39. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Astaroth
“ A re you sure you’re feeling well?”
I glanced over to the dressing shade Calista demanded we have in our room. Her hums of discomfort as the maids readied her for the games were the only thing unhidden. After all the times I had worshipped her naked form, she still insisted on hiding herself from me when dressing and bathing.
“You have inspected my wound with every tintinnabulation of the tower.”
Squinted eyes poked around the side of the shade.
I pushed to my feet with less difficulty this time and pulled the tie on my breeches. Her eyes traveled down to my hands, squinting less as they went, and filling with a heated intrigue as I tugged my shirt loose. I lifted the fabric, and the heat disappeared as she looked over my abdomen with a furrowed brow. Thick, puckered slashes decorated my skin from the bottom of my ribs to my hip. It was a deep wound that required a lengthier time to heal. Since we healed from the inside out, my stomach looked far worse than I felt.
“Satisfied, my love?”
“Don’t call me that,” she mumbled and disappeared behind the screen.
“Your attentiveness shows me the depth of your devotion,” I said and finished untucking my shirt.
“Just because I didn’t want you to die last night doesn’t mean I love you. Don’t go catching feelings based on your assumptions.”
I raised a brow at her quirky human sayings. “You may deny your feelings toward me, but I see it, and I feel it.” I opened our connection further to prove my point. “And I know how I feel about you.”
The room went silent, but her emotions did not. A tumultuous battle raged inside her as she continued to war with herself. All I could do was let my love move through her. Maybe that would help her find some peace. She didn’t find it on her own when I left her to herself. I went to the wardrobe and withdrew my clothes for the night’s festivities.
“I look foolish,” she huffed. “Why can’t I wear pants?”
I smirked. “Pants are unbecoming on a being such as yourself.”
“That’s not what you said when I wore my yoga pants.”
I ignored her comment, and the image of her scrumptious bottom that came to mind. “We will dress appropriately for this special occasion.”
She snidely mimicked me under her breath. After dressing, I stood in front of the shade and coaxed her out. “Let me see you.”
Calista sighed and stepped out. Crimson silk embroidered with bloodsuckles wrapped her shoulders and curves then cascaded to the floor. How fitting for tonight’s events.
I stood there gobsmacked and couldn’t form words. She had a tendency to do that to me as of late.
Her head tilted back, and she groaned. “I knew it. I look—”
“Enthralling,” I breathed, eating up every inch of bared skin from the column of her throat to her cleavage. There, resting against her chest, was the wishing stone. Broken as it was, she still wore my pendant.
Calista’s gaze snapped to mine, and for a moment, I allowed her to feel the mess she made of me and watched as it made a mess of her.
She took a breath to speak, but the bell tolled, and she clamped her lips shut. I desperately wanted to hear what she had to say, but the moment was as broken as the stone around her neck. “It’s time to go.”
I cupped the sides of her head and pulled her closer, careful not to mess up her hair when all I wanted was to weave my fingers through it and make it as wild as she was. My gaze flicked over her expressive face, unable to linger on a single feature too long for fear of missing something that would bring that jolt of happiness I’d grown addicted to. “You are the most formidable creature I have ever encountered, and you don’t even realize the power you hold over me.”
Her lips parted, and I brushed my mouth against hers. Calista swayed forward as I took the shoes dangling from her fingers and knelt in front of her. She collected herself, then grabbed the skirt of her dress and swung it to the side with a flourish. A slit appeared, going all the way to her hip. Goosebumps rose over her skin when I trailed my fingers up one calf to the back of her knee and lifted her foot from the floor. She gripped my shoulder for balance as I slid it onto her foot, then did the same with the other. Sitting back on my heels, I gazed up at her, overcome with emotions, some I didn’t understand. My queen. My heart. My life source. I would be the first to swear my fealty and bow to her.
My fist thumped my chest and rested there. Energy swept over us, and Calista’s eyes widened a fraction before flicking around the room to the maids who were tidying up but stopped to watch their king on his knees.
