Kiss of the Goblin Prince (8 page)

Her tongue slid over her lower lip. “Dai…”

“I’ll be late.” He didn’t want to hear her reason why he shouldn’t have done that. He had enough of his own. Yet none of them made sense. He was free. Human. He should be able to do what he wanted instead of dragging ancient history along for the ride. “I’ll see you soon.”

She nodded.

Then he got out of her car and closed the door. He stood and watched as her blue vehicle rejoined traffic. The talons around his heart shifted as if unable to get a firm enough grip to kill him. She might counsel kids, but what would she make of him if she knew even a whisper of the truth? Probably best not to find out. He was enjoying the illusion that she might be interested in a man like him.

The train ride was easier than the car trip, probably because it was on a fixed route and not swerving all over the road—that or he was too busy contemplating the taste of Amanda on his lips and wondering if he’d made a mistake. He had no idea what he was doing.

Once in the city, he found the apartment building easily. There were a few of them, all rising up and looking over the river on one side and the city on the other. The one he was interested in was a modern mix of metal and concrete and sharp angles. While it lacked the grace and solidity of the ancient castles and churches that littered Europe, it also came without the baggage and history. The building was only a couple of years old and untangled by its past. It was exactly the kind of the place he wanted. He walked up the three steps and through the glass doors. The foyer was empty except for locked mailboxes, two elevators, and the real estate agent.

She smiled with too much enthusiasm as her gaze landed on him. “Mr. King?”

He was never going to get used to hearing himself be called that. He would have made a terrible king, especially during war.

“Yes.”

“Verity Jones.” She held her hand out as her gaze flicked over him as if she were there to appraise him, instead of being there to show him the apartment.

Dai shook her hand. It was her job to make sure he’d be a good tenant, and he had to play the prospective renter while he worked out how to buy the place. She held the grip for a moment longer than he was comfortable with before letting her fingers slide away.

“There are two for rent here. One furnished, one unfurnished. Where would you like to start?”

“With the unfurnished.” He didn’t want a house full of other people’s things.

Verity smiled, her lips pressed tight, and then took him up the elevator, explaining the security features of the building. She was one of those people who couldn’t abide a silence. He tuned her out and made his own assessments. The elevator opened on a short, carpeted hallway. There were three doors, two apartments, and one fire escape. The door was simple, wood with gold numbering.

She swiped the key over the pad and opened the door. “I’ll give you a quick tour, then if you have any questions…” She lifted her eyebrows in invitation.

He doubted there would be anything left to say by the time she was finished. As she led him around the apartment she chattered about the benefits of living in the city and that building, as if she could explain why it was perfect if she talked for long enough.

It was. Not even her voice could fill the empty space.

He stopped at the balcony and stared out at the view, partially over the river and partially of the next building. Not the best view, but he didn’t care. Below him swirled the humanity he’d been forced to rejoin, yet up there it was quiet. He could fill the living area and the spare bedrooms with his books. Master the magic he’d learned but never used, and all without putting anyone at risk.

Amanda hovered at the edges of his thoughts like a golden-edged blade. Would he cut himself if he reached for her? He walked back inside and made a show of checking the stainless steel appliances that came with the apartment. When the agent paused for breath he took the opportunity to speak.

“Did the owners live here at all?”

“Only for a few months before they went overseas.”

He nodded as if carefully considering. “Is there any chance the owners would be interested in selling?”

She giggled and glanced at her file. “I don’t think so. They bought this place as an investment.”

“Anything similar for sale?”

“There’s a new building being constructed, but those apartments won’t be ready for another six months.”

Too long. He didn’t want to rent as if he was borrowing a life until someone took it back. Maybe he could convince them to sell. Dai let his vision slide. Vague impressions of the owners lingered as faint threads with no more substance than a cobweb. They hadn’t been overwritten so she was telling the truth.

“It’s been empty a while.”

“A few months. The economic downturn has opened a lot of rental availability in the city. I have apartments in other buildings, over in East Perth if you’d prefer something else.”

He shook his head. He liked that it was walking distance to everything. It meant no more driving and if he wanted to see Roan all he had to do was catch the train. “I’ll take it.”

“You don’t want to see the furnished one downstairs?”

“No.”

“I’ll need to check your rental references.”

Dai stopped with his hand resting on the marble kitchen counter. That could be a problem. He doubted the goblins in the Shadowlands would give him a good reference. After all, they hadn’t exactly left it as they’d found it. The rock spire that was their home was one of Roan’s creations, ripped out of the dust by the magic that had tried to steal his brother’s soul long before they knew the consequences. Dai considered it an improvement on the barren landscape. A landmark, like the pyramids of Egypt.

He looked at the threads that connected the real estate agent to the apartment, searching for something they had in common. He saw the tenuous fibers between his body and the agent. She was trying to form a connection like the one he had with Amanda. Did she think it would make the transaction easier? Would it?

If he used magic to secure the place, would that be wrong? Morally, probably, but it wouldn’t contravene any of the laws he swore to abide when being marked by the various lore masters. And he wouldn’t ensorcell her, just send her a suggestion—that she could ignore if she chose. With a thought he pushed his will along the connection she wanted to make.

You’re checking my outstanding references
.

If it didn’t work, he was going to have to get Birch to fake some. He probably wasn’t their favorite client at the moment, but they weren’t his favorite bank either. He held his breath and ignored the pressure at the base of his skull that followed the use of even the tiny piece of magic as if warning him that he was overstepping.

