Chapter 14
14
We walked further down the long hall toward the bed chambers. Gabriel carried Ringo on his outstretched palms. Ringo continued to snore softly.
Feeling warm and woozy from the wine, I observed the sconces in the walls, and the closed doors we passed. I stopped abruptly when we happened upon an open one, curiously glancing inside. The dark room looked like a study with a desk and shelves of books, and had a balcony with a more modern looking sliding glass door. By the light of the moon, I could see something out on the balcony.
I glanced back to see both goblins watching me, wondering why I wasn’t moving. “Is that a telescope out there?”
Mistral rolled his eyes over to Gabriel. “Take the little one to Eva’s bed chamber. ”
Gabriel gave him a strange look, then continued walking.
Mistral gestured for me to enter the dark room.
Suddenly nervous, but bolstered by too much alcohol, I walked into the darkness, heading straight for the balcony and the telescope beyond. It was larger than any normal telescope I’d seen, and glinted silver in the soft light of the moon and stars. I slid open the door without invitation, then stepped outside, wrapping my arms around myself as the cold snaked over my skin.
Mistral joined me, watching silently as I leaned down to look through the eye of the telescope, but all I saw were blurry shapes.
Mistral leaned around me, adjusting a few knobs. I could feel the warmth of his body standing so close. “It’s a special goblin design. You’ll be able to see far more than any common telescope would allow.”
I looked back at him with my jaw slightly agape. I couldn’t recall the last time I’d even had a chance to look through a regular telescope. Probably when I was a kid, but I didn’t remember it.
I leaned toward the small glass and looked through once more, then gasped. Glittering swirls of galaxies seemed like they were right before my face. As I watched, a comet shot by. “Holy shit,” I muttered. I started to pull back, shook my head, then kept looking, sensing Mistral still close behind me.
Mistral’s voice sounded even closer than I thought it would be. “Did your mother ever take you to her realm?”
My shoulders stiffened at another mention of my mother. There was definitely something there, but what? I barely knew the woman. “No, I can’t go there. I’m only half celestial. Plus, my mom didn’t do much for me at all. I was mostly raised by my father.”
I bit my tongue, not sure why I was being so sharing. Probably the several glasses of wine. Yeah, that would explain it. “What about your parents?” I asked before he could press me further.
“Both dead, a very long time ago.” He went silent after that.
I pulled away from the telescope to look back at him standing close enough to touch, which gave me a little thrill. I just couldn’t help myself. It was the wine. Definitely the wine. “Oh come now, you can’t ask me such probing questions and not expect to answer any in return.”
There was a flicker of something across his face, and I realized it was real emotion. A small glimpse of what was hidden behind his mask. He bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment.“Goblins are not raised in the manner of humans.”
I gave him a look. “Neither are celestials. Trust me.”
Once again, he bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement. “What happened to your father?”
I crossed my arms and leaned my butt against the narrow stone wall bordering the balcony. There was a long drop behind me, but the wall was tall enough for me to feel secure. “I’ll tell you, if you tell me about your parents.”
He lifted a brow, stepping closer again. “Are you offering me another bargain?”
My eyes flew wide. “No way. I’m just trying to show you how a proper conversation should go. Tit for tat.”
His eyebrow twitched. “Very well. Tell me about your father, and I’ll tell you about mine.”
As I thought over my words, I already regretted this new bargain. It was difficult speaking about my past. I didn’t even know where to begin. “Since it seems like you already know a bit about celestials, you know they can’t be tied down. My mom wasn’t around much, that I remember. But I remember my dad. He was human, and broke, but he raised me the best he could. He died when I was 13, and my mother didn’t come back for me. Braxton and his mom were my neighbors. They took me in.”
He gave me an inquisitive look, and I rolled my eyes. “Don’t pretend you don’t already know about my werewolf roommate.”
He smiled, silently admitting that he did. Just how many goblin spies did he have out in the city?
I spread my hands. “And that’s it. My father was a good guy. He died too young. Your turn.”
“If your mother abandoned you, why are you trying to find her now?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. Your turn.”