“From this moment until our last, my sword is yours to wield as you see fit. My life is yours to lead as you desire. My heart is yours to bleed if you so wish.” I slipped the knife from my boot and sliced my palm. “My life source is yours.” I reached out, and she hesitated before giving me her trembling hand. Calista winced when the blade gashed her palm, a faraway look entered her eyes as blood welled to the surface. Touching our wounds together, I laced our fingers and cupped her hand between mine. “Yours is mine. Forever of forevers or until the end of our time.”
My flesh began to burn with my oath, and Calista gasped trying to jerk back. It was over in an instance. I released her and showed her my hand. In the center was a healed scar. She held her open hand next to mine, and she had one, too.
The maids dropped to their knees behind me and covered their hearts with their fists. “Our queen,” they chimed.
Fear filled Calista’s eyes. “Please, stand up.”
The maids bowed at the waist and nearly touched their noses to the floor.
With a frantic whisper, she said, “Tell them to get up.”
I smiled and kissed her scarred palm before rising. Placing her hand in the crook of my arm, I opened a portal to the arena. She kept her attention on the maids who hadn’t moved as I directed her through.
We stepped out at the top of the arena stairs to the stands full of cheering goblins. Calista gripped my arm as she took in the scene. The entire realm had shown up for the games and impending celebration. Once it was over, our thrones would be carried to the center of the arena where Calista would take her place next to me for all to see and receive offerings from her subjects.
“There are so many people here,” she breathed.
“They are here to see you.”
Sadness came through our bond, and she looked up at me as I covered her hand. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” And I did. She had never referred to the goblins as people before. Interacting with them and learning a touch of our history had opened her heart and mind to them. She forced a smile and beamed it to the crowd. It warmed me, and I hoped, over time, she would soften and open her heart to me, as well. “Ready?”
“Nope,” she said still smiling and acknowledged a group waving flags with the Thistlyn tree on them to get her attention.
I smirked and led her halfway down the stairs to our special seats. Once we sat, a horn blew, and the crowd calmed. A goblin flew over the field on the back of a tamed hog blowing a horn. Soldiers marched into the arena behind him. Calista watched raptly. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was stitching every minuscule detail to memory with the way her attention bounced around. While she watched the goblins fall into formation and go through their drills, I watched her. I had seen it a million times and knew they would perform it to perfection. She leaned forward, eyes wide, with a smile spread over her face. Every time one of them flipped their weapon into the air, she jumped in her seat, excited they caught it. I tried to think back to the first time I saw them perform, but the memory was gone. This one would stay.
Calista
The goblins cleared the field and began setting up contraptions. I turned to Astaroth, vibrating with energy. This was the most interesting thing I’d done since going to market with Jessandra. “That was amazing!”
He laughed and motioned to the field. “It’s only the beginning.”
“What will they do next?”
Astaroth leaned toward me and kissed my forehead. “Telling you would ruin the experience.”
The goblins around us watched as he took my hand and kissed it, too. Their expressions said it all. They were giddy seeing us together. Once again, I was reminded how many of them were in the realm. How many were tossed here like trash to be forgotten. I plastered the smile on my face so they couldn’t see the sadness I felt for them, or the guilt creeping in again for wanting to return home. I didn’t belong here. Neither did they. Torn… that’s how I felt. Part of me wanting to go home, part of me not wanting to abandon them, too.
Astaroth gave my hand a gentle squeeze, and I looked at him sheepishly. He knew. He could feel my mixed emotions, and that was something I needed to learn to keep from him. Privacy wasn’t something he understood, at least not mine. He understood his own just fine, though, and would cut me off just like that. I closed my eyes and imagined walls around my emotions, thick like the castle, and him on the outside. I raised the drawbridge so he couldn’t enter unless I wanted him to. I was alone in my deserted fortress. Balance reestablished within me, and I felt peace for the first time in a while. When I opened my eyes, his brow was furrowed. It must have worked.
Movement down in the arena caught my attention. I slipped my hand from his as groups of goblins, big and small, lined up. They began with a foot race, and it was surprising how fast the smaller ones could move. Some of them ran between the legs of the bigger ones, tripping them up and making them fall. I covered my mouth when I started laughing, but I couldn’t help myself and ended up rooting for them to win.