The woman frowned and shuffled her papers as if confused for a moment. She wasn’t going to take the suggestion.
Dammit.

Then she looked up, her eyes bright and her lips smiling as if he’d suggested something else entirely. “That all looks good. How will you be paying your deposit?”

Dai raised a brow. That was too easy. Far too easy. He glanced at the connections she was trying to make and pulled his own back. He didn’t want connections with random strangers. If that was the price of getting his way, it wasn’t worth it. And yet…he wanted to own the place, not rent.

“Credit card,” he said with a smile. He’d work on securing the purchase later. Paper contracts weren’t nearly as binding as people thought.

Chapter 5

Amanda opened the door that connected the garage to the house and went inside. Behind her, Brigit chattered about her day at Eliza’s. Usually Sheriff was running around outside and whining to be let in and be petted. She stopped in the hallway with her stomach knotted tight. The house was silent. Something wasn’t right.

Then Sheriff came bounding around the corner toward them.

“Get back in the car,” Amanda spoke through gritted teeth. Someone had let the dog in, which meant someone was in her house. There was only one person that could be.

“Mu-um.”

“Now…take Sheriff with you.” If the dog had already befriended Flynn, there was no point in keeping him with her. But the dog might keep Brigit distracted.

Brigit grabbed the dog’s collar and hauled him into the garage. Amanda waited until she heard the car door open and then close.

“Flynn.” Her footsteps echoed on the tiles. “I know you’re here.” Her voice was surprisingly level. Her fingers were wrapped around her cell phone, emergency already dialed. All she had to do was press connect.

“You rang the police.” His voice floated down the hallway. He was in her dining room.

“Your parents are worried. They want you home.” An outright lie, but hopefully he would believe her. The police’s description of the vicious assault played through her mind.

A man was in the hospital in an induced coma because Flynn wanted his gold watch. Sometimes it was as if he couldn’t distinguish between gold and golden colored things. He took them indiscriminately, wrapping paper and pens, ribbon…anything as long as the color was right. An obsessive compulsion to have gold. A human magpie. His parents first noticed his odd habits when he was a toddler and all the yellow building blocks had gone missing. They’d found them under his bed, and he’d refused to give them back.

“They think I’m a freak.” Flynn sat at her dining table with an open packet of steaks in front of him. Red blood stained his fingers. In the pale winter light creeping into her kitchen, his skin looked dull and gray instead of white.

“No they don’t. They are your parents. They love you.” Even if they didn’t understand him and were constantly frustrated by his strange behavior. All parents loved their children.

“I’m an embarrassment.”

Amanda sat opposite him. He looked so young; the stolen gold watch on his wrist was too large. “You need help.”

“Why? What’s wrong with lovin’ the look and feel of gold?” His fingers smoothed around the face of the watch as he spoke; blood streaked the glass.

“Nothing…but you can’t hurt people to get it.”

Flynn’s white eyebrows drew together as if he didn’t understand. Did he remember what he’d done? There were times in the past when he hadn’t remembered how he’d acquired his latest find.

“Are you still taking your meds?”

Flynn shrugged. “The police want to put me in jail, don’t they?”

How could she tell him the truth? “What they do is up to you. Turn yourself in.”

“I’ve done nothin’ wrong.”

Amanda swallowed. He’d slipped, gone back to where he was when she’d first started seeing him. Maybe further, since he saw nothing wrong with violence to get his way. How could she help him? She didn’t know, but she had to protect her own family.

She got up from the table, and Flynn stood too. He was the same height as her, a boy almost a man and one capable of beating a man senseless. There was a hard glint in his pale eyes she’d never seen before. Was that how he’d looked before attacking? Dazed by the attraction of gold?

His gaze dropped to her hand and the shining gold band on her finger. Her wedding ring. No. He couldn’t have that. Matt had placed it on her finger. She put her hand behind her back, but it was too late. He’d seen it and wanted the gold.

“Give me the ring.”

“Flynn…” She started backing away. The table was still between them but not for long.

He eased around the chairs and stalked her. Oh God, she was going to have to give him the ring to get out of there.

“Mom, hurry up,” Brigit yelled.

Flynn tilted his head as if startled. “Give me the gold.”

“You’ll let me go?”

“Gold.” He held out his hand, still several paces away.

She pulled the ring off her finger and threw it across the floor. It bounced over the tiles, but she was already running. She slammed the door and got into the car. Brigit buckled herself in as they reversed out the driveway.

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t know.” Where was she going? What the hell was she going to do? Her hand shook as she shifted gears, her finger strangely naked. Her house had been invaded, but the loss of the ring hurt more, like she’d lost her armor against the world.

She stopped around the corner at the park where Brigit liked to play and rang the police. By the time they arrived, Flynn was gone and so was her ring. No doubt he’d add it to his hoard. While she knew it wasn’t his fault, she needed someone to blame. And it was easier to blame Flynn than herself. If she’d taken the ring off years before, it would have been safe, but instead she wore it because she was scared that if she took it off she wouldn’t think of Matt.

While the police waited, she packed a bag for Brigit and herself. Even though it went against every instinct, she was taking the cops’ advice and staying with Eliza. Just for a few days, until they caught Flynn. They kept reminding her how lucky she was.

Lucky.

That summed up her life. Lucky. How lucky she was to lose her father to early onset dementia; by the time she was twelve he didn’t know who she was. Lucky her mother quit her job to care for him and left her to sort out herself. Lucky to lose Matt, have his child, have a sickly daughter, and be dependent on the Coulter Trust to make ends meet.