With a heavy sigh, he moved to lean against the stone wall beside me, his shoulder nearly brushing mine. He smelled good, like earth and ozone. Something electric. “My father was a warrior, and not from this realm. He died in battle, and my mother brought me here.” He gave me a soft smile. “A very long time ago.”
When he didn’t speak further, I glared at him. “Hey, that’s barely anything.” Then I realized it wasn’t barely anything. “Wait, you weren’t born in this realm? You’ve traveled between realms?” I should have thought of it sooner. Ringo claimed he was old . Most of the old ones came from other realms.
Mistral leaned his head back, looking up at the stars, draping his long white hair behind his shoulders. “With the help of a great deal of family magic, no longer available to me here.”
“Do you miss it? The place you came from?”
He lowered his eyes to me. “It was a very long time ago.”
Oh no, he wasn’t getting off that easy. “What was it like?” I really couldn’t imagine being fully in another realm. Things were different beyond the barriers, but the city was still just outside.
He leaned a little closer. “Now now, you’re asking for far more than you have given.”
“Fine.” I rolled my eyes then turned my gaze up toward the stars. They twinkled brightly above us, much clearer out here without all the light pollution of the city. I was feeling far more comfortable around the high goblin than I should. I knew I couldn’t trust him. He had trapped me into a bargain just like Sebastian. They were the same.
“Why are you so interested in my mother?”
“It’s not often that one has ties to a full celestial. You know that. How can I not be interested?”
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?” There was a playful lilt to his tone. “We can make another bargain if you would like to know the truth.”
I smirked, meeting his gray eyes. “I don’t think so, but you could at least tell me what you know about Lilith and the angelics. You know, just to keep your spy alive.”
He pushed away from the stone wall to face me, leaning close, making my heart catch in my throat. He spoke lowly, “I know nothing of the games played between angelics and devils, dear one. But luck does not bless anyone caught in the middle.”
My throat went tight, my heart pounding at his nearness. “And by anyone, you mean me?”
“It would seem that way.” He leaned even closer. If I wanted to, I could close the space and kiss him. “Why do they want you, Eva?”
I really had no idea, but, “Once you speak the truth, maybe I will too.”
“Is that a new bargain you’re offering?”
My mind raced. I didn’t actually have anything to hide, but he thought that I did. And I knew he was hiding something. If we were both tasked to speak the truth… Had I just outwitted an ancient goblin?
“Yes,” I said boldly. “If you speak the truth, then I will too.”
He smiled, and suddenly I had the feeling that I was missing something, but then his lips pressed against mine and all other thoughts left me.
His magic slammed into me, more forceful than before, but this time, he didn’t quickly end the kiss. His body pressed against mine, his hands circling my waist.
I lifted my hands to his neck, then pushed my fingers back into his hair as heat flowed through me. Magic danced between us, mostly his, but a little bit of mine too, like he was calling it out. Maybe it was like he said, goblins weren’t that far off from celestials. The magic of the sky and air to call the magic of the stars and cosmos.
His hands moved lower to the top of my hips, his upper body leaning me back slightly to deepen the kiss. Magic and emotion flooded through me, too overwhelming.
I broke the kiss with a gasp. Panting, I asked, “What do you know about my mother?”
He gave me a wicked smile, remaining close to my lips as if he might reclaim them. “I said that I would speak the truth, not that I would speak .”
With my arms still around his neck, I leaned back to glare at him. “You just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t lie about anything.”
That infuriating smile again. Pissing me off, even as I wanted to rip his clothes off. His lower body still pressed against me, hinting that more was a possibility.
And he had just tricked me into another bargain.
I pushed him away from me, then walked past him with my blood still running hot through my veins.
“Where are you going?” Laughter tinged his voice.
“To bed.” I shot him a middle finger as I walked through the open doorway.
His laughter followed me out. I wasn’t sure where my bed chamber was, but I left the study and walked in the direction Ringo had been taken. Apparently Mistral didn’t have much to hide if he didn’t mind me wandering alone.
But just as I thought it, my eyes were drawn to one of the stone bricks in the wall. I leaned closer, spotting a tiny gray goblin that looked a lot like a hedgehog sitting on a ledge in the brick, watching me with tiny round eyes.