During the next event, they raced beasts. Some of these animals were new to me, while others I had encountered during my first trip here and on the hunt. But the event that really had me laughing was the jousting event. They rode each other’s shoulders, knocking each other off, and if they lost their sticks, they went hand to hand. It brought back memories of doing it in Gina’s swimming pool during sweltering summer days. A pang of grief ebbed in my chest. I missed my best friend. I think after an initial panic attack, she would love it here. And Kaiden might overcome his fear and love it. too. I could introduce them to everyone I knew, take them to the market, and share Ziggy’s amazing pizzas. They could try the everberries, and we could explore together. Not at the same time, though. That was a recipe for disaster.
No. I stopped those thoughts in their tracks. I want to go home . None of this craziness. A normal human existence. On Earth. Wherever that was in comparison to here.
But the more I watched and looked around at the crowd, I knew this was becoming home, too. I sat back in my seat and glanced at Astaroth out of the corner of my eye. Even in his relaxed state, he was coiled and ready to spring. Would he perform tonight? What would that look like? I found myself wanting him to, to see what he was capable of, but then remembered his injury. My eyes traveled down to his stomach and wondered if it had healed any further.
Without looking at me, Astaroth took my hand again and placed it on his wound. The welts had decreased, and with that knowledge, so did my worry. This also concerned me, because I didn’t want to worry about him. I didn’t want to feel anything for him. Yet, the feel of him beneath my hand and the warmth of his body soothed the anxiousness coursing through my veins, similar to how I slept more soundly when he was beside me. My fingers flexed slightly at that realization. I never let anyone stay over with me. I always slept alone. What was he doing to me?
I startled when Astaroth slid his hand over the top of mine and wove our fingers together to keep me from pulling away. He turned my chin to him with a fingertip and let it linger as he gazed at me. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
I smiled softly. “Very much so.”
“Wonderful.” He brushed a light kiss over my lips, and I found myself drifting closer as he pulled away. “Then get out of your head. You are missing the games.”
I quickly sat back in my seat and faced the arena. The way his thumb stroked my skin as he chuckled made me gulp down the erratic butterflies going wild inside me. No, not butterflies. Icky spiders. I doublechecked the drawbridge was still raised, and he couldn’t steal inside. That helped me focus on the games. They completed their track and field of sorts and retrieved sticks three times their size, lining up even with one another.
Astaroth sat straighter, a devious smile curling his lips when he looked at me. He nearly took my breath away. “Should we make it… challenging?”
My head bobbled like an idiot. I’d agree to anything if he looked at me like that. As if knowing my exact thought, he moved my hand to his thigh and covered the hardening length growing in his pants. Eyes wide, my gaze bounced around us. Thankfully, no one paid us any attention.
Pointing a finger at the goblins, he said, “Watch.”
The horn blew and the goblins took off, sticks on their shoulders parallel to the ground. Astaroth released my hand and snapped his fingers before covering it again and slowly moving my palm over him. The ground shook, and I gripped tighter. It spooked some of the contestants and tripped them up before the dirt caved in random spots on the field. Unable to stop, some goblins fell directly into the pits and others were quick enough to jab the dirt with their sticks and vault over them. The onlookers went insane, jumping in their seats and yelling. I couldn’t make out half of what they were saying and had trouble focusing on anything other than the field and what Astaroth was doing with my hand. The fear of being caught and the excitement of the games made my breaths quicken.
He snapped his fingers again. Shadows moved inside several pits before tentacle like appendages rolled and slithered out, snatching goblins up into the air by their legs, arms, and necks. They ruthlessly struggled to break free, beating on the tentacles with their sticks to no avail, before disappearing with the spiky suckers as they slithered back into their abyss. Tiny creatures scurried up and out of other pits in all directions, climbing up the goblins’ bodies. Their cries could be heard throughout the arena as they tore the ravenous little beasts from them and kept going to outrun them.
Another snap. Magic prickled over my skin as he moved my hand a little quicker. I shifted in my seat, breaths stuttering from the onslaught of energy and arousal. Astaroth scooted closer without missing a beat, wrapping an arm around me and gripping my hip. The ground quaked again to the point of shaking the entire arena. All the contestants stopped in their tracks as the dirt split in a jagged line across the width of the field. They looked at one another before some bolted toward it, sticks at the ready, but they didn’t make it before a wall rose up from the ground. A few vaulted into it and crashed to the ground, the rest of them stopped at the base of the wall and stared up at it.
