “Meat bread?”
“Yes. I keep it in the back, but it’s my dad’s favorite.”
He smiled broadly. “We’ll do that sometime. When the shop isn’t as busy.”
I smiled back at him. Repeat customers were always a plus.
When we got to the observation rooms, I got to see the goblin leader chained to a table wearing nothing but shorts, so all his monstrous green goblin muscles were on display.
“When did he last eat?” I asked, frowning at him. He looked lean, mean, and hungry.
“It’s been a few days,” the goblin king said almost apologetically. “We can’t make them too comfortable until they’ve shown some signs of remorse and agreed to follow the goblin king’s laws.”
“Good.” I smiled at him then at Sato. “Can I go in?”
She nodded. “Sure. Try not to limp. Seeing your weakness will be like blood in the water.”
I nodded then went through the metal door into the observation room. I let my basket of goodies swing from my arm so the goblin leader wearing nothing couldn’t help but notice it.
He licked his lips and smiled at me. “What’s the pretty little crumpet doing down here?” The threat in his voice made me shiver, but I raised my chin.
“I wanted to show you that you failed. I’m still alive, and stronger than ever. You’ll never defeat me.” I let my chin wobble and tears fill my eyes.