Of course I was being watched. And Mistral had plenty to hide. He might have tricked me into speaking the truth, but it went both ways.
Now, I just had to figure out how to make him speak .
I laid on my back on the softest bed I had ever experienced, looking at Sebastian’s playing card while I thought things over. If you had asked me a week ago what it would be like staying within the Citadel, I would have pictured a dark room, straw mat on the floor, and a bucket to pee in. I wouldn’t have imagined the comfortable, cozy suite with a down bedspread, a plush patterned rug, and an adjoining bathroom with a large clawfoot tub. It was something I could get used to, if it didn’t mean being trapped in the Bogs.
Ringo snored lightly on the pillow beside mine. Flicking the card with one hand, I moistened my lips, thinking of the most recent kiss. I wanted to believe it was just about the bargain, but it felt like there was more . If it had just been the bargain, there had been no need to kiss me like… that .
Then again, maybe he was just trying to get more information about my mother, and I needed to figure out why. It was just like with the vampires. They were never interested in me before, not until I made my deal with Sebastian. Or was it the interest of the angelics that brought them in? Maybe it had all started with that mysterious delivery.
I lowered the card, lost in thought. There was still the dead messenger to consider. He’d been making a delivery to the Silver Quarter. It all came back to the angelics, so the Silver Quarter was where I needed to go as soon as the sun was up, and I was safe from vampires. I nestled my head more comfortably against my pillow. And as soon as I enjoyed my lavish new suite.
Of course, if I went to the Silver Quarter, I was on my own. No Braxton or other back up. If those two angelics caught me on their turf, I was dead. They had already shown that’s what they wanted.
I lifted the card again, my other possible source of information. Just who was this Celeste person he was looking for? And why had he needed me to find her?
I heard a slight scuffle outside my door and shot up in bed. At another small sound, I tiptoed over, then flung the door open, expecting Mistral.
But it was Gabriel crouching in front of my door with a pile of fresh towels and a new bar of soap.
I looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. “So what are you, like, the butler?”
He straightened, towering over me menacingly. “I’m not a butler, spy. I’m a vassal sworn to a prince.” His lips sealed, like he had said something wrong.
I blinked at him. “A… prince? Surely you don’t mean Mistral.”
He only glared in reply. I grabbed his big arm and pulled him into the room, expecting more resistance than he gave me. Once we were in, I shut the door behind us and turned toward him. “What do you mean, prince ?”
He lifted his nose. “His mother was queen in our realm, that makes him a prince. And we will speak nothing more about it. The past is painful. ”
I crossed my arms, leaning against the door to block his way. “But why would a prince care about making a bargain with a spy ?”
His eyes shifted. “I do not know.”
“Yes, you do.”
He stepped toward me, reaching for the doorknob. “Good night, spy.”
I slid a little more into his way, tilting my head thoughtfully. “Well, I guess I can just tell Mistral everything you already told me.”
He paused with his hand halfway to the knob.
I smiled.
He glared down at me. “That would not be wise.”
I tilted my head in the other direction, smiling sweetly. “Are you telling me that you actually think I’m a wise person?”
He frowned, lowered his hand, and stepped back from me and the door. “He has not shared his intentions with me. I do not know why he’s interested in you.”
“Okay, then tell me why he’s interested in my mother.”
Gabriel shrugged. “Pure blood celestials are of interest to many. You should know that.”
“Okay, fine. Then what’s his deal with Sebastian?”
“Old rivals, and nothing more. That is all I will say.”
His fists clenched at his sides and he looked pretty pissed, so I decided it was in my best interest to let it go. Mistral might want me alive, but it wouldn’t stop this guy from smacking me in a fit of anger. I looked at his massive hands. A smack that could easily prove fatal.
“Okay,” I sighed. “I won’t tell Mistral what you told me.” I stepped out of his way.
He lifted his gaze and went for the door, exiting silently.
Shaking my head, I went back out and fetched the towels and soap he’d been leaving for me. I wouldn’t mind a hot bath before bed. I still had a lot to think about.