“What will they do now?”
Astaroth rested his cheek on my head. His words were throaty and rumbled in my ear. “Whatever it takes to serve their queen.”
One lone goblin attempted to scale the wall using only his hands and feet. He made it halfway and then fell to the ground. A small group gave up and sat down.
Astaroth growled. “They don’t deserve to be in your presence.”
“Ast—”
He squeezed my hand around him reminding me of his stupid rule. “They have worked hard, Roth.”
“Not hard enough, Cali,” he scolded me back.
I rolled my eyes when he snapped his fingers and vines came out of the ground around them, holding them down and counting them out of the games. I went back to watching as another group observed what happened and huddled together. Suddenly, one ran to the wall and waved the rest over. They began climbing one another, creating a goblin ladder of sorts until they reached the top. The biggest of them all scurried up their backs and leaped over the other side. He dangled from it and waited as one by one the bottom goblin climbed up and over, creating a new ladder going down on the other side. When their feet touched the dirt on the other side, the one on top would slide down until all were on the ground.
The crowd cheered, and I pulled my hand back to join them.
“They will be your personal guard.”
Shocked, I counted thirteen heads and turned to Astaroth. “All of them?”
“Yes. Not all at once, unless needed.”
I relaxed and let out a breath. Being encased in a circle of goblins daily would ensure I’d never get out of bed.
The horn blew and all the soldiers came back onto the field forming an open circle.
“I thought it was over.”
Astaroth stared down at the field. “The best is yet to come.”
“And now for the finale!” a voice echoed through the arena.
I settled against him, and without even thinking about it, returned my hand to his thigh. His erection jerked against my palm as I slid down it.
“Cole, Hunter, Tate, Greg.”
My brow furrowed as they announced the names. They hadn’t announced any others, and those names sounded nothing like the other goblins’ I’d heard while in the labyrinth. These were very human. Four larger goblins emerged hesitantly from an opening in the wall. They entered the circle, fear evident in their posture, and the surrounding goblins closed it off, trapping them inside. Someone tossed a single sword between them. Then, in one fluid motion, the goblin circle pointed sharp, wooden stakes at the newcomers.
“To the death!” the group shouted.
Deafening silence followed. It’s as if everyone held their breath and watched in shock. My head whipped toward Astaroth. His hard gaze didn’t budge from the field. I went to pull my hand away and scoot to the edge of my seat, but he gripped my wrist and prevented me from moving.
“To the death?” I hissed. “Why?”
“’Tis their punishment.”
Attention split between him and the goblins moving counterclockwise in the circle, I slid back into my seat, putting space between us. His hold on me remained. One of the goblins tried to find a weak spot in the circle and was jabbed with a stick. He howled and held his gut as he retreated. The other three went for the sword. A wrestling match erupted as they fought for the weapon, even playing tug of war with it, until one of them finally stole it for himself, impaling one of the others in the process.
With a roar, the crowd surged to their feet. The silence was not nearly as deafening as the blood lust vibrating my eardrums. Their excitement for murder made me ill.
The sword wielder kicked the goblin off his blade and turned on the others. They jumped out of range with every swing, but he made a critical mistake. He turned his back to one of them. They took that moment to pounce on him. Wrapping his legs around his waist, the attacker jerked the sword wielder’s head back and to the side. He wobbled, fell to his knees, and dropped the sword. A goblin ran up and snatched it before the other had a chance to retrieve it. Thinking fast, he raised the dead body as a shield, but it didn’t work. The sword went through both of them.
I sighed, thankful it was over, as members of the circle dragged the bodies out.
The announcer shouted again. “Tate remains!” The crowd roared again, and when it settled, the announcer continued, “Brad, Mike, Hayden.”
My blood ran cold. “They are all human.”
Astaroth refused to look at me. “Very astute of you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Is that how you see my people? Toys to entertain you and yours?”
His head turned in that creepy way and locked gazes with me.
“Is that how you see me ?”
“No.”
“Let. Them. Go.”
Astaroth faced the field again as this group began to fight. The crowd chanted and stomped, but I refused to watch as they murdered each other. Instead, I glared at the side of Astaroth’s face.
“Cole remains!”
Another round came. Then another. Every single name tingled with familiarity. I gulped each down and chased them with a double shot of denial.
“Sam, Zane, Daniel.”
Astaroth gripped my chin and turned my head toward the field. I fought but couldn’t dislodge him. The tips of his fingers dug into my jaws.
“Watch.”
My lids clinched tighter and tighter with every howl and bloodcurdling scream. They were innocent people, and there was nothing I could do to save them.
“Daniel remains!”
I sagged into his hold, and he released my aching jaw. I soothed the forming bruises and turned to him. “Are we done now?”
Cold, hard eyes met mine. “One more.”
Astaroth watched and waited for my reaction when the announcer shouted one final name. “Nick!”
I glanced at the bloodying field as a human stepped onto it. Hair a bit darker, skin a touch sicklier, Nick stood his full height and looked exactly as he had when he fled my apartment. I couldn’t deny knowing them now. They were all guys I’d slept with and never heard a peep from again.
I shot to my feet, towering over the goblins below me in the stands. Nick did a doubletake and stopped dead in his tracks. Shock. We both wore it. He stumbled back a step when Astaroth stood up beside me. Fear laced Nick’s expression. Retribution etched Astaroth’s.
“Stop this,” I growled.
The arena grew quiet as they awaited their king. “To the death!” Astaroth commanded.
“No!” I screamed, but no one could hear me over the bloodthirsty excitement sweeping the stands.
The circle formed around Nick and Daniel. They stared up at me. I recognized Daniel then. He looked almost human, except his eyes were larger and black and his skin was gray. The realm claimed them quickly. Did all of them look my way for help while I refused to acknowledge them? I squeezed my eyes shut, tears forcing their way past my lids and running down my face. Their blood was on my hands, too.
Astaroth trapped me against him and pinned my arms down. His fingers dug into the sore flesh of my jaw and tried to force me to turn my head. “You will watch.”
“I will not,” I seethed and struggled to get free.
I knew when it happened by the reaction all around me and the agonizing scream that sliced the air the same way the sword tore through them. The fight left my body, and I sagged in Astaroth’s arms. I couldn’t bear to look down there.
“Nick remains!”
Relief flooded through me. Of all of them, Nick still looked human. He could return home, and no one would see a huge difference in him. He still had a chance at a normal life.
I pulled at Astaroth’s arms, and he released me. Nick stood in the center of the circle, covered in blood, the sword dangling at his side, and staring right at me. I could feel the anger and confusion radiating off him. Or maybe it was my own.
“You have won your chance at freedom,” Astaroth declared.
“His chance?” The goblins around us shook as I questioned their king. “I’d say he won it fair and square. Send him home!”
Astaroth looked down at me. “He will have the same chance you had.”
My brows shot up. “Will you try to impregnate him, too, if he loses?”
A sneer pulled at his lip. “Nick,” he spit his name like it was revolting. “If you solve the labyrinth and make it to my castle, you will return home.”
A portal opened next to Nick. Before he even knew what was happening, a goblin snatched the sword away and shoved him through it. Nick didn’t stand a chance in the labyrinth covered in blood and without a weapon. The beasts would hunt him down and devour him.
The games had officially come to an end. The goblins rushed around the field to set up for the celebration, but I was over it. All of it. I’d be damned if I would participate in any fashion or give Astaroth what he wanted.
“What was that about?” I fumed.
Astaroth lowered his voice. “We will discuss this after.”
“We will discuss this now!” I yelled and shoved him. The goblins in our vicinity scurried away. “Tell me why you did it!”
He gripped my wrists and pulled me against him. “I will not fight with you here. Lower your voice.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” I shoved against him again trying to break free. “I am done with you.” Astaroth turned his head, staring off into the distance, angering me more. “Do you hear me? I’m done!”
In an instant, Astaroth picked me up and launched me through a portal. I bounced hard on the bed and almost fell off.
“Stay,” he shouted and sprinted across the room to the balcony.
I jumped off the bed to follow as a portal opened in the air. He leapt on the balustrade and jumped through it, disappearing from sight. Before I could reach the archway, bricks appeared blocking me from following. I turned to run to the door, and it was bricked up, too.
“Fuck!”